Quilter's Planner - Weekly Blocks

I opened up my Quilter's Planner on Sunday to a happy surprise...my block from the Cloud9 New Block Hop last fall is the block of the week :)

(I took this picture before writing in this week's pages so you would not have to be subjected to my bad handwriting and scribbles.)

Here is the direct link to my tutorial for the Chronograph Block.

You can find all of the weekly blocks and the links to their tutorials over on the Quilter's Planner - 2017 Weekly Blocks page and follow along the progress of the quilters that are making each block on Instagram using #52weekswithTheQuiltersPlanner.

Have a wonderful day!

Meadow Mystery Quilt - Parade FAQ

Thank you to everyone that has taken part in the Meadow Mystery Quilt!  In one week, the quilt top design will be revealed so I thought that now would be a good time to share some information about the quilt reveal parade in April.

Important Dates:

• February 2nd - Quilt top and finishing instructions will be posted
• April 1st - Submissions to the quilt parade due (quilt tops and completed quilts)
• April 5th-7th - Meadow Mystery Quilt reveal parade (the parade will be split into multiple days due to the number of quilts)

How to Submit Your Quilt to the Reveal Parade and Be Eligible for Prizes:

• E-mail a picture of the quilt top or finished quilt by Saturday April 1st. 
• Address e-mail to MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com
• Name your photo with your name as the file name, such as "Cheryl Brickey.jpg". 
• (optional) Include in your e-mail your location (city, state and/or country) and/or a web address for any related blog posts you would like linked to. 

This e-mail address will only be used for mystery quilt pics so I can keep them organized and not miss any.  I will respond to your e-mail to confirm that I received your picture and information.  


Frequency Asked Questions:

• Do I need to finish my quilt (quilted and bound) to take part in the parade and be eligible for prizes?

No, you can enter pictures of completed quilt tops and finished quilts.

• I posted my quilt picture to Facebook / Instagram / my blog, am I entered into the parade?

No, you must e-mail your picture to MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com to participate in the parade.

• I changed up the design (ex. changing up the arrangement of blocks, resizing the quilt, adding border etc), can I still take part in the parade?

Yes, all are welcome and we look forward to seeing your take on the design!

• Do I need to keep my quilt top/finished quilt secret until the reveal parade?

No need to keep the quilt tops and finished quilts secret, share any and all pictures of the quilt tops and finished quilts (Facebook, Instagram using #MeadowMysteryQuilt, blogs, etc).

Have any other questions?  Leave a comment here or send me an e-mail at MMDmysteryquilts@gmail.com.

Meadow Mystery Quilt {My Blocks 2 and 5}

This month for the Meadow Mystery Quilt we finished up all of the blocks for the quilt making Blocks 2 and 5. The quilters in the Facebook group have been playing around with the blocks and have come up with some great different layouts.  The mystery quilt top reveal will be next month (on Thursday, February 2nd).

Some links for more information:

Mystery quilt tab which contains all of the mystery quilt information and instructions

Facebook Group

Link to sign up for printer friendly pdf monthly instructions

Here are my Blocks 2 and 5:

The instructions are given out on the first Thursday of every month so the next set of instructions will be posted on the blog on Thursday, January 5th.

I am linking up with Let's Bee Social at Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts and Needle and Thread Thursday at Kelly @My Quilt Infatuation.

Clamshell Coin Quilt

Last week I was doing some testing for one of the new Quilt Theory patterns (Spring release scheduled around April).  I knew that I was going to wind up with a bunch of strips so instead of having some partially made blocks floating around my sewing room, I made a bunch of additional strips and turned them into a simple coin quilt for charity.  

I used a bunch of colorful Tula Pink prints (mostly from her Slow and Steady line) paired with Moda Bella in white.  

To make the coin quilt, I sewed a print and a white strip together along their long edges to make strip pairs.  Then I cut each strip pair into 6 pieces.  I pressed the seams towards the prints so that when I sewed the columns together, the seams would nest and I got pretty decent points even without pinning.  

The quilt top finished at about 38" x 40" (it was important to me to keep the width of the quilt below 40" so I did not have to piece the backing).  I used some of the blue snail print for the backing.

Next came the fun part, trying out my new Bernina ruler foot.  I bought the foot right before the holidays but had to get some secret sewing done before I allowed myself to play with it.  

I used a the HQ Versa Tool by Handi gadgets   (affiliate link), a longarm ruler (so it is 1/4" thick) that is a little larger than my hand in size and has 4 different quilting shapes on it.  I used the clamshell shape and with complete luck (I wish I could say it was planned but it was not), the clamshell design was the exact height of the finished rows (2").

