My LaPetité Year

Last fall I jumped into the charm group called LaPetité and had a good time.

Here is my collage of all my quilts; 12 from October 2010 – September 2011 with my favorite as the large corner.  All but the last 3 months are quilted and bound.

Starting at the top: October 2010 - September 2011 going left to right. March is repeated in the big square.

To see all my blog posts for each month, click on the LaPetité tag just under this post.

Thanks to Sinta & Sherri for hosting and Rosie & company for the fun patterns!

 

I’m happy to celebrate this post…. #750!!  🙂

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September LaPetité

While I was getting ready for bed last night, it dawned on me that today was the last day of the month.  Yikes!! So early arise and shine for me and the first thing on the list was to finish my LaPetité project for the month.

I had made the center 9 blocks and had them together during our Saturday craft day.  Even tho it was here at my house this month, I saved this for that day as it is small and compact to have with me.

This morning I made the pieced border and added both borders.

This is the Schnibbles pattern, Nash, and I used Moda’s Together charm packs.   I found both the pattern and the charms at the Madison Quilt Show at the beginning of the month. This month was quilter’s choice and we could pick our own Schnibbles pattern. That was fun!

I was pretty sure this was the last month since we started with October last year but they say we have one more month.   So I’m on for #13 next!  October will be better on my schedule anyway!  🙂  I’m anxious to see the parades tomorrow at Sinta‘s & Sherri‘s to see what patterns everyone used!   See you there!

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August LaPetité

I mostly pushed my LaPetité project for this month to the end on purpose.  I’ve been too busy!!  Whereas this past week has been calmer, I used those days for work with my business so planned the weekend to do my August project.

The Schnibbles pattern this month was Honeycomb.

We were warned…. it is made after one cuts a zillion 60′ angles.  *sigh*   But in the end, it really wasn’t as bad as I imagined.   🙂

I opted to do a half-size pattern so as to use some of my single charm packs that I love but just keep sitting here as all our patterns have needed 2 charm packs.  Plus, I have lots of choices for my wallhanging area now.  LOL!!

I stitched my 5 rows at a time with chain piecing instead of just one row at a time as the pattern said but screamed, “laborious!!” to me!  Once I had 2 honeycombs on each row, it went even easier!   After the photo below, it was quick to join all the rows together.

I used Moda’s Plume charm pack and love the hot pinks & turquoise fabrics best.  Of course, you knew that already.

Finished it is 22″ x 36″ —

I worked on this: 2 hrs Saturday morning + 45 mins Sunday morning + 1.25 hrs Sunday evening.   The first 2 hours included putting away & clearing my cutting table of the last 3 weeks of dump & run!!  So it doesn’t take long once you get over the shock & horror of the angles!  🙂

One more month to go!!!  🙂   So far, I’ve won 5 layer cakes and a $15 gift certificate from the LaPetité parades.   🙂

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Quilts at the County Fair

Even tho my week & month are swamped, I took 7 items to the fair this year.  Everything was done or nearly done, I didn’t make anything just for the fair.

I wasn’t really invested in it but still it is fun to enter and win ribbons.  I was gone so Phil had a list of my items and their categories and went to see the results Tuesday night.  I called & he reported!!

Not everything placed but that doesn’t really matter to me once he told me I had won a Best of Show ribbon!!  🙂

This is from the LaPetité group in December.  It was pieced but I hadn’t quilted it so I did that last week.  And in the matter of LACK OF TIME, I did a meander on the cream and plaid, hearts on the tan border, and a triple swag & pine bough on the aqua border.  Seriously, when I took it off the frame last Friday, I wasn’t happy with the quilting but it was finished.  hahaha!!

Today I took my friend, E, to the fair.  It was so nice to look at the quilts with a lady along.  🙂    Even better was her LOVING my quilt and not knowing it was mine.  ♥   She is so sweet to me!

This one  placed second behind the first one —

It really lays flat and I planned it more for a table runner than a wallhanging.  I designed the holly pattern.  It is micro quilted and uses my hand-dyed silk-cotton fabric.   I should have entered this in the original design category but didn’t see that when I did my entries.   Let’s just say, that was a goof!!  Ack!!

The acorn one like the above one got a first.   This photo is from the fall – not at the fair.  It belongs to my in-laws (for their anniversary on 10-10-10) but she let me enter it anyway.  {more detail here}

A few things didn’t even place but I’m OK with that.  I just grabbed something to fit the categories and really am THRILLED with just one ribbon as long as it is purple.  🙂

I have SO much to share about my week!  Stay tuned!!

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Curious July LaPetité

The July pattern for the LaPetité group is George by Rosie of Schnibbles fame.   George in the Curious George sort of Monkey Wrench block pattern sort of way.   A stretch but a cute one.

This is the pattern cover.

I used the charm packs Wild Rose by Blackbird Designs that I bought in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin in the spring.  I also have a border fabric purchased that coordinates but there was no place for it here.  Sort of bummed I didn’t use it but I’m thinking of another plan for the fabric as I really like it!

It isn’t quilted yet (but all my other months but December ARE quilted and bound!!  🙂 ) but it is next.  I have a customer quilt on the frame now and should finish that soon but not sure I’d have that and this done by the end of the month.

I like my fabrics but not sure I’m thrilled with how they work in this pattern.  It will have a piece of the blue for the binding.  I like the pinks in the sashings.

