I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. To me, I usually break them within the first week … Yes, I’d like to loose more weight, be more fit, eat more nutritiously, and so on … but realistically … I hate dieting. I like to exercise now and then, but I know I’m not consistent with it. And I do like to eat junk food … so I don’t make resolutions!
However, on the quilting front, there are things I’d like to achieve:
buy as little fabric as possible
sew as much as possible
design more quilts
use up my stash
These aren’t resolutions because I KNOW that
I will buy some fabric! As large as my stash is, often the ‘right’ fabric is not in it!!
I will sew a LOT … but life happens and sometimes it’s not possible to sew as much as I’d like
I will design some quilts … but I’ve got to be in the mood and inspiration needs to be part of the design process
I will use some of my stash, but not ALL of it! I have 2 stashes: One contains all my Island Batik fabric and the other is all the rest of the fabric. I keep them separate and I keep track of them separately.
I will continue to blog at least weekly and often twice a week. That likely won’t change, but who knows. I will also continue to keep track of my sewing days (I aim for 30 minutes a day), what’s on my Design Wall, keep track of what fabric I’ve used, write out my “To Do” list and show my monthly favourite finish. The logos below may change, but the intent will not.
Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Do you keep them??
I wish each and every one of you All the Best in 2025!!
Don’t Forget:
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
My current state of life, only you can see more of the floor in this picture than in my room!
Stitching Stuff
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!
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. 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!
In the past 2 weeks, I posted about my Floral Fusion (9 yards) and a small table topper (2 yards).
Fabric Used in the last 2 weeks: 11 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 221 yards from non-IB: 89
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 32 yards
Net Fabric used: 189 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
2025 SAHRR Finish Prompt 6. √ DONE
Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1 & start block #2 √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Still keeping the list small!
2025 SAHRR Quilt it!
Quilt Test Quilt: SSB
Work on Glorified 9 patch for class sample
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
Favourite Finish for December 2024
Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl has a blog post with the Favourite finishes of the month. Well worth the visit to see all the eye candy!
As usual, I’m having trouble choosing just 1!!! It’s between these 2 quilts. I’m in LOVE with both of them!!!
Don’t Forget
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
I wasn’t going to … I really wasn’t going to be doing any last minute sewing/quilting. Nope … I was all organized and didn’t need to … until ….
I went to set up my nativity scene. It’s beautiful ceramic figures that a fellow nursing classmate made. When she passed away during Covid, I gratefully accepted the set! What memories accompany the figures. I know that she completed them in the mid 70’s when taking a year away from nursing school. I had placed them on a piece of gorgeous dark blue fabric (Ravine), fully intending to make it into a table mat … but of course I forgot until I went to set up the set!
I figured that I had time, so I pulled out backing, Hobbs fusible batting and did a very quick meander with Aurifil #2600 (Dove Grey). Binding it with the same fabric and called it ‘done.’
I love how the lights and the fabric really show off the figures!
Don’t Forget:
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
Earlier this year, as we had a parade for the 2024 SAHRR (pronounced Stay At Home Round Robin), we announced that we would be doing it again in 2025.
This year’s logo was designed by Brenda of Songbird Designs … isn’t it fantastic?
For the past 5 years, I have done a SAHRR and have made different quilts. The first year I did it on my own and then for the next 4 years, I had some fantastic blogging/quilting friends join in the fun!
Here’s my quilts from previous SAHRRs. The last 2 are ones I did on my own. It’s so much MORE fun with others! Here’s the LINK where you can see all the quilts made last year.
As you can tell, except for the 2 I did on my own, the rounds are all different. This year promises to be different as well!
All of my SAHRR quilts are made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread.
What is a Round Robin?
This is a common activity in many quilt guilds. A round robin (in quilting terms) is where each person makes a centre block. This block is put in a bag or container, maybe with extra fabric, perhaps with a notebook, and the bag is passed onto another quilter in the group. They are given instructions as to what kind of border (or round) they are to add on to the quilt. Sometimes the next person will make a border for each side, or one side or two sides of the block. It’s then passed on to another quilter and it continues on … when the quilt centre and all the borders are completed, it is returned to the original maker of the centre block.
So, I stay at home?
That’s correct! You and your centre block and the borders all stay home. You have to make the decisions as to what to add when given directions. How big, how many … it’s up to you. We will let you know what each of us does and there may be short tutorials on some of our blogs.
How do I join?
