Gray Anchors in the Waves

I get so excited for Peoject Quilting to start.  Mostly because I love a Challenge!! And the challenge of this, means that I finish a project!! The first weeks challenge is the Pantone color of the year or a Gray and yellow quilt.  Hmm,  I don’t have much of those 2 colors.  

I have a need to make a few baby quilts.  So I started by pulling out the fabrics that had both gray and yellow in them. I laid them on the kitchen table and couldn’t decide.  So Frankie walked thru and decided!! Sometimes you need the second person.  

I then went in the room and found the rest of a charm pack I had left to match the fabric.  It’s called Lakeside Gathering by Moda, a 2015 collection. I then did some playing and found a scrap gray that went with it well. 

So I commenced to cutting.  The gray was the leftover of some backing fabric. So I had to make multiple cuts to make it work.  I decided to go easy since I had a busy week and getting over Covid. I just did a plain pinwheel quilt. 

I alternated the gray and yellow with the leftover charm pack squares. Then I laid them out randomly in the quilt. 

To add some size,  I added a thin 1 inch finished border of gray. Then a 4 inch outer border in the yellow. 

I quilted it using the walking foot with Wavy random lines to appear to be like waves. Just a simple touch. Then a straight line in the gray border and then back to the waves in the outer. 

I backed it with a pieces backing of the leftover yellow and gray. Then did the binding with the last of the gray.

I keep forgetting to put labels on my quilts, so I picked one of my 2021 new Sweetwater ones and ironed and sewed it down.  

Challenge 1 done!! On to the next.  And one of my goals this year is to label my quilts.  So this one has the year!! Perfect way to start it off! 

The photos are taken at Russellville Boat landing.  We are having historically low lake levels.  So with the name of the fabric line and living right off the lake.  We have the perfect location!!

Quilts that sooo Need to get done

Every year I kinda make a list in the notes section of my iPhone of quilts in progress and quilt dreams or just plans.  Well,  in the time I suddenly have to rest,  I thought it would be neat to be like my friend Bea Lee and make a list of quilts for the year. 

 She lists all her projects and at what stage they are all in.  So my challenge is to make the list, add to it as I go and find things in my cabinet and empty baskets in 2021.  But then, keep using up my scraps.  My other goal, is to try and use up fabric instead of buy.  I really want to be able to put all my fabric in my cabinets and not have anything stuffed somewhere.  

As time goes, this post is sadly going to grow,  yep as I discover more undone things and another box. But I stopped at 30 for now.  With my goal being to finish at least 2 things a month,  I should be able to get a big chunk of these done this year. 

1- House quilt- lots of pieces and rows together

2- Small old antique embroidery quilt- only the original blob lock and fabric pulled.  Plan to box the blocks in, maybe like a log cabin.

3-Harvest Road Quilt- blocks cut, a few pieces sewn together 

4-Debbie row by row- omg, so much to do

5-Rooster on board- one section done.  I think this will be a retreat quilt for this year

6- Pumpkin quilt-  fabrics pulled and all in a box

7- Pineapple place mat- needs to be put together and quilted

8- Jelly roll quilt-  undid it for a race demo in class.  Sewed a few corners and now it’s sittin a box. 

9- Moma quilt- I need to make several of these, but for 2 years,  I’ve had fabric pulled for at least one and sitting in a box. 

10- Sunflower quilt- made with my friends daughters clothes for her kids 

11- Sunflower 2- same as above

12-Sunflower 3- yep, same

13- Bow tie quilt-  I cut a bunch of scrap squared to make this and never did it. 

14- Bea Lea Jumbled Sampler-  Accuquilt quilt fit the year

15- Sewcialites- 12 blocks out of 36 blocks done

16- Ultimate beginner Sampler- needs borders, top done. 

17- T quilt from years ago-  at least 2 blocks done.

18- Stained glass window-  lots of blocks done years old

19- animal embroidery-  needs just a few blocks. 

