Arrowhead Lake: MBS Choose Your Own Adventure QAL

It's my turn to serve as camp counselor again on Moda Bake Shop's Choose Your Own Adventure Quilt Along. Today we're headed to Arrowhead Lake! This is my favorite block in the quilt because it's not your typical block. 

I designed this fun block because arrows are just one of the things that I think of when I think of summer camp. Maybe it's the movie "Meatballs" starring Bill Murray that's my influence since I never went to summer camp myself. My family, however, went camping a lot when I was a child and our adventures always were centered around a lake. Click here for the directions on how to make my Arrowhead Lake block.

I used a different technique to make the feathers on the arrow, sewing two rectangles at an angle rather than using half square triangles, and it makes a much cleaner looking block. That is one of the reasons I do not have an EQ cutting chart this week, it just didn't like the techniques I used and wouldn't give me correct cutting instructions.

One nice thing about this arrow block is that it mixes so well with the Path A Goose Grove block this week. I mixed some flying geese in with my arrow blocks for a more unique look.

Once again, to speed up the sewing process, I chain stitched all my pieces.

My tip this week is to pay attention to the direction and placement of your fabric pieces when sewing, otherwise you'll be singing that not-so-favorite campfire song - the "Rippit, Rippit Blues". Luckily, I only had to rip this one block!

This quilt is growing! Next week is the last pieced border - can you believe we're almost done?!

And a quilt on the fence photo. I'm pressing this quilt with a dry iron so it looks a little wrinkly. Once the top is finished, I'll do a final pressing with steam.

Guess what?! Next week my grandsons are coming to the farm for a visit (and their parents too)! So we'll see how much progress I make on this quilt for my next post.

~Sharla

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2018 Q3 Finish-A-Long Goals

This may be futile. But, even though I didn't get any UFO's finished last quarter, I'm going to post a few with the hopes that I get at least one finished this quarter. Here goes.....

1. Choose Your Own Adventure QAL: Since I'm one of the co-hosts of Moda Bake Shop's mystery QAL this summer, this has to get finished! Preferably by the end of the QAL in August. Got to stay on track.

2. Quilt Guild Row Quilt Challenge: Haven't touched this since January. Hoping to at least get a row or two finished this quarter, but it would be awesome to get it finished!

3. Modern Marks: This may be easier to finish than any of the others. This was something I started just to test my sewing machine after I had it serviced while in Texas in February. It's just going to be a 4-patch quilt, I think, with some sashings. We'll see.

4. Just the Atoms: Started this last fall as a tutorial for quilt guild. Haven't touched it since. It's a good thing I posted a tutorial on this blog so I can remember how I was making these circles!

5. Frivols Kindred Quilt: Another one I haven't touched in more than a year. I am definitely the queen of UFOs!!! 

There it is, short and sweet. I'll be linking this post up with the Finish-A-Long Q3 link-up.

Check back on Wednesday. That's when my next post for Moda Bake Shop's Choose Your Own Adventure Mystery Quilt is. Furiously sewing to get my blocks done for it, so better get back to it!

~Sharla

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Flash Back Friday - Wedding Rings

Five years ago yesterday, my nephew walked down the isle a single man and walked out a husband and father. Of course, I commemorated the occasion with a quilt. I've never tackled a traditional wedding ring quilt but when I saw this pattern, I thought it was the perfect modern rendition for this fun loving couple. 

Unfortunately, this is the only photo I have of this quilt. (Obviously before my blogging days!)

Quilt Stats:

• Pattern: Wedding Rings by Seams & Dreams
• Quilt Size: 96" x 96"
• Fabric: Various prints of Moda's Kansas Troubles fabrics
• Thread: Mettler, color unknown
• Batting: Hobbs 80/20
• Quilting: Quilted on a Gammill Statler Stitcher using a pattern called Sweatheart Panto, designer unknown.

Happy 5th Anniversary Cam & Cayo!

~Aunt Sharla

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Pinwheel Point: MBS Choose Your Own Adventure QAL

How is everyone enjoying the adventure at Oda May's Summer Camp on the Moda Bake Shop blog? I've been busy sewing along and excited to share my adventures at Pinwheel Point today. Camp counselor Jessica Dayon took us down Path B to Pinwheel Point - click here for the directions.  

