WIGSP*

*Work In Glacially Slow Progress

On my wall 3/6/17

This is my Piecing Group project, a hand-piecing bee project that's been in work since 2008. It's been through seven go-rounds when it was my turn to hand out, and a total of 30 people have now worked on it, since people have left the group and others have joined over that time. It won't be handed out in Piecing Group any more because it's now in too few parts to go around.

It's currently in rows and half-rows. There are two rows of black triangles at the top, then three rows of pieced units that form hexies, and these rows are all sewn together and pressed. After that there are half-rows joined in pairs; these were returned after the last piecing go round. Everything down to the horizontal gap has been pressed.

Pressed rows

My friends in Piecing Group know I have arthritis etc. in my hands and hand sewing has become much more difficult than it was when this project was started. Several of the girls got together and joined up the sections they were working on. Everything below the gap on the wall is completely sewn together. I'm very grateful to them for doing so much extra work on my project. The big section they put together is not pressed yet; it will be a tedious job to press it so that's my goal for this week.

Unpressed section

Not on the wall yet are three more rows that form hexies. Then after that there will be two more rows of black triangles for the bottom border. 

It will be awhile - a very long time - until this is a finished top. One of my friends has offered to continue helping me with it, and I appreciate her help very much. When it's finished this will be a queen size quilt and I'm definitely keeping this one for me. I still love the luminous effect of all those sparkling colors against the black.


Linking up with Patchwork Times, Em's Scrapbag, Love Laugh Quilt

Welcome Home - Finished

Welcome Home 

This is a small quilt - 45" square - made from a few FQs I received in a STLMQG swap/challenge event a couple years ago, plus some stash. I don't know the name of the fabric line, so if anyone does, please let me know in the comments.

Welcome Home, Detail

It was pieced at one or another of my bee sew days and the top sat in a box for awhile. I had time in February so I got it quilted and bound. This quilt has always been intended as a donation quilt. I like that it's gender neutral and cheerful.

I was able to use up some stash for the backing, too.

Backing from Stash

Do you follow Sarah Craig's blog, Confessions of a Fabric Addict? Sarah hosts a quilt drive called Hands2Help every spring. One of this year's charities is the St. Louis International Institute, an organization that helps immigrants. Since I live in St. Louis, I'll choose this charity instead of mailing my donation quilts off to one of the other charities this year. I think the houses/trees/neighborhood theme of these prints are perfect, don't you? So I'm calling this quilt "Welcome Home."

I also finished my Boomerang Patches quilt in February:

Boomerang Patches Baby Quilt

It, too, is intended as a donation quilt. At about 36" x 46" it's a nice baby quilt size. For twice left-over and recycled scraps and 4-patches, I think it came together pretty well. I added the green/blue stripe from my stash to the boomerang patches so I could use it for the binding and it would relate. I do love a striped binding!

Boomerang Patches, Detail

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts

February Stash & Goals Update

A couple of finishes helped this month:

Donation quilt, 45 x 45", ready for the binding to be sewn down. 

Boomerang Patches Baby Quilt

February Stash Report:
IN: 12.5 yards (3/8 yd white-on-white for snake QOV; 12-1/8 yds from fabric swap)
OUT: 21 yards (1/2 yd for Boomerang top; 3/8 for binding; 1-1/2 for backing; 1-3/4 yd backing for donation quilt & 1/2 yd for binding; 16-3/8 yds donated to fabric swap)
Month change: 8.5 yards out
I definitely did okay at the guild fabric swap. I took 16-3/8 yards to give away and only brought home 12-1/8 yards.

YTD IN: 19-1/4 yards
YTD OUT: 35-1/4 yards
YTD Net Change: 16 yards out

February Goals Recap:
1. Keep up with Pat Sloan Solstice Challenge blocks. Yes, with modifications to suit me.
2. Finish Boomerang Patches baby quilt into a flimsy. Done - not only a flimsy but quilted and bound. 
3. Cut pieces & paper-piece arcs for more snake blocks for next sew day at Kevin's. Cut more blue pieces and made one complete snake block. Still need to make more arcs.
4. Make progress on Roman Road WIP. Not touched. Instead, finished a small donation quilt that was a UFO. 
5. Make progress hand piecing my Piecing Group project. Yes - finished sewing top borders on and started pressing all the sections returned by Piecing Group members.
6. Keep up with bee blocks. Done.

March Goals:
1. Keep up with Pat Sloan Solstice Challenge blocks.
2. Start a Hands2Help donation quilt
3. Start planning a 12 Days of Christmas in July project requested by my son.
4. Make progress on Roman Road WIP.
5. Make progress hand piecing my WIVSP* Piecing Group project.
6. Keep up with bee blocks.

*Work In Very Slow Progress

And because I'm pleased with how the Boomerang Patches baby quilt turned out, here are a few more pics:

I stitched in the ditch around the dark blue border, and quilted it with an allover large meander using light turquoise thread on the front and white on the back.

Lately I've been applying binding to the back first, then glue-basting and stitching it down to the front. I was able to preserve the points even though they go all the way to the edge of the quilt, without adding a surround border.

This little quilt finishes at about 36 x 45". Gotta love that stripey binding! The back is a pale aqua print I got at the fabric swap. I like how the SID quilting around the blue border gives the back a border too.

Monday Link-ups: Patchwork Times, Em's Scrapbag, Love Laugh Quilt

Almost a Finish But Not Quite Yet

Once I finished the Boomerang Patches flimsy I couldn't move on to quilting it because I didn't have enough of anything suitable in my stash for backing, not even enough to piece together. So I set it aside and hoped to get something at the guild fabric exchange. 

