No-Sew Modern Hexies

You know he's a keeper when he asks if he can pick your next project because he's been following some quilters on Instagram. Yep. That's exactly how it went. Brent has been following Modern Handcraft for several weeks now, and he is all about her hexie quilts. They are pretty awesome.

The thing is, I'm not into hand-sewing. It's not that I don't like it, but I like going faster than that. So, I decided if I was going to do hexies, I would do them "no sew." If you're just like me and don't like the hand-sewing but love the hexies, this is for you!

Supplies

fabric scraps

paper

printer

basting spray

starch

mini clothespins

(or other, be creative!)

1. Choose the size hexies you want.

Mine are about 1 1/4" flat side to flat side.

2. Print your template.

 And cut them out.

Here are some free hexie templates, but I bet you can find more with a simple web search. (Or if you're feeling adventurous, whip up a template yourself for some Adobe Illustrator practice.) Print onto cardstock if you have it. If you don't you can always print onto normal paper and iron a piece of freezer paper to the back for extra stability. (You can also purchase them pre-cut many different places online.)

3. Cut scraps of fabric. 

Aim for at least a quarter inch larger than the template on each side. I did about a half inch. And no need for it to be perfect; I just cut squares.

4. Spray on starch. 

Line them all up on your ironing board and starch as directed. If you don't do the starch before the basting spray, the scraps fly all over the place...

5. Lightly spray with basting spray.

Then stick a template to the middle of each one. If you're worried about your aim or your ironing board, pop a piece of paper or something beneath your hexies before you start.

6. Start folding!

Pick up a hexie and simply start folding the edges over tight against the template. The basting spray helps the fabric stick to the both template and itself. Work your way around the edge. The more care you take here, the crisper your corners! Depending on how big your scrap was, you might have to trim the last piece you fold over. I just clipped a chunk off of a couple, very precise-like.

7. Now for pinning.

 Clothespin-ing that is! Clip a little clothespin on the last fold. If your fabric is thicker, you might need two or three clothespins. Feel it out, but the fewer the clothespins, the easier to iron in the next step. I bet you could also use paper clips, binder clips, hair clips...be creative!

8. Spritz and press.

Spray a little extra starch onto each hexie and press it with a hot steaming iron. I found it best not to spray the starch onto too many at a time because it loosens them up, and you don't want to give the hexie a long time to relax and blossom before you can press it into submission and crispness. It may go without saying, but edge the iron onto half of your hexie and then unclip the clothespin before really hitting the hexie with a hot iron and a lot of steam.

9. Pull your papers out and voila!

Carefully unfold your last two folds and slip the template out. Don't worry; it may take a little tug due to the basting spray. Then you can press it again for good measure if you'd like. And ta da! No-sew hexie ready for use!

Once you have your little pile, you can head over the Modern Handcraft and see how she "no hand-sews" her hexies to quilts! I've already got mine sewn onto a quilt that I will share later this week!

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Modern, Crisp, and Printed

Hello and welcome again from the Blogger's Quilt Festival ! If you're here for the first time, I'm glad to have you. You'll find I love clean and fresh design. This quilt, titled Evening Star, was for my first show. It's completely machine pieced and quilted and is overprinted in the same process I use for printing my fabrics. The quilt sold and is now hanging in a loving new home (hooray!), but sadly these are the only two photos I have of it (sad). Enjoy this tiny montage.

This is my second entry this sunny spring of 2015. My other is a bright and modern minimalist mini quilt. I encourage you to check out the other quilts in the modern section of the festival. Some have caught my heart with just a glance, and I can't wait to discover the makers behind them!

Blogger's Quilt Festival: Mini Scattered Wheat

Hello and welcome if you're coming from the Blogger's Quilt Festival! My name is Kelsey. Crafting quilts and designing fabrics are two of my joys. The other joy is nerdy stuff like getting my PhD, so that's why I crafted this modern take on the Buckwheat block to hang in my office at school. I love taking projects across the street for a break from lab work to photograph in the gorgeous library there, so forgive the overwhelming number of photos.

