To Do Tuesday: The Start of April

Now that we are done with March,  April is really starting to feel Spring-like!  I know that because my annual "Official Spring Indicator" has appeared:  the Hosta plants on my terrace have popped up!

I expect that Spring projects will more quickly than I'd like have to make room for the ones for the "Patriotic Season" (especially this year!) and for Summer projects.  Therefore,  I am trying really hard to stay on track and get a few more things done before that happens.  So I am grateful for another opportunity to post a "To Do Tuesday" list along with everyone over at Carol's Quilt Schmilt.  

So last week what I had hoped to get started for April were:  

1.  Continue (and possibly finish?) quilting "Modern Twist".

Nope, nothing further done on that although I had a good reason.

2.  Find out what the "UFO Challenge" project pick is for April.  

When Shelley of The Quilted Forest pulled the next number,  ironically she picked the perfect one for me!  Shelley picked #11 which on my list is my "Lady Claire Box Trot" project that is an expanded version of quilt kit. 

 It just so happens that a few days before the pick, I had shared that top on Facebook because someone had posted asking about making a "scalloped border" and asked for examples of what other quilters had done.  

After sharing the technique I used in it,  I did wonder when I'd get back to work on finishing it.  What's also funny is that last month I had swapped "Modern Twist" into its original slot on the list.  So its number being picked this time around is a case of perfect timing for me!

3.  Do the cutting for the "Picture That" QOV top and maybe start piecing it togther. 

Done and done and this is why I didn't do any more quilting on "Modern Twist"!  

After getting the cutting done, I've put together the top and only have the last two borders (the blue mottle and the paisley) left to do.  Then this will be ready for mailing back to my MIL in North Carolina (along with the top finished last month) to submit to the guild for quilting.  I've also ordered more of the red fabric used in it for the binding.  

I also stitched up four blocks for the Quilt of Valor Foundation's Annual Block Drive as leader/enders.  

In the blocks on the left, both centers and the white and red fabrics in the bottom block came from leftovers of the previous QOV top I finished.  The rest of the fabrics came from my RWB stash.    

4.  Finish stitching the fourth (and last) "Hexie Snowflake" block to its background.

Also done!  And now all four of the blocks I have made for this are complete.  

Now it's time to think about how I want to finish the wallhanging I had designed these for.  I've been looking at the applique done on the borders of the original pattern....

I do have the Accuquilt die for those motifs so now am debating if  I'm willing to go "all the way" with this, LOL!!  If so and knowing me, that might mean this could take until next Spring to be completed.

5.  Cut the pieces for the next set of the "Alaska" BOM blocks and make the first two.

Well, I did get the cutting done....

...so I'll start the block making this week and should still be able to get the eight blocks completed by the end of the month.   

6.  Layer RSC "Rainbow Log Cabin" and (possibly) start quilting it.

At the top in the picture.

Nope with all the work on the QOV I still didn't get to sit down and finish deciding on the stitching pattern.

7.  Start making the alternate blocks for the RSC "Rainbow Log Cabin Hearts" layout.  

The "Heart" blocks are also pictured in the bottom of the photo above and "nope" to work done on this project too!

So moving forward for the month this week, I will be:

1.  Still hoping I can continue and finish quilting "Modern Twist".

2.  Layer "Lady Claire Boxtrot" so I can start quilting on it later this month.  

3.  Add the final borders on the "Picture That" QOV top and get it ready for mailing. 

4.  Think about how I would want to finish the "Hexie Snowflake" wallhanging and decide if it can get done this year.  

5.  Piece two of the "Alaska" BOM blocks.  

6.  Make the final stitching decision for the "Rainbow Log Cabin" and layer it.

7.  Start making the alternate blocks for the RSC "Rainbow Log Cabin Hearts" layout.  

Still another long list this week and that usually doesn't bode well for getting to everything.  But I know where the danger zones are and am perfectly willing to let some things slide if it means completing others. 

I see that Carol at Quilt Schmilt did get a "To Do Tuesday" link up posted last week so need to try to go to the blogs she noted along with checking out the ones for this week.  Also looking forward to seeing more of my Hostas and to start setting up the rest of my terrace plantings too!

Finished Or Not Friday: Over and Out!

Welcome to my first "Finished Or Not Friday" for 2026!  

As always our gracious hostess is the lovely Alycia of Quilty Girl Alycia.  I've already checked and it looks like there were A LOT of quilters who took advantage of all the bad weather to stay in and get some projects moved to a finish!