Meanwhile I pulled out a UFO, a small top I had pieced at a sew day using FQs from a STLMQG fabric swap/challenge. This was always intended to be a donation quilt. 

I found suitable fabrics in my stash to piece together a backing. I quilted it with an allover meander. 

The binding is prepped. Hopefully I'll get this little quilt (45") bound and finished this week. Unfortunately it's too small for any of the Hands2Help charities, but I'll find a local place to donate it. 

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict

CSQ Fabric Swap

Last night my guild held our annual Fabric Swap social meeting, always a fun event. The way it works is, you bring whatever you want to de-stash, and you take home whatever you want. This year's fabric swap was special because it included the stash of our late friend Kathleen, who had a deep stash and excellent taste.

Two dining tables, three card tables, a folding table, and a credenza were all filled like this. Everyone circulated and took whatever they wanted, and everyone came away a) satisfied, and b) taking home more than they swore they would. I don't know how many times I heard "Oh, I really don't need anything, but..." as someone picked up yet another piece of fabric.

I de-stashed 16-3/8 yards, some of which was promptly snarfed up by a couple of close friends. I was specifically looking to get backing for my Boomerang Patches baby quilt - I even took swatches with me for color.

I restrained myself - I really did. I found the perfect light aqua for backing and there's enough I won't have to piece it. I should have stopped there, but a few other pieces called my name.

I haven't counted the yardage yet, but I'm sure there's quite a bit. There's a 4-yard piece of navy print that would work for backing for a QOV. A 1-1/2 yard piece of pastel print, good for backing for a donation quilt. And a bunch of smaller pieces, just because I liked them, no specific purpose in mind.

Any fabric that was left over, and there's always some, goes to Charity Sharity where it's used by charitable groups. The only things remaining at the hostess's house were threads, lint, empty tables, and leftover desserts.

Best of all it was a fun evening with my friends, a social event we look forward to every year. So I'm sharing this story at Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts today.

Progress on this and that...

My design wall is still busy with several projects:

Lower left: the Boomerang Patches baby quilt is a finished flimsy. I staystitched around it but didn't trim the extra points off; I'll cut them off after quilting.

Lower right: Solstice Challenge blocks. Again, I put my own spin on some of them. I again chose to feature a print instead of appliqueing hearts for week 8, and I've kept all my blocks 12" instead of making any of them larger.

Across the top is my WIVSP*. I'm working on pressing all the seams in the sections that my friends returned to me after Piecing Group.

The pressing is slow going; I'm spinning the seams where all the triangles meet and wrangling all this is a slow process. Not to mention a bit hot on the fingers! Better to do it now than to wait until the sections are too large to handle. But it sure is boring.

This is how projects become UFOs. But I have too much into this one to let it become a UFO. Too many friends have helped me work on it and I owe it to them to finish it, and besides, I still think it's pretty cool even after all these years so I want to see it finished. So I'll keep plugging away at the pressing.

I haven't posted a stash report in awhile so here's a quick update -
IN this month, 3/8 yard white-on-white for more snake blocks.
OUT this month: 1/2 yard for the baby quilt top, used for supplemental patches and borders. I'm not counting the boomerang patches.

The stash ins and outs will change tomorrow. My guild is having our annual fabric swap. I've pulled some no-longer-loved and/or already used selections, and I'm hoping to come home with something I can use for the backing of the baby quilt.

*Work In Very Slow Progress

Linking up with Patchwork Times, Em's Scrapbag, and Love Laugh Quilt

Framed Nine Patch Video by TeaQuilts

I'm honored and flattered!

A few months ago I gave a trunk show at Tea's guild, and I showed my Framed Nine Patch quilts as well as my Cut and Shuffle Quilts from my book.

Original Framed Nine Patch, 2004

Framed Nine Patch, 2005, Baby Gift for Coworker

Tea - of TeaQuilts - leads a Scrap Club and she chose my Framed Nine Patch for her group to make. She used my tutorial, then she made a video to show them how she made her version.
You can see her video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNn87gTGsEg

Screen Capture from Tea's Video

Tea does a wonderful job of explaining her fabric and color choices, and I love her palette and how her fabrics work together. She also adds tips for managing seam allowances, and for arranging blocks without a design wall. I highly recommend you check out her video.

Here's a screen capture from the video of her blocks all laid out. She made her version a little bigger, using 13 FQs for a 3 x 4 block layout, 36" x 48".

Tea's Blocks Laid Out (Screen Capture from Video)

My friend Cherie of the Quilted Jonquil is a member of Tea's scrap club and she made a Framed Nine Patch, using her signature thrifted shirts. So cute! check it out here.

My Framed Nine Patch tutorial is in two parts. Part 1 here is all about fabric selection and making the starter framed squares. Part 2 here is about cutting the starter blocks, shuffling the parts, arranging them back together, and adding an optional border.

I've made several F9Ps over the years - they make great baby quilts. Here are the most recent:

Peach Combo, Baby Gift in Nursery Colors

F9P with Border, Tutorial Sample

In Tea's video she mentions my book, Cut and Shuffle Quilts. Thanks so much, Tea, for supporting a fellow quilter and promoting my book. 

The Framed Nine Patch was actually the precursor to the cut and shuffle concept. If you're interested in making parent blocks, cutting them up, shuffling the parts, and creating something totally new from the parts, check out the Cut and Shuffle Quilts tab above. If you're interested in purchasing a book, please leave me a comment.