Simply Solids Veridian Bee Block & Mini Tutorial

Hey yall! One of the bees that I participate in is hosted by my friend, Erin at Sew At Home Mummy - it's called Simply Solids, and I am in the Viridian Hive. It's a really neat bee, and I'm loving how refreshing it is each month to make a block entirely composed of solid colored fabric.

My turn to be Queen Bee is in July, so I wanted to go ahead and share my block plans and a mini tutorial for my hive mates. Even if you're not in my bee, you may enjoy this mini tutorial. By the way, I'm calling it a mini tutorial because it's not really a complete tutorial but rather, my directions and thoughts on how to make the block. If you're looking for more directions on paper piecing here are a few of my favorite resources:

Yall ready - here we go!

The block I selected is called the Marine's Star, and I found it on Quilters Cache. You can find the block and template here. This block makes a 12 inch square block. It is a paper pieced block, and if you have never paper pieced before - don't worry! It's super simple. If you are in my bee, I went ahead and sent yall the templates for your blocks. There are four sets of templates - one for each corner of the block. This mini tutorial is for one corner/quadrant of the block.

Obviously, I am not using red, white and blue fabric for mine. Instead, this block is made up of five colors: Kona Coal, Kona Charcoal, Kona Kumquat, Kona Apricot, and Kona Iced Frappe. On the templates, there are little dots to show which sections are supposed to be red, white, and blue. For the most part, we will disregard those BUT you should also note that for each pair of templates, there are a few spots where they may be different.

Preparation Work:

I like to write on each section of my paper piecing templates which color/ print fabric I'm going to use. This helps me later on. (if you're in my bee, I already did this for you).

Step 1:

Take your light orange fabric and pin it to the wrong side of your time for section 1. Be sure to leave 1/4 inch around all edges. I do this for both sets for this quadrant.

Step 2:

Take your darker gray fabric and place over the section 2 area. Be sure that it will cover the entire area. I like to do this to make sure my piece is large enough. Then, turn the gray fabric so that it is away from the line between sections 1 and 2. You should have 1/4 inch overlapped into section 2. Sew along the line between sections 1 and 2 (with the gray fabric over the orange fabric from section 1 on the wrong side of the template). Be sure to sew 1/4 inch past the line in either direction. I like to backstitch at the beginning and end of my lines for paper piecing.

Step 3:

This is my sewing line between sections 1 and 2. Fold it over so that it covers the area of section 2. Press. Trim excess fabric underneath.

Step 4:

Repeat the same action for section 3. This time, you'll be using the Iced Frappe fabric. Again, be sure to leave 1/4inch of fabric overlapping into section 3. Then, flip the fabric over the sew line, press, and trim excess fabric.

Step 5:

For this section, you'll be using the dark orange color for one template, and the dark gray color for the other template. Repeat the same steps for sewing the section.

Step 6:

You'll be using the dark gray fabric and dark orange fabric for sectiosn five and six.Be sure to trim out the excess fabric so that the block doesn't get too bulky.

Step 7:

For section 7, you'll use the Iced Frappe fabric again.

Step 8:

Layout of the template labeled with the fabrics - note that you should keep the outline of the template attached. This allows for your 1/4inch seam allowance.

Step 9:

Take your two template pieces and match up the seams. You'll sew together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. On one piece, you'll have a dark orange point and on the other, a dark gray point.

Step 10:  

Here is one quadrant of your block. Repeat the above steps to make the remaining three blocks. Then, putting the orange/gray tips in the center, alternating gray and orange, sew all four together.

 

Tada!! All done! :) This is what my finished block looked like! Be sure to pat yourself on your shoulder and show off your block!! Great job!

I'm so excited about these blocks - this will be a throw quilt in our living room! :)

Modern Mini Quilt Challenge: Haole

Hey yall! Today, I'm showing off my entry into my friend, Jennifer at Ellison Lane Quilt's, Modern Mini Quilt Challenge.

This year, the theme was to challenge YOURSELF - however that may be. Not one to back down from a challenge, I decided to make my mini off of an idea that I've had for a few weeks.

Growing up, my family spent six years living in Honolulu, Hawaii. My dad was stationed at Pearl Harbor, and we all have some wonderful memories of living there. Dad served as a Navy submariner. During that time, my mom made our home some Hawaiian applique quilted pillows, and dreamed of making Hawaiian quilts. Well, she's finally quilting but not Hawaiian applique quilts. When I asked a few weeks ago if I could borrow her Hawaiian quilting books, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to make them or just learn more about this area of quilting.

