February Recap: Part 2 - A Little Valentine's Day Prep

 More on the February doings:  After enjoying Pat Sloan's Red and White quilt display at the beginning of the month, I realized that my own display that was up at the time needed some enhancement: 

So at the last minute I decided to make a little Valentine's Day wall filler using Pat's "Hello Luv" design.  Although it later appeared in her "Holiday Celebrations" book, I had originally picked up the pattern when she made it for the Fat Quarter Shop's Button Club back in 2019.

Pat's Button Club version

My addition to my Red and White display!

For the block units that make up the larger four patch "Hugs" and "Kisses" blocks, I had gone the die cutting route and used my Accuquilt 4-1/2" Finished Signature die and the 3" finished HST triangles on my Churn Dash die to cut out the pieces.  That made my blocks and wall hanging a little larger than what's patterned.  

Updated 3/6/24:  Now a smaller version of this same design is one of the blocks in Pat's "Block Wednesday:  What's In Your  Your Closet" mystery quilt along! 

Where Pat had used the buttons from the club to decorate  the X's and O's,  I am only now noticing the buttons in the center of the X's so didn't do that.  I did put something in the centers of the O's though.  Continuing with the "make it fast, cut it fast" scheme, I picked a heart applique to put in the center of my O's.  Originally, I thought I'd use the 2" Heart from their basic "Heart" applique die but instead chose to go with the Heart from the “Heather Feather #2” die by Sarah Vedeler.  

To further hasten the finish, I once again decided to save some time on cutting and assembling binding and pulled out my usually trusty "Quick Easy Mitered Binding Tool"....

....to turn the simple backing (with label area added) to the front! 

I say "usually trusty" because when I tried this technique back in January for my "Old Tobacco Road" quilt, it was the first time it did not work for me.   

I had started this one a few days before Valentine's Day and finished it up right on the holiday!   However, the holiday was only three days before we were scheduled to leave so it was now time to focus on packing!

There still a lot more to February, so watch for more posts this week!

Quiltville Mystery Season: Indigo Way Part 5

This week the number FIVE plays prominently in Bonnie's Part 5 post for the Indigo Way mystery!  We are also treated to more of the sights of Bonnie's Vietnam trip -- specifically a look at some of the beautiful textiles seen while she was there.   There is also a video of a woman working a loom (with hands and feet!) to weave a base cloth.

For the mystery, the blocks this week are Square-In-A-Square blocks.  For the centers, Bonnie plans to cut them from a piece of printed hemp fabric she brought from Vietnam but mystery quilters can use what they like to fill the center squares.  In the instructions, Bonnie shows you five ways to make them:  

• Rotary cutting of both center squares and corner triangles with regular rulers
• Rotary cutting of center squares using the Essential Triangle Tool for the corners
• Doing "Stitch  & Flip" corners by either drawing lines or using the laser lines on your machine if you have one
• Trimming the center square corners using the Simple Folded Corners ruler (so cut first, sew second)
• Paper piecing

Whenever I get around to making this mystery, I have two more techniques at my disposal and of course they involve gadgets:  my go to for SIS blocks is to use Deb Tucker's "Square Squared" two ruler set.

Deb also has a technique sheet that tells you how you can use the ruler to make what she calls "Stacked Squares" but you may know them as "Economy blocks" which are basically "Multiple Squares-Within-A-Square" blocks.

I have not gotten to use this ruler much so I look forward to when I try this mystery.  If I'm pressed for time, the other option for me will be to die cut all the units.  Accuquilt has dies to cut the center squares (what they call "Squares On Point") to the exact odd sizes needed and the packaging will tell you what size  coordinating triangle die you need for the corners.  Fortunately, I already have the ones for the size of block being made for this round.   

As to my own mystery season journey, I am getting close to the end of quilting "Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll"!  Last night I finished the last of the free-motion stitching on the blocks in the center of the quilt.  

I definitely got a little wild and wooly stitching out the motifs on the quarter square string blocks.  In hindsight, I am reminded that when doing FMQ on a DSM  it's better to stick with small motifs for better control.  There are definitely places where I overshot the design and could have marked points to hit with a wash away marker for more even looking motifs.  

But you know what?  It's done and that's all that matters to me right now!  The thread isn't high contrast and once the quilt is washed and acquires "that crinkly look", a lot of stitching sins will be hidden, LOL!  And boy is this quilt heavy now!!  It will be very warm to have on the bed during these winter nights.   

What's left to do is to stitch up the border setting triangles, the inner border and the outer border.  I changed plans and am now going to do the same stitch pattern in the setting triangles that I did in the full string blocks just halved.  The good news is I think I can do the design I wanted to do on the inner border with the same ruler I had planned to use for stitching on the outer border.  

