More Crossroads Wheel Blocks

Some new fabrics have recently come my way, and they've made it into these latest blocks. My friend shopped for me at retreat, and I shopped online and at a couple of local quilt shops. Even with buying only quarter yard or half yard cuts, my stash report will take a hit this month. It's okay. 

Here's a closer look. I'm fussy cutting wherever it makes sense. 

A bit of Kaffe

Do you see propellers? 

Another cactus print

I need three more blocks, and I've selected fabrics for them. Plus, I have one existing block I want to replace entirely, and another I want to revise. 

I really need to set this project aside and work on my grandson's b-day quilt. I have fabrics for it, but I'm still playing with design options in EQ. I need to have the quilt finished before February. My scheduled time on the long arm in January is the 8th, so I must have the top done, and backing and batting in hand by then. Since Jo-Ann's closed, I guess I'll have to search online for video game themed fleece for the back. Or solid grey would work. 

Link ups: Alycia Quilts 11/21,  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 11/24

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

And Once Again, the New Project Completely Takes Over My Attention

So, this was supposed to be a long-term project. Funny how that is not happening...

One test block became another. And then I couldn't resist pulling fabrics for a third block. Each block is its own palette, and it's fun to pull favorite fabrics and combine them. Plus, a new FQ order arrived, ordered specifically for this project, with some fussy cutting possibilities. 

With all this practice, sewing those tight curves has gotten easier and they're coming out smoother. This quilt is planned to be 20 blocks, so I have a few to go. 

I'm trying hard to make the blocks not all matchy-matchy. I want some clashiness in most blocks and in the overall palette for interest. It's really hard for me to do clashy!

So far, there are no repeated fabrics. With six fabrics per block I don't know if that will last or if I'll eventually have to repeat something. We'll see. 

Link Ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 10/6;  Alycia Quilts 10/10

September Stash Report and Goals Update

It seems like I was sewing almost every day this month. What do I have to show for it? Not many blog posts, that's for sure. I was quilting on things that either are not bound yet, or belong to someone else. I made some piecing progress, or not...

I thought I had finished the teal top, but blog readers saw that I attached the bottom border upside down. That needs to be fixed before I can count the top finished. 

Teal quilt with OOPS bottom border

I did a lot - for me - of long arm quilting this month, helping a friend. On the piecing front, I made progress on some existing projects, and I started something new. My stash report is still looking good; a lot more has been used than purchased. 

September Stash Report

IN this month:  5-3/4 yards (2 yards video game print. 3-3/4 yards from FQ order.)

OUT this month: 4-1/2 yards (Backing for black and red churn dash, 4-1/2 yards.)

IN YTD: 51-3/4 yards

OUT YTD: 93-1/8 yards

YTD Net Change: 41-3/8 yards OUT

Positively Scrappy blocks

Goals Update

September Goals:

1. Help Edna quilt her large quilt on the long arm. May take two sessions. Done - We got hers done in one session, so we quilted one of mine during the other session we had booked. 

2. Assemble the teal blocks into a top. Progress - I thought I was done but the bottom border is sewn on upside down. Sheesh! 

3. Piece franken-batting for the red & black churn dash top. Done. And also quilted. Photos and story to come later. 

4. Piece backing for the Postage Stamp top. See if I have enough batting off-cuts to franken-batt together for it. Backing made. Franken-batt was used for the red and black churn dash. Batting for the Postage Stamp quilt was requested and received from PCQ. 

5. Make progress on the Leftover Strata top. No, change of plan. Since it's already kitted up, I'm saving this project to work on at social sewing or a future retreat. 

6. Make progress on the new scrappy project. Progress: Blocks made and sewn into columns. Now named Positively Scrappy.

7. Make backing for windmill baby quilt. Yes, have backing and batting and will quilt this on my domestic machine. 

Other: Found inspiration for a new challenging long-term project; made templates and a test block. 

Test block; I'm calling my version Crossroads Wheel

although there are similar patterns out there with other names.

