Podunk Pickin's #37 About the Boots

The past 2 weeks I've been painting the Studio and thought I would be done by now.  Even with my best laid plans I've fallen far behind my schedule.  So no time to sit around whining about it lets just get right to business...Podunk Pickin's. 

Just as in the previous weeks I've let the random number pick one of the amazing projects to feature.  This week it picked...#15...

Congrats to Yellow Cat Quilt Designs who shared her super cute "Its all about the Boots" quilt.  

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Podunk Posy and Watermelon Jelly

I'm so happy to finally have the Podunk Posy quilt quilted and bound.  As many of you already know I love designing and  making quilt tops but quilting them usually takes me awhile.  I went back through my blog posts to see when I put it on the frame.  Sadly it was put on the frame in December before moms long bought of hospital stays.   I've some excuses this time for my procrastinating even though I've had plenty of time to get it done.  

 Before moving on with this post I'd like to let the newcomers to my blog know the "Podunk Posy" is a free quilt pattern on my blog.  You can find it the Tutorials tab at the top of my blog.

 If I had to pick a favorite part of quilting I'd pick the binding.   Normally I machine stitch it to the front then hand sew it to the back.  On this one I chose to the quicker route by 100% machine attached binding.

The quilting really didn't take that long, most of it is free motion.  The scallops around the tulips were made using a ruler, and of course there's a little stitch in the ditch on the stems just so I could travel to the next area for free motion work.

They say the trick to a successful quilting design is repetitive shapes throughout the quilt.  So I  mimicked the scallops and meandering in the inner border.  

Is it a success?  I'm saying it is, because its complete and I still love this super simple quilt.  Isn't it funny how some of our most loved quilts are the simple squares.

In the quilt blog world a quilt isn't complete until you successfully photograph your new lovely.  To be honest the photography is more difficult than the entire quilting process.  Lighting, props and then you have the chickens who want to be a part of the action.  These chickens follow me everywhere because they know I'm the one who feeds them.  I hadn't planned on using them in my photo shoot but it turned out for the best.  

Until they started fighting.  The black chicken below is Beulah the bully.  She rules the roost.  If she doesn't settle down I see a frying pan in her future.  With all the ruckus I managed to get a good picture of the pieced backing.  To tell you the truth I love the back just as much as the front.   This is my new favorite way of backing a quilt and here's why.  I quilt on a frame which means my backing needs to be almost perfectly square.  Getting a large piece of fabric perfectly square isn't easy.  I can't tell you how many times I've loaded a quilt back to the frame thinking it was perfect only find it was NOT.  Loading a quilt backing to a frame by pinning it on like I do can take about 20 to 30 minutes.  So since I'm horrible at squaring up large pieces of fabric but pretty darn good(if i do say so myself) at cutting and piecing quilts... why not just have a nice large scrappy squares backing....problem solved!  

With all the clucking about backings I almost forgot my other little finish.  

"Watermelon Jelly"

MMM...yummy!  Have you ever had Watermelon Jelly?  Oh my... it's ridiculously delicious.  My mom made it when I was a little girl.  I've asked her for the recipe but we can't find it in her thousands of recipes.  She said one of her older customers gave her the recipe years ago.  I'm sure a similar recipe  can be found by doing a google search.  Anyway this little table topper or wall hanging was made using the leftover clip corners from my "First Kiss" quilt(another freebie pattern).  The gingham is from my vintage stash and works perfectly with the Pam Kitty fabrics.   I was shocked when Pam left a message saying she loved the gingham and would like  to know what line of fabric it came from.  The older fabrics don't have names on the selvages so I've no clue.  I can only guess it's age.  And my guess by fabric quality would be about 20 or 30 yrs old. 

 I'll be posting one of my quicky tutorials for this little cutie later in the week.  No actual piecing instructions but measurements for cutting making one yourself.

Here's a couple more pictures because I took about 30 from two different cameras.  Getting the perfect shot in the perfect lighting is difficult.

I've come to the conclusion outside pictures are great for props.  You can go on little adventures trying to find new and interesting spots for your quilts.  But there's nothing better than a well lit room in your house.  With outside pictures your at the mercy of mother nature in so many ways.  

Happy Stitching!

~ Lea Anne ~

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Podunk Pickin's #36 ~ Quilted Notebook

Hi-de-ho quilt buds!  This week has been a crazy work week.  Who knew painting the studio would take so long.  In my efforts to spruce up my happy place the rest of the house has become a complete mess.  The dining room is the worst.  It's the catch all for everything that needed to moved out of the studio. Not everything could be moved out, so I piled it all in the middle of the Studio.

 The walls are painted, now it's time to paint a few pieces of furniture. This painting will be done in Mr. Podunk's "man room".   In between coats of paint drying I start moving the fabric back into the Studio. I'm looking forward to sharing my new room when it's complete.

So on to Podunk Pickin's to share what you've been up to over the last week. 

