Design Wall Monday

While I was trying to get ready for the English Paper Piecing class that I taught this morning, I decided I needed to take a break and spend time with Quinn. She's almost 3 and loves to "help" grandma, so naturally she was trying to help me get ready for my class. Notice I said she was trying to help me. :-)

Anyway, she loves to sit across from me while I'm chain piecing because she "saves" the quilt pieces from falling on the floor and getting dirty. (Now that implies that my floor is dirty, but I'm NOT admitting to that. I just play along with her.)

I was looking for something simple to piece so she could help and since I didn't have anything, I decided to use the Eleanor Burns fat eighths that I was given a while ago. I cut them in half and just strip pieced them together, thinking that Quinn would get bored before I had to decide on what I would really do with them, but of course she didn't so I decided to make them into 4-patch blocks. She still wasn't bored and wanted to help some more so I thought, "Hey, Judy had that disappearing 4-patch that she brought to the retreat, maybe I'll do that."

I wasn't sure how she made the block, so I just decided to play. I cut the 4-patch blocks in thirds vertically, rearranged them a bit and sewed them together. Here's a step by step picture of what I did.

I kind of like the looks of the finished block. It's not square because I only cut vertically, but that's one of the things I like about it. Anyway, I've used a couple of the fat eights and I think I'll make these blocks out of the rest of them and mix them us so it's scrappy. I could see this as a two fabric quilt (like the units at the bottom of the picture), but I know I'd like it better scrappy. I'd love to be able to say that I'll have the quilt top ready to sew soon, but I doubt it since I want need to work on my March UFO.

Here's something else that's up on my wall today.

This is not really a project per se. I'm working with a friend tonight to show her how to add borders to a quilt.I'm also going to show her how to layer it to get it ready to quilt. I didn't want to just use chunks of fabric so I pulled out some strips and sewed them together. This measures about 18 1/2" x 24 1/2" and I think that will make it easy and be very manageable for her. I'm hoping that she wants to dive right in, drop those feed dogs and free motion quilt this thing, but we'll see. My guess is that she'll use a walking foot and stitch in the ditch or something like that and I'm fine with that. If we have time, we'll also talk about binding. (I'm not too ambitious now am I?)

Well, that's what's on my design wall. What's on yours? Check out a bunch of other design walls by going to Judy L.'s Patchwork Times.

Stash Report - Weeks 11 and 12

Not much sewing done here this past week because life just got in the way, but the report isn't so bad because I'm posting for TWO weeks. Mmmmmmm, maybe I should do that more often so it looks really good instead of a yard here and a yard there. Who am I kidding? I couldn't plan that if I wanted to. Besides, a yard used (or bought) is a yard and it doesn't matter if it's recorded by itself or with 11 other yards!

I'm looking forward to some sewing time this week. I have to get caught up on my Glacier Star, plus I have a couple of smaller quilts (60" x 80" or so) that I can quilt here and not take to Kare's house. I'm just planning an all-over design on them, so why don't I just buckle down and do it? I think it'd feel really good to get those done. Then I can not feel so bad concentrate on starting a new project or two, or three......There are just so many that I want to make. I wish I didn't have to sleep!!

Here's the report:
Fabric Added: 2.75 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 40.75 yards
Fabric Used: 9.50
Fabric Used to Date: 71.875
Net Fabric Used for 2011: 31.125 yards
UFOs Done, Done, Done (Pieced, Quilted, and Bound): 3
UFOs Still to Do: ???
New Quilts Done, Done, Done (Pieced, Quilted, and Bound): 4

Check out how other quilters are using their stash by going to Judy L.'s Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday

Well, it happened again. I missed the stash report! I got busy yesterday and before I knew it, it was pretty late and I was too lazy to look at my list and post the report. I know, I'm a slacker!

I wasn't going to shirk my posting duties two days in a row, so here's what's on my design wall today.

I have to admit that this is a new project and that I SHOULD be working on a UFO or two, or three.... Hey wait a minute. Doesn't UFO mean "Unrelenting Fabric Obsession"? If that's the case, then I AM working on a UFO! I've had a couple of Bali Pops that I bought a while ago, not knowing how I was going to use them and it's been bugging me. Here's where I used one. (I just realized that I never posted a picture of the finished quilt. I'll do that soon.)

