It's Finished!: MBS Choose Your Own Adventure QAL

Finally finished!!! I made myself sit down and sew the binding on after I returned from my road trip to hear Moda Fabric's Mark Dunn speak at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln last weekend. Of course, the Kansas wind then had to blow for a day or two before I could get a few photos.

This is my "Play All Day At Camp" quilt. The name is derived from the fabric used - Play All Day by American Jane for Moda, and the camping theme of the Moda Bake Shop Choose Your Own Adventure Quilt-A-Long. If you follow me here, you know I was one of the camp counselors and designers for this sew along.

I really enjoyed this QAL. Everyone jumped into the theme and played along as we shared about our 'camp' adventures on the Moda Bake Shop Bakers Facebook page. All of the interaction with other quilters made it so much fun. And my fellow camp counselors were awesome to work with!!

Of course, my favorite block in the quilt is the Arrowhead Lake block that I designed. I just thought it was on target (get it?! Ha, Ha!) with the summer camp theme.

I also enjoyed designing the label that participants could download and print off from the Moda Bake Shop website. I even added a little poem to commemorate the QAL.

Quilt Stats:

• Fabric, Top, Backing & Binding: Play All Day by American Jane - Sandy Klop for Moda Fabrics
• Pattern: Moda Bake Shop's Choose Your Own Adventure QAL
• Thread, Piecing: Aurifil 2309
• Quilting Pattern: 1003 Daisy Days E2E by Kay Oft
• Thread, Quilting: Signature 100% Cotton thread in Parchment
• Batting: Hobbs 80/20
• Longarm: Gammill Statler Stitcher

~Sharla

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E2E or Custom Quilting: MBS Choose Your Own Adventure QAL

It's been a great summer at Oda May's camp over on the Moda Bake Shop blog. Closing Ceremonies for camp was a few days ago and I'm happy to say I'm leaving camp with a completed quilt top. But now the big question is - How do I quilt it?

My first thought was just to quilt an Edge 2 Edge design because I really need to get back to my surface pattern designs if I am to meet my self-imposed deadlines this fall. But, then I think this quilt would be the perfect quilt for some custom quilting. But then again, are the fabrics too busy and would the quilting not show up anyway? So many questions and indecisions, what's a girl to do?

So, I'm looking for suggestions from all of you! Should I quilt an E2E or custom? What patterns would you use (I'm not a free-hander) in the different blocks and borders? HELP, I'm sending out a distress signal to all my quilty friends and followers!

I did see that HollyAnne on the String & Story blog is going to do a series of blog posts on how to free motion quilt the Choose Your Own Adventure quilt, so I'll be interested to see what she does. But, she will be doing it over several weeks and I really don't have time to drag it out that long.

Anyway, hit me up with some ideas!

~Sharla

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Piney Woods Quilt Label: Choose Your Own Adventure QAL

The end is here. The final closing ceremonies for the Choose Your Own Adventure QAL on Moda Bake Shop was posted this morning. I'm a little sad that summer camp has ended but excited as I sit here in my sewing room sewing on my last border. This quilt has sure been an adventure! 

With the closing ceremonies, I am happy to share my final contribution as a co-host of this QAL - the Piney Woods Quilt Label. I designed this quilt label as the perfect way to commemorate the adventures that each participant enjoyed while at Oda May's Summer Camp. I hope everyone who attended summer camp enjoyed it as much as I did! Stay tuned and I'll be sharing my completed quilt top in a day or two.

~Sharla

P.S. Oh, I almost forgot!!! Moda Bake Shop is sponsoring a giveaway on today's Closing Ceremonies blog post so be sure to visit the site - link here - and comment for a chance to win!

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Shoreview: Choose Your Own Adventure QAL

Oh wow, I am sooo behind! I had family come visit me at camp last week and so I put my sewing adventures aside as we enjoyed our local county fair with the kids and grandkids. But while I'm still trying to finish the last pieced border at Oda May's Summer Camp, Oda has moved right on past me and has posted the last borders today. Can you believe our time has come to an end for the Choose Your Own Adventure QAL? 

I chose Path B for the last pieced border and hiked with Jessica Dayon of Skein and Hook to Shoreview and dipped my toes in the water. I chose this block as it reflects the crosses in my first pieced border, kind of like a reflection in the pond at camp. Click here for instructions for the Shoreview block.

Here's the cutting chart from EQ7. There is a total of 48 - 5" blocks, 24 red crosses with blue corners and 24 blue crosses with red corners. The cutting chart is for one of each, so multiply those pieces by 24.

I rounded up the half square triangle squares to 3" then squared them up to 2 1/2" after they were sewn using my Bloc-Loc ruler. Much easier than cutting 2 7/8" squares!

I was excited to try out the 4-in-1 yardage that is a part of the Play All Day collection by American Jane for Moda. The yardage is broken down into 4 sections of prints with a cute tape measure dividing each section. I cut the tape measure segments out and will use them in some future project. 

Here are the two blocks for this pieced border. I'm still working on these blocks so I don't have them sewn to my quilt yet. I'm hoping to have my top finished by Monday when Summer Camp Closing Ceremonies are posted. Be sure to tune in, I designed a little surprise for that post and Moda Bake Shop is hosting a giveaway too! Until then campers, keep trekking!

~Sharla

P.S. Just a few photos of why I'm behind on sewing at camp - a Nana has to share a little, right?

Welcoming my little Texans to our farm. What a fashion statement - plaid shorts, crocs and cowboy hats! I made this quilt for Moda Bake Shop's Spell It With Moda. You can find the instructions here.

My daughter and grandson #1 on the ferris wheel. Our community owns our own carnival and all the rides and games are 25 cents! It's such a special time with family and friends!

Our little goofball, Grandson #2, riding the fire trucks. He had a blast riding all the kiddie rides while Grandson #1 enjoyed the games more.

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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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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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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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