Treasure Boxes Quilt Along - piecing

Sorry they weren't up yesterday... but here you go! :)

Piecing instructions for the Treasure Boxes Quilt Along. :)
See previous posts here.



Get a pdf copy of these directions here.

After step 1, you do not have to trim your HST's to make your design work, but if you'd like to trim them to 8 1/2" square (unfinished), then they will be perfectly perfect. :)

Make 12 blocks for the larger size (cut from fat quarters).
Make 20 blocks for the charm size!

Don't forget to add your photos to the flickr group!  (You can see Michelle was a bit of an over-achiever). :)

You have 2 weeks to make your blocks!  We'll be linking up the week of the U.S.Thanksgiving with finished/donated quilts  for a chance to win fabulous prizes from Julie at The Intrepid Thread! :)

P.S. I'm doing a pattern giveaway over on facebook because we hit 100 "likes!" :)
Go tell me which pattern you'd like to win, and I'll pick a winner on Monday. :)

speaking of...

I have a few housekeeping things to report at the moment.

It took me a while, but I figured out two different technical things tonight.

You see, the little boy has not been sleeping well lately, and when he's up in the night, the hubs takes care of him (I get the baby girl if she has trouble, and took care of Steiger when he was tiny of course)... when reading stories to the boy tonight, Jay fell asleep on the floor and so he went to bed early.  I wasn't quite ready myself, so I decided to play on the computer and take care of some computer business I've wanted to take care of.

Look to your right please.

Social media buttons/icons eluded me.  But tonight, I figured out how to make my own, and give them code. /beaming smile
I mean -- they're chubby stars AND have stitchy lines around them!  I'm not 100% pleased with the colors, but they'll work. :)

One of them links to my new facebook page.  Feel free to "like" me -- I'll give away a pdf pattern of winner's choice to a "fan."

I'm still trying to fix the code for the Treasure Boxes Quilt along button -- if any one wants to help a girl out, here's where you can find the picture.


And one last picture - last week I *might* have received a couple orders.  I have a dream of a fall quilt done in all texty backgrounds... I *might* have gone a little overboard... and no, I'm not sure when I'll actually be able to get to this idea, but I will try. :)

And yes -- I'm more of a cream/beige girl than pure black and white.
And those little music notes in the middle speak to the girl who took 15 years of piano lessons. ♥

P.S. Piecing directions for Treasure Boxes coming later this week!  Get that cutting done!

P.P.S. After re-reading this, I realize I might need to go to bed myself... I sound tired.

Treasure Boxes - cutting

It's still Friday where I am!

What a week!

Harvest started this week... 'nuff said.  Good news is that it's the last crazy/busy season of the year, so I just have to make it until a little in to November.

Here are the cutting instructions for the Treasure Boxes Quilt Along.
This is our "assignment" for this week. :)  Add your pictures of your fabric!



Here is a pdf of the cutting instructions.
*Please note: you can cut your squares at 8 7/8" instead of 9" if you prefer not to trim when done.

I hope these directions are pretty clear!  When I'm done with the Quilt along posts, I'm going to compile the graphics/pages in to a pattern that will be for sale with all proceeds to benefit Quilt Hope In.  So if you think you might want this pattern -- save/copy the file now. :)

And so this post isn't left without a pretty picture --

The little etsy shop Quilt Hope In had its first sale since re-opening.  I listed this little color wheel dresden I made; it sold and shipped off this week. yea!

If you would like to list something, email me with pictures, the price and all that jazz.  The payment goes directly to Heartline, so if you need compensation for shipping, please make sure to let me know, so an arrangement can be made with the buyer aside from their payment.

Anyway -- I gotta go to bed.

Much love to you all.

And I'm praying I adjust to the hubs working a lot again soon... quality time is my main love language, and I miss that big hunk... *sigh*  At least I'm not 37+ weeks pregnant or caring for a newborn this year... so there's that...

