The "Found" UFO, Finished

A couple of months ago I needed a project box for something, and I pulled out one that I thought was empty. Surprise! It had a partially assembled top in it. I had taken it to a retreat as my extra project in case I finished whatever else I was working on and still had time. The center of the top was complete, it just needed borders, which were cut and in the box. I guess I put the box back in the cabinet and forgot about it. The top was a quick finish.

I had a donated length of fabric that was perfect for the backing, so I prepped it for quilting when I could get a long arm reservation. Quilting happened at the end of September. Binding was added yesterday, and now it's finished and ready to donate. 

I used black thread for the quilting, a bold choice, but with such simple squares I wanted the quilting to add interest. Yes, it's just a meander, but it adds movement and texture. 

The backing was a donation to PCQ's Community Service Committee back when H. was the chair. She handed me a pile of black and white prints and said, "Do something with these."  The black quilting looks good on the back, too, like it's part of the print.

 

The colored squares in this quilt were left over from the Confetti and Streamers quilt in my blog header. That had to be 2012 or earlier. They sat in a baggie in my scrap drawer forever. Some of the black and white prints in the top were donated by Quilt Diva Julie, and the print with inspirational words was left over backing from an earlier charity quilt. 

This quilt measures 57 by 73" and will be donated to the local family services agency. We learned a few years ago that their teenage girl clients tend to choose quilts that include black, so most of the quilts I've made from the donation of black and white prints have gone to this agency. 

One last photo - An overcast and windy day here! 

Linking up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 10/12 and Alycia Quilts 10/16

PS - for those of you who knew we were vacationing in Perdido Key last week, and were concerned about Hurricane Isaias, we cut our vacation short and flew home Thursday. At the time we changed our plans, the storm was predicted to make landfall at the Florida/Alabama state line, right where we were. We made it home with no problems. 

Checkered Garden Blocks Complete

I fixed the offending block I mentioned in my previous Checkered Garden post. Now I'm much happier with the blocks. This is the final layout, and I can sew the blocks together. 

The color is much closer to real life in this photo, too, compared with some of the earlier photos. 

Link up: Alycia Quilts

September Stash Report and Goals Update

I had a wide variety of goals this month, but I ended up focusing on one and some of the others saw less progress. It's all good. No one is keeping score except me, and the score doesn't matter anyway. 

The project I ended up focusing on was my Checkered Garden blocks. In my last post I had all 20 blocks made, but I wasn't happy with one of them. That has now been fixed, and the result is much better.

Checkered Garden Blocks

I was able to quilt the "Found" UFO during my recent long arm reservation, and I'll show photos as soon as I get it bound. Here's the top; the center was assembled and the strips for the borders were in the project box. Since this is so close to a finish, I'm going to count the fabric out in my stash report. 

"Found" UFO Top

I did purchase a little fabric this month, a few quarter yard and half yard cuts for both Checkered Garden and stash enhancement. While shopping with Edna for something she needed, we found a very nice low volume print that we both stashed. Coming soon in a future project, I'm sure. All in all, though, my stash report is looking good for the year. 

September Stash Report

IN this month: 4-1/2 yards (1/2 yard from Hobby Lobby. 3 Yards from Bob's. 1 yard low volume from Hobby Lobby)
OUT this month: 13-1/2 yards (Binding for Floral X and Plus, 5/8 yard. Found UFO top, 8-1/4 yards; backing, 4 yards, binding 5/8 yard.)

IN YTD: 87-3/4 yards
OUT YTD: 100-1/4 yards
YTD Net Change: 12-1/2 yards OUT

I'm finally in the black! That's likely to change next month as I'll have an opportunity to shop at my favorite Pensacola quilt shop. More stash enhancement...

Goals Update

September Recap: 

1. Work with Edna to remove bad quilting and re-quilt the veteran's quilt. DONE and delivered. We again had some difficulty and some of the replacement quilting had to be ripped out and redone. We suspect the problem has to do with her bobbin case (PCQ requires each of us to have our own) because when we used mine, the quilting came out fine. The bobbin case issue is being addressed with the long arm committee. 

2. Quilt and finish the floral X and Plus quilt. DONE and donated. 

3. Quilt and finish the found UFO quilt. Progress: Quilted, and binding cut but not attached yet. 

4. Make backing for the teal Diabolical Jane quilt. Not done. 

5. Work on the Triangles and Coins project. Progress; changed palette and design and eliminated the coins. Kitted up to sew the columns at social sewing. Purchased sashing fabric. 

6. Work on the other new scrappy piecing project, Checkered Garden inspired by Linda of Kokaquilts. Progress: Made all of the blocks, including taking apart and remaking some that bothered me. Kitted up and ready to assemble top. 

