Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Monthly Archives: March 2015


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March Progress and April Goals

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2015-03-29 19.14.17I really have been sewing a lot.  Darla at Scientific Quilter left it up to us whether we wanted to March-A-Long this month, and I did.  I hauled myself up to the studio every day (15 minutes always morphs into more for me, it’s just the getting started that’s hard).  I just didn’t always work on my goals.  I did make the three flying geese baby quilts, just because I caught the fever.  And a block for a friend.  And a custom quilt and matching stuffed toy that I posted to Australia this morning.  And an extra mug rug that…but I don’t want to talk about that yet.  Anyway.

 

March Goals

2015-03-07 20.59.211. Audit Jinny Beyer BOM Craftsy Class.  Yes, I am almost caught up on watching this.  And I sewed the first block.  By hand.  After cutting with templates.  Eek.  I’m glad I challenged myself, but I’ll be sticking to the sewing machine from now on.

 

2015-03-21 09.31.362.  Complete Step Three on Charlotte’s Scrap in a Box Mystery Quilt.  Yes!

 

3.  Continue studio organization.  Yes, I bought a vintage file organizer, and a couple more containers for inside the lockers.

 

4.  Begin nautical-themed art quilt.  I worked on this, but don’t know what I’ll do with it.  The photo wasn’t as good as I’d remembered.  This won’t be applique, as I’d planned, but I’m playing around with a photo-transfer idea.

 

2015-03-30 14.46.445.  Assemble scrappy log cabin blocks I made a few months ago.  Um, they’re on my design wall.  Not together yet.

 

April Goals

1.  Audit Jinny Beyer BOM Craftsy Class.

2.   Complete Step Four on Charlotte’s Scrap in a Box Mystery Quilt.

3.  Complete mug rug for Sandi’s swap at Quilt Cabana.

4.  Assemble and quilt the scrappy log cabin quilt.

 

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How are you doing?  Hope you’re happy with your progress.  I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced (if Lee’s back!).


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Sunday Stash Report: 3/29/15

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Yes, some stashing occurred, but it was needed basics, including the backing for the custom baby quilt I made this week.  I also made a single block to send off, and one more small project, that total half a yard.

This week:  + 10 yards,  – 4 yards
This year:  + 36.5 yards,  – 56.75 yards
Net fabric destashed  in 2015:  20.25 yards

Hope you’re getting some sewing done, and that you’re using more than you’re buying!  I’m linking up with the other reports at Patchwork Times.


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Sunday Stash Report: 3/22/15

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I’m writing to you on a crisp but sunny morning here.  The birds definitely think it’s spring!  There are a few things to do in the yard, but the ground is very soft, and it’s early yet, so for now I think I’ll…sew!

This week I used another three and a half yards on the Baby Geese 3 quilt, and I didn’t add any fabric.  I see that changing soon.  I’m low on some things, and I just got another commission for an elephant baby quilt (the one with the puffy blue elephants!),  so I’ll need more gray and white fabrics.  Too bad.  😉

This week:  + 0 yards,  – 3.5 yards
This year:  + 26.5 yards,  – 52.75 yards
Net fabric destashed  in 2015:  26.25 yards

Good luck with your destashing!  I’m linking up to Patchwork Times.


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Finished: Baby Geese 3

IMG_2308This week I finished the last (hopefully!)  of the Flying Geese baby quilts.  This was a completely unplanned series, started when I was looking for a pattern to use up some 6 1/2″ little boy scraps.  Then I used some bits of yardage to make the pink quilt where the geese change directions.  Finally, I made this to use this cotton lawn yardage and 3 1/2″ pink scraps (cut to 3 1/4″ for the 5 1/2 ” blocks) and some 6 1/2″ flowered squares.

IMG_2311pmThis one is not as graphic as the others, but it’s my favorite.  I love the variety of pinks, and I like the way the black and white looks against them.  It’s quilted with three rows of large, curvy free-motion feathers (in Superior’s pink Bottom Line, top and bottom) that were quick and fun to do.  I used an irregular black and white stripe to bind it.

IMG_2311The lawn fabric (the geese, and both prints on the back) had intimidated me for a while.  (I think I bought it online without noticing that it wasn’t quilting cotton.)  Once I starched it up and pressed it, it behaved very well.  There’s a little stretch to it, but the starch helped.  It’s also a bit transparent, but I pressed seams away from it, and everything looks good.

2015-03-18 15.15.18One problem was that the smaller flowers are printed very crooked, and they look a little funky on the back.  I used every last bit of these fabrics, so there wasn’t much I could do, and it’s okay.  The cat helps hide them, anyway.

PicMonkey CollageWhich one is your favorite?  I like them all, but I really like the last one, just in time for Spring.  Now that I’ve completed this fun exploration of Flying Geese, I need to return to my March goals.  I’m working on Clue 3 for Scrap in a Box.  I’ll show you that later.

wind_dandelion3Good luck on all your finishes.  I’m linking up to WIPs Be Gone at A Quilting Reader’s Garden.  Not that this has been in-progress very long, but Angie likes me to share!  And to Let’s Make Baby Quilts! at Michelle’s Romantic Tangle.


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Finish: Baby Geese 2

IMG_2288pYesterday I finished up another take on the geese, and I like it a lot.  You can see the Flea Market Fancy in it, but I also used up lots of old pinks from my stash, including a pink Jinny Beyer check that might be from the early nineties.

