Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Tag Archives: Evening in the Garden


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WIP Wednesday: Quilting Tops

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It’s snowing a little here, so I’m using it as an excuse to stay home and sew.

This week I pieced the backing for my Twilters Hashtag quilt, and I’ve just started quilting it.  I ditch quilted between all the blocks, and started on the sashing.  I marked the blocks while it was still a top, which is awfully organized for me.  We’ll see how those go.

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I also finished this top, made from the scraps from the Baseball Quilt.  The backing fabric has arrived, so that should be next in line for quilting.

Everyone, stay warm (or cool, down under!), and enjoy your sewing.  I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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Sunday Stash Report: 1/17/16

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As we say, nothing in and nothing out this week.  I have been sewing every day, though.  The weather here has been very cold or very wet, leaving nothing to do but stay inside and sew. 

I finished cutting for Scrappy Stars Around the Corner, and completed Clue 1.  I know this doesn’t look very scrappy, but there will be more variety in the rest of it.  I just have a lots of scraps of the same fabrics!  Repetition, unity, all that.

Next, I grabbed a bag of scraps that I was tired of seeing on my studio floor (apparently this is the genesis of many quilts!  😼), and I expect to finish that top today.  Still, no finishes to count out.

This week: + 0 yards,  – 0 yards
This year: +10 yards,  -12 yards
Net destashed in 2016:  2 yards

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This is the elusive Anni Skywalker.  She doesn’t help with the quilts or the photography, but she enjoys a good quilt, especially on a snowy Sunday morning, so she assisted with this post.  It takes a menagerie.

We’re linking up to Judy’s Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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Two Baby Quilt Finishes: Elephants and Sports

IMG_2519Last week I made two baby quilts that are very different from each other.  While waiting for the sports fabric to arrive, I found this elephant fabric in my stash.

IMG_2521I rooted around and found the lavender and rick rack and lace fabrics, as well as the pink.

IMG_2523The backing fabric I pieced in is lavender with a large crocheted pattern.

IMG_2525And, in case it wasn’t sweet enough, I bound it with pink rainbow stripe.

2016-01-09 08.55.46The second quilt was for a shower for a friend’s first baby.  My information about the nursery was “navy blue and sports”, so I worked from there.  2016-01-09 08.56.06Mom is a champion softball player and Dad has played and coached lots of sports and is currently into golf, so all those made an appearance, along with the nice graphic prints.  I decided on a Disappearing Four Patch design.  First, I cut all the 5.5″ patched and sewed them into four-patches.  I really liked the quilt just like that, but the squares were awfully large and didn’t really look very crafted or intentional.  Still, the prints were very busy, so I decided to only “disappear” half of them.  I really like the result.

2016-01-09 08.56.29And I love the sporty sock monkeys on the backing.

2016-01-09 08.55.55I quilted it with a variegated navy and white thread.  I’m not sure if I really like it, but it’s okay.  I think the thread would look better in a stipple.

2016-01-09 08.58.05I was also pleased by how the quilt matched many of the other items they received at the shower.  I know it will be used.

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So, those are my two latest finishes.  The sports quilt has gone home with the parents, and the pink elephants will be in my Etsy shop.

Hope you all are finishing things!


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Sunday Stash Report: 1/10/16

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So, fabric did come this week, ten yards, but I also finished enough to offset it and remain on the destashing side of things.  Next week may be another story.

I was geared up to make a baby quilt (for a shower today!), but had to wait on the fabric to arrive.  To fill the time, I made up three donation pillowcases from stash (3 yards).  That led me to find a piece of elephant fabric that wanted to be a quilt, so I made it into one (3.5 yards).  The navy sports fabric finally arrived Thursday afternoon, so then I made that quilt (3.5 yards).  I seized an opportunity for photos yesterday, so I’ll post about the quilts later.

This week: +10 yards,  -10 yards
This year: +10 yards,  -12 yards
Net destashed in 2016:  2 yards

I hope you’re getting time to sew up your stash.
I’m linking up to the Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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Sunday Stash Report: 1/3/16

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Wow, first Stash Report of the year!  Look at this nice, positive, destashing number long and hard because you won’t see it again for a while!  Massive amounts of fabric have been ordered and arrive this week, wrecking havoc with the stats.

So far in 2016, I’ve used two yards to make these dozen 12.5″ donation blocks that Alycia is collecting for Quilts of Valor.  It’s a fun and easy way to use your 2.5″ strips.

This week: +0 yards, -2 yards
This year: +0 yards, -2 yards
Net destashed in 2016: 2 yards

I’m going for fifty yards out of the Stash again this year, but I’ll have to be patient as I crawl back out of the hole I’ve dug bought myself. I believe!

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


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Wrapping Up 2015

It’s that time.  I’ve had a good year of quilting, both on my own and on a number of community projects.  The year had it’s ups and downs, creatively, but you all kept inspiring me, pulled me into projects, and pushed me out of my comfort zone a few times, so this is what it looks like.

PicMonkey Collage 2015PicMonkey Collage 2015 AI’m glad I have these photos (I seem to have lost a few), to prove that I did accomplish something, because my 2015 Goals don’t really show it.

2015 Goals

This year I want to make more art quilts, including representational quilts.  I’d like to experiment with using various printing techniques for surface decoration.  I’ve been collecting some ideas and a few photos.  I might start with a winter piece.

I made one art quilt, the small lobster trap one, where I learned a new printmaking technique.   I did buy some fabric paints and markers, collect some leaves, and look at a lot of inspiration quilts.

