Promenading Tulips Finished!

Come on in and join me in a rug cuttin happy dance!  It's so exciting to finally have this finished.  The idea for the quilt started well over a year ago.  The tulips are from Lori Holt's book Quilty Fun.  However I started this quilt before her book was published.  She originally gave the pattern on her blog for free during a row along.  So I saved it.  Of course I bought her book anyway with the intentions of making one of her patterns.  But you know me...I can't stick to a pattern.  In the book it calls for one tulip as a block.   Using 4 tulips and some math I came up with the Promenading Tulips block.

(not my tree, its Charles front yard)

When I get an idea for a quilt it's just that...an idea.  The details are always changing and morphing.   You can read more about how I came up with the different elements of this quilt here and here.

 Planning the quilting is another hurdle.  The same technique is used in this process which means I do the quilt stare and keep my eyes open when surfing the web.  With the inner scalloped border I knew I wanted the quilting to be dense enough to make the 3D effect really stand up, but I didn't want a quilt that was a stiff as board with that quilted to death feel.  Finding that balance somewhere in the middle.  The decision was made to leave some "poofy" areas towards the center of the quilt.

 Now I bet you all are wondering about this truck.  Ain't she a beauty!  There's a story behind her too.  A few months ago I was on my way to momma's, of course I always take the long way, winding through the country roads and enjoying the scenery.   My meandering takes me through a small town of Providence.  It's one of those 4 way stop towns with a church and a few houses.  Well I spot this truck (not for sale at the time), how could you not see the bright yellow paint and orange wheel rims.  I told myself should I ever drive by and see the owner outside I'd stop and ask permission to use his truck as a quilt prop.  Well low and behold about a month later Charles and his wife were standing there just waiting on me!  I whipped my ole hunk of junk up in the drive and introduced myself.  You never know if people are going to welcome you or not when it comes to country folk, some live out here because they don't like people.  But Charles and his wife were the good kind of country folk, telling me to feel free to use the old truck whenever I wanted.  They've recently put it up for sale, and I'd love to take it home but....all I can do is wish and dream.  Thanks Charles for letting me drool all over your girl!

 Okay let's get back to the quilt.

 You've got to have crosshatching and feathers in every quilt, right?  I love the traditional look from the simple crosshatched blocks.   The yo-yo placement was marked with blue water soluble pen before quilting.   After the quilt was quilted the yo-yo's were stitched in place with a few tack stitches.  I wanted to the the 3D effect on those also.
POST EDIT on 11-6-2015
The border technique used for this quilt is from the book
"Just Around the Corner, by Kari Carr".  If your looking for the Inner Scallop border tutorial on my blog, I've removed it, you can read more about it here.

The backing is vintage baby prints from my stash.  Might as well make the whole quilt scrappy!

Thanks for stopping by and dancing with me today!

This post has been edited on 5/13/2015 due the huge response in the last couple of weeks.  If you would like more information about making your own Promenading Tulips quilt click here.

~ Lea Anne ~

today's freebie from Lori Holt of Beeinmybonnet

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Slow Stitching Sunday

She's off the frame for good this time!  Finally! WooHoo...I'm kicking up my heels  hillbilly style.  Me doing the Happy Hillbilly Hoedown isn't nearly as pretty as the quilt, but I'm sure both would make you smile!   The 36 yo-yo's have been glue basted and ready are for hand stitching.  As soon as I machine stitch  the binding to the front of the quilt I'll start the hand stitching marathon.  

Stitching the binding to a quilt is the only time I sit and watch TV all day while sewing.  Since this is a fairly large quilt, about 88 x 100, it's going to take a few hours.  With the yo-yo's maybe 2 days!  

I can't wait to show you the entire quilt, She's a cutie!

I'm linking up today with Kathy@KathyQuilts for Slow Stitching Sunday.  These gals do some amazing hand piecing and quilting.  Great inspiration.  I joined Kathy's linky hoping that it would keep me inspired to get my handwork UFO's finished.  Not only has it helped(so far) to keep me on track but it's also rekindle my interest in learning to hand quilt.  

~ Lea Anne ~

today's freebie from A Bright Corner

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Tulip Quilting

These Monday mornings just keep getting here faster.   I wasn't going to post for Design Wall Monday because my wall is pretty much the same.   Other things have been whispering "PICK ME!"  Okay they scream at me.  The one that has been screaming the loudest gets the attention.  So at the last minute this morning the decision was made to take a picture with poor lighting.   Most of my time has been spent quilting one of my favorite quilts.

