New Blocks

I've begun making blocks as part of an online BOM QAYG - all 3 of which are new to me!  It's Pile O' Fabric's Block of the Month Skillbuilder, and we use Flickr to show progress, which is also new to me!  I'm very excited about this class!  A member of my new guild showed blocks she had made as part of this class, and Christa on her blog also started it, so I had to check it out. 

Choosing fabric took forever as usual.  Lately I've been trying to use from my own stash and I've only had to buy 2 fat quarters so far to supplement my colors.  Of course I needed to buy the background fabric.  Just finished piecing the 2 blocks from January - got some catching up to do - and they aren't quilted yet.

I've been looking at my hanging gardens quilt, and have decided it needs more quilting.  It's such a pain to maneuver it on the machine that I stopped and figured that was enough, but I can see large places where the fabric hangs, and I know I need to make it right.  Bugsy wanted to be in the picture too!




A quilting friend is coming over today.  We do handwork and talk together, and I'm looking for something to do by hand - maybe more beadwork on the Christmas tree that I started last  year.

A New Guild

This week I've joined a new quilt guild - my 4th! - Modern Quilt Guild.  I can see I will like it a lot!  Contemporary fabrics and designs, make-up-your-own patterns - can't wait!

In the meantime, I've been working on my plank quilt.  I didn't like it at all when I first made it - but I'm feeling better about it since adding the borders.

 The hanging gardens quilt top is almost done - the inner part is squared up ready to add the borders.  The inner dark border is the same as the accent on the quilt body, and the outer border is similar to the background - just a bit darker.  The pattern called for the borders to be more elaborate but I ran out of the right fabric to do that.  The back will be the patterned fabric and the soft green.

I have finished (almost) 3 tops in the last couple of weeks - time to layer them so they don't turn in to UFOs!


Also thinking about what to start next!  Fun!!

Plank Quilt

This has been a frustrating few days  and a productive one.

The productive part was making the binding and backing for the streaky city quilt.  The binding is the same taupe as the borders, and the backing is a strong aqua just perfect for the strong brights in the quilt.  I found the aqua in my stash that I inherited from mama - there are about 8 yards of it so I guess she was planning for a backing too.

I saw on blogs beautiful plank or jellyroll quilts and thought I'd try it.  I didn't use a jellyroll, but cut all florals that I liked and a small dark floral for spacers.

It isn't difficult but took a really long time to sew all those strips!  I chose a medium dark floral for the 5 inch border.

The thing is - now that I made it, I don't like it and I don't know quite why.  I like all the fabrics.

There are a lot of places on the quilt that mirror the strips near it and the ones I see on blogs don't do that.  The lighter fabrics ended mostly in the middle too.

Another possible problem is not using the same value for the strips.  It makes me feel that I'm not at all good at selecting fabrics for a project.

There's no use in finishing and adding borders to this quilt.  I'd like to make another one - I could make it from a pre-made jellyroll, but I'd like to grow in my ability to select fabrics on my own for a project.

I'm not sure what project I'll attack next, but I hope it turns out better than this one!

Lost City

I feel very productive!  In the last 2 weeks I have finished 2 quilt tops!

This UFO was begun about 7 years ago, and now the last bit - the borders - are done too.  I'm very pleased with it!  I will quilt each edge of the blue sashing, and am still undecided if I need to quilt at all inside the 5x8 monster blocks.

 I spent a little time machine quilting a block - part of the Lovebird Lane hanging - also a UFO.  Lots of quilting to do yet.






I began this throw (55x55) a week ago.  It's not a UFO - just part of my quilting chronicle.  It's Cuzco Lost City by Kate Spain, made during CutLoose class at Sewing Party.  My design wall was essential placing these blocks.






Now trying to decide my next challenge.

More work on the monster quilt

This week I have almost finished the top of my monster quilt UFO.

 I had felt that the cornerstoned sashing produced a flare between the rows.  This indecision kept me from working on it for a week or so.

looking again the sashing does fit, and the additional solid stashing helps keep any slight flare in line. 

I had thought of breaking up the quilt into smaller ones - that maybe the smaller quilts would be more usable.  This again made me put off continuing work on it.  But looking again at the pattern picture, I still like that twin size.

I also picked up velcro to close the doors instead of the buttons called for.  Small hands can then more easily open those doors to see the monsters inside.



Now here's my question - how to quilt it.  I'm thinking straight stitching on both sides of the blue sashing  and the blue horizontal line in the wall.  The monster square is 5"x8" and should probably have something, but I'm afraid to take away from those monsters.  I used 80/20 poly cotton batting - and hope that will be enough to keep the bat from shifting.  I can't imagine quilting around each monster in the square!

heart runner

 Road to California was this week, and a friend and I braved the rain driving to Ontario to enjoy the quilts (and the vendors of course!)  I bought just a few items - pattern and material for a 'just right size' bag, and a pattern for a Noah's Ark hanging.  I have a weakness for Noah's Ark.

No work on UFOs this week - I needed some easy quilting.  And I seem to be leaning toward quilting that emphasizes color not only technique.  I took a class at Sewing Party to make a hearts runner, and took the opportunity to practice my free motion quilting.  I shadow quilted hearts within the heart, stippled in the background, and made waves in the border.  I even found heart fabric in my stash to use as the backing.

The outside border was supposed to be circles, but I didn't make them deep enough so I call them waves.  And I ran into a problem with that border.  I couldn't hang on the the outside close enough to avoid bumps where the border meets the background.  But I will use this small runner on my dining room table at Valentines Day time - as soon as I finish the jigsaw puzzle that's there now!

I need something new

I'm at a stopping place in my quilting UFOs.

Found that adding the cornerstoned sashing flares the area between the rows.  Very disappointing.  I need to remake the sashing.  Luckily I have extra fabric so I can make new ones not unsew the current ones. 

I got out a cross-stitch project that is almost done, but I find that I can't seem to needle it.  Hopefully I just need a smaller needle, but I'm afraid it is just age and losing the sharp vision I used to have.  I am planning on asking a friend who cross-stitches a lot.

I will join a class tomorrow at Sewing Party - we will make a small runner for valentine's day.  I need something new and easy!