There’s nothing to join, no sign up. All you need to do is follow our blogs (see the links below)
How often does this happen?
Once a week. On January 13, we will show you our centre blocks.
The SAHRR Team met in July and I haven’t seen any of the centre blocks … so it’s going to be a surprise for me as well!
Then on January 20 (and each Monday following) we will give you instructions as to what the next border/round is to be. Again, we will all show you our centre blocks with the first border to give you some ideas.
Here are my blogging co-hosts in the order of what we will be doing and the linky parties we will be hosting each week. (There will only be one linky party each week … and we’ll direct you to it …)
January 13: Each of the co-leaders will be sharing their centre blocks (you will have to visit each of their blogs to see them). I will host the first linky party and you can also show your centre block.
March 24: Parade: showing all of your finished SAHRRs!
We have Sponsors!
We reached out to several companies that we all LOVE and many of them agreed to sponsor the SAHRR 2025!!! We will keep track of all of the participants that link to our Linky parties each week. We will make a list and use a random number generator to choose the winners for each prize! So, if you link up to 3 Linky parties, you will have 3 opportunities to win! If you don’t have a blog or Instagram account, contact me, or one of the other co-hosts and we will post your SAHRR on our blog. This way you still have an opportunity to win!
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don’t want to make that round? It’s your quilt – you can leave it out.
What size do I make it? That’s up to you … you are sort-of the designer here.
Are the rounds hard? No … each round is pretty simple … squares, rectangles, half-square triangles with perhaps a surprise.
What colours do I use? That’s up to you … you can follow what one of the SAHRR leader uses or have your own colour scheme.
What if I miss a round? You can leave it out, or go back to the blog where the directions are given.
Will you cut my fabric for me? No!
How often will the quilt police check on me and my progress? There are NO quilt police!! None!!
What do I do now?
Make sure that you follow each of the SAHRR leaders so that you don’t miss their posts.
Start thinking about what you might do for a centre block. Do you have an orphan block you’d like to use? Or do you want to try a new block … now is the time!
Relax … this is easy … and it’s only one round each week!
Next Week
Next week, I’ll have a wrap-up of my 2024 tallies: Stash Report & Stitching Stuff. I will also talk about my goals for 2025, share my To Do list and what’s on my Design wall …
Thank you very much, Denise, for this beautiful pattern. Be sure to visit Quiltery and buy the pattern!!
Don’t Forget
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
That’s a great reason to quilt on … and leave the dust there! 😁
Stitching Stuff
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!
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. 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!
In the past week, I posted about my Island Batik December challenge. You can read about it HERE.
Fabric Used in the last week: 8 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 210 yards from non-IB: 85
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 32 yards
Net Fabric used: 180 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
Bind Floral Fusion.√ DONE
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. in progress
Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1. in progress
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Still keeping the list small!
2025 SAHRR Finish Prompt 6.
Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1 & start block #2
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
Don’t Forget
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
Here’s what Island Batik said about this month’s challenge:
December brings another month to embark on your own project, regardless of its size, theme, or technique! Seize this chance to unleash your creativity without constraints. Enjoy the process!
Way back in May, we had to make a paper pieced quilt that celebrated a holiday of our choice. I chose to make this Christmas tree skirt:
You can read about it HERE. The fabric is Peppermint Sprinkles. And, I LOVED it!
I wanted a quilt to coordinate with the tree skirt. I cut a bunch of 2 1/2” strips from Peppermint Sprinkles and made this Judy Niemeyer quilt “Fractured Paint Box.” I also used, Island Batik’s solid black. You can access the pattern HERE.
I was so involved with the piecing, I forgot to take any progress pictures. However, I can tell you that I used my Oliso Iron with every single seam that was sewn!
And pictures of the back and close-up of the quilting:
The back diagonal strip was made with the extra block I had as well as left over strips of fabric, along with solid black.
Quilting: All done on my domestic sewing machine: Janome M7. Rulers used were Silly Moon’s 7″ Beanie (for the centre circle) and Rocket for the stitch in the ditch around each block. The rest of the quilt was free motioned with feathers.
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
Good thing that quilt shops don’t give out tickets!!! I would have a plethora of them!
Monthly Colour Challenge
December’s colour is Gold. Visit Jen at Patterns by Jen to get your free pattern for this month. It’s free for the month and after that you’ll need to pay a small fee for it.
Remember when I was on holidays and sewing on my hand-crank in the 5th wheel?
