{Sew} Modern Monday | x and + Quilt

Good morning & welcome to {Sew} Modern Monday! With the holidays upon us and the New Year around the corner, I'm on a mission to finish up some projects that have been sitting around this year. We all have a few of those projects, right? 

I'd finished up this x and + quilt top back in January of this year (and even made a mini quilt with the left-over half square triangles!), but for one reason or another just hadn't gotten around to the quilting and binding. The blocks were made by my lovely {Sew} Beautiful Bee-mates (thank you Lee, Elizabeth, Cara, Katie, AnneMarie, Katie, Cherie, Brooke, Angela, and Emily! ). I asked the ladies to make 12" blocks following this tutorial from badskirt.

Simple straight-line quilting using a neutral 50 wt. Aurifil thread seemed like the perfect match to the vibrant Anna Maria Horner fabrics. I really like the subtle modern feel the quilting gives to the overall design -- not to mention the awesome texture! Surprisingly, the rich chocolate binding is actually my favorite part about the entire quilt. I just might have to start sneaking more browns into my projects!

Quilt Stats

Name: x and + Quilt

Size: 60" x 60"

Pieced by: myself and the lovely ladies of the {Sew} Beautiful Bee

Quilted by: myself, using 50 wt. Aurifil thread

So here's to finishing up an un-finished project and onto the next one! If you'd like to join me on my mission to finish up a few projects before the New Year, use #finishit2012 on Instagram & Twitter -- I'd love to see your progress! 

Happy Sewing!
xo, megan. 

Now it's time for your {Sew} Modern Monday link-ups! Here's how it works:

[1] Link-up a blog post (or fickr picture!) featuring a finished project. Modern home decor, quilts, bags, garments are all welcome! Please be sure to add a link back to this post, too -- or just grab the button over on the sidebar. 

[2] Visit & comment on other {Sew} Modern Monday link-ups! 

{Sew} Modern Monday | Bee Block Catch-up

Good morning & welcome to {Sew} Modern Monday! I spent this past weekend catching up on a few bee blocks from the last few months. It really feels great to check a few things off the "to-sew" list & it's also little bitter sweet knowing these three blocks wrap up the {Sew} Beautiful Bee for 2012. 



//Septemeber// For her month, AnneMarie asked for a combination of improv piecing & hexagons. This is my take on the combo -- I especially like those two little hexi mushrooms on the right! 




//October// Katie asked for a block using Anna Maria Horner's Feather Bed Quilt tutorial (it's free!). I've been crushing on these feathers ever since Spring Quilt Market, so it was great to finally give them a try. Katie chose a super saturated + jewel tone color palate -- this is going to be one awesome quilt!



//Novemebr// Lee from Freshly Pieced asked for a half square triangle block inspired by this Chicopee quilt from Red Pepper Quilts. She chose a fabulous selection of solids paired with a crisp, clean white. So bright and fresh -- this quilt is sure to be a beauty!

Now it's time for your {Sew} Modern Monday link-ups! Here's how it works:

[1] Link-up a blog post (or fickr picture!) featuring a finished project. Modern home decor, quilts, bags, garments are all welcome! Please be sure to add a link back to this post, too -- or just grab the button over on the sidebar. 

[2] Visit & comment on other {Sew} Modern Monday link-ups! 

Have a great week!

xo, megan. 

{Sew} Beautiful Bee | Lone Starburst Mini Quilt + Planning

I love mini quilts. Seriously love them. They are so tiny, cute, and a quick finish! The best part is that they're a great way to test out quilting options & plan out a larger quilt finish. 

This mini quilt was made from a extra block I'd made for my month of an online sewing bee called {Sew} Beautiful Bee. It was a smidgen smaller than the other blocks so rather than stash it away I opted to turn it into a new mini quilt. 

I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to finish + quilt my larger quilt (which will be made up of 10 of these Lone Starburst blocks) so this mini quilt project was very helpful in the planning process. Take the quilting for example, I learned that it's best to avoid quilting over the center of each block -- where all those seams meet. And the binding, I really like this strip as a binding & especially with this quilt!

Now I'm really excited to get started on the bigger bee quilt! 

Happy Saturday!

xo, megan. 