The quilt is completely machine pieced and was constructed while watching the season 3 of Downton Abbey. If you've watched it, you'll understand that any wobbles in the quilting may have been caused by a car accident or an unexpected illness on screen. Forgive me.

I encourage you to check out the other lovely quilts in the Mini category as well as everything else! And of course, to take a moment to vote your favorites. Thanks for stopping by, and know that you're always welcome to stay awhile.

All the Best,

Kelsey

Ohio Star Progress

Finals, term papers, and visits from the boyfriend have made sewing a little scarce. Plus, a mini break was in order after turning in the thirty-page paper to grab coffee with friends and read a book for fun. However, projects are afoot! I'm piecing some Ohio Stars to print, like I did for the Lenten Twelves Two quilt.

I also started some circles like I used in Lenten Twelves: Sabbath. I know I said I would never do appliqué circles again, but something came over me last week, and I ironed 16 freezer paper circles to some neutrals. I don't know what I was thinking! All hope is not lost; there is still time to bail. I guess, we'll see what I decide. Don't they look so cute, though, in the sketches?

My first Ohio Star went together like a breeze, but these are proving a tad more difficult to match corners. I don't know what I did differently this time, but I thought perhaps pressing my seams open might help. Do you know any tricks for Ohio Stars?

My last final is tomorrow, and then summer begins! No homework, more time to focus on sewing! I'm excited for these to come together and print them. Actually, truth be told, I'm not super excited. I'm mostly unmotivated, which is why I'm sitting at sewing night blogging instead of sewing. Hopefully being done with finals will reignite my fire for quilting. It'll come back...right?

I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday on FreshlyPieced for the first time in a long time. Go check out the other projects!

Bending the Definitions: art versus craft

Can a quilt be considered art? The contention of “art versus craft” is hotly debated as creators seek to migrate from the unwanted label of artisan to that of artist. Unfortunately, these classifications are often handed down from higher authorities such as art critics and museums with little input from the people whose work is being categorized.

So what do you think, makers? Are quilts art or they craft?

I have put together a booklet exploring the definitions of art and craft in the context of quilts, specifically considering the exhibition of the Gee's Bend quilts in 2002. This is an important and relevant debate for us as quilters and makers, so I encourage you to sit down with a cup of tea and a biscuit to peruse and join the discussion. Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl is also opening up her blog as a platform for discussion with a fascinating interview with her father-in-law about art vs. hobby in the artistic community.

Sit down. Join in. Even if it is not right now, return when you have time, and let us know your thoughts. Can a quilt be considered art?

If you would prefer to read the booklet not in booklet form, you can find the text in the Art versus Craft tab on the blog. Happy reading.

Scrap Pack Winner

Before I announce the winner, I just want to say thank you. Thank you. Your huge response to the giveaway and many, many kind words blew me away. I am incredibly thankful to be surrounded by such a caring and thoughtful community of quilters and sewers. You guys rock. I also cannot wait to finish my last week of classes, so I can experiment with the new colors you all suggested. I'm definitely going to be printing up some navy, poppy, and berry! Great suggestions; I'm so pumped.

And the winner is: Laura.

Congratulations!

Laura, I will be emailing you for your address, so I can send this citron and mint scrappy bundle headed your way. To the rest, I wish you all wonderful weeks. Stay tuned for the new colorways coming soon!

Scrap Pack Giveaway

When Amy at 13 Spools approached me about being a part of her Up & Coming Designer Program this year, I was beyond honored. She introduced me over at Craft Buds about two weeks ago, and today she is talking about one of my new fabrics designs: Pistachios. If you've arrived at my website from her post, welcome! Stay a while. Click through the archives or scroll down the blog roll. If you started here, hop over to Amy's blog to read her review of the dark grey pistachios. And lastly, what you've all been waiting for, the giveaway!

