Attic Windows Wall Hanging - Halloween

If you cannot tell from all my previous posting I am just IN LOVE with Red Rooster fabrics this season. I love the soft colors and simply adorable novelty prints. My husband likes the fabrics also so it is a win win all around.

This quilt is a result of a class I took at PQ a few months back with Alice. Her sample was just beautiful with an Asian inspired print. I almost didn't take the class because it looked way too difficult for me. Alice encouraged me to take the class and I am so very happy that I did.  

Alice also helped me pick out the fabric. I knew I wanted to complete the wall hanging using Halloween fabrics but I did not see any that really spoke to me. Alice suggested I use this Red Rooster panel. I was a little nervous about cutting the panel up because I was afraid that you would lose the overall feel of the scene. Alice said that it would be like a "Picasso Tree" and she was right. As the quilt started to come together I just fell in love!!!!

 To create the attic window effect I needed to create templates using freezer paper. Alice walked us through the process step-by-step helping us minimize any mistakes along the way. I was surprised at how easy the quilt was once I got the hang of it. The templates we created also helped to create the beautiful mitered corners.

 What I like most about this quilt is that they way that the fabric gives each block a 3D feel. It really feels as if you are looking through a window. I think it is just such a cool effect!

 Once the quilt was together I had to decide how to quilt it. I decided to try some outline quilting, which is something that is very challenging for me. I worked very slow on my machine attempting to create this shadow type look. For this being my first time quilting this way I am pretty happy with the results.

I was so happy with this quilt that I have already began purchasing fabric for a winter themed quilt. I would like to create a similar wall hanging for each season for my house. Thanks to all the girls who helped me make this quilt possible.

Much Love & Happy Sewing,
- The Mad Quilter

Hallows Eve Wall Hanging

If you can't tell from all my recent postings I am absolutely in love with Red Rooster fabrics this season. I love holiday decor but my husband is not a fan of anything too over the top. Red Rooster Fabric line is a great comprise for us both. I still get to decorate for my favorite holidays and he doesn't have to feel like the holiday threw up in our house...Like they say...marriage is all about compromise.

So I will tell you that he loves all the Red Rooster Fabrics I have been working with this season. This pieces I actually made over the winter from a kit I purchased at PQ. I liked it so much that I made one for my mother-in-law also. I liked that it was Halloween themed without being overly complicated. I also liked that I could really use this piece the entire fall season instead of just until Halloween. I also used stippling when quilting this pieces and again I am very happy with how it came out. I am looking forward to enjoying this piece for many years in our family.

Happy Sewing,

- The Mad Quilter

Fall Inspired Living Room

My new quilt inspired me to make an entire new set of pillows and pillow cases for the living room. The rectangle pillows I made from a Red Rooster panel I picked up at the quilt show this summer. The large pillow behind is actually a pillow case which is also from Red Rooster. I made an envelope pillow case cover using a video from youtube. Youtube has become a wonderful craft resource that I would recommend to everyone.

Even Samantha approves of the new decor!!!!

Happy Sewing,

- The Mad Quilter

Fall Inspired Slice & Dice

The fall is my favorite time of year. I just love the cold crisp air, the apples, pumpkins, the changing of the leaves, the smell, everything...and it all reminds me of Daddy.

This year I took great comfort in my fall projects because they somehow made me feel closer to my Daddy. This was his favorite time of year also. When I think about this time of year I think about him all dressed up in his camos for hunting and helping my mom smoke our Thanksgiving turkey. He would be walking around all excited about that turkey for weeks...I really miss that.

It felt good to use so many of the colors of the fall that I just love and bring them into my living room. This quilt came from a class I took in Spring with Alice at PQ. To complete this project I needed matching fat quarters. I ordered a Red Rooster fat quarter bundle online. When it arrived I was a bit disappointed in the fabrics. They just appeared so dull to me. When I was in the class I was admiring all the women with bright and beautiful colors, especially women working with holiday novelty prints, my favorite. So I told myself that I can always make the quilt again in a different color story in the future. When the summer came I put this project away to work on other things.

After school started back up I was in the mood to transform my living room into fall. I took my slice and dice quilt out of the closet and starting working with it again...within an hour or so I absolutely fell in love with it!!!!

The colors remind me of a harvest market and I just love how the brown piping frames the colors so beautifully. When it was all together I could not believe how easy it was to complete.

The next challenge was how to go about quilting it. It took me a few days to figure out exactly how I wanted the finished quilt to look. I decided to do stippling throughout the entire quilt. I just love after a quilt is washed and it has that almost wrinkled look. I wanted to recreate that with this quilt.

Free motion quilting is something that I am very new at and I am still practicing. Its most difficult to make the stipples all the same size. Nevertheless this quilt has quickly become my absolute favorite. It became the inspiration for my entire living room!!!!!

Happy Fall...even in Heaven,

- The Mad Quilter

Love Bunnies

One of my best friends came to me and asked if I would make a quilt for her boyfriend. She loved the "Love Bunnies" wall hanging I completed in the spring and wanted me to try to turn it into a quilt. So I went down to the quilt shop to get some help with the fabric choices. Alice from PQ was super helpful and designed the entire layout. It came out so beautiful.

There were several challenges associated with this quilt. The first challenge was how to make these cute little bunnies fit for a man. I did not want him to be embarrassed by making the quilt too feminine. The next challenge was the bunnies themselves as it was not a technique I was well versed in. It was also challenging because I wanted it to be just perfect for my friend. She is a wonderful friend to me and I wanted her to have something special.

I wanted the quilt to tell their story. First they were single bunnies and now they are love bunnies. She was so exited to receive her quilt and her boyfriend sent me a lovely thank you. There should be more love like that in the world.

Happy Sewing

-The Mad Quilter