Bloggers Quilt Festival Is Here!

The Spring 2014 Bloggers Quilt Festival starts today at Amy's Creative Side. Click on the link below or on the side bar and enjoy a parade of wonderful quilts!

Just like in the Fall Festival (which if you missed it, you can still access all the links here), there are entry catagories based on the style of quilt:  Mini, Small, Large, Applique, Art, Hand Quilted, Home Machine Quilted, Modern, Original Design, ROYGBIV and Scrappy.  Anyone can enter a project (beginner, intermediate or advanced) so if you have something you'd like to showcase, please post a link so we can all check it out! 

 

 On Amy's site, you can link your festival blog post (and it must be a new post, not an old one) in the appropriate catagory and you can view other's links from now until May 23.  During this time you can also vote for your Viewer's Choice favorites.  After that, the ability to add links will closed and everyone can go back and vote for their favorite quilt in each catagory up until May 29.  Amy has a slew of sponsors who will be awarding prizes to the winners of each catagory when they are announced on May 30 and 31st. 

 

Don't want to enter a quilt but still want to win something?  If you comment on Amy's BQF post, you will be entered for a chance to win a Babylock sewing machine!

 

I had planned to enter something this round but it's not quite finished yet so fingers crossed that I'll get it done in time to add to the fun.  But regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing all the lovely things everyone else is showing and picking up new blogs to follow. So get right over there and enjoy the virtual show!

Claiming My Blog on Bloglovin'

Since it looks like Bloglovin' is here to stay (or at least Bloggers Reader is not coming back), I need to claim my blog on Bloglovin' so here goes:

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Fabric Gal is a Flimsie!

Currently 60" x 68".  Now it's on to "quilt whispering" and then quilting!

NewFo, Let's Book It and FAL Progress For April

April is now over and Spring has finally sprung!  Having finished a few overdue projects in the past few months, I was also itching to start something new.  So this is what I started:

I'm hoping for a quick turnaround on this because I want to display it on my bed for Spring.  Starting something new means I have another chance to join in again on Barbara's NewFO Challenge over at her blog Cat Patches.

I've done a few NewFos before but this time my NewFO is also a great "three-fer" finishing opportunity (and finishing is what I'm trying hard to be about these days).  So in addition to being a NewFO, it also gets to be a part of the monthly "Let's Book It Challenge" being hosted by Sharon over at Vrooman's Quilts.

For that challenge, you choose a book or magazine project that's been on your "To Do" list and work on it or better yet, try to get 'er done!  If that's not enough of an incentive, when you link up you earn a chance to win a beautiful barn quilt block charm to add to a Barn pin charm holder!

Since this is also a project I've wanted to make for a long time, I had also included it in my list for my participation in the second quarter of the 2014 Finish A-long which is being hosted this year by Katy Cameron of The Littlest Thistle.

For the FAL, I actually need to finish the quilt but I've got until June to do that.

So exactly what is it that's been cooking on the quilt stove for all of this?  My project for these missions is Eleanor's Burn's "Fabric Gal" quilt from the book "Quilt In a Day: Still Strippin After 25 Years".

I first saw this quilt being made on an episode of Eleanor's QID TV series for the book back when Quilters TV was still operating as a free video website (it seems they have now moved to You Tube with a limited number of videos).  At the time I could also watch it using my Quilter's Club of America subscription.  As the quilt fates would have it, not long after seeing the episode, I also came across a sale on either the Nancy's Notions the website or in her mail catalog for some fat quarter "mystery packs".  I loved the colors of the fabrics in the picture of the packs and ordered two.

It turns out the fabrics were all from Nancy Halvorsen's Benartex Fabric line  "Angels Among Us".  The packs offered almost all that I needed to do this project.  I needed two values of each of four colors (one medium and one light) and wanted some variety in the prints used so I wound up needing an additional medium blue.  That was solved by my stash.  Prior to this I had ordered fabrics from the Connecting Threads County Essentials-Fall line to use as additions to both my Vintage Treasures quilt (seen here) and my Double Wedding Ring project (last progress seen here).  So the blue on the far right is from that line.

The challenge was then to find a background and border fabric to pull them all together.  Enter one of my LQSs Hartsdale Fabrics.  They are always there for me with the filler, foundations, backing, embellishments or thread I need for projects, especially those times when I really need to see and feel the fabric up close to make my choices.  That's where I found two wonderful fabrics for the border and the block backgrounds.  The bonus was that the border fabric was on the sale rack at the store (I love when that happens)!  The striped fabric will be the backing and was found at what used to be one of my favorite internet sources, Aunt Bee's Fabric Stash, which regretfully has since gone out of business.

