January Minis

I've had my "Calorie-Free Chocolates" quilt on the dining room display hanger since the holidays.   Looking at those chocolate Nine Patch and Snowball blocks every day inspired me to try some mini snowballs and nine patches this month.

I had just enough chocolate fabric scraps and some chocolate-y brown fabric to make two six-inch mug rugs.  I used Barb Vedder's Nine Patch tutorial to make two sets of Nine Patch blocks.  

I even had some chocolate-dipped strawberry fabric scraps to use for the backs.  

I had designs on making at least one additional Snowball-themed project, but got distracted by other ideas!

 

For example, as I was digging through the drawers looking for French General fabrics, I came across a group of scraps I had saved in a plastic bag.  

The leftovers were from a fabric collection called "Alice's Washday Blues" by Blue Hill Fabrics.  I had used the collection to make blocks for Barbara Brackman's Grandmother's Choice BOW.  

I kept all the scraps together in hopes of using them up in another project, but forgot about them until discovering them earlier this month.  Thinking about Janet's "baggie challenge", I decided it was time to put those scraps to work!

I had a new-to-me 3.5 inch tumbler die for the Accuquilt cutter, and I decided tumbler blocks would be a great scrap-buster.  I thought the Alice scraps might be a little bland on their own, so I found a hunk of red to spice things up a little.  Since my goal was to use up as many scraps as possible, I just kept adding blocks until I ran out of tumblers.

 

A different red fabric for the binding...and I used a single binding this time.  I don't know why I never tried single binding before, but it works great, especially if you follow another of Barb's tutorials. 

A final row of tumblers on the back, two slices of backing left from a previous project, and outline quilting finish the project.

 

 I wasn't going to add a label, but inspiration struck today and I had a name: Alice's Last Washday.  I also found this sliced piece of selvedge, so I'm trying to come up with a way to incorporate it into the label.

And so goes my monthly mini tale!  Many thanks to Wendy (The Constant Quilter) for encouraging mini madness for another year!

January Ends & Odds

 I don't want to jinx myself for the rest of the year, but if I can keep up the sewing pace I set in January, I'll get all my goals accomplished!   Hahaha - who am I fooling?!

I experimented with a couple of potential new Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, but in the end decided this was not the time to start a new RSC project.  That may change as the year goes on, but for now I'm going to attempt to finish some RSC UFOs before I tackle something new.

The Antique Tiles block is a carry-over from 2021.  These three blocks feature January's RSC color:  red.  I don't have an entire rainbow's worth of these blocks yet, so I'll keep adding to the collection as the year goes on.

While we're talking Rainbow Scrap Challenge:

I just finished stitching this RSC project which features Bonnie Hunter's Easy Breezy block.  I put an audiobook on my phone and plowed through the stitching in about three days.  That's 143 blocks; finished size 66" x 78".  I'll definitely be sending this to the "spa" (Pat Sloan's term for sending a quilt to the longarm quilter), and ultimately gifting it.

And since we all need to have the hope of Spring, I offer a Mary Engelbreit garden-themed panel quilt kit.  Forgive the crazy indoor picture - this is another Dear Hubby-made quilt hanger in our hallway.  It's a great location for displaying quilts, but not great for taking pictures.  I finished hand-stitching the binding on this, but was afraid to wash the quilt.  So - the edges are a little wavy.  I'll have to figure out what I want to do about that.

 

 

Leave it to Mary Engelbreit to layer color and shape and texture!  I follow her on Instagram and I'm always amazed by the creative work she shares.

 

 Happiness Must Be Grown In One's Own Garden.  

Absolutely!

I love the quilting on this!  At first, I didn't think all-over quilting would work, but I decided to jump in and see how I liked it.  Quilting by Diane Knott of Butterfly Threads Quilting.  

 

I'm looking forward to February's quilting endeavors!

Of French Generals and Patchwork Divas

I have been a fan of sunflower-themed quilts since my earliest days as a quilter.

Although I've made several sunflower projects, my Bucket List plan was to make a traditional sunflower (or Russian Sunflower) quilt.

After seeing Cathy's Sunflowers quilt and later, Pat's Diamond Jubilee Sunflowers, I knew it was my turn to give this pattern a whirl.

I had planned to start making Sunflower blocks in January of 2021, but I got side-tracked by a batch of t-shirt quilts.  Determined to get started in early 2022, I made time earlier this week to begin the process.

 The pattern can be found in the 19th Century Patchwork Divas' Treasury of Quilts.

 

 

The pattern calls for 18 blocks set on point, which results in a 74" x 98" quilt.  I don't need a quilt that large, so I'm only going to make 13 blocks.