I am giving away a scrap pack full to bursting with different prints and test prints in mint and citron, some that are available in my shop and some that are not! Plus, it includes a piece of the famous dark grey pistachios that caught Amy's eye. This special limited edition bundle is perfect for a myriad of things from English-paper piecing projects and scrappy quilt blocks to mini wall quilts and strands of quilty bunting. It's 50+ grams of hand-printed goodness and could be flying to you next week.

Just answer one or both of the questions below or let me know how you follow me, then enter the Raffelcopter giveaway. (Note: if you don't enter the Rafflecopter giveaway to tell me you commented, you won't be entered. Don't accidentally miss out!) The giveaway is open until midnight EST Sunday, April 19. I will announce the winner on Monday morning. Good luck!

NOW CLOSED Thank you to all who entered and left such lovely comments and ideas.

1) What is your favorite fabric from the Lovely and Enough Etsy Shop or elsewhere on the blog?

2) What is your favorite colorway of those available or what would you love to see?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sweet Home Sweet

It's been a little over a year since my senior show. Can you believe it?! I cannot. It felt like the culmination of my life's work at the time, which perhaps it was, but so much has happened since. Rather than reminisce where life has taken me since, though, I wanted to take a peek at where my senior show quilts are now.

Eichling Residence | Boston, MA

Brackin Residence | Wheaton, IL

Dekker Residence | Ann Arbor, MI

the Records Office | Wheaton College, IL

Nychay Office | Wheaton College, IL

Ludens Residence | Leland, MS

Sometimes I look back at the collection and feel nostalgic that none of them are hanging on my walls. I'm sad that the one I kept for myself was purchased by the school. I wish I'd kept another for my apartment. Then I remember: they are all treasured in their new home sweet homes, hung in bedrooms, above fireplaces, and on office walls. Each quilt is loved and brings a little piece of love with it. I cannot find it in myself to be bitter about that. Instead, I keenly feel the distance between my friends and I, and I wish them and their quilts the best in their Sweet Homes.

Lenten Twelves : Easter

Seven weeks ago my mom challenged me to feast into creativity this Lent by creating one twelve-inch quilt per week. Thus began Lenten Twelves. Finishing up quilt six and the final week, I consider it a success. My creative dam has broken. From exploring new techniques to pushing personal boundaries, these last weeks have been fun adventures in quilting with the wonderful gentle pressure (of texts from my mom with her finished weekly quilts) to just keep sewing. Thanks, Mom!

This week's quilt was a mix of experiments. First up: curved piecing. I went for minimal this time, cutting the pieces on a whim at Wednesday sewing night and whipping it up just as the evening came to a close. It still blows my mind that I hadn't ever tried curved piecing before Lenten Twelves One ! Curves are almost easier than half-square triangles!! Second on the quilt docket: printing. This week, I opted for my childhood favorite, periwinkle, and I love it. Thanks for the suggestion, Yvonne! Experiment three: free-motion quilting. I'm rather rusty and inexperienced, but the pattern came together better than I was expecting! I'm not sure I love it with the printed design. (It reminds me a tad of wheat rather than foliage.) However, I realized that I also shouldn't be overly intimidated by it! And that is enough to make it a success.

This series has truly been about working through my quilting hangups. Colors. Circles. Curves. Applique. Minimalism. Printing. Free motion quilting. With the celebration of Easter, I am bringing Lenten Twelves to a close until next year. Thank you for joining me on my journey. I hope I can encourage you to push even just one of your quilting boundaries. After all, after the forty days of Lent...come the forty days of Easter!

If you missed the Lenten Twelves Intro Post, follow the link and read it now for background on the challenge my mum and I took up this Lent. Find her finished Lenten Twelves here. Or find my Lenten Twelve One, Lenten Twelve Two, Lenten Twelve Three, and Lenten Twelve Four, and Lenten Twelve Five. Happy exploring.

