UFO Weekend Progress

This holiday weekend was a bonus UFO weekend for a group that I'm a part of.  And I did make progress on a couple of projects.

First up was finishing my Riley Blake Challenge quilt.  Lots of echo quilting in it. 

 A jewelry medallion was the final touch to finish off the quilt.

And I finished off these two mini cross-stitch pieces.   At least one of them will end up in a quilted postcard that I'm planning on sending to someone who is going through a hard time right now.

Gratitudes:
1. Even tho things are heating up outside, the house has not been horrendously hot, so just running the ac very occassionally to bring the temp down to 80 has kept things bearable.

2. I found the pattern for the summer tops I need to make myself.

Challenge Quilt Progress

I'm making progress on the Riley Blake Challenge quilt.  Quilting is now 50% or more done.    Am working both sides in alternate passes so that it doesn't get too wonky.  Am still undecided about whether to add beads or now after I finish the quilting.

Gratitudes:
1. Echo quilting is easy, if a bit time-consuming.

2. Had the perfect colors of thread for top and bottom.

UFO Weekend results

Finished up 5 quilted postcards which I forgot to take a picture of in their finished form...oops..... Next up was evening out the right edge of the first third or so of my snail quilt which I don't have a pic of (notice a recurring theme here?).   Width of the quilt right now without border is about 72".


Then made two  snail blocks from Orphan UFO blocks that were sent to me by a longtime quilting friend.   All added fabrics were from scraps or remnants.

These were all 6" finished swap blocks from swaps years ago on a now defunct email list (IQ).  The first snail was made with four 6" finished friendship star blocks

Shell of this snail was made from nine 6" finished 9-patches from a long ago swap from the same email list as above.












Start of the middle third of the quilt with two 12" tall snails and one that is 18" tall.  This may still get one more 6" or 9" tall row on the bottom of it yet.

The filler blocks underneath the large snail are signature blocks that were sent to me by the friend who sent the other orphan/UFO blocks.  These were from a get-together back in 2002 with the IQ group of quilting friends.  Don't remember where this GT was held, but it is fun to remember friends that are either no longer alive or no longer heard from.

And the final project I worked on was getting the quilting underway on my Riley Blake challenge quilt.  The background on one side of the circles is done (shown here).   And I've started on the other side of the circles. 

The design for the quilting continues to evolve and at the moment, I'm going to echo in quilting the circles on the other side of the quilt from the applique.  And then fill in around that with the echo quilting like shown here.

Gratitudes:

1. While the storm on Saturday had  winds so high that the rain was going sideways, there was no damage to my house.  (Altho I did have to wait out the first wave inside Wally World.)

2. For God's hand of protection with the severe storm front that is due to go through the NE Tx area today and tomorrow.

Riley Blake Challenge 2019

Back at the first of the year I signed up for a fabric challenge hosted by the Modern Quilt Guild.  The fabric for the challenge was supplied by the Riley Blake Designs fabric company.  And included 4 different prints, with at least 3 of them having to be in the final quilt.

The design for this quilt was inspired by one of the tiles in this picture.   A gal that hosts a block swap I've been in several times is using these tiles to create the back splash in the kitchen in her new house.    They are so tempting for me, but I really don't want to take down the tile already up in my kitchen...lol.

However, the tile on the very left end of the row that is standing up against the wall did prove to be inspiration for the Riley Blake Fabric challenge that the Modern Quilt Guild is hosting this spring.

I finished the quilt top this pass weekend and will be basting it this coming week so I can start on the quilting for it.  Working name is "Hot Plate" because the blocks remind me of the burners on my electric stove when they are hot.










All of the fabrics in the challenge quilt have to be from Riley Blake.  The one I'm planning on using for the backing is the top one shown in the pic to the right.   It is from their Sew Cherry 2 line of fabric I believe.

At the moment I'll either bind the quilt in more of the background fabric or the red used for the large circle in the blocks.   Am leaning towards the background fabric though unless I decide to buy something else.   I do have a navy/white 1/8th inch stripe (only an fat-8th) that I think would make a fun binding, but the fat-8th that I have isn't enough to do the binding. 

I'm tempted to buy enough to do the binding, but hate the thought of paying as much in shipping as the FQ I need would cost me.....so not worth it.   I might tho, piece enough strips to get a small flange for the quilt.  Will have to think about it.

