Majestic! - Riley Blake Designs Challenge Quilt

Here is my finally finished 2022 Riley Blake Design Block Challenge quilt - Majestic! It is destined for my nephew, who loves to hunt. Gary was born to my oldest brother and his wife when I was 8 years old, so he has always seemed more like a little brother to me. Gary and his family live in Oklahoma, not far from the town where we both grew up. I made a quilt for his wife Shelli back in 2016, and you can read about that here. Gary is the father of Cory, whose wedding quilt I recently made, detailed here.

Pinned to my design board

I really like the blocks presented for the RBD quilt-alongs, and I also made a quilt for last year's challenge, posted here. It is a fun challenge for me because I enjoy the format of one block per week for three weeks, then one week off, and I like almost all the blocks presented by various bloggers. All the fabric requirements and block patterns are parked on one page and easily accessible. It is a well-run QAL, in my opinion. And the next RBD Block Challenge begins on January 3 - details right here!

After finishing the blocks, I was undecided about a layout. I had purchased this deer panel for the back, but after fussing a bit with a layout, I decided to let it be front center and place the blocks around it. I think he looks majestic, hence the name of the quilt. Everything was just too "square", so I decided to set the blocks on point with some dark brown Grunge as setting triangles. This increased the block size from 10-1/4 to 14-1/2 and made for a larger quilt - and that was fine with me.

I wish I had changed out one block - the second one from the left - and redone it with more contrast.

Once the blocks were finished, I needed sashing to make the dark blocks pop. I added 2-inch strips of the background fabric, Decostitch in Cloud, between blocks and around the panel. I had to order more fabric from Fat Quarter Shop (which is here in Texas and came a little faster!)

While I waited, I coaxed Toby off the backing fabric and pieced a backing. that I had purchased from That's So Janice, the Etsy shop of  Janice at Color, Creating, and Quilting. Janice carries older and out of print fabrics for very reasonable prices, and I got 6 yards of this soft paisley flannel for $6.00/yard!

For quilting, I decided on a design that is less dense and fits right into the theme of the quilt - Maple Leaves. Once I finished, I wish I had found a variegated thread to blend, but I am still pleased with the overall effect. I did make mistakes with positioning, and in one spot two of the leaves were about an inch off. I showed it to my husband, and he laughed and said in all his life he had never even looked at the quilting on a quilt and that no one but me would notice! So I left it as is and simply corrected the next row, and he's right - I don't notice it!

My husband suggested the flannel backing as binding, and it turned out to be the perfect choice!

I decided to go ahead and launder it, to make it crinkly and to make sure none of the red fabrics on some of the blocks faded (they didn't). Toby jumped right up afterward and slept there for 2 hours! Gary's daughter (who lives about 20 miles from me) will deliver both The Wedding Quilt as well as this quilt to my nephew when she drives to Oklahoma for Christmas later this week.

Quilt Details:

Front fabrics:

"Close Encounter" panel, artwork by Jack Paluh for Marshall Dry Goods

Decostitch Elements in Cloud by Art Gallery

Various fabrics from stash

Hot Cocoa Grunge by Basic Grey for Moda

Backing and binding:

Vintage flannel paisley by Peter Pan Fabrics

Superior Threads So Fine

Piecing: #503 Genoa Gray and #402 Pearl, both 50 wt

Quilting: #402 Pearl

Binding: #425 Brown Sugar

Quilt Pantograph: 

Maple  Leaves from Urban Elementz

Finished size:

65" by 83" before laundering

63" by 78" after laundering

I am linking up with Joy's Monday This and That and Melva's Sew and Tell!

2022 Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange - My Day!

It is Day 3 of the 2022 Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange, and today is my day along with six other bloggers - see below for a list of others participating today and tomorrow. A big thank you to Carol at Just Let Me Quilt for hosting this annual fun event! Today I am sharing rag edged Christmas stockings and two recipes, so grab a cup of hot cocoa and come on in!

Rag edged Christmas stockings for my daughter and The Littles!

My daughter often sparks my creative juices, and she recently asked me if I could make Christmas stockings like some she had seen on Amazon. This is her first Christmas as a single Mom, and I know she wants to make Christmas as homey and fun for The Littles as she possibly can, so I said "Yes I can make those for you!"

Stockings pictured on my 2021 SAHRR quilt

The company that carries the stockings is Jubilee Fabric. They also sell homespun fabric, so I ordered a yard of each of Jenni's choices, downloaded a pattern, and got busy.

I cut two pieces each for the front and back, sewed a piece of batting in between each, then quilted a simple crosshatch using variegated King Tut Holly and Ivy by Superior Threads.