Although this is actually a long arm ruler, I think (hope?) it will still work with my DSM ruler foot.  When I finally finish it all, I want to take it over to our community garden and get a picture of the quilt in the outside light.  

I'm excited that this journey is almost to a close as I still haven't started on basting "Old Tobacco Road".  Thank goodness the mystery season runs into the first week or two of January so I may still get that one done before the season (if not this year) ends! 

Finished Or Not Friday: Better Late Than Never!

It's been a while since I've had something to check in over at Quilty Girl Alycia's with another:

That's because I've FINALLY finished the last of the quilts I had set out to make for Christmas decorating in 2022, "Christmas Ribbons":

Every quilt has a story and this one started out as my interpretation of Sally Schneider's design using her "Painless Borders" technique from the cover of her 1992 book (published by the already dearly missed Martingale Publishing).

Her design technique is to piece blocks that when set into the edge of the quilt layout (usually on point), create the look of a "border" around the outer edge.  

I modified the piecing instructions for the four blocks needed to complete the design so I could cut most of them with my Accuquilt dies.  In particular, I changed her original tree blocks so I could use my Log Cabin die to cut the strips for the "branches".  I made the "tree trunks" using a Signature block die and trimmed it down to 4-1/2" to create an 8" finished block.  

First time using MODA "Grunge"!

Ironically, I had worked up my layout in EQ8 but didn't notice until after I finished piecing the top, that I had completely overlooked the fact that in Sally's design the tree blocks "float" because they have background strips pieced around them.  Oops!  However, since it hadn't bothered me when I drafted and colored in the layout, I decided to leave my blocks "snuggled together", LOL!!   

I also decided that a line of ribbon needed to be finished with a bow and fortunately I also (to quote Accuquilt’s Cutting Expert Pam Heller) "have a die for that"! 

The back is made with one of my favorite kinds of fabric:  flannels!!  

I did the backing the same way I had done my "Indigo Weave" quilt finished back in 2021.  A couple of extra star blocks were used to create a label area.  

One thing I had managed to finish in time for Christmas was to sew pieces of the two flannel fabrics together to make a tree skirt wrap for the Christmas tree I had put up.

I had a very helpful push for getting this done now:  my community garden is doing an Art Show exhibit of things made by our members who are artists/crafters.  I'm going to do a Red and White quilts display so need all the ones made for last Christmas as they are the only R&W quilts I have.  I do have one more quilt (that's not a Christmas quilt) to also finish for the display which I hope (no, have to!) to get done in the next week or so since the show is at the end of the month.  

Now that I'm done here, I can go over to Quilty Girl Alycia's to link up and get to see what everyone else finished up this week!  Meet you there!

And So Ends April....

Boy this year is moving fast!  I only wish my projects were moving at the same speed!!  

The Raffle Quilts Go Away Again

Once again the late start on the raffle quilts meant I didn't get them done.  Two weeks out from the opening day, I was still waffling about whether I could really make a push to finish them.  Unfortunately, our community garden was hit hard when we lost two of our Steering Committee members in March.  One, our events coordinator, suddenly passed away.  Then our Vice President (and local government liaison) was diagnosed with a serious form of cancer and had to undergo surgery and chemotherapy.  The remainder of the Steering Committee reached out to our garden members for help in coordinating and finalizing the day's events and picking up the supplies for the day's activities.  

My DH and I volunteered since we usually worked with the Event Coordinator to set up the event on the day so had some idea of how she usually approached it and what needed to be done.  My husband had also already put in for the day off from work the day before the event.  That allowed us to further help by going to pick up all the supplies needed.  Once that all came forward, the plan to try finishing the quilts had to be packed away again!

The good news is that I did get to move them that much further forward.  All of the basket blocks for both are done and the border print strips for both are cut and ready for layout.  I was still debating on whether to add more applique to the pastel version (I've put flowers in three baskets but should I do four?).  I was also waiting to get the light version off the design wall so I could figure out which of the butterflies in the border print fabric of the dark version I would cut out and applique for the remaining three border cornerstones (I already have one prepped and made two applique squares for the center).

What this really means is that I must, must, must get this started early next year (perhaps right after the New Year) in order to get them done on time.  So there is still hope for this project.

Made Another Sash

In addition to helping coordinate the event, I also volunteered to make the Grand Marshal sash again.  We found out at the last minute that the scheduled speaker wasn't going to be able to attend after all but was sending someone from their office to officiate.  That freed me to make this year's sash a little less elaborate than last years. 

