Tag: sewing

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

All Texas Shop Hop

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

It’s time for an update from my quilt room. This spring I participated in the All Texas Shop Hop.  This is the first year Shop Hop Inc. hosted a hop in Texas.  I visited 53 of the 106 participating shops.  Each shop gave out a 4” block with a quilty saying and their shop name.  Completing all the shops in a region earned you a free 6” block. There was also a slew of shop hop specialty items for purchase including a fabric line, and gifts. 

In addition to my 53 shop blocks and 4 regional blocks, I did find some amazing deals.  In addition to more fabric than intended, I picked up a couple of panels, several new quilt patterns and some new quilting tools and notions I am excited to try out. As you can imagine my sewing room looks like a tornado hit it and is in desperate need of re-organizing.

While I have fallen behind on my RBD block challenge, I do have another Quilt-As-You-Go Crazy Patchwork Flower to share with you.  The second block is red.  I created the block on the left and received the block on the right. The pattern and more information about the block can be found on a previous blog post (here). 

Please be patient with me as I work to re-organize. I have a lot to share with you but am taking 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

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

Christmas Quilt – Block 2

~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Block number 2 of my Texas Christmas Quilt is now complete.

In an attempt to make progress on my Texas Christmas Quilt, I am completing the easiest blocks first.  Today’s block is a variation on a Nine Patch.  When I first saw the completed block on the Shop Hop group page, I fell in love with the fabric.  However, when I finally made it to Garland to pick up the free pattern from Rocking Bobbin Quilt Shop, I was disappointed to learn that they had sold out of the fabric.  So, I took to Etsy and found the entire collection of Howdy Christmas fabric by Northcott at Andi’s Quilt Co. If you are interested, here is a link to the shop. ANDI’S QUILT CO

The pattern came from Rocking Bobbin Quilt Shop in Garland. They are located just off I-30 in Garland.  Here is a link to the Rocking Bobbin.

Stay tuned for more blocks.