Five Easy Pieces - Part I

My little blog has been neglected this week as I have set out to rearrange the sewing room to be more functional and to give me a better idea of what's actually in my stash.  I'll do a post on that later,  when I can actually document the finished {and hopefully clean} space.  With any luck, that will be the topic of tomorrow's post.

In the meantime, I have some finished quilt tops to show.  Most of these are things I took to Stash Bash, and made some progress on.  As I mentioned in this post, I didn't actually finish anything at Stash Bash, mostly because I was missing one little thing in order to complete it.

This guy is my crowning achievement for the last month.  The quilt that has been haunting me for four years  I got the fabric in the fall of 2010, and Amanda actually gave me the templates during quilt market in 2011 (it's just as easy to make two sets as one, right?), so it's been hanging over me at least that long.  I was totally intimidated by these rings.

I shouldn't have been.  They weren't as hard as I thought.  Funny how we let perceived difficulties intimidate us, isn't it?  This quilt is all about organization.  Keeping the pieces in order.  Putting it together in order, etc.  Even sewing the curves is easy - just pin the middle and go for it.

Nothing to be intimidated by there.  But I let the fear get to me for almost 4 years.  I feel pretty silly now.  But I'm glad to have a finished quilt top.  Can't wait to get this one quilted.

The pattern is Single Girl by Denyse Schmidt.  The rings are Spirit by Lila Tueller with some Simply Color by V and Co.  thrown in (it matched perfectly and gave it more variety.)  The background is Moda Bella White, which is my favorite white.  This used up the bolt, so it's time to buy a new one. It lasted almost a year, so that's a plus.  And just for the record, this is a 14 in 2014 finish progress report.

This post is long enough, so I'll share more of my Five Easy Pieces in a day or two.

Thanks for dropping by.

WIP Wednesday... Um... Thursday

Well, as is often the case around here, I am a day late and a dollar short.  I woke up yesterday morning determined to take some decent pictures of all of the quilty stuff that's been going on around here and get a blog post written, but I made the mistake of taking a detour into the sewing room to gather everything and got... um... distracted.  I barely made it out alive!  Well, not really, but by the time I finished up in there and gathered my stuff and went out to find a suitable location for my photo "shoot", it was 4:30 in the afternoon.  Whew!

As you might have guessed from the photo above, I finally got the edge pieces and borders sewn onto the Starflower quilt from Amanda's Starflower QAL.  I had been putting it off, but I'm not sure why.  This looks like a difficult and intricate quilt, doesn't it?  If you try it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  Amanda's instructions are superb, well written, and very easy to follow.  Even better, the results are fantastic!  Would you look at those points???  And they're not a fluke.  Every.  Single.  Point.  Matches.  Perfectly.  It's so nice to create something that turns out so well.  And it was easy.  Really.  I am truly amazed and excited by this quilt.  Now to find the perfect backing!

I finished up the top of the Spot-On quilt late last week.  Spot On is another of the patterns in Camille Roskelly's Simplify book, so this is one more toward my goal of making all the quilts in the book.  I ordered fabric from someone other than my favorite shop, and I must have gotten spoiled by the same-day shipping because it seemed to take forever.  I ordered this on Thursday, but it didn't ship until Monday, and so it was Thursday before it arrived.  A whole week!  I admit that was a bit impatient and frustrated.  I will say, however, that when it arrived the fabric was perfectly cut and nicely wrapped, which was very pleasant.

I had the leftovers of the layer cake, plus a charm pack, some scraps, and the leftover yardage, so I created a really scrappy back for it.  It's kind of fun.  Notice anything unusual.  Yup.  Totally outside my norm, I used tons of gray.  Still, I have to admit that it works really well with Juggling Summer and really makes the colors pop.  I thought it was ironic that the front is all circles and the back is mostly squares...

I took my Modern Maples quilt along on my photo shoot...

Because I made a back for it as well.  I was going to do just the one big leaf, but then the charm pack called to me, and I couldn't resist doing this "falling leaves" motif.  Seemed appropriate for autumn, don't you think?  And I don't think there has ever been a time in my life I've bought 4  yards of Kona Coal in a two week period.   Don't worry though.  There's plenty left at the store!

