Evening in the Garden Quilts

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WIP Wednesday: Nicey Jane

WIP Wed

 

Nicey-Jane-bundle

Monday I sandwiched both halves of my queen bed quilt made from the Nicey Jane jelly roll.

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I used the wool batting.  It’s lovely, soft, puffy, and feels “tender”.  I’m sure it would be easy to hand quilt.  It’s making me a little nervous, because it doesn’t have the firmness and stability I’m used to with the cotton batting.  Still, it hasn’t given me any trouble, just feels odd.  I have done the stitch in the ditch stabilizing between all the blocks with the walking foot.  All seems well.  I think it’s lighter weight than the cotton to rest on my shoulder, etc.

Nicey stencils

Now I’m trying out some stencils on the 12″ blocks.  I have a large feather wreath that I like, and a tulip stencil that goes well with the florals on so many of the fabrics.  I’m looking at some leaf/vine designs for the sashing and borders.

 

What are you working on?  Something fun, I hope.

 

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


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Design Wall Monday: Phillip Jacobs Roses!

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There is really nothing on my design wall, because I have a queen sized backing I need to make today…  But if there were, it would be this.  I totally love this rose fabric, and have been hoarding saving it for something special.  Now I’m thinking about using it for a baby quilt for the impending (August) great niece.  I just happen to also have these fabrics in stash:  Kona cream, Basic Grey Grunge, and something called Krystal from Michael Miller.

Niece quilt 1Niece quilt 2

Here are a couple of options I’m playing around with (if I were spending time on this).  The plain sashing mimics Elephant a little more, but I really like the print sashing (which would not look purply like this, much more pink).  I’m thinking.  What do you think?

What’s on your design wall today?

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


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Sunday Stash Report: 4/14/13

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Last Sunday snuck right past me somehow, but it wouldn’t have been a very exciting report anyway, with 1.25 yards out for wall hangings, and 1 yard in for backordered fabric.  THIS week is much more exciting, with two wall hangings and two baby quilts finished.  Plus, I’ve used over 100 yards so far this year!  Sometimes I think that I just plod along, but I must be doing some sewing to use that much.

 

This week:  +1 yard,  -9.5 yards

YTD:  +37.75 yards,  -101 yards (!)

Net stash used in 2013:  -63.25 yards

 

How are you coming on your destashing?  Keep going, it adds up!

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


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WIP Wednesday: A Bright Quilt

WIP Wed

I’ve been busy lately with family, and the warm, sunny weather has kept me in the yard, away from the sewing machine.  Today is very thunderstormy.  In addition to watering my garden, it’s a wonderful day to sew.

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Obviously, I’m done with the low-volume thing for a while, since I really changed gears with this one.  This is to fulfill my April “Getting It Done” goal of a “primary baby quilt”.  I do know that orange and green are not primary colors, but I think this will fill the bill.

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It was inspired by the print fabric.  Click on the picture to see the tiny elephants.  And all the threads on my wall!  It’s great to have a varied stash (even though I’m trying to pare it down).  I was able to pull bits of the perfect Kona colors.  These funny little cabins almost look 3-D from the contrast, don’t they?

I was going to use Khaki for the sashing, but I really like how it looks on my natural colored design wall.  Hmmm.  What do you think?

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


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Design Wall Monday: Daughter of Sultry

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I’m using the Sultry fabric scraps to make this baby quilt.  It could go to my future niece ( just learned the twins babies coming will be a girl and a boy, great niece and great nephew!), but probably just for my Etsy shop.

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The neutrals are Kona Snow and Basic Grey Grunge.  The green has nothing on the selvage, from JoAnn, I guess.

What are you working on?

 

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


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Design Wall Monday: Wall Hangings

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Here are the new wall hangings, tops only.  They will make up very quickly if I just spend a little time with them. 

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I’m going to quilt in the leaves on this one with green thread.  Still thinking about the other.

