Modern Mini Quilt Challenge Blog Hop

Welcome to my turn on Jennifer's Modern Mini Quilt Challenge Blog Hop.  I am chuffed to bits to have been asked again to add my tuppence worth; if you have followed the rest of the hop, you will be as surprised as I am!

I have made, swapped and received many minis over the last 3 years; on the whole they make me very happy, come in useful for covering up those things that need a little hiding away, or to simply look pretty and make the world a happier place.  Too much?

So when Jennifer first asked me, I thought I would definitely try to do something different.  Something that I probably wouldn't make on a larger scale, something a little out of my comfort zone.

I tried, I really did!

I cut into a charm pack of Lucky Penny, and then started doubting if it would work, and pulled out the colours and prints I didn't like, aka the browns!

 

I thought I would go wonky, and improv'.  I made small wonky log cabin blocks, but couldn't help myself, and squared them up!

Mini's are the perfect way to try new things, because if you don't like the result, it's not been a huge waste of time or fabric, and if it works, well you can then super-size to your heart's content!

I made this with the idea of having it on the dining table to replace the seen better days IKEA placemat we use for the sauces and things; I tend to flinch at the thought of mucky things near beautiful fabric but I will actually have no problem with using this!  It didn't turn out at all as I planned, and I don't completely dislike it, so it was still a success; even though I won't be making a bigger version.

To right the balance, I reverted to type this weekend, and pulled some of my tiniest scraps, to make something pretty.  Something I love, and something the ketchup will not be coming anywhere near!

The pieces were cut 1.5" x 2", and the finished mini measures up at a pleasing 8"x 15".

So there you have it, not everything turns out as you hoped, but being a mini, it will probably find a place, a use or a way to make you smile.

Today is the last day on the hop, so now it's your turn to get organised and join in.  Here's Jennifer again, in case you need reminding!

Here's the deal. The Modern Mini Challenge is a call to challenge yourself. Try something new: a new technique, a new pattern, a new thread, etc and make a mini quilt. 

A mini quilt makes it possible and oh-so-doable! 

What's a mini quilt? It's a mug rug, a pillow, a wall hanging, a table topper... you get the idea!

Check out the AMAZING minis in last year's contest! There were over 200 awesome entries! 

You don't have to be an experienced sewist to enter! Don't let your lack of experience keep you from joining in! I want this event to be fun, encouraging and inspiring- just go for it! Believe in your ability and go CREATE!!   Go be AWESOME!!

Speaking of awesome, there will be fabulous prizes available just for entering! So try your best, pick something fun to create that speaks to you and get sewing. 

The details:

You can enter any mini quilt that you've made within the past 6 months. Remember, a mini quilt can be a mug rug, a mini quilt, a pillow, a table topper, etc. Only one entry per person. 

Size requirements: must be at least 6" x 6" and no bigger than 24" x 24". 

You can enter a mini quilt made from your own design or from a pattern. Please give credit to the pattern designer in your description. 

Need some inspiration? Never fear. I've got that covered! There's a snazzy group of quilters ready to share some of their creations to show just how fun a mini can be. The Modern Mini Blog Hop kicks off June 5!

June 5: Ellison Lane
June 6: Happy Quilting
June 7: Swim, Bike, Quilt 
June 8: Craft Buds
June 9: From the Blue Chair and Sewing Under the Rainbow 
June 10: The Sewing Chick
June 11: Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle and Fresh Lemons Quilts 

Starting June 12, you'll be able to link up your entry here at Ellison Lane. You'll have until 5:00 PM EST on June 16 to add your mini quilt. Link from your blog (a NEW post please), your Flickr account or your Threadbias account. Remember, you don't have to have a blog to enter! 

PRIZES! Did she say prizes? For sure! Check out these amazing goodies up for grabs: 

$125 Gift Certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop

$75 Gift Certificate to the Intrepid Thread

$50 Gift Pack of Pellon Products

$50 Box of Coats and Clark Threads

(2) $50 prize packs of Dritz sewing products

$25 Gift Certificate to Christa Quilts

A Bundle of Marblehead fabrics from Fabri-Quilt

The $125 Gift Certificate winner will be chosen by my husband- his is the Wild Card Choice! The other prizes will be awarded by random draw.

So what are you waiting for? Get excited, get creative and get sewing. Challenge yourself and go make something great!
xo,
Jennifer

Thank you all for getting this far; thank you to Jennifer and to all the others on the hop for the continual inspiration, and now it's your turn xxx

Modern Mini Challenge...

The design for my entry into the awesome Modern Mini Challenge came about by complete and utter chance.

Settled in front of the TV a couple of weeks back, I glanced up on hearing an advert for Gotye's album.  I love the current single...

