Shoo Fly Block Tutorial!

My first tutorial!

(Just a head's up:  I just noticed that there is another tutorial for a 12.5" version of this block on Svetlana's blog here.  She makes beautiful quilts, so hop over there if you'd like a bigger block. My tutorial here makes a block that turns out a little more than 10" square)

Disclaimer: I am not an expert, this is just the way I put this  block together.  If you use this tutorial and find I've made a mistake in calculations or instructions please leave a comment letting me know so I can correct it.  And if you make this block from my tutorial I'd love to see it! (and I am taking my pictures with an iPhone so I hope these pictures are clear enough for the instructions)

I used this Shoo Fly block for my month as queen of the Traveling Circles bee.  I had one package that went flying somewhere it wasn't supposed to go, so I'm putting the instructions up so those last couple blocks can be made, but I thought you might like to know how to make this.

I'm giving directions for making one block.  Then, you can do the math as to how many blocks you want to make your quilt! 

FOR ONE Shoo Fly BLOCK you will need:

(2) 4 1/4" white squares (for hst/corners)
(2) 4 1/4" print squares (for hst/corners)
(1) 3 3/4" white square (center)
(4) 3 3/4" print squares (for sides)


1) Pair each 4 1/4" white square with a print square of the same size.  Put right sides together and, with your ruler, draw a line through the middle diagonally (corner to corner)

2) Stitch 1/4" of each side of the line, cut on the line, and press your hst.  You can press open or to the side, whichever you like.

3) Now you have 4 hst's.  Trim each one to 3 3/4".  This is the most tedious part of the whole block because you have to do 1 hst at a time. 

4) Lay out your block and assemble.  I do this by sewing together the three rows (left to right), and then putting those three rows together.

Press your seams as you go, and then you should end up with a nice Shoo Fly block that measures about 10 1/4" square.

ENJOY!!

Oh, one last thing.  Just for reference, the pattern I got this block from was for a quilt 6 blocks by 9 blocks and was about 58" X 88".  It was a free pattern somewhere but I haven't been able to find it...if you know the one, would you let me know so I can link to it?  Thanks!! 

I am making mine 8 blocks by 10 blocks so it will obviously be larger, but I haven't done the math as to how big it'll turn out, but I'll be sure to share it when I'm done!! 

100 day Hustle List

Have you seen this new get together with link-ups and prizes and motivation and awesome from Kelsey here?

This is exactly what I need.  Though it might be a tad embarrassing to publish (part of) my list.   

But, thinking how awesome it'll be to start 2013 (in 100 days....freak out now) with a clean or cleaner slate is 100% of why I need this.

Here's my list.... I always put too much on the list.  Always. 

1. Finish this stack of tops on the chair next to my couch. 

In this stack there are 8 unfinished quilts.  7 tops matched with fabric to make backs with and 1 that I need to finish hand quilting.  Half of these are for my Etsy shop, 2 are for me, and 2 are for friends.  They need to be done.

2.  Quilt for my sister-in-law who is having baby boy #2 in November really close to my birthday!!  I've already picked the fabrics and the pattern. 

3.  Halloween quilt - I really want to sit under this one while I hand out Halloween candy...

4. Patchwork Prism QAL - yes....it's still not done.  My template's were off so I might stray from the pattern so I don't break my brain. 

5. Three charity quilts.  One is already a top, the other two are still blocks.  Need to either make more or do borders for those. 

6. I'd also like to keep afloat in all the bee's I'm in and so that's got to be on this list too. 

7.  Get my Hexy MF hexagons all sewn up. Maybe have the top finished. 

8. Farmer's Wife quilt blocks assessed, and a separate goal made for that one. 

9.  Matthew wants a Mario quilt for Christmas, but it might become a pillow.

10.  Halloween costumes - Mario, Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony.

11. Two wedding quilts that are way overdue need to get planned.  

12.  Make a Tova Tunic and Tank.  I already have the patterns and know the fabric I want to use, but time is the problem now.  And being a teeny bit scared of Garment sewing.  I want to have one to wear on Halloween though so that should be happening soon too. 

15.  A Christmas quilt or pillow or somethin' would be awesome.  

14.  Get the little lady face potty trained!  I know, not sewing related but this would really be awesome.  

Don't worry, this is only half my "real" list.  But that's enough for now. 

I can't believe this year has gone so fast.  I've already got a huge list of things I want to make next year! 

Been a while, huh?

Wow!  I had a more gloomy post all written up and then I dove into #talknt on twitter and now I feel sooooo much better! 

I can't tell you enough how much I love love love this sewing/quilting/crafty community.  Gush, gush, gush, it's fantastic! 