Well, the other Bali Pops were distracting me so I decided I better find a pattern that would be perfect for them. (I didn't want this gnawing at me for months, right?) :-) Anyway, I decided on the Stepping Stones pattern by Judy Niemeyer and I HAD to pair up the fabrics.

Of course the next problem I had was that I wanted to see what a block would look like, so.........

I had to make a block!

Ok, now I can get back to my "Unfinished Objects"! Well, maybe not.

Check out other Design Walls today by going to Judy L.'s Patchwork Times.

Winter Wonderland - Again

I think any of these pictures would make a beautiful landscape quilt, and since I'm getting a very strong urge to make one, I think this is just what I've been waiting for to push me over the edge and get busy!

Isn't this beautiful?

and this.....

and finally.....

Design Wall Monday

Here it is Monday again, already! Even though the past couple of weeks have been a bit slow in terms of productivity, I did have a Glacier Star Technique of the Month class and this is what we've constructed so far.

On Thursday, we made the center star pieces but I haven't sewn them to the Lone Star blocks yet. I hope to do that later today.

Do you see the New York Beauty blocks in the upper left corner in the top picture? Those will be added next to the Lone Star blocks after spikes are sewn to them. (I believe that is the next step and I'm looking forward to that.) Anyway, I only have four of those blocks made and I've been putting off making the other four. I think I've finally figured out why I've been procrastinating with that. I'm not sure I like the pink with the other fabrics. I think the only place that pink is used is in the New York Beauty blocks and the outside Flying Geese, which we haven't done yet. Anyway, I'm going to wait to make the rest of these blocks and then decide. I know I bought a bit extra of most of the fabrics, so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find something to use.

I'm sewing tonight with some friends, so I should have some progress to report soon. YEAH!!!

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls today.
Visit Judy L's Patchwork Times.

Stash Report - Weeks 9 and 10

Since I didn't do a stash report last week (it was the guild retreat weekend and quite honestly I was just too lazy to take the time to do it), this post is for two weeks. It's been a busy couple of weeks (unfortunately not quilt-related) that are finally beginning to wind down a bit, so hopefully I'll be able to report more sewing productivity soon.

Here's the two-week report.
Fabric Added: 0.00 yards (YEAH!!!)
Fabric Added to Date: 38.00 yards
Fabric Used: 5.750 (You gotta love pillowcases and bindings!)
Fabric Used to Date: 62.375
Net Fabric Used for 2011: 24.375 yards
UFOs Done, Done, Done (Pieced, Quilted, and Bound): 3
UFOs Still to Do: ???
New Quilts Done, Done, Done (Pieced, Quilted, and Bound): 3

Check out how other quilters are using their stash by going to Judy L.'s Patchwork Times.

February UFO Pictures

I forgot to post the pictures of my February UFOs. DUHHHHH

Here is the first one that I finished for Patchwork Penguin's Challenge. (UFO #8) This had been put away with the interior of the quilt sewn together and simply needing borders added, and of course to be layered, quilted and bound. I finished this early in the month and I'm very happy with the end product.

Here's UFO #10 from Judy's Challenge.

This project was started by my daughter Lynn and when it was put into storage, all the blocks had been made and that was it. My goal for the month was to have the top ready for quilting. Because it's large, I decided I would not quilt this myself and I knew that Kare had customer quilts that needed done before I could get this on the frame. My goal is to have it quilted and bound in March. So, to make a LONG story short, I'm considering this to have met my February UFO goals. YEAH!

Do you notice in the picture above that the quilt is larger than my design wall? Well, I decided to give the wall some "wings" to make larger quilts fit it. Here's what I came up with.

Here's a close up of how I made my "wings." I just used hat pins to hold the insulation in place, and since this was just a quick fix, I didn't bother covering the insulation.

Of course Jack has a better (and more stable) idea and I'm looking forward to having strong "portable wings" for my wall soon.

Check out how other quilters did on their February UFOs for Judy's challenge, and Nancy's challenge.