Lenten Twelves : Five

I never thought I'd be one to love a quilt of mine so imperfect as this, but I do. Several of the corners don't quite match up and in an attempt to beat them into aligned submission, I ended up not catching the edge of the fabric. Of course my favorite closeup below displays the slip. Ah well, c'est la vie. On a whim, I decided to finish the edge by folding it over a quarter inch and stitching along the edge. Mostly successful. Very wobbly. I may have whipstitched a stray inch or two that I missed catching there as well. Nobody look too closely. We're all human, right?

I am, however, pretty excited about the composition. I'm loving the grey on grey pistachios look that I started with last week's lenten quilt, and my all time favorite bit is the quilting. I didn't want an all over quilt pattern so I sat and stared and squinted for quite some time until Brent suggested the matchstick quilting. I love it. Can't wait to see where this series takes me next!

If you missed the Lenten Twelves Intro Post, follow the link and read it now for background on the challenge my mum and I took up this Lent. If you'd like to join us or just follow along you can find us on instagram with #LentenTwelves or just check out her blog Fibermusing and her Lenten Twelves. Find my Lenten Twelve One, Lenten Twelve Two, Lenten Twelve Three, and Lenten Twelve Four.

Lenten Twelves : Four

I can't express just how lovely this week was. Slow quiet mornings, productive solitary days, church-filled evenings. Wednesday night was sewing with the church ladies night, and it was absolutely wonderful. I passed up Village Draft House with my grad student friends to go, but I would make the same decision again in a heartbeat. Digging in to a homemade dinner, seeing everyone's projects, and chatting the evening away is just the kind of perfect night I love. This week I sketched out five or six new low-volume blocks to piece and print and dove into the first one.

As you can see...I didn't print it. I went back and forth quite a bit, as per usual. I called my Mom. I talked out the design with Brent. I debated with friend Alyssa. The final decision was to leave this zen quilt to stand alone--and then make it exactly the same in the next weeks and print it. Gotta love indecisiveness. I do like the calm simple aesthetic, although I think it could look striking printed as well.

What color would you over print it?

I can't get red out of my head.

(If you don't understand what I mean by overprinting, check out Lenten Twelves : Two)

I experimented with a couple other things as well this week from glue basting to interfacing. Ironing interfacing to the back of my quilt top for added stiffness proved interesting. On one hand, I had no pulling or shifting as I quilted. Hooray! On the other hand, the quilting does not bump up as much. Hmm. Bummer of all bummers it didn't stay bonded to the quilt top, so the edges were still flimsy. Hrumph. I shall try a lighter-weight interfacing next week and Stitch Witchery it to the edges for added adhesion. (Yep, that's a verb.)

On a different note, photographing this morning was a bit of an adventure. I chuckled as they loaded into Lightroom and thought I'd share a bit of the process. I call it

Anatomy of a Blog Photo.

1. Shoot, forgot the self-timer  2. Too zoomed in  3. Lying on my back on the floor and use full palm in last ditch attempt to get the quilt to cover my piece of tape, but I'm not fast enough and my arms are just not that long  4. Misjudged entirely  5. Too low  6. Caught my face  7. Too low again; bummer that one could've been cute  8. Just not quite short enough sitting down...even when I duck...  9. Person walks between me and the camera right as it goes off; nice lunch...  (numbered left to right, then top to bottom)

Can anyone relate? What are your blog photo blooper stories?

If you missed the Lenten Twelves Intro Post, follow the link and read it now for background on the challenge my mum and I took up this Lent. If you'd like to join us or just follow along you can find us on instagram with #LentenTwelves or just check out her blog Fibermusing and her Lenten Twelves. Find my Lenten Twelve One, Lenten Twelve Two, and Lenten Twelve Three.

Lenten Twelves : Sabbath

Sabbath. It's such a foreign concept in our go-go-go culture. However, some of my best semesters and seasons have been those in which I've dedicatedly kept a Sabbath, the busy craziness punctuated by afternoons of slow and mornings of quiet. Sometimes it has been journalling over solitary breakfasts. Other times it has been recast as post-church sewing in a tiny music-filled sunny apartment. The jury is still out on whether sewing is actually allowed on my Sabbath these days, but "can't-stop-won't-stop" seems like an appropriate phrase to insert here.