I've had all of these fabrics bundled away together since 2008 waiting for an opportunity to make the quilt.  My plan was to return to the video and follow the instructions for making it.  But once again the Quilt Muses intervened in my favor.  Last year, I was at the local Joann's store and they had a "clearance books" basket at the register.  Lo and behold this book was in the basket for the fabulously low, low price of $3.95!!!  I couldn't believe my luck!

At that price I couldn't pass up adding it to the library.  This couldn't have come at a better time since I had dropped my QCA membership and Quilters TV doesn't have any QID videos on their YouTube channel.  As reported previously on my FAL list, these were all the starting strips cut for the project:

I had planned to use the piecing of these as the "leader enders" for another big project that was supposed to be my primary focus this month but instead I worked on finishing up another FAL project and piecing the parts for this.  Unfortunately I underestimated how far the fabrics would go so it won't be quite as large as originally hoped.  I even had to make up two blocks from some of the other fabrics in the mystery pack set which hopefully won't be too evident in the finished layout!  As can be seen in the opening picture, parts for all the blocks are done so I only need to sew the blocks and then the rows together, make up a couple of borders and then hopefully can get it quickly layered and quilted up before the end of May.  But for NewFO and Book It this is more than enough of a start to link up!

So go see what everyone else has newly blooming on their quilty WIP list over at Cat Patches and Vrooman's Quilts! 

Another 2nd Quarter Finish!

Here's another quick one finished in April for the the 2nd Quarter of the 2014 Finish-A-Long being hosted by Katy at The Littlest Thistle.  It looks like I've hit the top of my 2nd Quarter list with the last finish and am on track on the bottom of the list with this one.  I've got three of these covers to do and was hoping to get one done in each month of the quarter.

What started from these and was inspired by this......

....has become this.....

....the quilting plan.....

...and stacked with the others.

I make these journal covers as part of a personal "Scrap Quilt Challenge".  I try to get them all done from scraps and/or orphan blocks.  I know this one wound up pretty wonky.  I started off just sewing the triangles together without worrying about what size they were with the idea of creating bands of triangles to go around the binder.  As long as they went together relatively well, I sewed them up.  With the section that had the smallest triangles, it was going very slow without getting much additional length so I changed course and threw on larger triangles to finish that band.  Once I got all the bands done, I realized that unless the triangles were the same size, there would be points sacrificed when they got attached to the sashing.  That would be a big issue if this was for display or a contest quilt.  Fortunately, this is something that is only for me and will most often be sitting on a shelf (not to mention that I didn't want to restitch them!).  So I'm more than o.k. with a funky, wonky look and a finished cover.

I also have the cover to be worked on during May started:

This was one of the class blocks I did for my hand applique class back in 2010.  I was cleaning out scraps from previous projects and added that pink scrap to it to become the back of the cover (and the fabric is from the quilt seen in this post).  The plan is to add more applique to the back but no ideas right now about what that will be.  On to the May projects!

The First of the 2nd Quarter Finishes

I've got a finish for the second quarter -- the little mini quilt that has been was a permanent UFO from 2003.

It started as this.....

....using just these two blocks. 

This was my first paper piecing project.  At the time Carol Doak was the leader in using that technique and the blocks for this came from her book "Easy Machine Paper Piecing: 65 Quilt Blocks for Foundation Piecing".  

When I originally started this, it was supposed to be the first gift for the same friend I recently finished three gifts for (you can see those gifts here, here and here).  Back then, it was supposed to be a surprise for her to coordinate with one of the rooms of her then new house.  I wound up being the one surprised when just as I had finished the top, she called to say she and her husband were painting all the rooms of their house!  Of course when I visited after the painting, the gift was no longer suitable for the new color scheme.

After that,  I displayed it in my own home folded up in a frame where only the center showed.  That was partially because that was all that fit in the frame that I had and partially because although I liked the center of the quilt, I thought the borders "needed work".  Carol also used the same center motif in her quilt "Our Amish Friendship Garden" that was in her book.

When we moved in 2011,  I had no place to display it in our new home so I stashed it thinking it would just be one of those never finished projects.  But then one day in 2012, I pulled it out and knew just what to do for it although I wasn't able to actually work on it then.

When I recently finished the gifts for my friend, I thought it was only fitting that I also finally finish this one. 

So I'm happy to say it's now up on the mini wall with the rest.

Hopefully this will not the be last of the second quarter finishes!