It still totally blows my mind that I can talk to people who have written my favorite patterns, my favorite books, and designed my favorite fabrics on twitter, and flickr, and through blogs.  It's so cool. 

So!  Here's a "quick" update.

I finished up this swap package for the Scrappy Bits Swap and mailed a bunch of stuff today.  I still have a bunch of bee blocks to finish before the month is out but that'll get going soon enough. 

(see that bag o'scraps in the top left?  it's a gallon bag with awesome scraps.  I still have about 4 big boxes full of similar scraps.  so if a listing like this interests you, the scraps in this picture are the kind of scraps you'd be getting.)

Fall is here and that's my favorite.  I LOVE Halloween, and if you follow me on Instagram (@mgriffin87) you'll see what I'm working on this week to bring my awesomeness back to it's full potential. 

I made myself a little zippy pouch with tabs! I'm in between bags and wallets right now and needed something to carry my cards and stuff in.  This works really well.  I love these fabrics so much! 

I'm starting Halloween costumes!  Matthew will be Mario (MarioKart Mario) and Abby is going to be Pinkie Pie of My Little Pony.  There's a tutorial over on Craftiness is Not Optional (you should check out her tutorial page anyway) on how to make this, which may or may not have influenced my Abby's decision on her costume this year.

I made Abby some new skirts from this lovely tutorial from Jill of Made with Moxie.  I wish it was this easy to spice up my wardrobe!  AND I learned how to do a French Seam.  Fancy me.

I finished up the top of this lovely quilt, which will finish bigger than a baby sized quilt but perfect for a girlie to drag around with her for years.  Did I tell you I could make stars for years??  Love them.  

That's all for today.  I've got a big pile of HST's calling my name. 

p.s. I've extended the sale in my Etsy shop until the end of the month (9/30) so use the code BACKTOSCHOOL for 20% off everything shipped anywhere!  I'm going to be adding some more items before the month is out, and more that might be good stocking stuffers and Christmas goodies so check often!

Thanks you wonderful internet people for being such awesome, supportive, and inspiring friends! 

WIP wednesday

I actually finished a heck of a lot this week!

And have only signed up for one more thing, you know you want to!  And...to be honest...I might just do anything Katy tells me to do.  She has good ideas. 

Finished!

On Sunday I finished this plus quilt from the book Simplify by Camille Roskelly.  I LOVE this pattern and I LOVE this quilt.

I've had it sitting around waiting to be quilted for quite a while, and I think I finished the top in April.  It'll get a separate picture overloaded post later, I promise ;)

Scrap Vomit is done!!  And I love it.  I know, I just said that about the last one, but I really love this one.  Sooo much! 

It is a wonderful beast of a quilt and am fondly looking forward to making another one!  And it's very warm.  I love me a warm quilt! 

Some bee blocks have also been done:

 

These two blocks were supposed to look like film.

This block was a pain.....We're not exactly friends. I dunno if anyone will get this reference, but in one episode of the Golden Girls, Dorothy and Sophia are playing Scrabble and Dorothy challenges a word.  Sophia claims it is a word so Dorothy has her use it in a sentence, "You're no good at disdam game!" Well, that's pretty much how I feel about disdam block!   I know.  I'm a dork.  Love that show.

Made a market tote bag out of Heather Ross' Crafty Chloe fabrics.  I like the finished project but have in mind some edits to make to it and am working on making a tutorial for a kid sized tote bag (Abby thinks this one's hers). 

Up Next!

-Granny squares quilt for Sew. Quilt. Give. charity bee - I've got everyone's blocks now just need to finish it off (Actually, this should be for every charity bee I've been queen of so far, 3, as I've gotten the blocks back and now need to get my butt to finishing those quilts).
-Various Bee blocks
-Tutorial plans (I have 4 tutorials I think you might like.  The hardest part is getting good pictures...and remembering to write things down that I think of while I'm sewing!)


Other highlights from the week:
-Finishing all those quilts.  Seriously. And realizing that I can do things like make my kids a zip-pouch if they need a bag for their crayons so we can take them to church.  I know that sounds like a "duh" moment, but for me it's been a total door opener and helped me relax. 
-My kids know the song "Don't You Want Me" by the Human League and proved it by randomly singing "don't you want me baby," which freaked me out until I figured out what they were actually saying, and singing...
-The Mr. got a job in sports, which is really good.  It's nothing huge, but it's a foot in the door and since he's still in school, it's perfect for now.
-Disdam dog(s) on the other side of our fence!

