Shortcuts Make Me Happy.

Quilting shortcuts make me very, very happy.

The only problem is, there's not that many of them.

Except for when I make quilts for myself.

Then, there's lots and lots and lots of shortcuts.

I never take shortcuts when making quilts for others... I want to make sure I put my best work into what I send out into the world.

My quilts are a reflection of myself in some ways... and I don't want to look cheap and thrown together, if you know what I mean.

But, oh man, when I make a quilt for myself I like to push the limits in the way of shortcuts.

I will cut corners like there's no tomorrow.

I don't know why this is.

Maybe my need for instant gratification?

Maybe because I sometimes feel guilty when making something for myself when I could be making something for somebody else so I try to make whatever it is as fast as possible?

Maybe because I'm usually trying to squeeze in the making of an entire quilt between several nap times?

(And who knows how long those last, right?)

Whatever the reasons for my shortcut taking... this quilt was FULL of them.

And guess what?

It was one of the most problem free quilts I've ever made!

It came together like a dream!

Weird, right?

I know. It shouldn't make sense.

But that's the true story and it makes me ohsohappy!

So, here's my shortcut-laden zig-zag quilt that I love dearly!

I was originally inspired by this quilt.

I loved how big it was- so I asked her what her dimensions were and she kindly answered.

(HST method, 8x8" squares, and 10 x 12 rows...I love it when people share!)

My plan was to follow her dimensions exactly, but when I started cutting my fabric,

(that I've been saving for this quilt for quite some time!)

I realized I was only going to be able to make my quilt 8 x 9 rows.

Kind of a bummer, because I like the hugeness of the original quilt, but not a deal breaker for me.

Finished measurements are 56"x 64"... so it's still a nice sized quilt.

Other shortcuts:

I didn't draw lines on the diagonals of my squares for making the HSTs

(I'm sure other quilters are cringing right now- sorry!)

I didn't iron or trim my HSTs once finished.

(another cringe!)

I didn't pin a single thing.

(but I never do when quilting...)

And, I didn't iron the completed quilt top before layering everything for basting.

Oh, and I didn't use a walking foot to do my quilting either!

That one was kind of an accidental shortcut because I forgot to switch feet (foots? whatever.)

But the zig-zag quilting was just easy peasy!

Pieced back:

All those shortcuts allowed me to take my time while basting...

I actually taped every layer down and pin basted (<---- my fave method!)

All of my points lined up perfectly... magically even!

I didn't have any bunches or uneven/mismatched corners.

(Unfortunately common in quilts I make for myself.)

And, I saved so much time I was able to hand-stitch the binding!

Yippee!

A fairly amazing trade off if you ask me!

Also, I've decided that this year I am going to make at least 10 quilts for myself.

I just decided this like a month ago.

Of all the quilting and sewing I do, it's a shame how few quilts I actually have in our home.

So, I made a list:

(I just typed this exactly how I wrote my list- so it may not make total sense to everybody!)

1. Asterisk quilt
2. Herringbone quilt (red, yellow, aqua)
3. Houndstooth
4. Swoon blocks (yellow/pink/orange/brown with linen)
5. Granny squares (scrappy)
6. HUGE patchwork (scrappy)
7. Loulouthi whole cloth quilt (handquilted)
8. Willow/Ellie quilts (room colors)
9. HUGE lonestar quilt (brights)
10. Plus quilt (yellow and purple)
11. Log Cabin quilt
12. HUGE(er) zig-zag quilt (10 x12 rows)
13. Subway tiles
14. Mod Bento Box (aqua, orange, yellow, grey)
15. Big zig-zag quilt
16. Finish my king size string quilt and get it quilted

My goal is to make at least 12 quilt tops and of those tops, complete 10 quilts.

I get a lot of my inspiration from other quilts/quilters... I have a flickr group of my favorites here if you'd like to check it out.

There's lots of amazing stuff out there!

Sneak peek of the next quilt I get to cross off the list:

Happy Creating everyone!

And a big thanks to everyone who welcomed me back... you're the best!

Inspiration.

I've been waiting to finish this quilt for a while.

Basically because I was stuck.

I didn't know what to bind it in.

At first I thought orange. But it was just way too much orange.

And then I thought maybe the cream color I also used in the quilt.

But I'm not a fan of super-light colored bindings.

I always think they look dirty.

So, since those were the only two colors in the quilt, and I didn't like either of those choices,

I folded it up

and put it on a shelf until inspiration to finish struck.

It struck today.

Meet my inspiration:

Yup, a plate full of cucumbers and dip.

Or, if you're Willow, "cumumbers and dippits".

So, thanks to a handy-dandy afternoon snack,

I decided that some kind of green needed to be the binding for my quilt.

After some auditions, I chose Anna Maria Horner's Polka Line

(can't remember what the color is called-my bad)

And I'm super pumped about the results.

And I'm exciting about the quilting too.

I finally pulled out my quilting guide after 2 years of not using it.

I know, weird.

I usually do straight line quilting on either side of the seams.

Or I used tape to mark my lines.

But today, I went with the guide and I forgot how much I love it.

For the backing I used a fun

orange and cream striped fabric from my stash that I think I got at the Goodwill forever ago.

Or a garage sale.

Can't remember... anyways, it's SUPER soft.

SUPER. soft.

Quilt stats:

"Hunting Camp"

(because it reminds me of all the colors and stuff you'd see at a hunting camp)

Half Square Triangle Quilt

Joel Dewberry Aviary charms (leftovers)

Cream and orange Kona solids

AMH Polka Line (olive and orange)- binding

38x43"

Warm and natural batting

Machine quilted

Machine stitched binding.

And Willow has been telling stories lately that always end in,

"they were very best friends, and they were sooo happy, and then they made a quilt".

And I think that is hilarious.

When people are happy they make quilts.

She must think I'm really, really happy.

Happy Friday :)

I'm going to make this one short and sweet...

well, maybe sweet, but definitely short.

Here are a couple pillow covers:

16x16" to be exact

A cute little Petal Knot Dress that finally made its way to the owner:

Don't forget to order your Easter Dresses now!

Use the PayPal drop-down menu over on the right sidebar.

I'm getting lots of orders and I want to make sure that everyone who wants one, gets one!

You have 2 style options (for dresses):

the Petal Knot dress

(like the one seen above)

or

the Apron Peasant Dress

(like the one seen below)

Keep in mind that all WillowBean dresses are one of a kind, and please make sure to indicate size and color preferences in the 'notes to seller' box.

If you have any questions at all, please email me at

willowbeanmama@gmail.com

Thanks :)

Some fabrics for a new custom nursery set in the works:

Fabric, from top to bottom:

Sun spots in olive, Amy Butler

Poppy Silhouette in olive, Laura Gunn

Etta in teal, Michael Miller House Designer

Buttoned Up in sea, Anna Maria Horner

Acanthus in teal, Amy Butler

Henna Paisley in turquoise, Amy Butler

Nap Sack in sunset, Joel Dewberry

Dance Floor in blue-(?), Anna Maria Horner

Majestic Oak in grass, Joel Dewberry

And here's a sneak peek that involves lots of these:

Which, with a little sewing, cutting, pressing, trimming, piecing, sewing and pressing, turns into something like this:

(I'm not sure why some things are underlined... but I can't get rid of it, so please ignore.)

Happy Friday!!!

Oh, and thanks to everybody who voted for my pillow in the SMS Pillow Contest!

I didn't win, but it was still loads of fun :)

You can check out all the winning pillows (and cool prizes) here!