Carried Away

In my previous post (scroll down) I talked about a project to work on at social sewing that would use up scraps. While I was making blocks one at a time at social sewing, it occurred to me that it would be easier and more efficient to make strip sets and sub-cut them. So, I tried that with a couple of red and cream strips of fabric. One WOF strip yields enough pieces for 12 blocks.

Which led to the concept of a whole red and cream quilt. 

Which inspired me to start making blocks. I put a few of them on the wall to see how this would look. Here's one option: 

Here are the same blocks with a different orientation:

Either way it'll be a cool quilt in red and cream. I'll put more blocks on the wall to see if I like the diagonal setting or the chevron layout better. Do you have a preference?

The strips are cut 2" wide and the blocks finish at 6". The blocks are so addictive to make that I may have gotten a bit carried away, making them in batches of four at a time. I now have all of the dark blocks that I need, and many of the light ones, for a twin bed size quilt comprised of five light columns and four dark ones. I'll frame the whole thing with a red border to control all those seams around the edges. 

For a project that started on a whim, this has turned into an obsession! 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

A New Scrappy Project

I need to have a slow project to work on at social sewing, something that won't get finished quickly. Something I can pick up and put down without losing my place in the construction process, since I plan to only work on it once a week, sometimes less. 

I recently saw something on Pinterest (no attribution, if anyone recognizes the source please leave a comment). I liked the image and I thought it might be just what I need. I have an overabundance of 2" strips cut for previous projects, and overflowing scrap drawers. This could work. 

After studying the photo and breaking down how the blocks are made, I made a few test blocks. 

Basically it's all about the placement of lights and darks. I think this will work. I've stocked my project kit with strips of white and off-white, and a random assortment of colors. 

After two days of social sewing, I now have a few more blocks made, enough to see more of the pattern. Even though I studied the blocks and figured out their construction, I've had to use the seam ripper on almost every block so far. Getting the pieces oriented in the right direction to feed under the needle is the biggest issue, but I think I have it figured out now. The light blocks need to feed differently than the dark blocks. Stupid mistakes like not putting the fabrics right sides together generated more seam ripper activity, too. Easy to do in a social environment. These little blocks are addictive to make, though. 

Since the blocks finish at only 6", it will take a lot of them to make even a lap quilt, 55 light and 44 dark blocks for the 54 x 66" size shown above. I think this will make a nice donation quilt. And I'm hoping it will make a dent in my scraps. 

Link up: Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Road Trip, Finished

 Finally! Quilted, labeled, bound, and sleeve sewn on, ready to hang in my foyer. 

Because the piecing is so busy, it didn't need fancy quilting, just a simple meander that I was capable of doing myself. 

The backing is a print in all the right colors that I found at Sheila's shop at retreat last April. Another retreater and I loved it so much that together we bought the whole bolt. 

Even though there were some design missteps and challenges, and quite a bit of seam ripper activity, I enjoyed making this and I'm pleased with the result. It finished at 87 x 90". 

Link ups:  Alycia Quilts 11/22;  My Quilt Infatuation 12/5

Donation Tops from Kevin

A while back, my buddy Kevin the Quilter had asked if he could send me donation tops. He has nowhere to donate them to. Kevin has been busy piecing. Let me tell you, his piecing is exquisite; every seam is perfect on the back. He sent two beautiful tops. 

Did I mention scrappy? Scrappy is definitely Kevin's thing; he used to run a Scrap Club back before covid. I actually found a few familiar favorites among the fabrics here, probably left over from projects we worked on together. The pieces in the top above finish at 1-1/2", and the top is 45 x 60 inches.

I particularly like the layout of this one, so unusual. This top measures 48 x 64 inches. Each of these pieces is 1" - tiny! 

These tops represent many hours of careful piecing, not to mention all the time and effort needed to organize so many scraps and cut so many tiny squares. Thank you, Kevin! 

I have backing for them on order and I'll quilt them at the end of the month. Wide backing fabric in a light blue with white swirls will complement both of these tops. I'll load them side-by-side on the long arm and quilt them both at the same time. 

I enjoy quilting with my new Pebble Creek friends, but I miss my Missouri friends, too. Fond memories of sewing together! 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

The Black and Tan Quilt, Finished

Last spring I was inspired to try to come up with an alternative to Scrappy Celebration that would include pieced triangles. My "Hive" has made several versions of SC and I wanted to try something different. So, I played around in EQ8 for a while. 

As I mentioned earlier, I've long wanted to make a black and tan quilt and I've been collecting fabrics for it for many years. This would be a good project to try in my black and tan combo. 

After playing around in EQ and making some test blocks, I realized that my concept would not work well as a group project. It was challenging enough to get the values and colors right making it myself; it would have been unlikely to come out well with multiple makers choosing their own fabrics. 

It took many revisions in EQ, many test blocks and rejected blocks and block parts, and some additional fabric shopping, but I finally ended up with a layout I liked. Then recently I learned that a friend in Missouri needs a quilty hug, and this quilt would be perfect for him. Since the layout was determined, I sewed the rows together at social sewing a couple weeks ago and got the top pieced. I had time on PCQ's long arm last week so I switched priorities, made the backing, and quilted this one. Now it's a finished quilt and it's in transit to Missouri as I write this. 

