Evening in the Garden Quilts

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Tag Archives: quilt of valor


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Sunday Stash and Goals Report

No new fabric came in this week.  I was in a quilt shop, but it was to drop off donations, and they didn’t have the one fabric I needed, so I was very good.  I finished this Quilt of Valor, so that’s ten and a half yards out.

This week:  + 0 yards,  – 10.5 yards
This year:  + 26 yards,  – 22.75 yards
Net fabric destashed added in 2015:  3.25 yards

Certainly headed in the right direction!

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I did pretty well on the January Goals, completing four of the six.  All the snow has been helpful, but when the weather was better we went out a lot, so I didn’t sew nearly every day.

January Goals

1.  Sew a Quilt of Valor from stash.  Yes!  This one.

2.  Order supplies for surface decoration on quilts.  Yes, I ordered paints and markers.

3.  Design and make a winter-themed art quilt.  Um, well, I’ve pulled some fabrics.

4.  Deliver quilts I’ve designated for donation.  Yes!

5.  Audit Jenny Beyer BOM Craftsy Class.  Not yet.

6. Complete Step One on Charlotte’s Scrap in a Box Mystery Quilt.  Yes!  Here.

February Goals

1.  Design and make winter-themed art quilt.

2.   Audit Jenny Beyer BOM Craftsy Class.

3.  Complete Step Two on Charlotte’s Scrap in a Box Mystery Quilt.

4.  Piece and quilt Disappearing Four Patch with floral fabrics.

5.  Make cover for fireplace screen.

Yesterday I pulled fabrics, cut, and did the preliminary piecing on the D4P quilt, so I have a good start on that.  Our snowstorm fizzled out here, but I’m still taking it as a Sew Day!

Hope you are making the progress you wish.  I’m linking up to Patchwork Times.


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Patriotic Finish

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This quilt seemed to take a long time to finish, but I think it was mainly because I had to wait for some background fabric to arrive in the middle of assembling the top.  It was also tricky to lay out.  At one point I sewed a couple of blocks in wrong and had to fix them, so I asked the Twilters to look at it before I sandwiched it, just to be sure.  Sometimes you’re just too close to a project.

IMG_2223pdI found this design at Sew Excited Quilts when Jackie was working with her strings.  She worked out all of these great layouts, and when I saw the one with the stars, I knew it was what I wanted for this Quilt of Valor.  I calculate that my quilt  56″ x 81″) has 1120 pieces of fabric in it!  This has, finally, made a bit of a dent in my strings.

IMG_2225pMy stash has reached the point where I no longer have large backing pieces in every color, so I purchased this backing fabric on sale from Fabric Shack.  I look the water color-like print!

IMG_2224pI used white Bottom Line to stitch in the ditch and for all the stippling.  I used a heavy Coats and Clark variegated thread for the stars and the hearts.  I have mixed feelings about the way the stars turned out on the white areas.  I really like tone-on-tone quilting, where the shadows do the work, but I also like pretty thread.  These do add interest.  What do you think?

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


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Quilting in Progress

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This week I have been plugging away at quilting my current Quilt of Valor.  I can’t seem to get very large chunks of time, but I get a few blocks done every day.

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While I was putting together this top, I cut and started sewing my first “leaders and enders” project.  Do you make quilts this way?  How do you manage them? I’ve never felt organized enough to try it before, but something clicked, and I think I can manage these simple blocks.  Its just going to take a very long time.

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In other news, I was excited by the arrival of these Interdesign containers to use in my storage lockers.  These spaces are both tall and deep, and I’ve been frustrated for years trying to find something to fit them and use the space well.  Even pricey vintage locker baskets aren’t the right size.  I only bought four, but they’re perfect, so I may slowly aquire more.  It’s the little things!

Hope things are going your way this week!  I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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Getting It Done: January and February

 

Well, we’re four days into February, and it just occurred to me to write this post.  One of those years?  Oh, well.

