fussy cut sampler - chapter 4

in the midst of all that went on this month, i still managed to get all of my chapter work done this month!  i bought more fabric, even though i said i wouldn't, but at least i already put it to good use!  it was this month that i realized i had a lot of BOLD blocks, and thought i would try toning some of my upcoming colors down a bit.  my struggle currently resides in the fact i bought so much navy that i really don't have any middle blues to bridge the gap at the moment... and i'm REALLY trying to not buy anything more... but i already did that last week when i found myself at thistle dew in fair oaks.  again, sorry not sorry... more about that shopping trip later.
i've come to find, and i think my fellow fussy cats have as well, that the class time together is best spent planning and cutting, then sewing them together at a later date - in my case, i've used maker monday evenings to do them which really seems to work great since they are more portable than some of my full quilt top projects.  and yes, i'm still working to keep that equal balance of cats, dinosaurs & cats/dinosaurs!  it is harder than i thought it would be!  that might also be why i keep buying fabric...
and just like that, chapter 4 is done.
hard to believe that in just 2 days, chapter 5 will be beginning!
as the school year comes to an end and the summer camp days inch closer, i REALLY hope my work schedule doesn't mess with my fussy cut class attendance!  i need those social sewing days, that's for sure.  i'm looking forward to finding out what my next batch is going to look like, so stay tuned!

disney sweater block quilt

Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for
Here it is, you know exactly what's in store
Now's the time we laugh until our sides get sore
Now's the time we crown the King of Fools!
whoa there just a minute...
no king of fools here, just one quilt that i am SO EXCITED to be blogging!
granted, it has been done for a good while now, but when your camera card reader goes missing, that leads to delays.  anywho... this quilt has been a long time coming, and i think officially my first sew along finish... and also i think the only sew along i have participated in.  AND the first paper piecing project i actually get to keep for myself!  some reason i keep giving those to babies...
drum roll please...
back in november of 2016, lisa mentioned a sew along being hosted on instagram for kidgiddy's ugly sweater block, just in time for the holiday season.  well, i wanted to join in the fun, but i didn't want to make christmas sweaters like everyone else.  i had two thoughts.  i can make cat sweaters or i can make disney sweaters.  i decided to go with the latter, due to my nostalgia for the 90's sweatshirts i had as a kid - you can see all my posts by searching the tag disney sweater blocks on instagram.  in all, i believe i had 84 blocks by the end, and wanted a quilt big enough to become my "travel quilt" since i like to take my own quilt when i stay over places.  i went with a "plus" layout with a black and white spotted fabric to make the pluses stand out more.  my initial plan was a super cute yet simple mickey fabric that was black with little white mickey silhouettes on it.  sadly, i couldn't find any yardage of it when it came time.  while some are cut from the same fabric, no two sweaters are the same, and i was quite impressed with how many different characters i was able to find.
now since they're so small in the large photo... for the detail photo spam!
when i was planning to quilt it, i was stumped.  obviously i wanted it quilted well, and i knew i would do it on the long arm.  i was nervous about my free motion skills, and i also didn't want to quilt over the sweaters, especially with black thread.  i decided to do big bubbles/pebbles to mimic the spots in the black and white fabric and also give a sort of "hidden mickey" essence - whether i successfully did that or not, i don't know!  after i quilted it on the long arm, i decided it still need a little refinement, so i used my walking foot on my home machine and  stitched around the plus shapes to frame up the quilting when you looked at the back.  it isn't perfect, but i love it!
did i get some comments while i was quilting this?  you betcha.
"oh, this must be for a little one!"
no, it's for me!
"oh... so you like FROZEN?" (mind you, there are like 4 frozen blocks on this entire quilt...)
bah, whatever ladies.  pretty sure they were just jealous they didn't come up with the idea!
of course, now it is far too warm outside to layer up two quilts on my bed, let alone flannel ones, so now this just lays there, longing for cooler weather, much like myself.
block pattern: the original ugly christmas sweater block
total quilt count: 110

