Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Checkerboards...

Hi, all!

It's Friday, and you know what that means - it's time to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?  Thanks to all the snow we've had, I definitely am!

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This week, I've got another 16-patch for your consideration! 

(Of course...)

This one has a really cool construction technique, so tune back in Sunday to learn how I made it.

Simple diagonal stitching through the blocks and cornerstones finish off this cozy quilt.  The layer cake I used Barcelona by Urban Chik, and the background is Kona Espresso.

The back is a great piece of wide shirting I picked up at an estate sale of a local lady's stash, split by a piece of one of the bright green Konas.

You can see the quilting a bit better here on the back!

So there's my seventh 16-patch quilt - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn! 

What are you cheering about this week?

What's got you dancing the happy dance?

Share - we want to dance right along with you!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight - 

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Out of the Deep Freeze...

Hi, all!

I hope you all have had a safe week - it's been a wild one here in Tennessee, with ice storms, snow, kids out of school, massive rain - you name it, it's happened!  People here are experiencing the "ice dam" phenomenon for the first time - water leaking into their houses through the walls because their gutters and downspouts are full of ice.  So far, we seem to have avoided this particular problem (fingers crossed) and have only had to deal with ice, cold and terrible roads.  But through all of this, I did get a good bit of sewing done!  So let's see how I did on last week's list...

1.  Quilt the 6th 16-patch sample quilt.
Done!  This was certainly a cheerful quilt to work on last week!

2.  Work on the 7th 16-patch sample quilt.
I'm happy to say I finished this one today! No new pics yet, though - it was way too windy and cold to go outside for that long.  Here's a teaser, though...

3.  Decide on the design for the 8th 16-patch sample quilt.
I think I've got this one nailed down - I just have to get some other things out of the way before I cut this out.  I think you'll like it, though!

4.  Work on small items for Nancy's fundraiser auction.

In progress!  Here's one I worked on today... and I've got a few more ideas rolling around in my head.

5.  Gather up and organize prizes for a bunco fundraiser night.
In progress!  I'll need to work on this hard this week, though - the bunco party is next Thursday, 3/5.

6.  Keep up with all quilt ministry needs that arise.

Because of the weather, we didn't give away too many quilts this week, and the two that we did give away, I didn't get pictures of. But we have a quilt to an elderly gentleman with throat cancer who just had a hip replacement, and a young man with a new baby due any day who has been diagnosed with cancer.  I fully expect this week to be a bit busier as people start getting out and about again!

And here's something else I spent time on today...

Silly little girls!  I'll be spending a good bit of time with Emmy this week so my daughter can make up the work she missed last week.  Lilli heads back to school tomorrow, though, so we'll be back to our regular pickup-and-ice cream days.  I think we've both missed them!

So now, let's see what's on my plate for this week...

1.  Cut out the 8th sample quilt for the quilt along.

2.  Make small items for Nancy's fundraiser auction.

3.  Collect prizes for the bunco fundraiser.

4.  Write the tutorial for the next Sweet Sixteen quilt.

5.  Keep up with all ministry needs that arise.

I'm going to leave it at that for now, because I've got to do some work on fundraisers, and a whole lot of my time is going to be taken up with child care this week.  But if I can't be sewing, I can't think of a better way to spend my time!!

So now the question is - - -  what are YOU working on this week?

Quilt on and stay warm!

Sarah

Sweet Sixteen Quilt Along - Summer Days, Drifting Away...

Hi, all!

It's week seven of the Sweet Sixteen Quilt Along!  I am really enjoying this experience and I hope you are too.  If this is your first time to visit the Quilt Along, here's a quick recap of what we've done so far...

The first week we discussed several different ways to make the very versatile 16-patch block.  Then in the following weeks we discovered different ways to use that block in quilts...

16's and pinwheels...

A more modern version (it takes fewer 16's, too!)

A one-block star quilt...

A classic postage stamp quilt...

And a bright kids' quilt with on-point 16's.

This week I've got something bright and sunny to share with you - a pleasant change from the snowy cold days many of us have been experiencing!

This quilt is made with a combination of 16's and snowball blocks. Now, if you've never made snowball blocks before, here's a great video tutorial, short and sweet, that will show you how.  

My 16's are made with 2.5" squares, and my snowballs are made with 8.5" squares with 2.5" squares for the triangles on the corners.

Some vital statistics for this quilt - it is made using some beautiful hand-dyed fabrics I had been hoarding, paired with a beautiful spring green from Kona.  Twenty-five 16-patch blocks and twenty-four snowball blocks, and a border made of 2.5" squares.  

The backing is my favorite IKEA print with a strip of purple hand-dyed fabric for interest and to stretch it out.  Binding is scrappy hand-dyes.  It measures about 60" square.

Bright colors make me smile!!

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So there's one more way to use your sixteen patch blocks!  Are you feeling inspired yet?  If you've come up with a cool and unique way to use your 16's I'd love to see it! I hope you'll link up below and show off what you're making.  And just for fun, here's a sneak peek at what's coming up next week - an easy quilt with a new-to-me, fun and surprising block construction method!  

Be sure to check out all the quilt-y inspiration below!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Little Hint of Summer...

Hi, all!

Even in winter, snowed in and suffering from cabin fever, Friday rolls around.  And you know what that means - - - it's time to get our whoop whoop on!!  Are you ready?

My finish this week was a great way to enjoy the colors of summer...

...even as I braved the frigid temperatures to take pictures today!