I scaled back some of the ideas I had planned to use for it (so ditched the canning jar blocks) but was still was able to have some fun with my little Bernina Deco embroidery machine and Accuquilt Classic letter dies.  Pictures from the event can be seen on page 5 in the latest edition of our community paper on the Issuu.com website here.

Progress on the Accuquilt QAL

The week of the garden opening, I was also supposed to finish up my Rainbow Log Cabin blocks for the Accuquilt and AQS quilt along.  Needless to say that didn't happen until after the opening day!   Then I had time to finish up the blocks and sew them together for the center of the top.

Up to that point, I had not given any thought to what I was going to use for the borders for this top.  I wanted to carry on the rainbow theme but didn't have anything in stash so a shopping trip was then in order.  I found a pretty bold and busy print that picked up all of the colors used in the blocks.  

Both the pattern and Erica Bottger of Accuquilt put their borders right up against the blocks.  With my dark print, I felt it "choked" the center that way so added an additional light inner border pieced together from the unused 12-1/2" light strips I had die cut.  The blocks in the top finish at 11" although the BOB* die itself cuts enough strips for a 12" finished block.  Now I have to think about how to quilt this and (fingers crossed) bring it to a finish this year.  

*BOB = "Block on Board" meaning all the pieces for the block are cut with the one die.

April APQ UFO review

Once again, I wasn't able to make time to work on the American Patchwork and Quilting UFO pick for the month.  The number pulled was "4" and on my list that is my "Make It Scrappy" project:

This one was started back in 2019 when I made a wall hanging version of a MODA Bake Shop design as a gift for my MIL.  When I made the letters for hers,  I also made letters for a lap quilt version for me.  I had finished all the letters and put the center of the top together but I still have to put borders on it.  

Well, that didn't happen this month but some good did come from thinking about working on this!  I had pulled out the storage bag for it at the start of the month so now needed to take a picture of what I have for it for this report.  Lo and behold, I also found a piece of this print bundled up with it:

It was the fabric I had used as the background for the word "Scrappy" in both quilts.  Well, it just so happens that I had recently bundled another cut of this same print with fabrics for my next string quilt project.  I had been lamenting that I was just short of what I needed of that print for that project.  I thought I was going to have to find another print to use because I didn't think I could get more of it.  So I guess it does pay to pull out that UFO project even if you don't get to actually work on it!!  

I have a note in my planner that in July there is a "World UFO Day".  Yes, there is a day for everything although quilters will be celebrating that one differently than most people, LOL!!.   Maybe I can make a plan to try and catch up on all of the ones I haven't gotten to this year when that day/month comes.

Fabrics are in for the next Angela Walters FMQ Challenge

Angela Walters has another of her Free-motion quilting challenges starting in May.  It's called "Floral Frames" and this time she will be doing stitch patterns that can be used in borders.   

Since about 2019, Angela has designed panels for demonstrating the designs she will show how to stitch out.  This allows quilters to literally stich along with her without having to be in an "in-person" class.  I liked the colors of this year's panel (Blue, White and Lime!) so decided to splurge on getting the panel this time since I will be able to display it with my other Blue & White quilts when it's done.  

I purchased the panel, coordinating threads, border and backing fabrics.

I'm also hoping to stitch up the quilt top I made last year in order to do her "Fillers" challenge.  

If you've been curious about Angela's challenges, in her last weekly chat she reviewed the history of the challenges she has offered, all of which are still on You Tube.  Additionally she is offering a discount on the purchase of the prior year panels if you are interested in getting any of them to try out her challenges.   

Cross Stitch Update

My plan for the month was to get my "Maybe Wine" cross stitch project done.  After re-starting it by ripping out work previously done on the top flower,  I felt I made good enough progress on the re-do to finish it up.  Unfortunately, all the changes in plans for the garden opening left me too pooped to stitch most days.  

I started the month here....

...and ended it here.

Luckily for me, there is a special cross stitch event starting tomorrow so continuing work on it is already on the agenda for May!

So that's it for April!  The month didn't "Shower" me with finishes but hopefully some finishes will "Bloom" in May!!

Work(s) In Progress Wednesday

Raffle Quilts:  The blocks for the pastel version are done and the layout is in process.

I need to play around with the layout and balance the color placement.  I also think I will make a few flower applique motifs to add to some of the baskets.  

Now I can also start back on making the basket blocks for the (original) butterfly version.

APQ Scrap Happy:  As of yesterday, the blocks have all been sewn into columns

The wall is so full, I had to overlap the last two columns in order to fit them all on my design wall.