20- Kaffe embroidery quilt- needs borders.  Top done,  at least 2 years old

21- Yenter embroidery-  needs a few blocks finished

22- batik embroidery-  needs a few blocks finished

23- crown of thorns.  Has a few blocks cut out. Several sewn together 

24- Tree quilt- not started

25- Scrap log cabin quilt- not started

26- Selvedge aqua quilt-  some selvedge blocks done

27- string block quilt-  random sized string blocks 

28- pineapple sampler quilt- 3 blocks started. 

29- batik HST quilt- lesson from class

30- persimmon dreams block of the month

31- Pat Sloan star quilt

Yep, all to go along with my year titled Finish!! 

Hunters Star Scrap Quilt

My first officially finished Accuquilt quilt.  Well, outside of class. I bought the cutter back in the spring and my friend Bea Lee suggested the Hunters Star Die.  

Well, it’s about the same time the Scrap Star quilt challenge came out.  So you know it fit this challenge perfect.  

Besides the border and backing, the quilt is 100% scraps.  Even the binding is leftover from another quilts backing. 

Honestly,  using batiks with the Hunters Star die may be the best.  No worries about reversed directions.  Because of the grooves in the Accuquilt pieces this became an awesome leader and ended quilt.  Especially for the 700 masks I made this year.  

I ended up finishing the top at Luthridge in October at a quilt retreat and just never had time to finish it.  So I added the borders this week. One that I also auditioned above at camp.  Yep a leftover. 

The quilt ended up measuring 65x76. 

Then FMQ with a random loop fan looking design I saw on Pinterest. 

Then I made this cute pillow out of all the scraps! 

The backing is a large piece of yardage I bought at a guild fabric sale. 

Our lake levels are drastically down, providing the perfect setting for some photo taking! This quilt may stay with me, well, at least for a little while! 

First finish of the year!!

    

 ast year I didn’t have the time to do the Challenge Quilt that jump starts the Project Quilting Year.  But this year, stuck at home with Covid, it provided the perfect distraction. 

One of the biggest challenges I am giving myself is to use up my scraps.  To use up the excesses of my fabric collections that I know I can make just one more quilt out of.  Well this challenge fit perfect with that goal.  

Several years ago I used this same Jason Yenter Collection in a Project Quilting Challenge Quilt. If I remember right it was called something like, “My favorite favorite collection”.  Well,  I still love the fabric and I am actually using some in my EPP challenge quilt. 

Not sure what I want to do with this quilt,  maybe use it as a wall hanger for a few.  Or give it to a niece as a doll quilt.  

I added a double border to it that added another 6 inches to its size. The backing was hard, I didn’t want to use the collection,  I finally found a random piece in my fabric cabinet I was willing to spare. Then used it as a FMQ sampler and literally just played on it.  Doing these little ones like this, kinda feels good.  I love playing with FMQ! 

Finish...

So this year,  I am choosing a word for the year.  For me.  The word will be “Finish”.  Finish all my undone things from the past,  finish the projects I start.

Yep,  one of my biggest issues is that I get started with sooo many things and never have time to finish.  This is with things around the house, crafting and quilting and even with work.  So,  as not to make a resolution but to pick a word and theme of the year. Maybe with that I will keep it.  Today,  my goal before midnight is to finish one undone thing.  I’ve done well the last few weeks with this and hope to continue on! 

Some of The Quilts of 2020

I lost a lot of photos when my last phone took the dump during Covid and realized it never uploaded to cloud for I think months.  And of course with the busy year and the hundreds of masks, I didn’t finish as many quilts this year as I would have loved too. But again,  truly the year of the nurse. 

Here are some of the quilts I Finished from May til December and a little about them each. I just decided I need to try and record some since I feel I haven’t done well with this for a few years. 

 

Frogs and Arrows.  Kinda came up with this design on my own and sewed as I went along alternating the direction of the flying geese. This was a shower gift for my friend Ed and Kristen. 

Another one that I didn’t follow a formal pattern, just took off and createdz. Still not sure about the background color,  but my little sewing group picked it.  So I went with it! This was given as a prayer quilt to a friend going thru chemo. 

