Friday, October 09, 2009

Blogger's Quilt Festival - "My Minny Muu" February 2009

This is my entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

I made this quilt for me in February of this year but had yet to take photos of it. I was hoping to take some lovely photos outside this week, but it's been raining. So the giant table in the laundry room of our apartment building, will have to do. I thought of standing on the table to get a better angle, but they have surveillance cameras and I'm clumsy. So just a bad idea.

My Minny Muu - Feb 09

This quilt was an adventure that began on Flickr. While strolling around, I came across this and this and this photo of amazingly cute Minny Muu fabric by Lecien. I told everyone who would listen (and some who were just pretending to),about the cutest fabrics that I found, with little strawberries, random french words, mice and cheese, little teddy bears holding their own little bears...I could go on and on(and I'm sure I did). Just imagine all the blank stares from non-quilters.

My Minny Muu - Feb 09

So one Friday evening around 12am (I guess it was Saturday morning), I made it my mission to find this fabric online and purchase some. Immediately -if not sooner.

There were a few online stores that carried yardage, but I really wanted a little bit of each of the fabrics. I needed every print, in every colour. How could you leave one out!

So I created a table in Excel that had each store along the side and the prints along the top. I made check marks in the boxes to keep track. This was my plan to buy as many of the prints as possible, while spending the least on shipping. My Mom is still laughing at me about the Excel sheet.

Then around 2:30am, I came across Honeysuckle Cottage and low and behold they had layer cakes of the fabric (they still do!). One 10 inch square of each of the prints in the collection. I struck gold!! The only real issue is that I'm in Canada, and this shop is in Australia. But hey, they had the fabric. So I placed an order. I think it came to $60 Canadian. I didn't care.

My Minny Muu - Feb 09

While waiting the super long time for this stuff to make the trek from the Land Down Under to the Great White North, I noticed that the Fat Quarter Shop (in Texas) was also selling sushi rolls of Minny Muu, but there were no pictures of them unrolled, so I had no idea what was in them. I didn't care. I ordered one red, and one blue and some very cute dots to hopefully match. Oh and some sprinkle fabric (not pink like the link but the same print in white), 'cause who knows, maybe I'll change my mind about the dots. I'm sure you see how a fabric stash can develop with this purchasing strategy. While browsing Fat Quarter Shop's site, I fell in love with a pattern in Little Charmers 6 for a very cute table runner by Anka's Treasures.

Once all my goodies arrived, I decided to use the table runner pattern to make the quilt. I made the table runner top 4 times, and used them as 4 giant blocks, and then devised a layout to incorporate the giant blocks.

Most of the top of this quilt was made while on a Girls Crafting/Quilting getaway with friends. It was very fun! And being one who has a hard time focusing in group situations, I spend a lot of time taking these things apart, and re-sewing them together.

My Minny Muu - Feb 09

Full-on photos to come. When the sun arrives.

Check out the rest of the wonderful quilts in the festival here:



45 comments:

Zonnah said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this quilt :)

happy zombie said...

Oh Sarah... I love your quilt! I love that you love Minny Muu like I do (ha... I feel so Dr. Suess-ishy).

Are you sitting down... there's a new Minny Muu coming out. "Minny Muu Plus". Plus as in plus size. Never has something getting bigger be so cute!!! xoxo

Mom said...

It's amazing!
margaret
www.quiltsoflove.blogspot.com

Amanda Jean said...

what a FUN quilt! i love how you used a table runner pattern and made it bigger. wonderful!!!

Anonymous said...

Great color & I love the giant blocks.
-Jaclyn

Anonymous said...

lol When I saw the pic I said to myself "I don't remember THIS one!" and then I read that you'd been HIDING it from us! :)

It's beautiful! Love it, love it, love it!

Anonymous said...

Oh gosh - I just showed BSP and we're exclaming over it again, so I just had to tell you how much I love it again. I think this might be my favourite of your quilts!

Ann said...

Wow Sarah, this is gorgeous :)
It looks like a LOT of work.
Love the fabrics too, though not my personal preferences - I love the excel idea: could just as well have been me *giggle*.

LJ said...

The story, the fabric, the quilt. It's all just too cute!!

domoshar said...

Lovely!
Love the colours, style, simplicity and energy of this quilt.
Thanks for sharing this beauty with us!

the Campfollower said...