And it doesn’t look to me like Judy is continuing this link-up at Patchwork Times.  Does anyone know if I’ve missed it, or if she’s quit, or if anyone took it over?  I think I’ll still do it here, but it was fun to connect with everyone.  The goals didn’t work very well for Judy, but they did for me!

January Goals

  1. Make ten pillowcases to go with the two I have for donation. (Still need to get these to the Mason Jar.)
  2. Make HST commission quilt
  3. Make string commission quilt
  4. Scrapitude, step 4

Okay.  You see the problem with this month was that I had some extra time during the snowy weather, so I started piecing strings, which became Bright Strings, which demanded a border, which demanded some fancy quilting, so it dominated my month without even being on the list.  Then the #Twilters talked me into the Disappearing Pinwheels Quiltalong, with which we had/are having a ball.   That’s my story.  These quilts did further some of my goals for the year, though.  While not a planned Slow Quilt, Bright Strings did grow into a slower project with a lot of design decisions.  Both quilts used a ton of stash.  And I quilted something besides feathers!  So, no regrets.

On the commission quilts, I did select fabrics and settle on final designs with the customer, and I’ve made some sewing progress on one this month.

 

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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.;-

 

I’d like to work on the Disappearing Pinwheels, too, but it’s a short month, and I have hopes of getting my back into good enough shape where I can go back to Step class, so I’ll just stick with the four goals.

 

I hope you’re staying safe and warm in this weather, and making progress on your goals.

Please let me know if you know anything about the Getting It Done challenge.

(And I am not doing the Crumb Challenge, no matter how many other #Twilters do.  Just so you know.  😉

 

 


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WIP Wednesday: Lightening it up with heavy quilting

Urbana-20130306-00698This is the view from my studio today.  The dogwood is really stacked with snow.

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I’m almost finished quilting this donation quilt.  I have 2 1/2 sides of borders to finish.  I’m quilting it fairly heavily using Superior’s Brytes 30 wt. thread in “Atlantic” (1133).  It’s always a little intimidating to use a heavy, shiny, contrasting thread, since every little bauble shows.  I just have to get over myself.  Galloping horse, you know, watching The Waltons.  I am sure it will all scrunch together beautifully.  I do think the thread is brightening up these dark fabrics and picking up the aquas.

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The stitching 1/4″ from the seams is done with the walking foot.  All the lines in the squares and on the border are free motion.  Some freer than others.  Hmmm.  But pretty good.

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Thinking about binding, which I hope to get to today.  On the other hand, my DH has the driveway clear and is making noises about going out for lunch.  We’ll see.

Thanks to Heather at Based On A True Story for showing a picture of my QOV in her post today and linking to me.  That was a fun to surprise to see.

What are you working on?

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Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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Friday Finish: This one will go to a veteran!

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Here is the blue and green quilt I made completely from stash to replace the first one that I started at the New Years Day Sew In.  Finally gave up on the weather and took these pictures inside, so they are what they are.

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This was Judy’s Quilt of Valor design, but I had a little trouble cutting.  I was a bit feverish one evening and cut all the 2 1/2″ inch bars for the center blocks at 2″, creating some cussing and  a “design opportunity”.  I got out my strings to pull coordinates, and I think it does add interest.

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I quilted between all the blocks, and 1/4″ inside all the frames.  In the centers, I alternated between using straight lines and a design of four leaves.  The leaves do echo some of the fabrics, but I think I just made them because I can, and it seemed too easy to use straight lines everywhere.  Next time I think I will follow my instincts.  Alternating vertical and horizontal lines would have looked great.  This is fine, though.

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I also used straight lines in the border triangles, and stippled over the print background.  It all took awhile, but it finished with a lot of texture, and I like it.

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What did you finish this week?

I’m linking up with Finish It Up Friday on Crazy Mom Quilts.


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WIP Wednesday 1/9/13 QOV

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I am making good progress quilting my Quilt of Valor.  I almost have the quilting designs outlined on all of the blocks.  Then to tear off the paper and add the interior lines and decide if I want to stipple the background behind the motifs.

