Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Monthly Archives: September 2013


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Fall Wall Hangings Finished

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Both of these hangings are finished.  And they will look square when I sew down the hanging sleeves and press them a little.  These string blocks were fun to do.  The blocks were 6 1/2″,  and the quilt finished at 24″ square.  So much fun to quilt small projects!  All the fun and none of the bulk dragging on your shoulders!

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I practiced swirls in the “sky”, and did a leafy vine in the border.

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The feathers in the leaf at harder to see.  I like them, but I should have added an extra layer of batting in that area to make them pop.  I’m still happy with it.

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The Fall Cabins wall hanging turned out very well, too.  It’s 32″ x 40″.  Someday I’d like to make a larger quilt like this.

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Remember the plan on EQ7? Occasionally, I scan in fabrics and do a care full design. Usually, I just do it this way, to get a rough idea of the values and any secondary designs, and to check the math.

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I quilted straight diagonal lines in brown Bottom Line through the dark areas, and used yellow Sulky for feathers through the lighter areas.

Now I’m at work on a couple of things, including the Scrapitude Mystery Quilt that Sandy is sharing with us on Quilting for the Rest of Us.  It just started, many people haven’t cut their scraps yet, so you can certainly join in.  Several of us on Twitter are doing it, #scrapitude.  Great stash buster!

Can’t wait to see what you finished!

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


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WIP Wednesday: Still feeling like fall

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This week I combined two of my favorite things, rich autumn fabrics and string blocks.  This is 18″ square, and will be the center to a small wall hanging.  I think I’ll surround it with Candy blue, and bind it in a dark print.

I hope you’re playing with fabric this week!

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


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Sunday Stash Report. 9/8/13

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Yes, a bit of new fabric, but it’s necessary!  The solids are Kona Water, Kumquat, Candy, and Bluejay.

And, of course, I finished the Coffee Quilt, so that more than offset the purchases. 

This week:  +5 yards, -7.5 yards
YTD:  +119.5, -180.25
Net stash used in 2013:  -60.75

I think I’ll get to my 100 yards destashed goal by the end of the year, don’t you?  How are you doing?

Thank you to everyone who left such nice comments on my Blogiversary post yesterday!  It was great to hear from you all.

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


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My First Blogiversary!

 

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Yes, I’ve been blogging for one year today!  That’s 155 posts!  476 comments (thank you!)!  And my most viewed post ever was just yesterday (274 views!), so I can’t stop now.  I’m clearly on a roll!

Looking back at my purposes for starting a blog, I find that I’ve at least begun to accomplish much of what I set out to do.  I know that I’m just a little blip on the quilt blogging radar, but I’ve really “met” a lot of nice people from several countries.  Quilters are so positive and encouraging!  It’s a nice community of which to be a part.  I’ve enjoyed linking up to parties and groups at Patchwork Times, Freshly Pieced, Crazy Mom Quilts, Celtic Thistle Stitches, and A Quilting Reader’s Garden, as well as discovering far too many great bloggers who’ve linked to those sites.  It seems like I’m always behind and don’t comment often enough, but I truly appreciate my commenters.  Thank you, it would be hard talking to an empty room.

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I’ve enjoyed taking part in Flicker groups:  Fresh Modern Quilts, Stash Pact II: Electric Bugaloo, Project Hope Online Quilt Show, and To Boston With Love.

I’ve probably shown too much of my own work, but I have done a couple of tutorials, and linked to some charitable and memorial giving.  We had far too much need for that this year, but it felt good when you let me know that you were inspired to contribute, too.

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I thought all my cats would help with this project, but clearly it’s been Yuri who’s been the star.  I relay all your admiration to him.

My sewing skills have improved and I’ve done some things outside my comfort zone.  I’m not very patient about the photography, but it’s taught me much about light and the way it changes through the seasons.  I’ve added Snapseed and Picasso to my tablet to have some fun with the photos.  This blog had brought some traffic to my Etsy shop, too.

It was exciting to have my quilt, Hot Summer Cabins, published in Southern Weddings Magazine.  Hard to see, but exciting.

