Girlfriend Stars

 Did you watch our Facebook Live on August 1st? It's still up there if you want to check out what we did in honor of NATIONAL GIRLFRIEND DAY! We took the very simple Friendship Star block, added a twist (pun intended) and swapped them. 

Hurray for GirlFriends!

OK - sew, you made a bunch of blocks - now what?

I sewed mine (and Marjorie's) together in a straight 4 x 5 grid (no sashing). Then it was framed with a 2" inner border (from strips cut 2.5"). 

THEN - I made a whole lot of positive/negative Flying Geese pairs. 62 pairs = 124 units.

Stacked flying geese border!

Yes, they are a bit time consuming but totally worth it. Flying Geese is probably my favoite pieced unit. I have said many times - I am not a precision stitcher. I love to make units that are a bit oversized and then I can square-up to the exact size needed.

For me - Flying Geese can be expecially challenging to make accurately. They end up with either a saggy belly (the big triangle) and/or whacky wings (the 2 smaller triangles).

enter - BLOC LOC rulers!

I dearly love a great specialty ruler that gives me the results I want. Yes, they are a bit pricey. Yes, the Flying Geese ruler is a specific size - I have 4 different sizes because I make this unit a lot. Yes, there might be what some think of as waste - but ... I use the cut-offs so for me - it's not waste, it's a bonus!

There are lots of tutorials available online for making this unit. I'm showing you the quick and easy way. For specifics - Goggle it or even better ... get a Bloc Loc Ruler, it comes with great instructions.

I keep these pairs together every step of the way. Once they're stitched together into a Stacked Geese unit - into the pile they go. I need 62 of these beauties.

All those BONUS TRIANGLES ... I keep them together in sets of 4 matches. I stitch them up as "in-between" sewing. Bonnie Hunter calls them - Leaders and Enders.

When I have a spare minute, while talking on the phone or waiting for the water to boil (that's a joke - I don't cook much), I trim them up to 1.5" x 1.5". Again ... keeping the 4 matching triangles together.

Eventually, I will have a BUNCH of little Bear's Paw blocks all stitched up and ready for ... something. But that's a post for another day.

The Artimus lauch was scrubbed this morning. So much anticipation and excitment. Hopefully it will fly on Friday.  In the meantime, here's a picture from our trip to New England. 

Keep Stitching,

Mary

Enough Already

 When is enough - enough? 

When I hear that - ENOUGH! ... it sounds exasperated, even a bit hostile. Today I've had enough. Enough of working on something I don't love, working a technique I don't love, spending time with something I don't love at the expense of doing something I do love. "Something I do love," even if it's fleeting - why not work on something today that I've been thinking about, looking at and avoiding because of the other thing that's occupying my time.

Here's what I've had ENOUGH of and what I'm going to do about it.

I know what you're thinking ... OMG ... this is sew pretty!

Why yes, it is sew very pretty. It's also very fussy, very time consuming and very applique. It's a class, it was a bit pricey (certainly worth it) and it arrives in my email box EVERY month. The pattern ultimately calls for 13 full blocks, 8 half blocks and 4 corner blocks. AND ... a gazillion flying geese as sashing and border.

I'm done!

It's going to be just as pretty with 5 full blocks, 4 half blocks and 4 corner blocks. I still might do 1/2 a gazillion flying geese as sashing. For now - it's neatly folded up and gently put away. I will revisit the finishing work (maybe this year, maybe next). I have too many other great things calling out to get under my needle. 

I have had ENOUGH.

If you are interested in making this quilt. Check out Harmony by Rachelle Denneny. Her pattern and directions are excellent. For me ... a little goes a long way.

What's up next?

Keep Stitching, Mary

Tilt-A-Whirl

 Hello Springtime!

 Hello April!!

Hello M&M makers!!!

It's time for another quilt challenge. This one is super fast (and by that I mean EASY) and super CHARM friendly. If you've been participating in the SSPM guild swap, then you have lots of charms. If not ... then dig into your stash and find the perfect fabrics to cut into 5" squares.

The pattern directions have been uploaded to the M&M Facebook group. I included a link to easy "on-point" directions. The simplest of units can make the nicest quilts. A 4-patch and a pinwheel ... can't get much simpler than that! If you want more instruction and different math, check out Mari, the Academic Quilter - I saw this quilt there 1st. 