I'm glad to finally get some decent pictures of the Quilts of Valor.  I have to admit that I really like this one.  The process of creating this quilt was really interesting to me.  I usually either use a pattern or have a really good idea of what the quilt will look like before I begin.  This one just kind of *grew*.  I started out with the flag idea from some scraps that were left from the star QOV, and it built itself, row by row.  And after all is said and done, I really like it.

I had a pretty good idea of what this one would look like when I started.  I wanted to do a large wonky star as a Quilt of Valor after being inspired by this quilt.  And I wanted the color scheme to be somewhat less traditional than red, white and blue.  The khaki in this quilt reminds me of the desert fatigues that so many of our troops wear now.  I'm pretty happy with this one as well.

Finally, I made a back for the bookshelf quilt I started last July when I was moving my sewing space and needed a quick sewing fix.  My friend had given me a few Santorini layer cake squares and some yardage so I decided to use what I had, and this was what I came up with. I honestly really like it.

The layer cake squares remind me a bit of cubbies, where you might place  your belongings at school or even stuff books into, and the pinwheels are sort of symbolic of the excitement and surprises one might find in books.  (I love to read, can you tell?)  Anyway, this was what distracted me so much yesterday.   It was a really fun quilt back to create.

So, even though there are no finishes to report this week either, I am making progress.   I love the idea of using what I had on hand to create an original quilt back to go with the quilt.  I'm sure I won't do that every time, but it was a fun challenge. 

Now, to get these sandwiched!  Let the quilting begin!

WIP Wednesday

I am sorry to report that I have made virtually no progress on any of my WIPs this week.  I have been sewing - a little - but these are not what I have been working on.  I had hoped to get several quilts sandwiched and ready to quilt at the ECMQG meeting last Saturday, but since I didn't get the backs made, I wasn't able to get that done.  I love the big floor in the fellowship hall of the church where we meet.  It has a lovely indoor/outdoor carpet that holds the quilt very well until I get basting pins in it to hold it together.  So, the Modern Maples quilt is still in the WIP pile, waiting to be finished.

The good news is that I now know exactly what I'm going to do for the back of this quilt, which I didn't know on Saturday, so maybe it's a good thing that I waited.

The bookshelf quilt is also languishing in the WIP pile, and for the same reason.  Since I took this picture I have added borders to the ends to make it just a tad bit bigger.  My friend Leona gave me a bit of this fabric (I think I have called it by several different names, but it is Santorini, by Lila Tueller) that I plan to put on the back, along with a coordinating solid, I think.

I decided that the Wonky Cross quilt needs borders too, since it's just not quite big enough to be useful.  Oddly enough, the borders will involve gray!?!  I'm going to get that done very soon (I hope) and then make a back for this one - maybe one large wonky cross?  It could be cool.  We'll see.

The Bento Quilt top is done too, and just needs a back.  AFTER I finished this quilt top, I found several blocks that I missed because they weren't in the bag with the other and which didn't make it into the quilt.  It's kind of a shame, because if I had seen them before, I might not have needed borders at all.  But, rather than take it apart again, I think I will use the extra blocks on the back for a little pizzaz.

Oh!  I almost forgot this baby...  This one still needs the fill-in piecing around the points of the stars, and then maybe borders.  Amanda says she put borders on one of her quilts of this pattern but not on the other, and I think it is almost big enough as it is, so I may just leave it, as it is quite large without borders.  We'll see when I get that done.

I actually dug these ancient (from 2010) blocks out of the basket last week.  This was one of the very first modern-ish quilts I ever started.  The fabric is Breath of Avignon by American Jane.  The pattern is a Moda Bake Shop picnic quilt called - oddly enough - Avignon.  These were among the first charm packs I ever bought.  In fact, it was kind of my return to quilting piece, and I started making the blocks on my old machine before I realized/remembered that my foot was not 1/4".  Putting this one together may be a bit of a challenge.  The good news is that the blocks have finally seen the light of day again, and I hope to put the top together soon.

So there's what's going on in my WIP pile this week.  We;ll see if I make more progress than I did last week.  I'm hoping I do - maybe it will get me motivated again.

Meanwhile, I have a question (well, technically, several questions, but they are all related)...  Do you use pins to baste your quilts?  If so, what kind?  Or do you spray baste?  (I've never tried spray basting.)  What are the pros and cons, as you see it?

