July Recap: Part 1 - A lot of FMQ Plans and Summer Camp

All the FMQ Stitching Plans

July began with a project teased in June:  

With an upcoming Angela Walters "How Do I Quilt It" Free-Motion Quilting Challenge I was pushed to start Apple Crisp,  a project which I had long wanted to do (the link is to the free pattern).

This is a picture as it originally appeared in the Oct 2010 APQ issue.

I spent the end of June and the first half of July piecing the blocks for the project.  I changed the patterned blocks in it from eight inch to six inch so I could use my Accuquilt Snowball block die to make the cutting and sewing easier.  

Trying to meet the deadline, I even pieced some of the blocks while away on a camping trip!

During the FMQ Challenge,  Angela was going to discuss stitching patterns that could be used to fill Chevron, Snowball, Log Cabin and Curved blocks and Applique borders.  

She covered Snowball blocks in the second week of the challenge.  I watched that episode and for the first time watching one of her challenges, I did not immediately get ideas for how to stitch my top.  However, as I looked beyond the stitching she did in the blocks, I did find ideas for filling other spaces in my top.  That combined with some of my own ideas led to what I used to eventually finish this one up.  

Since I spent most of August trying to come up with a definite stitch plan, I didn't actually get to layering this until the start of September.  It is now done and you can read about how it finished up here.

Since the Challenge also covered Log Cabin blocks, that encouraged me to also pull out the Rainbow Log Cabin top I finished back in 2023.  I was hoping I could keep up the quilt stitching momentum and get another UFO completed. 

However I had the same problem with the Log Cabin stitch patterns from the challenge:  she showed some great designs but none I really liked for my top.  Then just like for "Crisp",  I did take one cue from how she stitched the dark side of one of the blocks she demo'd and figured I could combine it with another simple plan on the light areas.  Angela had also suggested just using filler designs to stitch some blocks and that was something else I decided I could accept for doing the stitching on this project.  

However, I never did get around to actually layering or quilting that top because of road blocks I had hit with deciding on the final combination of stitch patterns to use on "Apple Crisp" which I considered my first priority.

Summer Quilt Camp

In mid-July, I participated in a series of workshops called "Quilt 2024: Summer Camp" which has now been renamed Quilt and Learn.  For this event, you could sign up for free to watch five days of workshops.  There was also an option to pay $20 to get an extra week of access to all of them or $49 for six months access.  Here is a list of the workshops presented:

Click on the picture to enlarge.

There were a lot of great workshops covering a range of creative techniques and the majority of the instructors were new to me.  This is the first time I had done something like this and I am looking forward to participating in it when they run it again in January 2025.

In addition to all the FMQ planning, I also did a lot of "Christmas in July" stitching but I will talk about that in the next post!

(Last) Trip Recap: Mini Quilt Retreat and a Special Stop on the Way Home

As noted in previous posts, my DH and I traveled to North Carolina for his last vacation of the year.  For the first part we camped and for the second part we visited my MIL.  She and I shop hopped during the first few days of our stay with her.  The remainder of our time was to be a mini quilt retreat for she and I.  Well, for all the shop hopping we did, I must say I got a lot less actual sewing done!   

Although it was not like that's what I planned to do:  as usual I took my trusty Featherweight (in the red tote I made some years ago) and a bag full of projects to work on:

Our stay was shortened due to the camping trip, the three days we spent shop hopping (and visiting a relative) and the need to leave a day earlier than we normally would have.  All of that cut into the time in the quilt room!  Sigh!!   

The first thing I set up to work on were the scraps I had brought that I am using for the APQ Scrap Happy QAL.  I wanted to continue adding to the blocks I had started making before we left home:

I managed to get ten blocks done during the trip.  I had hoped that I'd make enough blocks to be able to finish the whole top but I guess I'll still be working on those.  To help augment my scraps, I went through a big Rubbermaid tub of scraps my MIL had been holding for me.  After sorting through all the goodies and cutting some for use in my project, I bagged up the rest to take home for further sorting through:

I also brought the materials to get a travel-related project done.  Two years ago I made the large version of an iron travel tote for a Sunbeam travel iron I had at the time.