I was working on the border and sashing in the above video. I actually pieced the whole top while we were dry camping!
The quilt was quilted using a HUGE variety of Silly Moon rulers (Drop 3, Twinkle, Jelly, Rocket, Cupid, Beanie and Turkey was used in the sashing/border). I went to my bin of left-over binding and pulled out a variety of colours that were used in the quilt … it was fun to use them (and I still have lots left-over!)
Thank you, Jen for the great inspiration and fun BOM!!!
Quilt Stats:
Size: 47″ x 62″
Fabric: Island Batik: Assortment, with solid light grey and solid black for the sashing & border.
Quilting: All ruler quilted on my domestic sewing machine: Janome M7. Rulers used were Silly Moon’s 6″ Beanie, Rocket, Cupid, Drop, Jelly & Turkey.
Stitching Stuff
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!
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. 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!
In the past week, I have posted about the following finishes. I estimate that the round table topper used about 1 yard of fabric total (check it out HERE). I’m not going to count the fabric in the clam-up bags since Jennifer sent it to me recently for the purpose of making the bags (see THIS POST). The block of the month (above) used over 9 yards … so a total of 10 yards this week.
Fabric Used in the last week: 10 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 202 yards from non-IB: 85
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 32 yards
Net Fabric used: 170 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
Finish quilting Floral Fusion.√ DONE
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. NOT DONE
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Keeping the list small!
Bind Floral Fusion.
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6.
Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
Don’t Forget
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
Earlier in the fall, Jennifer asked if I would be willing to make a project that featured her Signature collection … Butterfly Haven is so very pretty, I couldn’t resist saying “yes.” But, due to time restraints, I knew it had to be something small …
I decided to make 2 large byAnnie Clam Up bags. These are the fabrics that I ordered from Jennifer:
Outside of #1: 712401852. Coordinating #1: 712404891
Outside of #2: 712401873. Coordinating #2: 712403891
I always like the inside of bags to be lighter, so I can find what I’m looking for!
And here is individual pictures of each bag:
Blog Hop
I know each of the participating bloggers. They are all talented quilters, so it promises to be a great blog hop!! Here’s a list of the other participating bloggers:
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
Challenge: You don’t have to bake anything for this, but if you have a favorite recipe or tradition, that’s what we’d love to see. Share a Christmas project with mean ole’ Mr. Grinch or a past/present quilt you’ve made.
I don’t bake every Christmas, but when I do, these Snickerdoodle cookies are always a hit! There’s nothing fancy about them. They are easy to make and to make them a little festive, I add a small piece of cherry.
Earlier this year, I was given a fantastic group of templates from Missouri Star Quilt Company. You can read more about them on THIS POST.
I cut out 5 bows and one poinsettia template to make this small table topper. The top was backed with Hobbs 80/20 batting and I used a simple zig zag stitch to appliqué the cut-outs. The backing was ‘enveloped’ and 2 rows of stitching secured the outside. Simple stippling completed the table mat.
And here’s a picture of the back: (the fabric is Swirl Snowflake from the Peppermint Sprinkles collection.
Quilt Stats:
Size: 13″ round
Fabric: Island Batik: background is Eggwhite and the red is from scraps.
For many months of the past several years, I have participated in blog hops hosted by Carol of MooseStashQuilting and Joan of Just Let Me Quilt. They have cute little logos for each month and the challenges change. Sometimes, it’s easy to come up with a project that fits the theme and other times it’s not. But it’s always been good!! I LOVED seeing how others have interpreted the theme and there has been a LOT of inspiration. This is the last blog hop that they are initiating and I, for one, am sorry to see them end!
The Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt is over. I was scrolling through Facebook and saw that a friend had made the quilt. She showed it at the guild meeting. Of course I was thrilled!!! Then she told me that she used the Island Batik Strip Set that she had won at our Loon Lake retreat in September. The strip set was from one of my absolute favourite collections, Pin Dot Floral (a signature collection for Megan Best). She did an awesome job!
Here’s a picture of Lynne and her quilt:
If you want to make the quilt, here are the clues:
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!
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. 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! You can read about it HERE.
I finished this little Christmas card, but it’s so small, I’m not even going to count how much fabric it used!
Fabric Used in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 192 yards from non-IB: 80.5
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 32 yards
Net Fabric used: 160 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
Quilt Floral Fusion. in progress
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. NOT DONE
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. NOT DONE
Work on Island Batik December project. √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Keeping the list small!
