~ Dutch Delight Quilt and Other Stuff ~

 Hello Happy Quilters!  Just thought I would pop in for a little update on the happenings in the Podunk Studio.  Lets start with my most recent new project.  It is an impulse project.  I've been admiring this quilt since seeing at quilt market.  The name of the quilt pattern is Dutch Delight by Jill Finley.  The simple design with pops of color won me over immediately.  Jill's quilt patterns almost always have a little bit of applique.  I love the way she can take a simple design and give life.   So as soon as the pattern was released I had to have it.  The temptation to buy the kit or a fat quarter bundle of her new Conservatory fabric was overwhelming.  So I told myself I could only buy the kit IF I couldn't pull the enough fabric from my stash.  As you can see I had no problem finding just the right amount blues and low volume prints, darn. I had my heart set on a new bundle of lovely prints.  You can find the pattern HERE you choose digital or traditional mailed. The quilt kits HERE.   And her new fabric line Conservatory HERE.

   

Below is Jill's finished quilt.  Simply adorable!  The pops of color in the applique is what really sold me on this pattern.  For the last three days Jill has shared video tutorials for this quilt on her Facebook and Instagram.  Hop over and check them out to see just how easy it is to construct this cute little quilt.  By the way there's a giveaway.

She used a layer cake for her quilt.  So the first thing I need to do was cut my fabrics into ten inch squares.

The hourglass blocks were a breeze to make.  I had them done in no time flat.  That's hillbilly talk or about 4 hours start to finish (trimmed).

Most of my quilts I use the raw edge method of applique.  But for this little quilt I decided to do prepared edge applique or turned edge.  That just means I turn under the edges of the applique before attaching them to the quilt top.  I was going to make a video about how to do this but life happens and didn't have time.  No worries.  Jill makes hers the same way I do.  Here's a video she made a few years ago about prepared edge applique.  Click here.

In the evenings I like to relax with a little bit of hand work.  No I'll not be hand appliqueing the Dutch Delight.  It will be done using Invisible machine applique.  If you've never seen this method you can read more about it here on my blog.  Right now I'm hand stitching the binding on my Hunkering down quilt. Quilt block tutorial and free PDF can be found HERE.  The plan was to binge on Netflix and get this done in one day.  I just don't feel like sitting all day and watching TV because I'm so excited about the Dutch Delight quilt.

The other project I'm working on is the Erin Russek's Home Again Free BOM.  You can see my blocks HERE.  And you can find the Free patterns HERE and finishing instructions HERE.  I still need to make the last three blocks and stitch down those plus 5 more.  Slowly but surely.  But there's no hurry.  This one is going to be over the top gorgeous when completed.  

In between the quilty happenings is this big ole box of peaches.  25 pounds of peaches.  We ordered them in advance from the Peach Truck and then picked them up on the scheduled day they are in our area.  I'm not a fan of peaches but my hubby says they are the best peaches he's ever ate.  You might still be able to get them in your area.  If your interested just follow the directions on their website.

See you all in a few days!  Here's an update on my girl Khaleesi.  She brings so much joy into our home.  I can't believe how much she has changed over the last year and a half.  There's no joy like a dog joy.  It's amazing what a little love and time can do for a rescue dog.

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~ Home Again BOM ~ Block 13 ~ And a Little Khaleesi Update ~

Howdy Quilting friends!  I'm super excited to be working on the last 4 blocks of the Home Again BOM by Erin Russek.  Hopefully I can have them all complete by the time she releases the setting instructions.  You can find all the FREE blocks in one convenient spot on Erin's blog by clicking HERE.  Click here to see the rest of my blocks.  I'm also excited to have my Hunkering Down quilt almost finished.  It's the yellow quilt in the background of my block 13 below.

This last couple of weeks have been super busy.  Summertime is full of chores needing to be done.  The gardening and yard work seem to never be done.  As soon as you think your caught up, it's time to start all over and do it again.  But I guess we have to look at it as good exercise but like many of you I'd rather be quilting.  And then there's my sweet girl Khaleesi.  She's still a pup and loves to play.  

