Quilt BLoggers Festival!

I'm so excited to participate in the Quilt Blogger's Festival!  What a great way to see all the wonderful creativity out their!  As I am a reborn quilter this year I don't have much to choose from , but...I do have a quilt I am loving to death!  It is the one I am being selfish with for a change and keeping!  (Why do we always giveaway and not keep our quilts?)

Scrap Happy as I like to call, it is my first quilt using thoroughly modern fabrics.  My stash is definitely stuck in the 1990's. I packed everything away when I moved in 2000.  Illness (cancer) and lack of space (small town home), and then later lack of time (work AND grad school) had pushed quilting into hibernation.


This summer I renovated my second dump room bedroom and created a studio again.  If I can just figure out that darn design wall problem...
  







 

Scrap happy is made from Westminster fabric in scrap bags from an awesome quilt shop Karen Gray designs .  I have always LOVED other peoples scraps!

Design is important to me and I documented the pattern as I went along. Figuring out the measurements to make the scrappy strips.

The border fabric was a great graphic floral print from Joann's, that I also used on the back.  I just LOVE the backing fabric, unfortunately I can't remember(or find the selvage ) where I got this fabric from.  I would love to find some more!  Let me know if you recognize it!

I love this quilt so much I dont even know what to do with it!  I slept under it a few nights, folded it all pretty, and now its hanging on the wall!  I need to make finish a few more quilts to give me more to play with!

Thanks for stopping by and keep checking out all the great quilts in the Blogger's Quilt Festival 2010!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Sew Scraps Along

I am having a blast cutting into my new scrap stash from Karen Gray designs! 

 I started my first project, the scrappy log cabin posted by Pleasant Home for the Sew Scrap Along. 

I got out my sorted Heather Ross and other graphic novelty prints. 

 I isolated the pictures and cut out 17 center rectangles.  Why 17? I don't know.

Then I pulled out the two floral scrap bundles and started working my way through them cutting random width strips. 

I than chain stitched on the strips and cut apart.

 I have a way to go yet.

As I am working through the bundles I am pulling out duplicate fabric and putting them in a bag.  When its full-a small priority box worth-I may have to do a giveaway!

Anyway tonight as I was working on the blocks I got a phone call from my cousin. 

 She wanted me to write a special note for her daughter as a surprise for a special school activity. 

I thought "Yes!  Ill make a fabric post card!" 

I have been wanting to make one for a while. 

So switching gears I cut out the pieces using the tutorial by Fabric Mom. 

I then collaged using things I had.  I think it turned out pretty great!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Quilts! Scraps! Giveaways!

Quilts!

Just some pics form the Flaunt!

Handmade craft show I participated in. 

Here is one of the vendors whose ladder display I loved!  

And its my color too!

Here is my booth. 

I have a little too many crafty things going on. 

I'm trying to pair done my stock to focus on mostly my sewing stuff. 

The wood projects are my dad's work. 

Don't you love the darling doll dressers!


The quilts are all projects made in classes taken at Karen Gray design.  Some of these may help me bust the great scraps I just got.

 

Scraps!

I just have to show you this picture of my new scraps from Karen Gray's destashing! 

OMG!  Heather Ross, Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler, and more! 

WOW!  I had so much fun!  I got to pick my own scraps to fill some $1bags. 

Plus I couldn't resist buying three of mystery scrap packages.  Don't you love the pink fabric (in front) they were wrapped in?! 

I sat at my booth playing with folding and sorting my fabric scraps.  I even found four pieces Flea Market Fancy!

Giveaways!

Check out the giveaway that ends Monday for some fabulous fabric here at Green Fairy Quilts.

There is also another great giveaway at Little Bluebell.

Well I have another bazaar to get ready for next Saturday and then a conference presentation the next week as well as a candle mat swap and work on Christmas projects.  I may not have time to blog next week.  Will see!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Flaunt!!!

Everyone interested in great handmade gifts (like these cuties) needs to come out tomorrow from 10-4p to the barn at Reynolda Village in Winston-Salem, NC. 

 

  Karen Gray Designs is sponsoring the event. 

Earlier in the week Amy's Creative Side talked about the five ways you know you are a fabricholic. 

 I know I am because I am coveting the fabulous scrap bags Karen Gray has put together as part of her goal to destash!

I mean OMG!!!

Scraps like the ones I put in my Scrap Happy quilt! 

Westminster, Kaffe Fassett, Amy Butler!!!! 

Please come out and buy because I told myself I can not buy scraps without selling something first!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

documenting the process

I keep seeing this "I took the process pledge" on the side of blogs.  It is a great way to share and learn from each other. 

I have always documented my progress and ideas for quilts in two graph notebooks.  Sometimes it is a plan for the future.  Sometimes it is working through ideas for a current project.  Sometimes it is documenting the pattern after I have made it, especially if I used another pattern as a guide but significantly altered it for my own purposes.  So I thought I would share some of the plans I was reviewing in one of my notebooks.

This is Scrap Happy that I made a few weeks ago.  I drew it out-size to scale though not the scrappy strips. 

An anniversary wall hanging of a scrappy appliqued vine and leaves around an embroidered sentiment for my mom and dad dated 1998.

