Both of these classes took place at Essem Textiles in Cloverdale. There are 2 more classes planned and others coming in the future. The Fat-Quarter Teddy Bear starts later this month (in 2 different sizes) and the 3D Pinwheels will be in April. The Teddy Bear class is almost full – but Essem will start a wait list for a 2nd class if there is enough interest! If you haven’t sewn at Essem – you are in for a delightful surprise. The classroom is fantastic, lots of plug-ins, great lighting and the hosts are the BEST!!!
Quilt-as-you-go Table Runner
I taught this class a few weeks ago … the participants were amazing and the table runners so diverse! It was pretty awesome … Here’s a peak at them – finished or in progress
Here is Kathy’s … all finished – including the binding!
And here’s Tina’s … the flowers and dragonflies are so pretty!
I haven’t received pictures from any of the other, but here they all are in progress. They are all so very different!
This is my Quilt-as-you-Go Table Runner. I finished it today and it’s my TGIFF for this week! I used fabrics from Island Batik’s Vintage Lace collection. You can read about the quilt that I made with this collection HERE. For the table runner I used the following fabrics:
Center: Mini Floral Vine Fall
Yellow: Mini Floral Vine Corn
Green: Dots: Pineneedle
Border & Binding: Medallion- Lace Fall
The center was quilted with Silly Moon’s “Drop” ruler.
Today’s Machine Binding Class
I taught the group a ton of tricks for binding quilts totally by machine. I think they enjoyed learning my radical techniques!
Here they are – hard at work. On the le
2 of the participants brought their Quilt-as-you-Go table runners to learn how to do those tricky angled corners and the regular 90 degree corners. How did I miss getting pictures of 2 of the projects? (Sorry, ladies!) As you can see, the bindings turned out fantastic! I’m super impressed with the 2 that did the straight line final attachment. It took me a LONG time before I ventured from decorative stitches! All of the ladies did a fantastic job!
I’ve joined Jen, from Patterns by Jen in doing the monthly colour blocks.
This month, it’s the Pink Peppercorn. (which is actually a berry, not a peppercorn!) The patterns are free each month. However, if you miss a month, there is a small fee, but you can still get the block! You can get the pattern HERE.
This block came together quite quickly … and I used Island Batik fabrics!
And, we are to show off our Pink Quilts. Here are some I have made over the years!
Stitching Stuff
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Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
January – Feb 59 / 59
March 1 – 6
Total: 65 / 65
Percentage =100%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
No shopping and no purchases this week … and nothing finished …
Our challenge was to “create a piece inspired by your assigned Italian destination.”
I was sent Pompeii Red Aurifil colour builder set. It contains 3 beautiful reds: 5002 (Medium Red), 2250 (Red) and 1103 (Burgundy).
Pompeii is a city with lots of red stone buildings and ruins with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano, with the latest eruption in 1944. However, in 79 AD, it’s eruption buried the city and it was abandoned for centuries. In the 1700s, a group of explorers started to dig and discovered that many of the artifacts and people were still intact. Today, Pompeii continues to be an active archaeological dig.(Information obtained from: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/pompeii)
I really didn’t want to work on buildings. Mount Vesuvius looks beautiful, but doesn’t have any red features. What to do?
Then, as I was surfing the internet more, I came across some amazing pictures of the mountain erupting. This photo is the inspiration for my mini quilt.
I started with making the sky … the light blue and the dark blue (Both were scraps of 10″ squares from the Starry Night stack I had). I added the 2 brown fabrics for the mountain: one is Wavy Dots-Cappuccino and the other is Brownie. The orange fabric was from a stash builder bundle. These were all joined with wavy improv seams. In the 2nd picture, the 3 threads on the left are the Pompeii threads, the 3 on the right are from my thread stash. The grey was intended to be used for the smoke but I didn’t use it. This piece measured 19 1/2″ x 20″ … I thought with adding a border, It would easily be 20″ x 20.”