{sew} beautiful bee [may+july]

hello, everyone! i hope you all had a wonderful weekend. i spent most of Saturday and part of Sunday playing "catch-up" on a few sewing obligations. today i'm excited to share two of those weekend finishes! both quilt blocks were made for a virtual quilting bee called the {Sew} Beautiful Bee. this quilting bee has some seriously great sewing+blogging talent involved and i'm proud to work with these ladies. 

this first bee block is for Angela of My Three Sons. she asked each of us to make an Improv Pineapple Log Cabin block using this tutorial from the Modern Quilt Guild -- i highly recommend this tutorial! i'm loving her Hawaiian inspired fabric choices (makes me want a beach!). orange+blue = <3 it's going to be a fabulously modern quilt!

every time i look at it, i'm finding myself more and more "attached" to this second block. good thing i dropped it off at the post office this morning before i could keep it for myself! Katie of From the Blue Chair asked for a paper pieced star block (of our choosing!) using this great yellow+gray color palate. the block i chose is called the Kansas Dust Storm. you can find the tutorial and templates over at Freshly Pieced. 

have a great monday!

xo, megan. 

x and + quilt top.

as promised yesterday, i am so super excited to share this x and + quilt top with you all! this, my bloggy friends, is my most favorite quilt i've EVER made. you wanna know why? well let's see...


>> it features one of my most favorite fabric lines, Innocent Crush, by one of my most favorite fabric designers, Anna Maria Horner. 
>> it's my first online quilt bee finish. i am so honored to have stitched along with the fabulous ladies of our {sew} beautiful bee and it's so exciting knowing bloggy friends, from all across the United States, each played a part in making this quilt. 
>> it's been a WiP for months and we all know how fabulous it feels to finish up an "old" project, right?

the quilt blocks were made using amy of badskirt's x and + quilt tutorial. however, rather than following the directions exactly and end up with an 8 inch finished block, i opted for a little bit bigger of a block. mine finish up at 12 inches. i really like how the bigger blocks look in a quilt this size (60" x 60"). you can read more about this quilt top here. 


now the only thing left to do is quilt this AMH beauty! any suggestions on how to quilt it?


ETA: come check out what i'm doing with my leftover half square triangles from this quilt! 


xo, megan.

<<linking up to Fabric Tuesday!>>

{sew} modern monday.

it's MONDAY! 

which means it's time for 

another weekly installment of 

{sew} modern monday!

ah, monday. did you all have a good weekend? mine went way too fast, which i guess is par for the course. my little sister was home on break for a few days before she goes back to college on wednesday. so of course the weekend was jammed packed with all sorts of fun family things. but you know me, i did manage to squeeze in some quality sewing time.

on friday i decided to jump into a WiP that had been sitting in my sewing area for a while. a very long while. you've all been there, right? and somewhere along the way i fell back in love with this AMH quilt. big time. i'm seriously crushing on this quilt top. so much so that in a matter of half a day, i managed to sew up 13 blocks to round off the 12 already sewn by my {sew} beautiful bee-mates. 

all finished up, the quilt top measure 60" x 60". just the perfect size for cozy lap quilt! 

so, are you ready to see some pictures? well *ahem* there's a little issue this beautiful monday morning. the conveniently small and easy to misplace black cord that connects my DSLR to my laptop. you know, the important one. yeah, well it seems to have gone MIA. blurg! so this lovely instagram picture is going to have to hold you all over for the time being. and i promise if you come back tomorrow and check out the finished quilt top in it's entirety, you won't be disappointed. this beauty is quicky becoming one of my favorite finishes to date. :) 

<<updated: you can see more of my x and + quilt top here!>>

now it's your turn! what have you been stitchin' on lately? just link up to a blog post (or flickr picture!) and have fun enjoying all the modern sewing inspiration!  but please, link back to Canoe Ridge Creations somewhere in the post so your readers can find the party too! thanks!

another day, another bee block.

for october, katie asked each of us {sew} beautiful bee-ers to make a block of our choice using a lovely selection of red and green holiday prints. she even put together this flickr gallery for us to use as inspiration. now i have to be honest, i don't normally dig the matchy-matchy holiday fabric collections that are out there, but i am in LOVE with the fabrics katie chose. yes, they are red. and yes, they are green. but they don't all scream christmas! 