WIP Wednesday - Rather Random Round-up

I'm telling you, we really need a second computer at our house... that way, I wouldn't have to throw all these random things in to one blog post... but here it is.  My WIPs. :)  (and I think I finished something too).

I figured -- the start of one quilt along, deserves the finish of another.

SO CLOSE AM I!!!
And I will post the measurements for how to do the little inset border piecing muy pronto.  Email me if you want to make the quilt and I haven't got around to them yet. :)

I am kind of wanting to sell this quilt because I want to go visit some quilty friends early next year, BUT I don't know that I'll be able to part with it, even if I don't have a clearly defined purpose.  I'd say it would be lovely draping the couch, but if you knew my farmer of a hubby, you'd agree with me that a cream colored background could be a dangerous thing (I have a three year old and baby too).

Speaking of the baby... she's almost 1!

I'm working on some little gifts for her.

I have this pattern that I'm working on so she'll have a little cozy baby doll.  Of course the cozy baby needed a patchwork blankie. :)  In very girly fabrics. (Speaking of -- does any one know the name of the fabric that is like minky, but with a very short nap -- like a really short fuzzy fabric?)

I'm also making her a birthday dress that will double as a Halloween costume.

I'm using the Family Reunion pattern by Oliver & S, and do you see where I'm going with those tights?
I happened to have two different red polka dot fabrics, so I'm making this dress twice (at the same time), and I'm going to sell the other one as a Halloween costume (because it's the same size, she really doesn't need two, and I'm thinking a little Strawberry Shortcake costume might be a hot commodity this month).

We'll be scheduling her one year birthday photos soon.  I'm so excited I could arrange another trade for photos!  I am working on a little photo backdrop, as well as these little banners (which are actually finished). If you're a quilter who, like me, spends most your disposable income on fabric, but would still like some wonderful family or baby photos -- talk to local photographers about a trade.  Both of us have been really happy with this arrangement!

Here's the girly banner (made to match the quilt I sent)

And the boy banner.  (to match this quilt)

If you look up in the corner of that banner, you'll see a really big, special quilt I'm working on.  I have loved Laura Gunn fabrics for a long time, and have a bit of a ridiculous stash of them... and this quilt, made with her new Cosmos line to be released soon, will be going with Laura to Quilt Market.  *sigh*  If only I were joining it... This is so ridiculously exciting for me.  It also brings me one step closer to my goal of having my own booth at Market one day... (maybe even this Spring in Portland!)

So thank you Laura!  The fabric, and quilt, are looking beautiful! (and thank you to my dear friend Angela for passing along my name... ♥)

So is that enough random for one post?

I'll be linking to Lee's!  

Treasure Boxes cutting instructions coming tomorrow or Friday!  Get your fabric, and get in the group! :)

Treasure Boxes Quilt Along - fabric requirements

yea!  We're ready to get started with the Treasure Boxes Quilt along! :)

Julie at The Intrepid Thread has put together a wonderful deal for any one who wants to quilt along!

The pattern and instruction will be here, and posted here.  I'll get cutting instructions up next week. :)

Fabric Requirements:
For a 64" x 82" quilt, you will need:
- 12 fat quarters
- 3 yards background and border (I used white here)
- 1/2 yard binding
- 5 yards backing

I will be using Out to Sea for my quilt, but this design is incredibly versatile, and will be beautiful in a number of designs -- all you want to keep in mind is good contrast between the diamonds and the prints.  You can achieve that contrast with a solid vs. print, value difference, or color distinction (warm vs. cool).  I'm going with white.  Because I like it...

Here's the great part... you get to pick your fabric for the kit Julie put together!  She's giving us 20% off her already reduced prices. :)
So exciting... I know!...
(and yes, I am tempted to buy another kit... just because....)