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I’m trying not to be lazy about it, but I don’t know if it needs it.  Any opinions?  Then I want to put stars in the borders.

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The paper hasn’t been too hard to rip off.  I used newspaper and also the Shumway garden catalog.  They tore about the same.  The difference was that as I sewed on the Shumway pages I began to read the descriptions and to think about this year’s garden!  I wouldn’t recommend all this newsprint on a light colored quilt, but it’s working fine here, I just have to wash my hands occasionally.

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I marked the pages by sewing through many layers with an empty needle, which worked well.  It would probably be easier to see these if a) they weren’t in the sun, and b) there wasn’t a cat standing on them.  There wasn’t when I reached for the camera.  Really.

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


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Finish It Up Friday 1/4/13

Does it count if I just finished the top of the quilt?  I hope so.  One of my January goals can now be checked off.

IMG_1402This is the Quilt of Valor top I was supposed to piece on New Years Day, and it only took me four days to do.  I have excuses, but you probably don’t want to hear them.  It’s based on Judy’s design, but much simpler.  I had all the six inch squares of Alexander Henry (and other) firefighting prints, scraps from my pillowcases.  I was impatient about the small borders, and had two yards of this large scale flag print, so the border is also six inches (finished).  Simple, but bright, and I think the quilting will add interest.

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I was surprised by how poorly the flag print photographed (indoors).  I guess the gold in it reflects a lot of light.  If my studio had an extra foot of space, I could have perhaps photographed it from an angle or something, but that is just not happening.  The quilt top is 62″ x 82″.

How are you coming on your goals?

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


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Getting It Done in 2013

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2013 sounds like such a funny, futuristic date to me.  I’m sure we will be used to it soon enough.  I first heard of this year back in 1983 when DH and I took out a thirty year mortgage to buy our first house.  The pay-off date sounded like such a ridiculous, sci-fi kind of thing, in the next century, for heaven’s sake.  Of course, we long ago paid off that mortgage, and bought this place, and paid it off, too, so 2013 no longer holds any real estate significance to us.  We shall have to see what the year brings.

For quilting motivation in 2013, I am going to try Judy’s “Getting It Done”.  This involves listing quilty goals for the coming month, and they can include new projects or portions of them, as well as UFOs.  (Tanesha at Crafty Garden Mom is doing a UFO Along that sounds fun.  I have  very few quilt UFOs , but I might join in later if I ever pick up my knitting needles again.)  On the one hand, I don’t want to be overly focused on productivity, but I also know that I tend to get nothing done if I don’t set goals, so I think I will try this.

GOALS FOR JANUARY

1.  Construct Quilt of Valor top during New Year’s Day Sit and Sew (also #NDSI on Twitter).
2.  Quilt/finish said QOV quilt.
3.  Create and post tutorial about binding a quilt with blanket binding
4.  Create a fun, new quilt of my choice using stash fabric, inspired by playing with said fabric.

DESTASHING GOALS

I feel like my 100 yd destashing goal of last year worked out really well, so I’m going with 100 more yards for this year.  It’s a significant amount, but not so high that it won’t permit me to buy some new fabric when I want to.  Thank you to the readers who assured me that I am allowed to buy fabric, since I’ve been so good, and that quilting is about having fun.  I know, and I really do have fun with it.  I also think that I would find it fun to be able to open the basket drawers where I keep my fabric, instead of them being all stuffed to the gills.  My DS heard that I was down over a hundred yards, and he ran up to my studio to see if he could tell the difference, but he couldn’t. Yeah.  So there must be a lot more hundreds up there.  I don’t want to know, but I do want to keep destashing.  100 yds. in 2013.

So those are my modest goals for the new year.  I look forward to reading about yours and watching your progress.  Good luck to us all!

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Linking up with Gettinhttp://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/12/31/january-2013-getting-it-done/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PatchworkTimes+%28Patchwork+Times+by+Judy+Laquidara%29g It Done on Patchwork Times.