Another high point came when one of my baby quilts went home with a little premature baby.  Sigh.

It hasn’t been an easy year for me personally, but I’ve found a ton of support and laugher from the #Twilters on Twitter.  We all cheer each other on emotionally, quitily, and health-wise.  I’ve lost fifteen pounds this year and I’m now walking three miles most days, spurred on by our #qhc (quilters health check), and #QuiltBits (our FitBit pedometer group).  Together we’ve taken a lot of steps.  We’ve also had some great Sew-Ins.  These ladies rock.

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I guess the only thing missing has been the free fabric from major companies.  Eh, they’d probably just expert me to sew something with it, and I’m pretty busy already.

Thanks, everyone!  And please keep reading!

 

 


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Coffee Quilt is Finished!

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I used the Labor Day Sew-In on Twitter ( #LDSI ) to make myself focus and get this quilt completed!  On and off all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we sewed and tweeted away.  Everyone else shared multiple finishes ( it seemed to me), but they encouraged me through the various steps and cheered me along.  Monday morning I finished quilting the border and put on the binding.  Yay!

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Others agreed that we don’t enjoy piecing a large quilt back, but I really think the results were worth the work.  Love this!

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I quilted free-form feathers in all the card trick blocks using orange Highlights from Superior, and did a small stipple in dark brown Bottom Line on the espresso backgrounds.

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In the borders,  I outlined all the cats and books using smoke invisible thread.  I swear by Superior’s Monopoly.  I zoomed through the borders at a fast speed and never had the least bit of trouble with thread breakage.  That’s very important because I can’t see well enough to rethread the needle with that darn transparent stuff!  Honestly, I did not sew around every book;  I “laddered” back and forth, alternating books, which I think still give the appearance of them all being quilted.

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That border gave me fits.  I had found three yards of the out-print-fabric on Etsy, and expected to have enough to use on the back, too.  Au contrare.  First I discovered that the rows of cats did not contain enough space for cutting and seams, so I had to sacrifice a row of cats every time I cut.  Then I discovered that the rows were not all the same width.  Sheesh.  Who’s the nimrod who designed this?  So, in two corners the border miters nicely, and in the other two there is no way.  I feel that it looks as if I were careless, but it was the best I could do.  I trimmed the outer edges in such a way that I think is looks matched, if you don’t look too closely.  Oh, well.  It is a great border print.

This turned out dark and rich and cozy.  I think it will be just right for curling up with a good book, your favorite cat, and a glass of wine or cup of coffee.  And one of my Christmas gifts is finished!

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I’m linking up with Finish it up Friday on Crazy Mom Quilts.


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WIP Wednesday: Fall Fever

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With the Coffee Quilt finished during the Labor Day Sew-In on Twitter (pictures on Friday!), I was good and cut up all my scraps from this and a few past projects, and put away the piles of fabric that had been accumulated.  Of course, my clean slate only lasted about twelve hours, but I felt virtuous.

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One of my Getting it Done goals was some fall pieces for my shop.  When I pulled out my fall fabrics (I have a little!), I found a ton of scraps to cut up and a lot of strings.  I knew I wanted to use them for wall hangings, instead of the applique I did last year.

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I designed this log cabin wall hanging on EQ7, to be made from rich fall prints with sky blue “chimneys”.  I also worked out the math for a very different one I want to do with string blocks.

Now excuse while I go dive into those gorgeous scraps!

Hope you’re playing with fabric today.

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


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Sunday Stash Report: 9/1/13

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Nothing. Nada. Zilch.  No change in the stash this week, even though I’ve been sewing.  I’m quilting the Coffee Quilt, and I expect to bind it tomorrow, so the numbers will start moving in the right direction next week.

This week:  +0 yards,  – 0 yards
YTD:  +114.5 yards,  -172.75 yards
Net stash used in 2013:  -58.25 yards

In the meantime, I’m enjoying the process, quilting away with the Twilters at the #LDSI. Join us.  We’re there today and tomorrow.

How are you coming on your stash reduction?

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