Spring Stitching

Happy Spring everyone unless you’re in the southern hemisphere, then Happy Autumn!  Either way, the temperate seasons we’re coming into are beautiful!

Last week I mentioned but didn’t show my purple improv (scrap) blocks. They’re 8.5 inches and I had enough of the smaller scraps to do 8. I still have larger chunks of purple scraps - from fat eighths to FQs, but I didn’t cut them up for these blocks. I`m doing other quilt tops that may call for those larger chunks. If not, they’ll be ready for RSC2017.  Speaking of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, why not join us over at Angela’s SoScrappy for Scrappy Saturday. There is always lots of great eye candy!

This week I finished my Birds and Bees quilt which uses mostly fabrics by Tamara Kate for Michael Miller. I love the navy fabric with colored stars, but am not crazy about it as the first border. The quilt finished at about 56x64” (after washing), so it’s not a huge quilt.  I worked out the pattern on Pattern Jam according to the fabric I had on hand. We forgot to take a picture of the back which is made up of the outer border fabric, plus the binding fabric (aqua) and yellow. The quilting is a simple stipple and batting is Warm & Natural Plush. It will go into the linen closet to be added to the pile of Quilts for Christmas Gifts this year.

This is also a finish for my 1st Quarter Finish Along Goals, #6 to be specific.  And this is the 3rd quilt finish this quarter.  I am hoping to possibly finish one more this month.

I have finished three more Splendid Sampler blocks since the last time I shared. They have just introduced block #12 (the 36-patch ), but I have only done 10 blocks to date. Two of the introduced blocks have lots of embroidery and I am not enjoying that right now after doing my crazy quilts (see older blog posts) for the last 15 years.

The bottom block was supposed to have an embroidered center, but I included a Lori Holt little fabric piece instead  and then surrounded it with selvages. It did not turn out as I hoped. In fact, I think it’s fugly.  But it’s done and it’s staying as is. In a quilt, who will know or care?

Moving along, this is what I am working on now. I was originally doing some crazy-pieced 6-inch blocks with the thought of graduating the colors as I went around. But it wasn’t looking good. Then I pinned the 2.5” black strip around it and really liked that. So, from this picture I have decided to include the black border, skip the crazy patch, eliminate the red and olive green, and cut off the top light blue/white part of the print.

And then the colored outer border surrounding the black inner border will be pavers (bricks) of color, and most of them will be from two fat eighth assortments from Vicki Welsh in Blue/Green color wheel and Grape. They are drool-worthy!  So, hopefully I can finish this up next week.

Have a wonderful Easter!

My Sewing Studio: Purple Haze

It’s PURPLE month in March for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. And as this is also my birthday month (and a new iPad Air will be mine this weekend!), I am tickled purple that Angela at So Scrappy has chosen it for us.  The accent color, which is optional, is yellow. A little yellow goes a long way (especially with its complement, purple), so we will see how that goes.....

For the last month I have been dying from   suffering with dealing with the nasty 100-day virus.  Let’s just say that my personal color for February was green..... (ewwww!)   But even though it’s only been 4 weeks, I feel so wonderful today as I write this. It has been in the high sixties temperature-wise today, and I have thrown open the windows to get some fresh air. I’ve had no meds for 24 hours, and I even slept through the night with no coughing or nose-blowing. I have energy!!  It is common to feel good with this virus, then relapse, but I am hoping that maybe I’m finally over whatever it was..... Fingers crossed.

So, here is my Purple Progress for this week:

These are the Vintage Sheet Rail Fence 9.5” blocks. There are 12 of them, and they will join the 18 blue and 3 brown. At the end of the RSC (or maybe I should just say “at the end of the rainbow”) there will be enough to make some sort of zig-zag rainbow scrappy sheet quilt. Or something.

I did pull all my purple scraps and sort them by size. I have been cutting like a madwoman and the picture below is my proof.  It contain the makings of: 12 kittens (foreground on tray), Mama Cat (purple with yellow stars fabric pile on right, 2 piles of 20 Dresden blades to be made into two blocks (one on pale pink, one on pale yellow) and 2.5” squares which will be sewn into 10-12-ish 16-patch blocks with white and black centers.

I hope to get at least half of that done this week, as I expect Angela will be introducing our RSC Challenge Quilt Block for March. Then I will need to make lots of those, depending on size.   Whatever is left over from that will go into purple crumb slabs....

