France Nadeau - Central Braids

Those are my four central braids. They combine fabrics from my first two blocks: the Log Cabins and the Curved Log Cabins. I have used old clothes and leftovers from past projects (mainly clothes I have sewn).

I am currently working on the stars. I find that piecing them require some work, but the result is worth it. I should be able to show them soon. Thanks to Deana, I am making blocks that I have never sewn before.

France

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MARIE'S SHIMMER BRAID

My goal was to finish this quilt top by the end of June and I finished it last night.  Thanks Deana for a wonderful pattern and a fun quilt to make. 

Finished Shimmer Braid QAL

I truly enjoyed sewing this up.  Now it is ready to quilt, along with many others that are ready. 

My Shimmering Sunset

I finished!!! Maybe. I'm still deciding if I want to add some borders.
I did do my inner blocks a little different. I was trying to stay with the theme.
So here's the 4th months.

 

And the whole thing.

 Thank you so much Deana! your pattern is just so beautiful!!!

I'm going to make another in different colors soon.

MARIE: MONTH FOUR BLOCKS COMPLETE

I finished these fun blocks and am ready and excited to put the quilt top together.  Thank you Deana for a wonderful pattern. This has been is a fun project and will be a beautiful quilt.

Month 4 finished!

Add caption

Looking forward to putting it all together.  I Love it.  It is amazing that only 4 months of piecing can produce a queen size quilt.  

France Nadeau - My Curved Log Cabin

I was finally able to finish my twenty curved log cabins. I worked with scraps and recycled fabric, which means I could not follow the tutorial written for fat quarters. That would have been so much easier! But they are done. I am glad. I like them. I have prepared a picture explaining the different fabrics I have used:

You can see just below how my curved log cabins look next to the log cabins I have previously made:

France

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Next Tutorial!

For those of you looking for the next tutorial of the Shimmer Braid quilt, it released late - but is available now at this link.

Thanks for your patience!

Deana

MARIE: BRAIDS FINISHED

I finished my braids tonight, just in time to get the next set of instructions tomorrow.  I am loving this quilt!  Thanks Deana.

French Braids

French Braids completed.  This in  only my second time of sewing French braids.  So fun.  I little more time consuming but they are worth it.  The corners fit so nice.  It looks distorted from the angle that I took the picture but you get the idea.  Now on to sew the garden row BOM together. 

Judi's Shimmer Braid

Got my shimmer fabrics last week Monday and couldn't wait to get started.
So this is my first months blocks.

Then the second months blocks.

Add them together and you get.

I did have other shimmer fabrics that I added to these blocks. And I kind of painted a couple of fabrics with gold paint myself for the colors I wanted. I'll be touching these up some. So the braids are done and it all lays out like this.

I am soooo loving this design. I think of it as a shimmering sunset. I can hardly wait for next month, its marked on my calendar!!!

Thanks Deana!!

Cathy - Curved Log Cabin Completed

Well, it took a few days (I'm a pinner) but I finally finished up all 20 of the curved log cabin blocks.

 

I loved the look of them so much, I just had to pull out the log cabin blocks and lay them out to get a feel for how they're going to took in the quilt...

 

Just gorgeous!!!  Thanks Deana for such a fun pattern and beautiful quilt.  :)

MARIE: Part 2 Complete

I have completed 20 curved log cabins.  This is a fun quilt!

20 Curved Log Cabin Blocks

Here are my 20 curved log cabin blocks.  So fun! 

France - My Log Cabins

Hello everyone!

My name is France Nadeau and I signed up for making this gorgeous quilt by Deana. The following is taken from the post I have published on my blog.

The four following images are pictures of the four versions for the log cabins that were to be sewn in month 1. It took me some time to make the sixteen featured here. I did not used fat quarters as suggested by Deana, but scraps and old clothes. I have wanted to mix those fabrics together for some time and I thought that the Shimmer Braid quilt was the perfect occasion. When I look at Deana's pattern, I see an English kitchen herb garden. Not what she had in mind. But the image is engraved in mine.

The pink fabric is silk that wrinkles as soon as I touch it. So, please, disregard the obvious wrinkles. I made four blocks of each version. Not following the cutting and sewing instructions of the pattern meant I could not make the blocks as fast as possible. In the end, I cut every single piece separately and then sew them together. 

I have also used polyester. The brown squares are made of a polyester embroidered with brown thread. The white and light beige fabrics are polyester looking like linen. The beige/brown/orange is a "wrinkled" polyester (I am not sure how to call it...).

Because I used all those fabrics with different textures, the result is a block not lying perfectly flat. Not good for taking pictures, let me tell you. Looking at my pictures, it seems that none of the lines are straight. (I assure you they look better in real. You will have to take my word on that. ;-) ) But they will make, I think, a striking top. And when quilted, everything will stay in place.

France

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Cathy - Part 1 Done!

I wanted to wait to post this until I could get to work and take a good picture! :)  Finished these up Friday night.  There are four in each stack so I'm done with the first month!

 

I had a ton of fun with these.  Thanks Deana!!

 

MARIE: Month 1 Complete

I have completed my log cabin blocks for Month 1.  These blocks are so much fun to make--when you get the seam allowance right.  I'm looking forward to Month 2.

Cathy - Finally Started!

It's been a pretty busy week, but I finally got started on my blocks for the first month of Shimmer Braid last night.  Here's a glimpse of where my quilt is going...

 

I really love the color play and can't wait to see the rest of it come together.  Thanks Deana!!