I love the bright colors against the white snow!

Beautiful hand-dyed fabrics and Kona cotton...

And look - my favorite IKEA fabric on the back!

A little hint of summer in the cold, cold winter!

Can I get a whoop whoop?

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Be sure to check back on Sunday for a tutorial for this quilt - another one for the Sweet Sixteen Quilt Along!

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And now it's your turn!

What's made you happy this week?

What's got you dancing the happy dance?

Share - we want to dance right along with you!

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight - 

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Got the Snow Day Blues?

Feeling a little housebound?

Just can't find your car?

Need an excuse not to do this?

Would you rather admire this from afar than make it yourself?

I have a suggestion!!

Grab your fabric scraps, check out the Sweet Sixteen Quilt Along posts, and make a quilt!

The Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge starts in just 26 days - you could get a head start right now!

Stay warm and quilt on!!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Snow Day!!!

Hi, all!

Well, we went to bed last night with the promise of 3-10 inches of snow in the Nashville area (very unusual!) and woke up this morning to sleet and freezing rain.  About 2 pm, the National Weather Service finally figured out we were having an ice storm and took away our snow predictions.  So now everything outside is coated with about a half-inch of ice, and I am housebound!  All the roads around my house are either curvy or hilly, so it will take a major emergency to get me out for a while.  And we all know what that means - time to sew!!!

Let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Finish the commission quilt.

Done!  And I actually got it done in time for her to have it for Valentine's Day!

2. Quilt a top for a friend (a Valentine's gift, so it's a rush job!)

Also done!  I was so happy to get this one done, too.  I thought I had access to a picture of it, but I guess not.  Drat!

3.  Start working on the sixth sample quilt for the quilt along.

The top is done!  Here's a sneak peek - more on Friday and Sunday!

4.  Determine the designs for the 7th and 8th sample quilts (what the heck was I thinking???)

I started working on the 7th quilt today - a very exciting (at least to me) new technique for 16-patch blocks! I can't wait to share it with you!  And I'm still trying to decide on the 8th quilt design.

5.  Work on some items for my daughter's fundraiser auction. (If you missed the news, they got the adoption approval from China!)

I made this really cute pillow cover for her, and I'm working on a couple of other things in between quilting....

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that arise.

We had quite a few needs come up this week.  Here are the quilts that went out...

This quilt went to a gentleman diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic/liver cancer...

And this one went to his 10-year old daughter.

This quilt went to a woman just diagnosed with breast cancer.

This one went to a woman who had survived lymphoma, only to be diagnosed with cancer again this week.

This quilt went to a six-month old baby girl diagnosed with a severe neurological disease...

...and this quilt went to her mother.

This quilt went to a young woman whose husband died very unexpectedly last week..

...and this quilt went to her 4-month old daughter.

And this quilt went to a brand new baby girl - the first girl born to her family in the past 50 years!  

 Whew!  That was a lot of quilts - thankfully Rita has been a quilting dynamo, and we had plenty on hand.  And so many wonderful donated quilt tops and blocks are represented up there - thank you once again to all of you who participate in the ministry!!

And now here's what's on my agenda this week...

1.  Quilt the 6th 16-patch sample quilt.

2.  Work on the 7th 16-patch sample quilt.

3.  Decide on the design for the 8th 16-patch sample quilt.

4.  Work on small items for Nancy's fundraiser auction.

5.  Gather up and organize prizes for a bunco fundraiser night.

6.  Keep up with all quilt ministry needs that arise.

I think that's plenty to keep me out of trouble, but I'm sure I can find other things to work on if the weather keeps me indoors longer than I think it will!

So now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Sweet Sixteen Quilt Along - A Visit From An Old Friend!

Hi, all!

We've made it to week six of the Sweet Sixteen Quilt Along - are you hanging in there?  If this is your first visit to the quilt along, here's what we've done over the past weeks.

Need to know how to make a sixteen-patch blocks, or learn some new techniques?  Check out the post from week one.  (And wait until you see the new technique I learned today - totally cool!!)  Then in the following weeks, I showed some ways to use your sixteen-patch blocks...

Sixteen patch blocks and pinwheels made up week two's quilt...

Week three showed a more modern take on sixteen patch blocks...

This giant one-block quilt was the offering for week four...

And this low volume postage stamp quilt was the offering for week five!

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This week, our quilt is like a visit from an old friend!

It was a little bit windy the day I took these pictures...

So I laid it on the ground to get a good clear shot!

The front...

...and the back.

Now, I say that this quilt is like a visit from an old friend because I referred back to an old Hands2Help post (April 2012!) for the tutorial!  Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts shared the tutorial with us that year, and I put it on my bucket list.  When I was looking for 16-patch quilts to share, I found that tutorial and decided it was time to finally make it!  

I used a couple of salesman's samples of "Meet The Gang" that I picked up at an AQS quilt show a few years ago.  They had been languishing on the shelf waiting for me to do something with them for far too long!

I decided to add borders to mine to make it a bit larger - this quilt is  a great size for a baby or small toddler, about 42" square.  It's a great versatile pattern, easy to size up or down.

And I used some of the larger prints from "Meet The Gang" for the back.  I love a reversible quilt!

So that's our sixteen patch quilt for this week!  Have you decided on the design for your sixteen patch blocks yet?  There's still a few more options on the horizon - I started working on next week's just this weekend.  I think you'll really like it!

You can link up below if you want to show off what you've been working on - be sure to cheer each other on!!

Hugs!

Sarah