Monday show and tell

I quilted Sunshine and Shadow. ..and even used my new found skill with free motion leaves to create a kind of vine border!  A variegated orange/yellow was used to do the straight stitchng in the centre. This will be going into my son's room...he has nothing! on his walls.  We moved house last summer; Scott moved from his childhood bedroom full of all the clutter and memories, into a "man cave" basement bedroom where he has a couch, bed, tv, and three different kinds of  computers!  Other than those things, he's turned into a minimalist, only unpacking what he might need at that moment.

The centre of Pick up Sticks got sewn, along with one border piece.  Earlier last week I started on some of the border triangles so I could see the finished quilt might look like.  I made the quilt a bit smaller, after the borders are added it will be 62 x 79 inches...I'm keeping this quilt for us!  I think it will make a great couch quilt, and  I haven't made us an  everyday quilt for a long time.  It will remind me that I *can* work in brights, and batiks!

Thoughts in Thread

January's "Thoughts in Thread" block from Val Laird.   I remembered a zip loc bag of black and whites, I thought I'd like to try something a little different from my usual style.

January Free Motion Challenge

My husband was able to pick up my machine from the shop, and the first thing I did was the Free Motion Challenge!

Leaves have always been trouble for me, so I was glad to be able to work on this first! Working on solids will I hope will be a confidence booster for me...I like to hide my free motion work in a fabric print!  So here's my finished sample...I think I'll practice more, to get the leaves closer together.  One of my problems when doing any free motion design, is that I'll be sewing away, in the zone, then all of a sudden I "lose it", just forget what I'm supposed to be doing!  When you look at each leaf, you'll see a couple that what happens when I stumble.

Weekend Sewing

A couple of Minglewood Sampler blocks...

A few Just Takes 2 blocks, January part two

Lots of blocks for Pick up Sticks

And, I found some stitcheries...Herb Garden by Pearl P. Pereira.  Stitched basil, but haven't completed the lettering yet.

My machine for quilting is still not home!  Its ready to come back, but my husband isn't able to pick it up this week, so I'll have to wait a few more days.  I *could* use my regular machine, but its all set up with everything I need in all the right places for piecing, and to move it to the bigger space for quilting would mean I'd be kinda messed up if I wanted to do some piecing or something other than quilting.  So, I'll wait.

Quilt plans gone bad!

This has  been a slow week for me, without any machine sewing at all until yesterday afternoon.  I've done some hand applique, finishing one block, and making progress on a second (two more to go in this set)...they are to set in the centre of the Antique Sampler.

I got back at the sewing machine yesterday, to work on a few wheel of fortune blocks.  These are from the book History Repeated and I thought maybe they could make a nice quilt for my husband's cousin who is getting married in the summer.   They are in their 30s and have a bit of a modern taste, but also traditional.  I thought I'd set these in zig zag pattern, maybe with black.  I' ve made about eight blocks so far, and I'm thinking...no matter how I set these, this isn't going to work for Linda and her fiancee.  Now what?

And then I pull out another project, "pick up sticks" from a pattern in Fons & Porter magazine, September 2011.  Hmmm,,,I don't think this is going where I want to either!  This one was going to possibly be for my niece who is going away to school in the fall.  On second thought, I just might continue on with this one.  Its easy and making good use of my batik scraps.

So then I spent a couple of hours thumbing through patterns, and reviewing patterns on EQ, and here is the end of the story.  I don't like to make a quilt particularly for a person in mind.  I have to want to make the quilt because I like it, no other reason, and then as a bonus, at some point in the quiltmaking the idea would strike that oh! this quilt would be great for so and so.  The people who have received quilts from me have, I know, really liked them and use them.  The quilts represents what I think  this person or couple would  enjoy having, and I've enjoyed making them.

Reasons for blocks of the month

I finished three applique blocks for the Stars and Sprigs quilt, design by Kim MacLean.

I give the blocks a little bath in the sink after applique, to rinse out any glue or markings.  Then lay them on a towel, and they are ready to iron in a couple of hours.

Some sewing I've done this week brought to mind why I do paid blocks of the month.  One very big reason is they they give me variety in fabrics, and "teach" me about colour and fabric choices.  With quilts I make myself, I need to know exactly what fabric I'm putting where, and I'm pretty cautious in my combinations.  I often like to start with a designer's fabric grouping.  Definitely I still need to learn colour confidence, even years after quilting!

All of these sprig blocks have colours and fabric design that I myself would hesitate to put together...but it works!  well!  The bit of purple on that one block is an example of this.  And look at this star block, I don't think I'd be brave enough to put all these together, but isn't it wonderful?    In the 30s chain block pictured, I don't think I'd be inclined to put that yellow with the green, but it looks great and I could see dots of the exact same yellow within the green, so it does work.  Also, I don't think I have near the variety of fabrics that I'm getting for these blocks, and I'd go nuts just doing one block at a time from my stash or scrap bin, with no thought of "matching" it to its neighbour although I do know that scrap quilts with lots of everything do look fantastic when all put together.

 The other reason why I do paid block of the month is for motivation!   By paying for and getting a package every month, I know that that pattern I love so much will get made, and any investment in fabric and time will result in a quilt I'm going to enjoy!  So often in the past several years I have purchased fabric for a quilt, or put something together from my stash, that never got made...I just lost interest, changed by mind, jumped to another project!