Once the base was made, I used Hobbs fusible batting and the backing is “Brownie.” I LOVED using the fusible batting, there was absolutely NO need for spray … and I knew that it would not shift while I was quilting.
I wanted to stretch myself and thought I’d do some thread painting. I started by using the 3 Pompeii Red threads. This was sewn on my Janome M7, using the straight free motion stitch and the free motion zig-zag stitch #1.
It definitely needed the lighter threads … so I went to my Aurifil stash (yes, I do have many, many colours!) I chose the following threads: 2134 (Spun Gold), 2140 (Orange Mustard), and 2220 (Light Salmon).
Wow … I used over 10 bobbins of thread and it shrunk … A LOT!!! I knew it would likely shrink a little, but I was shocked at how much it did! After I squared it up and added the border, this mini is 16″ x 18.” I knew it would likely shrink a little, but I was shocked at how much it did! And it shrunk the most in the middle and was an hourglass shape!
This is my finished piece and I called it “Mt. Vesuvius Eruption.” Not a very imaginative title, but at least I have named it!
I was walking by a fitness studio and saw this sign in the window … I pondered it for awhile and then thought, “This makes a lot of sense.”
When you think about working on a UFO, that’s what you’re doing. Thinking. However, if you take the UFO out of the box and start working on it … that’s Action. How many times have you been working on something and all of a sudden, it’s “Let’s get this done!” That’s Motivation. I find that often happens to me. So I Need to take some Action and work on a UFO … who knows – maybe in March, I can show you a finish!
So how are you doing with your PHD in 2022 February progress?
My Tally Sheet
No UFO finishes this month, but two, Macaron Mystery and the SAHRR are seeing some progress.
The first chart shows my overall PHD standing and New Starts … the 2nd more colourful chart shows all the tasks, or steps I need to take to complete my UFOs.
This first one is my February, Island Batik project “Row by Row.” I had a beautiful fabric collection called Vintage Lace by Kathy Engle. You can read about this quilt HERE. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting, Aurifil thread and Schmetz needles. As well, I used the Accuquilt Qube 8″ die set to cut all the blocks.
This is my favourite finish in February. I’m linking to Meadow Mist Designs.
I’ve already talked about this little basket. You can read about it HERE.
DrEAMI
Then there is the DrEAMI I made. DrEAMI stands for Drop Everything And Make It. You know about those projects! Sandra, of MMM Quilts has a linky party each month for us to show our DrEAMIs. They are also known as Squirrels …
Here’s how my DrEAMI came about: On the guild Facebook page, one of the members posted a cute Thread-catcher … my comment at the time was “No! No! No! I’ve got NO time to make these!!! But why oh why did I bookmark the page????????? And I’m thinking about what fabrics to use ….” It was bugging me … I just HAD to make it!
The pattern / tutorial can be found at The Sewing Chick, HERE.
I used Island Batik Fabrics. The main fabric is Buildings-Peon, the lining is Chevron-Gaze and the binding is Columns-Olive … all from the Deco Revival collection. The small pieces are scraps from the same collection. Along with the canvas, Hobbs 80/20 batting was used and it was quilted with Aurifil thread.
This basket didn’t take long at all. Less than 3 hours, and that included the hunt for the canvas (it wasn’t in my sewing room), writing down the fabrics used and re-cutting the lining because I goofed when cutting out the corners (my own fault). The pattern is easy to follow!
Stitching Stuff
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Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
January 1-30 – 31 / 31
February 1-27 – 27 / 27
Total: 58 / 58
Percentage =100%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
This week … the Wagon Broke … and I bought fabric!
I can easily justify it. (Can’t we all?) It’s Island Batik fabric!!! And I found it at a store within about 3 miles of my house! Castle’s Sewing Center. They don’t have a lot, but they have 8 bolts!!! That’s a start! Especially since I haven’t been able to find it anywhere else in the lower mainland! (I’m talking at least 100 miles or more). Yes, Over the Rainbow in Washington carries Island Batik fabric, but it’s a huge hassle to cross the border right now and return to Canada – so I’ll be staying put!