 Each week I let the random number generator choose one project from the following week to feature here.  The week it chose #3

Congrats to Daryl over at Patchouli Moon linked up a ruler notebook.  Hop on over to see her beautiful notebook cover.  She definitely has an eye for detail, its amazing!

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Ring Around the Posy pattern idea

This week my Studio is being repainted and redecorated by little ole me.  That means absolutely no sewing time.  While painting, the quilt ideas seem to creep into my overly quilty obsessed brain.  Luckily I can get my sewing fix from playing around in EQ7  each evening.   Yesterday evening I came up with another design using the Back Porch Blooms block and the Butterfly block.  It finishes at 49.5" square.  A good size for a baby quilt, a large wall hanging or a super cute large table topper.  I'm calling this one "Ring around the Posy".

Oh yes, I'll make this quilt someday.  All the open space for quilting...feathers, feather, feathers!

Here's some basic quilty math for those of you who would like to make it.  

I used the same butterfly block as in the last quilt "Hello Spring".  This time it's framed, but the frame is different than the one in the tutorial that can be found here.  Just omit the on point frame part of the tutorial and add this one.

You'll also need the "Back Porch Blooms" block tutorial that can be found here.

If you visiting for the first time, the "Back Porch Blooms" is a very relaxed quilt along I'm having here on my blog.  There's linky parties and giveaways, you can read more about it in the link provided for the block tutorial.  You can find all tutorials and posts by clicking on the "Back Porch Bloom" image in the right sidebar.

As I was writing this post a little idea hopped into my thoughts.  What about adding this adorable little bunny to the "Ring Around the Posy" quilt?  You can find the tutorial for the bunny in my Tutorials tab at the top of this blog.  The tutorial sets the block on point, which would work nicely in this quilt.  Just trim the block to 9.5".

Happy Stitching!

~ Lea Anne ~

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Hello Spring! Free pattern and we have a WINNER!

Hello quilty friends!  There's a lot to share today so grab a cuppa what tickles you and relax.  So first things first.  I have a finish, Yippee!  Say hello to "Hello Spring!"   I'll be sharing the free pattern with you later in this post.

Normally when quilting on the frame it takes a long time  to come up with a design.  Well I decided to quilt this one to death so there wasn't too much thinking involved.

There was very little premarking except for a few reminders.  I tend to get in a zone when quilting a quilt to death and forget where I want to add some repetitive detail.

The backing is a vintage solid from my stash, it shows off the quilting quite well with the help of the poly batting.  

After quilting this I realized I hadn't planned for the binding...uh-oh.  That usually means a run into town to the LQS.  Luckily I found this forgotten print in my stash, it worked out beautifully.

So if you've been following along over the last few weeks you know this quilt is in a series or 3(maybe 4) quilt patterns I'll be sharing with you FREE.  The series is called Back Porch Blooms.  Each quilt will include at least one of the flower pot blocks you see in the picture below.  If your new here and haven't a clue what I'm talking about, just click the Back Porch Blooms image in the right sidebar.  That will take you to all post, tutorials and free patterns published on the blog so far.

If you make a block or quilt you can link up your progress here once a month.  By linking up your progress your automatically entered to win a giveaway.  I'll be posting the items for next months giveaway sometime next week.  This months giveaway is closed and a winner has been chosen.  Thanks to everyone who linked up.....drumroll....

The winner is #3!

Congrats VroomansQuilts!  Would you look at those mitered corners!  The stripes add a extra special touch.  You can read more about her design and progress here.

PRINT FRIENDLY IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON MY BLOG

Before we go any further I want to let you know I've added a new feature to my blog.  Print Friendly.  What is Print Friendly?  It allows you to print or save any post on my blog in PDF format.  It also allows you to remove the pictures and text in the PDF before saving or printing.  The first thing you need to do is go to a specific post or tutorial.  Scroll to the bottom of the post and click on the Print Friendly image.

A new window will open, allowing you to delete whatever YOU want.  The decision was made to add this feature for those of you who like to print out free patterns.  Sometimes I just don't have time to write a tutorial plus a PDF.  I usually will make one or the other, not both.  With the "Hello Spring" pattern I've written a PDF but you will also need to use other tutorials on my blog to make the quilt.  

Okay lets get onto the free pattern. "Hello Spring!" It measures 21.5 x 61

The free Hello Spring PDF pattern   The templates for the flower pots and "Welcome" applique are included in this pdf.   Piecing for the heart flower pot is also included.  Use only the fabric cutting list in this pdf pattern.  Use the tutorials as a reference for how to construct and layout cut pieces for sewing.  Before you hit print make sure you are printing in original size.  I've included a 1" measuring square on all template pages.

Tutorials needed to complete pattern

Butterfly block(do not set on point)

Back Porch Blooms Block

Below is how I made my applique pieces.  I didn't want to include it in the pattern because not everyone wants to make their applique like mine.  Before we get started,  someone asked what font I used for this quilt.  I'm sorry but I really have no idea.  

