It doesn’t look like much, but I spent all evening sewing the red strips into strip sets. Next they’ll get run through the Go! I don’t know if I’ll get it done tomorrow or not. My niece’s band concert is tomorrow evening.
What’s on my Design Wall
There’s several quilts on my “design ironing board” today.
First is this stack of quilts (5 of the 10 by June). The middle one I’m still working on the binding. The one below it and the one on top are ready for binding. The bottom quilt I need to quilt the borders. The second one down – well, it has some issues and will be meeting the seam ripper as soon as I figure out how much needs to be ripped.
But quilting was not all that I got done this past week. I finally got all of the fabric cut out for the Crossword Puzzle quilt.
I can’t decide if the color is good on this picture or not. As I was finishing up the cutting, I was grouching to myself about how “orange” the fabrics were. I had a fluorescent light shining on them. I cut that off and turned on my Daylight light and the color improved immensely.
The strips will be sewn into sets of 4, then they’ll be cut with the Go! cutter as well. Only then will I be able to start assembling blocks. This quilt is the next one that has to be completed, so it becomes the priority.
See what others have on their design walls by checking out the links over at Patchwork Times.
Stash Report
This was the week for quilt backs. I made two quilt backs early in the week for this weekend’s quilting, but when I got home last night I changed my mind on what I am going to quilt this afternoon. As a result, I made two more quilt backs. I also made the binding for “Summertime”. It’s still not completely sewn down. So lots of fabric out that I’m counting this week. I’ve got about 1/2 of the fabric cut for the Crossword Puzzle (CP) quilt, but I’m going to count it when I get it all cut. I expect to get the rest of it cut this week and it will nicely offset the backing fabric I expect to arrive later this week and count in next weeks report.
Early in the week, I bought several more red FQs for CP, but after I got to cutting I realized I needed more and why just buy 4 FQs when you can buy 8 FQs? Actually I ended up with 4 half yard pieces since several a couple of the pieces were $5 and FQ were $2.50. At this point if I don’t have enough fabric, I’m making the quilt smaller!
Here the numbers:
Fabric Added last week: 5.875 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 67.019 yards
Fabric Used last weeks: 19 yards (got to love weeks with backings)
Fabric Used to Date: 83.923 yards
Net Used for 2011: 19.904 yards
Checkout the links over at Patchwork Times to see how others are doing.
Year of the PIG – Question #9
This week’s question from Jill is:
This week, we will be discussing Leaders and Enders and whether you multitask when quilting. Do you work on one project at a time or are you better when you are juggling 2 or more?
I fell in love with the Leader/Ender (L/E) concept shortly after finding Bonnie Hunter’s website Quiltville.com. At this point, I can’t remember what my first project was, but I have been known to complete entire quilts including sewing the blocks into rows as a L/E. As a result, I’ve been able to finish lots of tops and do the boring stuff while working on the fun stuff.
In January, I decided I was going to focus on my UFOs and I didn’t have anything appropriate already in progress, that didn’t require thinking (very important) for L/E. That lasted for three weeks. At that time I started sewing patches together for Fun With Bricks. This project is nearing completion, but now the short seam is 8″ and that’s getting a bit large for L/E. Of course it might have something to do with my last piecing project had 2″ finished blocks!
Since I got back from the quilt retreat, I’ve been focused on a single project – the Miniature Ohio Star. Then I started in with quilting. Although I now have 3 machines, if I’m quilting, I get focused on that. So, I started to say at the beginning, I’m currently only working on one project. But upon reflection, that’s not quite accurate.
First up is The Chain Event.
Although this quilt was prepped for the long arm last week, I’m still reviewing my quilting plan. I’ll go over it a couple of more times before I load the quilt on the long arm Saturday morning. It looks huge, but that’s because it’s attached to the leaders.
Next is Ribbon Candy.
Tonight I made the backing and cut the batting. I’m still debating the quilting. The original had swirls through the rail fence blocks and grid work in the borders. I’m leaning toward an all-over design, but I’ve got to get it down by Saturday. Somehow I don’t think daisies or dragonflies is quite the right motif for a quilt for my FIL.
This is Kansas Spirit.
Since it’s a sampler quilt, I can’t decide if I want an all-over design, one design repeated in all of the blocks and another the setting blocks or go custom. I figure I have until Sunday morning to figure this out. The backing and batting were prepared this evening as well.
