Dancing in September - IN OCTOBER

Hi friends! I hope you’ve had a lovely autumn weekend. For those of you impacted by Hurricane Michael in Florida, the Carolinas and other areas, I hope your experience was mild and that you and your families and belongings are all safe. How can anyone doubt that the climate is changing when these horrific storms occur now on such a regular basis? I hope you’re registered to vote and that you will give serious thought to supporting candidates whose heads are not buried in the sand on this issue. But enough said of that...... we’ve got scrappy business to attend to!

First out of the gate is my second quilt finish of the month. This one is a Rainbow Scrap project that I started a year or two ago. After showing the flimsy (in a post called Dancing in September, named after the Earth, Wind and Fire music I was listening to) and remarking how the piecing of it made me happy while I listed to music and danced in the September sunshine streaming in the studio (couldn’t resist the alliteration), my friend Louise suggested that I name the quilt Dancing in September. Thanks, Louise! Although it’s now October, may I present the finished Dancing in September.

Dancing in September finished at 65x73” and was quilted using a simple stipple. The backing is a great black and white windowpane fabric I got somewhere (Connecting Threads?) and the binding used up the last of a green print I had left over in my stash. I am so in love with this quilt!! It’s a keeper.

This is my OMG - One Monthly Goal - for October. Now that it’s done, I can link up to Patty’s Finish-up Linky Party at Elm Street Quilts.

It’s also Goal #1 on my 2018 Quarter 4 Finish-Along Goal List. YAY!! See the quarterly linky party here.

And last, but definitely not least, I’m linking up to Rainbow Scrap Saturday, because this was a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. Today at Angela’s blog we’re having some serious October sharing’ O’ the green. Our color this month is medium to dark greens, plus dark neutrals. Sew ‘em if you got ‘em!

My plan this month is to get all my RSC green blocks sewn up as quickly as possible. Since this is the last month of color before we spend the last two months of the year completing our projects, I wanted to get those done and out of the way. I’m anxious to begin sewing all the RSC projects together!

So, here are the last four (of the 31 needed) birds for Birds in the Lattice. I hope to begin assembly of this quilt during this 4th quarter.

Next up were my Squared Away blocks. First, I made one additional green block from the March pattern (the top one in the picture below), then two blocks from the pattern Mari and Angela gave us for this month.

I got so excited about these now being done, that I put them up on the design wall. And sewed them together!  I even used my reject block (left column, middle blue one). It looks like I still have to add the 1” white stop border! This is next up to be basted and will finish at 56x56”.

Moving along with more green blocks, I sewed up my strings and ended up with 18 quarter log cabin blocks at 6.5” unfinished.

That brings my total of quarter logs up to 138. I only needed 120 for my original plan, so it looks as though I will be able to enlarge it! Another project that’s waiting in the wings for later this quarter.

And finally, I used my green crumbs to make eight 6.5” crumb blocks. For the project I have in mind, I will need this blocks in multiples of four. That means I’m good in the dark green department, but will have to review my other colors and add between 1-3 of several colors. That means this project, working title “Crumbcakes”, will carry over into 2019.

So, this coming week my goals are:
1.  Sew the borders on the Squared Away, and baste. Quilt and bind.
2.  Sew the California Poppies flimsy (already started, no picture today) and baste it.
3.  Sew the black and white checkered round to All You Need is Love.
4.  Sew the pink hearts round to All You Need is Love.
5.  Finish the plan for my rainbow scrap selvage blocks and pick a background fabric.
6.  Sew black and gray selvage squares for Item #5 if needed.

That should keep me busy!!

2018 Finish-Along Quarter 4 Goals

Last quarter I wasn’t able to link up my Finish-Along list because I was in Africa with limited wifi. But I played along anyway, and finished up five out of my ten goals, all of them quilts.  And two of the others are close to being done.

This quarter, with no travel planned and the garden chores winding down for the season, I expect that I’ll have lots more creative time. So here are my 4th Quarter finishing goals. I’m linking up (early!!) to the Finish-Along Quarter 4 Goals post HERE.


1.   Bowties Quilt, AKA “Dancing in September”

FINISHED AND BLOGGED ABOUT HERE.

Dancing in September (thanks, Louise, for the name idea!) is a flimsy that just needs to be  quilted and bound.

2.  All You Need is Love

FINISHED AND BLOGGED ABOUT HERE.

This one, a Christmas present for my daughter, is farther along than it was a couple months ago. After I’ve added the checkerboard round, which is half made and the hearts round (all 54 hearts already sewn), there will just be one more round of 8.5” blocks and a final stop border.

3.  On Ringo Lake

This is Bonnie Hunter’s 2017 Mystery Quilt, and the 2018 mystery will begin soon. I’ve got all the components done, now just need to finish piecing the blocks, etc. etc.  If there is a goal on this list that demonstrates that I believe in miracles, this one is it.

4.  Let it Snow

FINISHED AND BLOGGED ABOUT HERE.

This has been on my list for a year or two, but this is the season to finish it up! I have a place on my living room wall and a wall hanger for it. No more excuses. Besides, it’s so cute and so close to being done!!!