 

so for katie's block, i chose to make a circle of geese block using this template and alternated the geese using those yummy red and green fabrics. i'm totally loving it and i can't wait to see this quilt finished! i even think i might have to make a mini for myself using this color palate--perhaps for amylouwho's mini quilt sew & tell challenge? 

xo, megan

9 bee blocks, 1 day.

that's the kind of intense sewing situation you find yourself in when you slack.on.bee.blocks. guilty as charged. i like to blame it on sewing summit, but in reality - - it's my crazy life that's gotten in the way. enough with excuses tho, here's what went down yesterday. side note: please excuse the pictures. i was more concerned with takin' care of business than photography. :)
 

[bee block #1] September {Sew} Beautiful. 
yep, September. need i go further? ok, ok. AnneMarie asked for this simple Dutch Pinwheel pattern (tutorial here!) using Ruby and Bliss charm squares. charm squares + HSTs = easy peasy. i love the way this block turned out -- simple and traditional-ish. :)
 

[bee block #2, #3,and #4]September do. Good Stitches.
another September. for the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches, we were asked to make 3 blocks of varying sizes following a string pieced log cabin pattern. our quilter for the month requested we use solid fabric in the cool color-way -- greens, blues, and purples -- with a contrasting print for the center. again, easy peasy. and i actually enjoyed this method of improv sewing. gasp!
 

[bee block #5, #6, #7, #8, and #9]November do. Good Stitches.
yep, jumping ahead a month.  can you blame me? these blocks are super fun and modern. love them! Linda Beth asked for blocks using an orange or blue solid accented with orange, blue, and black & white printed fabrics. i am super happy with the way these five turned out!
 

so there you have it, 9 bee blocks, 1 day. moral of the story. i am a total procrastinator. :)
 
now, with only 3 bee blocks left to make (with an October deadline) i am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. and i will be knocking those 3 out tonight. no ifs, ands, or buts!

xo, Megan

sewing bee meets fear factor.

Some people are afraid of things like spiders, heights, and public speaking.
Even water, needles, and snakes.
I am afraid of wonky.
...well, in terms of sewing, my friends and family will attest to the fact, I live my life a little wonky! :)
Pssh!
 

Ok, back to sewing. For the month of August, Kati from From the Blue Chair asked each of us {Sew} Beautiful Bee-ers to make a wonky log cabin block. Ok not a huge deal, right? WRONG. I was completely nervous/anxious/flippin' scared! You see I like order, rules, and organization, especially when I sew. And because of this (and my nasty procrastination habits) I have stalled out all month on actually making this block--sorry, Kati! :)

Until last night. Somewhere between my forth and fifth diet coke of the day, I went for it. And I SURVIVED! Don't get me wrong, I was on the verge of an OCD anxiety attack, but I got 'er done! And just like my pal Amy said, sewing bees are great because they push you outside of your comfort zone! Although I am very happy to report next month's block is all about HSTs--more on that tomorrow!
 
xo, Megan

back up and running.

Hello my bloggy pals!


Things have been a little quiet around here this week because we have been without internet for a couple weeks.  gasp!  Which makes for a pretty lame bloggy/online sewing community life if you ask me.


You see the day before we left for the lake, our house was struck by lightning.  And yes, it was about as scary as it sounds.  We were all in the house at the time, but thankfully no one was hurt.  The lightning hit fried our internet and telephone lines (plus a few little electronics that we had plugged in at time)--all things that can be replaced.  Oh, and no worries--the sewing machines were all unplugged. thank goodness!


As of last night, we are finally back in business.  woohoo!  It's amazing how dependent on the internet I am, because access to the internet is as much of a creative outlet for me as my sewing machine.  I am sure you can all relate. :)  So, please excuse the delayed response to comments and last week's {Sew} Modern Monday link-ups.  If all goes well, I am hoping to get caught up this weekend.


And because a post without a picture is just plain lame, here's a little look at my blocks I have received this month for the {Sew} Beautiful Bee.  I cannot wait to put this quilt together!


xo, Megan

busy as a bee.