Here's a picture of the quilt taken when the top was finished.  The pattern is of my own design using Lori Holts tulip block.

 The yo-yo's and inner scalloped border really give this quilt a little extra kick.   

And since this is Design Wall Monday here's my dusty design wall.  I wish you could see how bright and cheery it is in here when the sun is shining.   So much color everywhere!  LOVE IT!  

I've also hung up this quilt top(I forgot I made)  with hopes of quilting inspiration.  So far there's none.  The plan was to offer this one as a free tutorial but LIFE stepped in and changed my plans.  Hopefully I can find my notes and finish the tutorial soon.

~ Lea Anne ~

today's freebie from Trish@ Notes of Sincerity 

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Skittles Explosion

182 blocks on the wall, 182 blocks 

take one down, stitch it down

181 blocks on the wall

Good Morning Quilty Friends!  Welcome to my messy Studio.  It looks like a truckload of Skittles exploded here in Podunk.  I've been working on two different projects over the weekend, the Hummingbird quilt and the Lori Holt tulip quilt.  For those of you that are new to my blog, Lori Holt designed the single tulip block for her Quilty Fun book.  I took that single tulip block and designed a 4 crossing tulips block and the rest of the quilt.  

 I've been bouncing back and forth between the two quilts.  The Hummingbird is coming together really fast, just chaining along...and singing.

But remember when I started quilting the Tulip quilt months ago.  Well I ran into a issue.  The blocks on this quilt are larger than the space I can quilt on my frame.   I've done this several times without premarking and had no issues.  Long story short the quilt had to be taken off the frame and premarked.  Which meant I lost interest and moved on to less frustrating projects.  Well I'm back in the groove and hope to have it back on the frame by bedtime today.  Wish me luck, I'm really excited to have this one back on the project list, it's such a fun and colorful quilt.

So what are you working on that excites you this morning?  Anything that you'd care to share at Judy's Design Wall Monday?  Hop on over and link it up!

Let's add another linky party  WIP Wednesday@freshlypieced

~ Lea Anne ~

Today's freebie from Magnolia Bay Quilts

Click here for tutorial

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DWM 9-2-13

Happy Monday!  Hope everyone is enjoying a day off?!  I've been stitching away this week and finally, its finished...Whoohooo!  Now when will it be quilted...Its next in line.  For some reason the colors in this quilt remind me of a carnival.  I've been trying to come up with a name that references to a carnival and I'm coming up with nothing.   Suggestions?

 100% Scrap fabric!  Even the white.  I tried to get all the same white with out cutting into yardage so some of them are different.  LOVE this border!!!  You can find a tute on how its made in my tutorial tab at the top of the page.  Let me tell you, this was a quite an adventure to make this style of border on a quilt this large.  Comfort Zone?....Busted right through it!  However I'll admit that I had to take one corner apart and restitch because somehow it twisted, luckily it was one full twist so the miters still matched up.....shew.... so lucky!

Maybe two layers of batting on this one to show off all the dimensions to the quilt. 

The tulips were part of Lori Holts Row-along.  The pattern was free on her site for a short while, but now if you want to design your own crossed tulip you have to buy it.  Its in her new book, Quilty Fun.  Even though I've saved all the blocks that are in the book I'm still going to need my own copy!   You can see her part of this block here.  Yesterday I sent Lori pics of the quilt, She said it was a fun quilt.  I guess that's a thumbs up from Lori.  No I don't know her, but I'd say I stalk her via the internet.  Thanks Lori for making my day!  She also politely reminded me not to share her tulip pattern because of copyright.  No problem!

 The yo-yo's were an all day Friday project. Attaching was easier than making, but aren't they just what this border needed?!  And of course it will be bound with the red gingham.

Hop on over to Judy's at Patchwork times , and Connie at Free Motion by the River,  Link up and strut your stuff!  Ok yes I'm strutting like John Travolta this morning!  Sometimes you just gotta strut!  Thanks for stopping by my happy place!

Lea

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More on borders

So I've had a chance this morning to play around in EQ.  I'm still doing the math because the technique I plan to use to get this look is a little different than EQ drawings.  If it works out on paper then this will be it!  Yep that's gingham in that scallop!  

Now this has nothing to do with quilting but I wanted to show the cutest old man in the world.  My DADDY!  Looks like a little yard knome....LOL!  Everyone loves my daddy, he's always full of old man stories to tell, and he never forgets a persons name!  As cute as he looks here if you don't like the site of blood stop reading here, the next picture is not so cute.