7. Plan a long term and complicated project for future sewing. Progress, maybe??? I've been collecting Pinterest photos but haven't landed on something long term and complicated yet. I have found lots of shorter term projects I'd like to make, so maybe several of those will serve the same purpose, to keep me busy for months. 

8. Make progress on the walking foot quilting on the Kaffe Gradient quilt. No, too hot to wrestle with a heavy quilt. 

Floral X and Plus, finished

October Goals

1. Piece backing for teal DJ2. Quilt it during my next long arm reservation on the 16th. If possible, bind and finish it. 

2. Assemble the Checkered Garden blocks into a top. 

3. Bind the Found UFO quilt and donate it. 

4. Assemble the Triangles (formerly with coins) into a top using the newly purchased fabric for sashing. 

5. Make progress on the walking foot quilting on the Kaffe Gradient quilt. 

6. Continue planning for future projects, either something long-term and complicated, or several easier projects for donations. 

Triangles, revised palette, no coins

This project needs a new name.

Part of planning for future projects involves assessing my stash and determining where I need to fill in. I'll have an opportunity to do some fabric shopping in October, and I want to have a plan. I'm sure I'll come up with something. 

Contemplating Changes

20 Checkered Garden blocks on the wall. 

I like this! it's been fun making the blocks, designing them one at a time. The inspiration fabric is used in all but one of the blocks. I used every inch of it, nothing is left. Many of the other fabrics are repeated in two blocks, making the overall look cohesive. But there is something that bugs me, and even though this is just a donation quilt, I'm going to change it. 

The block that bugs me is the one at the lower left. It needs to have dark-ish corners, but the overall look is too dark, too heavy, too harsh. I may keep the plum fabric in the corners, to balance out the other blocks that have noticeably dark corners. I'll definitely change the outer diamond patches to something lighter, less heavy. Before I sew it back together I'll look at it on the wall and in a photo, and decide if I need to lighten up the outer corner fabric as well. 

Designing the blocks one at a time with cut parts on a tabletop results in blocks that look good individually. But when they're all together, if one or another stands out too much it detracts from the whole. The problem block looked good on the tabletop, and all the fabrics in it harmonize individually with everything else in the palette. But color and value are relative, and when this block is placed next to lighter ones, it reads heavy and dark. 

So, a little seam ripper activity will happen and - hopefully - the revised block will play nicer with the rest of them. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

More Checkered Garden Progress

A few more blocks are done, only two to go...

Maybe it'll be a finished top by the end of the month, we'll see. 

Linking up with Alycia Quilts 9/25 and Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 9/28

Checkered Garden Progress

As usual, a project that requires designing blocks one at a time has consumed me. I'm drawn to it every day, usually laying out one block. My sewing room is a mess, with potential fabrics, cut pieces, and scraps piled up on every available surface. 

Here's my progress so far. 

I have only enough of the inspiration fabric left for the corners in one block, and centers in three others. Careful placement of the substitute fabrics - same value and tone - will be needed. 

The block on the left with the dark corners bugs me. I think I need to replace the corners with a lighter purple that contrasts more with the orange, or else replace the orange with something lighter. Ether way, some seam ripper activity is needed. 

Link Up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Floral Picnic X and Plus

I taught a class featuring the X and Plus block to fellow members of PCQ in May. Several of my students were planning to go to the same retreat as me in July and they were planning to work on their X and Plus projects at retreat. The more the merrier, so I decided to make another X and Plus quilt, this time a donation quilt in floral prints. This palette is totally unlike most of the other versions out there, and very much unlike the Kaffe/black and Christmas versions my friends were making. 

I searched through PCQ's large stash of florals as well as a handful of my own scraps. Some of the prints are used once, some twice. Mostly I wanted variety. 

Everything was cut and ready to work on before retreat so I was able to get the center of the top pieced there. My plan was to add a light stop border and a green solid-ish outer border. But I couldn't find anything of sufficient yardage in my stash or the club's that harmonized with the top. 

One of the girls at retreat was making a picnic quilt that had a bold gingham border. When I found a yard of green gingham in my stash, I took a page from her book and used it for the border. It would make the quilt look more youthful and more casual. 

I cobbled together the back from the random leftover floral prints and a few leftover block quarters. Basically a "free" backing, and no leftover prints to go back into the scrap bins. I quilted it using a pale green thread, bound it in one of the leftover florals, and donated it. It's going to either the local family services agency or to Hospice.

It was fun to work on the blocks at retreat with my friends who were also making their own versions. But I have to admit, this is not my favorite quilt,  But it's a donation quilt and I'm sure it will go where it's needed. 

Link Up: Alycia Quilts