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Friday, July 29, 2016

One Block Wonder July Link Up for Brilliant Cluster





What is it about summer that makes you loose track of the days.....
Or maybe that's just me....

This month has flown by and I can hardly believe it's link up time again!

I love both versions of the Brilliant Cluster Quilt samples. With the bold red and white in the Basically Patrick and Cotton Supreme Solids lines, it's crisp and fun and perfect for
 Canada Day, July 1st. Celebration!!





And
The Jardin Gris.....so soft and romantic
it has an old world feel to it....but still fresh and current
I just love them both.





I want to thank


again for the lovely inspiring fabric and for sponsoring our fantastic prize for this month....

so if you haven't started this months block yet...here is your inspiration if the above pictures aren't enough...  ðŸ˜‰

The link up runs till next Friday Aug. 5th at 10am EST
and as always...you just need to have sewn one block to link up and qualify for this months draw!

I can't wait to see what you have come up with....
Don't forget to use #BrilliantClusterQuilt if you share on social media and 
#OneBlockWondersBOM









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Saturday, July 23, 2016

Brilliant Cluster, July One Block Wonder Check In

I can't believe July is almost over.......summer is flying by...

Made with Basically Patrick and Cotton Supreme Solids
   
and I've been so busy sewing, I forgot about doing a check in post ....
 Now it's the weekend and I am quilting my 3rd quilt in 3 weeks.....(loving that!!!) and thought I'd take a moment and check in :)

How is everyone making out with this month's block? I've heard so many wonderful compliments and it means the world to me that you take the time to share them with me!! I can't wait to see your blocks!

The link up for July will go live on July 29th and stay open till 9 am on the  5th of Aug. Hopefully that will give everyone the time they need to get their one block minimum done and ready to show!


Don't forget 
has sponsored another great prize




And here's an update on my Brilliant Cluster Quilt made with one of  RJR Fabrics 
 lines Jardin Gris...Just love the soft colours and the romantic feel of this line...




The quilting is done and  it's almost finished... just needs the binding added!! Can't wait to share!!
I shared this already, but worth repeating......
This was a project loaded with problems...mostly my mistakes (from cutting errors to newbie issues with directional fabric)....but I kept pushing on and coming up with solutions and fixes...and I also kept loving it more and more as I went.....it has turned out to be a real stunner. 💛




Saturday, July 16, 2016

Re-Post and Finish for the Garden Gate Crocheted Quilt

There have been so many wonderful compliments and questions about this project that I thought I would update the original post and share my finish here at the same time!!

You can't go wrong when you start with this awesome fabric....

Garden Gate from P&B Textiles


 Well I had some extra bits left over and you know how much I love this line....so none can be left unused....


 I stumbled across this lovely idea over on Fanny Lu Designs and just knew it was what I needed to do with the extra bits! This is going to be amazing! 
I mean what can be better then combining two creative loves into one project....When crocheting meets fabric....yes please!!

Check this out....and check out the tutorial Tiffany has made...including YouTube videos, for us very visual learners!!

 Isn't this lovely!! 
I can't wait to see my blocks come together!! 


 The yarn I chose and I hope it will work....though I may have to change it, because I just realized this yarn is thicker then what is called for in the instructions....so it maybe too thick to sew with??
Updates to follow on this one for sure!!

UpDate:

What I learned....
1.) Pick a needle that is sharp and the eye is relative to the thickness of your yarn. I chose a yarn that was a #3 weight, when the pattern called for #1 weight (thinner). So I actually changed from this needle to a larger one. By the end of this blanket my thumb felt like it had a bruise, from pulling the yarn, so I will make sure if I make another one that I try to find the thinner yarn.

2.) I made my blocks larger, as I said, and when I made my stitch guide I wasn't thinking about making sure I had the same amount of stitches per block side...silly girl....so when you make your 1/4" stitch guide, make sure you just add the tick you need between your top stitch lines. 


3.) Look at the back to make sure you are pulling your needle through at the same depth each stitch! I used the topstitch line as my guide, front and back.



4.)By making my blocks larger I basically went rogue....so the crochet pattern also needed adjusting....but because I wanted to crochet (join as you go) I ended up just doing the shell stitch around my blocks with a single crochet in between......




The little shoes are a free pattern I found on line here on the Michael Miller website, and a great way to use up the smaller leftovers from this project!!
What I didn't like about this pattern and maybe it doesn't matter...it leaves a seam on the inside of the shoe...next time I am going to try putting the shoe together differently so that the seam ends up inside the sole....wish me luck. I'll let you know if it works!!



That's it for now....
if you came over just to check out this post, take a moment and read the post previous to this one....it has a great ending!! 😉



Friday, July 15, 2016

New Challenges...With Fun Fabrics

If you have been following my blog or IG account (@upstairshobbyroom)  for any length of time you know I love a new challenge!!

I love trying new projects, love pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, 
and love love love fabric!!!


So when Rita from


one of my awesome blog sponsors
contacted me, I knew I was in for some great fun!!



...and when this bundle of loveliness showed up.......what's a girl to do......... but sew.......


First up Mary Fons'  India Prints  from the Small Wonders Collection
I loved the cute little elephant and camel print and knew I had to pair it with the yellow print and just for fun the Ditsy Purple print, which I have been calling pink...oops! It was the pop of colour I needed for the inside of my Classmate Tote.









I just love how this tote turned out! I have to say sewing with vinyl has its challenges, but the pattern gives you some ideas on how to deal with it. I will be making more of these with my own spin and modifications...so look for a post on that coming soon! 


Look for another project coming using these remaining FQ from the collection!!




I normally use solids with a pieced strip for my backings, but it is so nice sometimes just to be able to have fabric large enough to get your quilt top finished without all the extra work of piecing. It is also great to find wide back fabric that is the same quilt shop weight and quality as the fabric I piece with,  because I have run into some backing fabrics that are too thin for my liking.

This lovely Signature Red print is now up on the long arm waiting for me to finish this post and quilt a long over due quilt top,  I made back in 2013, ....don't judge me, 😳!


It's going to be perfect for the back of my Virtual Quilting Bee quilt top !!



and a little Soak Flatter later, the mailing folds and 3 years of waiting folds vanish.....and we are ready to quilt.




The last fabric in my awesome package is this home decor weight called Bee Croft. We live just around a country corner from a BeeKeeper and buy all our honey directly from his store! So this is such a fun print...and I'm still deciding what I want to make with it, but thought I'd give you a little teaser peak....how cute!



and last but certainly not the least.....
some great news for you...

Rita is offering you a discount code




"WORLDPIECE" 
save 15% off any of the Small Wonders/World Piece line
from now until July 22, 2016.

Have fun shopping everyone....I can't wait to see what you make with your choices!!