Crossword Puzzle.
Yes, those block/pieces are pink and I’ve said the Crossword Puzzle quilt will be red. Well, since I think I have just enough red fabric I thought I should play with some other fabric and I pulled the pink/purple box down. I’m not certain I’ve achieved what I envisioned, but time is short and I need to get this done, so I’m going with it. The pieces were cut with a Go! cutter, some after I ‘made’ fabric out of strips. I’ve also been stitching down the letters — I think I have 20 more to go.
Finally there is “Summertime”.
In between all this other work I’ve been doing I’ve been stitching on the binding. I WILL take the time to get the binding correct so I can machine finish it on these next quilts. If I don’t I’ll never get them all bound by the time I have to give them to the recipients. I clearly wasn’t thinking straight earlier in the week when I tossed in the towel and decided to hand stitch the binding. I’ve worked on it for 3 or 4 nights and I still haven’t hit the 1/2 way mark. I can only do 3 or 4 needle fulls of thread before my wrist starts to ache.
So, do I do better when I multitask? I think so. I found out quickly in January that when I have to focus on just a single project – especially when I’m working toward a deadline – it takes the fun out of quilting.
To see what other think, check out the links over on Jill’s blog.
April UFO Challenge Quilt
The number for April was 4. On my list to get to the top stage was my Red, White and Blue quilt shop sampler.
On my to be quilted list was this Thangles quilt.
But given I was going to a retreat, I think I said I was going to work on Mom’s 4-patch Stacked Posies, which was March’s pick. 
None of these quilts made it to the top stage or got quilted. But have no fear, I did complete two UFOs in April.
The first was my Dresden Plate which I’m calling Metamorphosis since the fabric came from my old skirt. This was #10 the pick for February. It took all of February, March and a couple of days into April to get it completed.
As of 4/3/11
The second quilt I finished was my Miniature Ohio Star. I finished this up in time for the quilt show. It’s not on either of my Challenge lists, but it was on my Quilts in Progress tab at the beginning of the year.
This month Judy picked #9. That’s my Green and Cream quilt that I’m working in a Quilt-As-You-Go method.
I’ll say it right now. This quilt won’t be finished by the end of the month.
That’s not to say I won’t be working on my UFOs.
On the piecing front I have the crossword puzzle quilt. I started this last fall, but couldn’t begin putting it together until my sister’s latest grandbaby was born. I’ll also be working on the binding of “Summertime” – a Venetian Glass Turning Twenty Again. Between now and the end of the month I have 4 days reserved on the longarm. All of the quilts I’m planing on working on were on my To Be Quilted tab at the beginning of the year.
The good news is Judy’s challenge has gotten me focused on my UFOs whether it’s from the list I put together in December or my master list. Since the beginning of the year I’ve competed 6 7 quilts — all UFOs and I’ve only started 3 – 2 of which are tops just waiting to be quilted. Not bad if do say so myself.
Check out the link over at Patchwork Times to see how others are doing on their UFOs.
What’s on my Design Wall
This week I have my Turning Twenty Again that I’m calling “Summertime”. Several years ago during a FQ sale at my LQS I picked up a bundle of Venetian Glass. At the time, I thought “What was she thinking, some of these are ugly.” I LOVE how they all work together. I guess it’s true you need some “uglies” in your quilt to make it sparkle.
I finished the quilting on this Sunday afternoon.
I’m not sure how well you can see the quilting. It’s pretty basic quilting — wavy diagonal lines. I was having the worst time finding something to mark the quilt that I could see. Then I decided to use painter’s tape.
I put several lengths on my cutting mat, then cut both sides using my wavy ruler. Then I put it on my quilt top and quilted around it. Worked like a charm — and no marks to wash out!
Now I’m working on the binding. I normally machine stitch my bindings down, but this one simply wasn’t working — so at the moment I’m stitching it by hand. No telling when I will finish it, except it will be before June 18th. This is one of my 7 10 by June quilts.
So, up next is the quilt is the crossword puzzle quilt.
I bought a few more reds at the quilt show yesterday. Since it was right before closing, they let me pick the FQ from two different bundles. This is what I have so far:
Not all of those fabrics are FQs — some are just barely F8s. I think that piece on the far left of the bottom row is going to have to go. Other than collecting the reds, I’m at a standstill on this one. My friend V is letting me borrow her Go! and I’ve ordered the 7″ Drunkard’s Path Go! die, but it hasn’t gotten here. I don’t want to start cutting the fabric until I have an understanding of the die. I’ve got a great visual in my head of this quilt, so we’ll see how it translates to fabric.
