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