I bought 3 m of the neutral … It’s a chevron with hints of blue … of course I fell in love right away. And, I DO have a plan for it!
The fabric basket used 1/2 yard of fabric and my DrEAMI used 3/4 yard.
So, last week, after having a root canal, I taught a Basket class at Essem. There was only one participant in the class, Wendy. She was super speedy and was able to finish up her basket very quickly! She’s used a variety and Kafe fabrics and her basket is stunning! Don’t you agree?
Here is my basket. I used fabric from my stash. I used 2 fabrics and like the effect! If you’d like to learn how to make this basket – let Simina or Rajan at Essem know and they’ll start a wait list.
Machine Binding Class
On March 10, I will be teaching a binding class at Essem. You will learn how to attach binding totally by machine! There will be lots of time-saving tricks and the results will be amazing! I’ll be demonstrating regular binding, scrappy binding, and flange binding. Bring projects ready for binding and you will leave with the binding completed! Contact Essem Textiles to sign up for the class. There are only a few spots left!
Did you see my Row by Row Quilt?
This week, it was my day to share my February Row by Row quilt on Island Batik’s Blog Hop! It was such a fun quilt to make, with beautiful fabrics from a collection called “Vintage Lace” by Kathy Engle. You can read more about it HERE.
This quilt is 50″ x 60″. I used Accuquilt dies to cut the whole quilt. It’s quilted with a Schmetz needle, Aurifil thread, using Silly Moon’s “Beanie” rulers, and has Hobbs 80/20 batting.
Same Quilt, Different Fabric
Last week I showed my finish “In the Woods” featuring Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle that is in the Island Batik Catalogue. You can read about it HERE.
This week, my pattern tester, Carol, posted a picture of her quilt … it has a totally different look using different fabrics! I love it. You can read what Carol has to say about the quilt pattern HERE. Thank you for testing the pattern, Carol!
I am always fascinated by how different quilts look when you use different fabrics!
Let me know if you would like to purchase the “In the Woods” pattern!
Chris from Chrisknitssews has chosen Shoo-fly blocks. These blocks were cut with my Accuquilt, using 2 Qube 8 dies. As I was making these blocks – they looked too busy side by side, but putting a plain white sash between them worked. It also helped with the measurement! So all is good!
This is the last round – I may or may not add a small white border … and then it’s going to be sandwiched and quilted. I will be doing my own quilting on my Janome M7.
My SAHRR has used “Flutterfly,” a beautiful Island Batik collection, paired with their solid white. It makes a very ‘crisp’ quilt! I did add a 2 1/2″ border … and it’s now ready to be sandwiched and quilted.
Be sure to link to Chris’s blog … and then return on March 21 for the final parade!!!
Friend’s Progress
I just found this picture from Dawn W on my phone … she sent it awhile ago and I missed it! I LOVE all the shades of green and how each side of the quilt is different, with the tops the same! Awesome, job, Dawn!
Here is Stella’s … she says, “I have almost caught up again- just have to applique my hearts on…this afternoons project….I have run out of a few of my fabrics – the stash only goes so far! But I am happy that I’ve made it this far without needing to shop! Hahaha Depending on Monday’s round- this may be my finished project….I like this size as I can handle the quilting here in my own space. And I may even have a backing sitting on the shelf already. This is SEW pretty! I Love how the black really accents the fabrics!
Chere says: Actually like the rails. Probably because I also like piano keys ☺️ Hope the purple got toned down a bit but not lost. Thought I’d bring back in the flower appliqué. Hummm , what is that final round? I’m happy so far , for a first time SAHRR. It’s looking great, Chere! Well now you know what the final round is!
Charlene says: Yeah…another round complete…loving my picket fence…53 x 66…will be a good size throw once I do round 6! Charlene, I love your take on “rail fence” blocks … the picket fence looks great!
