The making of a Quilt for Quiltmaker... blog #7

And NOW, the continuing saga of a Quilt made for Quiltmaker magazine....

As the days of Summer begin to come to a close, I am happy to report that I will actually have a job to go to next week! (I am a Public School Music Teacher by trade and was laid off by my District in June - 2nd time since 2009). It will be nice to actually be going "Back to School". Yea. Now enough of that.

Speaking of going Back to School, let's tune in to our next installment of What does the front of this Quilt made for Quiltmaker's Back to School Party actually LOOK like? 

In a previous installment, I have stated  that there are "12 colors" that were used in my version of the quilt. Well, in that block, they are surrounded by that lovely chocolate brown. This is where the "throw-away triangles" came in. You know, the ones that a Scrap Quilter like me can't stand to "throw away!" That is why I HAD to use them and incorporate them into the back of my quilt or I would go crazy. Can't have waste!

You see, these Stars have absolutely NOTHIN' to do with the pattern on the front of the Quilt 

what-so-ever! 

I am so cruel.

Another thing that was completely different about this quilt that I have never encountered before was the outside edge of the quilt before the border. See how the border is right up there against the corners of the 2 squares? Let me tell you this: you cut absolutely NO triangles to be a part of this quilt. Hmmmm... interesting, and yet you SEE triangles there, don't you? (by the way, I included this close up picture showing the "not so precise matching up of my squares" just to make you feel better). Yup. Its true. I am not perfect. There. 

It is out in the open for all to see. {GASP!}

There you go. Today's installment.

Stay tuned... will our Quilter use a needle and thread to save the world? 

Hey, it can happen.

:P

The making of a Quilt for Quiltmaker... blog #6

All of the other ladies that are a part of the Quiltmaker Back to School Party are now finishing up their quilts and are sending them off to Colorado to be photographed. It is getting pretty exciting to see all of this come together. Everyone's quilt is so different due to the choice of fabrics and quilting design, but the basic pattern is exactly the same. Each one is beautiful to behold. 

Once again, I am somewhat blown away about being able to be a part of the entire project. I feel so honored to be chosen to partake in such an event.

And now for today's installment of "hints as to what the front of this quilt could actually LOOK like!"... The main fabrics that are used in the making of  my version of this quilt consist of a beautiful chocolate brown (have I mentioned before that I am fond of chocolate?), a very bold grey floral, and a blue-grey subtle stripe.

The "pattern" part of the quilt consists of 12 different fabrics used to create the design. I was given a lovely array of colors of the rainbow of Robert Kaufman fabrics to use in my quilt.

So that is today's hint. There are 3 "base" fabrics and 12 "pattern" fabrics used in this quilt. 

Ta Da!...

I know. You want more. Then stay tuned! 

Quiltmaker's Back to School Party is September 16th - 20th!

The making of a Quilt for Quiltmaker... blog #5

I mailed off my quilt to Colorado this last week. Off to Quiltmaker it goes to be photographed. {sigh} I am sure they will do a much more professional job than me having my son hold it up in the living room.

Now, I can't show your the front, but here is the back side. :)

(My darling dog, Precious is sneaking into the photo here)

I machine quilted it according to the suggested quilting for the project. Some others in our "party" (8 other ladies beside myself), have chosen to quilt it in their own pattern. Each quilt, although it has the same design on the front, looks so beautifully different due to the choice of fabrics and quilting options. I am sure you will agree when they are revealed on Quiltmaker's Quilty Pleasures Blog on September 16th-20th. 

It's gonna be quite a Party!

This is their invitation in the September/October issue of Quiltmaker Magazine:

Here is another hint about the Quiltmaker Back to School Party: 

It involves 2 blocks, block X and block Y. Here is where those blocks collide. :)

The wonderful people at Quiltmaker provided me with some really YUMMY fabrics to play with to complete this project. It reminds me of candy and chocolate.

Speaking of which, that makes me hungry for some.

