Postcard From Sweden Baby Quilt | Finished or Not Friday Linky Party!

Welcome to Finished {or Not!} Friday where you can share what you're working on and see what others have been making!

Another 2018 Finish - a Postcard From Sweden Baby Quilt made with blocks leftover from previous Postcard quilts I've made.  I consider this my last PFS quilt since I rarely make custom quilts anymore, so I won't be stocking the 36 Kona Cottons that are included in this quilt.

The backing is a mottled gray solid from Craftsy that is very versatile as backing since it fits so many quilt themes.

Quilt Stats:

Pattern:  Postcard From Sweden, free pattern here

Fabric:  Kona Cotton

Size:  39" x 44"

Batting:  Hobbs Heirloom cotton

Quilting:  Swirls on Gratitude in gray thread

This quilt sold in my quilt shop!

Last Week's Finished {or Not} Friday Features!

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A link back to Busy Hands Quilts in your post is required to get a shoutout here!  It's a small favor in return for the time and money it takes to host this linky party.

Life's a Trip! by Sew French

Pink String Log Cabin by Kathy!

Sunrise by A Slice of Pi!

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It's your turn to share your finish {or not}!  What's welcome at this party?  

• Any in-progress or finished project made with fabric, yarn, or thread.
• Projects from this week only.
• ♥ ♥ PLEASE!  Link to the actual blog post, not your home page.  
• LINK BACK with the Finished or Not Friday button or a text link.

To grab the code for the button below, left click in the box, press Ctrl-A for Select All, then Ctrl-C for Copy, then go to the HTML code for your post and press Ctrl-V to paste it where you want it to appear.

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♥ Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?!? ♥ 

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Baby Postcard From Sweden Quilt | Finished or Not Friday Linky Party!

Welcome to Finished or Not Friday where you can share your finished {or not} projects!

My Finish is a baby Postcard From Sweden quilt!  Do you remember the Postcard Quilt Along that Sandra over at MMM Quilts hosted?  Me too.  Mmm hmm.  The one ended three months ago.  Better finished late than never!

This quilt is made with blocks leftover from previous Postcard From Sweden quilts I've made, so the placement of the blocks doesn't match the pattern exactly, but I did try to reproduce the general transition of colors shown in the original quilt.

Quilt Stats:
Pattern:  Postcard From Sweden, pattern available here.
Size:  38" x 44"
Fabric:  Kona Cotton Solids
Backing:  Boundless Blenders in Gray
Batting:  Warm and White batting
Quilting:  Swirls on Gratitude in gray thread.

This quilt is for sale in my quilt shop!

Last Week's Finished {or Not} Friday Feature!

Katy Quilts' Jeep!

Follow Busy Hands Quilts!

It's your turn to share your finish {or not}!  What's welcome at this party?  

• Any in-progress or finished project made with fabric, yarn, or thread.
• Projects from this week only.
• ♥ ♥ PLEASE!  Link to the actual blog post, not your home page.  
• LINK BACK with the Finished or Not Friday button or a text link.

To grab the code for the button below, left click in the box, press Ctrl-A for Select All, then Ctrl-C for Copy, then go to the HTML code for your post and press Ctrl-V to paste it where you want it to appear.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Linking to:
Needle and Thread Thursday

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Postcard From Sweden Quilt Top

I'm making a baby Postcard From Sweden for the Quilt Along over at MMM Quilts.  Since I'm using leftover pieces from previous POS quilts, the HSTs are placed randomly, not according to the original pattern.  I have enough blocks for one more baby quilt.  Here is the first quilt top.

The HSTs were cut with my Accuquilt Go! and the 6" HST die, saving a ton of time.

You'll find a fabric that looks like the Postcard quilt over here.  It would make a great backing for a quilt!

Linking to the Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along over at MMM Quilts.

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How to Keep Track of Pieces When Making a Postcard From Sweden Quilt

This mishmash of Kona Cotton happiness is actually very organized.  Have you ever wondered how to keep track of all those pieces without a design wall?  The king with 6" finished HSTs is made with 646 triangles, so organization is essential.  Here's how I do it.  

Layout all of the cut triangles in numerical order in stacks as shown below.  There are 36 colors, so there will be 36 piles of triangles.  Refer to the POS numbered block chart found here.  Label the rows A B C and so on.  Label the columns 1 2 3 and so on.  Reading left to right, in row A, take the two triangles that make up the first block and stack them together with the second fabric on top.  Repeat for the remainder of the row, placing block 2 on top of block 1, offset a bit toward the right.  The block on the top of this staggered stack is the rightmost block in the row.  Label the row by its letter using a pin.  I wouldn't trust a sticker.

