A highly impacting factor to the Celebration Quilt that we’re making for the 2012 Quilts by Barb Quilt Retreat Get Away Weekend is the Kaleidoscoping blocks we’re using in our quilt instead of the original pattern.  Below I showed you some mosaics of the Kaleidoscopes I made.  The first picture on the left is the original block – the pictures to the right are all the blocks that I Kaleidoscoped to use in my quilt.  It was so much fun!

Not everything worked this well though…here is a strip of blocks I didn’t use:

I didn’t use the original block on the left.  When I kaleidoscoped it it just wasn’t dramatic or impacting enough.  I didn’t use the block second from the right because it reminding me too much of a swastika and I didn’t use the block farthest to the right just because it didn’t fit.  But don’t worry – I will definitely be using this block somewhere – it’s just too cool!

I’m showing you these as a bit of a teaser…I have my quilt top finished!  Stop back in a few days to see what it turned out like :)

Happy Neighborhood is basically the same as Suburbs but I’ll go through it anyways. 

For this sashing, I also used the house print from Suzy Ultman’s Appleville Collection for Robert Kaufman.  Any house with trees print fabric you have would work as long as they comfortably fit in the 3.5” x 12.5” sashing strip.

Cutting Instructions:

1 – 3.5” x 12.5” sashing strip

Directions:

BEFORE you cut our your houses (3) and trees (2), iron on your preferred fusible to the back of your fabric (I’m a Heat ‘n’ Bond girl personally).  Once the fusible is on, THEN cut out your houses and trees(much easier than trying to add the fusible to the cut outs…)

Arrange your houses and trees on your strip in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing to you.  Iron on your houses and trees.  If you used a light fusible be sure to add some appliqué stitches to hold those houses in place! I love this one too!  And so simple!Here is the Happy Neighborhood Sashing between “House on the Bay” and  “Under the Moreton Bay Fig” Blocks from the Home Sweet Home Quilt.   

For this sashing, I used the house print from Suzy Ultman’s Appleville Collection for Robert Kaufman.  Any house print fabric you have would work as long as they comfortably fit in the 3.5” x 12.5” sashing strip.

Cutting Instructions:

1 – 3.5” x 12.5” sashing strip

Directions:

BEFORE you cut our your house, iron on your preferred fusible to the back of your fabric (I’m a Heat ‘n’ Bond girl personally).  Once the fusible is on, THEN cut out your houses (much easier than trying to add the fusible to the cut out houses…)

Arrange your houses on your strip in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing to you.  Iron on your houses.  If you used a light fusible be sure to add some appliqué stitches to hold those houses in place!

 

And it’s as easy as that – and doesn’t it look great!?

Here is my Suburbs Sashing between Marcia’s Crazee Patch House and The Happy Tree Blocks. 

The next sashing I’m going to show you for your Home Sweet Home Quilt is very similar to the Window Panes Sashing with just a minor difference.

 

Cutting Instructions:

Fabric 1 (light): 2 – 1.5” squares, 2 – 1.5” x 3.5” rectangles

Fabric 2 (dark): 1 – 1.5” square

Fabric 3 (light): 2 – 1.5” squares, 2 – 1.5” x 3.5” rectangles

Fabric 4 (dark): 1 – 1.5” square

for the ‘trunk blocks’

Fabric 5 (trunk): 1 – 3.5” x 1.5” rectangle

Fabric 6 (grass): 2 – 3.5” x 1.5” rectangles

Fabric 7 (trunk): 1 – 3.5” x 1.5” rectangle

Fabric 8 (grass): 2 – 3.5” x 1.5” rectangles

 

Sewing Directions:

Step 1:  For the Window Trees: Sew the two light 1.5” squares of Fabric 1 to either side of the darker 1.5” squares of Fabric 2.  Iron away from the center square.  Repeat with Fabrics 3 and 4. 

If you want more specific instructions check out the Window Panes Tutorial. 

Step 2:  For the Trunks, sew the 2 Fabric 6 rectangles to either side of the Fabric 5 rectangle.  Iron towards the lighter of the two fabrics.   Repeat with Fabrics 7 and 8.

Step 3.  Sew the Window Trees to the tops of the trunks and then sew the two sets together.  And Walla! 

 

Here’s the Window Trees Sashing between Block 10 – A Home for the Birds and Block 11 – Happy Tree 

 

If my count is right – this is the 18th sashing of the 49 sashings…I’m about 37% of the way there :)

Once again Amy’s Creative Side hosted a HUGELY successful Blogger’s Quilt Festival with 621 Quilts on display from Blogger’s all over!  I was happy to share with everyone my freshly finished Bloom Quilt (21).  It is now time to nominate quilts for different categories and of course – vote for the viewer’s choice (ahem…Bloom is number 21)…

 

To cast your vote for your favorite go here:  http://amyscreativeside.com/2012/05/18/bloggers-quilt-festival-spring-2012/

Blooming Poppy YoYo’s Lap Quilt

Here are the categories for nominations (only enter the number corresponding to the quilt via the festival – ie – my Bloom Quilt is 21 so I would put 21 in one or more of the categories…) : 

• Favorite Baby Quilt
• Favorite Throw Quilt…hmmmm…21 would work in this category…
• Favorite Bed Quilt
• Favorite Group/Bee Quilt (note to self, be sure to have Home Sweet Home done in time for next years festival…)
• Favorite Two Color Quilt
• Favorite ROYGBIV (Color Wheel) Quilt
• Favorite Applique Quilt
• Favorite Pieced Quilt
• Favorite Hand Quilted Quilt
• Favorite Home Machine Quilted Quilt
• Favorite Professional Quilted Quilt
• Favorite Art Quilt – I would say 21 would work here too
• Favorite Doll/Mini Quilt
• Favorite Wall Hanging

Here’s the link to the nomination page:  http://amyscreativeside.com/2012/05/23/quick-note/

 

Here are a few links to quilts that I checked out that really stuck in my mind…

http://cadouri-din-inima.blogspot.com/2012/05/bloggers-quilt-festival.html

 http://www.joyofallcrafts.com/home/2012/5/21/bloggers-quilt-festival.html  http://pileofabric.com/post/882927-bloggers-quilt-festival-bring-on-the

There are so so so many more quilts that are amazing – I just wanted to show you a few of my personal fav’s.  Thanks for all your support!