The backing is a rust paisley from my stash, but there was not quite enough so I added a strip of the rejected blocks in the back. These were rejected because the red was too blue and too dark, not enough value contrast against the black; they looked like solid dark blobs amongst the other blocks. The stripe called too much attention to itself. The stripe is one of the very first fabrics I collected years ago for my black and tan quilt, but it didn't make the cut after all. 

There are nine different blocks, four built on a 9-patch grid and 5 built on a 4-patch grid. No matching of seams except at the block corners. The black corners of the 9-patch blocks make stars, which continue into the border. The 9-patch blocks read darker and create strong diagonals. Some of the lighter 4-patch blocks also lead the eye on the diagonal. 

               

This was a challenging quilt to create. I really like how it turned out, and I'm thinking of trying the concept again in a totally different colorway, yet to be determined. 

Those of you with eagle eyes may notice that one of the 4-patch blocks is turned differently than the others. Design decision or mistake???? 

Link ups: My Quilt Infatuation, Alycia Quilts

October Stash Report and Goals Update

Wow, busy month. And productive. But not much blogging so I don't have many photos to show for the month. 

In addition to the Lozenges top, I had two big finishes, which will get their own separate posts soon. So my stash report is looking pretty good this month. 

 - Road Trip is now completely finished, and I'm in the process of sewing on the sleeve. It will hang in the foyer of my home. 

 - The Black and Tan quilt was just a collection of blocks a couple weeks ago. Lots of blocks, because I struggled to get the value placement right. A friend in Missouri needs a quilty hug, so finishing this quilt became a priority, and now it's completely finished and ready to mail out. 

October Stash Report

IN this month: 6 yards (from Mulqueen's, khaki Grunge plus text print for stash)
OUT this month: 25-3/8 yards (B-W-B Lozenges top, 7 yards (includes cut-offs and scraps). Black & Tan Quilt: top 10 yards per EQ; back 5 yards; binding 5/8 yard; rejected blocks and spare parts, 2 yards. Binding for Road Trip, 3/4 yard)

IN YTD: 71-1/2 yards
OUT YTD: 92-5/8 yards

YTD Net Change: 21-1/8 yards OUT

Goals Update: 

October Recap: 

1. Prep for and teach lessons 4, 5, and 6 of my color class. DONE. 

2. Make a label for Road Trip. Shop for khaki Grunge for binding and bind the quilt. DONE.

3. If Linda gets it quilted, bind the Autumn Scrappy Celebration quilt. DONE

4. Continue assembling the rows for the black and white lozenges project. DONE, rows are assembled, borders added, and top is finished. 

5. Piece a backing for the Storyboard Stacked Slabs quilt and quilt it on the club's long arm on Oct. 31. Not done; changed priorities and I quilted something else instead during that time slot. 

6. Make the last four blocks for the Black and Tan quilt; start assembling border units. Priority finish; this quilt is now completely finished, bound and labeled and ready to be sent to its new home.

7. Piece the backing for the Kaffe Gradient top. DONE

Other:
 - Figured out how to repair Hiromi's Japanese print quilt and together with her, prepped it for her to complete. 

 - Started new navy & pink charity top based on LCT block.

 - Bound Kaffe Lily Pad & Brown four patch variation charity quilt.

November Goals:

1. Send Black & Tan quilt to a friend in Missouri.

2. Attach sleeve to Road Trip.

3. Put Round About on the wall and figure out how to proceed.

4. Quilt Kevin's tops on the long arm on 11/23.

5. Pin baste or spray baste the Kaffe Gradient top. 

6. Plan a complex or slow piecing project to work on at social sewing. 

7. Finish the navy & pink LCT top.

Four Patch Variation

Sometime last year or the year before, the PCQ community service team kitted up charity quilts in a Four Patch Variation layout. At the time we were pushing for twin bed size quilts and trying to use club fabrics for the kits. 

Someone from PCQ had passed along to me some brown fabrics that were deemed "Too ugly even for the Trash to Treasures sale." While not individually pretty, the fabrics harmonized well enough with a Kaffe lily pad print that we had. We had enough of it for borders plus a few large blocks. The ugly prints became blocks and four patches. 

I happened to have in my stash a light yellow that coordinated nicely and brightened up the rusty brown palette. I kitted it all up, and sewed it together at a couple of Community Service sew days last year. 

Once the top was finished, I put it in the To Be Quilted cabinet for someone else to get to. Several someones, because one had to make the backing, another had to cut the batting, and someone else had to long arm quilt it. I had enough of the brown fabric used in the 4-patches left for binding so I requested that it be returned to me to be bound. After many months in the pipeline, the quilt came back to me and I was able to bind it at the October sew day. A friend at the sew day took photos. 

It takes a village, but it may take a while for the village to finish a quilt. This one has now been donated to the local women's shelter.  They have casitas where a woman with her kids can stay for a few months while they escape from an abusive situation and get ready to move on with their life. The recipient will take the quilt with her when she leaves. 

Link up: Alycia Quilts