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The batting (wadding!  I love that word!) arrived for my queen bed quilt.  I’ve never used wool before.  This (Legacy brand) says I can machine wash it and should line dry it.  Have you had any experience with wool batting?  Any tips for me?

What are you working on?

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


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WIP Wednesday: Spring Hangings, take II

WIP Wed

Monday I cut, sewed (not really pieced), and sandwiched two 12″ x 24″ spring wall hangings for my Etsy shop.  Yesterday I quilted them, trying to make the designs I’d drawn on the spring prints pop by surrounding them with dense quilting.  This so did not work.  I practiced some new filler stitches, so it wasn’t a complete waste of thread and time, but one is a wadder for sure.  (Do quilters use the term “wadder”, as in wad it up and throw it away?  I think I picked that up from Carolyn at Diary of a Sewing Fanatic.  She sew garments, but you haven’t seen stash till you’ve seen her stash!)  I know, we so seldom throw anything away, reusing blocks and pieces, but this is a heavily quilted little thing.  I might save a little of the border fabric, but then it’s going out.

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The other one I worked on with a green permanent marker (Bic Markit in key lime-  anyone have any experience with these?).  I may finish it.   We’ll see.

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So, yesterday I fused and appliqued shapes to new backgrounds and am starting the process over again, in a different direction.  Wish me luck.  The Wonder Under already fought with me yesterday.  I am not in a very springy mood!

 

I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.  Maybe I’ll feel better after I see what everyone else is working on!


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Design Wall Monday: My Bed Quilt Top

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Last spring I gathered a jelly roll of “Nicey Jane”, a few stash fabrics, and lots of Kona “Bluebell” to make a queen sized quilt for our bedroom.

Nicey-Jane Quilt Design

I designed it on EQ7.  Since I hate to quilt huge quilts, I  planned it to be made in two pieces and put together when nearly finished.  I got the first half of it together, then ran out of Bluebell.  While waiting for more to arrive, I guess summer intervened and this went to the back burner.  Way back.  I put it on my March “Getting it Done” list, so I dug it out to finish.

Nicey border

So hard to figure out what you were doing on a stone cold quilt!  I had to remake a couple of blocks, but they’re all together now, so I just have to add the borders.  I am not completely happy about the borders.  They are all cut, and they will look nice with my green bed.  Probably they will be fine.

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Here’s the view from my studio this morning.  It’s very beautiful, but it’s time for spring.  Birds keep stopping by my dogwood tree.  I think they are looking for nesting sites.  It would be nice to sew with a family outside my window.

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


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Sunday Stash Report and March-a-Long 3/24/13

Stash fabric

Yes, there’s more fabric!  Fourteen yards, to be exact.  But it was all on sale, and mostly nice basics that I need.  Besides, remember that I had to buy some so that I didn’t make my goal of 100 yards too early.  The Pink and Gray quilt used 7.75 yards, all from stash, so it’s really like I only bought 6.25….

 

This week:  +14 yards,  -7.75 yards

YTD:  +35.75 yards,  -90.5 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  -54.75 yards

How are you doing on destashing?

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Yes, Darla, I’ve sort of been marching along this week.  There were a couple of days when I got no sewing done, but I wrote a blog post, sent Frances some fabric, photographed quilts, etc.  I must have logged some hours, because I did make the pink and gray quilt, so you can tell I’ve been trying.  Keep it up, everyone!

I’m linking up to Sunday Stash on Patchwork Times and March-a-Long at The Scientific Quilter.


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WIP Wednesday: Pink and Gray Donation Quilt

WIP Wed

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This quilt was started in January, I think, inspired by Jaye’s donation blocks at Artquiltmaker.  It is on my March Getting It Done list, so I dug the blocks out this week and set them together.  The solid blocks are Kona Ash and a gray batik.

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Quilting all the diagonal lines through the 2 1/2″ squares was a bit tedious, but the free motion flowers and leaves went quickly and were lots of fun.  The thread is Sulky variegated pink rayon, 943.

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Now for labeling and binding!

What are you working on?

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