I was part of a monthly bee, Sew Bee It, through my local quilt guild, St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild.
If you are not familiar with a bee, basically it is a small group, usually up to 12 members.  Each member gets assigned a month and during that month all the other members make a block or blocks of her choosing.  They may provide fabric or part of the fabric and the rest is pulled from your stash.

One of the blocks in our bee this round was an improv bird block.  Improv is not really in my comfort zone and especially having to look like something when it’s done so I procrastinated big time.  Turns out not only was it easy, it was really fun and went together fast.   We only needed to make one but with it being that quick and easy, I made a second.  

And then, of course, living in St. Louis and being a Cardinals fan, I had to make one for myself.   I used some leftover scraps of Baby Jane by the Comstocks for my cardinal and low volume and text prints for the background.

Want to make one for yourself?  This is the tutorial from Pie Lady Quilts. I modified the head to look more like a cardinal.  I also added extra fabric around the perimeter so my finished square would measure 12.5″.

The block I contributed for my beemate, @stlcaverly, became this beauty!

Isn’t it great?!

Have a great day!

The lawn chair quilt pattern is a quick and fun and free pattern to make by Monica Solorio-Snow, aka Happy Zombie that you can find in the Moda Bake Shop. It’s also kind of cool because it uses precuts and also, you can get 2 quilts out of three jelly rolls. But I didn’t do that.

The first couple I made were Christmas gifts for my sister, Kendra, and sister-in-law, Kelly, for Christmas. I followed the tutorial for two and made them at the same time, though I used very different fabrics for each. Let me apologize in advance for the poor photos of these first two. I’m going back a LONG time and my photos are subpar.
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I had this stack of fabrics in my stash, which I love, and decided to use them for Kendra’s quilt. I can’t remember what the fabric was called or who it was by.

I still have some leftovers that I hope to do something with some day.

For Kelly’s quilt, I used Kona chartreuse and a colorful chevron striped jelly roll.

You start sewing your background fabrics on either side of your jelly roll strips, cut to different lengths.

Then layout your blocks as desired and begin sewing your columns together.

I decided to try applique, which I hadn’t really done yet, to add their names to the backs of their quilts.

Then, of course, basting. I guess I didn’t take a photo of this riveting step in Kendra’s quilt. LOL

For Kelly’s quilt, I decided to free motion quilt swirls all over.

And for Kendra’s, loops and hearts.

And then binding. I always love binding, the anticipation of finishing the quilt, the first one to kind of use it while I’m snuggled up under it stitching it. And this time was especially nice because I was binding to Christmas lights.

I wish I had taken better photos of the finished quilts but you live and learn, huh? And actually, Kelly’s was still being bound when I took the photo of the front. 

And here’s Kendra’s.

All washed and ready to wrap up for Christmas.

The last one I made was a couple years ago. I had leftover strips of a jelly roll by @aprilrosenthal from making a @Sewkindofwonderful Metro Hoops quilt that I paired with Essex Linen for this gorgeous version. It’s one of my favorites.

I quilted it with a somewhat loose, plain meandering pattern all over.

I love how it turned out!

Thanks for stopping by.

Products used and recommended

We had to use only Riley Blake prints but we could use any solids. I tend to run more modern traditional in my quilt designs and preferences, but I stepped a little outside the box on this one. I had no idea what I was going to do so I hit the internet for some inspiration. I ended up looking at bathroom tiles and really liked the look of these and the alternating columns.

I added some lighter gray along with some black to give it a little more interest.

The biggest challenge for me was the circles, cutting them out and getting the edges turned under and still keeping a perfect looking circle. I can’t tell you how many circles I cut and pressed to get them looking right! Now, I have an Olfa circle cutter, which I love. It cuts out perfect circles every time and you can adjust your circle size. It is awesome! I machine stitched my circles down and left them unquilted.

I really wanted to step up my game on my quilting and all these different colors and areas was a good way to practice some free motion quilting. First up, I wanted to do pebbles. Since they take a crazy long time, I decided to do pebbles only in the white areas since it was the smallest. They turned out so good, if I say so myself, but they do seem to take forever.

I did fun swirls in the light gray tiles. I always like free motion quilting swirls.

And just a tip that helps me – whenever I want to free motion quilt a design, I practice it first by drawing it over and over on a piece of paper. It gives me the feel of the shape or pattern and kind of creates a muscle memory. Then when you go to practice it on your machine, it almost feels familiar and I find it much easier. Then, I practice it on a small quilt sandwich before I take it to my quilt. I learned so much from the book Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters . I also like Free Motion Meandering, and Shape by Shape, and Shape by Shape 2. Another really awesome resource is 365 Free Motion Quilting by Leah Day.