 

Despite this being another very cold and chilly day,  I am warmed by this finish!  

This is Bonnie Sullivan's "Over and Down Under" design made from a Windham Fabrics kit featuring a Jelly Roll of their "Gala" fabric line by Whistler Studios.

I was thrilled to get this kit because it came with Bonnie's pattern which is one I had long wanted to make --- the fact that the kit was also on sale helped too, LOL!   Even better, the notice about the sale came right before "Sew A Jelly Roll Day" in 2023 so when I started this,  it presented a fun opportunity to particpate in that event for the first time.  

The backing stash I collected also gave me an opportunity to pay tribute to a trip we were due to take in the Fall of that year:

When I shopped for the backing,  I saw these pillow panels sold as a yardage cut and thought the colors perfectly reflected the colors of the "Gala" Jelly Roll.  I was excited that I might get to see the actual attractions in the park that are featured in the panels when we went camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in October that year.   I also added the "Signs" print in Cream from the Riley Blake National Parks line to fill out the rest of the back. 

I had hoped to finish this in time to take a picture of the quilt in the park.  Since I am just getting this (finally) completed this year, needless to say that didn't happen.  We do want to visit that park again so if we do,  this time I'll be ready to bring it along!

When I had finished the top and backing and layered the quilt,  I decided on just simply outlining both sides of all the seams in both directions.  I find quilts that are grid stitched always seem to take way longer to complete than quilts stitched with free motion motifs although it could just be the "slog factor" of it all.  Additionally, because I chose to use monofilament thread on top to quilt it,  at least intially I had to battle getting my Juki to establish a smooth stitching rythmn with that thread to avoid it "catching" and breaking mid stitch.

I am also really pleased with my decision to use the scrap HST cutoffs from the "flip and sew" corners of the edge units....

....to both accent the corners of the quilt top and the label area pieced into the back.

The quilt label will be written in here.

I used a Hobbs Tuscany Cotton and Wool Blend batting and with all the stitching,  it already has a built in "crinkly" look even before it has been washed!  I already have another Jelly Roll, this time of Bonnie Sullivan's "Woolies" flannel with which I hope to make the neutral colored version.

I also have a stash of bright colored flannel leftovers from other projects so would consider cutting strips to make the bright version too!  

The only downside of working on this now is that this wasn't even on my UFO list for this year.  It had already been partially quilted in 2023 and 2024 and I had planned to try to finish it up with projects worked on at the end of last year.  This puts me behind on the UFO I was supposed to work on this month but hopefully looking at a finished quilt should get me in the mood to try to tackle that one over the weekend.

So join me in heading back over to Quilty Girl Alycia's and see what everyone else is sharing for this week's "Finished Or Not Friday" quilt fest!     

October in Review

It's the end of October and this is the first chance I've had to post this month!  Well that's because it's been a very busy month!!  It started off with our annual Fall vacation which included:

Click on the pictures to enlarge them for a better view.

A four day camping trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The park is bisected by the borders of Tennessee and North Carolina and part of that border is also part of the route of the Appalachian Trail.  

My DH and I stayed on the Tennessee side of the park in the Elkmont Campground.  We visited many of the major attractions including the panoramic views after hiking up to Clingman's Dome, the historic Appalachian community buildings in Cades Cove,  the turn of the century summer resort homes in Daisy Town and hiking the Alum Cave Trail.   As usual it was a good trip although GSMNP lived up to its reputation of being the most visited National Park in the country.  Our campground, the park roads and every location were pretty crowded.

This trip was the follow-up to last year's stay on the (North Carolina portion of) the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Back then, I thought the Parkway was part of the GSMNP but I learned on that trip it was not.  On our way out of the park this year, we made a stop back on the Parkway to visit the Ashville Folk Art Center that we didn't get to visit last year.  It did not disappoint and we saw some great craft demonstrations and exhibits there!

Prior to the trip, I had tried to get the "Over and Down Under" quilt I had pieced for "National Sew A Jelly Roll Day" quilted but only got some of it done.

Because of how the backing related to our destination and how cold it was forecast to be in the Smokies, I really wanted to get to use it while on the trip.  However, I was having issues with my new Juki and my choice to use monofilament thread on top to quilt it.  I have one more tip to try out that I hope will allow me to get this one finished up -- perhaps by the time of our next trip there?  Then I also had hoped to work on it at our next stop on this trip but was too busy there to try it out!