Let's get sewing!

My sweet grandie, Amelie, needs a "big-girl" quilt for her new bed. Purple is her favorite color. What is it about purple that is SEW appealing to 3 year olds? And ... I visited a new quilt shop and they have beautiful fabrics ... add that all together and you have the perfect combination for a new quilt.

Charms, 2.5" squares and yardage ... all of MY favorite things!

Hands 2 Help Comfort Quilt Challenge 2022 is where I originally saw this particular quilt. With Mari's permission (The Academic Quilter), I changed the math to make it more CHARM friendly. Links to her blog and H2H can be found in the pattern directions ... go to the Facebook group and check it out!

In the meantime, I have made the backing and the binding for this quilt. Then I put it on the "to do" chair. It will get quilted ... as soon as my Handiquilter gets better. She's a bit sick right now but help is on the way.

Keep Stitching,

Mary

M&M On The Move

Good morning from VERY chilly Central Florida! Good grief - it's cold outside! Last week M&M were in Maryland at a quilt retreat. Marjorie doesn't have a lot of experience with really cold weather and Mary has become less accustomed to being cold. We were COLD! It did snow and it was pretty.

Spending time (5 days!) with women friends - sewing and laughing and eating was heart-warming (see what I did there?) and we sure did need to be warm! 11 quilters from FL, AZ and MD - such fun. We're already planning our great escape for next year. Do you have close gal-pals? You need them!

Right before we left town, I finished Twinkle Twos. Remember that challenge? My top had been done for ages and now it is completely D.O.N.E.

Never made it? Don't remember this one ... check out the files in our M&M Sew Charming Facebook group - it's there and free!

As we get into 2022, we are still sewing and still challenging you, dear reader, to get sewing. We are makers! My 500 Member Challenge is a top without borders - they're coming. My Baby It's Hot Outside quilt is coming along. I've completed 4 out of 11 rows and the others are cut/prepped. AND ... M&M are both working on "super secret" stuff for YOU!

Stay warm whereever you are!

Temperature Quilt

Are you planning a Temperature Quilt? The Canuk Quilter has a great free pattern and lots of hints for keeping track of which fabric/color represents a range of weather temperatures. You do have to sign up for her newsletter to get the pattern. She has lots of inspiring stuff!

Then ... go to the M&M Facebook page and look under files for "Baby It's HOT Outside". There you will find my math changes to make this quilt with charms, 2.5" squares and/or 2.5" strips.

The Quilting Sheep 

Here's another example of a similiar quilt but it's made with Color Rows.

The possibilites are endless for color design ... Keep the background 1 color/fabric or make it scrappy. The rows can represent the weather temperature. Pick a year and Goggle it for what the temps were and make a quilt for a special someone's special year - birth, wedding, major life event. Each "block strip" is made from 2 squares (2.5") - how about the high and the low temp for that day?

Living in Florida, we don't have a wide range of temperatures AND it's often hot outside (see what I did there?) AND I don't want to wait a whole year to complete my quilt. I decided to go with a scrappy rainbow theme. Each row will be a made from light and dark squares of a given color with a neutral background. According to the M&M pattern, I will make 5 of these blocks and add 1 extra block strip at the end of the row for a more finished look.

This is another USE IT UP kind of quilt ... our fav! Start sewing some block strips and rows and post your pictures in the M&M Facebook group. We love seeing what everyone is making.

Second Hand Stars

As quilters and makers ... we quilt and make. It's almost never about "needing a quilt." Its almost always about "needing to MAKE a quilt."  Did you make The Perfect Storm quilt?

The Perfect Storm quilt produced a LOT of cut-offs. They are my very favorite unit to play with in a quilt. 

Sew - what can you do with your parts?

Once the Storm is DONE. The sky clears and out come the Stars. Don't let this opportunity get away. In fact, use what you started ... you're already on your way.

Check out the M&M Sew Charming Facebook Group in the file, there is a pattern for both "The Perfect Storm and Second Hand Stars. This post has more pictures, words and helpful hints than is in the written instructions ... think of it as a companion piece to the companion piece.

Remember ... it says in the instructions ... the MATH for this quilt isn't hard but it is NOT typical. Make sure you read it carefully.