Let me tell you, there is no ignoring her.  She will let you know when it's time to eat, play and go for a walk.  Her internal clock is impressively accurate.  There's no sleeping in when you have a barking alarm clock with no snooze button.  And that same alarm goes off if you forget any of the many rituals she has throughout the day such as feeding time, play time and heaven forbid if Mr. Podunk comes home late.  She becomes a nervous wreck pacing the floors until he arrives.

So as I write this quick post this morning she is by my side whining and yipping letting me know it's time to go outside for a walk.  I guess I better get moving!

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~ Home Again BOM ~ Alternating Block Colors? ~

Hello Quilting Friends!  The last couple of days have been spent rummaging through the fabric stash looking for the perfect fabric to compliment the Home Again BOM applique blocks.  So I pulled a few pastels and pinned them to the design wall so I could stare at them for hours on end while cocking my head from side to side.  When I tired of standing in one place I decided maybe I needed to look at them from a different angle.  Maybe if I sat for a bit it would help me make my final decision.  Then I realized I might be standing or sitting to close them.  Standing outside the Studio and staring produced the same results, I wasn't happy with these colors.  It was time to get away from the design wall and studio for awhile and let these brew around in my mind for a bit while I did some household chores.  Each time I passed the Studio I would stop briefly and once again stare at the wall.  Nope! Those fabrics still don't trip my trigger.  I should be making the last 4 blocks but I'm not one to fight my process.  Flying by the seat of my pants is how I work best.

It's time to take this to the next level.  One by one each block was removed from the design wall so I could take an overhead picture of them.

Each block ended up looking like the image below.  

Using a photo editing software (PhotoScape) each block image was cropped and edited.

 I then imported all of the block images into EQ8 so I can draft the Home Again quilt and add my blocks.  

Here's Erin Russek's final layout.  Simple and easy to draw in EQ8. 

Let the playing begin!  My white blocks show up a little gray.  Oh well, taking the time to edit them again just didn't sound like much fun.

 After a few minutes of color play the design play started.  Yes my friends I can't follow a pattern.  I'm notorious for tweaking patterns to my own liking.  It's not something I plan to do it just happens.  And you never know I might stay with the original plan.

Only time will tell but for now....

...maybe it needs more borders, maybe some applique could be added to the borders?

You know red is always eye catching.  LOVE MY RED!

But what if we tone down the red just a little bit.  Oh I like!  But what if....and then ideas start flowing.

 I think I have a plan...Maybe. I'm still playing with my plan but here's a look at the fabrics I'm playing with right now.  Hopefully by the time I finish the last 4 corner blocks I will have made a decision on both fabrics and design.  What do you think?  Do you a favorite from the quilt images above?  Or maybe a totally different color option idea?  What do you think about an appliqued border? Leave me a comment below with your ideas and thoughts, I love hearing other ideas!

  If you haven't downloaded all the free blocks for the Home Again quilt there's still time.  They can be found at One Piece at a Time HERE.  To find all the FREE blocks just scroll and click on older posts at the bottom.  You can also do a search in the side bar search box of her blog.  The large center block is not free but it is very reasonably priced since all the other blocks are free.  It can be purchased here.  

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~ Home Again Progress and Tips ~

Hi Quilty Friends!  Today I'm taking a little break from quilting the Hunkering Down quilt to play a little game of catch up on the Home Again quilt by Erin Russek.

I'm 3 blocks behind but due to my lack of attention to detail I will need to redo/fix two of the blocks on the wall.  Color placement is an important part of any quilt.   It helps to visually balance or distract depending on the effect you're after.  Block design can also be a balancing effect.  Notice the symmetry in the blocks of this quilt.  Block placement is key in this pretty girl.  Since I'm not following Erin's color pallet it was easy for me mess things up.  Oh well, such is the life of a crafter.  We make mistakes from time to time.  I could leave it as is but with this much work going into a quilt I want it to be as perfect as possible.  The problem is I put the wrong colors in the blocks below.  Visually right now it looks right but the blocks are in the wrong spots just so I can see the color in the right place.  However there is a slight design difference that also adds balance.  Today I'll remove and replace the offending applique pieces.