Some links to my favorites--
Bella
Chicopee
Field Study
Coquette (with charm pack)
Madrona Road

What you need to do -- pick your 12 fat quarters (you can go from one collection, or mix and match), let her know what yardage you'd like as your background/contrast and border print (3 yards), and choose a binding( 1/2 yard).  Then Julie will wrap it up all

Here is the first little quilt I did with this design, in which I used a monochromatic palette of saturated pinks and reds...

If you would like to make this quilt with charm squares instead of fat quarters (smaller blocks), then here are the fabric requirements:

46" x 55"

60 charm squares (2 charm packs)

1 1/2 yd. background

1/2 yd. binding

Here is a mock-up of the quilt done with Ladies Stitching Club (I have a charm pack of this fabric -- it's even prettier in real life)

A last word on how this Quilt Along is working -- 

A long time ago, I opened a little etsy shop called Quilt Hope In.  The money for things we made that sold went directly to a birthing center and sewing education center in Haiti run by an organization called Heartline.  When I was pregnant, I let it lapse, and I'm thinking it was such a good idea that it's time to re-open it.
I'll be accepting donations -- email me if you've got a high quality hand-made item you'd like me to list.

When I'm finished with this Treasure Boxes quilt, it will go up for sale in the Quilt Hope In etsy shop.  And y'all can donate yours there too.  Or to another great organization.  And no quilty police are going to come get you if you decide to keep your quilt... BUT...

We'll have a link up when we're done, to show off our quilts, and remind ourselves to store up our treasures where it matters... and not just in our fabric stash. ♥

But you know that Julie... she's offering up three amazing prizes for those who finish and donate a quilt! She says "they'll be something good," (which if you've seen her giveaways, you know that's saying something!)  We're thinking about 2 months as a time-frame; I'll give you an exact date with next week's cutting directions.

OK -- the kiddos just went to bed, and it's time to go hang out with the hubs or get some sewing done, or veg out to the new fall shows. :)

Important links

 -- Our flickr group

-- Awesome deal for fabric from Intrepid Thread

-- Our button is over in the sidebar... I hope I got the code right!  (html is not my native language)

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My WIP report -

Cutting -
- Treasure Boxes
- Beauty is You baby quilt

Piecing -
- Chubby Stars (all I have left is the border!)
- Glassy quilt
- new design

Quilting -
- Hello Luscious baby
- Baby S
and more!

Linking to Lee's!

Linky Love pattern (+giveaway)

I got it all done!  And published!  And everything! :-D

I'm really proud of this pattern, and happy with how it turned out.  It is fun to piece together, because of how the pieces link together, and a great design for showing off a favorite color scheme.

When I have a new quilt design in mind, I usually give it a nickname, so I have a place to organize all the diagrams and what-not as I'm working on it.  This one, I nick-named "Linky Love."  I wasn't sure if that name would stick or not, and I auditioned a few others, but went back to this.  Cheesy?  Absolutely.  But catchy too. :)

Included with the pattern are all the instructions to make this quilt in three different sizes.

There's the 56" square "throw" size, which is what I've made here:

The 72" square "Cover" size... which has a layout like this:

(see what I mean about a favorite color combo?  I just liked this one)
This size also perfectly uses a Moda Jelly Roll.

And a Queen size that measures 88" x 96" and looks something like this:

(If I was going to make this quilt for our bed, I'd need to go with a background color like this).

You'll also get a nifty coloring page (yea!) to help you plan your color scheme and lay-out.  (I'm not going to lie -- I really enjoyed getting out my colored pencils and coloring my page in when I was planning this quilt).  The quilt is planned with five color groups in mind, but I also included diagrams for using four or seven colorways.

Kelly is currently working on the cover version (in Birds & Bees fabric), and Lindsey already has a throw size quilt top almost completed using the Simply Color ombre jelly roll strips (yes, the ombre does create a really cool effect).

__________________________

The inspiration for this quilt was two-fold.  

Please meet my cosmetics pouch that doubles as a sewing notions holder.
I have stared at this thing sitting in my sewing area for a couple years, and always thought it would make a great quilt design.  But the piecing baffled me.  