Meanwhile, while I work on this to get it quilted I'll also be working to make two pillow shams that I've been asked to make for a friends DD to match the quilt that she had someone else make.  Those shams need to be back in Idaho by May 15th.

Gratitudes:

1. For not having to make the hourglass units for the shams, altho I do have to trim them from 3.75" to 3.5" unfinished.

2. For a knee and leg that did not give me fits this morning driving into work.

MQG Riley Blake Fabric Challenge - Spring 2019

Last week I'd received an email from UPS telling me that they would be delivering a package from UPS on 4/1 and that the sender was Riley Blake Designs............well I knew I couldn't figure out what it was.

It arrived yesterday evening and after opening the package I found these lovely fabrics.  All are fat-Eights (9" by 22") in size....  All but the middle fabric were in the challenge.  The solid blue is an extra piece.

Thankfully we can add any other Riley Blake fabric we want to instead of being limited to only certain lines.   Now I need to figure out a design so I can get any extra fabric needed.

I had tried to sign up back when they first opened the challenge but the website had given me a message saying that too many had signed up and I was out of luck......hmmmm, not quite true....lol.

So now there's another thing on my to-do list to get done in the next 6 or so weeks.

And nope, I don't know what I'm going to do, but do know it won't be something big.  I do have some sanity left....lol.

Gratitudes:
1. That I like challenges

2. For savings to cover the bills when payday comes and goes w/o getting a check......

Mid-week Progress

Slow progress this week.........

This has been trimmed to size........but I need to do a wee bit of squaring up on that left side 'cause it isn't straight....argh.   Or I may just leave it and finish as is.  Still thinking about thread color and I'm thinking about using a variegated grey Aurifil thread for the top, and maybe a black or dark grey for the back.









This is the Michael Miller backing fabric that I found at Hobby Lobby.  Colors are perfect for the required colors.  I'm was tempted to quilt this one from the back, but am sticking to my initial plan with the motif that fits with the blocks.

Hand basting session coming up on it because I don't want to deal with pins while quilting it.

I've started the final commissioned passport wallet.   Everything is ready for me to start the stitching and putting it together.

More progress has been made on this.   And two more rows have been sewn on since this picture was taken last night.   Just the top row remains (all 4-patches).

I'm thinking of submitting this design for possible publication to Make Modern Magazine which is a digital quilt magazine. 

I'd have to make another sample, but it goes together quickly and I've plenty of scraps to make it out of.  Any ideas for color combos should I need them?

Gratitudes:

1. God got me safely to work in the rain, in spite of a windshield wiper that was doing its best to totally come apart on my drive in at 5 am.

2. For a new wiper blade that works wonderfully!

Challenge Quilt for QuiltCon 2019 Underway

The Modern Quilt Guild (MQG) has an annual Quilt Show that moves around the country each year.   And usually there are one or two challenges for each show.  This fall I signed up to get one of the challenge packs of fabrics from MQG and Michael Miller fabrics.

The challenge is to make a quilt using at least 3 of the four fabrics that were supplied by Michael Miller Fabrics, and the peach had to be one of them.   The fabrics supplied included 3 colors of their Hash Dot fabric, and the Peach which is from the Cotton Couture collection.   Quilters could add any color from the Cotton Couture collection, but only these three Hash Dot fabrics.  All supplied fabrics were 9" by 22" in size.

I chose to add the natural colored Cotton Couture for the background on my quilt.  I was just able to get the correct number of pieces I needed of the peach out of the piece they sent.  I had been able to find more of the other two fabrics in order to get what I needed.

I'll be working with my custom design for this challenge and have even figured out how i'm going to quilt it (lots of work for this). 

First block is now made, but not trimmed.   Will do the rest of the blocks tonite.

Once the blocks are done then I'll start piecing the back for it.


Gratitudes:

1. Was finally able to the a computer program to behave this morning at work.  (an MS product, need I say more?)

2.  It looks like I'll have 3 weeks to get this quilted without too much stress!

3. Found the perfect backing fabric for the next UFO to be quilted.

Mystery Quilt Along Finish

Two friends and I split one yard of the mystery fabric.  I used a FQ of the challenge fabric.

The yellow print is the challenge print and my FQ was almost completely used in making the quilt top.

The fabrics that I set it with included assorted white-on-whites and this blue print.   All of which came from the assorted scraps that I've collected lately. 