And although there is a purple haze in the studio this month, I am working on several other things (like any quilter worth her salt, right?)

I am playing along with the Splendid Sampler hosted by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson. These are my first five blocks. I chose those colors because they are what I have most of in my stash, and I wanted to trim them down. The result is a very girly-girly look, which is really not me, but IS perfect for my granddaughters. So who knows how long I will play along or how many quilts it will end up making. I’m thinking that by the time these 6” blocks are done (100 of them in the Sampler), I can sew up some basic alternate blocks to use with them. Another one to wait on and see....

The block below is my favorite. It was designed by Jen Kingwell, However, instead of using fabric circles as the pattern calls for, I went with my crazy-quilting background to add crocheted flowers, bits of lace flowers, yo-yos and some embroidered greenery.  And doesn’t that green fabric look rather like enamelware?

The project below is that Hoffman digital cityscape print that I am adding borders to. I have two of the prints and will do the  same for both.  They should both finish out at about 48x60, which is either a large wall hanging or small lap quilt. As I get further along, I will be using a lot of my Vicki Welsh hand-dyed batiks in the border piecing. Stay tuned.

And finally, my Birds and Bees quilt has been pieced and bordered. I have the backing sewn and the batting ready. All I need to do is baste it in order to quilt it. But I have not felt remotely like doing that for weeks.  If these good vibrations keep up, however, I expect I may baste and quilt it this week.

Sorry for the long post. The non-purple items should have been a separate post earlier in the week, but...... you guessed it. I didn’t feel like it.

If you like scraps, why not join us at So Scrappy for Scrappy Saturday, and see what everyone else has been doing with their purple!

Pincushions Done; Scratch one off that list!

In my last post, I outlined my ten goals for the 4th quarter of this year. I am participating in Andrea’s 2015 Finish Along and decided there was no time to waste in getting to that list.

Here are my four scrappy pincushions, which were #4 on that list.

Fronts. Can you tell I was trying to use up that black gingham??

Backs: I was also using scraps here.....

So, they are not the cutest pincushions ever created, LOL, but some have vintage buttons (they are going to family for Christmas) and the best thing - THEY ARE DONE!!   One down, nine more items on my list to go........

And here are some blocks that represent progress on my Farm Girl Quilt.  I have another couple to do for the quilt before beginning to piece the top together. But that is OK; I love this process of selecting and making the blocks. Still thinking I need a turkey and an apple core and/or half-cut apple.

Corn and Tomatoes II

Bumblebee. He still needs his antennae embroidered.

Woolly Sheep

And still more progress. I have sewn all 30 blocks (16” each) together on my Rainbow Orbs quilt. Right now it measures 80x96”, and as you can see from the pictures below, it already has the Feline Seal of Approval. That is very important you know.

Rainbow Orbs is resting while I finish my black needlepoint/CQ for a photo shoot. And then I will begin piecing the back for Orbs - you may remember it will be that Hoffman digital cityscape print, with color gradation around it. I am thinking I will bind the whole thing with some black and white stripe; you can never go wrong with a striped binding!  :-)

So, as you see, I have been busy. We are also finalizing our wills and trust with the attorney this week and next, so there is never a dull moment.

OH! I almost forgot! I have been so darn lucky these last couple weeks.  After the Quilt Adoption from a couple posts ago, dear Cynthia Brunz of Quilting is More Fun Than Housework notified me that I had won a pair of Gingher 9” scissors she was giving away for participating. Then, one morning last week I got an email from Angela of So Scrappy telling me that I had won the August bundle of hand-dyed fabrics from Vickie Welsh. An indigo bundle! (check out her amazing hand-dyed fabrics!!).  As if that was not enough, that very afternoon, I got a private message on my iPad from Meg Cox, Editor of Quilt Journalist Tells All and the President of the Quilt Alliance; I had won her monthly newsletter drawing. My prizes? A copy of the newly-released Spoonflower Handbook and a six-month subscription to Creative Bug.  I am just totally beside myself!!

Thanks to all the wonderful people I mentioned in the paragraph above! I linked to everyone so you could check out their wonderful services and products. The world of quilts and the people in it are just amazing.

So what I am going to do now?? QUICK!! I am going to buy a lottery ticket and enter Missouri Star’s birthday bash giveaway....  (just kidding; I will give you all a chance.......)

Hugs,