Fantastic Quilt! I love almost anything by Lecien, they are a superior manufacturer of beauty! I have a sushi roll of minny muu and just gaze at it from time to time wondering what it will become when the time is right. Great job!

Robin said...

LOL!!! Not only is the quilt stunning (so happy and bright!), But your story is something else. You definitely made me smile today! :) Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

love the quilt - love minny muu too. It is just way too cute for words.

But the excel spreadsheet? You are mental. Clearly a raving lunatic.

Terri Stegmiller said...

Love the colors and design in this quilt!

Unknown said...

I love all the colour, yet it still has a clean feeling. WOnderful, being in Canada also I've done similar to the excel sheet.

Sarah said...

What a fun story about this quilt. Love all the color. Great job! ~ Sarah

tooznie said...

Great job, and great results. Amazing how fixated we can get when we find THE pattern!

Catherine said...

Gorgeous!! Love the fabrics and the pattern you've used. And thanks for sharing that great story behind your quilt. Only quilters can relate to that.

Kris said...

What a fun story and a beautiful quilt! I can't wait to see more photos! The colors are absolutely fabulous!!!

Shawn said...

Love the "HappY" colors in your quilt!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

Oh I do love how colorful this quilt is!
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/

MegN said...

What a fun and colorful quilt! I love the design!

sallgood said...

I already left a comment on your photo on flickr, but I have to tell you again how much I love this quilt! And reading your process just makes it better1

Katie B said...

I love this quilt! It's beautiful, and your story cracked me up

Helen said...

I've brought from HC in the past. :)

Looooove this quilt! Its very you! And you have been keeping a secret from us! Its lovely. :)

Latane Barton said...

I've never seen that pattern before and it's so pretty. Makes me want to start one of my own.

ChickieChirps said...

I love this quilt. Minny Muu have the coolest fabrics! I really love the dotty borders too.

Arabella

2miracles/Tove said...

Wow loves of work! You did great this is beautiful quilt. I wish I had time and patients to work something out like that. Congrats on a great job.

Lisa said...

OMG Sarah! that is one expensive quilt LOL! What a great quilt!!!! and I would have been laughing along with your mom too!

Martine Kuciel said...

le mélange des tissus est original avec un assemblage traditionnel excellente réussite

Rene' said...

It sounds like you were definitely a girl on a mission. Love the spreadsheet. You shop the way I do .... a little bit more just in case. Beautiful fabric, patten and layout. Very creative. Thanks for sharing.

AnnieO said...

This quilt is a stunner and you are a very entertaining writer! Not to mention, excellent shopper:) Thanks for sharing your quilt's story.

ParisMaddy said...

This is one of the cutest quilts I've seen in a long time. Great work!

Jocelyn said...

Love it! So bright and cheery.

Dolly said...

That quilt is just beautiful........I don't know how you could get a better shot of it than that !

quiltmom anna said...

What a terrific quilt and I love the story of the fabric buying- it does make me laugh thinking of you and your Excel spread sheet.
Thanks so much for sharing your funky quilt.
Enjoy the show - there are wonderful quilts to see and stories to read.
Regards,
Anna

Leslie said...

this is so pretty i love the fabrics

Renee said...

What a great post - I really enjoyed reading about your search for these fabrics that caught your eye! Your quilt looks great - well worth all the searching!

Jeannette said...

Such tiny little graphics on that cute cloth - you could make a quilt for Whos in Whoville. What you have made is a dleight of color and I am looking forward to seeing what else you have been up to.

Barb said...

what a fun and happy quilt!
thanks--
barb

Suzanne said...

Love the story of this one and the quilt is great! How could it not be with that fabric :)
Congrats on your win!

Aimee said...

Beautiful quilt Sarah! I am still laughing about the surveillance camera... Congrats on winning!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous quilt!! LOVE your use of Minny Muu! ; ) I KNOW how hard it can be to cut and sew favorite fabrics from your stash! How EXCELLENT! I love the whole story and journey this quilt became!!! Thank you for sharing.

amy smart said...

This quilt is so wonderful! And extra fun that it's Minny Muu!! I love that stuff. Can't get enough of it. Very, very nice!

bingo~bonnie said...

what a great story behind your quilt - I've been known to make up Excel sheets for things I want to buy also - and quilts to make and links that I saw them on... and for the kids stuff too... what toy takes what size batteries :P I'm an Excell nerd what can I say? ;)

So happy to have found your blog! Love from Texas! ~bonnie