Author name: Melissa Dunworth

Owner/Operator

A special quilt

15 Comments / Personal Post / By

In 2002 – almost ten years ago, we lost my grandmother to breast cancer. She fought and won the battle when I was in high school and when I was in my final year of college it took her from us forever. She was a fighter to the end, in a coma for the last week or so of her life, she held on through my Uncle’s birthday (November 14) and my Papa’s birthday (November 15) and died on November 17th. We are convinced she didn’t want them to remember their birthdays that way.

When she was re-diagnosed with Breast Cancer, my mom went out and bought a quilt kit to make as a chemo quilt. That was the plan. There is always a plan and then life happens. My grandmother’s cancer progressed quicker than anyone could have predicted and the quilt never got made before she passed.  When I was pregnant with Anne – did I mention my grandmother’s name was Shirley Anne…I asked my mom if I could make the quilt. I made the top in no time, it is a very simple pattern, but it never got much further than that.

When I went home in December for Christmas, I brought the top home and we picked out border fabric. The next time I go home my mom and I will pick out backing and binding. This quilt is going to live in my mom’s sewing room, a little bit all three of us – my mom, my grandma and me

Have a wonderful weekend and remember today is the last day to enter the Fat Quarter Shop giveaway for Kona Modern Quilts!

Sew Intertwined QAL – First Tutorial – Dresden Plate

8 Comments / Contemporary Cloth, Robert Kaufman, Sew Intertwined QAL, SewHappyGeek / By

Sew Intertwined QALHappy Thursday Everyone! Jenna has our first official sewing tutorial for the Sew Intertwined QAL up on her blog today!

Jenna will be showing everyone how to do the Dresden Plate for the center of the quilt. Here’s a peak at how mine turned out – I would show you more but I don’t want to reveal my whole top yet – in good time I promise.

Head on over and as you start getting your blocks completed start uploading them to the flickr group! I can’t wait to oooh and aaaah over them all!!!

Contemporary Cloth

This post is sponsored by Contemporary Cloth – who provided me with the stunning Stockholm line for Robert Kaufman to make my quilt top.

 

Can’t Sew? Clean!

14 Comments / Sewing Sanctuary / By

So my hands were definitely not up for sewing this weekend. The spirit was willing but my hands were not. I decided to make use of my time and reorganize my stash.

Before Picture

The main reason I decided to re-organize was the fabric bins. They were NOT organized anymore and just jammed full to the point I could barely pull them out. You can’t hold yourself accountable when you can’t see what you have!

So I went on Pinterest and found a quickie tutorial for folding fabric around your 6.5″x24″ ruler. I used it for all of my yardage that was at least a quarter of a yard. Here’s most of my yardage folded.

There is one more row of folded fabric that isn’t pictured (browns, grays, whites, blacks and novelty prints).

For my fat quarters, I experimented with a couple of different folds before settled on what fit my shelves best.

The top shelf is a couple of complete lines that I have and all of my patterns. Below that are all my FQs sorted by color and behind there are all my pre-cuts.

The bins are still in use! I emptied out all of the ziplock bags that I had full of scraps into them and also all the stuff I already had in the bins that were not yardage or fat quarters – just larger scraps.

The top still has fabric on it but that is because they are 2 quilts that are in progress and they have upcoming deadlines. If they are out making the space look messy then I know I will work on them just so I can get them off of there! It is my own personal kind of motivation.

So that is how I spent my Saturday and Sunday. Cleaning…probably should start folding some of the laundry I washed too, but for some reason I’m not as motivated to work on that!

Flying Arrows Quilt Tutorial

22 Comments / Fat Quarter Shop, Robert Kaufman, tutorial / By

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Today I have a quick quilt tutorial and when I say “quick” I mean it! This whole quilt top, including design time, took me 3 hours to complete.

I started with a half yard bundle in the Berry colorway of Kona Modern Quilts by Robert Kaufman and 2 yards of Kona White (I love Kona White!).

3 Hours Later…

56″ x 56″ (without borders)

I wanted to find a way to display the gorgeous prints which are extra large. I took my inspiration from some old Native American rugs that my mom has displayed in our home. I hope you can see my inspiration. I have borders and will be adding them…but I haven’t been able to sew the last few days.

On to the tutorial!

From each 1/2 yard you will cut one square measuring 15″ – giving you 6 squares total
From the White you will cut six squares measuring 15″
Choose four prints as your feature prints and cut four squares measuring 14.5″
A 6.5″x24″ ruler would be most helpful along with basic quilting supplies.

Start with your Half Square Triangles (because that’s all these really are – Half Square Triangles on Steroids).

Pair up your 6 white 15″ squares with your 6 print 15″ squares. Then draw your diagonal. I used my 6.5″ x 24″ ruler for this (see the picture)

Draw the line and then place your 1/4″ foot on the line and sew down each side of it. When finished cut the block along the line you drew!

Trim each HST down to 14.5″ square. You should now have 12 very large half square triangles.

Following the quilt top – lay out your rows and sew them together using a 1/4″ seam. Then you are done!

I will be adding a border in the Kona Berry – probably 2.5″ to 3″. I haven’t decided yet (I’ve got a yard to play with). I bought backing fabric yesterday – a bundle of Kona solids in the Berry CoIlorway. I am thinking of doing a color blocked back with some of the prints mixed in (it will be my first pieced back).

I think this will be Anne’s and my new picnic blanket and I am really excited about it. I hope you enjoyed this quickie quilt!

If you haven’t already make sure you go enter to win a half yard bundle of Kona Modern Quilts from Fat Quarter Shop! They are giving away a bundle to two of my lucky winners (say that 10 times fast!).

© Copyright M. Dunworth 2012. You are welcome to use this tutorial for your personal use. Please do not use this tutorial, my words or my pictures without my permission. You are welcome to link to this tutorial, but please do not take my work.

 

Fat Quarter Shop Highlight and Giveaway!

17 Comments / Fat Quarter Shop, Robert Kaufman / By

I would like to offer a very warm welcome to Fat Quarter Shop.  They are one of the premier online fabric shops and have one of the largest selections of fabric out there.  What I love best is the customer service I get when I buy from Fat Quarter Shop.  Last week I placed an order and seconds after hitting the last button to order my fabric I realized that I forgot 2 items! Ugh! I immediately picked up the phone and called them and they were able to amend my order over the phone and add the two small items to my package. The best part is that I didn’t have to pay for additional shipping!  Gotta love that customer service!

Here are a few of my favorite things that I am looking forward to in the Coming Soon Section:

You already know how much I love Berenstain bears!

As soon as this line is available I will be buying it and making a baby quilt for a friend who’s having a boy!

I just love this color combo!

Last Friday I put up a little sneaky peak of a quilt I will be doing a tutorial for tomorrow. I used the amazing and beautiful Kona Modern Quilts by Robert Kaufman.

 

Kona Modern Quilts Berry Scatter Boxes

Fat Quarter Shop has very generously offered TWO half yard bundles of Kona Modern Quilts to two of my readers! To enter please follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below and makes sure you come back tomorrow for the tutorial!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

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