2020 Monthly Color Challenge quilt top

 It's the end of the 2020 Monthly Color Challenge and I have a quilt top!

This month's color was red and, due to the size of my fabric pieces, I reversed my dark and light reds.

The linkup at Jen's blog is still open this weekend to give you a chance to win one of the amazing prizes she gathered for this quilt along.

Jen has also supplied a setting for the blocks which is fantastic! Go see! Challenge Layout

I used stash for my fabrics and didn't have enough of most to make a go of her setting so I decided to try out my Summer Sampler setting pattern instead.

It made for a really big quilt! I like how picking the neutral colors for the setting makes the colors pop but also ties them together.

You can find the Summer Sampler Setting pattern in my online shop.

Happy to have a quilt top finish already in 2021!

Jen is doing it all again this year with a theme of veggies to inspire her color choices. January's block is already available so you can start today :)

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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November 2020 Monthly Color Challenge

Welcome to November! It's my turn as one of the feature bloggers for the 2020 Color Monthly Challenge designed by Patterns by Jen.

If you haven't joined the fun yet - it's not too late. All of the previous monthly blocks are available to purchase from Jen. This month's block will be free until the end of the month. 
2020 Monthly Color Challenge from Patterns by Jen

Monthly Color

Let's take a look at this month's color - buff. It's inspired by this month's bird, the buff-breasted sandpiper. You can read more about it at Jen's blog. This is not a color I had in my stash when I started this challenge! I wasn't even sure that there was fabric out there in this color - I had found a color blindspot. It's interesting how quilting let's you explore color and pattern in ways that your everyday life might not. I enjoy challenges like this one by Jen, because I know that once I find a new color, it magically starts to appear in my quilts!

Buff was part of the designer palette for the #quiltblockmania in July - you can find my free Sleeping Under the Stars block here.

And to a lesser degree, I was able to add buff to the center of my August #quiltblockmania block too. The Show Up and Shine block is free here.

November Block

To make this month's block from my stash, I really had to search to find fabric. I had bits here and there as it looks like when this color does arrive in my quilting space I use it up! Another sign that this was a color blindspot - not realizing the use of it :) )

In the end I used several different fabrics to put together my light and dark sections for the November block. I had enough of two fabrics to make one set of units; for the remaining units I moved the different fabrics using them to emphasize the design elements.

Visit Jen's blog to get the pattern for this month's block by clicking here
November 2020 Monthly Color Challenge block
Remember, it's free until the end of the month. 

Sponsors and Prizes

Jen has done an amazing job of getting prizes for this year's Monthly Color Challenge! The sponsors and prizes for this quarter include (click on the images to visit their websites)

pdf pattern from Said with Love

pdf pattern from For the love of geese

Fabric Bundle of over 60 fat quarters from P&B Textiles

Dream Blend - 70% Cotton 30% Poly - 60" x 60" from Quilters Dream Batting

Warm and Plush - 45" x 60" and1 package of Lite Steam - A - Seam 2 from Warm Company

3 1/2 yards of assorted fabric from Island Batik

Superior Thread S-Fine 50 andPDF Pattern from Patterns by Jen
Be sure to add your block to Jen's link up at the end of the month for your chance to win. The prizes will be for blocks linked up in October, November and December.  Prizes will be drawn in January. Good luck!

Featured Bloggers

There are several other bloggers featured this month - be sure to go and check out their blocks too.
Stephanie at Quilt'nParty
Becca at Pretty Piney Quilts
Alla at rainbows. bunnies. cupcakes.
Kathryn at Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio
Kathy at Kathy's Kwilts and More
Kris at Scrapdash
Joanne at Everybody Deserves a Quilt
and of course our designer, Jen at Patterns by Jen

TGIFF hostess this Friday

 

I'm also hosting the TGIFFriday link party this week - November 6. Come back on Friday to share your finish or to visit other blogs and see their finishes! You can find out more about the Thank Goodness it's Finished Friday here.

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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September 2020 Monthly Color Challenge

Welcome to September and to the Monthly Color Challenge!

I'm happy to be a featured blogger this month along with several others. If you take a quick look around my blog you'll see that I love color! 

What a great challenge this is - to use up fabrics in your stash (or not) and maybe even go outside your color comfort zone to create a block. I have to admit that I love more colors now than before I was a quilter. There are some colors that I use a LOT and others that sneak in sometimes only later to become a color that I rely on to add sparkle or contrast in my quilts.

I hope you have been enjoying the monthly challenges so far. If this is your first month, feel free to go back to Jen's blog and find all of the previous monthly challenges.

September Color

This month's color is Cinnamon representing the Cinnamon Teal.You can read more about this bird in Jen's post.

I used some fabrics that were from a deconstructed kit for a Christmas quilt. These fabrics remind me of cinnamon buns! It's amazing where you can find just the right fabrics when you go looking for them in your stash - maybe you have a kit that you'll probably never make now that's keeping some just right fabrics for you.

The contrast is subtle and I find that the scale of the different prints helps to enhance the contrast. This color definitely gets me in the mood for fall!

