Bloom-Topia: Release 5

Hello quilting friends. I'm back today sharing three more blocks for the 2020 Bloom-Topia quilt along with Fat Quarter Shop.  These beautiful Release 5 blocks were so much fun to make.  

The Martha Washington Star Block features a festive pinwheel nestled in a traditional star. The pattern called for the background fabric behind the pinwheel to be neutral, but I substituted that for a soft green, which I think warms up the overall look of the block. 

We also made Magnolia Bud blocks this month. Once again I broke the rules. Instead of using a neutral fabric for the background of my single Magnolia Bud, I chose navy blue. I love how that single bud pops off of the dark background!

My version of the Bloom-Topia quilt features mostly the Harvest Road collection by Lella Boutique for Moda. The navy with the white pin dot and the navy with the text print are both from the Sweet Tea collection by Sweetwater for Moda. I used a combination of neutral background prints for my blocks: a neutral from Harvest Road and also Vanilla Grunge (30150 91). 

The original Bloom-Topia quilt designed by Fat Quarter Shop features the Summer Sweet fabric collection by Sherri & Chelsi for Moda.  If you would like to make one just like the original, there is still time to purchase a Bloom-Topia kit!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Taunja

Important Links:

Fat Quarter Shop: Release 1, Release 2, Release 3, Release 4, Release 5

Purchase a kit: Bloom-Topia kit
Purchase a backing set: Backing set kit

My intro post: Bloom-Topia Quilt Along
My blocks: Release 1, Release 2, Release 3, Release 4

Fabric requirements: Fabric Requirements & Pattern Release Schedule

Jolly Jabber landing page: Bloom-Topia Quilt Along

Donation page: Make-A-Wish

The Kindness Project: A mystery quilt sew along (Day 3)

Hello quilting friends! I'm back sharing my progress on The Kindness Project, a mystery quilt sew-along hosted by Sweet Treasures Quilts. Today is Sew Day 3, a super fun sewing day where we put together two large blocks. My blocks are nearly identical, so I've just shown one in this photo.

All of the information (fabric selection, fabric requirements, block instructions) for this mystery sew along is available through social media on the Sweet Treasures Facebook page and the Sweet Treasures Instagram feed.  Please check out those links, as shop owner Terri was kind enough to offer some video tutorials as well. 

My previous blog posts can be found here:
Kindness Project: A mystery quilt sew along with Sweet Treasures Quilts
The Kindness Project: A mystery quilt sew along (Days 1 & 2)

I hope you'll join Sweet Treasures Quilts for The Kindness Project. It's a wonderful opportunity to honor someone affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay home, stay safe and get carried away quilting!

~Taunja

The Kindness Project: A mystery quilt sew along (Days 1 & 2)

Earlier this week I introduced you to The Kindness Project, a mystery quilt sew-along hosted by Sweet Treasures Quilts. The goal is for us each to sew a lap quilt which we gift to someone else . . . someone who has been affected by COVID-19, or maybe someone who has served as a hero during this crisis. (Check out my earlier post for all the details.)

Sweet Treasures Quilts released the Day 1 block instructions yesterday and the Day 2 block instructions today.  So I'm popping in to show you my progress. I've also included the Sweet Treasures Quilts instruction images at the end of this blog post! 

Day 1 called for us to make (4) Railroad blocks, and Day 2 called for us to make (6) star blocks. The Railroad block is super easy-peasy. The Star block has a center square that just begs for some fussy cutting. All in all, this was a great start to the mystery sew-along.

All of the information (fabric selection, fabric requirements, block instructions) for this mystery sew along is available through social media on the Sweet Treasures Facebook page and the Sweet Treasures Instagram feed.  Please check out those links, as shop owner Terri was kind enough to offer some video tutorials as well. Organizing a sew along is a lot of work, and I am so thankful to Terri for her generous heart and creative talents!

I hope you'll join Sweet Treasures Quilts for The Kindness Project. Please check out my earlier blog post for details on getting started. Stay home, stay safe and get carried away quilting!

~Taunja

Kindness Project: a mystery quilt sew along with Sweet Treasures Quilts

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, many of us are turning to sewing as mental health therapy. If we are in a stay-home/stay-safe situation, it’s a great way to keep our minds and hands busy. It’s also a great time to sew service projects.

Terri Staats, shop owner of Sweet Treasures Quilts in Keizer, OR, has come up with a wonderful idea: The Kindness Project, a mystery quilt sew-along in which we all sew a lap quilt that we will gift to someone else! The recipient could be someone who has been hit hard by COVID-19, or someone who has worked tirelessly as a hero in your community. You don’t have to decide who your recipient will be right now. I’m sure in the days and weeks to come, we will all think of someone special whose day we want to brighten with a quilt.

