January Stash Report and Goals Update

January was a busy month. I was able to accomplish most of my goals, and even a little extra. It was also a good month for my stash report. A couple of finishes helped. 

The big finish this month was my teal quilt. After all the woes with the quilting, it's finally done and the quilting looks good. I'm able to count out the backing and binding in my stash report. 

Another finish was the X and Plus top. I didn't expect to make this much progress! 

Also (no photos yet, coming soon) I was able to use my leftover Almost Postage Stamp blocks and piece a top at social sewing. 

And the most important finish, my grandson's video game quilt with minky backing. It's already shipped, delivered, and waiting for him to open next weekend. 

All these finishes boosted my stash usage numbers! But I also scored some goodies at an estate sale, which offset my usage. Not too bad, though. 

January Stash Report

IN this Month: 21 yards (21 yards from estate sale @ <$1.40/yd)

OUT this month: 20-1/4 yards. (Backing and binding for teal quilt, 5-3/4 yards. Top for Cannon's quilt and leftovers given away, 6 yards. Binding, 1/2 yard.  Est 4-1.4 yards per EQ for X and Plus top. Leftover Almost Postage Stamp blocks top, 2-3/4 yards excluding blocks already counted.) 

YTD Net change: 3/4 yard added. 

Goals Update

January Recap: 

1. Get Minky and quilt grandson's video game quilt. Bind and finish. Must be shipped by January 31.  Done and shipped 1/15. 

2. Talk to Spoonflower about printing sashing fabric for my Crossroads Wheel project. Not done; still have some local shops to check out before pursuing bespoke fabric from Spoonflower. 

3. Pull fabrics and cut pieces for an X and Plus quilt. Done, and completed the flimsy. 

4. Start planning a long-term piecing project to work on at social sewing. Yes, have been cutting for a new scrappy project involving Mary's Triangles.

5. Go through my UFOs and figure out a plan for them. Progress. Donated one UFO top together with backing, batting and binding for it to PCQ, Feathered Star. Currently working with new PCQ Charity committee president regarding several other UFOs. 

Other:
1) Assembled a top using the leftover blocks from my Almost Postage Stamp quilt at social sewing. Found fabric for backing for it. 
2) Prepped back, batting and binding for Positively Scrappy and turned it in for someone else to quilt and finish. 

February Goals: 

1. Make a Stacked Slabs top, small throw size, to show at PCQ meeting on 2/9. Take it and several of the other PCQ top samples to talk about charity sew day projects. (Pattern in Charity Quilts tab above) 

2. Assist a friend on the long arm on Feb. 4th. 

3. Host Cherie the week of the 16th for our own at-home retreat. 

4. Piece backing for X and Plus quilt; quilt it on PCQ's long arm on Feb. 24. 

5. Piece backing for the leftover Postage Stamp Blocks top. 

6. Work on new Mary's Triangles project at social sewing. 

7. Work on new opal-inspired piecing project. 

I'll finish with one more photo. Each club has a display window in our Creative Arts building. This year the committee chose birthstones to inspire the color of the month to be displayed. January's birthstone is garnet, so they put out a call for dark red projects. My Cherry Jubilee is featured (folded) at the upper right. (The back of the window looks into the Fiber Arts room)

Photo credit: PCQ's window committee

X and Plus Top

One of my goals this month was to make progress on making X and Plus blocks. Not only did I make progress, I finished the top.

It's still somewhat busy, but not nearly as busy as many of the X and Plus quilts out there. The monochromatic green color palette helps, as does the white space. 

It finished at 60 x 72", adult throw size. Since it's just a little too long to hang well on my wall in vertical orientation, I also tried it in horizontal orientation. It looks crooked but that's photographer error - there's a group of agaves in the way of where I had to stand. 

I found a green and white modern print in my stash that I can use for backing. I'll get it quilted in February and then donate it. It was fun to make but now I've gotten the X and Plus blocks out of my system, and it's time to move on to something else. 

As X and Plus quilts go, I like how this one turned out. 