jewel tone 9 patch baby quilt

time for a fresh finish!
a dear friend of mine just had baby number 3, and i couldn't help but throw something together for her newest little one!  the last quilt i made was in 2014 for her little boy (mod chevron) so i went with the same classic, crisp feel with this cute little 9 patch.  i used fabrics left over from 2 previous projects, plus the backing was something i already had in my stash that i inherited from my mom (or possibly my grandma.)  overall, it is bright, cheery and simply perfect for a new little one!
since it is for a baby girl, i wanted the "girl colors" to be one of the main colors, so i made purple one of the colors that was used 3 times as well as the aqua colors.  the white prints are scattered throughout to give a scrappy yet cohesive feel - most if not all of them have some form of floral print on it.
the original projects the fabrics came from were actually two i made for myself.
the colors came from my coloradifornia cameras quilt, and the whites were what i purchased for my pudge catvent quilt!  i used some of the same white fabrics that were still wide enough to create a scrappy white binding for the quilt.  yes, it's white and for a baby... but it just looked so cute!
the backing was a lucky find in my stash that happened to coordinate well with the fabrics used on the front.
this was a fun and quick project to put together, and i cannot wait for it to be enjoyed by its owner for years to come.  i'd absolutely do this pattern again, since the squares allow for both prints and solids to be featured well.  fussy cut i-spy style options, perhaps?  we'll have to wait and see the next time a baby quilt comes around... or if i double the size of this quilt.  so many options!
total quilt count: 109

april overview

i figured with it being april now, it was about time for an update post.  i've been doing well keeping you up to date with my fussy cut sampler at the end of each month, but there is so much more going on right now as well!  that first photo up there is a huge clue as well!
music quilts 2018
alas, all things must come to an end... sort of.
after 5 years of doing raffle quilts (10 quilts total) i will not be making any quilts for the camp this year.  my mom is no longer an employee of the camp, and was a driving force (and fabric purchaser) behind the quilt making.  that said, i still have a haul of music fabric that will be still receiving a life of its own this summer.  the first, seen above, is a special project for my the wife of my parent's high school band director.  ted webber was the band director at mira loma high school for my parents as well as a few of my uncles.  ted was half the driving force behind donner mine music camp, and passed away last august from leukemia.  as much as i remember ted being around when i was little, i remember his wife carol as well, and felt like she needed a little something in the best way i could deem possible.  i've selected fabrics in mira loma's school colors to be the main focus of the raspberry kiss block (i used the 12.5 size tutorial here) and they will be paired with the heart block from my tea & brie's pixelated paper hearts pattern.  as you can see, the music fabric will be the background of the quilt, being subtle but still relevant :)
the other quilt will be going to another employee of the camp that my mom worked with over the years.  she tried SO HARD each year to win the raffle, but did not succeed.  perhaps we'll have to get her a wonka bar with a golden ticket in it this year.  she makes some pretty dang good baked goods, so she's pretty deserving of a quilt!
finished quilts
that's right... i have not just one, but TWO finished projects that are going to be posted soon.  one was a quick project, but if you've been following me on instagram you'll know the other one has been a long time coming.
upcoming projects
now that my to finish list has died down, my eyes are now on projects up and coming to start.  i don't have any current deadlines until summer, so i have a little bit of a breather before cram time.  well, ideally i don't want to hit cram time.  perhaps i'll work in some more stash busting, since i keep ending up with more patterns to try out! 
other randoms
other things i have coming up include preschool open house, which is going to be an event in itself.  our theme again this year is "under the reading rainbow" but i've really taken in to looking at the ideas and plan to dive in to it deeper this year.  i've got a whole lot of great ideas, and i plan to share them should everything come together as my brain desires them to!
also, bullet journaling.
i've been intrigued by this concept of planning, tracking and motivating in a DIY sort of way.  is it taboo to start in the middle of the year?  middle being april, that is.  i guess a third is more like it?  anyways, i've been watching videos on this trying to wrap my brain around it looking to see if it is something i would be successful with... i suppose that it is crafty in it's own way!