But first - an intermission

So I was making good progress on my Puddle Jumping quilt when I got an invitation to test a paper-piecing pattern by Alyce Blythe of Blossom Heart Quilts.  Even though I haven't done much paper-piecing, I decided to take a break from my 2015 Finish-Along list and jumped right in!

The mini quilt pattern is called Happy Star and you can find it in her pattern shop here.  

Here are a few pics of my process.

Fabrics - mainly Notting Hill by Joel Dewberry

1st four sections ~ the two pieces on the left should have been on the right

All pieced and sewn together!

Top's finished ~ yay!

 Here's a peek at the back and binding ~ 
it's Folklore Paisley Pumpkin Orange by Lily Ashbury

Happy to say that it's now hanging in my sewing space!

Just wanted to say Thanks to Alyce for letting me test this lovely pattern ~ check out her post to see all the different Happy Stars made by the other testers!

OK ~ now back to Puddle Jumping!  

Linking up with Lorna and Kelly!

Sloan Bag Reveal

Back in March, I hinted that I was testing a new pattern by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness.  So today on Sara's blog, she introduced the release of her Sloan Travel Bag pattern.  Which means that I can finally show some pics of the one I made!

This bag is BIG ~ 18" x 14" x 6" ~ and it's perfect to carry most of my stuff when I join my fellow quilters for a "Sit & Sew" session.  Sara has explained all of the features in her blog post, along with LOTS of photos by her other testers, so I'll let her tell you more of the details.  I do love that it has a recessed top zipper, side pockets (inside and out) and comfy padded straps.

Here's a few pics of my new favorite bag (the pattern, by the way, is on sale in Sara's shop through May 20, 2015).  :)  I used fabrics from the Boat House collection by Sweetwater.

A big Thank You to Sara for letting me test this great pattern!  

2015 Finish-Along ~ First Finish for the 2nd Quarter

It always feels good to finish a quilt ~ even if it's just a small one.  I finished my Garden Fence quilt yesterday and I'm lovin' it!  And I'm proud to say it's my first attempt at free-motion quilting on an actual quilt.  Most of the quilting is straight-line,  but I did add a little flower in each of the block centers.  I now see what they mean when they say your quilting doesn't have to be perfect to look good ~ especially from far-away.  :)  I'm happy with my little flowers!  So here are some pics:

Thirteen of the sixteen blocks were from the members of the Newbie Quilt Bee Hive #8.  They all sent gorgeous blocks, but I think the block with the little bug jars has to be my favorite!

You can see the flower centers a little bit better on the back.  :)  The fabric for the back is Lotta Dots in Honeysuckle from Connecting Threads with a grey and yellow floral that I had in my stash.

I love a good stripe binding, so I had to add a grey & white stripe to this one.

Here's to checking off the first quilt on my 2nd Quarter List!
Linking up with TGIFF at Quokka Quilts.