Two Cake Blocks

I fell behind a week in my Layer Cake posting.

Here is Block 10 done in Prayer Flag by April Cornell.

Here is Block 10 done in Bejeweled by Susie Robins.
I think this block would look really good with 4 set together with the leaves joined in the centre. You could make a nice Christmas cactus table topper.




I had enough days off this past week to get one Block 11 done!
It`s a bit tricky to get the different sections to fit. Some seams need to be pressed open - others need to be pressed together.
I also used one whole blue layer cake square and some extra because I fussy cut to keep the motif going in the same direction. The pieces can be cut from one square if directionality is not an issue.




These are all the layer cake squares and scraps that I have left. I intentionally used some scraps for one of the colours in Block 11 to keep 4 whole layer cake squares for the last block.




I had lots of fun making this pillow cover with some of my layer cake scraps! I made this coordinating pillow cover as part of the Book-a-Round I participated in for Kay Mackenzie`s new applique book.



Today is the last day of the tour. Visit Kay`s blog for more info.

Maybe I will make an applique sampler quilt someday soon.


With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Full Design Walls this Monday!

My computer is still away, hopefully to be fixed soon as my husband needs his laptop back for work. But I am trying to carry on and even have something on my design wall this morning!

I put back up my folk art wallhanging because I have all of the pieces pinned to it and it was starting to not like being folded up on my table. I blogged about this project here.

Beneath is another Block 10 for the Layer Cake Quilt Along. This is made up of fabrics from the fat quarter collection I'm using called "Bejewled" by Susie Robins. You can click on the logo for the Layer Cake Quilt Along on my sidebar to see more. I also have a flickr set of the blocks that I've completed.




My second design wall {which will have to be removed as soon as the weather is nicer and we want to sit on the front porch!} has up the background for Pat Sloan's Happiness Key mystery. I bought her kit and love the fabrics. I will get to the lettering and the second step next month.

To see some more design walls, check out the links through Judy's blog. She's trying out a new link system and you can see a photo from each blog before you click!

Remember, tomorrow is the beginning of the Book-a-Round tour for Kay Mackenzie's new book. You can click to find out more on my sidebar. I'll be hosting a day of the tour HERE next week!!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Back to Cake - Block 8

It's time for Block 8 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along hosted at Moose on the Porch Quilts.

It took me longer to choose and cut my fabrics than to make the block this time.


As you can see on the pattern printout, there are two layouts for the block shown. I'm sure you could play around and make more, but I decided I would do one of each. For my fat quarter quilt I decided to do Layout 1. In the photo above I was still deciding which of the dot prints I wanted to use. There is a lot of green running through my background print, so I went with the more purple one.

Next was to cut out my background squares from this busy, large, random print. In this photo, if you look at the fabric to the left of the ruler and count by 5 along the grid of my cutting mat, you can see that I would end up with 5 inch squares that looked quite different from each other.


Turning the fabric the other direction, I now end up with 5 inch squares that have larger motifs in them. These squares will be cut in half in the quilt.

The centre of the block will be cut in 4 so I really wanted the original square of fabric to be full of colours and little of the beige background. In the photo above, this is the blue/purple ornament that I thought I wanted in the centre. It would match my other fabric really well.


But then I glanced to my left and saw the other corner of the fabric. Look at all of the little circles! Cutting this square smaller would make it look like another print.

Here is the block completed. Can you see where the smaller motifs ended up?
I'm really glad I took the time to play with my print to see what it could offer me in terms of adding to the design. This has been a challenging fabric line with so many prints and some of the directional stripes, which I avoided in this block!

Here are my planned fabrics for the second Block 8 done with my layer cake of Prayer Flags by April Cornell. I'm planning to do the second layout and use 3 fabrics.

This block will wait until next week as I have a lot of quilting to do!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

p.s. Please don't use my measurements indicated with my photos to cut your block!! These measurements are the ones I *think* about while cutting, not the actual sizes of the squares. The 5 inch squares I mention are actually *cut* at 4.5. The 4.5 square I label in the photo is actually *cut* at 5, becomes 4.5 inches in the block before it is cut again. Sorry! I don't mean to confuse you, I was just sharing my cutting process for this block:)

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Celebrate with Cake!

FOLLOWERS TAKE NOTE!:
I've taken the 'big' step and got my own domain name.
My blog is now located at http://www.sewjoycreations.com/
Your links to sewjoy.blogspot.com will still work,
BUT, you might want to update!:)

BIGGER plans are in the works too. I'm planning on getting smaller:) and more focused at creating with colour. I hope you'll stick around and play too!



My little one is almost back up to full speed which means my sewing time will be limited again, but for a better reason! Ha! Seriously, I missed his busyness.