That next stop was our two week visit to my MIL's in Rocky Mount, NC.  She is also a quilter so for the two of us, a visit is also a mini quilt retreat!  During our time there, I went to her guild meeting for a class with modern quilter Charles Cameron for his "Crooked Crosses and Bent Boxes" workshop.

Charles has ribboned at Quilt Con and already has two quilts juried into next year's show in Raleigh, NC.  We're planning to head back down for that so I look forward to seeing more of his work at the show.  I also got to go to a mini quilt group meeting where we were given a short workshop by one of the members.  She introduced us to doing "Decorative Big Stitch Binding" (the link is to one of the You Tube videos she recommended).

For the last three years, when we visit in September or October, that also means my MIL and I go shop hopping!

This year's All Carolinas Shop Hop Magazine and my "Passport"

We only did the region in her area this time but as you can see, we did get around!  We did two new stops this year:  one was that we finally got to go to the Quilt Lizzy store in Warrenton.  They were unexpectedly closed the day we went the first year we Hopped and we didn't Hop in that direction last year.  At one of the other locations, we learned they are transitioning this location to only being online.  As such there were huge discounts since we Hopped there during their last week as a "brick and mortar" store.  I mostly focused on stashing two things there:  Grunge and Fig Tree (the two stacks on the right in the picture)!

The darker Grunge pieces on the left were purchased at three other Hop stops and the rolled up ones were remnants.  

The other new Shop Hop stop we made this year was to Whatever's Quilted in Wake Forest.  Big news there, my MIL purchased a longarm!!

It's a floor model Handi Quilter Moxie with the Pro-Stitcher Lite attachment.  Unfortunately, the dealer was vending at a show right after we picked up the machine and frame so my MIL won't be going in for classes on how to use it until November.  We helped her clear out some of the furniture in the room where it was to go, managed to get it assembled and was able to load fabric onto it.  However, after that we were having trouble getting it to properly baste and to set up for the programmed stitch patterns.  I'm hoping that by the time we go back in February, she'll have a handle on how to use it and I can bring down a few tops to get quilted!

I took quite a few projects to work on while away but only got to a few of them.  First, I finally put the borders on Pat Sloan's Fall "Thankful" wall hanging I started back in October of last year:  

I had brought the batting and backing with me hoping to also quilt it while there but just didn't have enough time to get to that.  I also did the cutting for two Fabric Cafe "3 Yard Quilts" but only got one to a top while there.  The good news is I found the perfect backing for it on the sale rack at Bernina World of Sewing in Raleigh while on the Shop Hop.

The quilt is "Dominique" from the "Modern Views book".

For the other 3YQ I cut out,  I realized that I actually had a little more than two yards of the focus fabric (leftover from a prior project) so decided that I would make it twin size rather than the basic lap size Fabric Cafe designs their patterns in.  Using their instructions for enlarging their patterns meant I needed more of the other two fabrics I planned to use.  I was only able to get one while in NC so had to wait until I got home to pick up more of the other in order to finish it. The blocks for that top are now done so assembly of the top will continue as November rolls in.  

Finished blocks and backing fabric for "Heartland" from the "Pretty Darn Quick" book.

Good news is that its backing was also found on a sale rack on the Hop!  This time it was from the Quilt Lizzy store in Wake Forest.  While there and as I have done the previous two years, I also purchased another new 3 Yard kit that comes with a free pattern.   

To add to a future "African Fabrics" themed series of quilts.

I also brought my "Open Your Heart" cross stitch project on the trip.  Unlike on past trips, I didn't get any stitching in while sitting around the campfire (it was too cold!!), had no time to do any while at my MIL's so only got to it once we were on the drive back home.  It's an eight hour drive and between naps, the stops we made along the way and switching off to help with the driving, I didn't get much further on it.  

Not much got done on this trip!

Once back home, it was no less busy!  After putting most of our camping equipment back in storage, within two days of our return, I volunteered at the annual day our community garden hosts the fifth grade of the local middle school.  

Students from the local high school came in the day before to help set up the garden for the middle school garden day.  It also seems my garden bed had a late season growth explosion while we were away so now I also had a lot of harvesting to do as this season comes to a close!

It may have been a bit of a jungle but it yielded some good eats!

So needless to say, October has been uber-busy!  The sad part is that now with the holidays coming up, things are likely to get even busier!!