Here’s another quilt long in the making.  One of my first ever quilts was made from the Amy butler prints.  It was the first fat quarter collection that I bought. I thought it was the perfect fabric for my new niece.  Well,  she turned 2 in March and I finished it in May.  But it’s done.  Another part of that clean out I wanted to do in 2020 and did not have time. 

This is a big block Batik quilt. I bought the fabric because you could see bassets in it.  You know I love my basset hounds. This was given to a coworkers wife. 

Now this quilt was the longest in the making for me and maybe my all time favorite.  It’s a Nancy McNally class I took probably 4 years ago.  In true me fashion,I altered and increased the size of her pattern to make it bigger.  

Well, it sat pinned for several years because I just did not know how I wanted to quilt it. Well last year I started a free motion class to update my skills and decided the quilt would work as an awesome sampler.  Not at all perfect, but done.

A big learning curve and boy have I grown on my quilting in the last few years.  I decided to hang it in the drooping sunflowers.  I love my photos.  I love this quilt still more!  I think it’s the one that made me fall in love with Batiks.  Frankie picked it out to give to a friend. Her husband makes all kinds of things, and touches us so much! 

Another top finished I think in 2019 as part of a quilt along.  Hadn’t decided how I wanted it quilted,  so it sat.  I love how it went with the harvest feel,  so I went to the edge of my friend Jenny and Kirby’s field and hung it amongst the corn!! 

Did a lot of detailed quilting on here. Yep,  these tops are helping me grow. 

My coworker lost his young daughter at 27 this year with 3 young kids.  Here is to the first of a few tshirt quilts. Still hard fit me to feel the sunflowers with it, but I think it worked out!! 

The quilt group I lead did the Jelly Roll Snowflake sew along this year.  With normal me fashion,  I did it bright and cheerful.  Then of course played with the quilting.  Given to the pharmacist who took over Frankies dads store for his new baby. 

The Barrister block scrap quilt that I posted about in my last blog.  Hoping to give to a friend who retired last year that we never gave a party too. 

This top isn’t finished in this photo.  Actually going to sew the binding on today while I am stuck at home. But I couldn’t pass up the field.  Sooo many scraps of cotton from a field like this!! Photo in the St. Matthews area. 

And then the scrap HST runner.  A retreat mate from a retreat last year gave me her cut off corner scraps from her quilt.  I used them later for a demo for my sewing class.  I actually by chance had the same Essex linen she used and made myself  this table runner.  Yep,  I think I am gonna keep.  That’s about all I had time for in the Crazy 2020, until my Covid sew in that I shall post tomorrow!! I hope!! 

Barrister’s Block Batik Scrap Quilt

 So it’s been a while since I posted. I wish I would find some time to be better about this. But maybe the challenges that will require it will help me do just that! 

     Kim Lapacek over at Persimon Dreams is hosting a block of the month scrap challenge this year.  My intent before COVID was to try to finish every block into a scrap quilt this year.  I successfully finished one and a top before COVID turned my life hectic.  Well instead of using up scraps, COVID mask making created more. Well now I am finally pushing that to the side and I am sewing up all the scraps I can find. But there still are more and more....

     February block was called the Barrister block.  I actually enjoyed to read the history behind the block, because the name was so odd. The block actually was created and named for a women’s right to practice law.  Sometimes known as the lawyer’s puzzle block. Some say the spikes represent the curls in the woman’s hair or actually wig.  

The block though is completed by all 4 big sections with either side opposing the other. Each smaller section measuring 8 inches to make a 16 inch block. 

This quilt top is 100% scrap. I actually did almost all of it back in March before my nurse work life went crazy.  It sadly barely touched my bin of batiks. 

I quilted the quilt with loops and lines. 

I finished it at the first retreat of 2020 for me since everything else was canceled in October at Lutheridge.  Then yep,  I am just sitting down to make this post.  On my bucket list of stuff to finish up in 2020. 

So here it is.