Almost Postage Stamp

I started this project more than a year ago, but apparently, I didn't post about it until this post in April. It started as an attempt to use this border fabric and my extensive yellow-green and olive stash. 9 yards of this fabric were purchased in 2010 for backing for a green quilt, but the shade of green turned out to be wrong.* So the yardage has been languishing in my backing stash ever since, taking up space I could use for other fabrics. 

I also had an overflowing bin of yellow-green and olive fabrics. My plan was to use them with neutrals in a checkerboard design. Along the way I added some greener greens and some accents of purple and orange. 

I die-cut 2" strips from all the dark fabrics, and from as many low volumes as I could pull together, both white-based and ivory-based. As usual, I cut way too many strips. 

I made strata alternating light and dark strips; cross cut the strata; and assembled checkerboard blocks. Each block has 64 squares and finished at 12". 

The squares finish at 1-1/2 inches, so not truly a Postage Stamp quilt. But almost! 

This was started back when PCQ was making twin bed size quilts for one of the charities we support. Since we don't need twin size now, I set aside six of the blocks and made the quilt a large throw size. It will comfortably cover a grown man, 68 by 80". And the masculine colors make it suitable for a man or possibly an older teen boy. 

I used up a lot of that print for the backing and used the backing offcuts for the binding. I still have some left, so it will go back in the stash until I can find another use for it. 

The six unused blocks will go into another charity quilt, probably to be assembled at a future retreat. And the leftover strata are also being used for another charity quilt, in WIP status now, which I may work on at social sewing after the new year. Die cutting is always helpful, but in my case, I always cut too much! 

*Expensive lesson learned: Always take swatches of the fabrics used on the front of the quilt when shopping for backing. 

Link ups: My Quilt Infatuation 11/13,  Alycia Quilts 11/14,  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 11/17

Two More Blocks

I was out of town most of last week so I didn't have much sewing time. Since I got home I've been able to make two more blocks.

I think the one on the right is my new favorite. But I have several more to go, so there may be more favorites to come. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Crossroads Wheel Progress

I now have 25 of 36 blocks made. This was supposed to be a long-term project, but it's been so much fun designing each block as its own palette! 

A friend asked me to show the blocks in groups of four, so here goes: 

One block needs a little fix. The center fabric in it is used in another block, so I have pinned a replacement swatch over it. It's an easy fix. 

I have 11 more blocks to go. A friend with whom I often trade scraps gave me some prints that will work, and she shopped for me via phone photos at retreat. Can't wait to get my hands on the new prints when she gets home! 

Meanwhile, I have 9 of 11 backgrounds. I'll have to go shopping after I get a few more blocks made with the fabrics on hand, so I'll pick up a couple more backgrounds then. 

Linking up with Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

October Stash Report and Goals Update

Lots of stash activity in October, both In and Out. Due to some finishes in both September and October, I can count a lot out, but I also brought in a lot for the Crossroads Wheel project I'm working on as well as some backings. 

My only complete finish this month is the Windmill Baby quilt. 

Other than that, I mostly worked on Crossroads Wheel blocks. After exhausting my scraps and my stash, it's been fun collecting new FQs and small cuts of yardage to add to the palette. I'm fussy cutting wherever the print offers opportunities. 

I was supposed to have two time slots on PCQ's long arm this month, but one conflicted with an event in the room so it got cancelled. My Almost Postage Stamp top was finished and the backing was ready, so I quilted that during my one time slot. Full post coming soon. The teal top and backing are ready but that will have to wait until my next long arm opportunity. 

October Stash Report

IN this month: 9 yards (3 yards from Connecting Threads.  1-3/4 yards from Hobby Lobby. 4-1/4 yards from Prickly Pearadise.)

OUT this month: 28-1/4 yards (Backing and binding for windmill baby quilt, 1-3/4 yards. Teal quilt top, 10 yards per EQ. Postage Stamp top, est. 10-1/2 yards. Backing and binding for Postage Stamp, 5-1/2 yards.)

IN YTD: 60-3/4 yards

OUT YTD: 121-3/8 yards

YTD Net Change: 60-5/8 yards out. 

Goals Update: 

October Recap: 

1. Quilt the Postage Stamp quilt. Done. 

2. Bind the red and black churn dash top. Done and donated. 

3. Fix the bottom border on the teal top. Piece the backing for it. Done. 

4. Quilt the windmill baby quilt on my domestic machine. Done and donated. 

5. Finish piecing the Positively Scrappy top. No, not touched. 

6. Make some more blocks for the new Crossroads Wheel project. Yes, made 22 of 36 blocks. 

7. Start planning a new video game-themed quilt for grandson's birthday. Found suitable fabrics and got his dad's approval. Piecing will be simple to feature the prints. 

8. Make a banner for my souvenir pins. Done and hung. 

Mostly the Crossroads Wheel blocks consumed my attention this month. I did get to social sewing a couple of times, and finished the scrappy top I've been working on there. I found backing for it in the club's stash. I'll post more about that project separately. 

November Goals: 

1. Bind the postage stamp quilt. 

2. Prep batting and quilt the teal quilt. 

3. Continue piecing Crossroads Wheel blocks.

4. Make a mug rug for the PCQ Holiday Luncheon exchange. 

5. Design and cut out grandson's new video game inspired quilt. 

The video game quilt has an end-of-January deadline, so I need to get as far along as possible with it. I also need to find licensed fleece fabric featuring Mario, Yoshi, Picachu, or MineCraft for the backing. 