Inquiring minds want to know.

WIP Wednesday

There's plenty goin' on in the sewing room lately, so I thought I would play along with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced this week.  I actually thought about making it a Wordless WIP Wednesday, but we all know that for me, that would be impossible!

My goal for August was to finish my citrus quilt.  I knew I had a few blocks tucked away from when I moved my sewing room, but boy was I surprised!  I had no idea!!  I had some original blocks...  And I had some from the Bees Helping Bees group...  And I had a bunch from the 2Q round of 3x6 Bee, which frankly, I didn't plan to mix with the original blocks at all, but they just looked so wonderful...  And apparently there was a round of the 3x6 bee from a year or two ago that I had forgotten, because...

There are enough blocks for...

More than one quilt.  I had planned to make a 4x5 quilt, but these blocks just went together so well, I just went with it.  So I'm wondering, should I add borders to make them bigger, or just leave them the way they are?  There's something just so inviting about sampler quilts, don't you think?

There is one more quilt to put together, but it's going to need some serious work.  Size-wise, those blocks are all over the place - some at 9" square and some at 12-1/2 and everything in the middle.  So I plan to work on those this week.

I'm not sure I've ever shared this quilt on the blog.  I did this quilt when the sewing room was in total upheaval and I needed a quick sewing fix.  I really like the way it turned out.  It's just so fresh, I think.  The fabric is mostly from a Lila Tueller Bohemian Festival jelly roll my friend gave me.  It went together in a flash - and then it went in the WIP pile, where it has been sitting, nearly untouched for more than a month.  Poor thing.

And I need to get Woodland by the Lake 2 finished before my friend/photography teacher gets back from North Carolina.

I finished up this block for the Block Lottery at the next ECMQG meeting on Saturday.  (Aren't you proud of my big finish?!)

So that's what I've been doing this week.

What are you working on?

Coming Along

My new space is coming along.  I have sorted, stashed and stored, and I've found the floor.  It's not very exciting or beautiful yet.   In fact, it still looks a little stark, doesn't it?  I got the blinds up, but not the curtains - yet.   I'm not sure about keeping the bed in there (see the frame in the foreground?) and until I decide, I don't want to make any holes in my freshly painted walls.  But it's starting to be useful.  WH didn't feel well yesterday, so we didn't get the other machine in there.  The wall mount for the computer monitor hasn't come yet.  So there's plenty still to be done.  In fact, after I took the first photo I realized that the step stool and the vacuum were still in the middle of the floor.  Oops. 

I'm sure it will get there.  I'm excited to put my treasures on the walls...  I have so many beautiful minis, buntings, hoops and mug rugs, I'm excited to have a place to display them.  This was all the wall space I had in the "breakfast nook".  But there's so much more to display...

So I really need to make up my mind soon.  The good thing about keeping the bed is having a place to display all the pillows...  But it does take up a lot of room.  I'm undecided at this point.

I went in the room yesterday with the intention to sew, but I have to admit that I didn't feel very creative.  I sometimes felt that it was a miracle that I could sew at all in the old space, it was so crowded.  I decided that I just needed to make something so I got busy on a project that has been planned for awhile.  The fabric (I know you can't see it - sorry) is a jelly roll of Santorini by Lila Tueller, which was a gift from my quilty friend Leona, who has kindly shared her fabric stash with me lately (although WH thinks I have enough fabric - one of the drawbacks of the open shelves in the new space, I imagine.)

Inspired by this quilt by Faye, who is a member of our guild, the quilt will sort of resemble stacked books on a shelf.  I think it will be fun when I get it done.  So far, I only have the circles made, which honestly is going to complicate the layout a lot, but at least I got some sewing done. 

This will get better, won't it?

Quick Gift Idea

 The 400th Post/Tula Pink giveaway is here, and ends today at 5:00 pm Central Time.

The other day I met my friend for a little fabric shopping/dinner adventure, and I wanted to make her a little gift.  She loves Tula Pink - and in fact I'm making a Neptune/Prince Charming quilt top for her - so I decided to make a little fabric basket from the selvages and some leftover linen from my Scavenger Bag.

