Friday Focus

Normally I like to do a post on what I finished during the week, but I haven't had time to turn my machine on until today.

I am just smitten with the Quick Curve Ruler.  I used the ruler to make these pumpkins.  I wanted to try another pattern to see if it was easy also.  I looked through the book, then I settled on one of the free patterns from Jenny's blog.  Way back when, our quilt group was going to give the poinsettia pattern a try but never did.

I can say that it was really simple too!  The hardest part with these blocks is trimming them up.  It really isn't hard, but I can never figure out which way to put the ruler on the block.  It seems really silly, but I swear I have to turn the ruler 4 or 5 times before I get it right.  Being a leftie, I am sometimes challenged in the rightie world.  This is not my normal color range, but I am enjoying playing with the softer colors.  This is likely to become another pillow.  It will finish at 20"

Do you see those little bits of color behind the block?  You need to look really close.....



 I couldn't tease you and then not show.  These are the new bolts that just arrived.

 I have been tied up most of the week with serving shift dinners for my family. Delaney at 5:00, Gavin at 6:00, Mason and Estelle at 6:30 and be at the play at 7:00. That makes for a crazy evening!

My son, Gavin is one of the brothers in the play Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

I am proud of him for his hard work in learning all the steps and the songs. He is doing a great job.

My host daughter is not in the play, but the other 2 exchange students are.  This is their first experience being on stage and they are doing an excellent job (especially since English is not their first language)

The beauty on the left is from the Czech Republic, and the one on the right is from Germany.

Tonight is the last performance so I will be going to support them.  Delaney is in the choir and is doing a great job.  All the sets are really amazing.

Saturday is a wrestling day, but maybe Sunday I can have some sewing moments.

Design Wall Monday

I had a retreat last weekend so I made some progress.  I finished my Valentine's pillow.  It was started and finished in the same year.  So far I am really happy with how my pillow form turned out.  I anxious to see how well the fluff of it holds up.  Those poly filled pillow forms from Joann's just don't keep their shape.  My family can flatten them in no time.

I put the bindings on two log cabin quilts and sent them home with a friend for hand stitching.  It is good to not have them on the final step.

I made several more blocks for my February blue project.  I admit that these are taking longer than I thought, but I am enjoying working with the scraps.  It feels great to use some of my fabrics that I have been accumulating.  I actually had to dip into my fat quarters from more of the dark blues.  I have about 1/3 of the blocks done.  I am making this for a gentleman that has been helping our family out.  I think it has a masculine feel.

Despite the weather conditions, we had a great turn out for the retreat.  It was nice to hear so much chatter and socialization.

Stop over to Judy's to see what others are working on this week.

This week I hope to make 10 more blocks and quilt one quilt.  Stop back on Wednesday to see if I am making any progress.

Mid-Week progress (WIP Wednesday)

I have continued to work on my blue scrap project this week.  I cut all the dark-ish blue from the blue scrap drawer.  It still won't close without force.  I was nearly certain I had plenty of pieces cut.  When I sewed them all I had enough pieces for this many blocks.  This pattern is a size modified quilt from the book Stripology.

I calculated that  I need at least 36 blocks (9 across and 4 down).  A large part of these will be half blocks, but they will take the same number of pieces.

I didn't have nearly as many pieces as I thought, so I dug a little deeper.    

I went through my 2" strip drawer and pulled out a lot more strips.  Then I started thinking about my log cabin quilt in the country colors and I remembered I had lots of left over country color 2" pieces.  That led me to dig through a few other containers with leftover pieces.  

I was a little nervous how the scrappy background would work, but I think it adds a lot of warmth and charm.It also uses a lot of pieces that I have laying around.

In looking at my blocks on the design wall, I think I need to add more brown.  After I made my sample blocks  (upper left) I decided I wanted more blue and less of the brown in green.  Now that I have a lot of blocks made, I think I need to add more of the brown.  

I am enjoying my new projects and playing with my (and other people's) scraps.

So I am back to ironing and cutting more pieces from this mess.  I don't think this will be enough pieces, so I plan to sort through some more fabric in my fat quarter containers.

In the process of looking for more scraps,  I was able to empty so more containers- quite a few actually.  Most of these contained the leftover parts of quilts that are now ready to quilt.  It is pretty exciting for me to see empty containers in my studio.  The snap lock container is the perfect height for fat quarters, however, it didn't work for me.  I just have too many (yes, it was painful to admit that).  I have sworn off fat quarters for the next several years unless I need them for a specific project.  I moved my fat quarters to a bigger container where I hope to start using them.

WIP Wednesday.

I am still moving slow and steady.  Limp, Limp... I am able to put a little more weight on my ankle every day.

