Evening in the Garden Quilts

September 24, 2014
by Valerie 5 Comments

Progress on Sewing and the Space

Yesterday I buckled down and cleaned out this cabinet that backs up my sewing table. I really like that it supports the weight of the quilts while I’m quilting, and also gives an extra surface for cutting, but I didn’t feel I was making as good use of it’s storage space as I might. Also, I had rolled up wall hangings stored in the open and I worried about them eventually fading. And it was on my September Get It Done list.

So I cleaned out thirty years of craft supplies, and managed to reduce them to the bottom shelf so that the quilts can live on the top one. I kept two knitting UFOs, some novelty yarn, a huge counted cross stitch project, paints and brushes, and Girl Scout things with which I’m not yet ready to part. I donated a big bag of boring yarn, print making and chair caning supplies, and many boxes of photo frame Christmas cards. No, I never sent photo cards, but they worked well for paper pieced cards for special friends. Whew! Feeling lighter now.

I finished two small autumn wall hangings.

And I started pulling fabric for Scrap-in-a-Box, the mystery quilt that will be starting in January. I hope some more of you will join us in this. I’m not going to finalize or cut till at least next month. I want to look at the colors for a while, and I should do other things that are on my September list.

http://www.freshlypieced.com/2014/09/wip-wednesday-color-and-more-color.html

Hope you are making the progress you want. I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

September 21, 2014
by Valerie 1 Comment

Sunday Stash Report: 9/21/14

Finishes this week! I finished the Disappearing Hourglass quilt, for 10.25 yards, and a couple of little wall hangings that totaled one yard. And I didn’t buy a thing.

This week: +0 yards, -11.25 yards
YTD: +95.25 yards, -153.25 yards
Net stash used 2014: -58 yards

[Had to stop to check my spelling, totaled or totalled. I’ve been hanging out with this international community for too long! 🙂 Went with the American version. Yep, we are two nations (more than that!) separated by a common language. Not to mention the punctuation.]

Anyway, even with this, I better get going if I want to break 100 yards by the end of the year. And I do.

Hope your stash is heading the way in which you want it.

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

September 19, 2014
by Valerie 5 Comments

Disappearing Hourglass Finish

After what seems like a long time, I finally finished the DHG quilt. It is 64″ x 80″, and will go the Quilts of Valor after I get a pillowcase made.

I feel like one of those recipe blog commentors we’ve been parodying lately. I made this quilt just like the tutorial at Missouri Star Quilt Company, except I didn’t use a layer cake. Also, I don’t like their method for making the HSTs, because they’re stretchy on the bias, so I made my own using 6 1/2″ squares. This caused everything to be a different size. Then, I completely changed the layout of the blocks. But otherwise it’s just the same as theirs!

In general, these blocks were fun to make, but 48 was too many. I should have made fewer and used borders. Their sew-around-the-edge method was much faster than my diagonal stitching method, so use it if the wonkiness doesn’t bother you. My top was nice and flat, though, unlike my Disappearing Pinwheel.

I had ideas for free-motioning over each block, but I couldn’t figure out how to make a design work without a lot of marking, and I wasn’t up for that. So I used all straight lines, mostly with the walking foot. I wasn’t too pleased with look while it was in progress, but after washing and drying, it’s fine. I used Superior’s Bottom Line, white on top, dark gray on the bottom.

I like all the white (Snow, actually). It seems fresh and light. And it’s finished!

What have you finished this week? I’m linking up to Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

September 17, 2014
by Valerie Leave a comment

Slow Progress

Finally, the quilting is finished on the Disappearing Hourglass quilt. Not very imaginative, but I hope it will look good. It’s bound now and in the washer. I hope to get some pictures tomorrow.

Someone on Etsy asked me to put up a few more autumn leaf wall hangings, so I got out my fall fabrics. There is an immense pile, in spite of the effort I’ve made to use it up. I think it grows while it’s put away in the cupboard.

The other project on my mind is selecting a color scheme for the Scrap-in-a-Box Mystery Quilt (Scrapitude 2015). Charlotte is leading us in a smaller quilt this time. Here is the introduction on Sandy’s blog. You really should join us for this. There won’t even be any clues till January! Loads of time to pull scraps and cut, then sew it during a less busy time. It’s a lot of fun when we share on Twitter and Flickr.

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

September 7, 2014
by Valerie 3 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: 9/7/14

This week I finished the Red and Gray Chevron baby quilt, using three yards, and managed not to buy anything. Creeping along.

This week: +0 yards, -3 yards
YTD: +95.25 yards, -142 yards
Net stash used 2014: -46.75 yards

Yesterday I picked about half a peck of pretty peppers for pickling.

Now I have eight pints of pickled peppers!

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

September 5, 2014
by Valerie 9 Comments

Another Chevron Finish

Here’s the commissioned chevron quilt in the more dramatic colors. It quilted up pretty quickly once the backing fabric arrived.