Visit the other co-hosts to see their blocks!
Here’s a list of the other co-hosts. Make sure that you go to their blogs and follow them so that you don’t miss a single post!
I received “Vintage Lace” collection, designed by Kathy Engle. It should be in the stores in February.
The top and bottom rows have 4 colours each, the other 4 rows have 3 … which means that I used all 20 fabrics in the blocks. The sashing is a basics called “Snow” and the cornerstones and binding are “Hunter.” (All of the fabrics are pictured below.)
The name of the collection made me think of traditional blocks and I pulled out my Accuquilt cutter and this wonderful book “GO! QUBE” by Quilt in a Day / Eleanor Burns.
I drew out many of the blocks in EQ and used the program to colour in the blocks.
Using the Accuquilt ensures perfect size quilt pieces … in this case the 2 1/2″ half-square triangles. Once sewn together, there will be no dog ears to cut off and, as long as my 1/4″ seam is accurate, the block will finish at 2″ square.
As I was piecing many of the blocks, the colour combinations made me think of my grandma. I didn’t get to visit her often, but the fabrics reminded me of her sofa and doilies … I know she had a rocking chair that was similar in colour to the lighter green fabric … perhaps that’s where the memories come from!
There was nothing in my Island Batik stash that was large enough for the backing, so I cut large squares from the left-over fabric and used the following fabrics:
Here is a picture of me just starting the quilting. I used Silly Moon “Beanie” rulers and quilted a Baptist fan over the entire quilt. And, just in case you’re wondering, I did take out that stitching (see the skipped stitches?) and changed the needle (the previous one had pieced this quilt and probably 2 others!) … much better results!
Here are pictures of the individual blocks.
Make sure that you visit The Inquiring Quilter, Jennifer also received “Vintage Lace” and I’m dying to see what she made with this great collection!
Visit the other Ambassadors!
The other Island Batik Ambassadors . make sure you visit each one … they all have beautiful quilts!
TGIFF stands for Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday and I’m hosting the linky party this week.
Here is my finish
This was a “secret” quilt that I was working on in the fall. It’s for the Island Batik catalogue. It was a fun quilt to make and I loved fussy cutting the animals … they are SEW cute! The Fabric collection is Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle. It should be in stores this month! And yes, I used Aurifil thread for piecing and quilting and Hobbs 80/20 batting. Let me know if you would like to purchase the pattern!
And here’s a picture of each of the fabrics that is in the quilt! I used all of them … can you find them in the quilt?
This was a super fun quilt to make. It’s made with Island Batik scraps. You can read more about it HERE. The pattern is from a great book that I highly recommend! “Scrappy Improv Quilting” written by Kelly, of My Quilt Infatuation.
I was Featured
Both Jennifer, from the Inquiring Quilter, and Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation featured the quilt I showed last Friday, 3 D Pinwheels. Please contact me if you would like to purchase the pattern.
Carla, From Creatin’ in the Sticks, announced this blog hop WAAAY back in December and I immediately knew what I was going to make! I pulled the fabric and … set it aside … but I got back at it in January and actually finished it pretty quickly!
This little mini quilt is made of scraps of Island Batik purple and pink, plus a couple of strips of pink hearts from a Scrap Builder’s bundle that I received in December. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting and it was quilted with a light mauve thread.
The pattern is from the book “Scrappy Improv Quilting” written by Kelly, of My Quilt Infatuation. It’s a fabulous book … and I’ve made a few quilts and mini quilts from the book!
Visit the other bloggers!
I promise that there is a plethora of eye candy if you visit these sites!
Have you been following the Island Batik Row by Row Blog Hop? There’s been some pretty amazing quilts during the Row by Row! Lots of amazing new fabrics coming to stores soon!
Here’s the line-up for this week! I can’t wait to see everyone’s creations!
Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
January 1-30 – 31 / 31
February 1-13 13 / 13
Total: 43/ 43
Percentage =100%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
Our guild had a Valentine’s SEWscial on Saturday. It was lots of fun! SEW good to see people in person! There were 2 venders there and lots of fabric, but I resisted and didn’t buy any. However, I did whip out the credit card and did do some shopping! A cone of Aurifil thread, 4 spools of thread, a Silly Moon ruler for ruler quilting, a marking pen, pins, a purple thang (mine is broken) and a Clover seam ripper (my favourite!)
The little cutting mat was free if you spent more than $100. Which was easy to do with this haul!
SEW this meme is still true!
Fabric Used this week 5.0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 6.5 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 0 yards
Net Fabric used 6.5 yards
To Do
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week.
I had 2 weeks to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …
The To Do list last week:
Finish Round 5 of SAHRR√ DONE
Finish Catalogue Quilt√ DONE
Work on Macaron Mystery √ DONE
Work on Time in a Bottle√ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Round 6 of SAHRR
Work on Macaron Mystery
Work on Time in a Bottle
Complete March’s Colour Challenge
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
Design Wall
#1 SAHRR is in progress … This is Round 5 … You can read details about this round HERE.
#2 Time in a Bottle: This is for a blog hop in March … this is still in progress, but progress has been made! I am using Island Batik fabrics – small bits and pieces left over from my gradations quilts and paired with the wonderful Island Batik solid grey!
#3 Macaron Mystery. Block A is done. 2 of Block B are completed. All the fabrics are from my stash.
Quilting:
No quilting happening … I’ve got to get some flimsies done!
The first chart shows my overall PHD standing and New Starts … the 2nd more colourful chart shows all the tasks, or steps I need to take to complete my UFOs.
This week, I chose “Applique.” Gasp!!! Don’t faint! I’m trying to do things I’m not super comfortable with! Now … if YOU don’t want to do Applique – then feel free to do a “rail fence.” I’m not sure if all of the co-hosts are doing applique or the rail fence – you’ll have to check it out. However, we did decide to give YOU a choice of what YOU want to do!
I started off by sewing 6″ borders on the quilt. When it was time to do the applique, I realized that I did NOT want to be turning the complete quilt around. SEW … out came Jack (the ripper) and I un-sewed all 4 borders. I used Steam-a-Seam light and fused all of the applique pieces in place. Then with a blanket stitch, I stitched around all of the pieces. I’m getting better at it, but boy oh boy – is it SLOW going! But, it is done … until next week!!
I’m using Island Batik’s “Flutterfly” fabric collection with their white solid and Aurifil thread for piecing.
I am totally amazed at how these SAHRR are coming together!!! Everyone is doing their own thing and each is so unique!!! Love, Love, Love it!!!
Here’s Chere’s and she says, “We’ll this is it. Picked out enough stuff . Sewed extra stuff that didn’t work. Ready for next round.” Looking good, Chere!
Donna’s: SAHRR, round 4 ✅. I decided to replace the negative space in round 3 with the round 4 blocks. Otherwise it was going to be way too big for a baby quilt 😆 Plus, I think it makes the centre block pop more!! I totally agree, Donna! Love the fussy cut bunnies as well!
Mary says “This was easy. Round 4 done. Yahoo🤪 (Mary had it done early Monday afternoon!) Speedy, Mary!
Joyce says, “SAHRR 4th round Signature Blocks added. I wanted to bring in another colour so added the purple which is in the centre block. I added the Piano Keys for more colour and less negative space. I added the white blocker as I didn’t like the 4th row adjacent to the black.”
Charlene’s: I like how she is making this into a rectangle!
This is Darlene’s and she says, “I’ve made 12 of these blocks. Not sure yet just how I’m going to place them. Think I’ll wait and see what tomorrow’s block is.” I can’t wait to see what you do next!
This is Ciska’s who says, “I got it done for a change…” I’m liking the pinks and greys!