I have never made a rag edged quilt and was glad to find instructions on their website on how to fray their homespun fabric. Front and back were sewn together with 5/8 inch seams. I clipped the edges with scissors every 1/2 inch, taking care not to cut into the seam. The instructions were to launder the stocking in order to agitate the edges to fray. I was nervous about the fabric shrinking too much, so I only wetted the edges and tossed the stockings into the dryer on delicate. There are still some un-frayed pieces, but all in all the edges frayed pretty well, and it has the "rag" look I was seeking. They were so easy to make!

I bought three designs of 1" wooden buttons, and  one will be sewn on each stocking after my daughter decides which of the three she likes best. She will hang a wooden initial letter on each button, and I hope to post an updated photo with them on her fireplace mantel!

Chocolate Toffee Bar

Today I am sharing a toffee bar recipe I first made in 2012. I found the recipe on Lynda's Recipe Box and showed my husband the photo. Twenty minutes later they were in the oven - lol! These bars have a buttery crust and a layer of caramel in between the crust and the chocolate topping. The original calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips but I use the whole 12 oz package (of course!). If you do not use salted butter (my preference in baking), be sure to add a pinch of salt to the crust and to the caramel. I use dark brown sugar, but you can use light brown sugar.

Chocolate Pecan Toffee Bars

Crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup salted butter

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Caramel layer:

2/3 cup salted butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

Topping:

1 - 12oz bag milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place crust ingredients in food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Pour into an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan and pack very firmly and evenly to form crust.

Cook caramel layer ingredients in saucepan over low to medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Pour over crust. Bake 18-22 minutes, until entire caramel layer is bubbly. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Let set for 2-3 minutes, then spread melted chocolate chips with knife or offset spatula. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, pressing nuts gently into chocolate. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Hash Brown Casserole

I decided to share a "savory" recipe too, just in case you need something to balance the sweet! If you want a good breakfast casserole for Christmas morning, this cheesy crumb-topped one is your recipe - it is tried and true at my house. You can find the recipe here on my Recipes page. I have made it for my family and for large crowds at church, and every last bit is always scraped out of the pan. We like it with sausage - my favorite is maple sausage - but it is good without meat too.

Click on these links today and tomorrow and see some fun Christmas projects and recipes! I've already found so much squirrel-spiration and yummy recipes!

Today

Inflorescence

Crazy'boutquilts

Patchouli Moon Studio

Texas Quilt Gal - that's me!

Pinker n' Punkin Quilting & Stitching

Needled Mom

Quilted Delights

 

December 8

Just Let Me Quilt

Quiltscapes

Songbird Designs

Patchwork Breeze

Quilt Schmilt

Homespun Hannah's Blog

Happy Cottage Quilter 

Remembering Pearl Harbor December 7, 1972

The Wedding Quilt Finish

At long last, here is The Wedding Quilt for my great nephew and his new bride! They were married last January in a beautiful winter setting in northeast Oklahoma.

My great-nephew Cory and his beautiful bride Brooklyn

Cory with his hat - lol - to cover his bald head!

I still remember Cory as a toddler, when he cried every time his Mama put him down. We thought he would grow up attached to her hip! He grew into such a good young man, and I think Brooklyn must be the girl of his dreams. Apparently he fell in love with her the first time he saw her, although they were "just friends" for a few months. After dating for two years, Cory popped the question, and the rest is history!

Pixelated Heart pattern by Amy Smart

My decision on a quilt pattern went through so many starts and stops, including Corey Yoder's Sprinkling, Slice of Pi's Exploding Heart, and Southern Charm Quilt's Lulu Louise before I finally decided on a simplified Pixelated Heart, a free pattern by Amy Smart. Since I already had 5-1/2 squares cut and ready to go, I just used her quilt photo as my guide to lay it all out.

Quilt back using yardage of Vert Fusion and a sage green buffalo check I had in my stash

My great nephew emailed this inspiration photo to me as Brooklyn's preferred colors

Bumble Beez by Art Gallery

Doiland Gloss Sparkler by Art Gallery

Lots of scrappiness with most of the neutrals from my stash

I actually had the fabric line, Vert Fusion by Art Gallery Fabrics, before I chose the pattern. My intention was to follow the inspiration photo above as closely as possible, but the colors are so muted that I decided to perk it up using Art Gallery's Bumble Beez and Doiland Gloss Sparkler to influence my choices. These fabrics add soft jade with hints of coral pink and ochre as well as provide some whimsy to the quilt. The neutrals and pops of color are from stash, with a big boost from Decostitch in Cloud, my favorite neutral.

