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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I got on board with this late, but I decided to send a flag to Boston for the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild’s initiative, To Boston With Love. I don’t belong to a guild, and their project was aimed mainly at guilds sending in bunches of these flags, but individuals can participate. I didn’t really understand the concept when it first came around, but now I think it will be a spectacular sight, and I’d like to contribute. I really wish I had gotten in gear earlier, because I would have coordinated a group effort from our “Twilter” group of quilters on Twitter, and sent those in as a group. Anyway.
Yes, that’s a reject piece from my fabric bleaching. I don’t have it arranged correctly yet, but I think it will make a fine background for my rainbow heart. And, yes, that’s a strip of orange “Fairy Frost” in there. You can’t get more cheerful than that. This will only take me a few minutes when I sit down and get serious about it. Lots of color for a little time.
I’m linking up with Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.
This is my view today as I sew. Really, it’s behind me as I sew, throwing natural light over my shoulder into the fabric. I see this dogwood when I swivel around to press or check Twitter. Can you see my nesting friend, Mrs. Dove?
Here she is. She is like a Japanese taupe quilt, isn’t she? She’s much less conspicuous than Robin, and she likes to sit with her head drawn back into her chest, behind the branch. She’s been there for three days, continuously as far as I can tell. She gets up and shifts around, but I haven’t seen her leave or eat. Mr. Dove has not been around since he helped her helped her fix the place up. Figures. So we’ll keep each other company. It’s a beautiful day here to nest or to sew. I hope you’re having a good day, too.
Of course, all of us are sending positive thoughts to Libby Lehman for her complete recovery.
(Really, SpellCheck, you don’t know “taupe”?? Really?)
I’m linking up with Really Random Thursday at Live a Colorful Life.
Happy May! I’ve begun a scrap quilt to have ready for donation (my pink and gray one went to West, TX, #19 here). I started with this beautiful piece of Japanese (I think) dobby weave fabric in blue, navy, and taupe, with a silver thread. While this was not a scrap (half yard), it is a piece I have had a long time without being able to use. I wouldn’t exactly call it loosely woven, but the dobby texture makes it stretch like crazy. I tried starch, but it didn’t seem to help. It really stretched too much to fussy cut the pieces one by one, so lined everything up the best I could and cut it into 6 1/2″ strips, and then 6 1/2″ squares after some more adjustment. Cutting four layers actually seemed to help the fabric stick to itself and cut better. Also, it helped when I used my revolving cutting board. I can’t think what that’s called- the one like a lazy susan.
I pulled blue, cream, and orange scraps in 2 1/2″ and 3 1/2″ squares to sew into 6″ blocks to alternate with the textured fabric. I like the way the shading in this fabric makes it look like tubes.
Here are a couple layouts with the blocks I’ve made so far. Do you like one better than the other?
The Project Hope quilt is progressing. I’ve cut and fused fabrics to the background, and I’m waiting for the mood to strike me to shade them with pens and thread. Today I just wanted to sew stuff together.
I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.
Today I’m working on my contribution to the Project Hope Online Quilt Show. That ray of light makes things look more hopeful already, doesn’t it?
I worked on this for a while, but eventually used a 50/50 bleach/water solution in a spray bottle and misted it on lightly, a little more heavily at the top right. One thing I learned was that old bleach that has been sitting in your spray bottle for a year is not nearly as potent as new bleach. I also drew my applique pattern. Now that the background is dry, I can begin choosing and cutting fabrics. I haven’t done work like this in a long time, so it feels a little uncomfortable, but that’s probably a good thing, right?
Find out more about Project Hope on these blogs: Sandi’s Quilt Cabana and Sandy’s Quilting for the Rest of Us.
View from My Studio
I have been an empty-nester here for the last few days. Robin built her nest and then went away. I hope she just found a spot she liked better, where there were no cats staring at her out the window (I sure it wasn’t me she objected to). Today a very genteel mourning dove couple looked the place over and decided they could do something with it. Mrs. Dove scooched around in the nest to try it for size, and told him it would do as long as they remodeled. He began bringing her sticks and the two of them worked them into place. I can’t tell much difference, but they were incredibly sweet working together, and he seems very attentive. They’re a little skittish, and I don’t want them to leave, too, so I’ll wait a couple days before I open the window to take a photo. Just imagine a beautiful taupe-colored bird cooing and blinking in the nest surrounded by white dogwood blossoms. Yes, location is everything.
I’m linking up with Design Wall Monday on Patchwork Times.
Well, my Work in Progress isn’t nearly as important as this lady’s. She’s taken up residence in the dogwood outside my studio window. Guess there aren’t eggs yet, because she comes and goes a lot. Opening the window for a photo didn’t bother her. Pulling down the window shades did!
I’m finished with all the quilting I can do on both halves of the queen Nicey Jane quilt. Now it’s time for the big join. I’ve done this different ways, depending on the fabric or pattern of the front and back. This time I opened up the edges and sewed the two halves of the top together first.
After pressing that seam open, I cut through both layers of batting to make a good tight join. I used this fusible product designed for joining batting. The package is gone, so I have no idea of the brand, but it works well. It’s a little pricey, so I only use it for this application, where it’s really convenient.
Next, I’ll whip stitch the backing together with water-soluble thread (guess I could use regular thread if I wanted to slow down and be carefull…), and it will be ready to go back on the machine to finish quilting the center, over the join. I’ve had lots of comments on the pretty colors, and they have made this a joy to work on. Can’t wait to see it on my bed!
Meanwhile, on my design wall, I’m playing around with some batiks (tag says only: “Aruba/Barbados”) to use in my contribution to the Project Hope Online Quilt Show. This is being sponsored by Sandi (Quilt Cabana) and Sandy (Quilting for the Rest of Us), as we work through our feelings about Boston, et al. Go to their blogs for details, and I hope there’s lots of participation.
I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.
Evening in the Garden Quilts 