I'm at home all the time, I don't belong to a guild, or sew with other quilters.  So my fabric choices are my own, with two men in the house they're opinion is valued but not always helpful, lol.  My stash is my stash and I don't trade with others.  All my shopping is online, which can be both a benefit and a problem!  I enjoy a lot of vareity, I enjoy flitting from this to that.  The blocks of the month kind of keep me in line :)


I also enjoy the free blocks of the month that many designers offer.  If I can feel comfortable with what fabric choices will work, I have a chance to learn something new, get motivated by the schedule, and benefit from seeing other's work on that quilt.  So, did you know that Pearl P. Peirara will be offering a mystery applique b.o.m. starting in February (enter the Forums section from the menu on the main page); and Jinny Beyer has a pieced and optional applique basket quilt b.o.m. starting soon (sign up for her newsletter for details); and Val Laird will be announcing her new b.o.m. this weekend, I think.  Just three of many on offer all over the 'net!

Having fun making blocks!

I completed the group one January blocks for the Just Takes 2 quilt.  The orange persimmon fabric arrived and I fell in love, but after much to-ing and fro-ing, I decided that I just might get tired of all that orange, and that red and white is what drew me to the quilt in the first place

Before cutting out the block pieces themselves, I cut strips of each colour in widths that were called for in the cutting instructions.  I didn't cut widths that were something plus 1/4", deciding to use the 1/2" equivalent piece.  I then labelled each piece on the selvedge with a pigma pen.

Some sewing, some applique, and even some red-work, and I'm happy happy!!

For that persimmon colour, I have an idea brewing... stay tuned!

I also got involved in a another sampler quilt (can't hardly say no those!),  This is called Fundamentals block of the week, offered by Sew Sisters.  I chose the 30s colours, as I don't do those much, and I could use some bright and cheerful in some of my work!  Haven't they done a great job in picking fabrics?

Applique was the order of the day for yesterday, but not much done there.  I'm feeling a little behind in my hand applique....maybe too many on the go! My hand applique projects are Stars and Sprigs by Kim McLean, Antique Sampler by Sue Daley, some Dear Jane blocks, and My Whimsical Quilt Garden, by Piece O Cake.

Inspiration has come to visit!

I seem to be full of good ideas in the past several days...great colour choices, quilt design plans, and confidence in what I'm doing!!

I was supposed to be catching up on hand applique yesterday.  But I ended up in the sewing room thinking I'd sew a block or two from a couple of projects, blocks that are already cut and ready to go.

Instead I found myself thinking about the Free Motion Quilting Project.  I can't actually start it yet, as the machine I use for quilting is in the shop getting serviced, but I could prep for it!  Well I had all kinds of ideas for the sampler quilt that was suggested here, starting with neutrals.  Then I thought, wait, I have a drawer full of solids, I have a fear of quilting on solids or something that my free motion stitching will really show .  So that's it, I thought.  Well no, after a morning of pulling out all kinds of stuff suitable for this kind of sampler, I had decided to just make practice sandwich squares using some squares I had found already pre-cut.  Then after a little bit of time, I went back to the idea of the solids sampler.  I love it!  I think I'll use grey thread throughout, and it will be a real confidence booster for me.



In my hunt for fabrics for the Free Motion sampler, I came across a pile of pre-cut dark brown squares about 8" big.  An idea hit me.  Combine those with these scraps, and I think that will be great for Jo Morton's Prairie Flowers...I think I'll machine applique these.  I started on a sample, but haven't finished it yet.

I also got my batting scrap bin under control, and made enough pieces for four wallhangings and a bit more! All neatly bagged and labelled!

The Just Takes 2 quilt colour choices are driving me mad.  I went ahead and did some strip cutting of appropriate sizes of the red and white...but I'm still interested in that persimmon solid that I'm waiting for.  Now I've discovered that Tangerine is the colour of the year for 2012 (as announced by Pantone).  Do I really want to use a colour of the year?!  My interest in the Just Takes 2 started because I love red and white quilts.  So I don't know yet.

Consider the Lilies

I so much enjoyed working on Val Laird's 2011 block of the month, Consider the Lilies!  I finished the first half, and completed the pumpkins block, and then I had to put it aside.

 Yesterday was the day I got to complete it!  The quilt top didn't turn out quilt like the one Val had designed .  I had to make it smaller, as I want to hang it in my sewing room once it is quilted.  I ended up taking apart the top half, sewing the cottage block, and shuffling the pieces around to make up a top that is about 22" square.  I added a bit of embroidery to reference the bible passage (one of my favourites, which is why I had to complete it, and why I want it in my sewing room!).  I haven't added a border, and I don't think I will...I like it the way it is now I think.

I'm looking forward to what Val has planned for this year's block of the month!

Twelve of Eleven

I did finish the Electric Quilt Sampler b.o.m. and I have to say I am so proud of myself!  It isn't that I am so immensely happy with the quilt itself, as I am happy that I stuck it out and finished it!  And the quilt does look pretty good!!

Wednesday afternoon, I had something that looked like this.  I used a background fabric from my stash that I thought would calm down the colours a bit, and a second fabric for the alternate columns.  I was so disappointed.  I was convinced that what I had planned and sewed would be wonderful!  And you know that horrible feeling when you go to press some pieces and you open it out and say, oh ugh!!  I just wanted to throw it on the floor and stamp on it!! (This picture doesn't really show how bad this beginning was!)

I had been working from a group of fat quarters for the sampler blocks, and with all the cutting up I  was doing for the design process after drawing ideas in EQ, I was rapidly running out of fabric.

Thursday morning, I had just about decided to put the whole thing in a bag and let it age for a few months or more.  I on-line shopped for fabric that might help make it into a good quilt.  I huffed and sighed and played with EQ, and cut up some more bits.  Took a deep breath and started at it again. By the end of the day, I finished this 42" wallhanging, called Twelve of Eleven.

I really need to learn how to use the camera, or how to fix pictures.  This quilt looks like it has a different background than the first, but its the same!