Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Monthly Archives: February 2013


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“Getting It Done” for February, Goals for March

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These lists are really focusing me.  (I’m tempted to post my housekeeping goals on here, but then you’d know…  😉  )

February Goals

1.  Make a primary or bright baby quilt for Etsy shop.

2. Pillow covers for living room pillows.

3. Floral quilt for Etsy shop.

4. Mail/deliver charity quilts and pillowcases.**  (Hopefully fininishing this 2/28/13.)

These are done, done, and done!  With any luck, #4 will also be done by the time this posts.  Realizing that the month was coming to the end reminded me to call the Project Linus lady to drop to arrange the quilt drop again (she didn’t show last time).  Really, I’m lazy, but not as lazy as I am bad at remembering to do things.  (That includes the housekeeping!)

Besides these things, I also completed the two semi-low volume baby quilts, and made the navy, brown, and orange donation quilt top.  Pretty good for a short month.

March Goals

1.  Quilt navy, brown, and orange donation quilt.

2  Finish and quilt “Sultry” quilt.

3.  Finish and quilt pink and gray donation quilt.

4.  Finish queen quilt top for my bed.

So, are you “Getting It Done”?  Baby steps, baby steps.  It’s all bettter than nothing.

Linking up with “Getting It Done” on Patchwork Times.


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WIP Wednesday 2/27/13

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Low volume, schmo volume!  I’m excited to be diving into rich colors again!  I’m putting together another quick donation quilt for the east coast.  Luanna posted this update yesterday on quilt distribution to Sandy victims, and I realized how many people are still without heat or their own homes.  I already sent one, but sitting here warm and dry with all this stash makes me feel that sending one more wouldn’t hurt.

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Knowing your stash really helps.  I could visualize most of the fabrics I wanted to use for this.  I have so much floral, not really sure why, so lots of things turn out very feminine.  I wanted to make this deeper, suitable for anyone, though I didn’t completely avoid florals.  I really did dive in to choose, cut, and stitch these blocks without over thinking them, and I’ve really enjoyed working with these great prints and colors.  I know the blocks merge a bit and are rather dark.  I think the quilting I want to do in turquoise thread and the light brown border will lighten it up a bit.  Yes, it’s exactly like my Quilt of Valor and Quilt for Husband, but with these colors it will really look different, and that large orange and aqua floral couldn’t be cut up any smaller, could it?  Nope.

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Are you playing with your fabric?

 

I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

WIP Wed


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Sunday Stash Report 2/24/13

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Making a little bit of mess here and using a little bit of stash.  The Quiet Blue baby quilt took 3.25 yards, all from stash, and that is all I have to report.  I’m coming right along on the pink one, but I’m quilting it more intensely, so you’ll see it next week.

This week:  +0 yards,  -3.25 yards

YTD:  +16 yards, -60.25 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  -43.25 yards

 

See more Stash Reports at Patchwork Times.


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Quiet Quilt Finish

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The consensus was that this quilt didn’t make it into “low volume”,  but I’ll accept the adjectives I received:  “quiet”, “soothing”, “restful”.  I quilted it entirely “in the ditch”, between all those 2 1/2″ squares.

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It’s lovely crinkly/puffy (Warm and White batting), and the backing with silvery moons and stars as well as clouds and planets, is very happy.   I like it a lot, and think it will make a great baby quilt.

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The effort to go low volume was an interesting exercise, proving just how garish bright and saturated my regular palette is.  I pulled the very lightest squares from my scraps, but I was afraid there would be not contrast or interest if I didn’t add some from the mid range.  It does have interest, just isn’t quiet enough.

A check of Pintrest shows that folks usually use prints with white or cream backgrounds for these quilts.  Turns out I have very few of those.  The saturated thing again.  I did pull out some black and white, and am trying again.  Hmmm.

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Do you know about lilies and cats?  This was news to me, so I want to share it with you:  http://tinyurl.com/apmwws6

I’m linking up with Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.


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WIP Wednesday, and a Special Quilt for a Special Little Girl

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I’m turning down the volume again with these Disappearing Four Patch blocks.

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I really like this little girl w umbrella print, and like the way this is coming out.

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A while ago I sewed together a baby quilt for no real reason, except that I had some favorite fabrics I wanted to try out together.

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I thought this aqua and lavender print with the sleeping moons was precious.  Also, I had some strings in coordinating colors, and I had never tried string piecing.  I put these two ideas together, added a fun border, quilted it up with moons and stars, and finished it off with blanket binding.  I personally was in love, but no one else seemed to feel it.  It sat around my Etsy and Artfire shops for some months.

