Tag: Quilting

Scrappy English Paper Piecing Quilt

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Today I wanted to share with you by newest project, an English Paper Piecing scrappy quilt.   I have always loved hexagon quilts, but have been hesitant to make one because of the time required.  However,  I am noticing a shift in my quilting style.  Instead of focusing on completing the quilt,  I am enjoying the process and finding joy in creating.   

For those of you new to English Paper Piecing (aka EPP) let me give you a brief overview.  First thing to note is that this is a hand sewing project. While it does make it very portable, it is a much slower process. Pieces of fabric are wrapped around paper templates and then joined together.  The precision and accuracy comes not from sewing the “perfect” quarter-inch seam but from paper templates themselves.   In the months ahead I will share more about the technique, but here is an overview of this quilt.

First,  it will be a scrappy quilt.  For each of the quilts I complete/ work on I will be creating a section of this quilt.  This means, there is no end in sight. I am using 1 inch hexagon papers throughout.  Each cluster will be made from 19 hexagons and then joined together with a white on white border.  

So far I have completed two sections representing the Wheelchair Lap Quilt and the Strawberry Quilt I completed back in 2022. At this time I am opting to not join the sections.  This will allow for easier storage. As I have a long way to go to get caught up, I will get back to it. 

Until next time,  enjoy life one stitch at a time.  

Momma B

Her Quilt of Many Colors

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

January has come and gone, and I realized I did not share with you the quilts I made for Christmas. Before I tell you about them, let me take just a moment to freak out…  NOOOOOOOO!!! …  OK, sorry about that,  I’m back and ready to share the first quilt I completed for Christmas 2023.

I began with a Beyond Basics jelly roll. This fabric line was designed by Annie Brady and manufactured by Moda.  The jelly roll contains 30 different colors,  so there were some duplicates.  But, it did give me a lot of variety. I also set aside the browns, blacks, whites and grays for another project.   

So many of the patterns I found would not allow the fabric to shine.  After countless hours of searching I found the perfect pattern on the Robert Kauffman Fabrics website. And the best part, it was a free pattern.   Since I didn’t have enough strips, I did have to adjust the pattern a little bit. 

It came together fairly quickly.  I used my walking foot to quilt slightly wavy lines diagonally across it. It finished as a decent size lap quilt.  Sorry I forgot to measure it.   I hope you like it as much as my niece did. 

I can see using this pattern again,  so I will be keeping it in the files. You can get a copy of the original pattern here. 

Take life one stitch at a time,
Momma B

RBD Block Challenge 2024 – getting ready

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

The 2024 RBD Block Challenge releases the first block tomorrow. Are you ready? I am!

I have downloaded the fabric requirements and pulled fabric from my stash that matched the recommended colors. All the fabric has been washed, starched, ironed and is ready to go.  

I did make one slight adjustment. They recommend using a multi color dot. I didn’t have anything in my stash that worked well with this color palette. I did, however, have a yard of silver dots but not the 1 5/8 yards they recommend. I also viewed the sneak peak of the finished quilt and I think I will be able to make it work with a few minor changes. 

I am most excited about the black and white striped binding.  I have seen several quilts that used striped binding. What an impact it makes! I purchased this striped fabric a few months back for the purpose of binding with no project in mind. I guess we will have to wait until summer to see how it turns out.

If you want a sneak peak of the final quilt or would like to join me on this quilt along head to Riley Blake Designs blog to find all the information you need. 

I will post my completed first block in a few days. Until then, take life one stitch at a time. 

Momma B

Happy New Year

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Happy New Year! Are you as excited as I am to put 2023 behind us and start afresh? This past year has been a tough year for my family, with many challenges. This is not to say that there have not been moments of joy and celebration scattered throughout. We have mourned loved ones, and job changes and felt heart ache. But we have endured. We have grown and changed. My hope is that 2024 will be less chaotic. The new year brings hope.

Isn’t it crazy how simply turning the page on the calendar brings hope and excitement. It is as if when the ball drops and the clock strikes 12, we magically have the will-power and self discipline to go to the gym, eat healthier and spend more time with the people we love, doing what we love. 

As crafters we set goals of finishing all those unfinished projects, learning new skills and organizing our craft space. With the challenges of the past year, I lost my sew-jo (you know that all elusive sewing mo-jo).  Thankfully I found it in time to finish a few quilts before Christmas, and will be sharing those soon. I am excited about finishing a few more and starting a couple of new projects.  Here is a sneak peek at what is sitting on my sewing table.

You have already seen the Christmas in Texas Quilt and the New Year’s Mystery Quilt, and little progress has been made since I last posted.  As you can see, I started a few other quilts. There are so many great quilt patterns out there and there is an adrenaline rush that comes from starting a new project. But quilting is a marathon.  I’m still working on building endurance to finish the projects that I start and not getting distracted. There are a few projects that I am looking forward to, and I have all the fabric ready to go. The one I’m looking forward to most is the RBD Block Challenge.  It is a quilt-a-long hosted by Riley Blake Designs.  It begins January 9th, so there is still time to join me.  You can learn more here.  

Here’s hoping that 2024 is a great year.

Momma B