February | 2011 | Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts

Archive for February, 2011

Sunday stash

February 27, 2011 at 11:59 am · Filed under Fabric

Here we go again. The up and coming theme seems to be related to houses. And I may have gathered fabrics for another house-related quilt………

A multicolor go-along of books:

These are from David Textiles Venice collection via Hawthorne Threads. Venice is a really striking collection reproducing prints from the V&A Museum. Love them!

On the same day these arrived, a coordinating feedsack treasure arrived.

I actually bought this to go with another feedsack that Sarah shared with me (and I will share this piece with her), but it goes so well with the Venice choices!

Do you have your Academy Awards hand-sewing project picked out? I’m already planning to be pajama-ed and nestled in a cozy chair!

Permalink Comments (4)

Domiciles in Habitat

February 25, 2011 at 4:44 pm · Filed under Fabric, Great Quilt Patterns, Quilts

I sort of veered off the to-do list here at the end of the week. Crazy from the snow, I guess.

After ogling it at market, I finally thought to get a copy of Pamela Goecke Dinndorf’s Domiciles pattern.

I really love the colors in her quilt, but I had the Habitat fabric and some friends gathered up for some purpose. So they met.

I’m thinking of combining the names. Habiciles? Domitats? No?

Oh, and a word of advice, these are as addictive as butterflies. You’ve been warned…

Have a properly sew-y weekend!

Permalink Comments (8)

Happiness and the single girl

February 24, 2011 at 3:14 pm · Filed under Fabric, Great Quilt Patterns, Quilts

Can you believe it? I’m keeping up! All arcs sewn and here’s a test block. Which also qualifies as block 1 because these aren’t test fabrics. Lazy… Hard to tell but that is the pastel grey Free Spirit solid in the background. I wouldn’t be doing this right now without the Single Girl Support Group — so thanks again to Katy, Nova and Megan! A little guidance, a little self-imposed peer pressure, a little ignoring of some directions. A day in the life of the Single Girl.

Permalink Comments (8)

Charming butterflies: tutorial addendum

February 23, 2011 at 10:54 am · Filed under Fabric, Quilts, Tutorials

I know that other clever quilters have already adapted the butterfly block to be 5″ charm-square-friendly. I thought I’d get on board and update my tutorial as well. These butterfly blocks leave more background visible while the originals leave a smaller sliver of it around the butterflies. As I mentioned, these butterflies are less wasteful than the larger blocks! Bonus! I will be adding this to the original tutorial and this update may make more sense in the context of the original. So, let’s begin!

First, cut all of your charm squares in half so that you have two pieces –– 2 1/2″ x 5″:

For each block, cut two 3 1/2″ squares of background:

For each block, you will also need one 1 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ strip for butterfly body (sorry, no pic).

Layer the 3 1/2″ background squares (right sides together or wrong sides together, doesn’t matter) and make an angled cut approx. 1″ in from the bottom right edge and top left edge like so:

Cut so that you have four (mine are still layered) background pieces:

Lay out your butterfly blocks as shown (this just helps me keep track of which direction the background needs to go):

Sew the backgrounds to the butterfly wings (mine have the narrowest part of the background at the corner of the butterfly wing, background extends approx. 1/2″ beyond butterfly wing fabric):

Trim the butterfly wing fabric even with the background seams and press toward the butterfly wings.

Next, trim the background/butterfly wing unit. First trim the background so that it measures 2 1/2″ wide (same width as the butterfly wing). Then trim the background so that this unit is 5 1/2″ long — leaving approx. 1/2″ of background on either side of the widest part of the butterfly wing.

The butterfly wing/background units should measure 2 1/2″ x 5 1/2″.

See, a lot less waste than the original method:

Finally, sew the 1 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ butterfly body between the wings. Press seams toward butterfly body.

Lather, rinse, repeat for more and more butterflies!

Permalink Comments (18)

Sunday stash

February 20, 2011 at 12:22 pm · Filed under Fabric

Habitat by Jay McCarroll and Heath (at the bottom of the stack) by Alexander Henry.

And then some notebook paper by Basic Grey:

All from the lovelies at Pink Chalk Fabric.

These stash-ees have been co-mingling VERY nicely with some other recent Sunday stash fabrics. I’m excited by the combo and am trying to plan a quilt to do right by them all.

Permalink Comments (7)

Coming soon…

February 17, 2011 at 4:32 pm · Filed under Quilts

Just in time for spring. An update to the butterfly block tutorial to accommodate 5″ charm squares.

Now with less waste!

Permalink Comments (9)

Semi-wordless Wednesday

February 16, 2011 at 3:15 pm · Filed under Fabric, Quilts

:: auditioning stripes ::

Permalink Comments (3)

Ready, begin

February 14, 2011 at 6:08 pm · Filed under Fabric, Great Quilt Patterns, Quilts

Some fabric and I slipped through a tiny window of opportunity today.

The Single Girl quilt along began today. So far I’m keeping up. ha! Check back next week. I could be behind. Never have I felt so organized. Look! A plan complete with alphabet letters, Post-it notes and pins! The pastel grey is the background winner. Quite a lovely shade, if I do say so myself. That grey is cool as a cucumber. It has to be completely confident to stand up to From Little Things.

Miss Katy is starting us off. Such precisely drawn lines.

I’d best get to tracing before the window slams shut on my hand…

Permalink Comments (4)

Sunday stash

February 13, 2011 at 2:05 pm · Filed under Fabric

I appear to be making a habit out of this. Today’s habit is some Japanese fabric.

Yep, I clicked on the “Text and Letters” button and that was the end. Today’s fabric is all from Superbuzzy.

Permalink Comments (6)

Total package

February 9, 2011 at 5:38 pm · Filed under Fabric, Great Quilt Patterns, Quilts

I can’t do it justice. This fabric, that is. I can’t show you a good enough photo of it.

Marcia Derse’s latest fabric collection, Third in Line.

I’ve seen quite a few photos of it online but none seem to get it quite right. The scale doesn’t come through or the colors are off.

AND, guess, what, the colors in my photos are off and the scale doesn’t come through. Take it on faith — it’s spectacular. All of it. I have some from her previous two lines and I had seen Third in Line at fall market. Where Marcia handed me this because I looked like a girl who likes chartreuse:

You had me at hello….. I gave the fabric back like a good girl. It was hard to be separated from my true love for this long, but now I have you, my pretty.

ANYWAYS, where was I? Oh yes, the fabrics. If you don’t trust your monitor (or me), seek them out to see in person or order a couple that pique your curiosity. Or, you can order a sampler of 50 – 2″ x 2″ pieces from all three collections. I think you may want a bigger piece….i’m just sayin’.

The colors are fabulous, the size of the prints is large and in charge. I am in love, can you tell?

I almost didn’t get the red bundle (you know, trying to be slightly conservative, shall we say). ‘t would have been a big mistake.

::sigh:: I do have a purpose in mind for these lovelies. To be divulged at a later date. I was just so excited by them that I had to have show and tell.

And lest you think I’ve been starting more projects than I’ve been finishing (is that my conscience talking?!??!?!!! hush!). I finished both Kathy Davis quilts. Never thought I’d see the day when I put a cream colored binding on anything, but it works!