 

Shimmer Braid top taking shape

I wanted the group to see the quilt as it is taking shape with real fabrics instead of a diagram.  My Saturday at the sewing machine resulted in a near finished top.  Shimmer Braid is well on its way and so much fun to make.  

My design wall is not quite large enough to put the last few rows on, and FYI, the rows are not all sewn together yet.

Shimmer Braid log cabin blocks

Here are my 1st month's blocks.  Each pile has 4 completed log cabins in it.  I forgot to show my fabric selection but I used the same that Deana used simply because I had no time to shop and I do not live near good fabric stores.  I should not have put a frame around the blocks but I have a new phone that I am learning and no time to redo.  These blocks worked up fast. 

MARIE: JANUARY PROGRESS

Wow, January is coming to an end today and I am happy that I have some progress to report.  I ordered and received my fabric for the Shimmer Braid Quilt and have sorted the fabric, cut out the first month's pieces and sewn the units together.  I'm all ready to sew my log cabin blocks together and hope to have them finished by Feb. 10 when we receive the next set of instructions.  I love the fabric.  The colors are much more beautiful than they look in the photos.  I took the photos at night and the lighting is not the best.

 

I have also been quilting my Autumn Kaleidoscope and am about 3/4 finished outlining the blocks.  Hopefully I will be doing the free motion quilting soon.

Cathy - Fabric Selection

My lack of sleep Wednesday night can be firmly blamed on Deana.  The fabric requirements came out and all day I was wondering what I should use for my quilt.  Then, just as I was drifting off to sleep, it came to me.  My stash of April Cornell fabrics would be perfect!!  All of a sudden, sleep was just not going to happen! 

I have pulled fabrics, auditioned different choices, and have settled on these.  Blues, greens, and yellows.  I have a few very, very light pinks that will work instead of the grey and instead of black, I'm using the red on the end.

 

I have a gorgeous parchment script fabric that I will use for the background.  I wanted to make the large version but don't have enough of the background for that.  So I'll make the smaller one then play with borders after it's done.

 

Like I need another quilt to sew!

But oh I love it!  And so here I am again trying to cram 10 more hours in my day to get quilting projects finished.  Love you Deana.   I can't wait to see the fabrics I ordered.

Hi everyone,

I have been friends with Deana for over twenty years.  But I didn't start quilting till two years ago when I asked her to help me with a wedding quilt.  She told me I would be addicted and she is right. 

I  love life! I have many blessings including my health, husband, 6 sons and their beautiful wives who have given us 19 grandchildren. 

I hope to make them all a quilt before I lose my abilities to do any thing constructive. 

God bless you all,

Phyllis

Introducing.....Cathy

Hi y'all!  My name is Cathy and  I blog over at A Quilting Chick. I met Deana last year when she started her Quilter's Garden swap and have become addicted to her patterns.  I can't wait to get started on this one.

Let's see....I'm a single mom of three fantastic kids, the boys being 24 and 22 and my lovely daughter who is 18!  It just doesn't seem possible!  I'm from San Antonio, Texas.  I learned to sew in middle school when my mom forced me to take home ec.  My mom does not sew but she loves to buy fabric so it works for me.  She buys, I sew!  I'm a self-taught quilter and have been at it for about 15 years now.

What else?  I lean more toward traditional quilting with a modern twist.  I love scrap quilts but they need to be color-coordinated.  I help test mystery quilts for Persimmon Quilts who hosts them to benefit the Quilts of Valor Program.  You can see a bit more about my quilts and style on my post for the Around the World Blog Hop here.

A few things I'm working on right now...

Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2015

My leader/ender project, Patches and Pinwheels...

 

The Snapshots QAL from the Fat Quarter Shop...

 

And I'm about ready to start work on my Not So Last Minute Christmas Quilt Along...

 

And there is so much more!  So I can't wait to meet y'all and if you want to know anything else about me and my style, feel free to swing by my blog!

Shimmer Braid begins today!!

FREE Shimmer Braid QAL begins today!  Go on over to Fort Worth Fabric Studio to get the yardage, specifics, and tutorial.  It's going to be FUN!

MARIE

Hi, I'm Marie and I am happy to be able to join this QAL  I just finished piecing another quilt called "Jessi's Medallion" that was designed by Deana and I had so much fun with it that I wanted to try this one too.  Deana is a very talented and creative quilter and I have learned much of what I know from her. 

I have been quilting for several years and love it.  I am learning to quilt on my domestic sewing machine and found it to be lots of fun.  I have a hard time finding as much time as I would like to devote to sewing.

I have a patient, supportive husband, 4 beautiful daughters and 16 grandchildren.   I am hoping to give a quilt to each grandchild when they get married so I have lots of excuses to make quilts.  So far only one is married, so I have 15 to go.  I have several UFO's and hope to finish several of those this year. 

Here is a picture of the quilt top I just finished--just in time to clean up my sewing room and get started on this new QAL.

Welcome Shimmer Braid QAL quilt makers!

Hello and welcome to the Shimmer Braid QAL blog.  This blog will be a place where quilt makers can showcase their progress on this quilt.  The FREE tutorials to make Shimmer Braid will be posted at Fort Worth Fabric Studio, so check in over there on January 20th to get started.  Fabric selection ideas and yardages will be posted there as well.

The QAL will go for five months.  A FREE tutorial will be posted on the second Tuesday of each month for a block in the quilt.  The fifth month will have quilt assembly instructions.

Please feel free to make a post to introduce yourself to the group.  If you would like to join us, please leave a comment with your email address included or you can email me, Deana, at mamiebudgeese@hotmail.com.


P.S.This blog was the former home of Jessi's Medallion QAL, so older posts will show progress on that quilt.