Sorry for the wacky lighting on this one. I had to do some photo adjustment so you could see the black and dark grey blocks better. For the black tiles, I did just “organic” straight lines. I tried to get them super straight but that is really a weak spot in my quilting talent. I need more practice doing straight line quilting.

I did some free motion squares on the dark tiles just turning and turning every so often.

This was a fun quilt to make. It really challenged me to try some new things and to step out of the familiar and stretch my skills.

Here it is getting ready to go to St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild‘s first quilt show back in 2017.

And hanging in the show!

Well, that’s all I have on this one! I hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions, I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Products used and recommended

I was asked a number of times about where I found the pattern, so I finally wrote one in 2018. We tend to like large quilts since everyone in my family is tall, so I wrote the pattern in two sizes.  The throw version is 56″ x 63″ and the larger quilt is 70″ x 84″.  

Since Sphere was no longer available, I decided to make a scrappy version so you could use any fabrics you like. I made this one in the larger size and my very patient husband held it while I took many, many photos!

One of my quilting buddies, Annie Cook, tested it and made one as a gift. It turned out super cute! She is a wonderful longarm quilter in the St. Louis area if you’re looking for someone! You can see her amazing work on Instagram @aecquilts.

And finally, I had gotten a bundle of Lavish by Katarina Roccella for Art Gallery Fabrics and wanted to do a version where the lights in the lanterns were all different colors rather than just the yellow.  This fabric line is just gorgeous.

I quilted it with loops and stars.

And used this adorable lightening bug fabric to go along with it.

Here they are hanging in St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild quilt shows!

It the first one is now in it’s permanent home with the mom of one of my old friends, who was one of the many, many victims of Hurricane Harvey.

If you’d like to make one yourself, Paper Lanterns is a fun quilt to make and is beginner friendly. You can find it in my Etsy shop! #paperlanternsquilt

Thanks for stopping by!

Here is a round up of some Valentine’s Day crafts and treats that caught my eye.

Diy Art

Painting is not really in my wheelhouse but I think these Love Letters from We Lived Happily Ever After are just gorgeous and would love to give them a try.

I’ve always wanted to do one of these string art projects. This one is over at Green Wedding Shoes is really cute!

How about some Scrabble tile inspired coasters from blue I style?

Hand Sewing

I just LOVE these mini hoop hearts by Laurenmakes. They are super simple but striking. I think they are so adorable and they are on the top of my make list right now!

And how cute is this little felt love note hoop by Amy Chappell from Ameroonie Designs at the Polka Dot Chair.

Machine Sewing

I also found a couple of adorable pillows to add to my Valentine pillow collection. First up is this adorable Love You Pillow by Amanda at JediCraftGirl guest blogging at Amy Smart’s Diary of A Quilter.

And how about this cute heart pillow by Anna from Noodlehead guest blogging on U-CreateCrafts.

I don’t really sew plushies but these Love Koi by Sew Desu Ne? on Blueprint are making me rethink that!

I also saw this felt heart table runner at Pottery Barn Kids. This would be so simple and cheap to make and they want $39.00 bucks for it?

I LOVE this one by Center Street Quilts. I might need to make one of these!

Sweet Treats

How about some delicious treats? I love a quick and simple yummy treat and this bark from Lauren at Delish looks amazing.

And who doesn’t love a yummy Rice Krispy treat? These from Midwest Living look so good!

I’ll wrap up this post with these Cookies ‘n Cream Strawberry Cheesecake Bars from Creme de la Crumb look amazing! I think I may be able to get Sam into making these with me!

You can find my treat bag tutorial here.

My Valentine pillow covers sew up quick! You can find the patterns here. They are on sale all through February.

And if you’re looking for a little bigger project, try out this Flying Home pattern. It is 30% off all month long.

I’ve also been meaning to make a Valentine version of my Christmas Cards quilt using some reds and pinks and calling it Love Notes. Can you see it? You can find the pattern here.

I hope these ideas have you inspired! I know I am, and I think I have a few ideas of my own!

Krista

Shop Related items

This was a traveling quilt I was part of where I started with a block (the New York Beauty Circle of Flying Geese by Better Off Thread. The quilt then went to each of the participants who added part of the quilt. When I got it back, it was still a bit small so I added a column to either side and the bottom row.

At the time, I didn’t really make quilts on commission but she’s special, so I said yes. I’m so glad I did. It was such a fun quilt to make! I started her quilt off with a New York Beauty Circle of Flying Geese by Better Off Thread, too. It is such a stunning quilt block!