   

The Patchwork Divas recommend using Marti Michell's Sunburst acrylic template set for accurate piecing.

 

 I actually ordered the templates and made a practice block in December of 2020.  Then the templates and practice block sat in the sewing room giving me pleading looks for a year!

I have been hoarding collecting French General fabrics for several years, so it seemed like a good idea to do a fabric pull from the stash.

 This initial pull really makes me smile - it will be so much fun to cut into all these fabrics!

Last, but not least, I finished the first block! All the diamond and triangle shapes are machine-pieced, but the center circle is appliquéd using the back-basting technique.

The circle will eventually be appliquéd to a background square.  This particular background looks great in person, but not so wonderful through the camera lens.   I'll probably make all the circles first, then decide on different backgrounds for each.

 

 

Starting with Scraps

 My sewing priorities for the beginning of the year included finishing up two Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects from 2021.

 

I finished making all the blocks for the Flashes of Brillance/Sugar Loaf quilt.  Here they are assembled, and waiting to be trimmed according to the pattern.  I really had to steel myself to cut those blocks in half!

 

Aye-yi-yi - and what am I going to do with these sliced up half blocks?!

 

 

Anyway, here is the finished quilt top.  

 

As I was making the original Sugar Loaf blocks, I thought it would be fun to make another version of the quilt in reproduction fabrics.  I still like that idea, but after working with all the bias edges on the blocks and sashing, I'm not in a hurry to do it any time soon! 

Once Flashes of Brillance was down from my design wall, I immediately started laying out another scrappy quilt top.

I've been making Bonnie Hunter's Easy Breezy blocks as a leader-ender project since July, 2020.  I decided it was finally time to assemble a quilt top.  The framed squares were added to boost the quilt size, as the blocks only measure six inches. 

I have some dedicated sewing ahead of me to get them all stitched together!

I haven't decided on a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project for 2022.  Last week I made a Blackford's Beauty block in modern fabrics, then followed up by making another block in reproduction style fabrics.  

 

I love how the repro fabrics look in this block, but since the blocks finish at twelve inches, I'd feel compelled to make more than one block each month.  That would entail a good bit of cutting/prep work (i.e. making scraps), so I'm not sure I want to commit to the project.

In the meantime, Gayle (mangofeet) showed one of her new RSC blocks - framed stars - which I've always wanted to try.  I haven't tried my own version yet, but that's on tap for this week.

Off to a Stitching Start!

 Here we are, starting a new year of stitching!

I have been working on my list(s) of projects to finish and projects to start.  My plans seem a little ambitious, but I'm excited about trying some new things and attempting to use up my fabric stash.

Starstruck by Gyleen Fitzgerald

On top of that, I'm supposed to be attending an in-person quilt workshop next week.  My small guild has scheduled a class with quilter Gyleen Fitzgerald.  We'll be making her Star Struck table runner, and learning some new piecing and cutting skills.  Plans include mask-wearing and social distancing (and everyone must be vaccinated), but since our state is experiencing a spike in Covid/omicron infections, plans could change on dime.

This will be my first quilting workshop since 2005!  I'm feeling a little intimidated by all the paraphernalia one takes to a quilting workshop.  

My everyday sewing machine is too big to drag to a class, so I thought I'd take my vintage Singer 503A (aka Rocketeer).  It's lightweight and sews a beautiful straight stitch.  Of course quarter-inch feet were not issued with these machines, but there are a number of modern quarter-inch feet that fit.

Unfortunately, the machine operator could not stitch consistent quarter inch seams despite trying several different feet and adding a seam guide hack.  I think maybe one of those portable extension tables would help, but there's no time to order one.

 

I made this Blackford's Beauty block as a practice piece on the Rocketeer.  The block was inspired by Angela at Soscrappy, who plans to use it for this year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  The block doesn't look too bad, but I had to trim all the 4-patches to get them to fit correctly, and the finished block is still a quarter inch too large.

Change of plans.  Out came my trusty Pfaff 7550 - my primary sewing machine until a few years ago.  Fortunately, getting a consistent quarter-inch seam with this machine was much easier. 
 

I didn't have enough 2 inch squares prepped for another Blackford's Beauty block, but I did have the pieces ready for an Antique Tile block.  I think I have found my quilting workshop machine!

In other "start the year off right" news - I finally broke down and bought a new cutting mat!  My old mat (on the left) is so worn the cutting lines are barely visible.  Those white marks are not just discoloration, they're grooves worn in the cutting surface!  Happily, I made use of a JoAnn 50% off coupon and saved a little money, too.

