Summer Sampler quick tips Block 1

In my last post I talked about joining in on the Summer Sampler.

The first block was released this week and I was super excited to get cracking on it, as this quilt is right up my alley- modern, solids friendly, and-- easy (ish).  

The middle section of little  squares can be made quickly, rather than piecing a ton of tiny squares together one by one.  Sew  strips together to make a section of four, in the measurement listed in the pattern. Then slice this section of 4 rows into blocks. See photo.  * I am not listing the measurements on purpose because you will need to buy the subscription to support these pattern makers. Thanks!

Make 4 rows and sew together. There's the center piece, nice and quick.

To make the 10 half square triangle pieces you need, use the "eight at a time" method to speed things up.

The two large squares of fabrics will be 7".

Draw diagonal lines to make an "X".

Sew along each line at 1/4" seam allowance (see red thread in third photo).

Cut the squares in half along vertical axis and horizontal axis. Then cut again on the drawn diagonal lines. 

Press open and trim to size stated in the pattern.

Make two more as directed in the pattern.

Assemble Turkey Vulture block.

Done! 

Join in the fun-- here are the kickoff details.

At our last Modern Quilt Guild meeting we talked about not being obsessed with mistakes. "It can cripple you" said speaker Judy Gauthier, of Bungalow Quilting in Ripon,Wisconsin.

She spoke a bit about diving in, and going for it. I think I've always been like this but never heard anyone else verbalize it out loud. In a room of Quilters. Who make stunningly beautiful quilts. And can tend to be a bit OCD. Just sayin'.

So, now that I'm looking at my block and I see the non-perfect bits, I will take a deep breath and relax. Once the quilt is together I doubt it will be noticeable to most people.







In other news,  there is a super cute pattern being released very soon by Sew Sweetness that I had the sweet fortune to test. I cannot wait for you all to see this pattern--it is the cutest!

Another Quilt Along I'm doing is the Fat Quarter Shop CrossRoads quilt- a benefit for March of Dimes charity organization. The family block about killed me, but I got there in the end. 

It wasn't difficult, just time consuming because I opted not to take short cuts, just in case...

Next time I'll do the short cuts. 

I'm making mine with Pam Kitty Morning fabrics because I like retro and bright! I could never sew with anything subdued, it's just not me. 

My IG friends always amaze me--I'm constantly inspired! This little beauty arrived in the mail last week and literally made me gasp. FishSkinDesigns out of Canada made it for me for the Perfect Pouch Swap. The other side is a fish--which is perfect because I'm a Pieces. ;)  Thank YOU Jill!

That pin cushion too-- soooo good! I can't wait to take this with me to Glamp Stitch a Lot in 2 weeks!

I made the Brooklyn bag for Bag of the Month club, and Ruby claimed it right away. I used leather that stretches (I didn't pay attention to that detail) so it does have a couple mistakes. My next one hopefully will be better--and with longer handles. These are a touch too short for me.  This pattern is easy to follow and turns out a bag that looks very professional in my opinion. You can still join in the fun you know! Click the link and come along.     ;)

I'll post about my Sailor tops in a future post- I made two so far with plans to tweak the fit a bit. More on that later! Get the pattern from Fancy Tiger Crafts.

 I made Ruby two pair of Moon Pants this week, with plans to make Mia a pair also--but she has requested "Dragon fabric" so I need to shop on Spoonflower first. :D 

She really loves the style, and they sew up so fast = bonus!

This fabric was on clearance at Joann Fabrics, so of course I grabbed it! Pink stripes! Plus I was in the state of mind to actually match my stripes on the sides--whooo hooo! I'm wearing it today.

Pattern from Meg's Sewing with Knits Class on Craftsy. (Blogged about that a few posts back.)

Since the weather is having a mood lately I took pics inside.

  Here- a big shot of my Improv Quilt. 

 I quilted it in gold metallic thread, which is hard to photograph. I feel fancy using gold thread.
Feeling fancy is fun, right?! 

Speaking of feeling fancy..
I don't mean to go on a tangent, but doing a cat eye eyeliner is super fancy, and I do that maybe once a year. I love it though! SUPER fancy!




What I want:

What happens:

I'll stick to sewing.. and.. the natural look.

LOL

I've blogged a lot about the Improv process, so I'll spare you.. you can find Sherri's book here.

I liked this quilt so much I ordered networking cards from Moo in the design.

I'll show you the rest of my cards another day-a few of them are top secret at this time.

:D

Ok, I'm off to do some crafting. I've started this whole "paint your piano thing" and it's morphed into "make your piano an abstract painting with details that take hours to complete" thing. Wish me luck. If it turns out a disaster, I'll never tell you.  bahahahahahahahaaa

Have fun & make stuff!