Phew, it's hard to believe it's already the middle of July.  Where the heck does the time go?!?!  One minute we are in a snow storm and the next we are trying to stay cool in the summer heat (alright, maybe not that drastic. but you get the picture).  There have been lots of fun and exciting things going on over here--sewing and not sewing related--that my actual "sewing time" seems to be dwindling. Boo!  But, I did manage to squeeze some bee block sewing in this past week...


{Sew} Beautiful [June]
Alright, I was actually behind (it was due in June!) with this block but thankfully Cara granted me a bee extension (thanks Cara!). For Cara's month, she asked us each to make a creative pieced house block using some fun scraps from her stash.  Gah, talk about nerve wrecking! I seriously spent a lot of hours thinking about this block before I actually had enough courage to get down to the sewing part.  I think it was the combination of having free reign and wanting produce a rocking block.  Anyway, it had me a little out of sorts until I finally reached a breaking point, and just went with it.
 

And wouldn't you know when it's all said and done, I seriously loved making this block.  Especially when it all came together in the end. :)  phew.  Talk about pushing outside the comfort zone.


Cara is putting our blocks together and then donating them to a NICU family (see where the "home" theme fits in?).  How awesome is that!


do.Good Stitches [July]

Becky from My Fabric Obsession, this month's quilter from our do.Good Stitches BLISS circle, asked each of use to make 3 blocks using this Jaybird Quilts' tutorial.  She asked for us to use grays and yellows (an emerging trend according to Sew, Mama, Sew!).  Again, way outside my comfort zone!

But in the end--it really was easy peasy!  I think I might be using this technique for a little pouch in the near future.  It's a great way to use up scraps--or any jelly rolls you may have stashed away. :)

And there you have it--a month of bee blocks.  This month definitely pushed me outside my comfort zone and stretched my quilty horizons.  Yay for learning something new!

xo, Megan

bee fabric [sent!]

Remember that bee fabric I mentioned a few days ago?

  

  
Well it's been cut, pressed, and packaged

and now on it's way

to my fellow bee-mates!


Isn't it so yummy!?!


So yummy in fact, I couldn't help making a 
test block of my own.


We are using this tute from Badskirt.
WARNING: This block is addictive! 
  

  

Yep, I can't wait to start getting my bee blocks back! :)

Have a great 4th of July weekend everyone!

Oh and today is the last day for my Kona FQ giveaway,

be sure to enter!

xo, Megan

{Sew} Beautiful Bee [it's my month!]

July is my month for the {Sew} Beautiful Bee and I am just finally making a decision. sigh.  Since the sewing be started in January, there have been some seriously awesome quilts (like this one from Don't Call Me Betsy) that I had a hard time settling on a block.  But have no fear, a decision has been made!  I am asking the {Sew} Beautiful Ladies to make a 12.5" block using this Japanese x and + block tutorial from badskirt. yay! Oh, and see that fabric over there?  Yep, I think it's about time I pull out my Innocent Crush stash.  What do you all think?

xo, Megan

May Bee Blocks.

If you are looking for the giveaway, it is over

*here*.

As of last night, this month's bee blocks are done, done, and done.  Even with a few days to spare!  Cha-ching!

First up, my block for Angela of My Three Sons (banquopack on flickr) in our {Sew} Modern Bee.  Angela sent the most amazing little fabric packages--the colors were yummy!--and asked each of us to make a block of our choice.  Here is the block I sent her way.

I decided to go with a simple bow tie block--which I had so much fun making. Oh and since next month is my "Quilters" month for the do. Good Stitches Bliss circle, I think I will be asking the other members to make this bow tie block in some fun summer colors.  Stay tuned for a tutorial.

Speaking of do. Good Stitches, here are my blocks for May.

WendyLouP asked each of us in the Bliss circle to make two blocks in medium blues and greens using this tutorial from Hyacinth Quilt Designs.  I highly recommend bookmarking this tutorial, it is wonderful!  I am hoping to use this pattern on one of my next quilts.

We have a busy weekend coming up around here.  My little sister, Lindsey, graduates from High School.  Eek!  Sewing time will be limited, as the Boyfriend and I will be spending most of the next few days helping my parents get ready for the weekend's festivities.  