October Goals: 

1. Quilt the Postage Stamp quilt.

2. Bind the red and black churn dash top. 

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

4. Quilt the windmill baby quilt on my domestic machine. 

5. Finish piecing the Positively Scrappy top.

6. Make some more blocks for the new Crossroads Wheel project.

7. Start planning a new video game-themed quilt for grandson's birthday. 

8. Make a banner for my souvenir pins.

Looks like I have a busy month planned!

 
The weather is finally starting to cool off a bit here. The snowbirds are coming back and fall activities are starting up in PebbleCreek. When the snowbirds come on social sewing days, the classroom gets crowded. PC's Sewing Club will resume having classes twice a month, which reduces the studio time available for those of us who sew and socialize on Wednesday mornings and then go out to lunch. I may or may not participate is some of Sewing Club's events, depending on what project they're doing. But it will be good to see friends again who've been away for a few months!

Teal Value Study: Finished Top

 On my list of goals for this month was to finish piecing
the top of the teal value study project.
Voila!

 Just an indoor photo on my wall today;
I'll get better outdoor photos later after it's quilted.
I'm keeping this one, so I'll have to get batting for it.
I have fabric for the backing which I'll need to piece together. 

Updated to thank blog readers who noticed the bottom border 

is upside down. Thank you; I will get that fixed right away. 

Link ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 9/29;  Alycia Quilts 10/3

A Possible New Project?

One of my goals for the last couple of months has been to think about a new challenging long term project. After hours of scrolling Pinterest and playing in EQ, I may have something. 

But it involves templates, paper piecing, and tight curves. Do I really want to do this? I need to make a test block to try it out. So of course I had to first make the templates and paper piecing segments. 

This certainly meets the criteria. It's neither fast nor easy. Let's see where this goes. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Positively Scrappy Progress

The Plus blocks are all made and are up on the wall, but not carefully placed yet. I need to move them around so that the same fabric isn't touching itself or in line with itself. And I see two patches that are too dark that need to be replaced, easy fixes at this stage. 

Even though the background fabrics are all low volumes and the Plus fabrics are black or charcoal variations, this quilt has A LOT of color and print in it. So different from how I usually do low volume backgrounds. 

After I get these blocks arranged, I'll make the ones for the tops and bottoms of the half-drop columns. I don't want to make them until I know which fabrics they'll be adjacent to, so I can avoid using those same fabrics. 

These blocks will finish at 8" so the quilt will be 56" by 72", a good size for a throw. 

As is often the case, this new project captured my attention and has completely taken over. I haven't touched any of the other WIPs on my to-do list. Funny how that happens...

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Positively Scrappy, Not Yet Ready for the Design Wall

Once again, I saw something inspiring on Pinterest. It was credited to "StitchMischief, Dec. 2020," but I can't find the link now. It's a scrappy quilt similar to but not the same as Scrappy Serendipity. This design features dark Plus motifs on a colorful low volume background. Here's the inspiration photo: 

Credit: Stitchmischief, Dec. 2020, via Pinterest

Edited 9/9: Link to image source: Instagram

In my ongoing efforts to use up scraps and stash, I pulled out everything that could work for the black or charcoal plus shapes. Then I pulled out all the harder-to-use low volumes, the ones with light grounds but a lot of color or pattern or contrast in them. After raiding my scraps, I also cut bits from yardage. Didn't make a dent! 

Now I'm in the process of making blocks. I think I'll need 54 of them. 

Just a few more needed, then I can lay them out on the design wall. Like Scrappy Serendipity, this design uses a half-drop layout, so I'll have to make end blocks for some of the columns. 

One of my goals last month was to think about a new long term project. This is the project that called to me, not long term at all, but I am having fun with it. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quils

August Stash Report and Goals Update

I had some finishes this month; thus, I had good stash usage. I've been making an effort to use as much as possible from my stash this year, and my stats are looking good. 

The big finish was Cherry Jubilee. The fabrics in the top were already counted out, but now that it's finished I can count the backing and binding. 

Cherry Jubilee

Backing for the UFO baby quilt also counts, as does the top of the pinwheel baby quilt (no photo yet).

Wanda's Squares UFO baby quilt

August Stash Report

IN this month: 2 yards (Bob's Variety- 2 yards.)

Out this month: 9 yards (Backing & binding for UFO Baby quilt, 1-3/4 yards,  Backing for Cherry Jubilee, 4-1/2 yards.  Windmill baby quilt top, 2-3/4 yards.)

