Projects to Share!

I know it's been quiet on the blog this week, but I had one large custom project to finish that required all of my concentration!  The good news is that it is DONE and on its way to a new home in Canada!\

This quilt is based on my When the Stars Align pattern, which I have to say is my favorite of all the ones I've designed.  It's also the most time-consuming to make because of all the half-square triangle blocks involved.  Not a difficult task -- just labor intensive!  This is the first full/queen size quilt I've made from the pattern, and it was basically like making 2 1/2 lap quilts!  (The lap size version has 12 blocks -- the full size has 30 star blocks!)  30 star blocks translates to 360 half square triangles!  Once I finally got the pieces made and the top sewn together, it took several hours to quilt, and several episodes of Project Runway to bind!

I love the way it turned out, and I'm dying to make the pattern in so many other fabric collections, but that will have to wait until I catch up on some unquilted tops!
So once this quilt was dropped off at the post office, I found myself in a brief "custom-order free" state!  I actually have one more custom quilt in progress, and two more orders in the planning stages, but since I am waiting for additional materials for the one in-progress,  for the first time in weeks I was able to work on any project I wanted to! 

This "Children at Play" baby boy quilt was a quick, easy finish!  The top was already done, and the quilting went fast -- I just need to bind it later this week.  I'm super happy with this one -- the colors are so nice, and I found flannel fabric for the back in the same orange bicycles print.  

I was so anxious to keep quilting that I quickly loaded this vibrant top on the frame.  I wasn't a huge fan of the "Terrain" collection by Kate Spain when it first came out, but it is really growing on me!  I always love her fabrics, and I have to admit that the colors in this collection were fun to work with.  I found this pattern on the Moda Bake Shop called "Charming Stars" and decided it would be fun to use a purple solid for the stars.  I also omitted the sashing strips, and I like the way the stars "float"among the charm squares. 

This quilt did use up the last of my batting stock, which has been seriously depleted by my custom orders!  I buy batting on the roll through Joann's online.  Since we live in a remote area, this is so much easier than waiting for a sale and stocking up so I don't run out.  I always use Warm-N-Natural, and the roll (40 yards!!) is a good deal with a coupon or a sale price.  Usually the giant box arrives on my doorstep within a week.  I finally purchased a new roll a few days ago, but other than the piece I set aside for this week's custom order,  I'm totally out until the new roll gets here!

However, I do have a bit of Dream Green recycled batting on hand, so I think I'll be loading the remake of my Lorax quilt later tonight.  I really do like the Dream Green batting, but I don't usually use it for my Etsy quilts since it doesn't crinkle up in the wash as much as the cotton batting.  When I made the original Lorax quilt last spring, I decided the Dream Green was the perfect match -- it is actually made from recycled soda bottles.  You would never know it, because it is so soft, and is very similar to the feel of the Warm and Natural before washing. 

I finally managed to finish the binding on this fall quilt (made from Sandy Gervais fabrics), and build the additional storage crates I bought from Michaels last week for my sewing room.  The additional vertical storage helped me clear up other areas of the room even more.  I also purchased and built a shelving unit for the closet, but I am still sorting through the things that need to go back in there. All in all, it was a very productive and fun weekend!