That tote was also big enough to carry a full size iron.  Unfortunately, that travel iron burnt out early this year so I purchased another mini iron to use at my sewing table and when traveling.  Not long after getting it, Gay Bomer at Sentimental Stitches offered a pattern for a cute little mini tote.  I really loved the idea of having a scaled down version to carry the new iron.  Knowing we'd be going to my MIL's, I kitted it up with fabrics from my stash to work on while there.

I'm very happy that I did manage to get this finished!  I also helped my MIL make one for her own mini iron made from some Tula Pink fabrics she bought on the Hop.  She was finishing it up when we left.

I had brought last year's Shop Hop book with me on this trip as I planned to work on one of the projects offered in that book and that I had purchased fabric for last year.  I also wanted to make Annie Unrein's "Piecekeeper" bag which was offered in this year's book (but can also be picked up free on her website).  I'll be making that one from fabrics from this year's Hop.

Well, all I got done was the cutting for both projects. 

And this was a chance to use a fun new notion!

I cut and appliqued two fussy cut motifs from another print onto that border print.  

That red fabric is one designed for last year's Hop that I was still able to purchase on the Hop this year.  The fabrics designed for this year were all sort of busy, big and bold motif prints and I wanted some of the colorful small print and tone-on-tone coordinates they had offered last year to fill out this project.  

Now that we're back home, I'm going to work on getting both of those bags done.  This way I can bring them on the next trip down to hold purchases and projects!  I had two other projects I planned to make using the Shop Hop themed fabrics that I also didn't get to as well as two other non-Shop Hop projects brought along.  One of those is a Halloween themed project that it looks like will have to be pushed forward onto next year's "To Do" list.

A Very Special Stop

On the way home I was able to indulge in a special treat!  I watch Pat Sloan's daily videos and as a Virginia resident, she often promotes the Virginia Quilt Museum.  In fact, right now she has a quilt auction going on with them for some of her quilts.  I've long wanted to go to the museum but always thought it was too far west in Virginia to be able to veer off course on our travel route either down or back.  However, this time when I mapped out our return trip,  I realized that it was not that far off the return route the GPS had mapped out for us.  So on the drive back, we stopped in!

Located in a 19th century house with it's own extensive history,  I got to view the exhibits on display.  What was cool is that two of Pat's auction quilts are hanging there.  One of them, "Hometown Charm" is the one that influenced me to augment the Minick & Simpson Pear BOM that I've been receiving kits for.   

My plan is to change the coloring of this to be similar to this. 

So cool to see the inspiration quilt in person!

As we were making our plans for the trip home,  I also happened to read Lori DeJarnett's Humble Quilts blog and learned that she too had a quilt on exhibit at the museum!  There is a group exhibit of quilts replicating the Buhl Bushong Quilt in the museum's collection.  

The antique quilt

So I got to see Lori's and other reproductions of the original quilt too!

Reproductions by Nancy Swanwick (in Grunge), Antonio Munoz, Lori DeJarnatt and Ellen Malenfant (in Kaffe)

The museum also has a great vintage machine collection....

....and a current exhibit of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) juried art quilts....

....as well as an exhibit of 9/11 blocks.

Another surprise nod to my own project intentions:  in my last post, I talked about shop hopping for fabrics to make a red and white version of this quilt:

Needless to say I was thrilled at discovering a blue and white version on display here!  Oooh, don't tempt me....

Big reproduction fabrics fan that I am, I also purchased raffle tickets to try to win a reproduction of a sampler crib quilt in the museum's collection:  

The antique...

The raffle reproduction

I am SO glad I had a chance to visit!!  Now that we are back home and October is coming to a close, I am setting up my project plans for November and the end of the year. 

"Infinite Variety" Fans, Your Time Has Come!

