Great Granny Squared UFO

Yes, I did manage to finish my UFO for April as part of the All People Quilt UFO (Unfinished Objects) challenge by the end of April.  The binding happened while traveling, but it happened.  I quilted this top on my sewing machine and it took some time.  I love its crinkle look after washing and drying it.

It will be a great pop of color in the smaller quest room with all of its browns.

This room gets used more in the summer when the grand kids come for visits.

This pattern comes from Lori Holt's book "Great Granny Squared" and she included directions for a label for the back, so I did it all.  I made this quilt from 2 layer cakes of Lori's Vintage Modern line as well as two yards of her "fat quarter" fabric which has four different fat quarter like prints per yard.  See more here.

I was going to use Kona White for the backing as I had for the front.  But when Lori's Flower Patch fabric line came out, I just had to use the pink background fabric for the backing instead.

The mini has been on the wall for awhile.

I made it from the left over fabric from my Great Granny project.  The pattern can be found in "101 Fabulous Small Quilts" compiled by The Patchwork Place.  I enlarged the applique piece to 125% and used all pinwheel blocks for the surrounding border.

I am now working on the #12 from the list for May.  It is a Christmas quilt.

My personal Great Granny Sew Along

I have finished my Great Granny quilt top.

It is a bed size quilt so now I have to get brave, buy the batting and attempt to machine quilt it on my Bernina QE 750.

I purchased the book by Lori Holt with plans to participate in her sew along.  However, I won a layer cake of Vintage Modern as a prize from the Quilty Fun Sampler Sew Along.  Right away, I decided to skip the Great Granny Sew Along and make the quilt instead.

The first layer cake made 10 blocks, half those needed.  I ordered another layer cake  to make the full 20 blocks.  This also included the cornerstone blocks in the final setting.

It also left a few 10 by 10 inch squares for the 5 inch square within a square border.  When ordering the layer cake online, I also noticed the yardage that Lori designs in fat quarters, ie. a yard of fabric has four different designs printed on it that are 18 X 22 inches.  I ordered two yards in different colorways.  This fabric helped me to have more variety in the border as well as diversity in a couple of the blocks.  I also used this fabric for an easy scrappy binding.

I had enough leftover  2 1/2 inch blocks to make the quilt label in the book.

I was also happy to have the "fat quarter" fabric to make the basket. The orange handle was made from fabric I had on hand.

This was a fun project to embroider.

I love the cheerfulness of the fabric line.

Now I need to piece together the back.  I debated and debated about the backing and I finally just took my 50% of coupon to JoAnn's for more white Kona cotton.  You can't beat that price for the quality.

I'm making a bunch of pinwheel blocks from the corners of the square in a square blocks in the border.  When I marked the sewing lines for the squares, I also marked another line 1/2 inch away and sewed it as well, then cut through the middle which left me with a pile of half square triangles with four that matched for perfect pinwheels.  I am currently working on a little quilt using those blocks.

With the use of the layer cakes, this quilt had little waste.  I needed 2 1/2 inch squares and 5 inch squares and the 10 inch pieces of fabric were perfect for this scrappy looking quilt.  Now I'm getting up the courage to tackle the quilting!

Sewing this week . . .

Ten more blocks completed for a total of twenty for my Great Granny Quilt.  I played around with placement while my sheets were in the washer.  I really do love this cheery quilt made from Vintage Happy by Lori Holt as is the pattern.  The top is now all sashed together with corner blocks and I am working on the inner, outer, and diamond borders.

Saturday Sampler at American Quilting is winding down.  This month's assignment was to make a giant square within a square with the house  and green strip set.  It was a bit scary but I just followed directions which included using freezer paper cut to size and ironed to the rough house block so that it could be cut exactly to measurement.  I hand sewed on the rick rack.  Next month, finishing instructions.  I can hardly wait!

***For the first time ever, I took a quilt top and back to be quilted by a long arm quilter.  My Quilty Fun Sew Along Sampler quilt just called from some good all over quilting.  It was so hard to turn it over to someone else.  I no longer felt like the "boss of my own quilt."

More Spring and sewing

Those blossom covered trees are really making me happy so I moved my photo taking outside.

Love that balcony in the tree tops.  It is a great summer place to read a book.  I bought a chaise lounge chair and placed it on that balcony.  It feels like you are in a tree house.

This smaller balcony is just off the kitchen.  It is where Opal was hanging out on Saturday.

My view of the "Y" from my front porch.

Lovely!

And some more surprise tulips bloomed.  Now those are cheery tulips.

There are now red tulips, too.  I think I will have to shop the Thanksgiving Point tulip sale again so that I can fill in all those spaces.  It has been so fun to see what will bloom next.

This is what has been "blooming" inside.  I won a prize of a Riley Blake Vintage Happy 10 inch stacker from the Quilty Fun Sew Along.  I was so excited to win!  My "bee happy" block was highlighted on the Fat Quarter Shop Blog.

Then they announced another sew along this time using Lori Holt's new book "Great Granny Squared."  I already had the book so I decided to see how many great grannies I could make with my 24 pieces of fabric 10 inches square from Lori Holt's new fabric line.

This was a pretty great way to go because there is no waste and I could cut sixteen 2 1/2 inch squares from each fabric square using 12 of one fabric square for the outer level, then 8 from another fabric, then 4 from another, and a center square from yet another.

I easily pieced ten blocks with a few leftover squares, so I ordered another 10 inch stacker of Vintage Happy and I plan on making the quilt on the cover which is made with 20 great granny squares and 5 1/2 yards of white background fabric.  I picked up some Kona white cotton at JoAnn's with a coupon and senior day discount for that part.

I would rather make this larger quilt than participate in the new sew along.  Vintage Happy really does make me feel happy.

I also picked up this month's Saturday Sampler packet last Saturday.

This morning I put together these hexagon blocks.  I'm so excited to see the final quilt.  Just two more Saturday Samplers to go and I think it will mostly be applique and finish work.

I bought their hexagon template rather than try to make my own.

I bought it because I thought I might want to make another quilt using this ruler after I saw Amy demonstrate what happens when you off set the hexagon blocks.  Can you see that fun little zig zag happening?

And finally, this is what I watched outside my favorite window last night or rather early this morning.  It was pretty amazing. So glad that we had clear skies and that it was easily viewed from my window.