Rainbow I Spy Block Drive

Due to the large number of emails I've received from fellow quilters interested in participating in the Rainbow I Spy preemie quilts I am doing with the Hope group of do. Good Stitches, I am officially starting a block drive!

I'm not sure how to insert the html code so that you can easily make the above picture a button (if you know I'd love some help) but there it is in all its rainbow glory. For all the details on the pattern and fabrics to use, check out the post below or click this link for the original Rainbow I Spy post.


Blocks, quilt tops, and finished quilts will be accepted! Your donations are greatly appreciated! 

Please be sure to construct your blocks, tops, or quilts with all natural materials. Quilts will be donated to the Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children NICU.

Where to mail your blocks: 

Natalie Weaver
6759 Rockledge Place
Centreville, VA 20121

Submission Dates: I'm breaking these up a bit so you have plenty of time and opportunities to get your blocks in.You can, of course, submit blocks for more than one deadline.

Round 1: August 30th
Round 2: September 30th
Round 3: October 30th

Working Sessions
Anyone willing is welcome to join me in constructing finished quilts. I will announce the working session date(s) at a later time. We will have a working session after every submission deadline so that the work is a little more spread out.

Spread the Word
It would mean so much to me if you could spread the word about this block drive. Blog about it. Tell your friends. Get your guild involved. The more the merrier!

Share Your Work
I would love it if you added your photos to the Threaded Mess flickr group. If you do not have a flickr group you can always email me the photos or send me a link to where they are posted on the web. With your permission I will share the links and/or photos on this blog throughout the block drive.

Thank You!

Thank you so much for your interest in helping out with this special project!  

Happy Quilting

Update: Here are some smaller versions of the above picture. You can also grab these from my flickr photostream:

100x100

240x240

Please link back to this post. Thanks! :)

do. Good Stitches {A Charity Bee} August Project - Rainbow I Spy

I'm up again for the month of August for do. Good Stitches {A Charity Bee} and I have decided (with Anna Maria's permission of course - thanks Anna Maria!) to have the ladies of the Hope group do Joseph's Square in Square blocks. I first tried this block when Anna Maria Horner started the Rainbow Around the Block project to benefit Tennessee flood victims back in 2010. Anna Maria asked for blocks in 1 color in the Rainbow so I created these:

originally posted here

As I was trying to decide on a color story and looking for other examples of this block I came across Rachel's block that she made for Rainbow Around the Block:

Like the Heather Ross Mendocino octopus print in my orange blocks, Rachel used a couple of novelty prints in hers (Heather Ross Mendocino mermaids and Heather Ross Far Far Away frogs) which got me thinking that a Rainbow I Spy quilt would be really fun! Which then made me think of babies (who am I kidding, I'm always thinking of babies these days). Which made me think that these blocks would make GREAT preemie quilts for my local NICU. They can be used as blankets when they are babies, mats for tummy time, lovies, and eventually for learning, fun, and exploration (point to the frog, the mermaid, the octopus, etc).

Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children is home to the largest subspecialty neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Northern Virginia. Their 75-bed, level III NICU cares for high-risk infants requiring specialized care and observation. They have an incredible team and their hospital has a very low infant mortality rate.

My guild (NOVA Modern Quilt Guild) does 4 drives a year for preemie quilts, each with a different theme, but we are the only guild donating to their facility at the moment and they are always running out.

I'm asking each lady to make 2 or more 12.5" Joseph's Square in Square blocks. For each block they will pick 1 color in the rainbow. They will construct the blocks using solids, novelty prints, and prints that 'read' that color (see Jeni of In Color Order's post on overall color and this post on organizing by color might help too).

Preemie quilts range in size from 29" to 45". If I put nine 12.5" blocks together (3x3) I'm right in that range. There are 10 of us in the Hope circle so if each of us make 2 blocks I can make 2 preemie quilts and have a 2 block start for the next quilt. Those 2 and any extra blocks we make will be used for the 3rd quilt.

The blocks will be arranged like this with a variety of colors and prints:

please note it is not necessary to have a gradient of color from light to dark as shown above

You can download the Joseph's Square in Square PDF here. 

Up to 2 novelty prints can be used in each block but I am asking the ladies to mix in other tone-on-tone prints, tone-on-white prints, or solids with their 1-2 novelty prints so that each block isn't too busy. One other thing, the fabrics, thread, and any other material used to construct the block must be natural (i.e. cotton, linen, etc. but not polyester or other synthetic fabrics) or come out in the wash (permanent synthetic fusibles are not permitted but washables like applique glue sticks are).

It means so much to me that the Hope group is letting me make preemie quilts with our blocks for the NICU babies this month! As always, this is an open project so feel free to join in. For every 9 blocks I receive, I WILL piece them, donate batting, backing, thread, and binding from my own stash, and quilt them.You can email me at threadedmess (at) gmail (dot) com for information on where to send your blocks. In addition, if you would like to donate a preemie quilt of your own design I will gladly deliver it to the NICU on your behalf. Just email me for my mailing address.

Happy Quilting!

Happy Birthday to Me

The day is finally here.

Unfortunately I did not wake up to one of these licking my face....

I so so wanted one! (and still do!)

While I didn't get a little nugget to snuggle and love on, I did get some very thoughtful gifts and a lot of birthday wishes. Thank you so much to all my friends and family who thought of me today!

One Year Older, One Year Wiser

My birthday is in 13 days (July 26th). Rather than focus on all of the trials and tribulations this past year has brought, or all of the things I thought I would have done by now and haven't (both of which are many), I am going to (as a reminder to myself more than anything) highlight some of the good things that happened this past year instead.

