Rectangular Wonky Stars

 

This tiny block was an experiment with making a rectangular wonky star block.  Instead of beginning with squares, as in regular wonky stars, which are a super fun block to make, I began with itty bitty rectangles.  They work out just the same, except you have to be careful to which side of the rectangle you add the star points.  I put an adorable Japanese fabric fussy cut in the center of the rectangle.  The block finishes at 1 7/8 x 2 1/4 inches.

 

I set my miniature block into the front of a Perfect Zip Bag (pattern by Elizabeth Hartman) via reverse applique and added some hand stitched details.  The outside of the bag is black yarn dyed essex which has incredible texture and at the same time is super soft.  Thanks to Rachel for sending me some!  I hope I can find more somewhere soon.  Love this stuff.

 The lining of the bag is oval elements in a great dark purple and plum.

I enjoyed making my first block so much I made another.  This on is slightly bigger and pieced into the front of a cell phone case.  I think I prefer the reverse applique setting, but this one is sweet too.

 They make a cute pair; I think I'll keep them.

2010 in Review

Here is the obligatory mosaic of some of my best crafty bits from 2010. I'm actually very pleased I figured out how to make one of these. 1. Raw Edge Circle Quilt top, 2. Redbud Blossoms Quilt, 3. Tickertape Doll Quilt 3, 4. Camera Case Wristlet, 5. Hexagon pillow, 6. Summer Sunshine, closeup, 7. Pure Baby Boy, 8. Summer Sorbet, 9. String Pieced Pillow, 10. Voile and Linen Sewing Machine Cover, 11. Neptune Quilt, closer view, 12. Out for a Walk #2, 13. Plume Sails, 14. Quilted French Press Cozy, 15. Be Merry mug rug, 16. tickertape doll quilt, 17. My First Bee Quilt, 18. Scrappy Squares Baby Quilt, 2, 19. Coordinating Bunting, Pillow and Quilt, 20. tickertape mini quilt, 21. Around Town, 22. Busytown Quilt, 23. Ruffled Wristlet Keychains, 24. whirligig doll quilt - close up, 25. Monogram Pillow

Thanks to each of you for visiting my little blog over the past year and for all your kind comments both online and off.

Summer Sunshine

The masculine version of Summer Sorbet is done.
I'm calling it Summer Sunshine because it has so many summer delights - tadpoles in jars, VW vans camping, a cotton candy vendor, your favorite tricycle and more. These are all prints by Heather Ross - super hard to find and so unique.

I finished this quilt with a new to me technique - faux piped binding. The tutorial was great. This type of binding is finished by machine, so while it was a little fiddly, it did end up being a bit quicker than doing a traditional finish by hand.I love that it allows you to use two fabrics for the binding! I think it adds a really fun detail to this happy quilt. The backing is a simple, linear print that includes many of the colors from the front of the quilt.

Summer Sorbet

I finished my first star quilt - I'm calling it Summer Sorbet, one of the many great suggestions I received from you all. I love how soft the colors and fabrics feel. It is 36 x 48.

Part of what has kept me away from my blog was finding the perfect binding and backing to finish off this lovely, girly quilt. I found this stripe from Michael Miller, and I can't believe how exactly it matches the colors in the front of the quilt!

I used the same allover quilting I used with my nephew's quilt, and I like how it sort of disappears to allow the fabrics to shine.
Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet is so lovely, I just used two prints from the line on the back of the quilt. So bold and fresh!

Another project has been keeping me busy, and I'll be able to share it with you on Friday!

Star Top #2 Completed

I've had so many great suggestions for names for the girl quilt of this pair (thank you - I'm really bad at naming quilts!), and I like how Citric Sugar's ideas for the names of both quilts go together :). I'll ponder my options. Here is the completed boy top.

And two favorite blocks:
I like how the knome looks like he's getting ready to load the van with mushrooms.

Star Top #1 Completed

Help me out here, I have no idea what to call these two quilts. The girly one is pieced, and the boy will soon follow.This is my favorite block. Notice the princess waiting patiently for the icecream truck!

Seeing Stars Again

I've pieced about half of the girly liberated/maverick star blocks for my second baby quilt using mostly Heather Ross fabrics.

I just adore the pink, red, yellow, orange and peach colors together. I'm thinking something from Meadowsweet in peach would be great for the back.With the boy blocks nearly finished, I've begun thinking of these quilts as fraternal twins.

Finish One, Start Two

I finished a project, so that means I get to start a new one, right? Or two? Here are some maverick stars I've made with fussy cut munki munki centers. Certainly not an original idea, as you can find some on flickr, made by Heather Ross nuts. Super fun though, and I'm planning on making a boy and a girl quilt in this fashion. So far I have nine "boy" blocks done, so just three to go on that quilt.
It's been fun to play with the small pieces of munki munki and other Heather Ross prints I have acquired. I've vowed not to get too hung up on out of print fabrics though - there is just too much beautiful new stuff coming out at every market to pay exorbitant prices for rare fabrics.

There is just nothing out there like munki munki though. Hopefully these quilts will get it out of my system! :)