When we arrived, I headed straight for the wildflowers, choosing 6 layer cake squares with larger floral prints for the centers of my Pinwheel Point blocks. I paired them with contrasting small prints - pindots, ditzy print florals, and tiny geometrics - for the pinwheels.

Here's my EQ7 cutting chart. This is for one block. You'll need a total of 24 blocks for this round. One layer cake square will produce 4 block centers or the color pinwheel points for 4 blocks.

These blocks went together pretty quickly and before long I had a stack of scrappy blocks.

Today's Tip: Here's my trick for centering the pinwheel triangles on the center square.....Fold the center square in half with wrong sides together. Place on top of pinwheel triangle, butting fold against the seam of the triangle and lining up the edges. Pin the fold to the seam then open the center square and sew. The triangle points will hang over the edge of the square. Repeat for each side of the square.

Reminder: When sewing your pinwheel points, remember that you are sewing on the bias so be careful not to stretch the fabric as you sew.

Another Tip: I used my favorite ruler to trim and square up my blocks - my 6 1/2" x 12 1/2" Creative Grids ruler. I use the 45 degree lines to line up the diagonal lines on my block and I check that my center square points are 1/4" from the edge of the ruler, then trim.

My medallion is growing! So much so that my design wall (aka floor) that has good lighting was too small to photograph my medallion.

So I tried to take a couple of close up shots to show the progress.

For the most part, it's been way too windy to photograph anything outside that's not tied down. But I managed to snap this shot - wrinkles, strings and all - when there was a brief moment of calmer breezes. I decided I couldn't take the chance to stop and press or the moment would be gone!

Next week, I'll be sharing a block I designed for this QAL on the Moda Bake Shop blog! Meet me at my cabin next Wednesday for another camp adventure!

~Sharla

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Zip. Zilch. Zero.

That's exactly how many UFOs I finished for this quarter of the Finish-A-Long. Really! How utterly sad is that? But, on a brighter note, I have been working on some surface pattern designs, we finished wheat harvest here on the farm and I've been busy helping to design a quilt and co-host Moda Bake Shop's Choose Your Own Adventure Quilt-A-Long going on this summer. So the last three months haven't been a total waste.

Speaking of Moda Bake Shop, today they featured me in their stories on Facebook and Instagram. How exciting is that! You can it out on their stories or I am sharing the photos here....

If you follow me here on my blog, you already knew all of this. If not, this is a little introduction! Nice to meet ya!

~Sharla

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Cross Creek: MBS Choose Your Own Adventure QAL

I'm excited that today is my turn as camp counselor on the Moda Bake Shop blog for the Choose Your Own Adventure QAL. We're taking a hike to Cross Creek! I hear the creek is full of trout so maybe we'll have to do a little fishing too!

Cross Creek is a plus block or 9-patch block and is the first row around the center medallion. I share instructions for two versions of the block here, including supplies, cutting and assembly instructions. This block is one of two options for this round. To see the other option, Four Points (a four patch block), click here. 

I was so excited to start sewing my blocks that I forgot to take photos of my fabric that I used for this round. But here is the cutting chart showing the fabrics.

TIP #1: These are simple 9 patch blocks. To speed up the sewing process, instead of cutting all of those 1 1/2" squares, I cut my layer cake squares and background fabric into 1 1/2" strips. Then I sewed the strips into strip sets as shown. Then I cut the strip sets into 1 1/2" segments. 

TIP #2: This block is a good block to check the accuracy of your 1/4" seam allowance. When you have sewn 3 blocks together, it should measure 3 1/2". If your strip set measures less than 3 1/2", your seam allowance is too large and you need to move your needle a position to the right. If your strip set measures more than 3 1/2", your seam allowance is too small and you need to move your needle position to the left. 

TIP #3: Pay attention to the direction you press your seam allowances. I intentionally pressed my seam allowances so that on 2 opposing sides of the block the seam allowances were pressed to the center and the other 2 opposing sides of the block the seam allowances were pressed to the background. This allows you to rotate your blocks so that you can "nest your seams" (butting a side with seams pressed inward with a side with the seams pressed outward) when you are sewing your blocks together. Nesting your seams helps to make the corners of your fabric squares meet precisely.

And here is my center medallion square with the first round attached.

So far, so good! It's not too late to join me at Camp Oda May. Here's the link for all the posts for the Choose Your Own Adventure QAL. Can't wait to share the next round next week! See ya then!

~Sharla

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