Finish quilting Floral Fusion.
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6.
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
A couple of months ago, I received a fantastic set of Christmas templates from Missouri Star Quilt Company. Each of the larger templates has a smaller one in the middle. Here’s a picture of them:
I needed an early Christmas card … and I searched and searched and searched … and I could not find my box of Christmas cards. And, they still have not shown themselves to me! Where or where are they hiding???
Christmas Templates to the rescue! I used Island Batik fabrics and cut out a green Christmas tree and a red bow.
Then I glued the green Christmas tree onto a blank coloured card. I like the simplicity of it! I wrote my Merry Christmas message on the inside and put it in with the parcel.
Favourite Finish
Yvonne, from Quilting Jetgirl hosts a Favourite Finish of the Month Link Party. I always struggle with picking out my favourite each month!!! And this month, it’s no different!! Do I choose the Mystery Quilt done in purples or my Island Batik Dresden Plate challenge? Which would YOU choose?
Don’t Forget:
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
We were away on a Mexican cruise and I didn’t take my machine (shocking, I know!!) I thoroughly enjoyed our time!
We did a ‘glass bottom’ boat tour … had to laugh at the name of the boat “Sex Machine Too!” And the glass bottom was a bit of a joke … a 1′ x 3′ piece of algae covered plexiglass in the middle. But the rest of the tour was great!
A Blog Hop Finish
This was my finish for “Gnome for Thanksgiving.” You can read about it HERE.
Stitching Stuff
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!
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. 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!
Even though I was in 2 fabric stores in Mazatlan, I didn’t purchase anything! Nothing said “buy me” and believe me, I looked!!!
Fabric Used in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 192 yards from non-IB: 80.5
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 32 yards
Net Fabric used: 160 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
Not a lot done while I was away …
Finish Butterfly Haven Blog Hop project √ DONE
Quilt Floral Fusion.NOT DONE
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. in progress
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. NOT DONE
Work on Island Batik December project. in progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Quilt Floral Fusion.
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6.
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind.
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind.
Work on Island Batik December project.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
There have been a ton of awesome Dresden Plate quilts! Visit the Island Batik blog for an update on the quilts from the last 3 weeks and an opportunity to win some awesome Fat Quarters!
Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!
Don’t Forget
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
Joan, from Moose Stash Quilting is hosting this fun blog hop. Here’s what she had to say about this project:
Challenge: To “Gnome” them is to love them! Throw a little Thanksgiving twist into your “Gnomie” project!
I live in Canada and our Thanksgiving was WAY back in the beginning of October!!! So, it was hard for me to get in the Thanksgiving mood for this hop! But Gnomes are fun!
Before I show you what I made, let me show you what a friend of mine made: A Sewing Gnome! It was for a secret gift exchange at a retreat and I was the super lucky one to get it! I love the bobbins, thimble and the spools of thread of accents!
I’ve been enjoying making rope baskets and things. I found some Sewing gnome embroidery designs at Kreative Kiwi (HERE). This one had the sewing machine. I stitched it out and then used my ‘Stained’ Sharpies to colour him in. It’s going to be a coaster for my water bottle in my sewing studio! It’s approximately 5″ round.
GNOME Blog Hoppers
Be sure to visit all the other GNOME blog hoppers to see a plethora of lovely gnomes!
The other day, I was looking around my studio and realized that I have a number of treasures that I adore!! And that I enjoy looking at every day!
These are my oldest treasures. The first is a sewing kit that came with one of my treadle machines. The treadle is about 100 years old, and I’m guessing that this case is around the same vintage. The 2nd picture is my mother’s button box … The 3rd is a calendar from my cousin … we were born in the same year, but he figured I was conceived the previous year, so he kept the ’55 calendar and gave me the ’54 one. It makes me smile!
These are items that we purchased on our travels …
These are a few of the “secret” gifts that I received at various retreats …
In 2015, I went to a retreat where Bonnie Hunter was teaching several classes. I took the Smith Mountain Morning class and I finished this block. Bonnie graciously signed it … and it is a real treasure!
The first is a pin from a friend … There are NO Mistakes in Art!!! So True!! And the 2nd are 2 birds from Laura, a friend that was working on a Sue Spargo quilt, and didn’t know what to do with them all!!! I feel honoured to have 2 of them in my studio! The nurse’s cap is from a reunion in 2006! A small replica of what we had to wear! After graduation, I never wore my cap again! And the Winnie the Pooh lunch kit was a university graduation gift from my sister (I was 50!). It lives in a travelling tote and is used frequently!
