Jelly Roll 1600!

I saw this video on another blog a while back and thought it looked like such a fun project!



Before I begin on an I-Spy quilt for my nephew, I think I'm going to try one of these. It looks like it doesn't require much thought, planning, or precise cutting.  I am SO ready for this type of project.

A fun guild activity, this would be a good project for beginning quilters too...not really much to have to worry about matching and using the one jelly roll would avoid a lot of fabric confusion! Nearly every shop sells them and there are a bazillion available on etsy and other online shops.

The instructions for making a Jelly Roll 1600 and photos of more finished Jelly Roll 1600s can be found on the Heirloom Creations Blog. There are even more photos of JR1600's over at Nacho Mama's Quilt.

The only thing I plan to do differently is use small strips to join the rows rather than joining them on the bias. I get no joy whatsoever out of joining strips on the bais, hence the plan to use strips.

I'll be using this batik jelly roll that I bought at JoAnn Fabrics. I love batik fabrics, but I generally can't afford them. This one was on sale at JoAnn's about three years ago and I had a gift card. It's a little sad that it sat in my closet for three years waiting to be used. I'm happy to have finally found a project to put it to good use!

Pinwheel Progress

Here she is! This is the Pinwheel Sampler quilt top that I started in January through an Independent Block of the Month at my local quilt shop. I decided on Rachel Griffith's Pinwheel Sampler because I love love love pinwheels and I thought it looked manageable for my current level of quilting skills.

It was not a difficult quilt at all, but in my haste to finish blocks before the monthly deadline I did some sloppy cutting and too fast sewing. I also sewed about half with my regular foot and the other half with my 1/4 foot, so it is not as crisp and perfect as it could have been. I'm trying to be OK with that!

Since I just finished it up mere minutes ago, I'm still seeing every single flaw and cut off point(there are lots). I'm hoping a lot of those problems will "quilt out" or at least be less noticeable.

 I'm about 95% sure it's going to be a Christmas gift for someone special and I don't think this person will notice the mistakes that are glaring at me. She will love the buttery yellow background and bright colors, however!

A couple things I did that weren't in the original tutorial were to add strips to the top and bottom (I wanted to use as much of my layer cake as possible) and I added the nine cornerstone(?) blocks to the middle. I didn't want to take these all the way out to the border so I sort of framed the inner blocks with them. I kinda like the way that turned out!

My goal now is to have it quilted by November and bound before Christmas.


Finally...I had to add this picture of my Quilt-Holder-Upper. He may grumble the entire time I try to take a photo of a quilt, but he always obliges! Thanks Mark, I ♥ you!

Candy Corn Butterfingers

I have developed a bit of an addiction to Pinterest as of late. One of the first things I "pinned" was this photo linking a recipe for homemade Butterfingers.

Photo Source: http://www.thesaltypineapple.com/2011/08/i-love-food.html

When I realized the recipe consisted of only three ingredients, I had to try it!  You'll notice that I don't have a photo of the bars I made. Mine weren't quite as pretty as these. They weren't so much bars as they were nuggets, chunks and pieces. This was probably due to the fact that I did not let them set up as directed. Being impatient, I simply shoved the dish into the freezer and busted 'em up when they were cool. Despite their unpretty looks, they tasted fantastic! And yes, they taste like actual Butterfingers, but the texture isn't as flaky or crunchy. They were good, Y'all!  These are going onto my Christmas candy rotation!

Candy Corn Butterfingers

1 lb. candy corn
16oz jar peanut butter 
16oz pkg. chocolate candy coating

Melt candy corn in microwave on high 1 minute. Stir and continue cooking in 15-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Stir in peanut butter. Spread mixture in a buttered dish(I used cooking spray). Cool completely. Cut into squares. Dip in melted chocolate candy coating. Lay on waxed paper to set.

She's Three Pinwheels Shy of a Quilt

Back in January, I joined an Independent Block of the Month at my local quilt shop.  I figured it would be a fun way for me to actually complete a quilt. I'd have a year to work on it at a pace that I set myself. The pace I set for myself was that of a turtle. A sleep deprived turtle. Yet I've still managed to end up behind on this project!

My IBOM quilt is the Pinwheel Sampler  from one of my favorite quilty blogs, P.S. I Quilt. Now when they were doing the exact same quilt they finished it in something like  ten weeks. It's taking me a year, Y'all. A year!

This week is my Fall Break, so I am off work for an entire week[insert happy-screechy-jumpy-WaaHoo-yell here] and I intend to get back on track with this quilt!

Umm, except for the fact that I have something planned nearly every single day of the break....

and my next BOTM meeting is this coming Saturday....and I'm supposed to have the thing sashed by then too!  YIKES!


I thought I had caught up on it tonight after finishing these two blocks.

When I put the blocks on my design wall, I realized that I was missing three more blocks! Ugh. One of those I distinctly remember trying to square up and lopping off about 1/4 inch more than I should have on all sides. The other two...I don't know what happened. But as luck would have it, they look to be the most time consuming block of the entire set. Yay!! [insert grumbly incomprehensible cussing here]

Hopefully tomorrow I can finish up those other three blocks and begin the sashing(which has to be done by Saturday). When that's all done hopefully I can fall in love with this quilt again. Right now, we aren't even on speaking terms.