Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

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Putting It All Together (Scrapitude)

WIP Wed

 

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This week I finished the two commissions (pics on Friday!), and started putting the Scrapitude top together.  I was a little intimidated by it, but it’s going together pretty well.  I don’t set blocks on point very often, and I tend to get confused about it, but so far, so good.  There isn’t room to lay it all out.  I have more than half the blocks together, and just need to join these rows, and make the last three.  We’ve been discussing borders, but I think I’m just going to bind it the way it is.  It’s for my guest room, and I don’t want it too big.

Hope you’re making progress on your projects.
I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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Sunday Stash Report: 2/16/14

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Nothing in, nothing out this week. 

This week: +0 yards, -0 yards

This year: +27.5 yards, -32 yards

Net stash used this years: -4.5 yards

I thought there would be finishes, but I hit a snag.  When I went to sandwich the finished tops, I found that the triangle one was way too large.  Not only would it not have fit the customer’s furniture (I had measured), but it didn’t fit on the backing fabric, and I didn’t want a pieced backing for this.  As I took all the blocks apart, trimmed each one, and sewed them back together, I realized what I had done.  I made my HSTs using the diagonal line method, and I added 7/8″ to the raw size I wanted the blocks (5 1/2″), not the finished size (5″) that I should have.  I think I’ll remember that in the future… 

Anyway, it’s all quilted now, and it’s companion is partially quilted.  I expect to finish both this weekend as I sew along with the #Twilters at the President’s Day Sew-In, #PDSI , which, of course we’re making last all weekend, because we’re like that.  Please join us.

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I’m linkingvup to Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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String Top Assembled

WIP Wed

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Yesterday I got the string blocks sashed and assembled.  I’m really liking the small size of these quilts (40″ x 60″) for quick, fun construction.  I said I might use a few pins, but I didn’t use one!  The sashing was Kona Snow, cut to size, with cornerstones, and it stuck to the blocks like velcro.  I had no problems getting this together.

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The result was termed, “Bright and cheerful”, which is exactly the look this customer requested, so I’m on track.  Today I’ll sandwich both quilts and get started on the quilting.

Hope you’re making good progress.

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

 


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String Blocks

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Yesterday I finished the forty little (7″) paper-pieced string blocks for the second commission top.  I pulled the paper off during the Men’s Downhill and team Figure Skating last night.

 

A question was raised about me pulling the paper off before they were sewn together, and without stay-stitching them around the edges.  I usually do string and log cabin blocks this way, unless I have a lot of bias or some other reason to think there will be a problem.  Stitching around all the edges is probably a good step for newer quilters, but it really adds a lot of time to the process, and I am far too impatient.  Again, sewing the blocks together with the paper still on is another option for fool-proof results, but I have real sensory issues with all that crinkliness, and then there’s paper in the seams to pick out.  I find that I can get good, accurate results by handling the blocks gently and using the occasional pin (radical, I know!  Not really a pinner, either).  I use thin paper (this was phone book pages) or sometimes no paper at all, if I’m doing vertical strips.  I press them well all along the way, trim carefully, and remove the paper gently, and I don’t have any trouble.  How do you deal with these kind of blocks?

 

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Here they are with the coordinating quilt top.  There will be Snow sashing between all these string blocks, so the result will be much lighter and will match the first quilt better.

 

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

 


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Sunday Stash Report: 2/9/2014

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Okay, some fabric was purchased, but I can justify explain.  It was backing for Scrapitude, and White and Snow Kona solid. And some of the Snow is for the current commissions.  So it was necessary.

AND, the Log Cabin QOV was finished, so that’s ten and a half yards out.

This week: +12 yards, -10.5 yards

This year: +27.5 yards, -32 yards

Net stash used this years: -4.5 yards

Hope you’re using the stash this winter!

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


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Progress on Commissioned Quilts

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I finished the first of two tops for a customer.  These are both 40″ x 60″ quilts to fold over the backs of love seats.  They will replace antique quilts that don’t need the wear, tear, and washing that these will be able to handle.  We’re using Kona “Snow” for a slightly softer look than bright white, and I’ve had fun working with it.  These 96 5″ HSTs came together quickly.

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The 40 6.5″ string blocks will take a bit longer, but you know I don’t mind sewing these!  They’re not tecnically “strings”, since I’m cutting yardage to width, but the same process, using old phone pages.

Hope you’re making progress and staying warm.
I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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Getting It Done: January and February

 

Well, we’re four days into February, and it just occurred to me to write this post.  One of those years?  Oh, well.

And it doesn’t look to me like Judy is continuing this link-up at Patchwork Times.  Does anyone know if I’ve missed it, or if she’s quit, or if anyone took it over?  I think I’ll still do it here, but it was fun to connect with everyone.  The goals didn’t work very well for Judy, but they did for me!

