HEIC Files - Advice Needed

 Well, I had a surprise this morning - It seems my phone camera is suddenly now saving photos in HEIC format instead of JPG. 

I can upload the HEIC files to my laptop okay. But the photo editing program* I use can't accommodate HEIC files, so I can't import the files to it; therefore I can't do any edits. 

Does anyone know anything about converting HEIC photos from an Android phone to JPG photos? I might need either an Android phone app or a laptop app to convert.  

Any suggestions or recommendations?  

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And because no blog post is complete without a photo, I'm featuring an old favorite, Broken Chevron.

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Link ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt

*I'm using an older version of Photoshop from CAS 6 purchased as a student in 2013. Since my Photoshop skills are very basic, the old program has been meeting my needs quite well. 

Animal Print Quilt

The animal print quilt made from the fabric Libby sent is finished except for adding the donation label. It turned out to be a cute toddler quilt at 42" x 49". I kept the quilting simple: SID in the pieced rows and chevrons and curvy lines in the print borders, meandering around the animals so no stitching shows on top of them. 

                            

I'm still disappointed in the color in the photos. I guess my camera just perceives the pretty chartreuse green as yellow, even in outdoor light. 

For backing I looked through the bins of fabric the PC Quilters have in their sewing room for charity quilts, and found something that made me smile. Lobsters! And I couldn't resist adding a zebra and a leopard print as well. 

I'll get the required label sewn onto this and take it over to the PCQ sewing room next chance I get to go over there. 

Link ups:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Alycia Quilts

Quilting the Color Spoke Challenge Quilt

Back in 2019 STLMQG had a color spoke challenge, where we were to choose one "spoke" of the color wheel and use only that color plus neutrals to make a block each month. Each month's block assignment featured a theme or skill. I chose yellow-green as my color, combined only with black and white. About a year ago I put my blocks together into this flimsy: 

Some of these blocks were from the BOM assignments and some were extras that I added. 

I pin-basted the quilt, then waited for my order of invisible thread to arrive. Then Covid hit, my order got delayed, and the project sat. Then last fall my order arrived but I was pushing to get the Mario quilt finished in time for Christmas, while at the same time getting ready to move. Anyway, the color spoke project became a UFO. 

I wanted to use invisible thread for the quilting because of the high contrast in the patchwork, but my machine can't use it. The invisible thread is too fine for the tension on my machine to handle - it just keeps breaking the thread. So, plan B, white thread for the quilting. 

I'm quilting in the ditch along the sides of each white stripe. It's slow going but seems to be working out okay. I'll finish SID around all the blocks, then come back and FMQ within the blocks themselves. So far I'm almost done with the stripes. 

STLMQG is still planning on having a quilt show in July, a live show if possible. I'd like to get this quilt finished and send it to them for the show. I'm still a member, so my quilt is eligible. Wish me luck to get it done!  

Link Ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt

The Railroad Quilt

One of the quilts I made for the PCQ boy quilts drive, from a panel/kit they put together, is this railroad theme quilt. I think the panel was intended for placemats or pillows, so to make the quilt large enough for an older boy, I needed to add to it. I added railroad tracks. 

I pieced the top and passed it to another member of the club, who long-arm quilted it and passed it back to me for binding. Here it is finished. It came out approximately 45 x 60" or so.

A few weeks ago when I showed only the top, someone asked how I did the railroad tracks. Here's a closer view of them. 

To make the railroad ties, I cut 2" wide WOF strips from the brown and the background and pieced them together lengthwise. I don't remember how many strips I cut. From the lengthwise pairs, I cut a bunch of pieces 4-1/2" long and twice as many pieces at 2" long. I sewed the 4-1/2" pieces together side by side until I had enough length. Then I did the same with the 2" pieces, making two narrow strips the same length as the wider one. 

For the tracks, I cut 1-1/2" wide strips of black, enough for twice the length of the tracks. I sewed one black strip to each side of the 4-1/2" wide pieced strip. Then I sewed the 1-1/2" wide pieced strips to the outsides of the black. 

The track finished at 8" wide: 4" for the center, 1" for each rail, and 1" each for the RR tie extensions. 

Adding the tracks made the project more interesting for me, and I hope more appealing for the recipient, too. 

Link ups: 
Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Alycia Quilts

March Stash Report and Goals Update

 Still adjusting to my Arizona lifestyle... Some days I have time to sew, others not at all, and I haven't figured out yet how much I'll be able to get done in a month. Add in chasing squirrels (rabbits out here, no squirrels) and my plans for the month took a different turn. 

Some of the projects I worked on this month were donation quilts for PebbleCreek Quilters' boy quilt drive. The social services agency they support is, sadly, always in need of quilts for boys. Last month I participated in a sew day dedicated to boy quilts, using "kits" made up of donated panels and other fabric owned by the club. This month I was able to bind and finish them after they came back from long arm quilting by another member. Since most of the fabrics were donated, very little counts in my stash report. 