I nearly had a heart attack after I had chosen my 12 (and only) charms for the sashings as the pattern listed.  Then I needed 4 more to get the strips long enough before cutting.  However, after cutting I had lots of pieces leftover so was thankful I didn’t have to insert blues with the pink.  But ARGH! on the pattern error that gave me a pause.   I’m glad it all worked out.  Is it just me or did you have a problem too?

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June Recess

For the June LaPetité project we had our choice of patterns and I chose Schnibbles Recess.   I have fabric & charms that I purchased in May in Wisconsin but that includes border fabric.  Since this pattern doesn’t really have a separate border (it uses the background fabric), I made a quick run to a local quilt shop (the one east of Lori’s house, IYKWIM) and found this charm pack.

Love it!!  Of course, majoring in PINK, it was a hit with me.  I added a cream background and brown for the binding.

Even though I love custom quilting, this didn’t need much so I took it as another pantograph opportunity.   I chose a smaller pattern as the quilt is only 33 1/2″ x 40″.

A slightly off-white Superior So Fine thread for the quilting.

July 1 there will be a lot more of the Schnibbles quilts posted HERE & HERE.    Here’s hoping this is a prize month!  🙂

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May LaPetité

For this month’s LaPetité project, we were to use a free pattern (Yeah!!!) from the Moda Bake Shop website, Candy Bar Pinwheels.   I really liked this pattern and it went together easily.

In lieu of buying a “candy bar” set that I didn’t need, I used leftover fabrics from the February project.   Whew!  I *just* had enough!!  I had to buy some fabric for a border and considered not adding one but like the orange/bright fabric I found.   (Love the “south of the bypass” shop that has brights!  🙂  )

This one is all done!  Quilted, bound, and washed!  🙂   Hoping to take to K personally soon.  It is 26″ x 34″ and I put the hanging sleeve on a short side so it actually hangs the other way, not how I photographed it.

I barely had enough for the binding so cut 1 1/2″ strips and just used a single-fold binding.  Actually quite  nice to sew down without the extra bulk.  I like how the blue/aqua/green/pink binding fabric cools down the orange border.  The raspberry inner border is one of my hand dyes.

The LaPetité parades are posted at THIS website for 1/2 of us and THIS website for the others.

And in other quilting corners, I finished the April LaPetité binding while away for our anniversary.  I washed it Monday and now it hangs over the aquarium.  Whew!  Fresh & bright instead of the fall one that was there.  I SO don’t decorate well!

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April LaPetité

For the LaPetité group this month, I returned to using charm packs as I was too busy to fiddle with FQs or yardage.  We used the Schnibbles pattern, Brocante.  I like it!

I  shopped at Fat Quarter Shop as usual.  I really appreciate their immediate shipping!  I use the Moda charm packs called Modern Workshop for a fresh spring/summer wallhanging.

I am putting this on the long-arm frame as soon as I finish this cup of hot cocoa.  I loaded the backing & batting the other night.  I’m using this as a practice piece for my next big quilting job with lots of stars/triangles.

In hindsight, I would have preferred a more plain background white.  But I like the print.  It is 35″ x 35″ and will soon replace the fall/winter hanging I have in the living room!  Laying this out on my cutting table which isn’t clear enough, told me once again, I want/need a design wall.  *sigh*  I would have rearranged a few of the blocks.  But scrappy/very random is OK for this.  🙂

To see more of the LaPetité group, go to HERE (I’m in this one) andHERE  (more quilts in this pattern are on this link).  Now changed to direct links to the posts.

ETA on Sunday: I finished the quilting just before heading to church last night.  I did a mix of Pamela Clark’s ideas and used her methods for as few threads stops as possible.

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March LaPetité Grown-up!

Just after seeing the pattern, Endless Summer, for the March LaPetité project, I was on the Fat Quarter Shop site and LOVED this fabric line.  With the bouquet panels, I thought it would be perfect to enlarge.  I’d have a spring/summer throw for the couch instead of another  wallhanging.

I used the Skye Penelope Fat Quarter Bundle as my fabric that included 1 panel piece.  I added coordinating fabrics for the sashing & posts and the border.   I mapped out my plan on my EQ7 software and came up with my quilt size and the number of pieced blocks I needed to make.

I started the project on National Quilting Day (3/19) and railroaded myself by cutting tooooo many pieces for my pieced blocks which wasted time and fabric.  😦   By the time I had the 15 blocks made… I wasn’t even sure if I liked them anymore!! Argh!!

However, I continued on and on evenings I was too tired to quilt, I could piece the sashings or assemble the rows.  Over last weekend, I got my samples ready for my upcoming Saturday class.  I was finished mid-Sunday so then proceeded to finish my Endless Summer quilt.   Tomorrow I’m going to load it on the long-arm and get it quilted.    I love freehand quilting so much but must get in some pantograph work so that will be the project for this quilt.

It finishes to 61″ x 70 1/2″.   The binding will be the floral print like the border.

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How I Celebrated….

National Quilting Day 2011!

For once, I had nothing planned for National Quilting Day so I planned quilting!  🙂

In probably a dumb idea, I started a new quilt.   In my defense, it is for my March LaPetité group so that has to count for something, right?   On the other hand, I decided to make more blocks so that with some “plain” blocks alternating with these pieced ones, I can have a larger quilt.  Because if you’ve been here, you know I don’t need anymore wall hangings!

I cut and sewed up 3 sets of parts to make the blocks.

And the honest truth is that in step with my tiredness today, I cut too many pieces of some of the parts.   Enjoy a laugh on me, if you’d like…..  :eyeroll:

This is just a mock-layout of a block.  Tomorrow I can sew the blocks together.

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