Star Valley: MBS Choose Your Adventure QAL

I am so excited to finally set off on my first adventure at Oda May's Summer Camp. (What's Oda May's summer camp? It's a mystery QAL hosted by Moda Bake Shop. Click here and here for all the details.) I chose to take Path B with camp counselor Kristina Brinkerhoff and hike to Star Valley (Click here for the instructions). Although I love Path A going to Dresden Peak (instructions), let's get real, with my aversion to hand sewing - and heights (Dresden Peak, get it?) - I knew I'd never get that applique finished! LOL!

Here is my selection of Play All Day fabrics by American Jane for the center medallion.

And here is my cutting chart I drew up in EQ7. Its so much easier to visualize when you can draw it up using your own fabrics!

I cut my fabrics and - whoops - made a mistake. So, here's my first tip for this QAL: Read the cutting directions carefully, then measure twice - even thrice - before cutting. I wasted a little fabric by cutting an extra set of 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" strips of the orange, which wouldn't be a big deal except I really don't have any extra fabric for mistakes. 

A couple of additional tips for this block:

1. When sewing the half square triangles, be careful not to stretch the fabric as you are sewing on the bias. You can remedy this some by drawing a line diagonally from corner to corner on the background square, layering it on top of the print square, then sewing 1/4" on either side of the line, and lastly cutting on the line to create 2 half square triangles.
2. Chainstitching will make the sewing go faster.

And here's my finished Star Valley block. I ended up switching the yellow and orange square prints from my original draft because my yellow layer cake square was cut crooked and I needed more fabric to square it up. I'm hoping the orange and yellow quarter log cabin blocks will blend in better once the rest of the rounds are added. 

It was a beautiful hike to Star Valley. Thanks Kristina! Next week, I'll be one of the camp counselors leading you on an adventure. Hope you'll join me!

~Sharla

Update: Here is the link for the first border to add around the center medallion.

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MBS Choose Your Own Adventure Mystery QAL Starts Tomorrow!

Yes! It's finally time to load the bus for Oda May's Summer Camp! Tomorrow the first adventure starts with the posting of Path A (Path B will be posted on Wednesday and you can choose which path you want to take) on the Moda Bake Shop blog. 

In preparation for camp, Oda May has answered some questions that have been received and you can see them here on today's Sunday Social. She also shared this printable Project Tracker to help chart your adventures.

Sunday Social will be a regular feature on the Moda Bake Shop blog during this QAL. It's an opportunity to ask questions and for Oda May and the camp counselors to share tips, tricks and other information to make your camp experience a good one. There is also a Facebook Group where you can ask questions too!

Hope you'll join us at camp!

~Sharla

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Packing For Oda May's Summer Camp!

Are you ready for Oda May's Summer Camp? The Choose Your Own Adventure Mystery QAL is almost here! Today on the Moda Bake Shop blog, Oda May is sharing what you'll need for camp. Of course there's the usual supplies - sewing machine, rotary cutter, ruler, mat, thread, etc., but she's also providing all the details on fabric too. So that means I can show you what was in this secret package from Moda that I shared the other day!

Can you guess? Of course, it's fabric! But can you guess what collection I chose for this adventure? Take a look.....

It's Play All Day by Sandy Klop aka American Jane! I just love her vintage feedsack inspired florals and bright retro colors. This collection was inspired by a vintage children's book and it makes me want to 'play all day' in my sewing room!

This QAL takes a layer cake or two and some additional yardage. The amount depends on which adventures you choose at camp. Oda May's list of fabric requirements will be adequate no matter what adventures you go on. But here's what I'm packing for camp:

• 1 Layer Cake of Play All Day
• 3/4 yd. each of #21741 11 & #21741 17 for the last adventure path. These are 4-in-1 panels. You get four different prints in one color of yardage. I chose the blue and red colorways. I decided to use this fabric instead of a second layer cake. In hindsight, I probably should have opted for the second layer cake so I had extra fabric squares of each fabric for mistakes. I better measure twice & thrice before I cut, I have no room for errors!Eeek!

• 7/8 yd. of #21742 13 for the outer border. This is the large floral print in orange.

• 5/8 yd. of #31746 18 for binding,.This cross-hatchy rectangle print in blue will contrast nicely with the orange border and frame the quilt. (Is cross-hatchy a word?)

• 4 yds. of #21098 41 for the background. I just love a swiss dot background and this American Jane Pindot is perfect!

• 4 1/2 yds. of #21745 12 for backing. This is the square print in orange. Besides one small pumpkin quilt, I've never made a quilt with orange so I decided this was my opportunity to go for it.

Play All Day will be arriving in stores later this summer, so if you can't attend summer camp but plan to make a Choose Your Own Adventure quilt after the mystery is revealed, then Play All Day is the perfect choice for a scrappy vintage-looking quilt.

So get your bags packed because the first adventure starts in a week! Hope to see ya'll at camp!

