July Stash Report and Goals Update

Wow, July was a pretty incredible month, with almost no blogging to show for it. 

I came down with Covid when I returned from vacation in June, so I quarantined at home until I tested negative and could go on retreat. During my time at home I repurposed a PCQ kit and assembled a long-kitted-up baby quilt UFO. 

Cherie joined me for retreat and we worked on a confidential project. When she was here in February when PCQ's long arm was down, she took two of my charity tops home with her to quilt on her long arm. She brought them back and I bound and finished them. Story to come in a separate post, but here's one of them.  

All of this used some yardage, but I also acquired some, too. I invested in some much needed low volumes using a gift certificate my students had given me in thanks for teaching the color class. And of course I couldn't go to Ritter without buying something from Shiela's shop!

The biggest accomplishment for July was the pink Scrappy Serendipity and its pattern. 

July Stash Report:

IN this month: 5-3/4 yards (3 yds low volume prints from Prickly Pearadise. 2-3/4 yds from Ritter.)
OUT this month: 13-1/2 yards (Backing for Stacked Slabs - 4 yards. Backing for Lozenges - 4 yards. Binding for Stacked Slabs, 5/8 yd. Binding for Lozenges, 5/8 yd. Binding for pink Scrappy Serendipity, 1/2 yd. Sashing for black & red churn dash, 1/2 yd. Top for bright Plus baby quilt. about 2 yards. Backing for same, 1-3/8 yards. binding, 3/8 yard. )

IN YTD: 44 yards
OUT YTD: 79-5/8 yards
YTD Net Change: 35-5/8 yards out

Nicely moving in the right direction, and I'll have more to count out yet this year as I finish the teal project and some other WIPS. 

Speaking of the teal project, assembling the top is one of my goals for August. 

Goals Update: 

July Recap: 

1. Finish the last two blocks for the teal value study project. DONE. Also pieced the border blocks. 

2. Repurpose a kit from PCQ Community Service and make a top. DONE, red & black Churn Dash. (No photo yet, story & photo later)

3. Plan for and attend retreat at Ritter Ranch. YES!!! Best retreat ever!!!

4. Quilt the pink Scrappy Serendipity quilt. Yes, quilted, bound, and finished. Needs PCQ label for donation. 

5. If possible, quilt the Cherry Jubilee quilt. No, I only had one time slot on the long arm so this will have to wait until August. 

Other: Pieced Orange Plus baby quilt UFO, long kitted up, and quilted it on my domestic machine. Photo and story to come later. 

I need to take some photos of some of these projects and post about them. Stay tuned! 

August Goals: 

1. Quilt Cherry Jubilee next time I have a time slot on the long arm. 

2. Assemble the Teal Blocks into a top.

3. Test a smaller scale Scrappy Serendipity block for a baby quilt.

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

5. Work on the confidential project from retreat.

6. Start thinking about a new complicated long term piecing project. 

Perhaps I should add something about writing blog posts to my August goals. The hold-up is getting good photos. The sunlight is brutally strong and the shade is deep dark, so I've been having trouble getting decent photos lately. Plus it's 110 degrees here in the afternoons, not fun to be outdoors wrestling with quilts. I may have to make do with indoor photos. 

All the Teal Blocks Are Finished

Whoo-hoo! I finally got those last two blocks for the teal project done, the ones with the hourglass units. Still don't love those units, but I'm getting better at squaring them up. 

And do you see what else I got done? All the border blocks!!! The top row (not in this photo) and the bottom row are sewn together. The sides will be added to each row as I join the blocks in to rows. I don't plan to get this to the finished flimsy stage this month, but maybe next month. We'll see. 

Linking up with Alycia Quilts 7/11 and Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 7/14

Pink Scrappy Serendipity Top, and Pattern

Before I went on vacation in June, I finished another Scrappy Serendipity top. I swear, these blocks are addictive. The fun comes from selecting the fabric combos one block at a time, not knowing exactly what the final quilt will look like. It's amazing what I found in my scraps and my stash that I had forgotten I had! 

My first version was totally scrappy. My second version was curated scrappy, blues and greens. Both versions worked well. Now my third version is curated scrappy also, in pinks and purples, but this version features one consistent background fabric. 