I was able to get the border on this quilt and I am working on piecing the backing from the leftovers.  There comes a point and time when I don't want to look at certain fabrics anymore!  This is when I get really creative and find a way to use them up on the back.

Hopefully I can get the backing finished this week and be able to stand long enough to quilt this weekend.

Yeah another flimsy!  It looks like I need to look at the UFO parade for something else to work on.

Unexpected Event

I had lots of quilting planned for this weekend until I experienced an expected event.  It was certainly an act of gracefulness.  While taking a walk I rolled my ankle on a section of sidewalk that had been partially removed.  I experienced quite a roll as I tumbled to the ground.  I now have a beautiful elephant ankle that is all sorts of pretty colors.  Yesterday was spent icing and elevating.

I managed to put together a quilt top for charity.  These blocks have lived with me for many years.  It was a group project where everyone brought in a fat quarter of his/her ugliest fabric.  We swapped these fabrics and everyone made the same block (or mostly the same).  It was a great way to experiment with color.  Many used the Joen Wolfrum Color Tool  .  I made several blocks because I thought it was a great exercise.  Besides - I didn't want any of the fabric I received to remain in my stash.

I had enough blocks, that I sorted them,  The first 12 blocks were mostly dark and country fabrics,  I had the perfect sashing and border fabric in my stash.  Can you spot which fabrics were deemed the ugly fabric in the blocks.

 This is the second set of blocks.  I don't have them together yet, but I plan to put this set together without sashing and make a baby quilt version.

I plan to get these together this week and work on a few more UFOs.


Does anyone recognize the block they made?

Friday Flunkie

I sadly don't have any finishes to report this Friday.  I have made some progress on some old UFOs from the UFO parade.

I like how these 4 blocks look with the churn dash sashing.  I am not sure what I will put between the blocks to divide them.

I will admit, I didn't think these blocks were worth salvaging in the beginning.  I wanted to move them to a new home.  I like how they look now.  I may donate them for a charity event.  Since the blocks started at 12", the new blocks are 21" without a sashing or border.

I am also moving forward on my Lewis and Clark quilt also.  In the middle of those blue blocks will be some pinwheels made from scraps.  I hung up the border fabric on the right to see how it would play with the rest of the quilt.  I have a lot of yardage of it, and I would really like to use it up.

Hopefully I with make some progress over the weekend on these projects.

Mid- Week Sewing

I am not doing well at staying focused on my goals the last few months.  Unfortunately I don't see much "me" time in the next six months.  I did manage to sew a prototype of a block.  I used this post as the inspiration for my setting.

I also picked out a setting for my Lewis & Clark quilt.  You can see the fabrics I was auditioning behind the drunkard's path block.

I hope your week is going well.

WIP Wednesday

I am still plugging away at my February goals.  I was tired of looking at the plus quilt in pieces on my design wall, so I managed to get it sewn together.

Yesterday we were off school due to another snow storm.  Today we are melting like crazy!  I thought I would try my hand as snow photography since the weather was so nice today.  This is the view to my walk out basement - notice the snow is about to the top.

I thought this lovely drift by my patio would be a perfect spot for a photo.









Even my dog thinks I am a little crazy and wondering what I am doing!  Look his collar even matches my quilt

This is the best I could do.  Those snow photo takers must have  a wind barrier or be much faster than me.

I love how the blue and white looks against the snow.  I couldn't move fast enough after I smoothed it out to take the picture before the wind arranged it differently.

 I thought I would try a different snow location.  This is the pile of snow at the end of my driveway.  I ran into the same wind difficulties and two dogs that kept photo bombing me.

I love how the few dark blue blocks keep my eye moving.

I am linking up with Lee @ Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.  Stop over and see what others are working on.

 

Almost Friday

I am hoping for a Friday finish this week.  I didn't have anything to report last week and I was sad.  I have my plus quilt in columns.

I am hoping for a little Olympic sewing tonight.  Aren't the patchwork ski jackets amazing?  That was the first thing I noticed during the skiing competition.  It makes me want to make a quilt with those low volume colors.






















I am really looking forward to retreat sewing this weekend.  I plan to put the borders on 2 quilts and work on some new stuff.

I have the border pieces mostly pieced for my country log cabin quilt.  I should be able to complete the adding border portion of my goals for this month.






I am having lots of trouble trying to decide what fabrics I want to work with! I am anxious to play with the Hex N More ruler.  I will be working on small projects like baby quilts or pillows so I don't generate more UFOs.  There are so many fun things you can create with the hexagons and half hexagons that don't require set in seams.

It looks like we are going to have some melting tomorrow.  I was secretly hoping for a few more snow days this winter (sorry Ellen)