After dealing with this getting bigger in his eye and getting a bump inside the eye, he finally went to the eye doc yesterday.  It's not serious, doc said he coughed, sneezed or blew his nose to hard, basically causing a bruise.  Looks yukky!  But nothing a person can do for a bruise.

Well back to my math ...

Lea

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Design Wall Monday 8-26-13

Its that time again already!  My goodness time flies.  Must be that we were having to much fun!  Well the fun hasn't stopped yet, hop on over to Judy's and see what fun other quilters have stitched up. 

So tell me...borders or no borders?  I've played around with my stash and in EQ and I just can't find a darn thang I like...any suggestions?  There's so many colors in the quilt, just about anything would work, huh?

Googling scrappy quilt borders gave me a few ideas.  So here's the ones that caught my eye.

 Looks like Katie  used the scraps of different sizes to make this border.  Love that binding idea....hmmm!

http://kakorner.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html

Ariane added standard Piano Key border, interesting corners...My quilt has 9 patches so this could fit right in.

http://www.arianequilts.com/search?updated-max=2011-12-07T22:22:00-05:00&max-results=6

Look at this beauty that Claudia made!  Looks like she just pieced scraps into a block and cut diagonally, then added the white square....easy enough.

http://couchpotatoquilts.blogspot.com/2012/04/switching-gears.html

I love the inside scallops on this little quilt.  Wish I could give you a direct link but it led me to pinterest and then a dead end. 

Well thanks for stopping by!  If you have any ideas for my border I'd love to hear them!  

Lea

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Morphing into a quilt

notes taken for current quilt (above)

Often I'm asked about inspiration for quilt designs.  Really I'd like to take credit for the quilts I  make but often I see something that gets the wheels in motion.  Rarely making a pattern as it is printed.  Pictures via the web, books and magazines inspire and then it starts morphing into my own design.  When I do this, I also like to give credit to those who inspire.  So here's another peek into my mind.  Enter my mind at your own risk!

SOOOO.....

Lori Holt was having a Row along.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the quilt and would love to make it but at the time other things were in the works.  So I saved all her tutes to a flash drive for later reference.  You can find her tulip design here.  

One day I just happen to be browsing and saw this...HMMMM....Love it, scrappy, but not scrappy enough in the tulips, but something.....What if I took Lori's tulip pattern....

Time passed and I saw this (below) while wasting precious time on the never ending web.  A little more scrappy, that little circle in the center could be a button or yo-yo....I've yet to do this to my block but it's a pretty good possibility.

All of these ideas came together to make this, my design which will have something in the crossing.

That's how the block came to be.  But I need a finished product...sashing ideas, borders. A cute quilt below but the sashing is what caught my eye, made by Happy Zombie.  I've been meaning to make this quilt pattern for years.  It was a free block of the month from Bunny Hill that is no longer available free.  Sorry girls(and guys if your reading)

My tulip blocks have a white background.  Hmmm.... how would the scrappy sashing look?  And I want a solid border....so this gave me the boost to have a solid border.

And here's how it's morphing along so far.  

The borders aren't a done deal yet.  If you follow me on a regular basis you know that's where I stall.  The auditions for them has already begun, no pictures just yet of the contestants.  The narrowing down process has begun but there's to many to share at this point.  The plan was for a solid border...But...

 I'll show you what I like for a border...boy is this a lot of extra piecing.  This is Lynn Wilders Toyland Tree quilt.  I love the scrappy border.  Well heck I love the whole thing!  But for now stay focused on borders.  

Well there you have it!  My process, a crazy design process, that's just how my mind works!

Lea

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Finding time to quilt

My goodness!  The last few weeks have been so busy.  Gramps is coming home for a trial run. At the age of 90 I'm not sure they'll be to much running on his behalf but I'm pretty sure he'll keep us running.  Yesterday mom and I did the tour of nursing homes just in case this adventure gets more than the family can handle.  Girls let me tell ya, I was totally pooped out yesterday when I finally made it home.  But I did find a couple hours after my recoop nap to finish cutting the scrappy 2" sashings for the Tulip quilt.  Turning on the TV and listening to the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" kept me motivated.  Great music and plenty of laughs to keep me going.

 Who can resist playing around with all the pretty fabrics.  

 The tulips produced a big pile of HST scrap.  Now what to do with these?!

Well there's more running to do!  Hopefully I'll be home early afternoon and get the sashings all sewn up.

Lea

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