Since the top I've been working on piecing for months at social sewing is done, I'll need to take something else to work on there. I'll take the Positively Scrappy project that wasn't worked on in November, and maybe I can finish that top. 

The other big accomplishment for October was the banner for my souvenir pins. I've been collecting pins for years, and I finally got around to making a display banner for them. 

All in all, October was a great month on the quilting front. In addition, the weather here has turned cooler and we're enjoying fabulous resort weather. DH has been working in the yard, so we've been visiting garden centers and cactus farms. We brought home five new specimens. Two will be hardier replacements for a couple of Yellow Barrel cactus that didn't make it through the extreme summer heat in full afternoon sun. The others will be planted in our shadier back yard, some in pots. Who knew cacti do better in the shade!!! In the almost 5 years we've lived here, DH has turned our back yard into a botanical garden. 

Windmill Baby Quilt

I finally got around to quilting the windmill baby quilt. Since it's 40" wide, it fit on one width of backing fabric, but only if I quilted it on my domestic machine. There wasn't enough extra width to load it on the long arm. I gave it a loose meander to keep it soft and drapey. It's been a while since I FMQ'd on my home machine, and I'm out of practice! My loops aren't as smooth as when I do them on the long arm. 

This is another of those projects that my village helped with. Julie sent a couple of the fabrics in the top, and Cherie provided the batting and the backing. Thanks so much, friends!

This little quilt will go to a young family at nearby Luke Air Force Base. PCQ recently added Luke to our vetted charities, and it's nice to have a destination for smaller donation quilts. 

Link ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 10/27;  Alycia Quilts 10/31

More Crossroads Wheel Blocks

These blocks are fun to make because each one is designed as its own unique palette. Since there is a lot of planning and cutting involved, I can make one block a day, in about three to four hours. 

20 blocks will make a 66 x 80" throw. After consulting with my husband, I've decided to make a 36 block, 98" quilt for our bed. There will be sashing between the blocks. 

Each block has 6 prints in it. So far there's only one repeated fabric among all these blocks, and since it's a center square, that's an easy replacement. I'll definitely have to collect some more fabrics in order to not have repeats among 36 blocks. 

The palette is heavy on teals and corals from light to dark, as well as everything else except purples and yellow greens. Any blues are teal cast, and any pinks are warm, not purplish. 

Some of my prints and templates offer opportunities for fussy cutting. 

The block below is a revision of an earlier block that was too muddy looking, with a khaki floral print for the arms. Much more to my liking now. 

I'm still trying to make the blocks more clashy than matchy-matchy. Some are more so than others, but the overall look is the eclectic vibe I'm going for. 

I foresee some fabric shopping in my future. I am rapidly exhausting my suitable scraps, and in order to continue with no repeated fabrics, I'll have to get some new ones. Oh, darn, fabric shopping...

Only small amounts are needed. The blades take a 3-1/2" WOF strip each of light and dark. The arms take a 2-1/2" WOF strip. The background can be cut from half a FQ or quarter yard and still maintain directionality.  The quarter circles can be cut from a 10" square or a 3-1/2" by 16" scrap if not fussy cut. I'll see if some of my local friends want to trade. 

Linking up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 10/20 and Alycia Quilts 10/24

Red and Black Churn Dash

For the last few years, Pebble Creek Quilters Community Service Committee has been kitting up quilt kits for charity sew days. This year they took a different direction and decided not to have kits, but to let each quilter do their own thing. There were several reasons for the change. 1, the demand for twin bed size quilts exceeded our ability to keep up with the requests, so we're no longer making bed size quilts for one of our charities. 2, the cost for batting and sometimes backing fabrics became more than our budget could handle, especially for the bed size quilts. 3, our schedule of having a prep day to make kits and a sew day to sew them each month was too much because there are too many demands on the studio time to allocate that much to community service. 4, There was some misunderstanding that only committee members were allowed to come to the sew days, take kits, and work on them, when really the sew days were open to all PCQ members. 

So, this year the sew days, one per month except August, are publicized as open to all and everyone can work on a project of their own choosing. The club will still provide batting upon request, but makers must provide the backing for their tops. Recommended quilt sizes range from baby quilts to teen/tween throw size, to adult throw size, generally about 60 x 80". The charities we support serve new moms, teens, and adults. 

There were some left over twin bed size kits that didn't get made up last year. I heard a rumor that there was a concern about the fabric in them being wasted. So I took one of the kits and repurposed it. 

Originally this kit was for a giant Friendship Star top. I reconfigured some of the pieces and added the sashing to brighten it up. The size is 56 x 74". It's gender neutral enough to go to a teen boy or older man if needed. 

The backing has been in my stash for more than 20 years, so this was a good opportunity to use it up. Back then I had plans for a symmetry project but with working full time and my beginner skill level, it never happened. 

The backing is 2 widths of fabric joined lengthwise. I was able to match the print pretty well; you have to really look to find the seam. 

I guess you could say this project is a win all the way around. One less kit going to waste, a masculine quilt of suitable size for a teen or adult, and a purpose for a long-stashed print. 

Link ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 10/13,  Alycia Quilts 10/ 17