I finished sewing together my first Block 7 for the Layer Cake Quilt Along today. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The pressing instructions really made it go together smoothly.

I even got my second Block 7 cut out today! I was excited to get to use a stripe in the outside border:) I still might switch around the two larger triangles to see if I want the green as the main focus 'wheel', but usually, my first gut instinct about where to put the busy print is right!;)





Take time to celebrate today. I'll share more joy tomorrow!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Cake Talk - Halfway Done

The Layer Cake Quilt Along with Moose on the Porch Quilts is half way done.

My fat quarter Block 6

{fabric is Bejeweled by Susie Robbins}

I like that I got to use some of my busiest prints in this block and it still looks good. It really helps that this mix of fabrics has lots of solid reading prints.

My Layer Cake Block 6

{fabric is Prayer Flag by April Cornell}

I reversed this block's orientation to make the center units look like prayer flags. I used up lots of strips cut from blocks that I've already made for this one. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Here are what my first 6 blocks look like together
{remember they will have sashing when made into a quilt top]

Prayer Flag First Six Blocks

Bejeweled First Six Blocks

I'm really looking forward to both of these quilts!
It's not too late to join in the fun. Click over to Moose on the Porch Quilts to find all of the block patterns.


With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Catching Up

Layer Cake Quilt Along Block Four.
Fabric is Prayer Flag by April Cornell.


Layer Cake Quilt Along Block Four made with Fat quarters of Bejeweled by Susie Robbins.


Block Five is already up. I still have to pick out my fabrics for them.




I am trying to catch up and tidy up to get ready for the great luau this weekend!
Pat Sloan is hosting a UFO busting party. Check out her blog for more info.





There's still time to enter my giveaway for a free, 1 year subscription to The Quilt Pattern Magazine. Click here to enter. I'll be drawing my winner on January 3rd, 2011.


Here's a photo of the bright fabrics I received from my sister for Christmas. My stash is filling in again! Thanks sis, love all the butterfly prints. She made me the bag underneath too.


Here is the bag with all of the fabric inside. It's a perfect size for storing a project in. Thanks, sis!


I'll share more of my Christmas gifts given and received over the next few weeks.



With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Cake Talk - Never too Busy for Cake!!

It's still Tuesday, right?

Here are my first three blocks for the Layer Cake Quilt Along done with my April Cornell Prayer Flags layer cake.




Here are the same blocks done with Bejeweled by Susie Robbins.


Instructions for Block 4 went up at Moose on the Porch Quilts today.

While I am busy sewing Christmas gifts, I did take a few minutes to read the directions and pick out some fabrics.


I have 2 layer cake pieces of the blue, so I'm going to use them as the background fabric. I'm trying to get some green into the blocks before I end up with just green and coral pieces to choose from. I plan to centre the motif on the large print as the star centre.




With the fat quarters I'm planning to use the busy print as the background, with the blue as the star centre and green as the points. Instead of cutting 2 sets of triangles for the corner, I'm planning to use this stripe again because I think it will have the same effect with less cutting:)

Remember you can always check out the flickr pool to see what fabrics other people are using. It's a great place to see how value, as well as the busyness of a print, affect the look of a block.



With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Cake Talk - Designing

It's been really cool {and nerve racking} to see the photos of the basket block for the Layer Cake Quilt Along as they get made and posted to the flickr pool.

I thought I'd share the process I went through when I designed this block - with lots of pictures!
Already you can see from the first photo that I had 2 handle options figured out.
But, let's start at the beginning. . .




First I started to doodle with symmetrical shapes in different grids.
I brainstormed ideas for a finished 12 inch block.
I wanted the block to "be" something - butterfly, flower . . . basket!
I love basket blocks and got really excited thinking I could make a basket block for the sampler.




Then I worked on a basket that was simple - meaning no applique and not turned on point.
A beginner friendly block.
And, one without too many pieces because I knew the seam allowances would take away from useable fabric and shrink the size of my block.
You can see in the top left my initial drawing for the basket block.

You can also see that I design on paper, with pencil.
I tend to let my ideas go all over the place before I settle on something to explore.

I draw then think, and think, then draw.

I have thought about working with EQ7, but I'm not yet.
I think it could be really useful for once I have an idea figured out, and want to explore changing sizes, adding an alternate block, or playing with settings and colours.
But so far, I do it the old fashioned way:)




Here is my test block. I used fabrics other than the ones from my Layer Cake in case it didn't work out. In case I changed my mind:)
I really like this block {you can see a lot of similar ones at the flickr pool too!}

To this point, designing the block had taken less than 2 days and only one sewing session.
It felt too good to be true!
Sooooo, I went back and read the "rules" I needed to follow.

OOOPS!

This is when I read the little fact about NOT using the background yardage in the block - it was to be all layer cake fabrics!




