Ohhhh just a few more days until we are celebrating!!! eeeep!! These countdowns sometimes make me feel like the time is rushing by, but this year, I am determined to cherish every moment! Life is short anyway; why not enjoy every second?? Even the trials!! 

But today's project isn't a trial!! It's a super easy fun quilt you can whip up in a day!! (You might have to get someone to sit and watch your children…and that may be SpongeBob like it was in my house!! teeeheee!!! Yes, I did read the Harvard study about SpongeBob, but I think most studies are bunk! LOL!!)

I grabbed a fat quarter bundle of Jenean Morrison's Power Pop from Julie at the Intrepid Thread! I was really attracted to the oranges and teals. So fun and bright and super happy!! I have several "fabric holders" on my sewing table, and the fabric on them scream to me daily…"Sally, sew with me! Pick me today! You have to make something out of me today!!"

So, this time, Power Pop won the screaming contest!!!

Here's what we are making today:

Isn't it fun??? Really shows off that fantastic fabric, huh??

can you see the sweet little angel I appliqued on there? perfect!

So let's get started!!

Supplies:

9 fat quarters of your favorite bright fabric (You can also use a layer cake!! yay!)

1 yard of white fabric (I use bleached muslin)

quilt batting

 

Let's sew:

Here's my inspiration page…:) don't you love to see how quilts start? Like I said, it's pretty easy!

Cut one 10" square from 8 different fat quarters.

Cut 8  10" squares out of muslin.

Place a white square face down on a patterned square and draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other.

I used my 1/4" foot and sewed a 1/4" seam on both sides of the line.

(can you see the two seams on either side of the drawn line?)

Cut on that drawn line!

This creates two half square triangles. Yay!

Do this with all 8 of your squares!

Press your seams to the side. In no particular order (trying to avoid the same patterns close to each other), sew four blocks together to form a row.

Do this for all 16 blocks. You should have 4 rows of 4 blocks each.

Press your seams in opposite sides so you can match up your seams easily when sewing your rows together. I actually use pins in this step!! (don't look too closely, though…I'm of the mindset that only Jesus was perfect!)

Here's your quilt top! yay!

Now, I love to add a little border to all of my quilts. It just seems to really make the quilt pop, if you know what I mean!! 🙂 You can choose your thickness of border. I used a 2" strip of white muslin, because that was what my scraps were! Yay! using scraps!! so cool!!

This next section is completely optional…just personalizing!! 

Now, the angel I appliqued onto my quilt was my way of personalizing it! (you know, because of Sally's Angelworks and all…and because I'm saving sheep for another post!! teeeheeee!!) I used a pattern out of Lynette Anderson's "An Angel's Wish". 

I followed the pattern and used one of the extra Power Pop fat quarters that I bought from Julie!

I used freezer paper to trace the pattern and ironed it onto the RIGHT side of the fabric. I applied fusible web on the back before I cut the patterns out of the fabric.

I placed all of my pieces onto my quilt and ironed them on.

You could personalize your quilt with words or other shapes or embroidery or anything! The possibilities are endless!!

Time to pin baste!!! Baste through your three layers…quilt top, quilt batting and then your backing. 

Here comes the fun part!!! Quilting!

I quilted the white triangles with a meandering stitch. 

I zigzagged around each piece of the angel!

and I did a 1/4" straight line inside each of the patterned fabric triangles! LOVE!!! (gotta love my purple quilting gloves!! yep, I can handle purple!)

 

And your quilt is quilted!! but it's not done…

Binding! I just cut 2.5" strips from my leftover fat quarters, sewed them together and then sewed them onto my quilt front. 

I handsewed the binding onto the back. This is such a peaceful thing for me! LOVE!!!

And we have to embellish our little angel…

Using a pigment pen, I drew her eyes, nose and mouth and then embroidered her mouth in red and then did her fun hair with yellow!!

isn't she adorable???

And now you are done!!!

Let me know if you make this!! I'd love to feature it on the blog!!!

{everything here from Kitty Designs' kit Hope & Joy from Oscraps}

the HOPE of the world!! LOVE this!!!

So have you ever seen Jenean Morrison's designs before? She is a designer from Free Spirit Fabrics, and she had a very fun booth at Quilt Market!!

{i stole this pic from Julie's blog!}

Here's the cool thing!! See that work of art behind her with all of the fabulous flowers??? She has a tutorial on her blog on how to make that!!! How awesome is that???

Go here for the Flower Tutorial!! Thanks for all of the inspiration, Jenean!!

Sometimes during a busy, hectic season like the Christmas season, we have to stop and get things back into perspective! If you know me or puttered around my blog at all, you know that I homeschool my little darlings. I get used to being at home most of the time. I hide in my craft studio, usually with my two youngers doing their schoolwork in there with me. I have created a hideaway that usually calls to me. And in our regular schedule, I get chances to get out and smell the fresh air. But most of the time, I don't take my kids when I get out…unless I'm taking them to the gym (gymnastics) or something like that. 

Recently, my 9yo, Lillian, learned the term "Cabin Fever" although she called it "the cabin fever"!! With the dramatic hand on the forehead and everything…"Mom, I think I have the cabin fever! We need to go to the park!!"

Now, I am not really a park mom. Maybe it's because it's usually 98 degrees outside in the shade!! But these last few weeks, I've been sympathetic to my little darling. And this week especially, I didn't mind getting out since I could take my quilt with me to bind! (Love binding!!!)

I encourage you to nurture yourself and your sweet little ones. Give yourself a break…go out and smell the roses, or the snow, or whatever it is that you love to smell! You could be like my oldest who loves to just hang at Starbucks! Or my middle daughter who loves playing outside and making funny YouTube videos with her friend from down the street!!

You too can regenerate and enjoy the season without all of the busyness that stifles us and gives us "the Cabin Fever!!"

enjoy these shots from our two days at the park…

{just to prove I was actually working…a little!!}

There will be a Grand Prize drawing on Christmas, unless I get whisked away to Hawaii or something like that on Christmas day!! (I'm actually going to post the winner on Monday, Dec 26th!)

Each time you enter a comment on a post, you are entered!! (one comment per post will be counted! You can comment as many times as you want!! teehe!!)

Ohhhhhh, you won't want to miss tomorrow!!! I have my special friend, Brooke, coming and joining me here!!! yay!!!