The only thing she really asked me to make was a shamrock because we are Irish from my Nana who was a McAuliffe.  So that was next. The green I used reminded me of the wicker bedroom furniture she had when we were kids. The block is by trilliumdesign and it’s called Lucky Shamrock.

She also loves the theater and lives near New York City, so the next couple blocks were a given. You can find the Wicked block at Fandom in Stitches. They have a paper pieced Playbill block, too, but I made my own applique block.

Polly is also a world traveler so I searched around for some cool travel related blocks. I found the great wall of China by Quilt Art Designs.

And the Sphinx was by Quilt Art Designs as well.

Polly said one of her favorite places was Angkor Wat so I found a photo and did an applique of its silhouette.

Our family is from Pittsburgh and all big Steeler fans so I had to do a block for them. This block was also from Fandom in Stiches.
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I wanted a globe to add for her travel as well so I printed out a coloring page of a globe and then one of the earth that I liked and adjusted the sizes. Then I cut them out and appliqued them on.

The last couple really special blocks were Gandy, her Guinea Pig. I used this Hamster block by Sew Fresh Quilts.

Doesn’t it look like him?

And leopard print cheaters for my Nana and her mom. This pattern is Geek Glasses by SewWhatSherlock.

She loved a leopard print! Here is Nana with Polly, Terry, Sherry, and Aimee, my mom & my aunts.

Then I laid out my main blocks to come up with placement.

Then I started adding in some other fun blocks to fill in the spaces. This is Singing in the Rain by The Tartan Kiwi.

I love these feathers and have made them a few times now. They are by Quiet Play.

This heart is also by Quiet Play.
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I also found this cool plane, Fly With Me, by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Art Gallery Fabrics from a blog post way back in 2012. Sorry I don’t have a better photo. I forgot to take some of these final blocks.

I also loved this paper boat. One of the stories I remember from Polly’s travels was being in a boat on the Nile in Egypt and the guide wanted them to sing show tunes like Gilligan’s Island and the Brady Bunch. So I wanted some kind of boat and this one is so cute. You can find the free pattern here at Fat Quarter Shop.

Next, I basted it. Look at the cool passport fabric Polly picked out. It is

Windham Fabrics Whistler Studios Passport Passport Stamps Fabric in Ocean.

Then I quilted it in this fun loopy meander with hearts.

Finally, it was bound, washed, and on it’s way to Hoboken to Polly.

It was such a fun quilt to work on and I was so happy that she loved it, too.

Have you done a traveling quilt or a collage quilt? What do you love about them? What don’t you like about them? I’d love to hear

Thanks so much for stopping by!

You can make a mini quilt to hang on your wall or make a bunch of them and put them together for a bookshelf quilt. You can add selvages for the book titles as I did in this one, hand or machine embroider titles, or leave blank. You can add a shelf underneath like the one above, string a few blocks together and then add your shelf, or leave it off. This is also a great project to use up some of those scraps!

If you want to add selvages as the book titles, you can cut your strips in half, add a piece of the block fabric to the top and bottom of the selvage like shown above so you just have a small piece showing your title. Add it to the center of the two strip halves and then trim the strip. This takes the quick out of this project but it is still easy! This tutorial is going to show you how to quickly make this block on the fly without really measuring anything. So, let’s get started.

First you’ll need some long trimmed strips in various widths and a large piece of background fabric with a straight edge. I cut about a 10″ or so by width of fabric of white Kona. Line the background fabric up on your machine and place a strip short edge down as shown. Stitch and add another.

And another…. and sew on until you’ve added all your strips.

Next, finger press strips open.

Now, turn and line up your ruler and beginning cutting out each strip.

Once you’ve cut out each strip, you can play with the layout making some books taller than others. I’ve kept out 4 strips, 3 to set sideways and 1 to lean.

Once you’ve arranged them to your liking, we need to trim. So line your ruler up along the bottom and trim.

And now the top.

Now, you’ll sew your strips together and press.

Now that we have our upright books done, we can add our sideways books. Focusing on the outside edge of the books, align as desired.

Now, line your ruler up and then add 1/4 inch for your seam allowance.

Carefully move the upright books leaving your ruler in place and trim. Now, sew these books together.

Now, we need to add background here. Place your ruler and add 1/4 inch seam at the bottom where it will meet the sideways books. Note your measurements. Mine were 9.75″ tall x 10.25″ wide.

Cut a piece of background fabric to that measurement.

And sew the background piece to your sideways books and then add this section to the first as shown.

Now, we are going to add our leaning book. Arrange your book as desired being sure the top is even and extends past the top of the others as shown so when you trim, it won’t be too small.