Yes, the blue print was all scraps and not yardage.  I had used some of it in the scrappy blocks for this teddy bear quilt shown on the bottom of the page.  This quilt used up most of what I had left, the rest are in the pile to go to someone else. 

These offset 4-patches were set with solid squares of the blue print and were turned in opposing directions to get the pops of color more intense.

This is my finished quilt top.   I'm planning on donating it to Sunshine Quilts.  I'll send it to someone else to quilt because time to do so doesn't seem to be getting any closer in my schedule.

Don't forget to go check out what everyone else who to part in the Mystery QAL did this round -

Here are the links for everyone participating, at some point today they should be posting about what they did this round:

Tracy @ It’s a T-Sweets Day!

Edith @ ediscraftinglife.blogspot.com

Desert Suz @ DesertSky Quilting

Michelle @ Creative Blonde

Karla @mysewfulretirement

Connie @ Connie’s Creations 

Gratitudes:

1. Being able to set notices up for bank accounts

2. For having an anchor that holds no matter the turmoil going on around me.

Modern Quilt Guild Michael Miller Challenge

I'm no stranger to having quilts shown in special exhibitions at quilt shows that aren't judged, but I've never submitted one in competition.  That tho is going to change.  The Modern Quilt Guild has a challenge for the members that wanted to take part. 

They supplied fat-eighths of the fabrics shown in the figure below.  In the finished quilt must be a minimum of 2 of the three hash dot  fabrics, and the peach cotton couture.   Those taking part can add any of the solid cotton couture fabrics that were wanted.

These are the fabrics I'm going to end up using in my quilt.

And my tentative design for the quilt -

There are some changes that will be made to this still, but the basics are there.  A lot of quilting compared to what I normally do, but stretching is a good thing.

Gratitudes:
1. that the design and quilt motifs have come together easily on this one.

2. For finding the remaining things I'd been missing....altho now I'm missing a tote of quilt blocks....sigh

Quilt Challenge

the Modern Quilt Guild is hosting two different challenges this year with the resulting quilts to be displayed at QuiltCon next year.  And I decided to participate this year.

Finished quilts are due by the end of October so I need to get busy on this.

These are the fabrics that we have to use in the quilt.  Rules say that we have to use at least the peach solid, and 2 of the other three fabrics.   I've decided which fabrics I'm going to use.



Possible layout #1 - easy to put together, only 11 blocks to pp.........but quilting isn't my strong point so all that open space intimidates me........




















Layout possibility #2 -


Same block, just in multiple sizes.  I think I can come up with a better quilting plan for this one...downside though is that I would have to hand draw some of the pp'd block patterns because of the size needed to make this.   And putting the top together would take more fiddling to get it fit together correctly.

Decisions, decisions........



Gratitudes:

1. Having a backup laptop that I can use to listen to the radio on since the speakers on my main one are on the way out and not replaceable.

2. For the provision of the wood that I wanted for shelving and for the son of good friends who helped prep it for me.

Moda & Aurifil Challenge Mini Quilt

I saw a challenge posted online that Moda Fabrics and Aurifil Threads were running this month in celebration of all that went on at Fall Market and the new fabric lines from Moda.   They blogged about it here.

the two main rules were - you had to use Moda Precuts and Aurifil thread to make a finished quilt, and the size was to have a perimeter between 40" and 100".

Well, there aren't a lot of challenges that I shy away from, and as it happened I had a few Moda precuts (alright, more than a few) that I hadn't done anything with since getting them one or another.  So I decided to challenge myself.    Well in looking at what I had, I realized why I hadn't done anything with them - most of them are not fabrics that I'd normally work with. 

However, challenging oneself occassionally is a good thing.   The one I decided to work with is called Botany.   And I pulled two Aurifil threads to work with - white for piecing and the variegated peach for quilting.

I decided to make 4 sawtooth stars blocks to form my quilt.  I used 5 different blues for the stars - the center for all four blockswas from on charm, and each block used another charm square to make the star points.  Two different fabrics were used to make the background of the blocks.  13 charm squares were used for the top.

Back of the quilt was made by sewing 9 more charms together in a nine-pach.   The binding used 6 more of the charm squares cut in half and then sewn together.

All total I used 28 out of 42 charm squares in the pack.

The peach Aurifil thread blended in with the peach in the blocks.   Finished size of the quilt is 12.5" square for a total perimeter of 50".   Now to decide what to do with this little quilt.

