Saturday, January 24, 2015

Block of the Month 2014


I hope you have been enjoying seeing all the quilts inspired by Cindy at Quilt Doodle. I'm going to tell you a little bit about my quilt today.

 This is the second block of the month that I have done with Cindy and I have enjoyed both of them. At the beginning she told us that this would be a theme quilt and after the first block, or should I say row, it was obvious that the theme was to be winter. I live in the south so I wasn't so sure about a winter themed quilt because we don't have a lot of winter most years! I had another reservation because it became obvious that the quilt would be built with 2.5 inch squares and I struggle with making so many seams meet. I decided to go ahead with the quilt and use it as a opportunity to get better at making my seams meet. Most of the blocks were actually rows which was different from any other BOM that I had made but I loved the way they went together. The only row made of blocks is the row with the trees and houses - it has 4 blocks. I used a cording foot for the first time and it was really easy once I tried to stop guiding the cording and just sewed where it was supposed to go. I found out that applique is a skill I'm still perfecting!

As I laid the quilt out to decide what order to put them in (I found Cindy's layout was the best for me), I found a little (big?) mistake. My row of mugs was 5 squares too wide - I had added an additional column of squares to each cup as I made it. So I took out my trusty seam ripper and began to find the easiest way to remove a strip from between each cup. 

Success! Here are my sections before they are sewn together. 

I changed the tree on the right to 2 trees that were different sizes because I wanted something different.















Here is the quilt top all put together. I have chosen not to add a border and I did a little embellishing after the top was put together (not shown here). I just added a reindeer in the trees and a wreath above the door.





I chose this lovely print from the Snow Happens line for the backing of the quilt and began to quilt. I chose snowflake pattern that I saw on theinboxjaunt.com. It's linear and I made one line of quilting in each row of blocks. I like how it looks so far.




Of course my quilting has not been without mishaps. Below is an example of what happens when you don't listen to your machine. My machine had been jumping a bit on this row but I ignored it until it decided to stop. When I looked on the back, this is what I found. Yuck!

As I ripped out this entire row of quilting, I found a seam that had come apart in the middle. Wierd, huh? So before I moved on, I got out my needle and thread and sewed the entire seam together. 


I didn't get completely finished with my quilting - I've gotten about a third of it quilted but should be finished in a couple of days. After I finish the quilting I will add the eyes to the snowmen. I took a few pictures so that you could see it so far. 


This is what I have quilted so far.
      

  I started my quilting in the center row and did 2 rows above that one then 2 rows below it, alternating the side that I started on. I'm continuing this method the full length - I'm hoping to keep the quilt more square by doing it this way. I had my snowflakes too close together at first (you can see this at the top of the house and in the tree) so I marked a pattern on a few rows to get more of a pattern started. You can see that I alternated the spacing of the flakes on each row, and put in a "snowball" every now and then.










I'm trying to think of what I can quilt on the mugs so that it will be a little different and stand out a bit - I don't want to do any more applique. I'm sure inspiration will hit when I get there!

 Be sure to check out the other quilts on the hop.


 January 24th 
January 25th 

Thanks for stopping by to see my quilt!
Have a great day!
Dee


Posted by at
Labels: ,

23 comments:

  1. JoannaJanuary 25, 2015 at 5:34 AM

    I love the accents you applied, the snow on the house and lights cord look perfect. The "snowball every now and then" is a cute idea, too. My quilting is not without incident, either, so I feel your pain. Your version is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dee DJanuary 25, 2015 at 6:47 PM

      Thanks for your kind words! It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who has struggles with my quilting.

      Delete
  2. Kathy S.January 25, 2015 at 7:18 AM

    Your quilting is gorgeous. I love the snowballs thrown in here and there. I also love your extra tree -- too cute. Happy finishing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Vroomans' QuiltsJanuary 25, 2015 at 8:55 AM

    love how you have made this pattern your own with the delightful changes. The snowflake and snowball quilting is a great idea (I've made note) and you have done a wonderful job with your quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LA PaylorJanuary 25, 2015 at 9:21 AM

    I just loved hearing about your process. I wish more bloggers would tell us about the real making of quilts. They can be challenging! How are your shoulders after pulling this big boy thru a small machine? Mine are tired... LeeAnna at not afraid of color

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dee DJanuary 25, 2015 at 6:52 PM

      Thanks - I always wonder if I'm over-sharing! I tried to roll the quilt pretty tightly so it would be easier to maneuver so my shoulders aren't too bad. I used a tip I learned from a friend - put the quilt over your shoulder so that the weight is above the quilting area. It means readjusting periodically but it doesn't seem to be as hard to pull/push through your machine.

      Delete
  5. MariJanuary 25, 2015 at 11:30 AM

    This is a beauty Dee! I love the addition of the extra tree and your quilting looks wonderful, even if it was not without problems. Nice job!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Quilt Doodle DesignsJanuary 25, 2015 at 11:51 AM

    You quilt is beautiful so far, even with the problems along the way. Love your quilting! Thank you for sharing today and joining along over the last day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quilt Doodle DesignsJanuary 25, 2015 at 11:52 AM

      Joining along the last year.... is what I meant to say. lol

      Delete
    2. Dee DJanuary 25, 2015 at 6:56 PM

      Thank you Cindy - I don't know how you come up with all your wonderful ideas! I really enjoyed this block of the month!

      Delete
  7. usagypsyJanuary 25, 2015 at 4:10 PM

    So cute! Love that extra little tree!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dee DJanuary 25, 2015 at 6:57 PM

      Thanks - the little tree was worth the extra effort !

      Delete
  8. JillJanuary 25, 2015 at 4:12 PM

    Love your dark background-it really makes everything else pop! Great job! And I think we all pulled out that seam ripper at some point! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dee DJanuary 25, 2015 at 6:58 PM

      Thank you! I don't know what we would do without our trusty seam rippers!

      Delete
  9. AnonymousJanuary 25, 2015 at 6:02 PM

    I am really enjoying seeing all the quilts and the embellishments. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dee DJanuary 25, 2015 at 6:59 PM

      Thanks for stopping by to look and for the compliment!

      Delete
  10. SheriJanuary 26, 2015 at 12:27 AM

    Hi Dee. Your quilt is looking wonderful! I love seeing all the variations and hearing about everyone's process to either commiserate or get new ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Leslie's Itchin to be StitchinJanuary 26, 2015 at 5:54 AM

    I love that you strung your lights! Nice job

    ReplyDelete
  12. carlaJanuary 26, 2015 at 12:53 PM

    Hi!!!! Love your quilt!!!! I love the colors of your mugs!!!! So pretty!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Connie Kresin CampbellJanuary 28, 2015 at 10:47 PM

    Your quilt is so beautiful and that backing is perfect for it!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)