Way back in the fall, I was madly working on some Secret Quilts. These were quilts for the Island Batik catalogue that came out a while ago. But, we’re not supposed to show you until the fabrics are available in the stores. Well, the fabrics are now available – so I can show you!
This quilt was made with “Contempo” a Signature collection, designed for Kate Colleran by Kathy Engle. Aren’t they BEAUTIFUL??? And I paired these beauties with Island Batik’s solid grey and solid black.
Believe it or not, this quilt is actually amazingly simple to make! Let me know if you would like to purchase the pattern! (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)
This quilt used Aurifil 2600 (Dove) for the quilting and Hobbs 80/20 batting.
Lots of things happening in the Studio. My husband came in and said, “what are you working on? Whatever it is, it looks weird.” I then explained that I was piecing 4 different quilts. A catalogue quilt, the SAHRR, Macaron Mystery and a March blog hop quilt. He shook his head and said “ah, you don’t like stress, do you?”
There’s been some pretty amazing quilts during the Row by Row
Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
January 1-30 – 31 / 31
February 1-6 6 / 6
Total: 37 / 37
Percentage =100%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
I love this meme that I saw recently (but can’t find the source) …
Fabric Used this week 5.0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 6.5 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 0 yards
Net Fabric used 6.5 yards
To Do
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week.
I had 2 weeks to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …
The To Do list last week:
Finish Round 4 of SAHRR and start Round 5 √ DONE
Work on February Island Batik project √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Round 5 of SAHRR
Finish Catalogue Quilt
Work on Macaron Mystery
Work on Time in a Bottle
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
Design Wall
#1 SAHRR is in progress … This is Round 4 … You can read details about this round HERE.
#2 Time in a Bottle: This is for a blog hop in March … it should be fun! Of course, I can’t show you until the blog hop! But I can give you a teaser that is using the LAST of my Island Batik gradation fabrics and Island Batik solid grey.
#3 Macaron Mystery. Block A is done. All the fabrics are from my stash.
Quilting:
Catalogue quilt. This is a quilt for Island Batik’s next catalogue which will feature a new line of fabric. It’s pretty awesome fabric and I’m sure you’ll want to get some for yourself. However, I can’t even give you a sneak preview of the fabric. You can be sure that I will show you one the fabric has hit the stores!
The first chart shows my overall PHD standing and New Starts … the 2nd more colourful chart shows all the tasks, or steps I need to take to complete my UFOs.
This week, Wendy, from Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life has chosen “Signature Blocks.” If you google “Signature Quilt Blocks” you will find images of several different ones.
I chose to do a simple one, using the same fabric all the way around. Big mistake! (and forgot to take a picture!) It just looked like pretty fabric with weird white diagonal lines … SEW, I removed a few of them, added white sashing between them. I was much happier – and I liked the end result! But I wasn’t sure what to do with the corner blocks … so they are just plain.
I am using fabrics from the Island Batik collection “Flutterfly” and Island Batik’s white solid.
Make sure that when you’ve got your signature blocks done that you link up to Wendy’s linky party so that we all can see! The linky party is at Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
Here are some friend’s progress blocks Round 3:
Here is Carol’s … and here’s what she has to say: “Finished my stars. Only made 3 as this going to be a wall hanging, and don’t want it too big. Fun to do.” I think it’s going to be a very nice wall hanging!
Here’s Patti’s … She added the stars to her diamond round.
Donna’s: She says, “Here is my picture. Not totally thrilled with all the light background. May still change that, depending on next round.” With the light background, I see lots of opportunities for ruler or FMQ! And, knowing Donna – she’ll do a fantastic job of it … We’ll see what she thinks of the signature blocks!
Charlene’s: Those colourful stars certainly shine when you see the black-ish corners!
Darlene’s: This is going to be pretty big … remember, the center is a panel?
Mary’s: I love how the blue and yellow are bringing out the blue of the centre block.
Here’s Joyce’s: I like how the black makes the stars shine!