I did have a happy stashing event this month - I traded a large cut of unwanted red floral toile with Libby of Life on the Hill for some great prints she sent to me. So fun, I've already used some of them! 

March Stash Report:
IN this month: 10-1/2 yards from Libby
Out this month: 20-5/8 yards (Train panel donation top and binding, 3/4 yard. Red Toile sent to Libby, 10-1/2 yards. Animal/Chevron quilt top, 2-1/4 yards. H2H charm quilt top 4 yards, backing 3-1/2 yards, binding 5/8 yard)

IN YTD: 18 yards
OUT YTD: 29-1/4 yards
YTD Net Change: 11-1/4 yards OUT

Goals Update:

March Recap:
1. Complete 2nd boy quilt kit to a top for PCQ. DONE, train quilt.
2. Talk to PCQ charity chair about joining the committee per her suggestion. Yes, I've joined the committee. Made several dog bed covers to keep them supplied for awhile.
3. Bind any quilts they pass me to bind. DONE, Bound the eagle panel quilt and the train quilt.
4. Make pillows for patio chairs per my husband's request. DONE. 
5. Complete the binding on How Many (WIGSP). No, not touched. 
6. Make another donation top/backing/binding for PCQ. DONE, pieced, quilted and finished Rainbow Charm but it is for Hands2Help instead of for PCQ. 

Other: Pieced and quilted Animal Print & Chevron quilt, fabric from Libby, ready for binding. No photos yet.

April Goals: 
1. Finish Animal Print & Chevron quilt for PCQ
2. Make baby quilt for niece's baby girl, due in May
3. Start quilting Color Spoke Challenge from STLMQG 2019 BOM so I can enter it in their show in July
4. Bind How Many (WIGSP)

That's a lot, and some of those goals have deadlines. If I can get all that done in April that'll be great. 

I joined the PCQ Charity committee at the invitation of one of the co-chairs. Each month they have a sew day, open to all members, with a theme or type of project. In preparation, they have a committee work day about a week ahead of time to prep kits or whatever for the sew day. The April project is jelly roll race tops, and I'll be helping to cut strips to make up jelly roll type kits at our work day. Working with a smaller group of people makes it easier to get to know them. 

I've also been "coaching" a new quilter, Pam, who made her first baby quilt. She joined PCQ recently and was on the same "ambassador tour" of the workroom that I was. We got to talking about our relative experience, she asked for and I offered help, and we've gotten together a couple of times. She finished her baby quilt and it turned out great. While we were working in the club's sewing room, another lady was there, a friend of Pam's. We got to talking about quilt shops, and learned of one in the PHX area that's said to compare with Hancock's of Paducah, but it's in a sketchy area so it's advised not to go alone. We decided to go together and make a day of it, so we're planning a trip to that shop, to lunch, and another shop. Stash enhancement  - yay! - and shopping for a specific project...

Another niece, this time on my side of the family, is expecting a baby girl in May. She lives in Florida but her dad (my brother) and her sister live in the PHX area. Her sister says she likes Art Deco designs and colors. I have a plan for a baby quilt that I hope she'll like. I need to get it finished this month so her sister can take it to her next month. 

So, busy month ahead! 

Rainbow Charm Donation Quilt Finished

The donation quilt I made from a couple of sort-of-coordinating charm packs and some stash is now a finish for Hands2Help. 

The quilting is overlapping arcs, done with my walking foot. The arcs start in the green (upper right) corner and orange (lower left) corner, and overlap in the center. Modern like spiral quilting, but easier to execute. 

I'll send this quilt to a breast cancer support organization that received one of my H2H quilts last year and sent me a very nice note about the recipient. Story here.  I hope the bright colors and cheerful prints will bring comfort to a cancer patient. 

Link ups:  Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Alycia Quilts, Wendy's Quilts and More

So Cute I had to Drop Everything and Play with It

The animal print from Libby, that is. 

It's perfect for a toddler boy quilt. Since the fabric does all the work, I kept it simple. Just borders and chevrons. The chevron center is complete and ready for the borders to be added. 

There's enough of the print (folded two ply here) to make borders up to 12" wide, as shown above. I'm thinking of reducing the width to 9 or 10" to have a more pleasing proportion. I worked it out in EQ and I think the 9" border option looks best. It would result in a quilt that measures 42" by 50". For a toddler, I think that's fine.  

I'm so disappointed in all the photos I've tried to take of this fabric and this project. What looks like a washed out yellow in all the photos is really a very pretty bright yellow-green which matches the frogs in the print. Maybe when it's finished and I can get some outdoor shots the photos will come out better. 

This will soon be a finished flimsy, but I'm planning on finishing the binding on the rainbow charm donation quilt for a Friday finish this week, so even though I dropped everything to make this one, it'll have to wait until I get that one finished. 

Link Up: Midweek Makers