Great news for all of you that loved the "Infinite Variety" exhibit:  The International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska acquired Joanna Rose's quilt collection last year and it is now on exhibit again!

They will also be holding a "Textile Talk" today at 2 PM Eastern.  You can register for it although if you miss it, these are usually posted to You Tube within a day or two.

Will any of you be lucky enough to be in Nebraska in the coming months to attend?  If you do, please post about your visit and share it with the rest of us!!

Update 4/30/22:  

Just saw on Lori DeJarnett's Humble Quilts blog that the IQSC has put up a fabulous virtual display of the exhibit!  So if you (like me) can't get to Lincoln, Nebraska you can take it all in at the museum website.

Happy National AND Worldwide Quilting Day!

 Once again, it's the third Saturday in March which means it's:

As always there is a lot going on for this special day in the quilting world!   Check out the links on the Quilt Alliance page to connect with the fun events they are sponsoring.   They are also encouraging quilters to display a quilt outdoors and asking you to share your picture at #nationalquiltingday2021.  

Over at Quilting Daily (the people who bring you all the patterns and magazines from Fons & Porter, McCall's Quilting, Quiltmaker and Quilting Arts), they will be hosting a live virtual Podcast Bee today.  There will be opportunities to ask the hosts questions and win prizes from their sponsors.

The Fat Quarter Shop is offering a free mini quilt pattern to make to celebrate the day.  If  you finish it and upload a picture of your quilt to their website by April 6, you may win a prize from them!  

My NQ day already started well.  I usually DVR the weekly episodes of the Fons and Porter Love of Quilting TV show which air here on Saturday mornings.  This morning I was thrilled to see not one, not two but THREE episodes in the queue for today!  

With those shows in addition to Pat Sloan's daily video and the Quilting Daily Podcast today, I'll have a lot of quilty content to play in the background while I work on projects.  I have three things on my "To Do" list for today:

1.  Sewing today's "Block-A-Day" blocks:  I was inspired by Pat Sloan's plan to work on her "Hope" blocks daily for the month of March.  I decided though to use that prompt to work on two projects that I wanted to do and which I plan to continue not just for March but the the rest of the year. 

I'm making "Wishing Rings" blocks ala Cathy over at the Sane, Crazy and Crumby blog and I am finally getting started on some of the blocks for my own scrappy "Trail Mix" quilt.  I've long loved this APQ design and have seen bloggers I follow like Cathy and Vireya among the others who have made this one up.  Last week I set up a bunch of block sets in advance which helped me to be ready to sew each day.  So I will also do that again today in prep for the upcoming week's sewing. 

2.  Pick the next two blocks and fabrics for my "Scrappy Christmas Figs" BOM:

I want to get them done over the next few days so I can post early to next week's BOMs Away link up. 

 

3. As I looked back through my posts, I realized that last year we were just starting quarantine around the time of last year's NQD!  So the last time I posted about NQD was in 2019 and ironically, at that time I was working on this:  

This is my "Emerald's" project which I hope will one day be my display quilt for March in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  Unfortunately, I didn't get it done that year or last year. 

I did however, have big plans to get it done this year but had not pulled all the parts back out until the day of the holiday!  Just like before, I am still moving pretty slowly on it.  I'm having to come to terms with the fact that I was attracted to the quilt pattern because of the colors they used.  What I hadn't really taken into account were the types of greens used there versus what I had pulled from my own scraps and stash.  

I loved the yellow greens and olives used in the majority of the patterned quilt but had pulled mostly blue-, sage and forest greens from my own stash.  Fortunately, the tans for the setting triangles that I have are darker than the fabric used in the pattern so I think it will work out in the end.  I'll be cutting a few of those to put up with the blocks to see if I can get myself more enthused to push this to a finish.  

How are you spending National Quilting Day today?  I hope it is filled with projects or linkups that deepen your love and appreciation of this wonderful craft.  It is another opportunity to share that with each other and those we love!  

Where Am I Heading Today? Quilt Con!!