~Sharla

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Friday Finds

Wheat harvest is just days away here on the farm and the hubby has been getting the combine ready for the many long hours we hope to put in harvesting the crop - which mean, a parts run to eastern Kansas was in order. Sure, we could have had the parts shipped to the farm but for the price of shipping we could pay for the gas to pick them up AND spend an evening with our son who lives in the Kansas City area. Of course we chose the latter. 

We arrived a little early (the son was still at work) so I made a quick run to a local quilt shop (Prairie Point Quilt & Fabric Shop) that I knew carried a fabric line I have been searching for - Painted Garden by Crystal Manning for Moda. Crystal lives in the KC area too and I first met Crystal on Instagram where I sent a few PMs asking some textile design questions (which she graciously answered), then I met her in person at Quilt Market last fall where she was introducing this line. I instantly fell in love with Crystal and her new collection - both boast warm and bright personalities. I'm excited to finally have a fat quarter bundle of Painted Garden but was disappointed to learn that I had missed Crystal by just a couple of hours at the quilt shop! 

We also hit up an estate sale where I did get one new addition to my vintage Christmas décor collection - this plastic church. I have a couple of other churches but nothing as elaborate and grand as this one. I just couldn't resist. They had a few other vintage Christmas ornaments and blow molds but they were priced higher than I was willing to pay. The church was not in their holiday décor section (yes - the estate sale was huge) but rather was tucked in an area with a few other religious items. Who ever did the pricing obviously didn't consider it vintage Christmas, but I do and am thrilled with my bargain!

Now to get busy making some freezer meals for harvest!

~Sharla

P.S. When we arrived home last night there was a secret package waiting for me. I can't wait to share it with you on Sunday. Hint - it may have something to do with the Moda Bake Shop Choose Your Own Adventure Mystery QAL that's starting soon (wink, wink)! Are you going on the adventure with me?

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It's Almost Here....Oda May's Summer Camp!

Yes, Oda May is getting ready for all of us quilters at summer camp! I'm so excited to tell you that I am one of the camp counselors along with 6 other fantastic Moda Bake Shop Chefs. You can meet the other camp counselors and get a few more details at Moda Bake Shop. On June 17, I'll share what I'm packing for camp, so stay tuned!

~Sharla

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Join Me At Camp Oda May!

Just a little teaser I'm going to leave right here....

Camp starts later this month. Hope you'll join me at my cabin for the adventure! You bring the marshmallows & I'll bring the chocolate bars and graham crackers!

S'more hints coming soon!

~Sharla

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The Latest In The Studio

I'm geeking out and super excited about a couple of purchases that arrived in my studio last week. As you may remember, I recently took a surface pattern design class and trying to develop my first portfolio of design collections. But accurate color palettes have been a struggle. So I bit the bullet and purchased a set of Pantone Color Guides!

After struggling for several days with Pantone's site trying to register my guides, I finally figured out the issue (human error, of course) and downloaded the accompanying software and have it installed in Adobe Illustrator. Now I just have to figure out how to use it all to get the outcome I want. The learning curve never ends! Any user tips would be greatly appreciated!

I'm also super stoked about the light box photo studio I purchased. It's 20" x 20" x 20" and seems to be quite sturdy. It has 2 LED light bars and comes with 4 color backdrops. It has openings on one side and top to take photos from the side or flat lays from the top. I've been wanting one for quite awhile. I'm hoping my lighting for my tabletop lays will be more consistent and will come in quite handy for the upcoming super secret Moda event I'm involved with.....teasers are coming soon!

What new additions to your studio have you added lately? I'm always looking for things to make my "work" (play) easier and better!

~Sharla

P.S. I'm thinking I may need to have the hubby help me build one of these quilt photography tools that Yvonne at Quilting JetGirl made. But then I'd have to sew a hanging sleeve on the back of my quilts, and ya'll know how much I hate sewing binding on - sewing sleeves would be worse! But still a brilliant idea!

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More Vinyl Fun

Oh Em Gee! Can you believe it is June 1st?!!! Where has May gone? Soon wheat harvest will be upon us here on the farm and I have so many things to complete before then. I'm anxiously awaiting a top secret package from Moda for an even more top secret Moda Bake Shop event that I'm helping with this summer. So stay tuned as I reveal all the details in the next couple of weeks! It's going to be sew fun!

Speaking of sew fun, yesterday my quilty friends and I gathered for a day of fun as we gifted our latest friendship quilt. We always have show and tell, sharing what projects we're working on. For my show and tell, I embellished a shirt with my Thistle Thicket Studio name using some of the custom vinyl printed with my Pansy Parade design, which I wore. Don't look too close though, because I had issues with adhering the vinyl and it crinkled the design on one side. Note to self: next time do a test run with a piece of scrap vinyl and fabric.

I also added a touch of the vinyl to my new Converse shoes. 

I so need a custom printed pair of kicks with this design! It's on my list of things to check into. Have you had one of your designs printed on a pair of shoes? What company did you use? I've heard of custom printed Vans and Bucketfeet. Are there others out there? Share all the deets!

Can't wait to share my Moda package with you soon!

~Sharla

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