Then J, an expectant mom, spotted it, totally loved it, and added it to her favorites in hopes of getting it for her shower.  She showed me her nursery border paper and it matched perfectly.

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She also requested a matching pillow case, and I was pleasantly surprised I had enough of the moon fabric for the cuff.  Soon after, her mom quietly bought both items.  I went on vacation for the month, and while I was away, the shower was postponed because J went on bed rest.  Little One was born two months prematurely,  weighing only a little over three pounds.   J messaged me pictures on Facebook, never mentioning the quilt.  After a while I realized that she didn’t have the quilt at the hospital, and probably didn’t even know it had been purchased for her.  The hope was that Little One would be home for Christmas, but she didn’t get there until December 28.  Then J let me know that her mom had surprised her with the quilt, and that she loved it even more in real life than from the photos.  Just last week she posted the “going home” photo on my Facebook page showing L.O. and her quilt.  Wasn’t that thoughtful of her?

Now I know why I made the Moon and Stars quilt, and I will always picture it with this little miracle baby.   Thank you, J, for sharing Little One with me.  Aren’t quilts wonderful?

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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Design Wall Monday: Low Volume?

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Here are my blocks for a low-volume baby quilt in a blue-yellow-white colorway.  There isn’t really as much contrast as the photo shows, but the medium blue does stand out.

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This is SO much lighter and calmer than my usual pallette that I thought it was low volume, but I don’t think I’m there.  I felt I had to have some contrast for interest.  I’m going to try again on a different quilt, but I so like this one, so I’m keeping it.

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Spring is coming.  This handsome bird came and sang for a long time in the dogwood outside my studio window yesterday.

Linking up with Design Wall Monday on Patchwork Times.


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Sunday Stash Report 2/17/13

Pretty good numbers this week.  Not feeling terribly inspired or productive this week, but creeping along with fairly mindless string piecing and scrappy nine patches.  My pillow covers used eight yards.

This week:  +0 yds.,  -8 yds.

YTD:  +16 yds.,  -57 yds.

Net stash used in 2013:  -41 yds.  

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Not that string piecing is easy with “help” like this!

I’m coming right along on my February “Getting It ” goals, too:

February Goals

1.  Make a primary or bright baby quilt for Etsy shop.

2. Pillow covers for living room pillows.

3. Floral quilt for Etsy shop.

4.  Mail/deliver charity quilts and pillowcases

 

See more Stash Reports at Patchwork Times.


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Finish It Up Friday (Saturday Edition, again…)

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Yes, I finished these Friday, but it never quit snowing all day!   It’s been flurying a lot today, too, but I’m the crazy lady who’s been out there with the camera.

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These pretty pillow covers are now lending a touch of spring to my livingroom.  The colors match one of my chairs and the Spring Strings quilt.  As always, I used tons of stings and can’t tell any difference in my containers.  If I never bought fabric again, I could make quilts for quite a while…

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I used the hidden zipper technique from Sew Mama Sew.  I’m getting pretty good at it.

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After I had changed out the pillow covers, I washed the Christmas ones.  Now, I had pre-washed those fabrics, and washed them when they were first finished, AND I used Color Catchers again yesterday, and I still had some bleeding from the green fabric.  I don’t think it ruins them.  I guess it will wash out over the years.  Hmmm.

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday on Crazy Mom Quilts.


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Design Wall Monday: Pillow Covers

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Using strings to make some Springtime pillow covers for living room pillows.  Yes, they look a lot like the Christmas ones in different colors, but I really like those.  So much so that they are still on the pillows…my last vestige of Christmas.  Also, my strings continue to overflow their containers.  I can’t tell the difference after pulling the strings for these six covers, but it has to be helping.

Doesn’t it?

I’m linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.


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Sunday Stash Report: 2/10/13

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Well, a bit of fabric came in this week, but I’m continuing to destash.  I used some fabric, and I’m about to get rid of some older quilts.  Feeling lighter already.

16 yards of fabric came via UPS.  It’s lots of solids, some binding stripes, and some backing.  Good stuff.

The purple and gray floral quilt used 9.5 yards, all from stash.

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I’m meeting a women in a parking lot this week to hand off seven older baby quilts for Project Linus.  I wonder how we will recognise each other?  They are perfectly fine quilts that I made as I was practicing, but they just never sold.  Now they will be loved, and I will have more room.  Win, win.

This week:  +16 yds.,  -9.5 yds

YTD:  +16 yds.,  -49 yds.

Net stash used in 2013:  -33 yds.

See more Stash Reports at Patchwork Times.