Link up: Alycia Quilts 1/30

The Perfect Border Fabric

Yes!!! I actually had enough in my stash of the perfect fabric for the border of my X and Plus top. This is a print that I've had for a long time and I've always loved it, but I've never been able to use more than small bits of it in scrappy quilts. I inherited it from the stash of Dorris McM of Circle in the Square Quilters, who passed away in 2008. 

This print was so different from everything else of its time. The leaves are flat and stamped-like, very crisp, and the colors are mostly clear midtones. Most of the prints of that era were blurry like batiks and extremely bright (think Laurel Birch). I always loved this print but it never went with anything. Now I recognize it as a precursor to the flat, crisp prints of the Modern Quilting era. 

I'm so glad it works here as the border of my X and Plus top. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Feathered Star

 One of my goals this month is to look at my UFOs and decide what to do about them. Most are unquilted tops. One of the tops is a small Feathered Star.

I originally made it several years ago as a test to see if I wanted to make a queen size feathered star medallion quilt. The answer was No. 

This little top measures 45" square and could be a baby quilt for a little girl. PCQ now is able to donate baby quilts to expectant families at Luke AFB which is nearby. This could be a nice donation quilt.

PCQ recently put out a call for small charity quilts to use for long arm training and certification. Perfect! They can practice on this top, bind it, and donate it the next time they take baby quilts to Luke.

 I prepped backing, binding, and frankenbatting, bundled it up, and turned it in. At the recent Long Arm Users Group meeting, a friend selected it from the cabinet to quilt. She wants to learn free motion as opposed to using a panto. Perfect! 

One UFO dealt with, one practice quilt available for learning, and a baby quilt to be donated. Win-Win-Win! 

Link up: Alycia Quilts

X and Plus Progress

Piecing X and Plus blocks was a nice relief from the stress of dealing with the quilting problems of the teal quilt. Thankfully, the quilting problems were resolved. At that point I still needed a few more X and Plus blocks. No problem. 

Here are my 20 blocks for a 48 x 60" top. 

As is, it would be a small throw or lap quilt. I'm considering adding borders, but I need to see what I have enough yardage of in my stash that could work. I've been doing well at using stash, and may not have enough of anything suitable. And yet, my green baskets are still full. No, I don't plan to purchase anything for a border. This will be a donation quilt, and it will be fine if it ends up just this size. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Finally Finished: The Teal Quilt

After all the problems, the Teal Quilt is finally finished. Whoo-hoo! 

This was more of a challenge than I anticipated. 

First, it's a remake of the Black and Tan quilt I made last year, but making it monochromatic meant finding just the right fabric hue, value, and intensity. Shopping ensued. The placement of darks and mediums is crucial for the dark diagonal grid framework to emerge. Squint at the photo and you'll see it more clearly. 

Second, and more frustrating, the quilting was a nightmare, as I've written about in several recent posts. Thanks to much troubleshooting by the ladies on PCQ's Long Arm Committee, the issues were resolved and I was able to quilt it. 

I'm keeping this quilt for me. PCQ is having a quilt show in March, and I'm entering it. It feels good to have this one done and I'm pleased with how it turned out. 

Link ups: Alycia Quilts 1/16, My Quilt Infatuation 1/22

X and Plus Blocks

Back when I lived in St. Louis and was a member of the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild, I was part of a bee, and one of the members had us make X and Plus blocks one month. It's a fun block to make, and a popular one. 

I've long thought about making an X and Plus quilt. But most of the images I've seen are a chaotic splash of colors. Even those that are symmetrical and laid out with care are usually blindingly bright or have nowhere to rest the eye. Then I saw this monochromatic version from Zen Chick - Brigitte Heitland. Much easier on the eyes than most versions! Click on the link and check it out. 

I have an overabundance of greens in my stash: an overflowing basket of green-greens, a pretty full basket of yellow-greens, and a very full basket of teals and blue-greens. I could make a similar version. 

Over the Christmas holidays I cut a few pieces and started making blocks. I'm using white on white or very subtle white ground prints for the triangles, all the same fabric within one block. Most of the green prints will be used in two blocks, but a few of the fabrics were scraps and will only be used once. 

I'll cut a few more pieces and make a few more blocks, and see where this is going. Thank you, Brigitte, for the inspiration! 

Linking up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts