DQS11!!

I'm in!

I've been waiting all week for partner assignments to be sent (today)... and I'm in! For those of you who aren't familiar, I'm talking about the Doll Quilt Swap on flickr. Since they have so many people sign up, a lottery is held to determine who gets to play each round. This will be my third round with DQS and it's by far the most amazing swap group ever! Everyone is very friendly and talkative and most of all - creative! 

Sketches of possibilities. That top left one is a triangle shape quilt.

I wasted no time this morning - I stalked my partner to seek out his/her likes and dislikes. I think I have a good start. I drew up a bunch of options to put out there (see if she bites on any of them). Then I stitched up a little practice (which will eventually go into my Scrappy Tiny Fun quilt). 

String blocks, paper pieced, unfinished 3" square, finished 2.5"

Since I've already blogged about my likes etc for my partner I won't go into that now. I'll keep talking about my ideas for my partner. This sample once again, is not at all in the colors that I'm planning on working with (I'm thinking lighter and pinks and such - very spring) -- unless he/she speaks up and says that these colors are what he/she wants!

Next up, a trial of a new york beauties block - in miniature (I'm hoping I can pull it off in 4" or 5" ... I'm not sure but it might work! It's a pretty huge challenge though since I've never even made a new york beauties block.... lol. It may end up as one tiny one for the label. But wouldn't it be cool to see 6 or 9 of those in tiny? We'll see! :)

A post about color...in a weird way.

So I looove making mosaics over at Big Huge Labs. I could entertain myself for days with it. I was thinking about all the pink things I've been making recently. Mostly because of the scraps from Ali's quilt I have laying around. Comparatively I had been making everything in purple a few weeks ago, because I'd just finished the string part of my purple string quilt, and had so many scraps of purple strings. And ultimately, ever since my Little folks Quilt, I've been so in love with grey that it's hard to make a single project without it. So here it is guys... My crafting in perspective of color.

Pink sewing.

Purple sewing.

Grey sewing.

Notice how the grey mosaic looks more disjointed than the others? Because grey is a neutral color, it makes the other colors really pop!

Lastly, look at the coolest thing I've ever made - ever!

She just turned two! I can't believe it! :)

Oh and stay tuned tomorrw or thursday I'll be announcing the giveaway for my 100th post! It's going to be great so tell all your friends!

Quilting Math: Part 1

Whenever I make a quilt, my sketchbook starts to look like a math book. I don't like to buy more fabric than I need for a project, and I hate to have to run to the store to buy more mid-project if I run out. So before I buy fabric to sash, bind, and for the back, I do the math.

Today I'm going to break down for you how I figure out how much fabric to buy to sash a quilt. This sample I'm using is the measurements and sketches for my DQS9 quilt... so it's doll size.

Here's the sketch. The shaded area is made up of my blocks, and will be sashed in a lattice style. The sashing will be strips that are cut 2" wide, and finished at 1.5"

To determine how much fabric is needed for the sashing, I first add up all the areas sewn horizontally to the sashing.

3+3+3+3+9+9 = 30

Then I add up the total height of the finished quilt (from the top down I've got: 3+1.5+12+1.5+3= 21

Then I add one inch (for wiggle room), and multiply this number by 2 (since I'm using two strips of this length). 21+1 = 22

22 x 2 = 44

Now add the two numbers together 30 + 44 = 74

So you'll need a strip that measures 74" x 2" to sash this quilt.

Since quilting cotton usually is printed on the bolt as 44" wide, we'll take our strip length (74") and divide it by the usable inches of the fabric (I usually bet on having 42" of usable fabric once the selvages are removed). So.

74 ÷ 42 = 1.76 (round up to the nearest number, 2)

Meaning you'll need two cuts, selvage to selvage to equal 74 inches.

Now if you've already got that fabric by the yard on hand, you'd go ahead and cut two strips that are two inches wide each. Sew them together, sash your project and go on your way.

If you have to buy fabric for this project, it's easiest to buy a 1/4th of a yard.

***

Here's how to figure out the yardage if you've got a larger project. For instance for this string quilt I'm working on, I'm doing just a basic border around all four edges (the string part is 45" x 31") I'm putting an 8" border around the string section.

For this project I'll end up needing 5 strips (selvage to selvage) that are 8" wide.

The math you'll have to do for this is 5 (number of strips) times 8 (width of strips)

5 x 8 = 40

I'll need 40" of fabric... divide this number by 36 (the number of inches per yard).

40 ÷ 36 = 1.11 

I round up to the nearest quarter of a yard, so I'll be buying 1 1/4 yards of fabric for the sashing of my string quilt.

Lots of randomness going on.

I recently bought a couple yards of purple fabric to sash this quilt top. I want about a 10" border around the outside, which will make it aprox. toddler bed size. Why is it that I suddenly want to cut into that purple Kona to use on every other project. I know that I bought it specifically for that quilt, and I don't want to have to run to the fabric store when I get the inspiration to actually finish it. But... it's so inticing. I think I need to buy more.

I'd really like to just chop it all up and use it to make more of these blocks. I really enjoy them. Or to make some improv. blocks with tiny square centers and teeny tenny borders etc then huge purple borders than more teeeny borders. How many purple quilts do I need?

I've thought of doing these blocks (above) as the back of the string quilt... but I think they are way cool enough to deserve their own quilt. I've been thinking of making them into a baby quilt for my friend Kayla's new baby (due any day now)... but I've never actually given a quilt away... I'm affraid I'll get too attached. And I don't see Kayla ... ever... so I'd never get to see the quilt again. And, would she take good enough care of it? lol. Silly I know.

On to the discussion about the fabric I ordered two and a half weeks ago that still isn't here! Don't shop at Fat Quarter World... well they're closing up shop anyway. I ordered two yards (one of each of two prints) of AMH good folks fabrics to even out my rainbow assortment for my DQS9 quilt.... I was really expecting the fabric to get in by lets say...last week! I've been tracking the shipping (supposedly 2-6 day shipping that I spent $6 on) and it's been at a sorting facility (aka lost) for more than a week. I'm really hoping that they'll at least refund my shipping cost (since $6 for two yards was rediculous anyway). We'll see. Either way, Fabric.com has restocked those prints and I ordered it from there last week, since I'm tired of waiting with the project on hold. Here's hoping that something will come in today or tomorrow!

Here's my DQS9 progress so far (ok well I've finished ironing the last few squares...) no colors yet in the windows, as my palate depends on how pink/purple the ordered fabrics are in real life. Hopefully some great progress soon! Of course I need to start cutting/ironing more grey squares since I really think I need one of these for myself too!

Loft Creations No Strings Attached Challenge!

I have been obsessed with string quilting blocks. Especially those quilts at www.filminthefridge.com. So, I decided to give the "Loft Creations No Strings Attached Challenge" a chance. Here are my first projects.

A replacement doll blankie (about 8"x10") with strings at the sides to hold it on.

I even used some of my fancy stitches from my new Singer Confidence on the top.

Here are some close-ups of some favorite blocks on my purple kaelidoscope quilt. WIP

Notice some pieces of Anna Maria Horner's Chocolate Lollipop in there, and scraps from Allie's quilt.

Here's a view of all the squares so far (as of about a week ago).

I hope for this quilt to be about a queen size quilt for our living room - for the family to snuggle under. It's my first full-sized (not baby) quilt.