Visit the other co-hosts to see their blocks!
Here’s a list of the other co-hosts. Make sure that you go to their blogs and follow them so that you don’t miss a single post!
I’ve been working on a LOT of quilting projects … and I’ve finished my Island Batik February challenge, but I can’t show you until later in February when it’s my day to be on the blog hop.
Row by Row Blog Hop
Have you been following along? There are some pretty awesome quilts being made with the new fabric (that should be in stores this month).
It’s a simple finish, but one I can show you! This month’s the Colour Challenge is based on the Bay Leaf. It’s like a rail fence, but the measurements are not all the same. Visit Patterns by Jen for the free pattern. And, I did use Island Batik fabric …
And, Jen requested that we also show you our “green” quilts. And yes, all 4 of the following quilts used Island Batik fabric!
One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!
I was Featured:
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter, featured my quilt finish from last week. You can read about it HERE.
How are you doing with the first month of PHD in 2022?
This meme was posted by a blogging friend (Roseanne of Home Sewn by Us) in the fall. I thought it was a perfect example of how to tackle those large projects. Or how to tackle our UFOs. If we set all of our UFOs in front of us – it can be a daunting experience (ladder on the right). However, if you pick one of them to work on, it looks more doable.
OK… so the UFO you picked has 760 steps before it will be completed. That’s OK … pick one step, or 2 and work on those … soon, you will have a few less steps to complete. Continue in the same manner and before you know it – it will be done!
UFO’s Completed in January
I have completed 3 UFOs this month. However, I can only show you 2. One is scheduled for a blog hop “Tickled Pink” and I can show you on February 16.
Here are the 2 I can show you: Any Which Way from the mystery between Christmas and New Years and the Teddy Bear quilt I made for the Polar Bear Plunge blog hop.
My Tally Sheet
It appears that I’m off to a roaring start! However, I know what’s ahead for me in February and although I might be able to work on a few of the UFOs (Colour Challenge & February’s Macaron Mystery), I doubt that I will be able to finish a UFO this month! But, I can always try!
This week, Roseanne & Sue @ Home Sewn by Us have chosen Stars. Visit Home Sewn by Us to see how others have made the Stars round.
My stars are little! The HST are 1″ square. When I had them done and put up on the design wall, it seemed too crowded. So, I added more white fabric and made them a square in a square.
Once you have finished your Stars round, make sure you go to Home Sewn by Us and link up to show us your block! (or send me your picture and I’ll post it next week!)
Here are some friend’s progress blocks: Round 2
This is what Stella says, “While rummaging in the pile on my table I found a small diamond ruler( came free with a jelly roll!) so I thought it must be a hint to do my homework! I’m sure there must be an easier way to make diamonds but I just kept plugging along…..and this is what happened….” “I’m calling it “a modern amish”. Loving the black and brights.”
Here’s Patti’s:
This is Kathy’s:
Darlene”s
Joyce’s
Chere’s
Carol says, “Well after much fiddling, watching you tube, and using jack, I finally got some semblance of diamonds in the corners. Here is the finished corners. Not perfect but good enough for me!” Way to go, Carol!! They look great!
Mary’s
and Donna’s, with the fussy cut oval in the diamond!
Visit the other co-hosts to see their blocks!
If you haven’t done so yet, make sure that you go to their blogs and follow them so that you don’t miss a single post!
The February Island Batik Blog Hop starts on Monday! The theme is Row by Row …
Make sure you visit each of the ambassadors to see what they made … and some of them may have a giveaway and you could have a chance to win some awesome Island Batik fabric!
My Island Batik quilts for the January challenge? These were for the challenge “Step by Step” using 20 gradations of Tantalizing Teal. Of course, Island Batik fabric was used with Hobbs batting and Aurifil Thread.
Here are the pictures, but you can read more about them HERE.
Stitching Stuff
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Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
Last year I managed to sew 97% of the days. What will this year bring?