Then... Jay (my hubs) asked me one night if I would do him a favor and make a quilt for his friend's wife who was recently diagnosed with cancer, and ended up in the ICU with a really scary infection (and whole mess of complications).  He has known the guy for a while, in the online, MMORPG universe known as EVE.  They're in a "corp" together.  They have meetings, with chat rooms and all sorts of craziness -- so they've gotten to know each other pretty well (though they still refer to one another as Kubert and Raven for the most part, rather than their real-life, less entertaining names).

Hearing about what Raven's wife was going through really upset Jay.  And he wanted to do something.  

He thought sending ISK (the fake online currency of the EVE world) wouldn't be as appreciated as a quilt.

I told Jay to ask Raven what his wife liked.  She apparently is a big University of Michigan fan.  So borrowing their colors of blue and gold, I pulled some fabrics, got out my graph paper, figured out how to make these links connect, and Linky Love was made.  

Jay told me that Raven's wife (whose name is Heidi) cried when she saw the picture of her quilt (which is in the mail).  That made me cry.  So I stuck with the name "Linky Love." (and yes, I put Jay's EVE name on the label).

I already showed you, but here's the back I made to go with the front:

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So thank you for listening to my ramblings. 

I can't wait to show you more versions of this quilt, as well as see yours!

And I hope you like this pattern as much as I do. 

It will always remind me personally that sometimes those online friends are just as linked as the ones who live closer...

♥

Giveaway of the pattern!
To enter -- leave a comment telling me something you love about your online friends -- or a color scheme/fabric line you'd like to use to make this... or something. :)
If you buy it, and then win -- I'll refund your money, or send you another pattern gratis.

P.S. you have until the 10th to link up for our Just Three goals! :)

September - Just Three!

September!!!

And time for our "Just Three" report. :)  I can't wait to see everyone's progress and goals!

My report for last month:

1) Make some baby quilts (and crib skirts)

I finished my baby triangles, a love baby quilt, basted a couple more and made one of the crib skirts I wanted to make... as well as a little pillow (to go with this quilt) -- but I finished it at midnight and had to get it in the mail.  But I can't wait to see a picture of it with its new little owner! :)

I also have Scarlet's patchwork curtains hanging. :)

I sit and rock her and look at all the pretty fabric. ♥

2) Make something amazing that I plan to write the pattern for.

Introducing "Linky Love."

I have the pattern almost ready!  yea!  I've got a couple people testing it out now, and I still have to make the cover version, but the practice one, math, and most of the diagrams are done. :)

I'll show you the back... this quilt is going to one of my hubby's friend's wife -- she has been fighting cancer, and Jay wanted to send her something.  Her hubby says she likes U of M... so I chose a palette of blues and yellows, and made the back like this.  

I am really happy with the quilting.  I used the little flowers (like I've used before here), and then straight-line free motioned the diamonds.  That was a new trick, inspired by Val's encouragement, and it turned out! 

3)  Make the Treasure Boxes quilt (for the Treasure Boxes quilt along!)

The quilt top isn't done, but I did make the button (over there on the side).  

Look for a coupon code from Julie @ Intrepid Thread and fabric requirements on Thursday!

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Now for September's goals!  (No, I can't believe it's September either... or that my baby girl will be turning one next month!!!)

1) Make a little Strawberry Shortcake for Scarlet's birthday, as well as a little dress for her Birthday Buddy (Scarlet has a little friend who lives far away who was born the same day as her -- little Addison will be getting a Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday dress). :)

You can see where I'm collecting my inspiration here...

2) Publish my "Linky Love" pattern.  (So excited!)

3) Stay on track with the Treasure Boxes quilt, and also show you the finished Chubby Stars! :)

I'd say that will definitely be enough to keep me busy!  

We'll be starting Harvest this month too... eeps.

OK -- Link up with your reports!  Can't wait to see them all!