Wolf Abstractions by Violet Craft

I was so lucky to be able to pattern test a new quilt pattern, Wolf Abstractions from Violet Craft.
I quilted straight parallel lines across the whole quilt. I really loved how it looked a few of the quilts that Violet has done and wanted to try it. I used painters tape to get the lines straight and reused pieces until I couldn't anymore.

Here's the finished quilt, ready to cuddle!

How I Foundation Paper Piece

Disclaimer: I have read and watched a ton of different ways to foundation paper piece and this is probably a conglomerate of a little bit of everything!

I recently got to pattern test for Violet Craft. I always oogle over her patterns, so this was a great opportunity to stitch up a brand new one and help out one of my favorite designers!

I like coloring and planning, so of course I colored in the Wolf Abstractions coloring sheet. The colors aren't exactly what I picked out, but pretty close. 

Here's my fabric pull (let's be real, purchase, thank's Christmas gift cards!).

Now the long part... cutting out all the paper pieces. I make it double hard on myself because I cut out one set to all the smallest pieces and one set to just the paper templates. Then I use the small piece set to rough cut my fabric pieces.

So I end up with a pile like this with pieces that mostly match the shapes I need, but a little bit larger. For any piece that doesn't get sewn to a template, I cut it out perfect size. I use a glue stick to lay those pieces out before cutting to size.


Ok, so here's how I piece them all together. I have these two pieces that are rough cut:

And need to get sewn together like this template:

I use an index card to get a perfectly straight fold where the two pieces join.

I take the first piece and line it up under the folded template.

Then, I take the second piece and line it up underneath everything, using the template to know where to place it. Check to make sure all edges have a little overlap (that's why I rough cut them) and that the seam allowance has enough fabric to sew.

Keeping the fabric pieces lined up, unfold the template and pin within the overlap, but not on the seam line.

Sew across the seam line. (Yes, I used teal thread for this entire project even when teal wasn't being stitched together! Weird, I know)

The, I use this add-a-quarter ruler to trim the seam. It's extra easy to refold because it was folded and now it's stitched as well. The add-a-quarter ruler has the neat lip on the underside that catches on the folded paper and allows you to trim a perfect 1/4" seam allowance.

Flip over and iron the second piece flat.

The back should have a little bit of overhang from each piece of fabric. Use a ruler to trim the fabric according to the template. (You do NOT need the add-a-quarter ruler for this. It's just what I had near me at the moment.)

Your piece should look like this. The paper is still on the back. You need that to sort out all the pieces to sew together.

Ugh! I wish I had taken a few more shots in-between, but there's a few of the larger pieces put together.

And here's the completed quilt top!

Triangles Marching - Curated Quilt Minimalism Call for Entries

Curated Quilts put out their call for entries for their third magazine. It was a topic that I love, so of course I had to create a mini quilt again. I wanted to highlight one of the colors and one neutral so keep a minimal color palette, so choose this triangle printed green and medium gray from my LQS.
First, I cut the strips of gray in the heights I wanted and triangles plus 1/4" seam allowance. Next, I cut the gray strips to fit the triangles. Then, I sewed the triangles into the strips and sewed the strips together - adding a few 1/4" pieces in between to give some triangles more space. The back is the same gray color as the background and I even added little triangle pockets in the back to hang it up!
It finishes 15" x 15" to match the size of my previous Curated Quilts finish: Crow Catcher

Moda-Aurifil Mini Challenge

Moda and Aurifil sponsored a contest from September-December 1st, 2017. Entrants had to use ONLY Moda pre-cuts and ONLY Aurifil threads.

I chose this blue jelly roll, Fragile by Zen Chic mini-charm pack, these 5 12wt threads, plus 50wt white thread. I only ended up using the yellow, teal, and black 12wt threads.

I usually don't participate in these random blog contest, but I had an idea immediately for this one! I wanted to turn the mini-charm pack into hexies and spread them over a blue patchwork background.

I used fusible web to fold the squares into hexies and then more fusible web to stick them to my patchwork background before quilting. It worked out really well as long as I didn't push any of them too hard while quilting!

I planned for the hexies to not be in every square. I love being able to see the stitching on both the hexies and the negative space.

 Unfortunately, I did not win the prize package, but I will enjoy hanging this up to enjoy!

Crow Catcher - Curated Quilts Log Cabin Call for Entires

I stumbled upon this Call for Entries from Curated Quilts not that long ago. It started August 31st, so sewists really only had a month to complete their quilt. It's a small size challenge though at 10" square to 16" square.

I wasn't going to making anything for this contest unless I had finished another, larger project I was working on. I found more time for that one than I thought and decided that this contest seemed like fun.
I pulled fabrics from my stash that matched the color palette and discovered a had a bunch of the amazing Kaufman Essex Yarn Dyed Linen! I used that for a neutral but textured background and narrowed down my colored, printed scraps for the log cabin portions.

Just like normal, I started with a drawing. I actually turned this drawing into a full size drawing to see how the pieces would fit together. At 15" it wasn't a big deal to draw larger. I used that drawing to cut pieces of muslin for the log cabin pieces so that I could quilt-as-you-go over the top and not have to worry about cutting the scrap pieces to the right size. Some of the smallest pieces are under a quarter inch!

I had loads of fun creating this mini-quilt! I had never done quilt-as-you-go or pieced so many random pieces without a pattern. I had some fun at the end too and took my quilt for a photo shot around my house!

Moda Bella Solids Challenge!

I recently participated in the Moda Bella Solids Challenge. The guide lines were to create a contemporary style quilt using all 12 (and only those 12) Moda solids. The design had to be original and finish at 72" x 90". Not too hard!

I decided to create an equilateral triangle design because I've always wanted to create a quilt using triangles. I also wanted the colors to "make" the quilt, so I designed this explosion of colors radiating out from the center.


Here's all the colors and how big I planned on making each triangle.

My first step was to plan out where all the colors would lay. I didn't want same colors to touch except for the white edges. You might notice my plan ended up too small, so I sliced it down the middle and added more to the center.

Then, because I'm a very visual person, I counted how many triangle of each color I needed and drew out  how much fabric I would need for each color.

Sadly, I took zero in-progress shots. I did shoot a few cool shots towards the end of creating though.

And here's the finished piece!

Taking these shots was pretty cool. My mom and husband hid behind the quilt on a tree fort in our neighbors yard... so worth it!

Front

Back

I am also participating in the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side. Go check out all the other quilters!

Edit 9/25: You guys!! I made it into the top finalists. Mid October Moda will announce the 3 winners. I mailed my quilt away... hopefully forever *cries*

Arrow Quilt and 100 Blocks 100 Days Challenge

 I finished the quilt to to my arrow quilt! That was my goal for my summer break. During winter break I'll quilt and bind it. I haven't decided yet if I want to quilt it on my machine or rent time on a long-arm...

I started a project that I will use these fabrics in. I just think they are so perfect together! It's Carolyn Friedlander's Doe and Carkai collections. The challenge is to make and post one quilt block a day for 100 days out of Tula Pink's City Sampler book. Here's the details.