If you aren't familiar with Sassy Sunflower Half Pack Quilt Kits click the following link to read about them and to see the first pair that I shared - First post about Half Pack Quilts.
Our sample of Spin Me Round uses our Kansas Troubles Half Pack Kit.
Next is the Quick Strip Pattern using our Outer Space Half Pack Quilt Kit.
None of the Half Pack patterns are really what I would call hard, but the Quick Strip pattern is probably the easiest pattern of all of the Half Pack patterns.
Are you familiar with Sassy Sunflower Half Pack Quilt Kits? It's a fairly new program and I just signed my shop up to participate. I've been busying making up the samples for the last several weeks.
The way it works is there are 9 half pack patterns to choose from and LOTS of half pack quilts kits. You pick the half pack quilt kit you like and then choose the pattern you want. The patterns are not available for purchase separately, only with the purchase of a half pack kit. (Our kits will be $39.99). We are still busy cutting the kits as shops cut these kits themselves using fabrics from their shop. As soon as we have enough kits cut I'll start adding them to my online shop but for now you can just look at the pretty quilts.
So what's a Half Pack Quilt Kit? It's five half yard cuts of fabrics. Yep, both of the quilts I'm sharing with you today requiring only 2.5 yards of fabric total for the quilt top. Binding and backing are not included but all of them require 1/2 yard for binding and they all require between 3 and 3 1/4 yards of backing fabric.
I'm going to share these a few at a time with you. The first is the Tumble Block Pattern using our Horizon Half Pack Quilt Kit.
All of these quilts are lap size in the 50" by 60" finished size range. None of the patterns are what I'd call hard. Most of them took me about two to three hours to make, that included my time cutting out the quilt and then sewing and pressing. A true beginner will need a little help but a confident beginner (someone who has made one or two quilts already) can do it on their own.
If you are one of those people who gets frustrated when you buy a quilt kit with a lot of leftover fabric, you are gonna love these kits. Just about every bit of fabric from the kit is required for the quilt top. None of them generated very many scraps. The downside is that there really is no oops fabric built into these kits. The upside is that the cutting is very easy and the patterns give detailed cutting diagrams so that you can see how to cut each half yard piece.
I'll share a couple more of these quilts next with you next week.
I've had a nice week at home with my shop closed all last week. I got our laundry room repainted after we had the ceiling in that room repaired and retextured. I also got some touch-up painting done in our main bathroom after we had some work done to one spot on the wall and the entire ceiling.
Our new family member, Sheba, has been busy all week too.
We put up our Christmas tree without any ornaments. Then we were gifted a few ornaments. Since Sheba had been leaving the tree alone we put them on the tree. Look closely toward the top. I've circled her in the photo below. She was trying to "kill" the ornaments.
So the ornaments came down and were stored safely away. We ended up taking the tree down on the 26th because we were tired of having to defend it from the kitten! This is a record for us as usually the tree stays up for a week or two after Christmas. Next year!
She really is a sweetie though, just very busy! And our older cat, Ms. Boo, is starting to accept the new kitten. She still isn't a fan, but will stand her ground now and will begrudgingly be in the same room with the kitten. There is still some hissing and growling, but it's getting less. I think she growls and hisses more out of principle rather than irritation. Ms. Boo is not a fan of change, especially when it wasn't her idea to change!
.jpg "Sheba melting in Tony's arms")
I'm almost ready to share all of the sewing I've been doing the last few weeks. I have three more quilt tops ready to go to my long arm quilter this week. I have patterns coming for a few more but I'll start sharing what I have been up to before I get a chance to get those made up.
I have been sewing like crazy over here but not able to share any of it yet. It will be a few more weeks before I'm able to share. So how about some customer show and tell.
First up is Linda C.'s Birds in Toyland quilt. This quilt is from a book called Birds in Toyland from the Piece 'O Cake ladies.
Next we have Susan W.'s completed Accidental Landscape class project.
I really love the beaded flowers she added in the bottom corner!
Debbie E. was given some special shirts and asked to make a quilt with them. She brought them in to get some advice and this is the pattern I suggested, which turned out to be perfect. The binding isn't quite done yet in the photo, but is probably done by now. DeAnna B. quilted it simply for Debbie as the shirts are the star of this quilt.
.jpg "Debbie E.'s shirt quilt")
The pattern I suggested to Debbie E. is a free pattern from Windham called 3-Step. Here is a link to the pattern if you'd like to make one too: 3-Step Pattern The pattern calls for flannel fat quarters but the shirts worked just fine.
We did get a new family member. No one stepped forward to claim this sweetie and we didn't see any fliers posted about a missing kitten. We have been trying out a few names but have finally settled on Sheba, unless the vet tells us that this one is a boy. If that is the case then the name will be Oscar - it's a long story.
.jpg "Me holding Sheba")
She loves to sleep in a lap.
.jpg "Sheba sleeping in my lap")
And she isn't picky about whose lap she is in.
.jpg "Sheba in Tony's lap")
The first vet appointment is Friday. So far she likes her carrier but all that might change come Friday afternoon.
Alamosa Quilt Company has participated in the monthly online FabShop Hop for over a year now. There are always great prizes each month but this month the grand prize is an embroidery machine with a retail value of over $2200! You got to be in to win it though! All the details are lower down in this post so keep scrolling and get ready to starting hopping.
Yesterday morning I was the only one up having my coffee when the doorbell rings - at 7:30am. I reluctantly went to the door and it was some friends who live a few blocks away on their way to work. They had an adorable little black kitten with them.
.jpg "black kitten 1")
They found the kitten running in the middle of the road through traffic and rescued him/her. They put the kitten down on the sidewalk and it started following them. They were walking to work and couldn't take a kitten with them. Since we live on the way they stopped and asked if we could take it for the day.
Well, it didn't take long for us to all fall in love. The kitten was very hungry so we got him/her some food and water. Then we made up a little make-shift litter box, which it used almost immediately without me even showing it to him/her. I've posted a photo of him/her in a local Lost/Found Pet Facebook page, but so far no one has claimed him/her. So, we may have gotten a kitten yesterday!
Honestly, the only family member who hasn't fallen in love already is our older cat, Ms. Spooky Boo. We haven't tried to introduce them yet because there is no point in putting Ms. Boo through that if someone comes forward to claim him/her. But Ms. Boo does know that there is a kitten living in the garage. She is not impressed but wasn't too put out about it. The rest of us are kind of hoping that no one does come forward to claim him/her. He/She is very cuddly and friendly with a very loud purr that starts up as soon as you pick him/her up.
No name yet, but we've already started brainstorming possibilities.