Trimming Tip

If I have a tip to offer for making this block, it would be about trimming the geese triangles; I learned a long time ago to start trimming on the open side of the geese unit - NOT the point! This way you can work at getting to the right size unit for piecing without trimming off the point. You want to have at least the 1/4" seam allowance on the outside of the point to make sure the point stays on your quilt top. This is pretty easy to achieve with the large units in this block, but it's good practice to trim from the wide side first so it's a habit when trimming any sized geese unit. 

You can also see in the photo above how on my first trim, the 45 degree line on my ruler is lined up with the inner goose triangle - this helps to keep the point in the center of the block. I trim the open side of the goose unit and the top edge at the same time, then rotate the block to do the last two sides.

Visit Patterns by Jen to download this month's block pattern.

Prizes and Sponsors

This year the prizes will be given out quarterly.  To enter, you must link up a color challenge block each month - one block link up per month, per quilter. If you link up each month during the quarter you will have three chances to win.

Prizes for this quarter will be randomly selected on October 1.

The Link up takes place on Patterns by Jen's blog.

This quarter's sponsors are:

PDF Pattern from Quilter Chic

pattern and grunge bundle from Carole Lyles Shaw

Superior Thread S-Fine 50 and Magic Wand from Patterns by Jen

PDF Pattern from For the Love of Geese

Dream 80/20 - 60" x 60" from Quilters Dream Batting

Fabric Bundle from the Fat Quarter Shop

6 month subscription from Make Modern magazine

Warm 80/20 - 55" x 60" and

1 yard Insul-Bright from the Warm Company

Remember to link up at Jen's blog at the end of the month for your chance to win!

Go check out the other September Monthly Color Challenge bloggers:

https://www.piecefulthoughts.com

https://scrapdash.com

https://rainbowsbunniescupcakes.blogspot.com

https://utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com (Textile Time Travels)

https://www.tamarinis.com

https://patternsbyjen.blogspot.com

Sew Joy Sew Along

I am just finishing with my first sew along with my Dropping In pattern.

 You can find all the details and links to the posts here.

Sew Along with Dropping In pattern

 It's never too late to join :)

 

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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August Monthly Color Challenge

 August is here! Time is flying or at least summertime is as the days and nights blend into each other. It's time for another monthly color challenge from Jen - and this time it's pink!

Jen has an affinity for flamingos which is the bird inspiration for this month's block. Read all about it over at Jen's blog.

Pink is a color that I didn't really embrace until after I started quilting and even then, I started with light pink. Now pink has become one of my favorites! It adds a punch of brightness and can really add to a quilt's overall design. I'm almost positive there's a pink out there for everyone ;)

My block this month is made of two fat quarters I had in my stash. It took a bit of choosing to make sure there was enough contrast between my pinks and that they would read light and dark when beside each other.  

I couldn't resist taking a photo of the pink block with my new pink outdoor shoes - they are my Mother's Day gift from my daughter this year. I love them! They are getting a lot of use right now while I enjoy the warm weather and my pool.

The block pattern is free at Jen's blog until the end of the month - click to go to her blog to get the pattern.

Remember there will be a link up at the end of the  month and posting your block at Jen's link up enters you to win some great quarterly prizes! Prizes for July, August and September blocks will be drawn on October 1.

There are several bloggers showing off their pink blocks this month - go visit and see.

Ky Whittaker Creations

Quilts by Joanne

Pamela Quilts

Sweet Boater Chick

Anja Quilts

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Kathleen McMusing

Patterns by Jen

This month's block is easy so there's really no reason not to join us in the challenge ;)

Take care and stay safe,

Sarah V.

There's easy piecing to be had in my Dropping In pattern too! I'm hosting a sew along for it right now. But anytime you read this post you're welcome to join in - click here for the sew along introductory post to read all about it!

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July Monthly Color Challenge

The color for this month's challenge is rust. Not a color I collect in my stash, but I did manage to play within the guidelines to create my block this month.

I found this fabric in my stash that I'm sure my dad bought for me. I love the pineapples and the pink! I realized that I probably pulled this fabric at the beginning of the year because of the birds.

I decided to try my hand at fussycutting the pair of birds for the center block. Not bad on my second try ;)

For the rest of the dark rust pieces I intentionally avoided cutting out distinct shapes so that when the block was together it would just look like a print. I have some fabric leftover if I really want to use a pineapple another time - in fact, I think my dad bought me this fabric in the blue colorway too!

The light rust fabric I've had forever. I remember using it as a sashing fabric for a quilt my sister and I made my parents many years ago (not even sure it's on the blog!) Happy to use up more of it and, maybe not, surprised to find I have some left. It's one of  'those' fabrics that never seems to run out.

This month's block is still available to download for free from Jen's blog.

July 2020 Monthly Color Challenge

You can also check out the feature bloggers this month to see any tips they offer for making the block.

