Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art


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Scrapitude is Finished!

Last fall, Sandy‘s friend, Charlotte, started a mystery quilt named Scrapitude with their guild.  Sandy asked to post the steps on her blog, and the rest is history.  Her readers and many of us on Twitter (#Twilters)  grabbed our scraps and got started cutting.  This was my first mystery quilt, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew that Charlotte does beautiful work with scraps.  I had trouble letting go of control of colors, and I didn’t completely, but this is the scrappiest thing I’ve made.  And it turned out pretty well.

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I started with these.

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They looked like this all cut up.  I decided to use several shell pinks for the background pieces.

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From those pieces we made these blocks.

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And now I have this quilt (80″ square).  Yes, it’s very pink.  I think the colors work really well together, but I hadn’t realized it would be quite so …pink.  It is cheery and fun to look at, with all the different fabrics.  It will live in my guest room, so people will get it in small doses.

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I stitched the stars in the ditch, with an orange peel in the centers, using an “old rose” colored Bottom Line thread.  I quilted the whole pink background with an unmarked orange peel motif in pale pink.  I had a lot of fun with that part, and I really like the texture.

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The back is shell pink and olive batik.

It was lots of fun to sew these with everyone else, but the best part is seeing how differently they are all turning out.  Keep checking this Flickr group to see the progress.

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I’m linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

 


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Progress on the Disappearing Pinwheel

WIP Wed

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Yesterday I sewed together all the Disappearing Pinwheel blocks for the center of the quilt.  There were lots of points to match, and I found myself forced to use pins.  There was also a lot of wonkiness due to all the bias.  It will be fine, but if I ever made another I would make my own pinwheels first, in an evenly divisible size, rather than use the technique shown here.  But I like the fabrics together.

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I also sewed 88 scrappy HSTs for the outer border.  This is already pretty large, and I ran out of orange fabric, so it’s not getting much of a border.

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I am going to use all this peachy tone-on-tone space for some feathers.  I was studying up last night from these three books, including my Christmas gift, Fabulous Feathers and Fillers by Sue Nichols.  This book has useful information on designing and drafting feathers, but isn’t exactly what I thought it would be.  She makes beautiful feathers, on a home machine, but they are very tight and regular, and she marks them all first.  I’m looking for something more organic and freehand.  Karen McTavish’s are like that, although she’s using a long arm, as does Judy Woodworth.  I seem to make mine in a different direction than they do.  I don’t know if that’s important, but I’m going to think about it.

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

 


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Sunday Stash Report: 3/2/14

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Good morning from snowy Ohio!  It is beautiful watching the falling snow and the cardinals, etc., at the feeder.  Probably won’t be going anywhere for a day or so, but that’s more sewing time, right?

Good numbers this week!  I finished the Scrapitude quilt (pictures later. I hurried and took some before Snowpocalypse decended again!)  I especially like this finish because the top is made entirely from scraps and oddball background fabric out of the stash.  I did buy the backing, some weeks ago.

This week:  +0 yards,  -10.5 yards
YTD:  +30.25 yards,  -53 yards
Net stash used 2014:  -22.75

Hoping you are staying warm, sewing a lot, and using your stash.

I’m linking up to Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times


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It’s March

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It’s March already, or finally, however you’re feeling.  If you’re about to get snowed in one more time, you may not believe me, but it’s true.  March is the month when we revisit our goals and try to get back some of that January enthusiasm.  Darla, The Scientific Quilter, asks us to commit to 15 minutes a day as we March-A-Long. Read her post and watch her video for lots of ideas to get you into your studio every day.

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.  (And quilted it!)

I’m happy to say I busted through all my February goals.  I’ll post finished Scrapitude pictures soon.  I’ve mailed off the Quilt of Valor, and my cousin’s very happy with her pair of commissioned quilts.

March Goals

1. Assemble Disappearing Pinwheels top.
2.  Quilt DP quilt.
3.  Make baby quilt for Etsy shop.
4.  Make floral quilt for Etsy shop.

Good luck on your goals, and I’ll be Marching with you over here.


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Progress on Scrapitude

WIP Wed

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Here is a portion of the finished Scrapitude quilt top.  It’s about 80″ square, so it’s hard to get a picture of all of it.  I’m happy with results.  The background is several shell pink fabrics, which give it a warm look.  See more results from various quiltmakers at the Flickr page.

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I have about 3/4 of the quilting finished, and I like it a lot.  I’m especially enjoying the orange peel/overlapping circle motif I’m doing in the background.  It’s very relaxing to do.

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

 

 

 


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Sunday Stash Report (II): 2/23/14

New post on Evening in the Garden Quilts

Sunday Stash Report: 2/23/14

by Valerie

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Yesterday felt like spring, this morning it’s snowing.  The Sochi Olympic Games are coming to a close today.  Yesterday my son turned twenty, away at college, but we had some peeks through social media.  There’s “unrest” in Ukraine and Venezuela.  Life on Earth.

On the personal sewing front, I’m making progress on the stash.  Quilts of Valor sent me about 2.75 yards of fabric and a free pattern from Swirly Girls Design as my prize from the QOV Sew-In in early February.  The fabric is remnants donated by Connecting Threads, and also real star field (seconds, never part of a flag) from Embroidery Solutions (sorry, don’t know where to link this).  Very cool.  Makes me want to start a new quilt, which I’m sure is the point.  Thank you, all four organizations.

I finished the two commissioned quilts and mailed them off, so that’s 10.5 yards out.  Coming along.

This week:  +2.75 yards,  -10.5 yards YTD:  +30.25 yards,  -42.5 yards Net stash used 2014:  -12.25

Currently working away on a couple other all-stash projects, which feels good, a little like Spring cleaning.

Hope you’re doing what you want with your stash.

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

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A Pair of Finishes

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This week I finished this pair of special order quilts.  Both are made with the same fabrics and Kona Snow.  They will head off in the mail today to brighten a pair of loveseats in the customer’s living room.  Currently there are antique quilts there, and these will be a fresher and more washable alterative.

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These quilts are great small sizes (40″ x 60″, 40″ x 65″), so they were quick and fun to put together and to quilt.  Well, this triangle one cost me a day, but that was due to my own math challenges.  Yes, to make HST blocks, you add 7/8″  to the finished size of your desired block.  I will remember that now!  I’m happy with the straight line quilting, especially now that it’s washed and crinkly.  I quilted in all the ditches, and then 1/2″ away on both sides with the walking foot and white Bottom Line thread.

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The string quilt wasn’t really strings, but 1 1/2″ strips cut from yardage.  I quilted it in the ditches with Bottom Line, and then added huge leaves with white Sulkey rayon thread.  I didn’t count, but I think there about 32 leaves all over the quilt.

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All and all, a fun project to brighten this oppressive winter.

Can’t wait to see what you’ve finished.

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


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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.