This week I explored Sabbath in quilt form: six colorful days to run about and chase after life and deadlines and then a pause. For resting and leaning into life and remembering the many things we are so thankful for.

Although I may not be entirely happy with this quilt's final result, I am excited to move on to weeks four and five of the Lenten Quilt series. Feasting into creativity with mum this Lent has been such a good practice, and the weekly goal has put pleasant pressure on me to sew and push boundaries and experiment. Experiments, of course, do not always end up as we expect (otherwise they would be called demonstrations, science fair 101). I prefer to think positively, though. This week I did not fail, instead I found something I will not be spending more time pursuing in the future. What important lessons those are to learn as well.

Have you spent time fleshing out your style and direction? When was the last time you pushed the boundaries of your quilting far enough to find an edge? 

Maybe it's time to try.

Join my mum over at Fibermusing and I as we feast into creativity this Lent or simply follow along through our blogs or on Instagram with #LentenTwelves.

Lenten Twelves : Two

Do you ever get a quilt pattern or color palette stuck in your head? Two summers ago it was triangle quilts. Last winter it was coral and navy. Then it was plus quilts. Now it's Ohio Stars.

I try so hard to resist (not quite sure why honestly, probably just my stubborn nature), but I've come to the conclusion that it's best to have out with it, the better to move on (or at least the better to make use of the single-minded concentration.) This week I had an evening star completely sketched and calculated out when Printing marched into my creative mind quickly followed by Ohio Star. I went with it. What better way to play with ideas than a weekly twelve inch quilt?

Feasting into creativity with my mum this Lent has been really lovely so far. We keep each other accountable and check-in with one another. Last night she provided the pep talk I needed to get off my butt and actually sew. She really is great. I'm so very thankful for her.

And speaking of sewing last night, I tried free-motion quilting on my Bernina for the first time, and it was like butter! I didn't realize how difficult my Brother had been until just last night. I will definitely be practicing my free-motion quilting more in the coming weeks through these quilts, and I feel much less reluctant to try now! Hurrah!

What sewing mental blocks or fixations have you been experiencing lately?

Any you might tease out in a quilt this Lenten season?

If you missed the LentenTwelves Intro Post, go follow the link and read it now for background on the challenge my mum and I took up this Lent. If you'd like to join or just follow along, you can find us on instagram with #lententwelves or just check out her blog Fibermusing  and her Lenten Twelves.

Rotating Cutting Mats

I'm sharing my first official new tip of the week for Tip and Tutorials Tuesdays over at Late Night Quilter. I don't really do tips or tutorials much, but as Kitty at Night Quilter said it's the "perfect kick in the pants motivator to get me sharing." Here goes.

My favorite Farmer's Wife Quilt companion is my mini rotating cutting mat. Although it may seem like a frivolous addition to your already brimming crafty cabinet, it's really worth it if you're considering tackling a Farmer's Wife Quilt.  It makes it so easy not only to trim blocks once they're completed but also to cut the little pieces for each block. You can just place your fabric scrap down on the mat with the template on top, then cut one edge, rotate, repeat. Presto! No awkward shimmying of fabric pieces and templates or knocking notions and mugs of tea off the edge of the table when you try to rotate your larger cutting mat. (I may or may not have done that more than once...) Plus, being mini and flat, you can cram it in a edge where you thought nothing else could possible fit. Full closet problem solved!

Do you have favorite tips and tricks?

Go add yours and check out the other tips and tutorials over at the LinkUp!

And don't forget to vote for your favorite!

Lenten Twelves : the start

Every year for Lent I chose to do something (or to not do something), a habit to form, a priority to adjust, a rhythm in which to settle. New Year's resolutions come and go for me, but Lent is forty days of commitment. When I choose to do something, I do it. This year I wasn't quite sure what I was feeling called to. I'd already given up Netflix for February (right? is there anything to even give up after that?).