All of the information (fabric selection, fabric requirements, block instructions) for this mystery sew along is available through social media on the Sweet Treasures Facebook page and the Sweet Treasures Instagram feed.  I will be sewing along and will chronicle my progress on my blog.

I will be sewing from my stash of Lella Boutique and Corey Yoder fabrics, focusing mostly on blues and greys, with a touch of green.  I’m hoping the end result will be a soft and pretty springtime quilt.

Here are a few details from Terri:

• The finished quilt will measure 50” x 60”.
• Sew from your stash. (See fabric requirements below.)
• The piecing will be simple.
• The design is scrappy.
• If you post your progress to Instagram or Facebook, be sure to tag your posts using #stkindnessproject
• MOST IMPORTANT, sew at your own pace.  Do not stress out! You could even print out the graphics that Terri posts and sew them at a later date.

On Thursday, March 26, Terri will release instructions for the first block we are to make. I can’t wait to get started.  Remember, you can find all of the information here:

Sweet Treasures Facebook

Sweet Treasures Instagram

Stay home, stay safe and get carried away quilting!

~Taunja

Free tutorials: Small projects to keep you busy during stressful times

Hello friends! I just wanted to remind you that I have several Free Tutorials on my website. The projects are small, so they are easy to sew from your stash. Many of us turn to sewing when we are worried or need an escape, and I think all of us may be experiencing that right now! 

I hope you find a project on my Free Tutorials page that helps ease your burden in the coming days and weeks.  We’re all in this together!

Wishing you good health, much happiness and joy in your sewing!

~Taunja

 

Bloom-Topia: Release 4

Welcome back! Today I'm sharing my latest blocks for the 2020 Bloom-Topia quilt along with Fat Quarter Shop.  The Release 4 blocks are so striking, aren't they? The blocks are named Sarah's Choice and Goose & Gosling. 

The Sarah's Choice (star) blocks were a little tricky, but I pinned, pressed and stitched carefully. Pinning is essential for me to keep my seams matched up!  I also use my walking foot when sewing together blocks with a lot of seam bulk. The walking foot makes it much easier to maneuver over bulky junctions!

My version of Bloom-Topia features the Harvest Road collection by Lella Boutique for Moda.  You'll notice that I used a combination of neutral background prints for my blocks. I selected one of the tonal neutrals from Harvest Road and also Vanilla Grunge (30150 91). Mixing up the neutrals adds visual interest.

The original Bloom-Topia quilt designed by Fat Quarter Shop features the Summer Sweet fabric collection by Sherri & Chelsi for Moda.  If you would like to make one just like the original, there is still time to purchase a Bloom-Topia kit!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Taunja

Important Links:

Fat Quarter Shop: Release 1 Blocks, Release 2 Block, Release 3 Blocks, Release 4 Blocks

Purchase a kit: Bloom-Topia kit
Purchase a backing set: Backing set kit

My intro post: Bloom-Topia Quilt Along
My blocks: Release 1, Release 2

Fabric requirements: Fabric Requirements & Pattern Release Schedule

Jolly Jabber landing page: Bloom-Topia Quilt Along

Donation page: Make-A-Wish

Flying Geese quilt ladder runner

Hello quilting friends! I'm excited to update you on a project I started last year, a long Flying Geese runner featuring one of my favorite fabric collections, Harvest Road by Lella Boutique for Moda. The runner is finished, and I've displayed it on a quilt ladder in my living room. I'm really happy with how it turned out!

The inspiration for this project came from the Furrows block and Harvest tablerunner in Lori Holt’s Farm Girl Vintage book. My runner is much longer than the sample in the book, finishing at 96" long by 12" wide. I wanted it to be the full length of the ladder (and then some) so that I could be totally flexible when displaying it.  

The wonderful thing about Lori's Farm Girl Vintage book is that you can build any type of project you want by combining her blocks in any setting you can imagine. My runner is made up of eight Furrows blocks which I created from 16 different fabrics. Farm Girl Vintage is a great book to have in your library if you want to diminish your stash!

In my project, each 12" Furrows block is made up of 32 individual Flying Geese, each measuring 3 1/2" x 2".  All told, there are 256 individual geese in my runner. You can see in this progress photo how the blocks are arranged.

I sent this pretty runner off to the oh-so-talented Starlit Bear of Starlit Quilts for machine quilting. Star used the Abundant Feathers pattern in a soft taupe thread, giving it the perfect finishing touch. Thanks so much, Star!

Thank you for stopping by the blog today! I hope you all are healthy, happy, and finding time to get carried away quilting!

~Taunja