I hope you all are having a wonderful week--especially with all those Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaways going on!  I will be back sometime tomorrow to announce the winner of the Denyse Schmidt Singe Girl pattern.

xo, Megan

under the wire [April Bee Blocks]

True to form, I finished up April's Bee blocks just in time last night.  There is nothing like waiting until the last minute to finish these kinds of things. :)

 

do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee}

Sasikirana (on flickr) chose a fun block based off of this beautiful rug she received in the UHG swap.  She requested bright fabrics paired with a crisp Kona White, which just pops!  I can't wait to see everyone's blocks all together because I think this will be one stunning quilt.

 

{Sew} Beautiful Bee

Brooke from Pitter Putter Stitch chose the Circle of Geese block for her bee block this month.  I absolutely love the fabrics she choose!  I have to admit I was pretty intimidated by this block (which is why I put it off for so long), but it turned out better than expected!

 

Thanks for all the positive feedback on Flashback Fridays!  If you missed it, you can find the info here.  I will get the details together this weekend, but I am planning on May 13 (two weeks from today) being the first Flashback Friday. Look for more information next week!

xo, Megan

more Sew-tastic Saturday results.

Yesterday I shared with you all a few things my mom worked on this past Saturday when we were able to spend the entire day sewing together.  Now onto what I worked on...
 
As I have mentioned before, Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Betsy chose a spiderweb block for her month in our {Sew} Beautiful Bee.  Now the directions she chose were a little different than the ones I used for my Spiderweb Quilt (which by the way is currently getting some binding attention, yay!) in that they involved paper piecing.  My initial thoughts were, Eek!  Paper piecing?!?  You see, I haven't attempted paper piecing since I was in 4-H many, many years ago. I was a little intimidated at first but now that it is all said and done, I don't know what I was worried about!  It ended up being a lot of fun!  That was after I remembered to shorten my stitch length.  Lesson learned!

I really love the way this blocked turned out.  I am sure it is because all of that yummy AMH fabric she chose.

I am really excited to see Elizabeth's quilt all put together.  She has decided to sash each of the blocks, rather than the traditional spiderweb quilt layout.  Way cool!
 
And that's it folks.  I was not nearly as productive as my mom was!  Somehow my laptop kept creeping into my sewing area and I then I would find myself blog/flickr browsing.  Funny how that seems to happen! :)

Oh, and before I forget.  My little sister is in the process of making her prom dress for her Senior year.  Here is a little peek.

It involves lots, and lots of hand beading.  Anyone want to see more?
 

xo, Megan

sewing saturday.

While the boys are away, the girls will play sew.

It's Saturday and the boyfriend has to work a 6 am to 4 pm shift .  So you know what that means, uninterrupted sewing time!  And what's even better, my dad is also gone for the day at an archery tournament.  Sounds like a mother-daughter sewing day to me!

Here is what we have in the works so far:

The momma's WiP - cell phone case.

My WiP - {Sew} Beautiful Bee block.

I will be back with more pictures later, but for now I am going to enjoy some one-on-one time with my mother.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

xo, Megan (and Mom) 

WiP Wednesday {16}

It is WiP Wednesday time again...

...here is what's happening this week.

 

NEW and FINISHED PROJECTS

Rainbow Pincushion.

I am really loving this little pincushion and it's official, I will be making another one for my MMM partner.
 

{Sew} Beautiful Bee-February.

Single Girl Practice Block.
 

.com domain.
 
FINISHED PROJECTS

SUTK Swap.
This package went out Monday and I am really hoping my parter enjoys everything.  I promise more details when I know it has arrived safely at it's destination. :)
 

NEW PROJECTS

{Sew} Beautiful Bee-March.
Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Betsy chose these great AMH fabrics for her spiderweb block this month.  I can't wait to get started!
 
ONGOING PROJECTS

Top Secret Quilt.
Fabric arrives tomorrow.
 
Solids Film Strip Quilt.
Just a little sewing on this one, but not enough for pictures.
 
Single Girl Quilt.
Over the weekend I finished cutting all my pieces.  Now it is time to get going on the piecing.  I feel a little less intimidated by those curves after my practice block.
 
MMM Swap.
Not a whole lot of progress here. 

This Week's Stats

Last week's total: 5

New Projects: 5

Finished Projects: 5

This week's total: 5 (hmm, apparently 5 is the lucky number this week!)

Head on over to Freshly Pieced

to see more great works in progress!