Wendy - Pieceful Thoughts

Claudia - Create with Claudia

Kathleen - Kathleen McMusing

Stephanie - Steph Jacobson Designs

Sandra - Textile Time Travels

Fawn - Quilty Creations By Fawn

Stephanie - Quilt'n Party

Complete your block by the end of the month and add it to Jen's linkup to be in the running for a whole bunch of great prizes! Prizes are awarded quarterly so this month starts a new round. You can see the prizes and sponsors at Jen's monthly post here.

With Joy,

Sarah V.

p.s. Do you have your Dropping In quilt pattern yet? You're invited to join my first sew along using the Dropping In quilt pattern - you can get it here. Plus, there's a kit available. Details are here :)

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June 2020 Monthly Color Challenge

We are finally at the middle of the year! Hard to believe as the last few months have felt a bit surreal. Thank goodness we have colorful fabric to play with!

For June, Jen gave us blue as the challenge color.  A perfect time of year for it as we take time to notice the sky changing color, getting brighter earlier in the morning and full of life as the birds sing to us.

I was grateful to have a sunny day to take photos of my block by the pool. Yep! I went in for the first time yesterday. Looking forward to going in again today ;)

If you look carefully at my dark blue sections, you'll see that I ended up having to piece one because I cut my fabric wrong. At least it isn't too obvious. I do this sometimes anyway when I really want to use a scrap of a certain fabric and I have to cut it up and piece it to make it the right size for the project. 

And I used two different light blues with different scales of print. 

Overall I think this is a very summery looking blue block!

Here it is outside with the first 5 blocks to give me - half of the blocks for this quilt done :)

Remember, this block's month is free until next month!

You can go to Jen's blog and follow her link to download it.

Patterns by Jen June Montly Color Challenge

{where you'll also see that I've rotated my block from her original direction!}

At the end of the month, Jen hosts a linkup and has GREAT prizes for each quarter!

 Go find some blue in your stash and make a happy blue block.

Voting starts next week to pick 1 of 3 of my patterns

 to sew together in August!

Stay up to date with all the joy that we are making on purpose right now.

Join my newsletter by clicking on the button below to subscribe.

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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May Monthly Color Challenge block and More!

I've been busy in my quilt room and so close to a finish! I'll try to catch you up on a few things in this post. 

Monthly Color Challenge

Before it's too late, here's my block for the Monthly Color Challenge.

This month Jen had us working with green. I am using the fabrics that I have on hand (actually, the fabrics that I had on hand in January!) and I don't have much green in my stash. I reversed the light and dark green color placement this month because of it. I do like the dark background and think the black background with bright pinwheels would make a fun quilt - and look like fireworks!

The link up is already up for this month - click here to go and enter your block.

Monthly Color Challenge May linkup

The month isn't over yet, so you still have time to make May's block (and get it free!)

Visit this post on Jen's blog to get the May block:

May Monthly Color Challenge 2020 block

What else have I been working on?

It might be quicker to list what I haven't, but not as much fun :)

Upcycled Pillow

My daughter has been at our place for the last while. This pillow has been planned by me for a long time. I picked up this pair of cat napkins for her somewhere sometime ago with the plan to make them into a pillow. Cleaning up lately brought them back up to the surface and we went for it! I also found some fabric that felt like muslin and we used it to make a pillow form. My daughter stuffed it with the batting trimmings from quilts that I had been saving. I had just enough! I used a zipper I had in my stash and the pillow is finally made! 

Jelly Roll Quilt

I did get to making all of the blocks for the Rainbow jelly roll quilt along hosted by Ruby Star Society. I can't believe I finally used my Prayer Flag jelly roll!

I cut one of the blocks so far and am really thrilled with it. I'm waiting to cut and trim them all until I can actually put them all together. The seams are all on the bias now and the blocks will definitely stretch if I let them sit. Maybe next month I can get this quilt together?

Stash Building

I have been doing a little bit of online shopping in addition to supporting my local quilt shop. These beautiful half yards of Kim Diehl fabric came from another Ontario quilt shop. I love them!

This print in particular caught my eye when I went through the bunch - do you see the litte pink 'S's too?!

Rainbow Quilt

I have spent most of my time this month getting this quilt made. My daughter and I worked on making Pat Sloan's magical quilty May quilt - a rainbow quilt! Believe it or not the quilt is done AND quilted!

Next up is to attach this double sided binding - another first for me! I followed Margot from the Pattern Basket's tutorial for this (and then did a lot of changing things up). Her photos made it click and I'm hoping it all works out :)

The Pattern Basket:Come Bind with Me

Sew Along

And I've been working on this! I sent out a survey to my newsletter subscribers to ask what they would like to sew with me. Sewing one of my patterns together got the most votes!

The sew along won't start until August because I will be using new fabric by Christa Watson that comes out in July called Good Vibes. We chatted and plans are in the works to offer a KIT too!

Now to decide which pattern! I'll be asking my newsletter subscribers to vote on this so be sure to have your vote included by subscribing.

The sew along will be hosted here on my blog, but I'm sure I will be chatting about it in my newsletter too. Sign up to read things I only share there including my list of links to enjoy. 

Okay. Back to the machine!

Sew what you can with

 what you have and 

fill up your creative well.

 Stay safe and stay healthy.

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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