Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Monthly Archives: May 2013


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WIP Wednesday: Strings

WIP Wed

 

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I made these forty string blocks into this top, and finished putting borders on it yesterday.

 

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This was intended as a  new donation quilt, but it turned out a little small for that, at 48″ x  72″, especially since I only had a yard of the border fabric and was determined to make it work, so I think I’ll keep it for my shop.  I have an idea for quilting it all over with leaves to go with the borders.

Now I’m going to put together the backing and at least get this sandwiched today.  Also, someone should clean up this studio.  It’s all mine, but it’s tiny and things are beginning to pile up.  And spill over.  And the orange fabric needs to go away before I’m tempted to start another quilt with orange in it!

 

What are you working on?

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

 

 


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Design Wall Monday: Strings!

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Yesterday I made forty 6″ string blocks, and I am in love with the colors.  No, I can’t tell a difference in my string baskets.  What is up with that?  but I like to sew string blocks, and I always feel I’ve created something from nothing.  I’m sashing them with Kona White, and using this nice gray and white Kaufman leaf print for the borders.  This will make a throw size, 50″ x 74″.

Are you playing with fabric today?

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


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Sunday Stash Report: 5/26/13

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Well, yes, that is new fabric.  22 1/5 yards from eQuilter.  I suppose it doesn’t reduce the yardage that most of it was on sale, does it?  But it’s great stuff, and some of it is earmarked for a Christmas gift project.  I did use 7 1/2 yards to finish the Blue and Orange donation quilt.

 

This week:  +22.5 yards,  -7.5 yards

YTD:  +73 yards,  -138 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  65 yards

 

How are you doing with your stash reduction?  Sometimes you have to buy some to use some…

 

I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report on Patchwork Times.


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Finished Donation Quilt

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I finished up the blue and orange donation quilt yesterday.  I had a lot of fun quilting it with straight lines and feathers in orange thread (Superior Highlights, 40 wt.).   The textured blue fabric was weird and stretchy to piece together, but not too bad to quilt with the walking foot.  It has great cozy texture now that it’s washed up.

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I have to admit that I like the back almost as much as I like the front.  These are orphan blocks from a double nine patch that I had made, and some from this quilt, when I discovered that too many nine patches would make it too busy.

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So much of the stash fabric I have and need to use is floral, and makes pretty feminine quilts.  I try to switch off by making every other donation quilt out of something a little more appealing to anyone, including men.  And, apparently, cats.  Lots of help.  This is headed to Moore, OK.

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You could have knocked me over with one of my own feathers yesterday when I answered the phone and it was Judy Laquidera from Patchwork Times!  I was sewing the binding to this quilt when she called.  She called several of us who had donated quilts for West, TX, to see if we minded if she sent them on to Moore.  They have all they need in West, and Judy knew of a truck with people she trusts going to Moore.  I told her I was fine with that, so I guess my pink and gray quilt will go there, too.

Doesn’t it seem like there’s been a lot of need this year?   I sorted some strings last night to start a new donation quilt for whatever comes next.  Don’t even want to think about that.

What have you finished this week?

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


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A Finished Baby Quilt, and a Back to Piece

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On my design wall I have the orphan blocks and taupey fabric I to use to piece the back to the blue and orange donation quilt.  I see one of the larger ones needs to be turned.   Returning to this after time off makes it a little better, though backings are still not my favorite.

 

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On Saturday I finished the aqua and gray HST baby quilt, and it makes me very happy.  I really enjoyed doing the quilting on it.

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The gray zigzags and the print feathers have an extra layer of batting under them for a gentle trapunto effect.

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The back is gray, white, and yellow.  The gray and yellow look brown in photos, but in person it’s a good match to the front.

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This quilt is 36″ x 42″, my favorite baby size, made from 168 3″ blocks.

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


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Sunday Stash Report 5/18/13

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Two baby quilts finished this week, for a use of 6.5 yards.  There might be a little more fabric ordered to arrive next week.  Or a lot…

This week:  +0 yards, -6.5 yards
YTD:  +50.5 yards, -130.5 yards
Net stash used:  -80 yards

I’m linking up to Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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Color Spikes Quilt Finished

Color Spikes

This week I finished up this baby quilt.  The top went together very quickly, of course.  I spent much more time arranging the blocks (originally I thought all the blocks would have the color spikes, but that gave me secondary patterns.) than when I finally sewed them.  Then all the straight line quilting was tedious and time-consuming, but very worth it.  It gives it a great crinkly texture and saves it from being so plain.

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The object was to use this very bright print.  It looks like a hand dye, and like it’s crinkled, but it’s just a print.  A print that went with nothing.  I put it with two gray and white dotted fabrics.  I don’t have the selvage, but I think they were “Mix and Match Dots”, or something like that.

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I used the rest of the bright on the back.  Using the Fairy Frost and nearly the last of my Mirrored Dot is probably what started me into the new HST zigzag quilt.

 

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Hope you had a satisfying finish this week.

 

I’m linking up with Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, where I love Amanda Jean’s new finish.

 

 

 


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WIP Wednesday: Lots of HSTs

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I spent yesterday making HSTs from aqua and gray fabrics for this baby quilt.  The solid is Kona Azure, until I ran out, so there are also patches of a tire track print in with it.  The grays include Fairy Frost and Mirror Dot.  They do lend a little glitz and sheen.  Oddly, what appears to be the very shiny parts of the zigzags is a gray and white “bubble” or dot print, a plain cotton that’s not shiny at all.

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Observant viewers will spot two turned patches, and numerous places where I need to redistribute the blocks so that the colors don’t clump.  I went though and fixed a lot, and left it to percolate overnight before I sew it together.  The design wall is so helpful for this, and so is a camera.  I just use my phone, and sometimes don’t even snap the picture.  Just looking at it on the little screen helps me see things.  Then I see more when I upload a photo to Twitter for the Twilters to check out.  If early quilters had had camera phones there wouldn’t be nearly so many “intentional” mistakes.

(Okay, Spellcheck, I didn’t expect you to know “Twilters”, we just made that up last month.  But “quilters”?  You thought I meant “quitters”???  C’mon!  Get with the program!)

 

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

WIP Wed


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On My Design Wall

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I’m working today on this baby quilt using a very intense print that appears as a textured hand-dye.  The other fabrics are a gray with white dots and a white with gray dots.  I’m definitely still turning the blocks to decide where the “spikes” of color should go.  This will get diagonal straight line quilting.  Then I’m binding it with the bright print.

Are you playing with fabric today?

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


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Sunday Stash Report 5/12/13

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I only used half a yard this week on the Project Hope art quilt, but I didn’t buy any fabric, either, so it’s good.  I have a couple of tops made, so any time now those used numbers will explode…

 

This Week:  +0 yards,  – .5 yards

YTD:  =50.50 yards,  – 124 yards

Net Stash Used in 2013:  -73.5 yards

 

Now that you know that I can afford to buy fabric, here is some I’m drooling over, at Red Pepper Quilts, called Collage. I wouldn’t make this quilt, but I’m thinking. I really might need this.

 

How is your destashing going?

 

I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.