Happy Accidents

Thanks to my lovely "cat" alarm I was able to wake up before the sun came over the trees to take pictures of my newly finished quilt in the nice morning light.  I was taking my time setting up each shot  since I had some time before the sun would start to peak over the tree tops.  As I was taking the last shot my batteries died on my camera. UGH!  I quickly ran back inside to get the back up batteries and finished up my shots.  I came back in poured myself a cup of coffee and set down to upload the photos and edit them.  Except... there was nothing! nadda!! zilch!!! on my memory card.

I grabbed the quilt and ran back outside and of course the sun was already too high.  I did manage to find a spot that was decent enough to take pictures but by the end I was in the sun.

But, I'm glad that happened because a couple of shots came out really well that show off the quilting.  I think the pictures came out better the second time around too, even though I was rushing.  I must admit I didn't know how this quilt was going to turn out.  I was just winging it and making decisions as I went.  I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

And thankfully we have had some rain recently that has helped lessen the drought and green up the grass.  If you would like to purchase this quilt it is available in my shop here!

A Nest

The nesting season for birds is almost over and I'm lucky enough to have a pair of Carolina wrens nesting on my patio.  They started building the nest in my potted plumbago way back in march.  I promptly put up my webcam so I could spy in on them.  They would visit the nest everyday adding to it but never laid eggs.  Finally at the end of June she laid 4 eggs, only 3 hatched.  I have been watching them daily double in size and soon they will be gone.

The baby wrens have now opened their eyes and are starting to get in their brown feathers.  They are now making so much noise when mom comes in with a worm.  Check them out while they are still here.  I expect them to leave the nest (fledge) sometime between July 19-25.  It will probably happen somewhere in the middle.

I also have several Black Chinned hummingbirds feeding on several of my feeders hanging near by.  You can hear them from time to time.

BTW, did anyone catch the HBO documentary: Birders: The Central Park Effect on Monday?  It was a fabulous documentary and makes me want to visit New York all the more.

The Tic Tac Toe Quilt

I recently updated my shop with the Tic Tac Toe Quilt.  Please visit if you are interested in purchasing the quilt.  It was  a blast making it!

 

if you are interested in making this quilt for yourself,

you can find the quilt pattern here.

Introducing Tic Tac Toe a quilt pattern

I finally finished my first quilt pattern.  I have been wanting to dip my toe in the pattern making world for a while now.  I learned a lot about the limitations of computer software.  It never can do exactly as you want it to, as easily as you want it to.  Luckily, in most cases I was able to figure out work arounds in EQ7.  I hope that what I learned sticks so I don't have to relearn it next time.  I hate when you figure out how to do something on the computer and then you immediately forget how you did it.  So Frustrating!  anyway I digress...

So, this quilt pattern is super fun to make.  Pretty, simple, and a fast sew.  It measures 42" square.  I wanted something small enough that you didn't have to piece the backing if you didn't want to.

This Pattern is available in my esty shop for purchase here!

I hope you check it out

Just a Glimps of what's Ahead

When you put Pezzy & Heath fabrics together

with a dash of Lucy's Crab Shack

what do you get?...

An incredibly cute quilt!!!

Pattern coming soon...

Half Square Triangles

I've had a few inquiries into to how I made my Salt Air Quilt.  So I put together a little pictorial of a shortcut into making HSTs.  For this quilt I used 5" squares but this technique can be used for any sized squares sure as layered cakes or from squares you cut from scraps.

First,  take the print square and a neutral square and place them right sides together.

Next, sew a quarter inch seam around the entire square.

Then, cut the square on the diagonal from corner to corner in both directions.

{I drew lines just for a visual; it's not necessary and just adds an extra step.

Just use a ruler as a guide when cutting}

Press each new smaller square open and there you go, 4 half square triangles!

{Square up each block if necessary.  If you sew a perfect 1/4" seam there shouldn't be much to square}

Half square triangles are easy to do and the variations in design are endless!  I hope this pictorial helps and please feel free to ask questions or leave other tips you find handy.

~alician

Vintage Modern Baby Quilt

The Vintage Modern baby quilt is all finished and up in my shop.

The colors are so bright and really pop. This quilt only took one charm pack plus a few solids.

I still have another charm pack to do something different with.

It's the perfect size to fold up and stick in a diaper bag.

This quilt is available for purchase here!