The picture above shows all the rows laid out.  I use flat cardboard boxes and overlap the rows on top of each other, usually four rows per box.  This picture has four boxes laid 2 x 2, completely buried by the triangles.  I complete this entire process at one time rather than doing it one row at a time and then sewing the row, because I want my tables to be clear to use and also so I don't feel the pressure of sewing the entire quilt top before I'm free to work on another project.

Remember that the triangles are on the boards with the top block being the rightmost block in the row.  Don't forget this! Nearly all of the time when I sew a stack of blocks, the one on the top is the leftmost block, but not in this case.

Place one of the boards next to your sewing table.  Since my sewing table isn't wide enough for the box, I set up my ironing board at table height and place the box on top of it.  Sew all of the blocks in one row together, not clipping threads between them.  When finished with a row, clip the threads between the blocks, and place them in a pile in the same order they were sewn in.  Turn the pile of blocks over and pin the row letter back on.  Column 1 is now on the top, which means that the leftmost block in the row is now on top.  Press seams open.  Trim HSTs to size if necessary.  Below are the HSTs sewn together with each row in order with a letter label pinned to the first block of each row.  The subsequent labels are hidden in the pile.

Then sew the rows together in the usual manner, noting the orientation of each block on the diagram.  Every other block in each row is turned clockwise, and every other row it's the even numbered blocks that rotate, and on the other rows it's the odd numbered blocks that rotate.  This will make more sense as you sit down to sew and refer to the chart.  Work out a system for keeping track of which block rotates, and the piecing goes quite quickly.  Press seams open.

Here's my 17 king sized rows, pieced and ready to join together!

Download the free Postcard From Sweden pattern today!

Quilty Pencils with sassy quilt sayings are back in stock!  These are the cutest quilt pencils that would make great little gifts for your quilty friends.  Get a set or two today!

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Custom King Size Postcard From Sweden Quilt | Finished or Not Friday

Welcome to Finished or Not Friday where you can share your finished {or not} projects!

My Finish is a custom king size Postcard From Sweden quilt!  I realized this week that I hadn't posted pictures of my quilt at the end of the Quilt Along.

My customer ordered matching shams, and I made them identical to each other.  The back has an envelope opening and is made with Kona Citrus, as is the binding.  I used my favorite . quilt . book . ever, Shams With Style, for sizing.

Backing is Kona Citrus, super happy!

Quilt Stats:

Pattern:  Postcard From Sweden, blocks enlarged to 6" finished HSTs with rows and columns added.
Size:  King size, 114" x 102"
Fabric:  Kona Cotton
Quilting:  Custom hourglass design in gray thread, done on Gratitude.
Batting:  Hobbs Heirloom Cotton
Backing and Binding:  Kona Citrus

Last week's featured project!

Sea Sick by Katy Quilts!  I love this picture on the bed with the headboard and all the room details.  It looks like a magazine photo op!

Craftsy's Summer Sale is this weekend!  It's a great time to stock up on thread and batting, as well as stash-building quilt kits!

If you want your quilt featured here next week, be sure to put a link back to this post in your post or sidebar, or tag @busyhandsquilts on Instagram, AND link directly to your blog post so I don't have to hunt it down.

It's your turn to share your finish {or not}!  What's welcome at this party?  

• Any in-progress or finished project made with fabric, yarn, or thread is welcome!  
• Projects from this week only!
• ♥ ♥ PLEASE!  Link to the actual blog post, not your home page.  We'd like to see your post and don't have the time to go hunt it down.
• Include the Finished or Not Friday button or a text link that links back to this week's link-up in order to share the fun.  No, I won't delete your link if you don't, but hey, adding a link in your post is just being friendly, so be friendly and share!!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Linking to:
♥ Finish It Up Friday ♥ Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?!? ♥ Linky Tuesday ♥ Midweek Makers ♥ Let's Bee Social ♥ Needle and Thread Thursday ♥ 

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Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along - Finished Quilts!

It's time for the next step in the Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along!  You have three weeks to finish your quilt and link it up here to qualify for a prize. 

Here's my king size quilt!  I'll show you pictures of the entire quilt and pillow shams at the finished quilt link up in three weeks.