 The one good thing about this pandemic is that it has meant that many in-person events have gone digital.  For quilters this is presenting a unique opportunity to "attend" events or visit quilt exhibitions that you might not normally be able to go to if you were not able to travel to their destinations. 

One of these is Quilt Con, the annual quilt festival organized by the international Modern Quilt Guild.

 It is always interesting to see what is popular in this relatively new movement in quilt history.  This year it's particularly sweet since a blogger I follow, Rebecca of Rebecca Grace Quilting (formerly Cheeky Cognoscenti), has a quilt juried into the show.  By virtue of the show being virtual, this is a rare chance for those of us who would not normally be able to attend the show to view the show entries and interviews with the exhibitors, attend lectures, workshops and the awards ceremony and even shop with show vendors.

The show runs through Monday so there is still time to register to attend.  With the winter storm now upon us here in NY, this will be a great way to spend the day in!  I also encourage you to look around for other events and exhibits you have longed to attend and see if they have virtual exhibitions.  Travel from your desktop and expand your quilt horizons without leaving home!  

Happy National Quilting Day!

It's the third Saturday in March which means it's:

Of course for me, every day is National Quilting Day but to let the uninitiated join in on the fun, all the big companies in the industry have free project patterns available to inspire people looking to get started on their own quilt journey.  Check out all the links on the Quilt Alliance page which will connect you to all the fun stuff that's out there. 

I'm going to "continue in the direction I'm heading" so on my design wall today is.....

.....my Emerald's project still in progress (which started here).   I've been -- much more slowly than planned -- working on this for the last two weeks.  I had hoped to get this done as my homage to St. Patricks's Day however, since that's tomorrow, I guess I have to accept that for this year it will just be a homage in spirit!  Work had slowed on it while my DH was home on "stay-cation".  Having him around all the time meant I got distracted away from quilting so we could run errands and tend to "Honey-Do" tasks.  He works nights and had put in some long hours in the weeks before going on vacation so we also had a pile of stuff on the DVR to catch up on and I admit to not doing much sewing while watching during this time.

Fortunately quilt projects are like that:  you accomplish them the same way you eat an elelphant -- bit by bit.  Just know that no elelphants were harmed during the making of this quilt!  Funny, during this period we did catch up on a lot of episdoes for all the great series about zoos that are on TV now:  The Zoo (about the NYC Zoos and Aquarium) and The Secret Life of the Zoo (about the Chester Zoo in Great Britain) on the Animal Planet channel and Secrets of the Zoo  (about the Columbus Zoo in Ohio) on Nat Geo Wild so we did SEE some elephants!

As you can see the wall is full, however this is not all the blocks to be placed.  I still have one more column and two more rows of parts made up that I need to add.  Once I get what's already on the wall visually balanced,  I'll start sewing it all together in order to make space for the rest to be added.  So the goal now is to have the top finished by the end of  the coming week.

Earlier this week, I also watched a great webinar hosted by Sulky with MJ Kinman, the woman who makes those beautiful Gem quilts. 

It was called "Wild-Motion Quilting" and basically she uses an all over flame (or leaf) stitch to create all over texture on her intricately template pieced quilts.  She calls it a low stress form of stitching that creates a "screen" that lets the stitching take a back seat to the quilt design while corralling in the excess fullness that can sometimes build up in a top as it's quilted.  These webinars are available even after they air live so click on the Sulky link to access it if you are interested. 

What I got out of it in particular was that after the webinar, Sulky had a thread sale and I was able to pick up some 30 wt Blendables spools that I now intend to use to quilt this top. 

I've long wanted to branch out to stitching more often with decorative threads so jumped at the chance to get some.  They arrived today and the colors look good so I'm going to have to see if this means I'll have to change my original plans of doing a "designed" pieced back for this quilt.  Becasue of how I want to quilt this now, it may be better to just make a randomly pieced or a traditional single fabric back.  In the background you can also see some potential patterns I've collected in the hopes of also making a runner or mat to use up some of the green scraps! 