They are now down off the wall and sitting on a chair waiting to be stitched to each other.  Going forward, I will sew these looong columns together as a leader/ender.  With all the seams to pin, it may take awhile though! 

Accuquilt and AQS Log Cabin QAL:   Today, Accuquilt and AQS are starting a quilt along  for Accuquilt's Scrappy Log Cabin pattern (the introduction is on their blog here and Part 1 of the QAL is here).  This is great news for me as I had started one back in 2021 for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.   So for once, I am ahead of the game!

I figure this is a good time to play some catch-up.  They discussed die cutting the fabric today, but my strips are already cut and I have a few blocks made already.  I figure when the "Scrap Happy" columns are done, this will take its place as the primary leader/ender.  

As usual, so much to do, so little time......

Make A List Monday: What's In Store For March

With the month underway it's time to assess what's in the quilting queue for March.  

National Quilting Month

First up, it's time to celebrate!  March is National Quilting Month and every year, the third Saturday is National Quilting Day which is on the 18th this year.  

Check out the websites of your favorite quilt designers, museums, industry companies and vendors as most will probably be offering special projects, programs and sales in honor of OUR holiday!  

My DH has a vacation coming up later this month and we have already made plans with my MIL to go down to North Carolina to visit her.  That's doubly good news for me because it means an opportunity to have another mini Quilt Retreat with her that week.  

March Block A Day with Pat Sloan

Pat Sloan's March Block-A-Day series continues this year.  She is offering a block called "Cheerful".

I have enjoyed doing these the last two years, each time with my own twist on what block I piece.  I really wanted to do this year's blocks but couldn't choose between a couple of fabric themes I could see myself doing them in.  So once again I decided on a pivot:  since I already have blocks for two projects that I need to finish up and both needed about an additional fifteen blocks each, I decided to make those the blocks I will sew up daily for the month.

So for March Daily Blocks sewing I will finish piecing the blocks for "Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll" in the first half of the month and continue working on my APQ "Scrap Happy" QAL blocks for the second half.

This will keep the "RRCB" project on the front burner for another month thus improving the possibility that I will finally get it to a top this year.  We'll be down in NC for part of the period I work on the "Scrap Happy" blocks.  I'll be returning to the scene of the crime with them since I had worked on them down there last year too.  It's also another chance to dig through my MIL's scraps to help "fund" the remaining blocks.

In other related Block-A-Day news, I also hope to quilt my "String Beans" quilt (that used a Log Cabin variation block) this month.  It was last year's B-A-D project (pun intended!) which I basted together last month.

Top and basted bundle showing the pieced backing.

Focus projects:  Raffle Quilts and a Memory Quilt

I have two projects that I also need to focus on this month: first is to resume work on the basket blocks for the two quilts I want to make to raffle off at my community garden's opening day.  

Technically, I can see this being another "block a day" project if I am going to have any hope of getting this done by the end of April deadline.  

The second quilt I really need to work on is a photo memory quilt for a long-time friend of mine.  This is a project that has been in discussion for at least three years now.  Last year she gave me the last of all the pictures I can choose from to put in it.  I found a pretty fabric line for it that had colors I know she'd like.  I also purchased some additional coordinating fabrics and novelty fabrics related to her life and interests.  

I did a preliminary layout in EQ8 but that's as far as I got.  I know I have procrastinated on this because it's such an important quilt and I want to really do something special for her.  It's time to face the challenge and get on with it!  

APQ UFO Challenge

This month's number to work on for the American Patchwork and Quilting UFO Challenge is #11.  On my list that is to finish quilting my "Modern Twist" project.

This is an oldie but a goodie that was a one of the three Planet Patchwork mystery quilts I worked on years ago.  They had been in the process of closing the website down around the time that I made this  one and it looks like the domain name is being used by another company now.  

This is not the first time this one has been picked for the UFO Challenge and in recent years I've frequently considered working on it.  The hold up has been that I always saw the piecing as "pipes" and the blues in it reminded me of water so I wanted to use various "flowing water" motifs in the "pipe" sections.  I only did so in one and then got stumped on additional motifs to use.  Over the years I've found a few more but have been working on transitioning to using different machines to quilt with so really haven't focused on getting back to this one.  Now that I've gotten a little more comfortable with my machines, I think I'm finally ready to resume quilting this one.  

Finishing up the Christmas Quilts:  Quilting Christmas Ribbons

Yet another on the "To Be Quilted" March wish list is to work toward finishing up the last of the Red & White Christmas quilts by quilting my "Christmas Ribbons" project that now also includes the bow applique I added.  

You can see the full top here.