Random.org chose entry #1, Kathy from Sparkles, Sprinkles, and Everyday Crap, as the winner of a PDF pattern from my pattern shop.

Link-Up Your Finished Quilts

Today's link-up is for finished quilts. This link-up closes on Wednesday, May 24th at 5:00 PM Pacific time.  A random entry will receive a PDF pattern from my pattern shop.

An InLinkz Link-up

Grab the POS QAL button and share the fun!

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Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along | Pressing and Trimming HSTs

It's time for the next step in the Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along!  You have two weeks to press and trim your half-square triangles and link them up here to qualify for a prize.  

Here's my 323 HSTs, all pressed and trimmed.  That's right, there's no trimming when the HSTs are cut with an Accuquilt!

Random.org chose entry #2, Andree', as the winner of a PDF pattern from my pattern shop.

I'm wondering where all the participants in this QAL are hiding?  I received a lot of responses about wanting to participate, both here and on Facebook, and so few of you have linked up.  Where are y'all???

Link-Up Your Pressed and Trimmed HSTs

Today's link-up is the pressing and trimming step. This link-up closes on Wednesday, April 12th at 5:00 PM Pacific time.  A random entry will receive a PDF pattern from my pattern shop.

An InLinkz Link-up

Grab the POS QAL button and share the fun!

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<a href="http://busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" title="Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along @ Busy Hands Quilts" target="_blank"><img src="https://image.ibb.co/eqar0a/PFS_QAL_Button.jpg" width = "150" alt="Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along @ Busy Hands Quilts" style="border: none;" /></a></div>

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Why I Love Keeping a Stash Report {January 2017}

I've long resisted keeping track of yardage in and out, but I'm finding I love doing it!  The accountability really keeps me focused on using instead of buying and hoarding.  It's exciting to add to the Yardage out column!  I have a goal for how many yards of fabric I use and don't replace this year, but it's so big and so ridiculous that I won't tell you what it is.

Yardage in 33.4    Yardage out (48.6)   Net Yardage (15.2)

Some of the Yardage out was from selling stash in my Pattern Shop.  

As far as quilt progress, this month I released a new pattern, Jelly Roll Waves, and finished these 5 quilts.  The first three are lap quilts in my new Jelly Roll Waves pattern, the fourth quilt is a large lap Rainbow Wave quilt {for sale in my Quilt Shop}, and a custom order Baby Rainbow Star quilt.

In February and March I have two custom orders to work on; a twin size Kite Flight and a king size Postcard From Sweden, both orders through my Quilt Shop.

But first I will enjoy my vacation here in Arizona with my parents!  The warmth and sunshine are wonderful!

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Linking to:
♥ Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?!? ♥ Finish It Up Friday ♥ 

Upcoming Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along {Fabric Selection Ideas!}

I'm hosting a Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along in early 2017, and I hope you join us!  Your quilt does not have to resemble the original Postcard From Sweden; it just needs to be an HST quilt in a small lap size (40" x 45") or larger to qualify for prizes.  But wouldn't it be super fun to make the original?!?  

Here are some fabric selection ideas to get your mind whirling.  These quilt kits are part of the Top 25 Quilt Kits on sale at Craftsy today only.

Hometown Call Me Contemporary is such a sweet palette!

Hometown True Blue is adorable!

Then, of course, there are loads of fat quarter bundles that would also be perfect!  Get your fabric ready, and we'll sew together when the holiday madness is over and life slows down again!

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Upcoming Quilt Alongs!

There are two upcoming Quilt Alongs I'd like to share with you.  In early 2017, I will be hosting a Postcard From Sweden Quilt Along!  

This queen-sized Postcard From Sweden was a custom order I made in 2015, and I'm planning on making another Postcard and would like you to join me!  A lap kit is available here, but you can use any fabrics you'd like.  Follow my blog to keep in touch!

Mama Spark's World is hosting an Ocean Waves Quilt Along beginning in January.  I didn't know what the Ocean Waves pattern was, so I checked out Mama Spark's World's Ocean Waves Pinterest board.  HSTs!  I've got several rolls of Triangles on a Roll that would be perfect for this project.  Just sew on the lines, cut, and forget trimming!

This one's my favorite, and I'm leaning toward making this using Boundless Blenders.  

Source

But then there's this one -  it's super sweet!

Source

And if you love quilt kits, I found this one in civil war fabrics as a kit.

I hope to quilt along with you!

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