That's when my mom called me with a challenge: one twelve inch quilt per week. Instead of fasting from something we're feasting into creativity. I love it. Plus, we're doing it together. Here's the first.

I've never pieced a curve before and it very much intimidated me, but Kim over at Leland Ave Studio encouraged me to finally take the plunge. I figured a twelve-inch quilt was the perfect place to give it a go. Guys, it was actually so easy. I used SheCanQuilt's little video and Noodlehead's Sunny Side Up quilt pattern and it was a breeze! For real! When I finished the first block, I literally yelled "I DID IT!" right in the middle of facetiming my boyfriend. Then I promptly hung up on him to call my mom. Yep, I was that pumped. I may not have gotten the curves lined up perfectly with one another but one step at a time.

As you also might have noticed, I switched my tune part way through and traded the citron out for coral. Looking at the pictures, I'm not entirely sure that was the right choice, but it's okay. That's exactly what experiments are about!

Are you doing anything for Lent? If you'd like to join my mom and I or just follow along, you can find us on instagram with #lententwelves or just check out her blog Fibermusing and her first Lenten Twelve quilt.

Farmer's Wife Quilt Revisited

It's been a while since I've worked on my Farmer's Wife Quilt. In fact, I have languished with 76 blocks to go for probably six months. Now, you know when you're running a marathon and you pause to drink that little cup of water they offer you and you're just not sure if you can start running again let alone finish the race? That's what it feels like. (Or at least, I imagine it to feel exactly like that, never having run a marathon or even a 5k myself. Don't you think that water cup moment would feel just like being a quarter of the way done with your farmer's wife quilt?)

I was feeling all but worn out when I received a little chalkboard in the mail, the Traveling Farmer's Wife Quilt chalkboard. Sent around by Chelsea at Patch the Giraffe and Stephanie at Late Night Quilter, it's a little burst of encouragement to photograph with your blocks as you complete them, and it was just what I needed. I promptly sat down to pull fabrics for my next six blocks and then stitched up three at sewing night with the church ladies.

This week's blocks:

Buzzard's Roost

Hill and Valley &

Friendship Star

I'm still feeling a little worn out with the tedious process of this quilt. Where once I enjoyed the meticulous relaxing pace, I've begun to just feel frustrated and impatient. The angel on my right shoulder (also known as Mom) is encouraging me to make three more blocks, increase the sashing from one to two inches, and finish it as a throw quilt. The...angel...on my left shoulder (also known as significant other) thinks I should just set it aside for a bit and wait till I feel moved by the Spirit to enjoy the process again. I don't know anymore. What do you think?

-

I'm linking up to Work in Progress Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced with the longest work-in-progress of my quilting career. Head over to see other beautiful and exciting projects that are heading towards the Promised Land of Finished-dom or still wandering in the desert like mine.

We Have a Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered! I cherish your continuing conversation through my blog and Instagram. Your suggestions and encouragement mean the world to me, so thank you!

And the winner is: Shaunie W. Congratulations, Shaunie! You have won an exciting $25 Gift Certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop to purchase whatever your heart desires. From notions to precuts to yardage to patterns, they have you covered. You'll get an email sometime this week or next with instructions to redeem your store credit. Enjoy!

Layers of Charm Quilt

I have been itching to share this quilt with you all since I started working on it, and the day has finally arrived!! Yay! From picking fabrics, to piecing, to binding, to photographing (and now to snuggling), it's been my favorite quilt to finish this winter. The pattern is beyond simple, and the results are stunning! It is striking in its minimalist simplicity and can be easily whipped up in one afternoon (the top, that is; I am not a wicked fast quilter yet, so that took me another day).

Without further ado, I introduce to you: Layers of Charm.

All that's needed is one layer cake and one charm pack with some binding and backing fabric. No cutting required. How much does that rock? Not to mention piecing is crazy simple, just place your charms in the corner of your layer cake squares and sew diagonally across the smaller square. There's even a YouTube tutorial. Before I start sounding like a cheesy commercial, I will say that I was a tad skeptical when the instructions told me to press my seams open. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "Why expose your fingers to the steaming nostrils of your iron?" Not to mention, you end up with a weaker quilt because of it.