Anyway, the cover artwork flashed on screen; I hadn't seen it before, and I haven't seen the advert since, but I was instantly smitten, light bulb moment, goodbye all previous ideas, come to mama...

So a little Googling, grabbing, adding to my iPod and sketching later, I was good to go!  Not having enough shades of grey, nor green, or even orange as per the cover, and wanting to get making,  I opted for a different combo.

We are talking 'inspired by' here!

I have never gone from 'inspiration' to 'making' so quickly and I am amazed, although still a little bit unsure of the finished mini.

OK I'll shush now, here's the pictures...

Ta da...

It measures up at 15.5"x 23".  Made with a mix of Klona solids, Michael Miller Ta and Dumb Dots, backed with IKEA numbers and quilted with Aurifil 28wt in grey.

Is it really masculine?  I don't know why am I not quite feeling it.  The solids?  I am perplexed!  I hope it's just me.

I am proud of the process though, and I have even been drafting plans for a full quilt, but please don't hold me to it.

So there you have it, in its full spiky, angry(?) glory.  I am kind of hoping Mr Random Number Generator loves Gotye too xxx

Modern Mini Challenge Blog Hopper!

Today I am thrilled, and quite frankly rather scared, to be linking up as part of Jennifer's wonderful Modern Mini Challenge Blog Hop.  This is the first time I have taken up an offer to join in a blog hop; there must have been some New Year bravado in the water when I said 'Yes'!  The rest of the bloggers on this tour are so inspirational and talented, I am hoping that some of their magic will rub off on me by association.

Anyhoo, if you have come over from Jennifer's for the first time, or if you are a regular stalwart, 'Hello and Welcome', please be kind.

The mini quilts I have to show you have been inspired by Boo Davis of Quiltsryche.  She's brilliant!

Her 'Two Heads Are Better Than One' pattern was the basis for the mini quilt I made for Sarah.  The pieces are all 1.5" x 2.5", or 1.5" square, and its as much about the counting as the sewing.  I love the simple method and the great effect it produces...

I made another Boo Davis-inspired mini as a Giveaway prize for my owl-loving, pod-casting friend Rhonda.

This has more variation in the piece sizes, but follows the same principle.

My dear friend Cindy also made me this awesome mug rug; again you can see the method in the madness...

If you find comfort in straight lines and love using up tiny scraps, then this style could be one for you. 

Here is a brief overview of the process that anyone, who can cut and sew a straight line, can achieve...

First find an image and then using any photo-manipulator, such as online freebee Picnik (if you are quick), 'pixelate', to get you from...

...to this...

Print out and divide up your picture into the individual pieces you want to cut, working out how many of each size and colour you require, the choice is really yours...

Pull your scraps and then get cutting...

Once all the pieces are laid out, make sure to take lots of photos, as something always happens, especially if you sew on the dining table as I do, where pieces tend to go astray with regularity!  Now if I had the benefit of time and space, I would have pondered over the layout of this one for far longer than I did...

Next, it's helpful to grid out the separate groups of blocks you need to piece; it's at this point you have the last chance to alter any of the layout in order to be able to join everything together easily; I am no friend of the Y-seam.

Then it's onto the sewing.  A 1/4" foot is pretty much essential!  It will come together really quickly, so crank the iron up to hot (press your seams open) and get going...

When selecting my backing for this one, the selvedge was simply SCREAMING to be used; I love it when that happens!

Et voila...

This one turned out a little more abstract than I was hoping, but I really like it!  The twins' reaction, "Oh a beautiful sewing machine mummy!"  My son's, "What is it again?".  You win some, you lose some.

I am in no way an expert and I know my method is a little haphazard, but I hope this at least gives you an insight into another style suited to mini quilt making which you may, or may not, like to try.

Thank you Jennifer for organizing such a fantastic blog hop and awesome competition; I can't wait to get started on my Challenge entry!

And to anyone-else who has made it to the end of this post, thank you so much x

The Modern Mini Challenge...

You must have heard about this one...

I am so thrilled to have been asked to be involved in the Modern Mini Challenge.  

"This is your opportunity to try something new, something fun, something on a small scale.  Take that big idea and give it a try in mini form."

Here are the main details:

6th-19th February...
Weeks 1 & 2:  Inspiration Weeks.
Modern Mini Challenge Blog Hop. Bloggers share their modern minis and kick-start your creativity. Get inspired, get creative, get those ideas flowing!

20th Feb-4th March...
Weeks 3 & 4:  Sew. Sew. Sew!
Work on those minis and create your Modern Mini Challenge piece.

5th - 9th March...
Week 5:  Enter the Contest!
Link up your Modern Mini Challenge piece at Ellison Lane Quilts. Voting begins that week and winners are announced on March 9th!