But, this challenge made me go for it.

Traditionally, Hawaiian quilts are done in solid colors, appliqued, with repeating lines of hand quilting echoing the floral designs. They are simply lovely to view. Obviously, while I love how Hawaiian quilts look, I wanted to put my own stamp on it. I'm a big fan of scrappy, modern, vibrant quilting, and I've been itching to use black and white fabrics as a base for a quilt. Thus, "Haole" was born.

"Haole" (pronounced how - lee) is the Hawaiian word used for a "white person, American, englishman, Caucasian, or any foreigner'. That's me. I'm definitely a non-native ...to just about anywhere. My mini quilt is also a non native Hawaiian quilt. Instead of using the full size applique pattern, I reduced the quilt patterns by fifty percent, mixed up a couple of the designs (instead of sticking with just one), and used prints for the background. My Hawaiian quilt patterns came from my mom's book, "Pillows to Kapa Pohopoho: 16 Companion Designs for 18 inch Quilt Blocks" by Elizabeth Root (now out of print - not even on Amazon).

The four floral patterns are (clockwise beginning in the top right corner) -
Fern 'Ama'u (orange): Endemic to the Hawaian Islands. The pulu or fibrous material at the base of the stems was used to stuff pillows and mattresses. Haemaumau, Kilauea crater's active volcano pit means the "home of the 'ama'u".
Heliconia (pink): Named for Mount Helicon in Greece, these unique flowers are used in spectacular flower arrangements. Sometimes called "false bird of paradise", in Hawaii the most common variety is the red large bract variety also called a lobster claw.
Tuberose (purple): Wonderfully fragrant lei flower grows on long flower covered spikes originally from Mexico. Grown commercially throughout Hawaii on small flower farms.
Breadfruit (aqua): The breadfruit was a major staple in the early Hawaiian diet, also producing wood for canoes, sap for glue and chewing-like gum. A majestic tree, it's broad leathery leaves were 1 -3. It is said that your Hawaiian quilting will be bountiful - when you finish your design that is part of the breadfruit tree.

It measures 24 inches by 24 inches.

I machine quilted this using Aurifil white thread, and hand quilted the outlines of the floral designs using Purl Cotton in black. Haole is bound in Kona white fabric. I used black and white graphic fabrics for the background of each block.
I used:
Tuxedo Hashtag Fabric in Black by Dear Stella
Tuxedo Zigzag Fabric in Black by Dear Stella
Metro Living in Black by Robert Kaufman
Midcentury Modern Atomic Dot in Ebony by Michael Miller
I used four different solids for my flowers - all from my Simply Solids Swap. I backed it in one of my favorite prints from Tula Pink's Saltwater line - Submarines and Seaweed in coral.

I love how this looks. I believe it will live on the wall of my sewing space. It reminds me of my past, my present, and that I can create a home for myself, where ever I am.

Claiming My Blog

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July 1st marks the end of Google Reader - a sad sad day. I've been in denial about it for quite some time but as June quickly marches on, I'm realizing that I need to commit to a new blog reader

Hello Bloglovin!

Yall be sure to follow me over there!!! :) Happy Friday!

Staple Dress Imitation in Stores

These days, one of my absolute favorite patterns is April Rhodes Staple Dress. Seriously, I don't think I can write enough about how much I love this pattern. It'd be a bit ridiculous to wax poetic about it but... I could probably be persauded. I've made two so far, and have a third one ready to be cut out. Yup. I'm THAT addicted to this dress pattern.

April recently hinted on Instagram that she's working on another dress pattern, and I'm anxiously waiting for that one to be released. If it's as practical, cute, and easy to sew as the Staple Dress, well, I may have two go-to dress patterns.

One thing that I really admire about the Staple Dress is the ability to play with the pattern. I've seen lots of dresses out there in the fashion world that I could imitate using the Staple Dress as a starting off point. After all, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" (Anne of Green Gables).

For example...
How easy would it be to play with the bodice, add faux buttons, and use a combination of sheer fabric and the main dress fabric to make?

The Petit Dejeuner Seafom Dress avilable on Etsy

Or this one?

The Annas Maxi Dress from Anthropologie! All you'd have to do is change the neckline, extend it, and add some slits up the side.

 

This one really looks a lot like the Staple Dress but with a few fun accents around the shoulders. It's the Gathered Sonata Dress at Anthropologie.

 

Clearly, I have the Staple Dress on my brain.