The letter templates are not reversed.  After printing them, cut them out about 1/8th of an inch away from the solid line.  Next I placed them right side up in a box and sprayed with quilt basting spray.  This makes them stick to the paper sided of the Heat and Bond Fusible webbing.  I placed all the letters close together, this makes fusing to the fabric easier.  You can see in the 3rd picture how I've trimmed one large piece then fused it to the wrong side of the fabric per the instructions on the webbing.  After a quick fuse from the back, flip it over and fuse from the front.  This is a fool proof method of making sure it's completely fused to the fabric.

Let it cool for a few minutes and then cut out the letters on the solid line.  Peel off the templates and the fusible paper.  If you have trouble peeling, use a pin to score the paper.  Be careful of those edges, if you score to hard it could fray your fabric.  The letters are ready to fuse to your project. 

A few quick blanket stitches is all that's needed to finish it off.

Happy Stitching!  See you in a few with my new project.

~ Lea Anne ~

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Podunk Pickin's #35 ~ Rain Drop Quilt

It's been another super busy and quick week.  Remember when you were a kid and time went so slow, well except for summer break that always seemed to fly by.  I've come to the conclusion that it's the fun times that fly by and leave us wanting more.  So this must mean I'm having a loads of fun here in Podunk because time is flying by at lightening speed.  Yep I'm loving all the exciting new ideas and projects and I'm looking forward to sharing them very soon.  Here's  sneak peak at whats keeping my busy at the moment. 

So now that we've taking a peak into my world lets see who the Random Number generator picked for us to peak in on this week.  Drum roll...

#3! Diana Alexander....Yeah!

Diana linked up her Rain Drop Quilt on her instagram account.  I have to wonder if maybe she was inspired by the weather in her area.  What a cute idea for a spring quilt and a quick way to use up some scraps of all sizes.  Thanks Diana for the inspiration!

Now it's your turn to link up anything you've been working on, sewing or quilting related.  Old or new blog posts, tutorials, tips and tricks for sewing and crafting, basically anything you like.  You don't need a blog to link up, you can link from other social media. 

 Feel free to share my linky party and copy my Podunk Pickin's image.  If you'd like to see the past Podunk Pickin's linky parties just click on the image on the right side of my blog.  Have fun and make sure you visit some of the other links, everyone loves visitors and comments!

~ Lea Anne ~

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Back Porch Blooms Linky Party #1

 It's been so much fun designing quilts with the Back Porch Blooms Block in EQ7.   I designed this one after several of you mentioned the block would look cute as a spring banner.  Thanks for the great idea!  I love inspiring and being inspired.  

Later this week I'll be sharing the pattern for the quilt above.  It didn't take long for me to come up with the pattern name "Hello Spring!"   Of course the cute heart flower pot (below) will be included.  If you can't wait for the pattern and want to give it a whirl on your own you can find the free tutorial for the heart block over at Cluck Cluck Sews.  I used the 4" heart block.  And the butterfly block(above)  is a freebie here on my blog, you can find it here.

The pattern for "Hello Spring" will include the "welcome" templates.  However I'll will not be doing an applique tutorial.  But will share a few tips about how I made them.

 I used the raw edge fusible applique with Invisifil White thread to make my letters.  This thread adds just the right amount of accent to the quilt without taking over the applique.

Just one more picture of the quilt because Pam Kitty fabric is so darn CUTE.

Since it's a linky party we need to have a button(below).  Feel free to share it on your blog.  If you click on the Back Porch Blooms button in side bar of my blog it will take you to all previous post about this quilt along.  I've shared a couple of ideas for quilts over the last month.  And will be sharing more over the next couple of months.     You can find the post for the Back Porch Blooms Block tutorial here.

And whats a party without a giveaway?  Below are some of the things in this months giveaway.  I've added a couple more things but poor lighting  and time hasn't allowed for a new picture.  

 So how can you win this?  Simple, just link up your Back Porch Blooms blocks or quilts made using my free block tutorial. You must link up here on this post to be entered n the giveaway.  All links that do not contain a Back Porch Bloom Block will be deleted.   The linky party will be open until June 13th. 10pm.  On June 14 a winner will be chosen at random and will be announced here on the blog.  There will be two more Linky parties and giveaways over the next two months, so there's plenty of time to join.

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Podunk Pickin's #34

Ooops!  It's Monday!?  I lost a day, where did it go?  Boy do I need a vacation.  I've got one coming up pretty soon and the truth be told that's what is getting me behind.  Preparations for the vacation has me running around chasing my tail, trying way to hard to get everything done.  I've lots to share with you but just not today.  Today is all about you and what you've been stitching up over the last week. 

As always I'm using the Random Number Generator to pick one link up from last week to feature.  This handy dandy tool chose #6.  

Barbara@wonttobequilter  shared this lovely classic red and white quilt made for her cousin.  Barb can stitch up a quilt faster than anyone I know. She always has a couple in the works and finishes them lickity split!

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