The Solstice is Almost Here

 I have been counting down the days to the Winter Solstice, looking forward to the days starting to get longer.  

Dear Hubby and I have been walking early in the morning since June.  Since DH has to leave for work no later than 6:30 am, our walks usually take place before sunrise, especially since the end of Daylight Saving Time.  You can see why I'd be paying attention to the length of the days!

The change in the season also heralds a change in my quilting activities: wrapping up projects from 2021 and contemplating the quilty fun ahead in 2022.  There are more projects to wrap up than time will allow, but it's given me goals to work toward.

 

I got a late start on the Two and Four QAL, but did manage to finish the flimsy shortly after Thanksgiving.  The design wall was taken up with another project, so I just spread out the top on the guest room bed for a quick picture.  This was a fun scrap-buster: quick and easy!

 

I started working on this quilt just a few days before Halloween.  The kit (from Fig Tree & Co.) had been kicking around in my stash for several years and was calling out to get made.  It's based on Joanna Figueroa's Navajo Stars pattern, but uses orange, black, and tan fabrics for a Halloween theme.  

 

 

The whole palette has less contrast and color than my usual, but it's good to try new things.  The background fabric is cream with light brown dots.  It doesn't show up well in the photos, but it's a really lovely fabric and I wish I had more of it!

The example from the pattern instructions (here) was heavily quilted, which really adds interest to the quilt.  Something to contemplate for 2022.

 

Once the Navajo Stars were off the design wall,  I pulled out the Sugar Loaf blocks that were a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project in 2021.  The pattern calls for five additional blocks, which will be cut in half.  A half block is to be placed in each of the open areas at the top or bottom of the rows.  I'm still not happy about cutting the blocks in half, but I haven't come up with any better design options. 

I'll be away with my Florida family for a few days, but maybe I can finish the blocks before the end of the year.

Warm holiday wishes to all - whatever holiday you may celebrate!

 

 

Gifty Mode Continues

I'm still in gift making mode, although I'm trying to wrap things up and get back to some quilts that need my attention!

Last night was my small quilt guild's Christmas party.  We met at a local restaurant and had a fun time celebrating the fact we could gather together to enjoy food and quilting fellowship.  Everyone brought a sewing/quilting related gift to share and we went through a series of silly swaps before everyone could open their gift.

 

I had recently seen a YouTube video about this stitching kit and wanted to try making one.  I decided this would make a great gift for the guild swap.  My version is based on the Simple Sewing Kit video by Sherri McConnell.

Sherri's Simple Sewing Kit is based on the Goody Goody Binding Kit by Vanessa Goertzen.  Sherri liked the kit but wanted to make it slightly larger.  Her version is a couple of inches taller.

 

 

I even had some Vanessa Goertzen fabric marinating in my stash (Farmer's Daughter from 2017).  

Everything went together pretty smoothly, and I was happy with the result.  There's still plenty of Vanessa's fabric left over, so I plan to make a kit for myself and another for a friend.

 

Vanessa designed the kit to hold quilt binding necessities.  She used the pocket on the right side to hold candy bars - hence the name "Goody Goody Binding Kit"!

Sherri McConnell asked for Vanessa's permission to enlarge the kit, as she wanted to use it for toting around paper piecing projects.  Either way - it's a cute project and makes a great gift!

 

When last we spoke I was about to take off for Thanksgiving adventures...

Our boys both have to work through Christmas this year, so we decided to get together as a family for Thanksgiving.  We all met up in Dallas, where younger son David had to work on Thanksgiving day.  Our Thanksgiving meal was a tailgating party prior to a Dallas Cowboys football game.  Nothing like new traditions!
 

David's friends Megan and Kelsey loved their Dallas Cowboys pillows!  Kelsey tried to convince me I should sell similar items on Etsy.  Hahahaha - NO!

 

Still Feelin' Gifty

 In my last post, I shared some projects inspired by the upcoming gift-giving season.  I'm still in gift-making mode, but taking a short break for American Thanksgiving.  I've finished a few projects, but I'm still contemplating others.

I used an AccuQuilt die to cut the bear and moose appliques for these pillows.  I ironed Soft-Fuse to the fabrics before cutting the shapes, then fused them to the background fabric.  The raw edges are finished with machine blanket stitching.  I need to insert the pillow form into the black one and stitch the opening closed. 

I finished up three Merry & Bright Cushion Cover pillows to gift to some football-loving friends.

I admit, I got a little burned out on the hand embroidery, but I'm really pleased with the results!

Something new for me:  I used (pre-washed) cotton flannel in the quilt sandwich on these.  The pattern instructions call for embroidering through the batting, and the flannel worked great for that.  After completing the embroidery, I added white cotton fabric backing to the pillow top and did straight line machine quilting across the rows. 

