Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Fall 2017 Projects

I'm still working on several long-term projects and do not have any finishes yet. . . . .however, I have a couple of new quilts that I've enjoyed making to share.

Here is Scrappy Trip Around the World, a pattern given free by Bonnie Hunter on her website. I saw a quilt on someone else's blog and it made me want to make this. I had been cutting 2 1/2" strips when I had a little fabric leftover from a project and not much yardage left so I had a plastic shoebox full of strips. Many different fabrics are included.



I think Bonnie's was much larger but this is about 58" x 84". Even the border was leftover from a backing for my Lollypop Trees a few years ago. Just a simple pantograph with variegated thread and it was done!
 This quilt was SO fun to make. Now it made me think, contemplate, audition tons of fabrics and put them up on the design wall and a lot of playing but so enjoyable. I am quite pleased with it as I've done some improvisational quilting before and that is how this went. I was inspired by a quilt by Kaffe Fassett in his book Bold Blooms, called Gray Random Strips. I had the center piece like his but from there on, it was just trying to get the same look yet using my own fabrics and having fun.
 Here are some tulips that go back into the early nineties or late eighties by Jeffrey Gutcheon - I still have that in several color ways but it worked well in this quilt. I finally had to make a trip to the quilt shop to get enough larger pieces for the borders.
This backing by Laura Heine had been in my closet for years waiting to be used. It was just the right amount and I liked how it went with the very center floral in the quilt.
I finished one more block in my Flower Garden quilt - pattern by Kim McLean. I think I've been working on that for five years.............oh well! Still pretty to me.
My daughter's family had to evacuate when Hurricane Irma came up the coast so they spent several days with us. The children had previously enjoyed having me cut squares and triangles with my Go Cutter and they chose their fabrics and their design - all by themselves. Nana sews them together later on and makes the quilts for them. Lacey, who is 5 made the design on the left and older brother Jake who is 6, the design on the right. He wanted a pattern to develop with his and he did it all by himself. If he ran out of fabric he'd just use another that was a similar color he said. We did have fun!!
 I mentioned earlier that I was doing the 2017 BOM with Sarah Fielke, Down the Rabbit Hole, and this is my center. I'm a little behind - think I'm up to May now. 
I just finished making 40 little tiny houses to go around the center. Very tiny - makes me think of the tv show, Tiny Houses. Right now I am ready for some appliqué after sewing those tiny 1" strips but they are cute and colorful!!
Happy Quilting and maybe it won't be nine months before I do another post!!


Thursday, January 12, 2017

Focus in 2017!

I've seen some blogs recently talking about working on 17 projects in 2017. Well, I began my list, even got a pretty template from Kyle to use, but decided it was not for me. First, I couldn't get the template loaded and 17 is a lot to work on.

I am seriously trying to get some focus in my life - it seems with the age of computers, so much digital, social media, emails, everything instantly happening, that I feel compelled to try more than I'm capable of doing at the time. I am one who normally can focus but lately it seems I can't . . . so my goal this year is getting into focus in many areas of my life.

Here is a quilt I made towards the end of 2016 for my niece in Texas whose baby just may be arriving today. We are waiting to hear - a girl we are told.
 Some pretty batiks and machine appliqué with the blanket stitch.


 She wanted a minkee backing so that's what I did - so soft and cuddly!

Instead of putting 17 projects up to work on - which I may throughout the year - I'm going to start with some I'd really like to complete - and of course I have one new one going, too.

My first to finish is below:
This is my Sarah Fielke BOM - Happy Days from 2016. All that is left are the borders and I hope to get those made soon - some large triangles. It was a fun BOM - she had patterns to download and a video every month for us. She is doing another BOM this year - Down the Rabbit Hole - and there is still time to sign up for it. Patterns don't begin coming to you until the end of the month but she does give a cool line drawing to show you. Here is a link: Down the Rabbit Hole. Also, last year's BOM is available in book form just published - she even did three different color ways.

Another quilt to finish is my Flower Pots - already put together, backing purchased, just waiting for this longarmer to get going on it . . . that would be me!
 I got the sashing made last year.
 It's going to be a lot of work with custom quilting.
My next finish I'm looking forward to is my 2014 Di Ford Mystery Quilt, Mountmellick. Alas, I am on the next border and have prep work ready for the next which has some diamond and hexagons to English Paper Piece so it's not a quickie but will be beautiful.

My En Provence with Bonnie Hunter is all cut and ready to stitch. Another finish I hope for this spring. I have a quilt retreat coming up so maybe that will help.
Meanwhile, Happy Stitching in 2017 and I hope you can get your goals met this year!