I wanted to use one consistent background fabric in this version instead of a scrappy background. Both options work, but I do like the constant background here with all the variety in the pink and purple prints. The fabric is a confetti print on white that I had in my stash. Because there is a lot of cutting involved, by using a constant background fabric I was able to die cut 2-1/2" strips which made the cutting go much more quickly.

The block is 10 inches finished. The earlier quilts were 6 by 8 block layouts for 60" by 80" quilts. The pink version is a 5 by 6 block layout, 50" by 60".

Making this version also served as a test for the Scrappy Serendipity pattern. The pattern is ready to go now. 

I will be sharing the pattern with members of PCQ. While not specifically developed as one of our community service charity patterns, it would certainly work. I am offering the PDF for any charitable purpose. It looks great in patriotic prints! 

If you would like the Scrappy Serendipity pattern PDF, leave a comment. YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL WITHIN THE TEXT OF YOUR COMMENT, otherwise I have no way of sending it to you. 

Linking up with Alycia Quilts 7/4, and Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 7/7

June Stash Report and Goals Update

I was away on vacation for a couple weeks in June, so not much quilty stuff happened. 

I managed to piece together a larger size version of PCQ Community Service's Irish Chain pattern in a curated palette so I could check the yardages, etc. I turned in the top and the pattern early in the month and promptly forgot all about it. No photo, sorry.  

I did finish another Scrappy Serendipity top, this one using all one background fabric. I made it to test the yardage requirement for the background if using all one fabric. And also because I liked the analogous pink/purple palette. This scrappy pattern works so well in analogous colors. This version finished at 50 by 60 inches, a good kid size throw. 

 (Pardon the crooked indoor photo. It's 114 degrees outside right now

 and I don't feel like going out there in the heat to take photos.)

Along with sewing the top, I wrote up the pattern. I also designed and wrote patterns for two friends. One had a QOV eagle panel that turned out to be squares (blocks) so we came up with a diamond medallion layout and I gave her dimensions, cutting, etc. She has already finished the quilt and it turned out looking good. The other friend wanted a layout for some BOM blocks of an awkward size, and after struggling to come up with something that would fit, I gave her a couple options with measurements. 

My other accomplishment for the month was just one more hourglass block of the three remaining for the teal project. Now only two to go!

No stash was added this month. I didn't even visit a single quilt shop on my vacation! But since I finished this Scrappy Serendipity top, I get to count its fabrics out, and the yardage of mine used for the Irish Chain test. 

June Stash Report

IN this month: 0
OUT this month: 11 yards (Irish Chain test sample, my fabrics, about 5 yards. Pink Scrappy Serendipity top, about 6 yards.)

IN YTD: 38-1/4 yards
OUT YTD: 65-5/8 yards

YTD Net Change: 27-3/8 yards out

Goals Update: 

June Recap: 

1. Piece a top for pattern testing an enlarged version of the Irish Chain pattern for Community Service. Edit pattern. Turn in top and pattern on 6/6. DONE

2. Work on the teal value study blocks. Yes, but still have two left to make.

3. Work on the Leftover Strata project. No, not touched.

4. Quilt Cherry Jubilee on 6/29. No, time slot cancelled. 

5. Work on design requests from two friends in EQ. Yes, provided a QOV pattern for Cherie's eagle blocks and two layout options for Paula's BOM blocks. 

6. Play with color combos for Scrappy Serendipity in EQ and start another fabric version. Yes, made a pink/purple version with one fabric for the background. Wrote up the pattern for both versions, two sizes. 

7. Prep for retreat in July. Yes, the collaborative project with Cherie is ready to go, and I'll take along the Postage Stamp project and the Leftover Strata project.

Wow, it looks like I got a lot more quilty stuff dome in June than I thought. Not so much sewing, but a lot of designing, calculating, and writing. 

July Goals: 

1. Finish the last two blocks for the teal value study project.

2. Repurpose a kit from PCQ Community Service and make a top. Must be smaller than the twin bed size originally kitted up.

3. Plan for and attend retreat at Ritter Ranch.

4. Quilt the pink Scrappy Serendipity quilt

5. If possible, quilt the Cherry Jubilee quilt.