It’s perfect, isn’t it? It will match the other bedding in the nursery.

I don’t know if it’s obvious in the photos, but the extra batting under the feathers does make them stand out. It’s all quilted with Superior’s Bottom Line thread, top and bottom. The binding is a charcoal color.

I know you’re missing Yuri in these shots, but he must have been chasing chipmunks, because he missed the whole thing. Not like him, I know.

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

September 3, 2014
by Valerie 2 Comments

Progress on Hourglass and Chevrons

During the Labor Day Sew In on Twitter I made twenty-four of the Disappearing Hourglass blocks, half of what I need. On the first one I forgot to rotate the center patch, but I decided I like it, so that’s how I’m making them. My personal twist.

The backing fabric arrived for the Chevron commission, and it was worth waiting for, wasn’t it?

I have it all spray basted and ready to begin quilting today. I added extra batting under the gray areas to make the feathers stand out.

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

(Have you seen Lee’s new studio? Go look!)

August 31, 2014
by Valerie 4 Comments

Sunday Stash Report 8/31/14 and Goals

Using lots of fabric this week in the Disappearing Hourglass quilt, but the only finish is the Elephant baby quilt. Two yards came in yesterday from Spoonflower for my commissioned baby quilt.

This week: +2 yards, -3 yards
YTD: +95.25 yards, -139 yards
Net stash used 2014: -42.75 yards

August was kind of the way I thought it would be, not too hot here, but not great for getting a lot done. In addition to the Goals, I made a baby quilt (Elephant) and part of another, mended for DS, made him some pillowcases from recycled sheets, and sewed a top for myself.

Can’t wait for September! Bring on the clean slate.

August Goals

1. ~~Make 8-10+ box pouches for Christmas gifts~~. Who doesn’t need one of these? I made 6 of these. Here and here. Taking a break.

2. Make a Disappearing Hourglass quilt. Progress. I’ve made all 48 Hourglass blocks. Working this weekend to “Disappear” them into star blocks.

3. ~~Continue studio organization (or organisation!)~~. Refolded some of my fabric drawers, cut scraps, made saved sheets into pillowcases for DS.

September Goals

1. Finish Disappearing Hourglass quilt for QoV. (Assemble top, quilt, and bind.)

2. Clean out cabinet that backs against my sewing table. If I lose unused craft supplies, it will be a good,dark place to store quilts.

3. Make two more children’s boxy pouches.

4. Make a Christmas scrap quilt to sell or donate.

Hope you are making progress with your goals and your destashing. I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

August 29, 2014
by Valerie 13 Comments

Sweet Baby Finish

This baby quilt is not only finished, but it’s ready three weeks before the shower date!

I based the design on this shower invitation (which I knew wasn’t generic, it really reflected the nursery theme). I didn’t find any elephants I liked better, so I even stole those. I blew them up and printed them onto freezer paper. I ironed that to the top of the fabric, and Steam-A-Seam Lite to the back, and cut out the little elephant sandwiches very easily. (Looks like I’m going to make it through with my Steam-A-Seam stash. Here’s an update from the Warm Company. it’s almost back!)

I put a piece of puffy poly batting on the back of the quilt top behind each elephant before I satin stitched around them. This worked in place of stabilizer and gave me nice, pouffy elephants.

Instead of stitching in the ditch between all the blocks (I didn’t want the grid lines), I used Vanish water-soluble thread to machine baste a few lines down the quilt and a few lines across. This kept everything square while I free-motioned lines and circles on the chevrons. I stitched in the ditch between colors.

The back is darker gray chevrons. The binding is gray and white stripes (none of the grays in this match!) with a flange in the same blue as the elephants.

So, the first of the chevron baby quilts is finished. Look for the other one next week.

We’re linking up with Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, and Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

August 24, 2014
by Valerie 2 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: 8/24/14

Chugging along here, making pretty things, but no finishes. I had to buy 3 pieces (2yds.) of blue fabrics to audition to add elephants to my gray and white quilt. Work on this gave rise to some humorous elephant conversations on Twitter, but I got the elephants appliqued yesterday. With any luck, I’ll quilt that up today.

This week: +2 yards, -0 yards
YTD: +93.25 yards, -136 yards
Net stash used 2014: -41.75 yards

Here’s one yard of fabric that I won’t be counting. I finally had my labels printed at Spoonflower. They’re exactly what I’ve been printing at home on Quick Fuse fabric sheets, but it feels better to have a whole yard and the ability to order more. The fabric sheets are pricey, sometimes hard to find, and my printer sometimes prints poorly and sometimes does not talk to my computer. I also expect that these will resist fading. (I have tried Printed Treasures, but I don’t think they are as colorfast as Quick Fuse.) Now I’m set.

Hope your stash is going the way you want it. I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

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