Quilting On National "Sew A Jelly Roll" Day!

Woo hoo!  It's National Sew A Jelly Roll Day!!

I don't buy a lot of jelly rolls although I love to cut my own Jelly Roll (2-1/2") strips from project leftovers to save for scrap projects.  However, last month I was lucky enough to snag a kit for a pattern I've long wanted to make:  Bonnie Sullivan's "Over and Down Under" quilt originally designed to showcase her "Woolies" flannel fabric line.

On the left is the kit contents (jelly roll and border/binding fabric) and on the right is the Riley Blake National Park Pillow panels yardage that I am going to use for the backing.  I had liked this set of panels because it picked up the colors of the kit fabrics and because we will be going camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park next month.  To fill out the rest of the back,  I purchased yardage (center) of the "Signs" print  from the National Parks line in Cream.  

I'm hoping to make this a "sew day" and just work on this project.  To be ready for the day, I reviewed the pattern and supplies.  I had wanted to pre-cut my fabrics but finishing up my "Christmas Ribbons" quilt took longer than expected (which always happens so is what should be expected!).  I also think I will cut some of the things different than the pattern calls for.  

This past week I had found a picture on my phone of a quilt top my MIL had made and asked her if she remembered what it was.  She didn't initially but after looking around, found the pattern -- which was made from jelly roll strips -- and decided she wanted to make it again.  She had picked up a partial Jelly Roll at her guild's "take away" table but would need to add a few strips to it and pick up two more coordinating background fabrics to make her project.  I told her about today so if she was able to get the supplies, we may sew in tandem and Skype during the course of the day.  

I also got an email from the Fat Quarter Shop that said Kimberly Jolly will be doing a Live Stream today on You Tube at 2 PM CT (3 PM EST).  She will be showing new fabric releases and previewing their new Jelly Roll pattern book.

It will be interesting to see how this goes!

12 Noon Update:

Okay, everything is cut out and I actually stuck to the pattern directions for doing so. 

This was a great work out for my Stripology ruler (note: link is to the even larger XL that I hope to upgrade to one day).  Whenever I have gobs of strips and squares to cut (whether from yardage or pre-cuts), the ruler makes it easy to cut many multiples at once. 

There is not as much leftovers in a Jelly Roll kit as there usually is in a yardage kit but I guess that also depends on the design of the quilt.  This one definitely makes use of most of it!

All that's left!

So for the next hour or so it will be a lot of chain pieced "flip and sewing" and then trimming.  

Then it will be onto laying out all the tipped rectangles and the squares to preview the layout.

4 PM Update:

Turns out there were many other You Tubers I follow who posted vids for today. 

Emily @ TeriblyRad (who is better known for her 3 Yard Quilts series):  

Jo Carmel @ Quilts By Carmel in CA:  

Even the Fabric Cafe (the 3 Yard Quilt people) had one:  

And a "Public Service Announcement" with advice on using your own fabric to participate:

My MIL actually found another project to work on and after some problems getting her computer working, we were able to Skype for a while too.  

I've gotten a bit more done in the last few hours:

The rectangles were all prepped, trimmed and pressed.  I also sewed up the "bonus triangle" cutoffs too!

Then it was laying out the quilt on the design wall, starting with the outer borders of rectangles.  I threw them in a paper bag, shook it up and picked them blindly in the hopes of developing a random initial layout:

At this point, I'm half way through filling in the center with squares.

Once that is finished (and I tweak the layout if necessary), the next step will be taking down each row to sew them together.

8 PM Update

Well that's it for today!

The Fat Quarter Shop Live Stream was fun and there are some cute quilts in their new jelly roll book. 

Also be sure to pick up the discount code from the video, good until Monday for 20% off jelly rolls. 

As for me, I finished filling in the layout and no tweaks were needed!

As the day drew to an end, I had half of the rows of rectangles and squares sewn together.  

It looks so much smaller once the seam allowances are taken up!

Bonus:  Putting the rows together was also a perfect opportunity to leader/ender a few more trapezoids for my Quiltville Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll quilt.

DH and I have the opening shift for our community garden tomorrow and I have the follow-up cross stitch class later in the afternoon so I doubt I'll get back to this before Monday.  However, I'm very excited to get this to a top and then work on the planned pieced backing!

For my first Jelly Roll Day this was pretty good!  In the coming months, I'll have to pick out another roll and a pattern to be ready for next year!  Hope you enjoyed the day too!