IMG_2289Since I was cutting yardage, sometimes small bits, I made these blocks 6″ finished, easy to cut and sew and calculate.  The quilt finishes at 36″ x 42″.

IMG_2297I used the walking foot with pale yellow Bottom Line by Superior to stitch between all the blocks to keep it square.  Then I switched to free motion and did a small stipple over all the background triangles.  I was worried that dense quilting might make it stiff, but its not at all, and the unquilted geese are especially soft and nice.  Warm and White batting.

IMG_2287I am in love with the rose batik I used for the back.

IMG_2299Stay tuned for version 3, which may be the last of the series!

wind_dandelion3Go to WIPs Be Gone at A Quilting Reader’s Garden to see more finishes.


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Sunday Stash Report: 3/15/15

IMG_2284The weather here is much improved, and I took pictures of this completed quilt this morning. There will be a post about it later.  It used three and a half yards, and I didn’t buy any.  That can’t last long.  I’m beginning to spot thin places in the stash.

This week:  + 0 yards,  – 3.5 yards
This year:  + 26.5 yards,  – 49.25 yards
Net fabric destashed  in 2015:  22.75 yards

2015-03-14 10.12.21What I did buy was a new sewing chair!  I had put this off because I really liked the looks of my old one (an unusual pink/red color), but it really didn’t like my back.  Office Max has lots of it’s chairs on sale, and this is a mid-price one, rated for 6-8 hours at a time.  Sounds about right, hmmm?  I haven’t used it for that long yet, but after a few hours I’m very happy with it.  The height adjusts, and the (short) arms flip up.  It also is much heavier and has broader legs than my old one, so maybe it won’t flip out from under me when I reach for something!

Take care of yourselves, and keep using that stash!  I’m linking up to Patchwork Times.


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WIP: More Geese

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This week I’m working on another little Flying Geese quilt.  I love the precision in making these. 

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This one uses some very old pinks, including this one we think dates to the nineties, and some that are obviously more modern.

In contrast to the last baby quilt, this one does require pinning for the final assembly.  Yuck.  I still have three more rows to sew on before the top is complete.

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Also, I put together the January block from the Jinny Beyer Block of the Month Quilt on Craftsy (using another vintage JB fabric).  I was only going to follow along on the lessons, but after seeing others do it, I had to give it a try.  Ouch. 

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I felt smug about printing my templates out on the computer, but that was the last time I enjoyed it.  I once sewed entire quilts this way, but my hands are no longer made for tracing, cutting, or hand sewing little triangles.  Let’s just say its sort of square, close to the right size, and finished!  I might do a couple more blocks, but with the rotary cutter and machine, for sure.

Spring weather seems to have arrived here, very suddenly, and by afternoons I’m sewing with my window open a little.  Hope you’re enjoying your progress.  I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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Sunday Stash Report: 3/8/15

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This post is brought to you by Yuri, who says every quilter needs an attractive paper weight.  Actually, he had a strong belief last evening that it was time to feed the cats, and was hoping that if he sat on something important enough I would have to stop my work.  Or that he could stare me into submission.  I had already yelled him for trying to remove pins from my piecing.  I did make him wait till I finished my block.  So there.

No fabric bought, and I used 3 1/2 yards for the Geese baby quilt.

This week:  + 0 yards,  – 3.5 yards
This year:  + 26.5 yards,  – 45.75 yards
Net fabric destashed  in 2015:  19.25 yards

Hope all of you are moving your stash in the right direction!  I’m linking up to Patchwork Times.


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Geese Finish

2015-03-06 11.07.16I finished the Geese baby quilt (38″ x 44″) made with Kona Ash and the bright “boy” scraps.  I am really happy with the way it turned out.  I took these photos in the bright sun just to show the quilting.

IMG_2283The quilting is all done with gray Bottom Line by Superior.  I wanted it to just be texture and shadows, no additional color.  The horizontal and vertical lines are all done with the walking foot, then I did the diagonals and the echo quilting in free motion.  It was a little hard to distinguish the geese that are flying horizontally, so I echo quilted inside of them, and I like the result.

IMG_2276The scraps include whales, construction trucks,  baseball equipment, and Mickey Mouse.  I was cleaning out my 6 1/2″ squares, so I made 51/2″finished  blocks to make the most of the fabric.  I used the two-squares-and-a-rectangle method, and this very handy chart to calculate sizes.

2015-03-06 11.07.36This is only the second Flying Geese quilt I’ve ever made, and the other was long ago.  I loved how easily and precisely the blocks went together using this method.  Now I’m going to do another, busier one using pinks!

2015-03-06 11.08.18Can’t wait to see your finishes!  I’m linking up to Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

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WIP Wednesday: Geese

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Just a quick one to show you what I’m doing (instead of any of my goals!).  I put together a scrappy Flying Geese quilt, and now I’m marking geese in the solid areas to quilt.  So far, so good.

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While I pieced this and my last two projects, I’ve been working on this (my first) leaders and enders project, and am starting to see some progress.  I like doing it, and it eliminates lots of threads, but I don’t promise I’ll always be organized enough to do it.  I recently did some cleaning in the studio, which makes it possible to locate the basket when I get ready to piece.  (Someday this will be a “Frilly” quilt like Pam made.

Hope all of you are making progress!  I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.