The backing is ready and I also have the batting so at the least I'd like to get the next step done this month which is the layering and basting.  I also have already sketched out a preliminary quilting plan.  I'm actually thinking about taking this one down to North Carolina with me since I think I could quilt it on the Featherweight.  We'll see if that happens.

So what will you be working on in March?  I hope you also get to celebrate National Quilting Month and Day with some fun quilty projects or special things from your quilt supplies Wish Lists!

Quiltville Chilhowie Mystery Part 7: It's Reveal Day!!

 Well it looks like the Chilhowie Mystery period is now done!  When I went to Bonnie's site this morning, I was greeted with this:

Bonnie has a picture of the finished quilt featured in her header right now and you can pick up the last of the instructions here.  Remember, now that the mystery is over, you need to download all the parts before Bonnie removes them from her blog to compile them into a pattern for purchase in her shop.  

In this round, there are still sashing, sashing squares and flying geese units to cut and sew together and then to the blocks made previously.  The blocks made in Part 2 create the finished outer border and you make some four patches from scraps for the border corner squares to complete the finished top.  

I guess all this additional sewing to be done is good for me.  I had hoped to have finished up the string blocks for my own mystery season journey on two other Bonnie designs but that has not happened.  

These are the remaining sets of the foundations I had hoped to get sewn up this week for the "Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll" and "Cherry Crunch" projects.  As the week went by I found myself busy with other things so only got to sew up one set for each.  I didn't panic about that as I thought I might have at least another week of the mystery to work through but I guess I'm on my own now!   It's all good because I've made a list for the American Patchwork and Quilting magazine "UFO Challenge" to see what I can get finished (or more likely "moved forward") this year.  I had decided that whatever was the number called for this month, I was assigning it to "Cotton Boll" as I really want to get that top done by month's end.  

So I will continue stitching the string blocks for RRCB and the "Cherry Crunch" design until I get them finished.  

Well, at least I got a good bunch done during the mystery period!

In hindsight, I realize that one reason I didn't get them done was that when I counted out the foundations, the amount I needed to do daily to finish them up meant I needed to put in a considerable amount of time each day on them.  Confronted with other things I had to do, I would hedge and say, "okay, maybe I can do the string blocks later".  Then of course as I got toward each day's end I'd say, "maybe I can make up for that tomorrow".  

What I wish that I had told myself was that even if I couldn't get the full amount done for the day, I could have committed at least fifteen minutes to the string work and whatever I got done was still a step towards what needed to be done.

Had I done that, the pile of remaining foundations might have been half the size that  it is!  So for 2023, I have to remind myself (again!) that even just 15 minutes a day can help keep me on track to finishing a project!   

While the string blocks didn't get done, a few other things did.  I got the binding put on the little Mummy Mug Rug.

Still loving those die cut eyes!  I'm also pleased to say that I finished the quilting and got the binding on the Nine Fat Quarters Disappearing Nine Patch quilt (try to say THAT ten times fast, LOL!!).

I've named this one "The Last Dash" because this was literally the last of the Red & White Christmas quilts that I attempted to make.  And that wouldn't even have happened if I hadn't come across it on April's You Tube video.  

Also check out Darlene Michaud and Matt @ Scrappy Patch for more on this design.

Although I know this wasn't the best quilting I've ever done, I love this quilt!  This is definitely a case of a "man on a galloping horse" quilt:  as long as you don't examine it too closely, I think it it looks pretty darn good!  What helps even more is where I had planned to display it:

Since it hangs behind the bookcase, a lot of the more pesky details are obscured from getting that really close inspection.  I've got to admit unless you were judging it for a quilt show prize, it passes muster even on casual close inspection.  If thrown over your legs, it will also certainly keep your lap warm.  What was lucky too was that I had the perfect backing already in house. 

The light section in the middle is for writing in the label.

I had purchased this fabric as a discounted backing kit all the way back in 2016 for my "Across County Lines" RWB quilt.  It is wide back fabric so the good news is I only used a little of it for this so can use the rest to back the "Cherry Crunch" string quilt when that reaches the finishing phase.  Keepsake Quilting had a year end fabric sale and I was able to pick up another wide back print for the "Lines" quilt.   

I've often heard people talk about certain patterns they make again and again.  Up to now I didn't have one but now this one will be mine!  I can already see making this for a few project needs I have going forward so am excited to get to make another one in the near future.

I even got a little bit of the New Year's cross stitch done:

We still have about four seasons of "The West Wing" marathon still on the DVR.  That will be a perfect time to sit and stitch and move this little project forward.  I'm feeling like this first week of the year has set me on a good course for what I hope to accomplish for the rest of the year!