Sewing Scientist: January 2023

Week ending January 29, 2023

I finished my secret sewing this past week and will be able to share more next week. I decided to quilt my secret quilt in black thread.

I put binding on my All The Good Quilt.

I went to Stitchhouse for Fun Friday.

I grabbed Ruby Star Society Speckled fabric half off.

Big Sky Star Quilt

The Big Sky Star quilt pattern by Plains and Pine has been on my Quilt "Bucket List" since I saw it. I bought the pattern (and the matching sticker - it's on my pattern cabinet) while back.

When I received the Froth and Bubble Collection by One Sister Designs for Henry Glass Fabrics as my January Ambassador project for Jaftex, I knew it would be perfect for the Big Sky Star quilt pattern. The colors reminded me of the cover quilt on the pattern.

The Big Sky Star pattern cover quilt is a scrappy version of the pattern. The Froth & Bubble collection was huge! It contains 28 SKUs and I received 25 of them.

I knew the only way to really show off that many different fabrics in one project was going to be making a scrappy something. I could have split the fabrics into two separate projects, but I don't have that much free time to try to attempt two complete quilts in less than a month.

The Froth and Bubble Collection has so many different prints and colors. Some really didn't feel like they went with the rest of the collection. There's one purple print and it felt like an outlier, but I worked it into my quilt and it looks beautiful.

What does Froth & Bubble mean? I have no idea! Some of the prints have words on them and I wasn't very fond of these. I prefer prints without words written on them unless the words really add to the design.

This quilt pattern was fairly easy to follow, but not so easy to actually make. I redid many pieces over and over, and left many seams that are "off". I figure if you can't spot it easily from 10 feet, then it's all good.

Plus, I find that once you quilt it and wash it, it hides all those sewing sins.

I quilted this on my Tin Lizzie and used the free "Wild Cherries" pantograph from Urban Elementz. I scaled the design a bit big as I like something that quilts fast and isn't too dense. I feel like quilting that has a looser spacing gives the quilt more drape

I definitely learned a lot making this Big Sky Star quilt that I'll take into consideration when I make it again. I found that I liked the fabrics arranged in a certain way for the scrappy layout and will be more mindful of layout next time.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Week Ending January 22, 2023

I started on two projects that I can't share much info on yet, so I don't have a whole lot of photos. The photo below is a progress pic of one super secret testing project. I'm making a quilt using these beautiful African fabrics from Zesty Couture (a shop here in Dallas, but they have an online store).

I did a scrappy binding on my Big Sky Star Quilt. Blog coming soon.

I ordered more fabric from Zesty Couture to ensure I hade enough variety of prints for my project.

I made a trip to Stitchhouse to check out the 50% off sale on some fabric. Those two odd fabric laying on the counter are two that I bought. One is a wideback and the other is a hefty warp and weft that I plan to make kitchen towels with. They had so many great fabrics on sale. I might need to go back because I thought of a project that I saw the perfect fabric for.

Here's a sneaky peek of my super secret quilt test.

We had a lazy Sunday. I worked on secret projects and my kitties enjoyed a nap on some batting scraps.

I probably won't have a whole lot to show next weekend. My super secret project will remain secret until February 1 and February 2. Then I can finally share more.

Week ending January 15, 2023

I was so busy this week working on my Big Sky Star Quilt that I forgot to take photos. Here's a quarter of it finished.

I finished the Big Sky Star and then got my serger out to do a pattern test for Itch to Stitch. More on that later on.

After the pattern test was done, it was time to quilt the Big Sky Star Quilt. I loaded the backing on the frame, then the batting. When I went to add the quilt top, I found the quilt was too bog for my backing. Since I already had the backing loaded and the batting on, I ended up quilting my All the Good Quilt. Then I headed to Jo-Ann's and picked up a new backing for the Big Sky Star Quilt.

Hopefully I'll have more photos to share for this week.

Scenic Detour Quilt by B in the Studio

It's a New Year and I'm trying to publish blog posts that were never published. You may wonder "How does that happen?" and the answer varies. In this case - I tested a quilt pattern and never heard from the pattern designer about the pattern releasing! I even checked on Instagram a few times to see if she released it and nada. But - I checked her Etsy shop on January 1, 2023 and it's there! This is the Scenic Detour Quilt Pattern by Rebecca of B in the Studio.

This quilt was my first project for Jaftex Fabrics. I was sent the Seas the Day Collection by Diane Eichler for Studio e Fabrics. These prints were so bright and colorful. I loved these cute sea creatures. I used the prints to make a scrappy version of the Scenic Detour Quilt and had fun mixing and matching the sea creatures. The pattern reminded me of a churn and dash block, but with a twist. I didn't have much fabric to work with, so I couldn't always ensure that the prints would be in the right direction.

The collection included a set of panels. They had cute phrases on them. I decided to use them on the quilt back.

Here's a closer look at some of the panels.

While I would have loved to go to the beach and be by the sea to take photos of my quilt, my neighborhood lake had to do.

I made the baby size Scenic Detour. It finished at 54" by 54" which is a decent size.

I haven't found a recipient for this quilt. At least not yet.

Week ending January 8, 2023

The Origins Quilt Pattern by Lifting Limits Quilting released this week. See my previous post for all the info.

I spent most of my free time working on the Big Sky Star Quilt Pattern by Plains and Pine. I'm using the Bubbles and Froth Collection from Henry Glass Fabrics.

I've been piecing each section and placing it on my design wall where I thought it would go.

Sometimes I just add a few to get an idea.

It's fun to add on the different colors as I go.

My vision was to try to emulate the cover quilt on the pattern, but I don't have quite the right mix of colors.

Finally all the sections are done. I now have decided to try to place them so that they go from the darkest in the center to the lightest on the outside edge.

I played with so many orientations of these pieces and this is still not how I want them.

Smaug has been enjoying supervising me from the longarm. He thinks the bars for the quilt top and backing are his balance beam.

I hope to finish the Big Sky Star quilt top this coming week.

Geofetti Quilt

Time apparently has gotten away from me. I made this quilt April 2022 and added all the photos to a blog post, then never wrote the blog post or posted it. So - here we go, better late than never.

My April 2022 shipment from Jaftex was the Geofetti II Collection by Art Loft for Studio e Fabrics.

The collection was sent with the Omni Grids Scrap Crazy 6 ruler template set for a challenge. I decide to use only the equilateral triangle from the Scrap Crazy set for my quilt.

I loved the bright colors of the collection and the fun prints. Some prints were geometric, others had a floral design, and some were abstract. I felt like the equilateral triangles would give the quilt a kaleidoscope look. I added in a few solid colors to break up all the prints and enhance the dimensional effect.

I did free motion quilting on this quilt and did a bunch of random loops and swirls.

I just love how fun and colorful my quilt is. It is so happy.

The Scrap Crazy set from Omnigrid has many other shapes in it and one day I may try some of the others. But I doubt I'll love any as much as this one.