I am a dog person, but these dogs need a talking to and they aren't very nice.  If they were cuddly fluff-butt dogs it wouldn't bother me so much.    

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced as usual.  You should really go see what everyone's done.  I know I say that every week, and you should check it out every week, but there are some really talented and inspiring things being done!

AND linking up to TGIFF (Thank Goodness it's Finished Friday!) here!

For even MORE pictures of everyday stuff follow me on Instagram @mgriffin87

Finished!

I don't have a name for this quilt but I love love love it!  Back in April I was queen bee of two groups that use the same book, 99 Modern Blocks, as the inspiration.  I picked the Parisian Star for both bees and sent out this gorgeous blue solid (blue raspberry bella solid) with a request for spring-y colors. 

I got back 20 gorgeous blocks and made 10 more to make it bigger. 

 Now it is done and I love it!  It's actually been done since Monday or Tuesday but I've been using it with great results (took a nap today!) and haven't even cut the threads off or washed it yet! 

  I handstitched around each star to keep it cozy and soft and because, despite the pain, I love to hand quilt.  It is so comforting to sit and work on it and then to see how it all turns out is sooooo wonderful!  Big payoff there.  My favorite. 

I am also really pleased with how the back turned out.  Though it looks greenish here, it's really mostly light blues.  I really need a real camera....Usually I just find fabrics that work with the colors and put them together until I have enough to cover the back.  That's what I did for this one, but I think it turned out better than it usually does! 

 

I used a scrappy binding I just had on hand, (well, sewed a couple extra pieces together) and voila!  Done.  It is a good throw sized quilt and perfect for naps.  I'm 5' 10" and I like big throw quilts.  Though I didn't measure it (yet), it is a good size for snuggling! 

Linking up to Katie's Handmade Parade today!!  Yay!  

Happy Back To School!

Happy Monday everyone!  How's it going?

We sent the Mr. back to school today and the little ones and I had our own little "school" which is really not much.  We counted things and drew the letter "N" and played with some letter flashcards the kids love.

We started reading Fantastic Mr. Fox over breakfast today and I'm hoping we'll keep up the reading at breakfast thing.  The kids liked it and it made for a less stressful "eat your breakfast!!!" morning.

Maybe I had s'mores for breakfast once, maybe not. 

I'm thisclose to finishing a quilt to show you but it's not done yet (It's easier to take pictures of Abby, Matthew doesn't stay still long enough...but I'm determined to catch some of him this week).

On Sunday my kids went to nursery (for the 10 month-3 years kids) by themselves and didn't need me!!  I've helped with nursery pretty much since our oldest was old enough to go to it, so I was nervous about how he'd do. 

Turned out I had nothing to worry about!  It went really well.  Another reminder that my kids are getting too big too fast and don't need me as much...

After the Mr. is done with school we have to take our dog, Hobbes, to the vet.  He's done something odd to his foot and is hopping around like a 3 legged dog, obviously not feeling good...so fingers crossed it isn't serious.  We'll see.  

And as another random note, I've added a 20% off coupon (BACKTOSCHOOL) in my shop that'll be good until September 15th so go have a look! 

Baby Boy quilt for a friend :)

My friend Kim is expecting a baby boy in three weeks and tonight is her baby shower! Well, it's in 10 minutes so I'm pretty safe she won't read this before I give it to her!

I LOVE making quilts for people I know, and was excited to have this excuse to make one for a baby boy.  I've been working with lots of girly fabrics and colors lately for no particular reason.

If you follow me on Instagram (@mgriffin87) you know I kindof waited until the last minute, and then changed my mind...heck, if you follow my blog you know I'm really easily distracted.

So...I started this quilt on Tuesday and finished it yesterday afternoon!  I love it.  I decided to hand quilt around each of the stars in blue hand quilting thread.  I LOVE what this does to the quilt.

Keeps it soft and cozy, and keeps it together.  And I couldn't figure out how to machine quilt it, so that was out. 

It was so easy to put together and in this case, that made is really fun.  Especially when this is the awesome result.  Did I tell you I like star blocks yet??

This quilt measures about 40" square and I used one of my favorite Denise Schmidt prints to back it.  Great thing about this size is you don't have to piece the back!!  Major time saved there.

I had some dark blue binding already made so I used it.  More time saved (I always over-estimate binding and have a bunch of random lengths of leftovers that turn out great for Baby quilts or mini-quilts).

I really hope she likes it, and I'm so happy for her growing family!  

 p.s. If you've never sewn on paper before it's really fun.  Plus, this card took maybe 2 minutes to make and it used scraps I had on hand.  win-win. 

I'm thinking of sharing my star block process if you'd be interested?