My List for the 2nd Quarter of the 2014 Finish A-Long

I'm checking in for the 2nd Quarter of the 2014 Finish A-Long.  It's being hosted this year by Katy Cameron of the The Littlest Thistle blog.  I had participated in the first two quarters of the 2013 Finish A-Long and actually got a couple of big projects done (seen here and here).  But I also made a list for the third quarter (here) then didn't get any of those done (although two of the projects from that list have since been finished).  I was so preoccupied during the last quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of this year that I didn't even get to draw up lists to participate.  Now I'm trying to get back on the horse so here goes the ambitious list for the next three months:

1.  An Unfinished Mini

This was actually a quilt I started way back in 2003 which was to be a surprise gift for a friend of mine.  I had made it to coordinate with the colors in one of the rooms of her (then) new house.  Before I could finish it, she decided to completely change the color scheme of the room so I had to ditch the gift!  In the past, I've displayed this little top in a frame but now that I have a wall of mini quilts (and recently finished some other gifts for the same friend), I decided that it was also a good time to bring this one to a complete close. The plan is to add the triangles to the borders (which I always felt needed a little added "umph!"), quilt, bind and hang it up.

2.  Fabric Gal

This one is slated to be my spring bed quilt.  I've had the fabrics bundled together since 2008 to make this quilt from Eleanor Burns' 25th Anniversary book ("Still Stripping After 25 Years") so again it's an opportunity to get an old PIG (Project In A Grocery Sack) off the shelves and on the bed.  I'd actually like to get this done this month and then also be able enter it in the "Let's Book It" challenge being hosted by Sharon over at Vrooman's Quilts. 

3.  Spring Fling

Additionally in the spirit of freshening up the bedroom for the season, this is a Jan Patek wall hanging that I'd also like to get done if I can.  Another reason to complete it is that I've got a similar Phd (Project Half Done) that I'd like to try to finish up for display in the Fall when that season comes around again.  But that project will be something to report for the next quarter!

4.  Civil War Lap Quilts

I started these blocks to make two lap quilts featuring Civil War reproduction fabrics.  Both are from quilt patterns by Kaye England, one from her  "Re-Piecing the Past" Craftsy class and the other from her book "A Civil War Legacy".  I only have three and four blocks left (respectively) to make for each.  The border, backing and binding fabrics for both are also already in house.  When finished, these will be added to a gallery of reproduction quilts I have made.

5.  Civil War Chronicles

Another addition to that CWR gallery (and to be displayed on my bed) will be this quilt when it's finally quilted. I had completed the top back in 2012 when I participated in Sinta Borland's BOM Rehab when she hosted it on her Pink Pincushion blog (and she and Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life also do the wonderful Schibbles Parade QALs).  I'm hoping that putting it in yet another challenge will help me bring it to a close.  I expect this to be the big challenge of the quarter, not the least of which will be deciding how to quilt it.

6.  Liberty Hall (aka Sweet Land of Liberty)

Another one from the "To Be Quilted" pile.  I'm hoping this will be easy to finish up as it's also for display in the house and I'd like to be able to put it up.  

7.   Let Freedom Ring 

Another mini and a small companion piece to the above quilt (it will hang in the same room).  It's a wonderful little wool project, one of many I hope to get done this year.  The design is from the Summer 2013 issue of Primitive Quilts magazine.

8.  A Gift Quilt and Tote Bag

I have a neighbor who has graciously shared with my family the bounty from when she and her DH go fishing and when they have excess produce.  They won't take cash for any of it and we have wanted for a while to give them a special thank you.  How does a quilter do that?  Make them a fish-related quilt and produce-related market bag!  I've had the fabric gathered for both for a while (dipping into and adding to my Batik stash for the quilt and a kit I got on sale at Connecting Threads for the bag).  I found the the perfect pattern for the quilt in the (e)book "Man Cave Quilts".  So now's the time to try and get these in gear too!  I'm hoping that the parts and pieces of these can be leaders/enders for other projects too.

9.  Journal Covers

Ever since I started quilting, it has been my tradition to keep journals of my quilt projects and thoughts and inspiration about creativity in general (and if you are interested in doing something similar check out Lori Kennedy's "Quilt Notebooks" posts at her blog The Inbox Jaunt).  It has also been my tradition to make quilted covers for the journals, usually using fabric scraps and orphan blocks (something I shared about on Finn's Orphan Train blog way back in 2009).  I have unfortunately been lax on that second part and now need covers for journals 3 - 5.  So if I can get one done a month, I'll be happily up- to date!

As an aside to all of the above (but not part of this list), I have a big and long overdue commission project to work on.  I'm hoping that keeping myself busy but focused in general and being able to bounce back and forth between different projects will keep me fresh when I'm stumped on (or tired of looking at) any particular one. Three months always seems like such a lot of time at the start......

With that, I'm looking forward to joining everyone for a very productive three months!