Now this I don't like to say quite as often but, I was wrong. When you press your seams open, you can pin through the centers of the seams in order to match them, and you get sexy corners every single time. (Except twice, but on the second try they were sexy, so that's what counts.) I've never had so many corners match up so effortlessly. I admit that I was a little nervous about some of my corners pulling apart what with my minimal quilting and all, so I hand-tacked little white x's across ten of the joints before calling it a night and leaving the rest to stand the test of time.

The entire set of fabric choices was inspired by The Coziest Quilt by Rad and Happy. Her minimal white and black with flannel really called to me. I cannot take any credit for my fabric pairings.

Nor can I take credit for the pattern! It is the Fat Quarter Shop's newest Shortcut Quilt made entirely from precuts, and you can find it for free on their website along with a bunch more examples of the quilt made in prints.

And because they are so friendly and wonderful over there, they are letting me give away a $25 gift card to purchase whatever your heart desires from their vast offerings. Just check out the entry options at the very bottom of the post! The giveaway closes at midnight EST on Sunday, February 15th, and I will announce the winner here next Monday.

 Giveaway Closed.

I have since made this quilt again but with a black and white flannel.

Check out the monochromatic Layers of Charm quilt here.

Uniola and the Price Lowering Party

You may know Chelsea over at Patch the Giraffe. She is pretty amazing when it comes to juggling teaching and quilting and taking amazing photos and making friends and being encouraging. The list goes on. So, when she purchased a bundle of fabrics from my Etsy shop, I was over the moon! You can see the bundle she picked out over on her blog today. It's gorgeous, and I am beyond excited to see what she does with it.

That got me thinking. I want to do more projects with my fabrics, but not only that, I want more people to be able to as well! However, with the expensive and time-consuming process of screen printing, prices felt high. So, last night, I lowered them. I had a price lowering party complete with hot chocolate and comfy pillows, and I finagled with numbers until I was happy. Go check it out! You can now get fat quarters! And because I don't want to gyp those of you who supported my endeavor from the start, just message me on Etsy with which fabric you would like, and I'll send you an extra little panel free of charge.

And while we're talking about fabrics, I want to officially introduce my newest pattern: Uniola.

Inspired by electron scanning microscope images of plant seeds, the base of the pattern is printed in white. It is then overprinted with beach dune fences. The pattern draws its name from uniola paniculata, a dune grass that grows along the coasts of the southeastern United States and helps to prevent the erosion of its sandy habitat. I experimented with lots of color combinations and was geeked when I found this one last July. I can't believe it's taken me this long to share about it on my blog, but I guess that's what starting grad school will do to you.

What would you make with this fabric?

Middle School Brights

Have you ever looked in your stash and wondered what possessed you to purchase that one fat quarter? Or twenty?? My sister and I used to be bribed in the fabric store with picking out five fat quarters in exchange for quiet patience. Some of the fabrics I adored then are...well...not the style I adore now. Needless to say, we both have some destashing to do, and what better way than with a charity quilt!

With Amanda Jean Nyberg's book Sunday Morning Quilts in hand, we set about to make a twin size stripy quilt. It began with some fabric pulls and a bunch of strips cut. After attempting to put together some blocks and feeling hopelessly lost in middle school brights, we set aside the quilt for several months.

Have no fear! It resurfaced over Thanksgiving. Mum had cut a bunch more low-volume strips to mix in, and we all set about for a lovely Thanksgiving afternoon laying out blocks and piecing. Even my boyfriend joined in and designed more than one or two, diligently picking fabrics for new blocks and taping pieced ones to the wall.

Mum finally pieced the entire top over Christmas break, and now it just needs some quilting! If you're feeling up to your ears in old fabrics, I highly suggest this quilt option from Sunday Morning Quilts.

Do you have any favorite scrappy charity quilt patterns?