  

This was a small wall hanging from a class.  We had created fabric with irregularly cut strips then cut out the blocks for it.  Me being me had to change it up.  The kite shape pieces were supposed to have the fabric going horizontally but I thought it looked more interesting vertically.  Even my teacher was impressed-she had never made it that way. 

I hang it on point and call it 'Crosses'.  I have always wanted to experiment more with this.  Make a larger quilt.  Use different kinds of sashing and borders. 

 Interesting factoid about this project.  We selected our fabric.  I was always looking for bold and graphic color choiceschartreuse greevarigated, obnoxious orange, black and white eyebender (this is the 90s remember).  The purple, black, and brown fabric if you look close enough is ghosts-see their eyes?

 This is # 3 in the All American Dad Series.  If you notice I cut out a different star field and glued it in place.  I think I tried many different combination.  I can actually remember sitting outside on a beautiful spring day in the park planning this quilt.  This was the first one I drew out so completely.  Most of the time I draw during or after.  I'm a 'fly by the seat of my pants' kind of gal when it comes to quilting.

I also did a LOT of planning on the computer using drawing programs.  Of course that was when I still had a mac...ahhh my plus/SE/performa how I miss them so.  

I hope everyone documents their process whether on a blog or in a notebook.  It is a great way for those in the future to learn from those of us in the past.  I need to take the process pledge now, good night!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

And the Fall into Fall winners are...

OK it is almost midnight when my blog turns back into a pumpkin, no wait I'm falling asleep.  OK I ll try it again... I will use a random number generator to pick the two winners. but I will post them on the giveaway blog here.  At midnight.  Or a little past as I'm not a computer and have to count.

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Fall into Fall and Accuquilt giveaways

We are down to the last chance to enter the Fall into Fall giveaways. I know it took me until a few days ago to go through all of the blogs.  There are some really great giveaways! 

I will be choosing my winners and posting about it on Saturday. 

I also wanted to share about this great Accuquilt giveaway at Alderwood Quilts. 

 See the cute pincushion above, I made it with some scraps of wool, pearl beads, and a 25 cent sugar bowl.  I thought it looked sweet with the yellow butterfly pins.  I love flat head pins I  find I can never have too many.  I have butterflies, flowers, buttons, suns, moons, and stars. 

Last but not least I made this giant pincushion to hold them all.  It is great for throwing on the floor when I need to pin something. It sits on top of my ribbon rack above my tool pegboard.  Notice how empty it is-I have a lot of things pinned at the moment.

Well I can't wait until Saturday!  Good luck!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Tallying up the projects

Oct 23 karen grey design is sponsoring Flaunt!  Handmade Arts and Crafts to benefit Brenner's Children's Hospital.  I will be a vendor as opus designs including my beaded things, funky forks, wood-by-hand, and of course quilted things.  So tonight I wanted to share the projects in various states of sewing completion for the craft shows.  Shows I say because I have Unity Moravian's Bazaar the next weekend.

I have three baby quilts pin basted and ready to sew and quilt.

They will be sewn and turned and then quilted. 

It is a cool super 9 patch pattern that creates three baby quilts.

I also have a red, white and blue pin wheel table runner to machine quilt, as well as another Charming Pumpkin quilt.



Both were made with charm squares from my stash, they are addictive to use.

Ebay is the best place to buy by the color!

Well I am yawning, time for bed.

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Scrap Happy

Scrap Happy is an original quilt pattern I made this past week. 

Last Saturday I discovered through a friend's recommendation karen gray design fabric store. 

You should check out her wonderful handmade items also!

Karen has links to her blog and online etsy fabric store.  She carries Westminster fabrics, Amy Butler, Kafe Fasset, and more! 

Karen had some great fabrics on sale and while I was perusing them I discovered her scrap bags! 

Why are other people's scraps so appealing?


 Of course I bought a couple-I feel creative inspiration coming on!

So once home I spread out and sorted these 'scraps'-many were 20" by 4" to 10".  Some even longer!  I played with them, arranging them by color and pattern.

Then I sewed the longer strips together to create a piece of fabric.  I forgot to take a picture :o(  Now I know some people must even up all the edges and make the scraps square, but well I'm not some people.  I just sew. 

 I then cut out four 5" wide strips from the fabric. 

I love the variety of the prints, the large scale florals, and the detail of the more graphic modern prints.

I picked a very graphic and colorful Keepsake Calico floral that coordinates with the colors of the scrappy fabrics for the outer border. 

I love the vintage feel that the off white muslin gives the quilt.  I used it for the sashing, first border, and binding. 

The backing is a wonderful bright coral print that keeps with the character of the front. 

I used leftover border fabric to add detail to the back.

I outline and echo quilted the long pieced strips, sashing and borders.

I'm keeping this quilt for me!  I love it! 

Most quilts I have made I have either given away or sold, except for a few small wall hangings.

 I have decided to create this pattern and hopefully you will see it in my Etsy store soon.

I'm recreating Scrap Happy using different fabrics from my stash and here are the strips laid out and ready to sew!

One hint if you have enough fabric cut out two so you can create one to sell and giveaway and one to keep! 

It's my new plan!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'