This is my cutting chart. It's been hacked at and pieces renamed, but still, it's mine:)
I reworked the block and discovered I needed to make a decision about the handle.
I couldn't figure out how to make the half square triangles needed to make the handle out of my layer cake material. I just ran out of pieces.



This was hard for me. A tricky design decision.
I really liked my first idea.
I knew it would work with the fat quarters - no problem.
I could put out BOTH blocks and people could choose.
But, I was to design only one block and I felt it wasn't right to put out both handles - because it's kind of 2 blocks, yes?
My block was designed for the layer cake, so I opted to go with the more squarish looking handle.
That way, I reasoned, if someone was going back to the pattern later with a layer cake, it would be easy to do. And if someone was just starting quilting, one set of instructions is more than enough:)
I did include different cutting directions for the fat quarter to save on fabric and piecing, but it was for the same block. I felt good about it.


Part of me was/is really frustrated when I see the 'original' design popping up, but then most of me is really happy that those that could do it, did do it!

This is part of the behind the scenes stuff I work through on my own,
in my head,
in my own little space,
while I watch the needle go up and down connecting fabrics.

Then I put my design out there and wave good-bye, grateful for the waiting quilters!



With Joy,
Sarah Vee

P.S. I'd like to thank my readers who left me questions about designing. I hope I answered some for you in this post, and I will go back through them and answer more in future posts. Thanks for commenting!

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Cake Talk - My Turn to Create a Block!

Today is the day I share my Layer Cake Quilt Along block with you!

It's a basket block!

Please visit Moose on the Porch Quilts
where you will find out a bit more about me
and the instructions for making the block.

I've included separate cutting instructions if you're using fat quarters.
They are at the end of the instructions you'll find at Konda's blog.

Remember, you can post a picture of your finished block at the Layer Cake Quilt Along Flickr pool. Post it before the next block comes out to be entered to win a prize!





With Lots of Joy,
Sarah Vee

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A Second Look at Cake

Here is Block 2 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along done in my fat quarter collection.


I had initially planned - and started to cut - this large ornament print with a light background. As you can see, the fussy cut ornaments were smaller than 3 7/8" leaving a lot of background in the squares.
I decided that this block needs all the contrast I can give it, so switched my fabric choices.

I guess, to keep going with the dating analogies, it's like deciding not to try out your newest print blouse and instead sticking with your little black dress!


Here are my block 2s together.

Now back to gift making!

With Joy,
Sarah V

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Cake Talk Tuesday - Date Choices

The next block is up today for the Layer Cake Quilt Along.
Visit Moose on the Porch Quilts for details.

I read the block info and then went through my layer cake quickly to pick out some fabrics.
This is where the dating idea starts in this post!:)

3 Lights and 2 Darks are required for this week's block. I picked out 1 print in 2 different colourways. There are more colourways, but not with a light background - so I picked this paisley print as my third light because - it has the blue and yellow in it, and it has a light cream background. I think there is enough 'white space' for it to read as a light print.

So who to pick to DATE these light fabrics?

Well, their partners should have something in common with them - blue and green.
The partners should be different enough to make a date interesting!
I picked a green tone on tone paisley and a blue with a large repeat motif.
I'm hoping they partner up nicely:)




I also have a backup date or partner.
In case the green one doesn't get along as nice as I planned -
or is too boring and I want to spice it up a bit!:)
The yellow has the same repeat motif as the blue, and is in the light prints.

We'll see what I decide when we all sit down together at the cutting table!



For my fat quarter block, the choice was a lot simpler because there are not as many lights to pick from. I went for the busier cream tone on tone (not really, more like gold tone on cream) and the light background large print. I should have enough of this one print for all the blocks.


I think it will be fun fussy cutting the bright, large ornaments for the block. I put my 6 inch ruler on top in the photo above so you can see how big the ornaments are; I will need to cut 3 7/8" squares then cut once on the diagonal.

Stay tuned! I'll let you know how these dates went next week:)

A GIVEAWAY BONUS!
Giveaway is now Closed! Thanks for your help:)

My turn will be coming up {really soon!} as a designer in the Layer Cake Quilt Along.
Leave me a question you'd like me to answer - a 'take a designer on a date' kind of question
{A PG rated question, too!}

I will go through and pick 1 to 3 questions that I'll include in my blog post on my Quilt Along day. {No Random Generator or computer matches here}
If I pick your question to answer, I'll send you a little something. Something better than a 'thanks for a special evening' phone call. Promise:)

Leave your Date Question on this post.
You need to have a way for me to contact you to win too {no blind dates!}
I'll pick questions

EDITED:by Saturday evening, Nov. 20th.
*If there's only 3 comments - they will be the winners!!*

Winners will be revealed on my Quilt Along day.
Ask Away!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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