January Goals

  1. Make ten pillowcases to go with the two I have for donation. (Still need to get these to the Mason Jar.)
  2. Make HST commission quilt
  3. Make string commission quilt
  4. Scrapitude, step 4

Okay.  You see the problem with this month was that I had some extra time during the snowy weather, so I started piecing strings, which became Bright Strings, which demanded a border, which demanded some fancy quilting, so it dominated my month without even being on the list.  Then the #Twilters talked me into the Disappearing Pinwheels Quiltalong, with which we had/are having a ball.   That’s my story.  These quilts did further some of my goals for the year, though.  While not a planned Slow Quilt, Bright Strings did grow into a slower project with a lot of design decisions.  Both quilts used a ton of stash.  And I quilted something besides feathers!  So, no regrets.

On the commission quilts, I did select fabrics and settle on final designs with the customer, and I’ve made some sewing progress on one this month.

 

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February Goals

  1. Quilt the log cabin Quilt of Honor quilt. (Did this during the QOV and Sports Bowl Sew-Ins.)
  2. Piece and quilt triangle commission quilt.
  3. Piece and quilt string commission quilt.
  4. Assemble Scrapitude top.;-

 

I’d like to work on the Disappearing Pinwheels, too, but it’s a short month, and I have hopes of getting my back into good enough shape where I can go back to Step class, so I’ll just stick with the four goals.

 

I hope you’re staying safe and warm in this weather, and making progress on your goals.

Please let me know if you know anything about the Getting It Done challenge.

(And I am not doing the Crumb Challenge, no matter how many other #Twilters do.  Just so you know.  😉

 

 


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Progress on Scrapitude

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I found a few hours on Monday and Tuesday to get caught up on Step 4 (parts 1 and 2) of the Scrapitude Mystery Quilt that many of us are doing through Sandy’s blog, Quilting for the Rest of Us.  It went together very quickly and very neatly.  Occasionally, I had difficulty turning patches correctly, but that was my own perceptual problem.  I quickly learned to check before I sewed!  I am pretty happy with the way this is turning out.  It is very scrappy.  I wish I had used more variety in the largest triangles, but I think it will be fine.  This is my first mystery quilt, and the scrappiest thing I’ve done so far.

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I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday and Scraptitude Linky Party.


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WIP Wednesday: Brights and Pinwheels

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This week I’ve been sewing as much as my back will let me, since I don’t think it would be any better to be out slipping around in the cold and snow.  The Brights quilt took FOREVER to quilt, it seemed.  Some of that was probably short spats of sewing, some of it was ripping out mistakes experiments, and some was that it has a lot of quilting.  It’s all finished now, except for being trimmed and bound, and I’m happy with it.  Maybe I can show it on Friday.

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On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, many of us on Twitter made our own versions of the Disappearing Pinwheel quilt from the Missouri Star Quilt Company, here and here.  I’m using large scale florals, and switching out the centers.  The background doesn’t photograph very well, but it’s a light peach, toward the orange side.  I’ve completed a dozen blocks, and it won’t take long to finish the rest.  I’m not completely sure what I want to do with it, but it has been fun to work on with folks from all around the world.  Here are a few photos, and it’s worth checking back to see more.  Our fabrics choices are very different!

Hope you’re making the progress you would like, and staying warm, if you’re in the eastern US!

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


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Work in Progress…Thursday

Well, I missed the linkup, but I’ll put this out here anyway for those of you who follow.

I have finished the stitch-in-the-ditch stabilizing quilting between all the blocks on the Brights quilt, which means it looks like nothing at all has been done to it.  One tip I remembered as I did this was to stitch in the same direction on both sides of each row of sashing , so that it wouldn’t distort.  You can probably guess how I learned this…

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Today I’m on to quilting the sashing, probably with wavy lines using the walking foot, and then fmq-ing the blocks and borders with paisley designs.

 

Meanwhile those enablers quilters on Twitter, known as the #Twilters, have drummed up a new quilting bee.

PinwheelsWe’re all going to make our own versions of the Missouri Star Quilt Co.’s “Disappearing Pinwheel”

quilt.  Find the links to the tutorials on Gretchen’s blog, 120 Blocks.  We’re going to work on these

during our Martin Luther King Day Sew-In ( #MLKSI ).  In typical #Twilter fashion, this is morphing into a whole weekend of fun and silliness, so check out the blogs and podcasts to see what’s going on.  Google Hangouts have been mentioned (still no success fixing my webcam…), and there will probably be a Flickr group, so you can participate even if you’re not a Twitter person.  I hope you’ll join us.

This is a perfect project to use with two layer cakes, but I don’t have any, so I dug into my stash.  I  came up with a great batch of large-scale florals and big dots/circles, and this peach blender to serve as my solid.  After editing for contrast, the dots failed to make the cut, but I’m excited about what I have.  I’ve starched, pressed, and cut my 60 10″ squares, and I’m ready to go on Monday.  Or sooner

if they talk me into it.

 

And the new step has been released for Scrapitude, so I’ll be plenty busy.

 

Hope you’re make progress on something.