@modafabrics, @aurifilthread, #ModaAurifilMiniChallenge

Gratitudes:

1. Warmer weather today

2. Good thanksgiving service today at church and all of my friends there.

Progress and a new quilt

I've been able to get some quilting time in before work the last couple of days and have been making progress on getting flying geese units made. 

I've finished sewing 32 or sew flying geese, have 13 more that are pinned to the pp patterns and ready to sew, and approximately 90 more pieces of blue ready to sew (the pile in the back left). 

To have enough to finish the quilt though I'll still need to cut about 15-20 pieces of blues big enough for the geese.   And I know I'll need a bunch more blue cut for the star points.    Next up will be making a bunch of the flying geese that make the star points so that I square them up and then get more blocks put together. 

 And I'll also be starting a new and what has to be a quick project that has a due date.   Moda Fabrics and Aurifil thread are sponsoring a challenge for quilters to make a small quilt some where between 10" square to 26" square.  People are to use one of Moda's precuts and Aurifil thread to make it.  Entries are due before the end of the month.

I'm nuts, and I like a challenge, so I've decided to enter something for it.   As it happens I have a handful of Moda charm packs (among other precuts) and I decided on this one, and pulled these two Aurifil threads to use in making it.   Will use the white for piecing and the variegated peach for quilting it.    Finished mini quilt will be 12" square and there will be four 6" blocks in it.

Will be printing out my pp'd patterns and figuring out the size of cuts that I need to make today and will start work on it tonite after I get home.  =)

Gratitudes:

1. Only one month till I'm on vacation!  Oh wait, guess that means I should think about Christmas gifts....lol.

2. Being awake after a night where it was hard to sleep.

Making a mess

Sewing got done this week, but don't have pics of all of it.  I know have two F2F blocks done, and pics taken.  Will post them later when all three are done.

I've finished all of the quilting in the background of the challenge quilt and then spent the weekend figuring out how to make a canoe.  However, since my thread matched the background, pics won't show it.

I ended up using a double layer of non-fusible peltex (like used in quilted postcards) that I stitched together to form the base.  Then fused on a wood grain print over that.  Satin-stitched the raw edges of all pieces.  The sides are sewn together with a straight stitch, and then I glued the two sections (bottom/side) together this morning.   I'll add some additional glue inside when I get home to strengthen the hold this afternoon.   Then it'll be ready to attach to the quilt somehow.

I'm going to trim the quilt to size and put the binding and hanging sleeve on tonite.  Then tomorrow I can start adding the "water".

Also this past weekend I did a lot of moving and sorting in my sewing room.  I've gone through all but one box of my non-quilting fabric stash.  That means I've gone thru 10 of the largest totes in my sewing room and 13 xerox boxes of fabrics...........net result is I have a much better idea of what I've got and what I'll actually use.   I've done a lot of sorting out of stuff that I know I'll never use at this point.  Kept things like the pants material that I have, the knits for tops, materials for gifts (need to get sewing to get things made up!), and fabrics for totes.

At this point I'm down by 3 of the large totes and 6 xerox boxes.....woohoo!!!!!!!!!    And two of the items/groups are already listed on ebay for sale.   Am hoping that they sell.  Everything else that is going out will either be listed for sale or donated somewhere.   Still lots to be done in the fabric room, but this is progress....altho it doesn't look like it...lol.  

I do still need to sort through the quilting fabs so that I can get like with like (sorted by color, types, etc.).  But that will be at a later date.

Gratitudes:
1. a desk for quilting on and a carpet protector for my chair to roll on for free as we get the office ready to move.

2. No tornado touchdown by me during the storm Sunday night.

Dreaming Big, part 1

Quilt is now basted together (main fabric for the front and the backing) and I've not started laying out the fabric for the river bed.

The fabric that I'm using for it is one that is graduated in color.  Light at the selvedges to dark at the center.  All of which means I have to use multiple pieces to get the coloring that I want through out my "river bed".    I've done a rough layout of the pieces to get a feel for the number of pieces that I need.   May yet rearrange them.

Next step is to add strips of fusible webbing to the edges of the strips and then trim the pieces into a more random but continuous river.  Normally I would put fusible web under the entire sections but since i'll be hand stitching the "water" down I don't want to do that this time.    Should be "fun" working with it.....lol.

Gratitudes:

1. The heater works well in my car.

2. Repairman is finally coming to the house this afternoon to make the needed repairs.