 

I tried to use up the special fabrics I had ordered, so each pillow has a different back.

 

The Dallas Cowboys licensed fabric did not work for the scrappy squares on the pillow covers - the designs were too large.  Plus, the fabric was not a nice quality quilting fabric - more like a broadcloth.  It softened up after washing, but still, not something I'd want to put in a quilt.

That being said, I still had scraps to use up.  I got one zipper pouch made, but ran out of time before my self-imposed Thanksgiving break deadline.  I think this one needs to be fancied up a little with a dressy zipper pull.  (Sotak Handmade Essential Pouch - Large)

 

 

I also attempted a scrappy placemat idea.  This is resting on top of a piece of flannel, ready to be quilted after Thanksgiving.
 

I'm off on some Thanksgiving adventures, so I'll see you on the flip side.

 

For all who celebrate Thanksgiving, may you make lots of great new memories this year!

 

 

 

 

Gifty Inspiration Strikes

 I never seem to plan ahead when it comes to making gifty items - I just wait until inspiration strikes.

We are planning to see friends and family during the holiday season, and I'm happy to say that inspiration has struck!

I'm not sure all the items I've been stitching up will become gifts, but I'm sure they will eventually find new homes.  My quilt guild will have a "boutique" table at our show in April 2022, so some of the gifty goodies may wind up there.

I recently came across a couple pieces of this chocolate candy print in my stash - yummy scraps I was saving from a chocolate-themed quilt.  I decided they would work great as the focus fabric for a zipper bag or two.  I had all the necessary materials on hand, so it was easy to put my inspiration to work.

 

Two finished zipper bags!  The pattern is Svetlana Sotak's Essential Pouch.  The pattern includes measurements for different size bags, as well clear instructions with lots of pictures.  Fun and easy to make!

 

While I was making bags, I decided to try my hand at making a vinyl crossbody bag.  We will be attending a football game during the holidays, and American football stadiums require see-through handbags.  I made a see-through tote bag several years ago for this reason, but after using it, I thought a bag that was wearable at all times might be a better idea.
 

My inspiration was to make a zipper pouch with a shoulder strap.  The shoulder strap (currently inside the bag) is waiting for a slider buckle from Etsy.  Once I have the slider, the shoulder strap will be adjustable.

 

My next inspiration was to try this Moda pattern - Stripes and Three Stars Pillow - with Christmas fabrics.

This is the finished pillow top.  I'm not loving it. Maybe quilting will change my mind?  The pattern fits a 14" x 20" pillow form, which will have to be ordered through Amazon.  This is not a high priority for finishing right now.  On the other hand, I think a smaller version (with 4" stars) might just work.

Another pillow inspiration called to me, so I'm working on three versions of the Merry & Bright Cushion Cover by Amy Sinibaldi.

I made a school-themed version of the pillow for my youngest son last year, so I knew it was a quick and fun project. 

I've got the first pillow cover pieced and ready for embroidery.  All three of the pillows will be gifted to friends who are fans of the Dallas Cowboys football team.  The fabrics reflect the team colors and each embroidered message will reflect the recipient's favorite team cheer or saying.  

It's been good to have so much inspiration - now to have some timely finishes!

 

Still Not a Mini

 Every month, Wendy at The Constant Quilter encourages quilters to make mini quilts.  I always have good intentions to make small quilts, especially using my reproduction fabric stash.  But, good intentions don't always equal finished projects - no surprise to anyone who makes quilts!

I did however, dig out an unfinished table runner and finish it up this month.

The appliquéd sunflower blocks started as a practice project.  I made two blocks and set them aside to be used as pillows or something.  Last fall I rediscovered the blocks and decided to make a table runner using some ancient sunflower fabric I also rediscovered in the stash. 

I found enough matching fabric to make a third sunflower block, then added some orange Grunge and yellow batik sashing and cornerstones before finishing with a border of the sunflower print.

That sunflower print has been marinating in my stash a good long time.  There's no date on the selvedge, but the fabric was made by Cranston VIP Print Works.  I believe the company stopped using that name when they ceased printing fabric in the US in 2009.  I think this fabric is even older, probably from the mid to late 1990s. 

I had prepped the top for quilting last fall, but stalled out because I didn't have the right color threads for quilting it.  I pulled out the project last week, added some simple quilting and bound the whole thing with the sunflower fabric.  

Here's the finished runner, actually on a table.  I gave it a quick trip through the washer and dryer, so now it has that lovely crinkly look.

It's nice to have a UFO crossed off the list!