Quilt progress was delayed by indecision, cataract surgery, procrastination, and fear of failure. Fortunately I overcame those obstacles and not only am I pleased with the outcome, but I also learned to "quilt from the back" using Longmire! A couple of you have wondered how that works. It involves putting the quilt on the frame, placing a pantograph on the table, using the rear handlebar, and positioning the laser beam from to trace the pattern on the pantograph while the needle stitches the pattern. You can see a demonstration of it right here.

My intent was to be true to the winter theme of their wedding, using snowflake fabric, text prints with sweet words, the silky elegant front, as well as a more homey theme on the back, and the name of the quilt pattern - "Drift", very appropriate for snow!

The weather has not cooperated for photos. My DIY guy suggested that foggy weather

was not the best for quilt photography, so I took the photos inside the house.

Toby putting last minute touches on draping the quilt

Rosie saw a wrinkle that Toby overlooked!

Cory's step-sister (my great-niece) lives near me and will see Cory and Brooklyn when she goes to Oklahoma for Christmas, so I will wait on mailing it and let her cart it to them. It is not only heavy for mailing, but I want to make sure it arrives intact!

QUILT DETAILS

Pattern inspiration: Pixelated Heart pattern by Amy Smart

Finished size: Approximately 76" wide x 80" tall

Front fabrics:

Vert Fusion layer cake by AGF (Art Gallery Fabrics)
India Ink from Kismet by Sharon Holland for AGF

Stamped from Paperie by Amy Sinibaldi for AGF

Spotted Graphite by Zen Chic for Moda

Decostitch in Cloud by AGF

Various fabrics from stash

Backing:

Sonic Flora Vert from Vert Fusion by AGF

Anew in Green Plaid with White/Cream by Brenda Riddle for Lecien

Binding:

Metallic snowflake fabric from Jo-Ann Fabrics

Superior Threads So Fine! 50 wt:

Piecing -#503 Genoa Gray

Quilting - #402 Pearl

Binding -  #152 Bisque and #1142 White Sand (30 wt)

Quilting:

Pantograph "Drift" by Keryn Emmerson

Toby lent his tail to the final shot

I am linking this post to Brenda's Monday Musings and PHD Update and Melva's Sew and Tell.

Indian Corn Quilt Finish

Presenting Indian Corn, my squirrel-spiration quilt for fall!

I started this quilt in September 2021 after being inspired by the colors in a cross stich photo posted on Instagram by Fat Quarter Shop and an internet photo of Indian Corn. I found the Irish chain-esque pattern in a pamphlet by Teri Christopherson of Black Mountain Needlework - Mad About Plaid.

The blocks are big at 15-1/2 inches unfinished and are placed in a 4 across-5 down grid.

When I make this quilt again, (I think it would be beautiful in Christmas colors) I would not follow the pattern instructions for the "chains". This pattern is designed for a quick make by strip piecing light and dark together see above left). Although the result is beautiful, this method created a lot of skew for me, and that affected the final assembly with many crooked and unmatched segments. I think I will more accuracy by sewing together two four-patches with two squares (see above right).

I finished the flimsy last November and had almost finished quilting when I ran out of the Magnifico gold thread I was using for the top. It was the week before Thanksgiving, and I had planned to have it displayed and ready to use when family came. I ordered the thread and it was not scheduled to arrive until the day before Thanksgiving, so I dejectedly put it away to finish later. Last week I pulled it out and was elated to finish the quilting - it was fun to see all the fabrics again!

Sunrise cast a warm glow on it!

This was a good scrap buster, and I had fun pulling fabrics from stash to use. I think these fall colors might be my favorite quilting colors.

My shadow approves of the gingham plaid backing in harvest colors 

Closeup of the backing and binding

Magnifico thread has a beautiful sheen 

Laundered and crinkly soft  for a cozy read with appropriately hued Jack

Quilt Details:

Finished pre-laundered size: 60 x 75 inches

Finished laundered size: 57.5 x 72 inches

Pattern: Indian Corn from Mad About Plaid

Quilting: All over meander on Longmire

Fabrics

Main:

Scraps and fabric from stash

Backing:

Harvest Plaid from Joann's Fabrics

Binding:

Petal Vines from the Harvest Moon Collection by Renee Nanneman for Andover Fabrics

Batting:

Quilters Dream Cotton Select Loft

Superior Threads:

So Fine #50 for piecing and binding:

Genoa Gray #503
Marigold #421

Black #411

Magnifico #40 for quilting:

Ingot #2068

I am linking to Melva's Sew and Tell on Melva Loves Scraps!