Gather up all those cut-offs. Hopefully, they are already stitched together in pairs into half-square triangles (hst's). If not ... start stitching them! Then square them up. I was able to square all of mine to 1.75" x 1.75". If you can do that ... do that. If not, you should be able to square up to 1.5" x 1.5". The pattern has instructions for the MATH, either way.

The orange/neutral HST's were all squared-up and then set aside ... their job comes later. The yellow/neutral ... also square-up and set aside - they aren't used in the quilt but I'm quite sure they will find their place in the quilt world someday. You will need the other HST's.

When stitching 2 HST's together (to make a faux Flying Geese), pressing matters! "Flip" one of the HST's" to the light and keep one to the dark before stitching. You can press these 1st or just finger flip and pin.

The seam will snuggle so nicely if they are going in opposite directions. The points will match sew much easier this way.

After you build your star blocks (read the pattern - it's pretty simple), you will be using them as the center for a light/dark log cabin. I choose to use neutrals for the top/left and blues/greens for the right/bottom. This was in keeping with my Perfect Storm ... hello, floor fabric!  I used 1.5" strips - stitching a light /dark (left/right) then a light/dark (top/bottom). I did these assembly-line and did not square up ... just kept on sewing. Do this for 2 full rounds on each block.

THEN switch to 2.5" strips. This is a game changer for getting the blocks all to the same size.After stitching the 3rd round (2.5" strips this time), square-up the blocks to measure 12.5". Now they are nice and uniform ... SEW much easier to work with then trying to precision sew from scraps, strips and leftovers.

SASHING TIME!!

When I first started my Second Hand Stars, I pulled all the orange/neutral HST's. These I saved for the sashing. I laid this whole quilt out, adjusting the log cabins in a pleasing pattern, making sure the color was evenly distributed ... you know ... move the blocks and move the blocks and move the blocks again, then put the blocks back and take a picture and walk away. Come back and move the blocks around a little more and sigh. FINALLY - be happy with the layout.

Remember ... check the pattern for weird MATH when cutting and sewing your strips. The MATH is correct (I think) it's just not typical quilter MATH.

  

Then, layout the sashing strips and the HST's. You will be making Second Hand Friendship Stars in the middle of the quilt but not at the edges. It really is easier if you lay it out then stitch it together. I only had to rip out 1 seam and resew it correctly. THAT is a great feeling.!!

Borders? Yes, please!

The decision about the borders took forever. I thought about doing a pieced border - flying geese? More HST's? Then I thought - just use a big chunk of fabric and GET-IT-DONE.

But ... in keeping with the Second Hand Stars theme - I decided to do an easy pieced border from my 2 1/2" scrap bin. I pulled lots of strips (blues/greens) and stitched them together. I measured, cut and sewed them on, building the strip snake as needed.  2 rounds gave me a 4 1/2" border that seemed just right.

Go the the M&M Sew Charming Facebook group for the complete pattern.

The Perfect Storm

 Are you stitching along with us?

M&M's newest quilt challenge is uploaded on our Facebook page. Haven't seen it? Go look right now! Then come back for some help and inspiration.  Because we live in Florida and it's hurricane season, we decided to call our Quilt-along ... The Perfect Storm.

My inspiration picture for my color palette came from a screen shot. The fabrics were sitting in my sewing room and really wanted to be made into a quilt.

THAT did not happen. After pulling more fabrics and playing with floor fabric and adding to the piles and accepting and rejecting ... FINALLY ... I jumped in - the oranges were left for another day, another quilt, another time.

This is not a mystery. We've posted pictures of our starts and possiblities and even some blocks. The quilt wasn't finished when we started ... we were sewing along with our pals.  Today we posted Part 3 - it's all easy sewing, basic blocks and lots of cut-offs.

When I say LOTS ... I mean a lot of LOTS. Keep them! We have a project for later that will use these - we're calling it "Second Hand." Stitch them together into HSTs (1/2-square triangles) and put them aside - you can thank us later.

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1

My quilt is D.O.N.E. Someone had to be first and fast and check the math and the instructions, which need some adjusting. My math is pretty good but sometimes I can't count.

This Quilt-along is meant to take awhile ... hurricane season goes until November. It's a slow-sew ... no worries, no timeline, no hassels. What kind of storm do you picture in fabric ... Sand storm, rain storm, ice storm, blizzard, tsunami? 

Don't forget to post pictures in the Facebook group. We all love to see what's happening in your sewing room!

Keep stitching,

Mary