• I started the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild, grew it to 55 members, planned monthly or bi-monthly events, and organized 2 charity challenges.  
• We've worked on our house: new roof, partially new fence, new roof on bay window, new wood trim and fresh paint on the trim, new door lock, paint in the dinning room, new furniture in the dinning room, paint in the basement, new shelves in the basement.
• We bought a new-to-us car (used 2009 Honda Pilot)
• We bought a full sized Christmas tree (7.5' artificial because I'm allergic to real trees)
• I joined Cabin Branch Quilt Guild, went to my first and second quilting retreats, and did my first official quilting related demonstration (English paper piecing).
• We were asked to be God parents to this precious angel:

• I joined my first flickr swaps (Sent / Received), do. Good Stitches {A Charity Bee}, A Dozen Quilters, and made 8 charity quilts (Charity Projects).

• I started teaching my friend Andrea how to sew:

Made by Andrea with a little help and supplies from me

Hand quilting with perle cotton thread

• And she started teaching me how to knit

My first time knitting. I only dropped 1 stitch.

I cut my hair. Again. I think I like it longer but Matt likes it shorter. I'm always in flux.

Before

my sister Leslie, me, and my friend Mary at my Bridal Luncheon

Wedding Hair

 

After

Ann, me, and Ginny. I'm in the AMH Museum Tunic I still need to re-work to fit the 'girls' better

• I was published on another blog for the first time (the Fat Quarterly) with a tutorial for the Marshmallow Brochette mini quilt which is what motivated me to make the pattern a lap quilt size and do my first QAL on this blog.

There are definitely things about this past year that have tested my strength, but there have been some pretty amazing things that have happened too. It's crazy how quickly a year goes by...

Happy Quilting! and Happy Birthday to all the other July babies out there!

For the Love of Solids Swap

I told myself I was done, I tried to resist, I even dropped all the swap groups I was in, but time has healed my swap wounds and woes...

I signed up for a new swap.

  

Sign-ups for For the Love of Solids started today and I put my name in the hat. I think this one is going to be fabulous and I'm really excited. The requirements of the swap are pretty low-key:

send your partner a minimum of two items - one big item and one small. Your big item can be something like a table runner, set of place mats, pillow cover, tote bag, mini-quilt, sewing machine cover, craft apron, etc. This item must be homemade and made strictly from solids. The second item you will send will be considerably smaller and does not need to be handmade. It could be a scrap pack of solids, a hoop, mug rug, fabric bucket, pincushion, bunting, etc.

Simple. I can totally handle that.

My swap mosaic is inspired by the palate Matt and I are planning to decorate our main level of our town house in which includes the kitchen, dinning, and family room. Think drift wood, sun bleached coral and sand dollars and other ocean creatures, octopi printed on old encyclopedia pages, diagrams, glass bottles and Japanese fishing floats and sea glass, succulent plants, dark wood furniture with clean lines, natural materials with a weathered look. Basically ocean meets science meets modern.

And if I could I would be buying....

Ceramic Napkin Rings x 8

Crochet Sea Urchins

Driftwood Wall Art

Octopus Collectors Post Card

But I'm too thrifty and crafty to just buy them all so I'm going to make or find those things on my own.

If you're like me and love solids, I highly suggest checking this swap out. They are closing sign-ups at 100 people so make sure and check it out soon! Maybe we'll be secret swap partners...

Happy Quilting

Marshmallow Brochette QAL - Binding

Hello QALers,

This week we are binding our quilts! This is the last step in the QAL, a step I've been looking forward to reaching. Binding a quilt is the icing on the cake for me. All the piecing, all the basting, all the quilting finally comes together and becomes 'finished'! So exciting!

the binding for May Angels Hold You Near

For my first 2 mini quilts I chose an orange binding with a geometric design. The first I chose myself, the second was picked by my cutie pie husband. What I love about both is that they are a small enough scale to really see the pattern and they add a pop of pattern to otherwise all solid quilts.

Girly version of the Marshmallow Brochette mini quilt:

I believe the binding is a Riley Blake print

Boyish version of the Marshmallow Brochette mini quilt:

Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet in Feather

I'd love to see what you've selected for your binding and your finished quilts! You can add your Marshmallow Brochette to the Threaded Mess flickr group anytime, now or later.

I hope you've enjoyed this quilt along. Thank you for putting up with me even though I was a little late some of the weeks. I've learned a lot from this first QAL that will help me do a better job in the future. I've got something really special up my sleeves so stick around. A little hint, it involves hexagons...

Happy Quilting!

Marshmallow Brochette QAL - Quilting

If we were all on schedule, this week would be for quilting. I, however, am not on schedule...BUT! I am making progress and progress is good :) Look at all this progress:

I was a little short on the 36 squares so I ended up using 8 of them twice but you can really only tell that in the middle where the two wood prints are. I have since switched a couple around to get a better gradient of color but this picture is almost what I ended up with.

When I DO get to the quilting stage, I am going to quilt it using concentric circles like this quilt made by Krista.

Krista was kind enough to do a tutorial which can be found in her flicker photostream. The circles will start somewhere in my lightest squares and echo outwards.

Need some other ideas on how to quilt yours?

How about an all over meandering stipple?

By 90milemissy

Or some simple straight lines?

please excuse the wrinkles! it's the quilt from being folded, not the quilting

Maybe some straight lines with a bit of echoing?

By Bijoux Baby

Or some seed square mazes?

Still not perfect? Check out Leah Day's The Free Motion Quilting Project for more ideas!

Happy Quilting