I'd better get back to work since this project also pushed aside some other projects I was supposed to also be moving forward.  I need to put this one to bed so I can get back to all of my intentions for the rest!  Whether you are new to quilting or an old hand, enjoy your Quilting today and every day hereafter!

Checking In For National Quilting Day!

Before the day is over, I want to wish a very happy National Quilting Day to everyone!

 

 

Since this is my first post for March, I also wish you a happy National Craft Month as well!

Image courtesy LotsOfLime.com

If you are looking for fun quilty things to do for the day, you can check out the Quilt Alliance's home page -- they have links to free pattern sites for many industry companies.  I particularly look forward to trying Anita Grossman Solomon's "Make It Simpler" Hexagon cutting shortcut for 10" squares.  I think I might be able to make it even simpler using freezer paper.  We'll see!  I loved using Anita's technique for her Anita's Arrowhead blocks a few years back so like having an opportunity to try another of her shortcut block cutting techniques.

I started off my NQD celebration by taking a page out of the blogging book of LeeAnn Paylor at the Not Afraid of Color blog and making an "I Like" list of the things I enjoy so much about quilting:

I like Quilting #1: Utility

Brrr! quilt and coordinating neck roll.

I love that quilts can be pretty but also useful.   

I like Quilting #2:  Creativity


 Always a favorite of mine:  High Strung +2

 

Even with basic designs there also comes the chance to play around with layouts or add design motifs in order to "add a little something extra" to the things you make or to completely reimagine them or create something new.  There are no "shoulds" or limits --- whatever you can think up, there's usually a way to bring it to life.

I like Quilting #3:  Community

With so many blogs to read, social media to follow, linkups to join, guilds and sewing groups to meet with, podcasts to listen to, Pinterest boards to ogle  -- any way that you'd like to interact with like minded people, there is a way to do it.  Many times it doesn't even require you to leave your own home!


I like Quilting #4:  The History

Block purchased at a NY Historical Society exhibit.

I love seeing antique quilts in museums and quilt show exhibits.  I can read about the background of fabric and quilt style trends in books and on websites like Barbara Brackman's Material Culture and Civil War Quilts sites.  In fact, Barbara just did a post listing exhibits across the country that will be featuring antique quilts over the next few months.


I like Quilting #5:  The Goodies

This is the prize package I won from Meg Cox the Quilt Journalist from a giveaway offered in her January newsletter.   With prizes received from Meg (the True Blue charm pack), Victoria Findlay-Wolfe (a FQ bundle of her new "Parts Dept" fabric line) and Jane Dunnewold (her Creative Strength Training book had been on my wish list!), I think I got something better than the leprechaun's pot 'o gold this month! 

 My celebration activity for today is to continue what I've been working on all month:  I've been steadily (if not consistently) working on basting my wholecloth project.  Basting the high loft poly batting for the trapunto  layer took a lot longer than I had expected.  With my larger electronic machines still out of commission, I wasn't able to baste it the "tradtional" way by using wash-away thread and stitching it by machine.  I say traditional in quotes because the truly traditional way to do trapunto is to stuff cord, thread or yarn in through the back of the quilt after the quilting is finished.  Basting the first of two layers of batting with wash away thread behind the motifs you want to make "pop" is actually the modern approach to trapunto.  Since I've been sewing on my Featherweight this year and its throat space is small, I had to do the trapunto basting by hand.  I finally finished it all earlier this week.

It's also hard to get a good shot of all that white-on-white fabric and batting!  Now the quilt is layered with the second layer of cotton batting and I'm hand basting the three quilting layers together. 

Once that's done, this baby will be headed into the hoop for what I'm estimating will be the rest of the year.  Or at least I hope I can get it done that fast -- I found a few other examples on the web of people who had completed one of these preprinted tops and they have taken as long as four years to complete!

I hope you enjoy your National Quilting Day activities and any other projects you may have lined up to work on for the rest of this crafty month!