5 winners will be chosen as follows:

James’ choice Jennifer's husband chooses his favorite.
Viewer’s choice Mug Rug & Viewer’s choice Mini Quilt  The viewers choose from a selection chosen by Jennifer and three other bloggers.
Luck of the Draw Random Number Generator chooses 2 winners.

So what are those fabulous five prizes? Hold on to your hats!

Both Viewer’s Choice Winners will receive a fat quarter bundle of the FULL LINE of Flea Market Fancy reprint by Denyse Schmidt. Oh boy!!!!
James’ Choice Winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop
Both Luck of the Draw Winners will receive a $75 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop

A special thank you goes to Kimberly for generously sponsoring all five of the fabulous prizes.

It kicks off next week with the Modern Mini Challenge Blog Hop and this amazing line-up (and me!):

6 Feb: Stitchery Dickory Dock
7 Feb: Fairy Face Designs & Amy's Creative Side
8 Feb: Lily's Quilts
9 Feb: Patchwork Notes
10 Feb: Don't Call Me Betsy & Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle
11 Feb: Sukie, Don't You Know Who I Am? 
12 Feb: Freshly Pieced
13 Feb: From the Blue Chair & Poppy Makes
14 Feb: Needles, Pins & Baking Tins
15 Feb: Mon Petit Lyons &  Felicity Quilts
16 Feb: LR Stitched & Random Thoughts Do or Di
17 Feb: Life's Rich Pattern & Twin Fibers
18 Feb: Cut to Pieces & Sew Sweetness
19 Feb: Swim Bike Quilt

To say I am a little anxious about being in such esteemed company is an understatement!

And just so you can't say nobody told you, here are the all important Contest Requirements:

1. Create a modern mini quilt or mug rug - only one entry per person.
2. Enter your mini quilt or mug rug in the linky party at Ellison Lane Quilts on Monday, March 5. You do NOT have to have a blog to enter. You may link a picture from your Flickr account.
3. Your entry (blog post or Flickr description) should include the size of the item.

Here's the button, you always need a button!

<a href="http://ellisonlane.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Modern Mini Challenge" src="http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l623/ellisonlanequilts/buttons/modernminichallengebutton125.jpg"/></a>

How exciting! I do hope you can join in too xxx

Off now to reply to all your wonderful Cherry Star comments xxx

A Duo of Finishes...

Last night, not only did I get my table runner fully bound and the hand quilting done, but I finished another small project on my Winter Stitching list too!!

First here is my finish for the Duo Quiltalong...

Now it's pretty difficult to see my magnificent stitchery, as I went 'subtle' on my first attempt at hand quilting, but if you look closely, you might be able to see!

Boring or brilliant?  I love it!

I used natural Klona for the backing and binding, off-white for the FMQ and hand-stitching.  The perle cotton I pictured yesterday was just too thick and bright, so after a quick attempt with that, it got pulled and replaced with some old Finca that I have had forever!

I am surprised how good it all looks together; I think the scrutinising of every FMQ curve (or otherwise) and concentrating on the length of each individual stitch (some too big, others too small), convinced me it would look like a disaster.  But one step back, taking a look from a more natural distance, and it actually works. 

Thank you Rachel and Rhonda for pointing me in the right direction - as ever, I took a few short cuts/liberties, but ended up with a lovely little runner that I would not have made without them.

Finish number two, was one of Ayumi's Christmas Baskets.  This is a great pattern, one of those featured in Jennifer's brilliant 12 Gifts of Christmas Tutorial series. 

I made this with more 1001 Peeps to match the runner.  Maybe it will get filled with cutlery, but more likely chocolates!

I love to have finishes, and I love to have ticks, but I especially love to have things that we are going to keep and use...

Now back to the felt parliament!

It's not you, it's Me!

My lovely friend Jennifer of Ellison Lane Quilts recently surprised me by asking if I would like to be part of her Follower Spotlight series - I didn't have to think about it.  So if you pop over today, you can find out some more about me and maybe there's even a picture of yours truly!!

If you are not familiar with Jennifer, she is an all round quilty guru; she is half of the brains and beauty behind the Across The Sea QAL, organiser and post-mistress of 2 Rainbow Charm Swaps and total Pinterest Goddess amongst many other things!  She also celebrated a birthday yesterday, and is still younger than me and having a giveaway to boot.  Can you tell how much I love her!?  Thank you for having me x

One of my other ladies Lolly, aka Laura Jane of Needles Pins and Baking Tins and fellow Brit Bee is also having a giveaway to celebrate her first year of blogging this week; so if you fancy a bit of England Swings, head on over there too!

And not to leave you without a shot of the picnic bench, that you have come to expect, my Japanese scraps arrived for the challenge!

Game on x