January 1-30 – 30 / 30
Total: 30 /30
Percentage =100%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
I love this meme that I saw recently (but can’t find the source) …
The Teddy Bear quilt took 5.5 yards of fabric. You can see the post HERE.
Fabric Used this week 5.0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 6.5 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 0 yards
Net Fabric used 6.5 yards
To Do
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week.
I had 2 weeks to work on my previous To Do list … I’m starting to realize that if I give myself 2 weeks, I can usually accomplish what I want to do in one week. Hmmm … What does that say about my expectations?
The To Do list 2 weeks ago:
Finish Round 3 & start Round 4 of SAHRR √ DONE
Sandwich and Quilt Polar Bear Plunge√ DONE
Work on Tickled Pink project … it’s actually finished! √ DONE
Finish Island Batik January Project and posted HERE√ DONE
Finish Macaron Mystery – January clue √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Round 4 of SAHRR and start Round 5
Work on February Island Batik project
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
Design Wall
There are a few things on my Design Wall and I can only show you little bits of what’s there!
#1 SAHRR is in progress … You can read about it HERE and HERE
#2 … February Island Batik project Row by Row … Here’s a picture of the fabric that I’m using. It’s the Vintage Lace by Kathy Engle and should be shipping to stores in February. Aren’t they soft and lovely?
Quilting:
Nothing is being quilted at the moment!
2 UFOs finished this week! The Polar Bear Blog hop and the Tickled Pink Blog Hop quilts!
When Joan at Moosestash Quilting first announced this blog hop, I just couldn’t resist!
I knew I was going to make a teddy bear quilt for this challenge. The book, Fat Quarter Baby, has the cutest teddy bear quilt! A Christmas gift bundle of Fat Quarters was the perfect choice.
Here is a picture of the quilt – prior to me adding eyes and a mouth. It’s cute, but a teddy must have eyes and a smile – right?
The eyes were appliqued on (gasp!) and the smile was stitched with a fairly tight zigzag stitch. Simple “in the ditch” quilting finished this little guy!
Make sure you visit all of the other bloggers in this hop! There’s a lot of creativity happening!
Each ambassador has been given a gradation package containing 20 different shades of fat quarters. The Basics Gradations yardage is available at your local quilt shops.
I am not known for swooning … but I certainly came close when I opened my box and saw the lovely bundle of Tantalizing Teals … Oh my … aren’t they beautiful?
We were challenged to make a lap quilt that shows the 20 gradations … I had to think about what to make.
I started out by putting them on the design wall and then using a black/white filter. I know it was obvious that the 4th from the left on the bottom had to be moved.
I shuffled a few others around … the end result was MUCH better! I then labelled them #1 – #20. Some of the fabrics are so similar in colour, that I needed to keep them organized!
I started by cutting 1 1/2″ strips from each of the 20 colours and sewing them in groups of 4.
Then, I used my 60 degree ruler and cut them all into triangles … and this is what my design wall looked like. Not too bad, but not too great. I was not happy, even though I liked the randomness of the triangles …
Then the Hexies started to form …
And eventually, plain triangles were added in. The hexies go from light on the top to dark on the bottom and the triangles have dark on the top going to light on the bottom.
They were all pieced together and quilted. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting, a Schmetz needle and Aurifil # 2815 Teal … and it is bound with the “Lagoon” fabric that I had received in a previous box (which is part of the Tantalizing Teals).
The weather was not cooperating and there was a breeze … consequently, the quilt looks as though it has a wavy bottom … but it is straight.
Wait … There’s More
This quilt was made … just because I had just enough of some of the fabrics to make it. Once the inspiration hit, I got busy making it and forgot to take pictures of the process. I started out with 5″ squares of white Island Batik solid and 1″ x 5 1/2″ strips of all of the blues. The 5″ squares were randomly cut diagonally and the blue strip was inserted. The blocks were then squared up to 4 3/4″.
Quilting Gail 