Stay tuned!

The making of a Quilt for Quiltmaker... blog #4

I am happy to say that I have finished the quilt! 

I am not able to show the entire thing, but I can give you "hints" as I have done before. Here is the label on the back of the quilt. Once again, I have used left-over triangles that were cut away and "discarded" from the design.

I was one of the quilters to use the "recommended" quilting design using my home machine. It is simple and easy to do, making it look done, but in my imperfect quilting ability, it is not without flaws.

I certainly prefer to quilt with a "meandering" stitch, because you can't really make mistakes that way. Everything is on purpose! This method, I felt as though my lack of ability showed more.

I certainly have learned from this project. I know that I piece together pretty good. My top looks very good in my opinion. My machine quilting needs more work. I will continue to practice that part. :)

More to come...

The making of a Quilt for Quiltmaker... blog #3

 Today I learned a very important lesson:

I am not perfect.

 I sandwiched the Quilt today, and as I did so, I found that my borders were a bit puckered even though I thought I was being extra careful not to make them so while sewing it together.

Once I got all the pins in the quilt to baste it together ready for quilting tomorrow, I turned it to the backside to find that the backing is ever so slightly "off". The row of stars I place on the back will not be centered, and it even may be just a little crooked.

Do I bother doing it all over again and try to be a bit more accurate? Or should I just continue not being perfect?

I'm really leaning toward stickin' with the not perfect.

What do you think?

The making of a Quilt for Quiltmaker... blog #2

I love playing with fabric. 

As I have been putting together this Quilt for Quiltmaker's Back to School Party, I have had the opportunity to play with some delicious fabric. 

Part of the pattern that I have put together for this project requires that a lot of triangles get cut away and discarded thus creating "bonus triangles". Being a Scrap Quilter, I am not one to discard fabric easily, so I decided to play a little with the extra triangles I had from the Quiltmaker project.

I started by taking my bucket full of bonus triangles...

... and I sewed them all together.

I trimmed them down to 2 inches square.

I had a total of 12 colors combined with a beautiful chocolate brown.

So I put those together and made them into an 8 pointed star.

I have made 6 stars that finish at 6" square.

I have put a strip of chocolate brown in between each block and I will be placing the stars on the back of my quilt as my signature.

Quilting will begin tomorrow. :)

Lavonna ZWB

The making of a Quilt for Quiltmaker... blog #1

So, I have been chosen to make a quilt for Quiltmaker magazine's Back to School Party which will be revealed on their website http://www.quiltmaker.com in September. I am one of 9 quilters from across the United States and Canada that are working on the same pattern but with different fabrics. I have been given the ok by my editor to share my progress with you as long as I don't "reveal" anything about our pattern until after the big party.

I have been provided with some wonderful fabrics, batting, thread and a pattern to follow based upon my quilting preferences. That is really the only reason that I applied to do this project. I loved the thought of fabric being sent to me in the mail. I like Christmas, and this was literally, my very own Christmas in July. :D

Since I love scrap quilts, the powers that be decided to sent me the following Robert Kaufman fabrics:

I washed them and began cutting the required pieces according to the directions. This is not necessarily a pattern that I would choose to do myself, but the instructions have been easy to follow and the quilt has come together very quickly. I do have to say, that I have enjoyed the Kaufman fabrics tremendously! I think they are beautiful and truly make the pattern come to life.

My frustration is the left-over triangles. I am so used to using up every scrap in my projects that the thought of any "waste fabric" kinda makes my skin crawl like when hearing fingernails on a chalkboard. I think I may sew a few together and make something to throw onto the back of the quilt just to make it a little more personal.

I have completed the quilt top today and plan on sandwiching it all together tomorrow and begin quilting the suggested quilt pattern as they have asked. I will continue to blog over the duration of this project until the big reveal mid-September.

Looking forward to the whole project reveal! Please join us, won't you?

Lavonna ZWB