crash course in HSTs!

This project feels a little bit like a crash course in HSTs. I've made a few half square triangle (HST) quilts over the years and have definitely improved with my technique over time. 

Full disclosure: precision piecing has never really been my thing, I'm more of a "let's make this work" kind of quilter. Don't get me wrong, I do try to cut carefully and sew carefully, but I don't spin out if things go a little wonky. HSTs are the perfect example ... I know I can be a tad sloppy when I'm making them, sometimes I've ended up getting a few points cut off, and I actually thought trimming was an optional step, ha-ha!

This time though, as I'm making teeny tiny 2" HSTs, I've challenged myself to get more precise with my points. It’s all good practice. And I am hoping accurate trimming and making sure I match up a true 90º angle will make all the difference. 

There are lots of little HSTs in this which = lots of HST trimming! 

And yes, it's repetitive ... but it's also turned out to be quite relaxing & very satisfying when done.

seven blocks done ✅

two to go

cabin nights quilt

I’ve got a lot of small pieces of fabric piling up around here - remaining fragments of FQs, leftover scrappy bits, assorted strips & strings - and have promised myself that my next few projects will use some of them up. One quilt I've wanted to make for ages now is the Cabin Nights Quilt by @prairiequiltco, a star quilt is never a bad idea, agree?

I started choosing fabrics from my stash, aiming for a colour mix that was soft and pretty, with just the right amount of pizazz! I love the idea of not overthinking it, but must admit, I had a spot of trouble pulling fabrics for this one! 

And it took a while, a lot of my stash is bold & bright, with lots of multi-coloured florals, as many of you know. But here's where I've ended up ... I have my darkish value fabrics on the right, including a few of my usual florals. In the middle are some softly muted medium/light greens. And on the left are my low value fabrics (which I'll add to as I find more), lots of light coloured prints with little splashes of colour.

hm-m-m I think this could work ...

the extra scrappiness in this centre star makes me smile

this next one is a Tilda & Ruby Star Society mix

do I love this sweet star? 

Yes, yes I do💖

Super happy with this vintage muted palette so far.

Stay tuned for more progress posts 

Linda

pinks and teals and golds, oh my!

This latest quilt finish was also inspired by Jolene @blue elephant stitches, loved her Vintage Diamonds quilt from her 'scrap quilt diary' (pattern link @theowlhutch). My focus was to try and capture some of Jolene's ‘vintage vibe’ and yet still be reflective of my stash here. 

I'm enjoying this mix of scrappy sewing & a super punchy palette. It ended up all working well together - the lights & brights, the old & new, the cool & warm tones - a little bit of everything really. I've taken lots of close-ups so you too can check out my mix of fabrics! 

I selected a dark teal RSS floral fabric for my backing and had it quilted by Leeanne @quiltmekiwi in an E2E 'feeling good' panto, using gold thread. 

While there are lots of pinks & teals & mustardy-gold accents, there are also quite a few black fabrics in the quilt too, and I think this black & white stripe fabric for binding was the natural choice.

Quilt measurements 66" x 52".

Adding the final stitches to my vintage diamonds quilt today ...

*I'm linking up today's post with my three favourite linky parties, see R) side bar.

Until next time, Linda

economy blocks in lavender & blue

There's been a bit of a holding pattern on these economy blocks while I jumped back & forth with my setting options. Once I'd finally decided, I then spent more time reconfiguring my blocks to make the best of what I had previously cut & made up. The sewing room table was a chaotic mess!

Over the week though, I've made good progress.

Thanks to the strong repetition of those lavender & blues, this still has a scrappy feel no matter how chaotic things got!  The neutral tones help brighten the soft colours while creating a fresh, airy look. 

These square-in-a-square blocks are a fun twist on a favourite simple block, love the secondary design too.

lavender & blue quilt with wisteria

- and a close-up to finish

Finished quilt top measures 62" square. 

The 'to be quilted' queue is getting longer - but it’s not a race, there's always tomorrow.

Linda

a few floral blocks

The 'little miss sawtooth star' pattern is in muted tones, which I loved the 1st time I made this quilt, check out the link here to see a pic. However, there are heaps of opportunities to do things your own way with this pattern - something I just love about this creative colourful hobby!