To aid in the construction of my last few blocks I've taken a few extra precautionary steps.  First was to print a few images from Erin's blog. The image below shows all the blocks in the correct places. 

I've pinned it to my design wall for easy reference.

 Next was to print Erin's last three block images.  I didn't do this with the previous blocks.  Since my attention to detail seems to be a little off right now I thought it might be worth a little printer ink to have the images right there beside me on the last four..  

Next I've labeled the pattern with the proper colors from my pallet.  I also added a diagonal to the applique template sheet for lining up my fabric.  This was done out of pure habit.  Erin's pattern is centered perfectly on the paper.  The fabric background square is 8.5" and they have all fit perfectly without needing the centering marks.  Just line up the fabric with the edge of the paper and start adding applique.  I haven't needed to use my light box for these either.

 Another precaution I'm taking (just encase my brain decides to take trip into la-la-land) is labeling my circles on the fusible with the correct color.  The center for the large flower is a little bigger than the other 4 flower centers.  It would be easy to attach it to the wrong color.  Hopefully taking these extra steps will make these last few blocks go together properly.

I know some of you may already use these methods as a standard when making applique.  In my earlier blocks my thought was to just get them done quickly and move onto something else.  Lesson learned!  It's quicker to do it right the first time.

All of these small blocks are FREE on Erin's blog.  Click here to go to her most recent post.  Do a search in the sidebar of her blog for Home Again or just keep scrolling and clicking older post to find all the blocks.

The large center block can be purchased here.

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~ Home Again Blocks ~

Hello Quilting Friends!  Its been a while since my last blog post but I've been busy working on several different projects.  Before I share my current project I want to let you know that I post almost daily on Instagram and Facebook because it's quick and easy.  

So back to what has been keeping me busy and excited.  Erin Russek has once again designed the cutest FREE BOM called Home Again.   She gives you 16 blocks free in two different sizes.  There will be several options for finishing the quilt.  The block below is the large center medallion that must be purchased at a reasonable price.  You can get all the details about the free blocks and where to purchase the center block on her website HERE.

The fabric in my blocks is mostly discontinued Lakehouse Drygoods fabrics.  But there are a few others prints from various manufacturers.  The background fabric is from the Sugarhouse Park collection by Amy Smart for Riley Blake.

To keep things quick and easy the applique is done using raw edge fusible applique method.  Heat N Bond Lite is my go to for this method.  It's the only product I've found that does what it claims it can do.

A technique called "windowing" helps to reduce the stiffness of fusible applique.  You can see and example of this technique I used on another quilt HERE.  

Cutting out applique shapes can sometimes be tricky so I shared a few tips in a video.  Click here to watch the video.

The green Rapidesign circle template is what I use to trace the circle shapes to the Heat N Bond Lite.  I purchased mine at Office Depot but they can be found at any craft store such as Joann's or Hobby Lobby.

And the reason why I keep showing scissors in almost every picture is because a good pair of scissors makes all the difference when cutting raw edge applique.  I love my Kay Buckley scissors.  I have them in several sizes.  And cutting paper with them does not dull them like other scissors.  You can purchased them HERE.

You might also notice I've made a slight change to the stems in some of the blocks.  The pattern calls for embroidery stitching.  UGG...As you know I'm not a big fan of handwork.  So in true Lea Anne style I changed things up a bit.  Later next week I'll share how I made my stems.

These little birds is what really sold me on this pattern.  I'm a sucker for birds, especially bluebirds.  They are so cute!

All of my blocks still need to be stitch into place.  I'm leaning towards using Superior Thread MicroQuilter 100 wt. 7002.  But this isn't set in stone. I'm also considering matching the thread color to the applique.  Only time will tell.

Well that's all of them so far.  Hopefully I can find time this weekend to make block 13 that was released yesterday.  Another cutie!  The image below is Erin's Block.

Oh! I forgot to mention the BOM is now a block of the week due to our stay at home orders.  Erin decided to speed things up since so many of us are hunkering down at home.  

See you soon!

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