Playing with log cabins

Since my last post, I have been working on the log cabin quilt I am making for my 4 year old daughter. 

Saturday night I finally got to 44 blocks and thought maybe I should stop and figure out exactly how many blocks I need before continuing.  So I took the blocks to my room and started playing with some layouts.

option #1

option #2

option #3

My favorite is option #3 but I only like this layout when the quilt is square.  This being a bed quilt, I know I don't want to make it square so I think I am going with option #1. 

What do you think?  Which layout would you choose?  I would love your input on this.

I have also changed the layout and design of my blog.  What do you think?

Be sure to come back on Wednesday... it is my 1 year blogiversary and I will be having a GIVEAWAY!!

Row Quilt

This week's theme for the contest over at the Quilting Gallery is row quilts.

Quite a few years ago, (I think 8 or more), my quilt group decided to do a Row Robin.

We each prepared our first row and that set the theme for our quilt.  Mine is a hand appliqued log cabin in the woods.

We then put our row and the coordinating fabric in a plastic bin and passed it along to the next person.  The 2nd person had a month to add a row of their choosing.  At the end of the month the quilt was passed on to the next person, and so on and so forth, until all 6 people had added their row to the quilt.  We chose to unveil the quilts to one another at one of our retreats.  We had so much fun!

Here is my quilt:

This was definitely one of my favorite projects to work on!  I love my quilt and the fact that my best quilting buddies helped me make it just makes it all the more special!

I would really appreciate it if you headed over to The Quilting Gallery and voted for my quilt!  

Voting ends on Sunday.  Thank you!

A small finish, but a finish nonetheless!

I finished this mini-quilt on September 3rd.  It was a little late but so worth the wait!

I had lots of fun going thru my scraps to make this quilt.  As it came together, I got more and more excited!  

I used black thread for the buttonhole stitch around all of the pieces and I think it was the perfect finishing touch.

Those of you who have been following me for a while probably know I got the pattern from the book Count On It by Art to Heart.

I really think this would be great to give as a gift to a teacher with his or her name appliqued on instead of "Sept".  What do you think?

WIP Wednesday - 09/05/2012

September is so busy already and my calendar just keeps filling up!  I am surprised I am getting any quilting done at all!

Yesterday, I made this little table topper for my 4 year old's night stand.  

I pieced the background then basted the quilt.  I quilted a simple cross-hatch pattern through the squares.  Then I ironed on some shapes I cut out with my Go! Baby using Steam-a-seam 2 Lite.  I proceeded to machine applique the quilt shapes down using a buttonhole stitch, quilting through all layers at the same time.  Then I finished it off with a decorative stitch in the border.  

As you can see, I still need to stitch down the binding.

Today, I pieced some more log cabin blocks.

Tomorrow I am working so I think the next time I get some sewing time will be on Friday night.  I should have a finish posted for TGIFF though, so stay tuned!

Linking up to WIP Wednesday

Color My World White

I am a few days late with my challenge block... the color for August was white.

This was definitely the toughest color yet.  Once I got to looking through my fabric though, I was inspired to call this my winter star.

I know it is very hard to see, especially in photos, but the center and points of my star are a snowflake fabric with a tiny bit of glitter in it.  I think it will show up a lot better once all of my star blocks are together in a quilt.

This block looks better in person.  I took a few photographs but these were the 2 best ones.  

I used fabrics with different tones and prints.  

I am definitely glad this one is done and excited to move on to September's color which is orange!!  

I also realized last month that I haven't told you where I got my patterns for my blocks.  Most of them are from a pattern of a class I took back in 2000 called Century Stars.  I also pulled a few from the book called Around The Block by Judy Hopkins.  All of the fabrics have come from my stash with the exception of the black star, where I had to borrow a piece from my mom.

You should go check out M-R's white block.  She got very creative I think!