This time around, I'm focusing on the saturated colours of Anna Maria’s Beata's Garden in steel, from her Good Gracious collection, and am loving it! Wink, wink, it's not at all restrictive colourwise actually, there's lots to work play with. 

I'm mainly going with assorted purples/teal blues/ daisy yellows, rosy pinks and just a few scattered pale 'indelible soft' florals from AMParry. Most of my background colours are a tad more medium/dark than last time, I think. 

I'm enjoying my ramble through these floral blocks.

 Here are my latest two blocks this weekend ...

Isla block

Sadie block

Thinking ahead, I'm considering adding sashing to my little miss sawtooth star blocks, 

rather than the large alternating 4-patches in the pattern.

Maybe a unifying print something like this? 

Anyways, I'll make a few more blocks and then make a decision. 

Happy weekending, 

Linda

(new) project alert

The Sawtooth Star (which goes way back to the 1860’s apparently) is a very versatile star, it can be made different just by simply changing up the centre. Back in 2019, I made a "little miss sawtooth star" quilt, using a free pattern by Melanie from southerncharmquilts. Like the original, I used a healthy dose of low volumes for the backgrounds and mainly medium value florals. I donated it to Hospice.

I'm thinking I'd like to make another one!

This time around though, I'm going with lots of colour! 

I recently bought a length of Anna Maria’s Beata's Garden from her Good Gracious collection, and after using some of it for borders, I still have plenty left to play with! Next up, I pulled fabrics from my stash baskets with similar tones. 

I'm using a limited number of "lights" made up of a few pale 'indelible soft' florals from AMParry. Love how all the whitish light bits give the other colours such sparkle.

Well, I had a vague idea of where I was going, however once I started cutting & piecing, each block was a lovely surprise! 

Here's my first few stars ...

Ava block #1

Luciana block

 Josephine block

Asha block

... ✂️a little fussy-cut fun, love the swimming circle of swans! 

Ava block #2

Olivia block

Juliana block

Jada block

Ava block #3

... how clever is that AM Good Gracious fabric 'town meeting' dew

here's how the (makeshift) design wall is looking so far ...

... it's going to be busy & bright ... in the very best way!

Linda

two little quilts get their bindings: pt 2

I promised you two little cuddle quilts and this second one is just as sweet as the first one. 

My scrappy 'star hollow & 9patch' quilt was a lot of fun because, with the "floating" stars method, every star point is perfect. No stress! I used a pattern by Jolene @blueelephantstitches, from her 'Scrap Quilt Diary' book.

Again, I dipped in & out of my fabric baskets, selecting a nice scrappy mix of old & new in toasty browns/pinks/oranges. I decided the blue shades would be/should be an accent only with limited use.
The backing fabric is a Heather Ross Strawberry print.

Channeling my inner Jolene vibe again, I opted for straight line quilting by *Leeanne @quiltmekiwi.
And for binding, I chose another blue & white stripe - cottage rose by Alex Anderson - it’s a clever way to pull out those blues, otherwise they sorta get lost. (for those who don't know, blue is really my absolute fav colour!) (for just about everything!).
Quilt measures 45" x 54".

 a little progress collage ...

*Leeanne was able to load both these little quilts onto the same backing & batting ...

I'm linking up today's post with my three favourite linky parties, see R) side bar.

Until next time, Linda

two little quilts get their bindings: pt 1

I started out this year making a few quilts from Jolene's @blueelephantstitches two books, a real treasure trove of scrap quilt ideas. I jumped right in, revisiting my scrap fabric baskets again & again. Once I'd pieced two super scrappy quilt tops together, I sent them off to Leeanne @quiltmekiwi and she quilted them beautifully for me. 

This week, I've set about getting both cuddle quilts bound & finished. 

Scrappy 16 patch & sawtooth star

This little one is a simple two-block combo, mixing up my scrappy 16 patches with 3 colour sawtooth stars, using ideas from Jolene's book.
Channeling my inner Jolene vibe, I chose simple straight lines for the quilting.
Backing fabric is a Heather Ross Strawberry print and my binding is Tula Pink's blue & white tent stripe. Quilt measures 40" x 48".

a little progress collage ...

Stay tuned - quilt #2 coming very soon!

I'm linking up today's post with my three favourite linky parties, see R) side bar.

Until next time, Linda