The foot is great and after a just a little learning curve, I was making the clamshells pretty quickly.  The entire quilting took under an hour and a half.  

This quilt is on its way to Tennessee for a family that lost their home in the large forest fires there this fall.

I am working on a post highlighting some of my learnings and tips for using rulers on a domestic machine.

I am linking up to Link a Finish Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday, Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday, Finish It Up Friday, Fabric Frenzy Friday, Sewjo @ My Go Go Life, and Show Off Saturday @ Sew She Can.

Gemma No. 1

Today, I would love to show off my a Gemma top I made from some Cotton & Steel fabric (Melody Miller - Mustang - Arrows - Navy Metallic) back in December but had not had a chance to blog about. The Gemma pattern is by Made by Rae and is really as quick and easy as it is billed to be (this is coming from a quilter and ultra beginner garment sewer).

The office I work in has a temperature of very cold to frigid year round, but outside of the office South Carolina can get quite toasty in the summer.  The only solution I have found is to layer my clothes so I don't freeze or bake to death.  I have tons of cardigans to wear over short sleeved or sleeve-less tops.

I have been wanting to add some more tops to my wardrobe and thought that maybe I could make some and thought the Gemma shirt would it the bill.  I am a fan of Made by Rae, having made a couple of Geranium dresses for my daughter and a Washi dress for me.

The top really did go together super quickly.  The most time consuming part was the bias binding on the neck and arm holes (and there are even options to not use the bias tape but I think that it really adds a nice detail).

After I had my first Gemma top complete, I was already hunting through my stash for fabric to make another...so you may be seeing a few more Gemma shirts on the blog in the next few months :)

Sorry about the pictures in this post.  My 9 year old was the photographer and I was talking to him while he was taking pictures.  So my face in every (in-focus, usable) picture had this super weird expression, hence the cropping of my head :)

I am linking up to Link a Finish Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday, Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday, Finish It Up Friday, Fabric Frenzy Friday, Sewjo @ My Go Go Life, and Show Off Saturday @ Sew She Can.

Meadow Mystery Quilt - Blocks 2 and 5 - January Instructions

Welcome to the January instructions for the Meadow Mystery Quilt! This month we are going to finishing up all of the blocks for the quilt by making Blocks 2 and 5.

Reminder for sharing your blocks: Please feel free to arrange the blocks and post guesses of the quilt top arrangement, it is part of the fun of the mystery!

If you know the actual quilt top design (if you saw a sneak peek of the design), please refrain from commenting on whether arrangements are "right" or "wrong" and please do not post pictures of your blocks in the actual mystery quilt arrangement.  Have fun mixing up your blocks in different arrangements :)  Remember that we want to keep the final design a secret for as long as possible.

In case you are new to the Meadow Mystery Quilt here are some links to all of the relevant information:

Mystery Quit Tab (main page containing links to all monthly instructions and other information)

Link to Signup for Easy to Print pdf Versions of the Instructions (via e-mail)

Mystery Quilt Facebook Group

And now onto the January directions :) This month we will be using the last of the fabric pieces and units to make the final blocks for the quilt top.  Just as a reminder, here are the corresponding fabric letters to colors used in these illustrations:

Block 2

Arrange and sew the following fabric pieces as listed and shown below, pressing all seams open.  Block 2 should measure 12 ½” x 12 ½”.  Repeat to form a total of 4 Block 2's.

Block 5

Form 1 B/D strip set by sewing a Fabric B strip (2 ½” x WOF) to a Fabric D strip (2 ½” x WOF), pressing the seam open.  Cut the B/D strip set into 16 B/D Strip Units (2 ½” x 4 ½”). (Cut carefully as you will be using almost the entire WOF of the strip set.)

Form 1 B/E strip set by sewing a Fabric B strip (2 ½” x WOF) to a Fabric E strip (2 ½” x WOF), pressing the seam open.  Cut the B/E strip set into 16 B/D Strip Units (2 ½” x 4 ½”). (Cut carefully as you will be using almost the entire WOF of the strip set.)

Arrange and sew the following fabric pieces listed and shown below, pressing all seams open.  Block 5  should measure 12 ½” x 12 ½”.  Repeat to form a total of 8 Block 5's.

**Note** Do not worry about the orientation of the seams in the B/D and B/E Half Hourglass Units within the block.

Be sure to share your progress in our Facebook Group :)  The next set of instructions which include the quilt top assembly and the finishing instructions will be posted next month on Thursday, February 2nd.

Many thanks to our sponsors!!

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