Don’t forget to check out the other great design walls by following the links over at Patchwork Times.
Quilt Show
Here is a slide show of some of the quilts the Quilt Show. The Viewer Choice awards will be announced at the Guild meeting later in the month. My Miniature Ohio Stars sold for $80.
Stash Report
Before I get on with the stash report, I thought I’d mention the Kaw Valley Quilters’ Guild Quilt Show. There’s one more day to attend and see the great quilts. Sunday, May 1st, 10 AM – 5 PM at the Douglas Count Fairgrounds, Lawrence, Kansas.
Now, on to the stash report.
The good news, is I have worked on three backings this past week – The Chain Event, Turning Twenty Again and Mini Ohio Stars. It helps counter the red and neutral fabrics I bought this week.
The red fabrics will go into the crossword puzzle quilt, the neutral into a neutral Strip Twist — provided I get that far in the next six weeks. If not, they’ll end up in the stash. I forgot — I also bought fabric for the backing for two more quilts.
Fabric Added last week: 14.875 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 61.144 yards
Fabric Used last weeks: 10.652 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 64.923 yards
Net Used for 2011: 3.779 yards
Checkout the links over at Patchwork Times to see how others are doing.
Quilting The Chain Event
Pattern - The Chain Event
This is one of my 7 by June 10 by June quilts. I found the backing fabric last month and now that I’ve met the 2nd deadline with the Mini Ohio Star quilt, it’s on to the next one.
My original intent was to do a bit of grid work on my machine here at home, but yesterday I pulled it out and hung it on the shelves for my subconscious to work on it. Which worked — to a point. I’m going to take this quilt down to Rocking Chair Quilts and quilt it on the longarm. I’ve figured out the quilting for the blocks and setting squares/triangles, but I have no clue what I’m going to do in the peach and green borders.
This is my goal for the pieced blocks. I can’t remember if the machine can handle a 12″ block on point or not. So, I’ve figured out how to do this in two passes — I fact, I like it better in two passes than just one!
The setting squares and triangles will get a large fan/plume, for lack of a better description. I’m really glad this print is so busy — it won’t be possible to see my quilting! I’m going to use a camel thread, so I suppose it won’t be completely invisible.
This is roughly how I’m envisioning the quilting. But what to do in the peach and green borders? The peach border is 2″ and the green 6″ wide. Maybe my subconscious will think of something.
It is Done!
But why?
The Kaw Valley Quilt Guild Quilt Show is this Saturday and Sunday, April 30th & May 1st 10, 10 AM – 5 PM in Lawrence, Kansas. More information can be found here.
As part of the mini-quilt silent auction, there is a category for recreations of a historic or family quilt.
Select any historic or family quilt and Re-Create it as a miniature quilt. Size should not exceed 24″ x 24″. The Re-Creatation should be a scaled-down version of the original and include most of the details of the original quilt.
Somewhere along the way I got the impression the quilt should be about 150 years old and I don’t have a family quilt that old. So, I searched The Quilt Index.
I found an Ohio Star dating from 1850 – 1875 (Quilt Index Record: 47-7B-3C7). It’s neither a Kansas or Missouri quilt, but one from Connecticut. What can I say, I was looking for something “easy”.
Back in October Sally Collins was the Guild guest speaker. She talked about making miniature quilts. When I got home, I attempted to make some tiny stars. I was able to make stars which finish at about 3/4″. You can see those here.
The only problem is instead of working on them back in October, I let the project slide. Making stars that small can’t be rushed and since I didn’t pull the project out until two weeks ago, I was rushed. Needless to say, I up-sized the stars to finish at 2″.
But what to do with those tiny stars? I used them on the quilt label. You can see here how they didn’t come out perfect. I’m using a quarter for size comparison — it was a quarter on yesterday’s post as well.
I think this quilt falls into the category of “I’m glad I’ve done it, but I don’t see me doing it again.”
This is quilt #2 of the 7 by June 10 by June. More on that later.
The quilt, after washing measures 18 1/2″ square. I used Warm & Natural batting and quilted it with Coats Machine Quilting & Crafts Mercerized Cotton size 50 thread. It’s color # 309A Camel.