I want to quilt the Slow Quilt, and if I’m happy with it, consider entering it in show.

 Nope.  Just didn’t get to/want to do this.

I have an idea for my own version of stack and whack that I want to try on a piece of fabric.

 Nope.  I got over this one quickly.  Think it’s been done.

And I want to continue to reduce/turn over my stash.  I’m not sure I can remove another hundred yards, though.  I’ve already taken it down a lot, and I’m planning some very small quilts.  I’m setting my goal at fifty yards, and if I do better than that, all the better.  Fifty yards in ’15.

 Yes!  I reduced the stash by 50.5 yards.  I’m at the point where I don’t have many large backing pieces, and need to buy sometimes.

 

I did better on my December Goals, in spite of traveling.

December Goals

  1. Finish the Droid Quilt Along quilt.  Yes!
  2. Make Aggie commissioned quilt.  Yes!
  3. Make string blocks for Kat’s December Block Drive.  Yes!
  4. Optional:  Assemble Hashtag quilt top.  No.  But it’s on my design wall now.

 

I’m mulling over these results, and I’ll be back in a day or two with some thoughts for 2016.  Remember, 2016 has one extra day, and I certainly plan to spend it quilting!

Hope your new year is bright and shiny, and I hope I see you at the New Year’s Sew In on Twitter and Facebook.  #NYSI

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November/December Goals

PicMonkey Collage11-30Wow, the year is really winding down!  I sewed a lot this month, but didn’t quite complete my goals.

November Goals

  1. Piece the top from the Hashtag blocks when they arrive.  Nope.  This just did not happen.
  2. Bind the scrappy Star Wars baby quilt.  Yes, here.
  3. Catch up on the Droid Quilt Along.  Pretty darn close.  I am ready to make the sashing, then assemble the top.
  4. Make scrappy Maple Leaf blocks for Kat’s November Block Drive.  Yes, here.

In addition to my goals, I made a 60″ x 80″ Baseball quilt, six pillowcases, and a pair of potholders.

 

December Goals

  1. Finish the Droid Quilt Along quilt.
  2. Make Aggie commissioned quilt.
  3. Make string blocks for Kat’s December Block Drive.
  4. Optional:  Assemble Hashtag quilt top.

Keeping this list short because we may be traveling for a week or so in December.

Hope you accomplished everything you wanted to this month.


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The Baseball Quilt

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Yuri and I are here to show you the finished Baseball Quilt.  This is for a sick friend who may need a little extra hug to get through till pitchers and catchers report.

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The back has a Mets theme, if you can’t see it.

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The big 8″ Drunkard’s Path blocks (I made templates from a cereal box!) went together very quickly.  Then came the quilting.  I used dark gray Bottom Line on the top and bottom for most of it.  I stitched in the ditch between all the blocks first, mostly to make sure the baseballs were anchored down.  Then I stippled all the background pieces, and outlined the baseballs.  Finally, I used one of my machine’s decorative stitches (Bernina #23) with red 30 wt. thread to make the stitching lines.  I had to stitch each line twice, once normally, then once in the mirror image.  They’re not as even as I would like, but I think they work.

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And here’s Yuri to demonstrate the resulting snugglebility of the finished quilt.

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Thanks for stopping by!


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Lots of progress Wednesday

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I have lots of projects stacked up, but I’m working away at them and making some good progress.   In a little open spot, I made these six maple leaf  blocks for Kat’s November block drive.  They’re a little repetitive,  but I found I had a ton of triangles in the right size, so in they went.

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The next project I’m working on is a quilt for a sick friend.   Unlike most of my projects, I had to order all the fabric for it.  The backing and border fabric came first, so I pieced the backing and cut the borders.  Yesterday the rest of the fabric arrived.  I had to wash the darks four times before the Color Catchers came out clean.  Today I sewed 54 blocks drunkards path blocks.  Yes, it’s a baseball quilt. 

Hope you’re doing well in all your projects.  

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


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Sunday Stash and October/November Goals

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Stash

Well, no fabric in, and I did complete a commissioned baby quilt (same as the one above, with purple accents for a girl), so the stash is creeping in the right direction.

This week:  + 0 yards,  – 3.5 yards
This year:  + 110.25 yards,  – 145.75 yards
Net fabric destashed  in 2015:  35.5 yards

Goals

October Goals

  1.  Piece and quilt Boxed Elephant baby quilt commission.  Yes!  Here it is.
  2. Quilt and bind Gold and Turquoise quilt.  Yes!  Turned out great.
  3. Piece top from Twilter Hashtag blocks.  No, I was confused about this, and we won’t even get our blocks until this month.  Instead I started the Droid Quilt Along on The Stitch TV Show.  Have I kept up with it?  No.  But the back is made!
  4. Make new baby quilt with elephant scraps.  No, there were no useful scraps from this.  But I’m almost finished with a baby quilt made from the scraps from my Droid quilt backing.  And I did that new Star Wars commission baby quilt.

As you see there are a couple of “no, but”s in there, but I’m mostly pleased with what I accomplished.  Just have to get on that Droid quilt.

November Goals

  1. Piece the top from the Hashtag blocks when they arrive.
  2. Bind the scrappy Star Wars baby quilt.
  3. Catch up on the Droid Quilt Along.
  4. Make scrappy Maple Leaf blocks for Kat’s November Block Drive.

I notice there are no Christmas projects in there.  I may not make many homemade gifts, but I have a few vague ideas, so we’ll see.  There’s still loads of time, right?

Hope you’re progressing on all of your stuff!  I’m linking up to Judy’s report at Patchwork Times.