This little basket is super easy to make.  I used the Pink Penguin tutorial.  Instead of using the 2" squares she used in her tutorial, I took 6" strips of selvage and sewed them together, then cut them in half and mix/matched them, and sewed them on in the same manner Ayumi did, then quilted and constructed the basket.  It is a fairly easy project, and takes about an hour.

I {over}stuffed it with a few little things from my stash.  I was glad I did, because she brought me a whole bag full of fabric, including some Lila Tueller Bohemian Festival jelly roll strips and pieces of layer cake I've been coveting.  I know exactly what I'm going to do with it, which is really quite rare for me.

I've made a couple of similar baskets.  This one from LouLouThi by Anna Maria Horner.

And this little one with handles is from LouLouThi as well.

So, if you need a quick gift for someone, this could work for you.  Have fun!

In the Mail

Today's post is all about mail.  Sending and receiving.  Mail - mail that is NOT bills, that is.  The kind of mail that is inherently good.  WH has even begun commenting on the fun little (and sometimes not so little) envelopes and boxes that come in the mail.  Today he greeted me with a big smile and "You got some more fabric in the mail today!"  Fun, fun, fun!

First, the outgoing mail.  I mailed the 27 A Blockwork Orange blocks to the swap mama.  I can't wait to get my 27 different blocks back!  How cool is that?  But, I do have to admit that I liked the blocks I made a lot...  I may have to make some more of them, since I didn't keep any.  I wonder if Elizabeth's pattern works in multiples of 9, or if 27 is optimum?  I'll have to check it out.

I also mailed BD#2's finished Sugar Rush quilt.  It is such a good feeling to finish a project and get it off to where it is supposed to go.  I hope she likes it as much as I do.

And I mailed these little guys, but I can't say where they went just yet.  Let's just say they are now winging their way all over the world.  Literally.

And in today's mail, I got my first two Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks for my GMFG quilt.  Aren't they pretty?

And I received the fabric for the blocks I am supposed to make for spontaneousthreads in the Christmas Fabric Bee.  She wants us to use the mod mosaic tutorial by Elizabeth Hartmann to create her blocks.  I've been wanting to try this, so it sounds like fun!

And a week or two ago, I received the fabric for the other two QBs in the CF Bee.  This one is for Fairly Merry.  Check out the pretty fabric for the center square.  The photo seriously doesn't do it justice.

And this package is for Singings - and has real silk in it.  Oh-so-elegant...  Just lovely!

And I thought it was amusing that when I put the three packages all together, they were in identical envelopes.  Funny, huh?  No wonder WH can tell when I get fabric in the mail!

And I've been neglecting telling everyone about the other cool mail I got.  BD#! sent me the most wonderful package the other day.  It was an assortment of Freebird by MoMo and Garden Party by Anna Maria Horner.  YUMMY!!!  And she also sent me a complete set of templates for my Single Girl quilt.  I really have to get going with that one.  I am so far behind....  It is awfully nice to have the templates cut though.  That much less work to do!

I also received my next-to-last set of charm squares in the Chronic Seamstress charm square swap.  So pretty.  The last ones were supposed to come from Louis in the UK and be Liberty fabrics, so I hope they come.  He said he mailed them way back in February.  I don't know of anyone who got squares from him, though.  Hope they're not lost!

 And I think I mentioned I got my order from Pink Chalk fabrics.  So fast.  And isn't it a great collection???  They were all on sale.  The Spirit charm squares were $4.48 and the other fabrics were all about the same per yard.  I could have bought more (oh yeah!) but I exercised a great deal of restraint and stuck with adding to my collections rather than embarking on something new.  In this lot is the Weekends by Erin McMorris, It's a Hoot by MoMo, and one piece of Central Park, because my LQS doesn't have any of the Lawn Zoo, for some reason.  To me, it's the piece de resistance of the entire collection.  Go figure.

Finally, I "won" this ugly fabric in the Save the Uglies giveaway.  I don't think there were many entrants, but I'm going to go ahead and try to make something beautiful out of this.  I actually think the dark brown is kinda nice, but the orange-ish fabric has Halloween words on it.  I decidedly do not want to make a Halloween quilt.  Do you think I can cut pieces small enough that the words are just random letters, and not words like "trick or treat" or "pumpkins"?  We'll see...