Trim the bottom even with the other books as shown.

Add some of the background fabric you cut away earlier to your leaning book on the side that will attach to your upright books. Don’t worry if it looks like this! We will be trimming again soon.

Now, lay your book block on top and adjust it as desired lining up the bottom edges of all the books.

Lay your ruler on top and add 1/4 inch seam allowance. Move your original block and trim the leaning block.

Here it is trimmed. Now you can sew this to the first piece.

Next, we need to add a little more background fabric to the outside edge to finish it off. Sitch a wide piece of background to the slanted book as show. The top edge needs to be wider than the bottom so we can square it off.

Now, trim and square it up. Your block is done!

You can embroider book names on the spines if you desire or leave them as is. I decided to make a mini quilt with this block. So, I made my quilt sandwich with my top, batting, and backing fabric. (If you’re new to this, make sure your backing fabric is right side DOWN. Make sure your batting is a little bigger than your block and your backing is a little bit bigger than your batting.

Baste as desired. I typically use pins.

Quilt as desired. This is a fun spot to practice different free motion quilting designs since you’re working with a little area and it makes the books all look different.

When that’s done, add your binding. I like to stitch to the front and had stitch to the back.

And here it is!

This really is such a fun project! I hope you enjoyed and I’d love to see yours! If you’re on Instagram use #bookshelfblock and tag me @fourrobbins so I can find you!If you have any questions, let me know! I’d be happy to help.

First, you will want to print and click the properties button.

Next, select the Page Setup tab and scroll to the right to find the Tiling/Poster option.

After selecting Tiling/Poster, you will see the Specify button and then change the Image Divisions to 16. If you go much smaller, the east coast states will be difficult.

You will see lines on the edges for you to match up the pages correctly.

Here is mine all taped together.

I used Steam-A-Seam 2 and traced the shapes onto my Steam-A-Seam sheets. Then cut out. I numbered my map and pieces to easily keep track of some of my state shapes but you can label as you like.

Peel off one side of the paper on your fusible web and sick to back of fabric. Then cut out shape.

Put in place and either line pieces up or do a slight overlap of the pieces as shown below. Once your pieces are where you want them, press in place. I pressed in place as I went along.

The Steam-A-Seam 2 is pretty permanent so it’s up to you if you want to stitch around each state or just quilt it at the end. I also added little hearts where we’ve lived as a family and where each of our family members were born. Next, I cut out (46) 3-1/2 ” squares and stitched together for the border. Then quilt as desired and bind to finish. I chose to just meander quilt the states rather than stitch around each one. I outline quilted the white area and then meandered again in the border. The final size is approximately 42″ x 32″.

Hope you like yours as much as I love mine! Use the #fourrobbinsquilts on Social Media so I can see you!

Krista

The t-shirt blocks were all different sizes and when I cut out the blocks they were all different widths. I decided to do something a little different and use them all anyway rather than the traditional grid of blocks. My first step was to back each block with Pellon 911 interfacing. It is adhesive and irons right on. This helps the blocks to not stretch out while you are sewing.

I decided to use Kona cotton in all different colors. I cut 2 inch strips out of each color I was using and lined each block with different colors. I laid out all my blocks until I got a layout that I liked, centering the blocks in each column.

Next, I measured my largest block in each column and add the appropriate width black strip on either side of each block in the column. I then joined the blocks using 1-1/4″ strip between each block. I added black to the top and bottom of each column to make them the same height. Then I joined each column using a 1-1/4″ sashing strips. I finished the top by adding black sashing on left and right edges to finish at my desired width.

I did make one mistake but did not discover it until my columns were all done — and that is my left column was NOT the same length as the rest! That’s what you get from improv sometimes. I had bought some Cotton + Steel Paper fabric, Bandana Panda Bebe, and had wanted to use it somehow because Andi’s nickname has always been Panda (from Andy Panda). Well, my friend Joanna, @quiltamomma, had just taught me how to do needle turn applique and I had ended up with a big black rectangle there in the bottom left so I added his name. We’ll just pretend I meant to do that (wink wink). Then I finished it off music fabric for the backing and Dr. Who fabric for the binding and did a loopy meander for the quilting.

I love how it turned out!

I originally designed this quilt for a friend but I had quite a few requests for a pattern so I decided to write it up.  It comes with three sizes: baby/lap size, throw, and large.  With large, easy blocks, this is a super fast quilt to make and perfect for beginners.

I hope you like it! You can find it in my Etsy shop! And for the month of July, it is 40% off!

use #playfulpupsquilt on social media so I can find you.

Thanks for stopping by!