IN YTD: 46 yards

OUT YTD: 88-5/8 yards

YTD Net Change: 42-5/8 yards out.

Goals Update

This month was so-so on the goals front. Some accomplishments, something extra, and something untouched. 

August Recap: 

1. Quilt Cherry Jubilee next time I have a time slot on the long arm. Done. Also bound; needs label.

2. Assemble the Teal Blocks into a top. No, not touched. 

3. Test a smaller scale Scrappy Serendipity block for a baby quilt. Done. Not pursuing this because it consumes more than my available one yard of background fabric. 

4. Make a back for the red & black churn dash. Done. 

5. Work on the confidential project from retreat. Progress.

6. Start thinking about a new complicated long term piecing project. Started cutting for a new scrappy project; don't know how long term it will be. 

Other: pieced a windmill baby quilt top. No photos yet; separate post coming soon. 

September Goals: 

1. Help Edna quilt her large quilt on the long arm. May take two sessions. 

2. Assemble the teal blocks into a top. 

3. Piece franken-batting for the red & black churn dash top. 

4. Piece backing for the Postage Stamp top. See if I have enough batting off-cuts to franken-batt together for it. 

5. Make progress on the Leftover Strata top. 

6. Make progress on the new scrappy project. 

7. Make backing for windmill baby quilt. 

Cherry Jubilee

Finally finished! 

I started this top back in November, pieced with lots of tiny scraps. Then the top sat for a while. I finally had an opportunity to make the backing and quilt it. Bonus, I got the binding on, too. 

Because of the cherry red and cream color palette and some low volume prints with cherries in them, I'm naming this quilt Cherry Jubilee. I really like how it turned out. 

For the backing, I used a beautiful William Morris print in burgundy that I had purchased for something else and then opted not to use. I had almost enough, so I spliced in a little of the burgundy print fabric used for the binding. 

Can I say again, I really like how this turned out. My husband likes this one too, and he almost never comments on my quilts. 

Cherry Jubilee, 64" x 88" 

Link ups: Alycia Quilts 8/28,  From Bolt to Beauty 8/28,  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 9/1,  My Quilt Infatuation 9/4

When "Mindless Sewing" Requires Brain Work

At QuiltCon in February, I picked up a 1-yard cut of a cute ivory/multi star print. Low volume but with a lot of color variety. 

Last week I was in the mood for a little mindless sewing. Nothing complicated, just something that could use the star print and solid colors to go with it, small, for a baby quilt. 

While searching in a drawer for something else, I found an old windmill template I had made years ago. Ah-ha, perfect! I drew the quilt design up in EQ to make sure I had enough yardage, liked the result, and started cutting. 

And that's where the brain work did not kick in when needed. I had forgotten that asymmetrical pieces need to be cut with the fabric all face up, not with the fabric folded together as it comes off the bolt. Not a problem when using solid fabrics, so my seven colors, cut with the fabric folded, turned out okay. 

But definitely a problem when I cut the print with the fabric folded. Half of the cut pieces faced the wrong direction - wrong side up when facing the right direction - and were not usable. Yikes! 

Plan B, find some more prints in my stash that I could use for alternate blocks with the star print and the solids. Back to EQ to design where to place them. With a final plan I could recut the pieces needed and kit up the blocks. 

With different background prints in some of the windmill quadrants, I had to follow the printout carefully, to sew up the right quantities of the correct combos. So much for "mindless sewing." Then I had to lay them out exactly as planned, no possibility of moving colors around because the backgrounds wouldn't match. 

Now, instead of having the star print for all of the background, there are three prints: the stars, a pale yellow batik and a light cream/multi that has yellow, blue, and orange in it. 

It's a baby quilt for donation. It's fine, even though it's not quite as originally intended. Maybe it's more interesting because of the varied background prints? 

Next time I'm in the mood for mindless sewing, I think I'll stick to strips or squares.

PS - Those wrong-side-up cut pieces of the star print are just large enough to eke out a 2-1/2" square, so I'll find another use for them. The cute fabric won't go to waste.

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 8/18 and Alycia Quilts 8/22