5.  Apron for Me

FINISHED AND BLOGGED ABOUT HERE.

This was on my list last quarter, and I had the best of intentions, but the quilts were screaming louder at me.  I’m hoping the added sewing time this quarter will let this project get priority, because day-um! I need a new apron!!

6.   Squared Away Sampler

FINISHED AND BLOGGED ABOUT HERE.

I thought I had a picture somewhere that showed all the blocks we’ve made this year for our 2018 Rainbow Scrap Challenge Squared Away Sampler. But I don’t, so this picture of my two September blocks will have to do. I’ve completed about 21 blocks out of 25 I’ll need. We’ll do more in October, and I’ll add the last two or three by going back and picking up an old color and pattern to finish it off. Then it’s a simple matter of assembly to get ‘er done!

7.   California Poppies

FINISHED AND BLOGGED ABOUT HERE.

I won 40 blocks in the Block Lotto in August. Eight of them were mine, below. I drew up a plan and needed an additional 8 blocks, all of which are already sewn as I write this. Now I just need to sew the blocks and sashing into a flimsy, then quilt and bind. So, it’s totally do-able to get done this month.

8.  Birds in the Lattice

All the lattice (Irish Chain) blocks are made, as are all the birds except the last 4 green ones. I should be able to knock those out easily and begin assembly of this quilt top soon. Then there is the question of whether I whether I will quilt it myself or have it professionally done. I’m leaning toward the latter. So whether it can be complete by the end of the quarter will depend on the timing and the Holidays...

9.  Selvage Quilt

TWO OF THEM FINISHED AND BLOGGED ABOUT HERE!

I have 126 (so far) selvage blocks measuring 6.5”.  I also have a plan to assemble them into a top. I’d really like to get this off my plate this quarter.

10.   Quarter Log Cabin Quilt (needs a snappy name!)

FINISHED AND BLOGGED ABOUT HERE.

I have 138 of these  6.5” blocks, way more than I’ll need for a 10x12 setting (60x72”). So I may enlarge that and sew a few more blocks. I have a design plan for this, so if I get to it, it will be fun to play with all the colors and see how they all play together.

That’s it for this quarter. I do have one more quilt in process that has all the blocks sewn; however, I need blocks in groups of 4 for the design I have in mind. So, that one will likely be carried over to next year when I can add blocks as needed by color during the 2019 Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

My hope is to finish at least 7 out of these 10 by the end of the year.

Dancing in September

I was dancing yesterday in my studio (luckily my kids weren’t around to make fun of me. But back in the day, I really could dance!). The sun was shining in the windows and I had just finished piecing the Bowties quilt top. Earth, Wind and Fire was providing the music, and the song of the hour was September.

So, here’s what the dancing was about.  Bow Ties is a completed top (!!) of 288 single blocks set 16x18. Oddly, instead of measuring 64x72, it measures 65x73. I guess that’s what scant quarter inch seams do. Isn’t it cheerful?

Bowties will get basted and quilted in October. In fact, that is my OMG - One Monthly Goal - for October. I've linked up to Patty’s October goal-setting post.

And there was a lot of Rainbow Scrap Challenge sewing this week in order to finish up my darker blue scraps. First, there were the crumb blocks; 14 of them at 6.5”.

I was able to sew 19 of the Irish Chain blocks that I’ll need as the alternate blocks in my Birds in the Lattice Quilt. I already had 4, so that brings my total to 23 completed of the 32 needed. I will be able to finish up the last 9 this weekend. I put them up on the design board to get a feel for how it’s coming together. (Edited Sept 30th to add: 9 final blocks done!)

The sample layout above shows a 5x5 setting of the 10” blocks. When complete, it will actually be 7x9 for a total of 63 blocks (32 lattice, 31 birds). There will also be a border around it of the featured dark blue floral print fabric. I love the rich, saturated colors!

I’ve decided that it won’t be made into a queen-sized bed quilt as I’d have to piece more blocks than the current plan calls for. I have enough fabric, but I’m not crazy about the idea of a mostly-white bed quilt or the fact that another expansion would prolong the construction by a couple months (at least) given the upcoming holiday season. So, it will finish somewhere in the neighborhood of 78x98” with the border.

And here’s my scrappy tally for Blue September:

Top, L-R:
18  Selvage blocks, 6.5”
  3  Selvage blocks, 4.5”
  7  Birds, 10.5”
  2  Squared Away blocks, 10.5”
Bottom, L-R:
14  Crumb blocks, 6.5”
  3  Lollipop blocks, 6.5”
  1  Friendship Star, 6.5”
20  Quarter Log Cabin blocks, 6.5”
Not Shown:
28  Irish Chain/Lattice blocks, 10.5”

Total:  96 blocks

I also completed three quilts in September:

Top Left:  Safari Baby Quilt, 46.5x55"
Bottom Left:  Orange Lozenges, 62x72"
Right: Linked Squares, 64x80"

All in all, it was a good month.  I’m linking up to Angela’s blog for Rainbow Scrap Saturday, and Cynthia’s blog for Oh Scrap!