The little zipper bag was bought at Victoria Falls in Africa and my daughter brought the fabric coloured magnetic letters when she returned from Cambodia.
Gifts from my cousins … they both quilt, but one also paints …
Treasured hand made cards …
This Stained Glass window hanging was made by a dear friend … she was my roomie in nursing school … we were in each other’s wedding parties …
I used a strip set from Island Batik called “Playful Purples” and Island Batik solid white for the background. If you want to use the same fabric, both the strip set and the solid white is available at Creekside Quilts HERE.
Here’s a picture of finish top. The binding is the left-over strips from the strip pack. I cut them into 12-18″ sections and joined them together.
And a close up picture of the quilting:
Quilt Stats:
Size: 63″ x 75″
Fabric: Island Batik Strip pack of Playful Purples and Solid White
Here’s an opportunity for YOU to show us your quilt top (it doesn’t have to be finished). This link will be open until the end of November. You can also post a picture on Instagram and use #jellyrollmystery2024. OR you can email me a picture and I’ll post it on a future blog.
The challenge was to make a quilt with Dresden Plates … you can read all the details HERE.
Stitching Stuff
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!
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. 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!
I bought 2.5 yards of solid red fabric to coordinate with a Christmas fabric that I have.
Fabric Used in the last week: 8 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 192 yards from non-IB: 80.5
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 32 yards
Net Fabric used: 160 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
A little bit of this and a little bit of that was done, but nothing finished from the list this week.
Get Jelly Roll Mystery next clue & blog post ready! √ DONE
Make project for the Butterfly Haven Blog Hop in December. in progress
Quilt Floral Fusion.NOT DONE
Quilt Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt. √ DONE
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. in progress
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. NOT DONE
Work on Island Batik December project. in progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Finish Butterfly Haven Blog Hop project
Quilt Floral Fusion.
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6.
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind.
Work on Island Batik December project.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt
The Mystery Quilt is finished. Some are asking for directions on how to sew the quilt “on Point.” I don’t have time to write them up at the moment, but here’s a YouTube video that may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEFekuJIP5k
Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!
Don’t Forget
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
Here’s what Island Batik had to say about this challenge: “Welcome to the much-anticipated Dresden Plate Blog Hop! The Dresden Plate, a quintessential block in quilting, is known for its captivating radial design featuring pie-shaped wedges arranged in a circular pattern, resembling a delicate flower. As you embark on this quilting adventure, you’ll be exploring this timeless pattern, infusing it with your unique style and vision. Your challenge is to make a quilt, lap-sized or larger, using the assigned Summer ‘24 fabric collection that will showcase your individuality. May your needles be nimble, your creativity boundless, and your Dresden Plate quilts truly shine!“
We are to use the fabric collection that came in our surprise bundles that arrived in June/July.
My surprise bundle contained an awesome collection “Flutter Fields” designed by Jerry Khiev. Aren’t they just gorgeous? They are paired with Buttermilk and Midnight Blue.
I originally decided that I would make one large Dresden Plate. I started out by putting the fabrics in an order that was pleasing to me … and I made sure to label each piece so that I wouldn’t get confused! I left out the 2 lighter fabrics as I knew they would blend too much with the background fabric.
Here are a few pictures of blades in progress.
My one large Dresden Plate didn’t work out very well! You can’t tell really well from the picture, but the centre did not lie well. If you look closely at the upper right part of the centre circle, you can see that it isn’t a nice circle – it sort-of goes straight.
I tried to fix it by doing a few things: Take out one or 2 blades … unstitch a few blades that formed the ‘straight’ part of the circle and re-sew … sigh … it didn’t work.
On to plan B …
A few years ago, our guild had a zoom presentation by Candace Copp Grisham. Shortly after the presentation, I was at a guild retreat and “Dresden” fever was evident. Almost everyone at the retreat was making a Dresden plate! I ended up buying the book and played around with some of the ideas.
There is a LOT of inspiration on Candace’s website HERE. Also, a friend had made a wall hanging with Dresden plates and a vase … between the website and my friends quilt, my inspiration was newly born!
Here is a close-up of some of the Dresden plates, using different techniques:
The process of putting the plates together:
Using my Oliso iron to press open the seams
Showing the ‘wrong’ side of the curved Dresden
The original layout (I initially was going to use the Midnight Blue for the vase, but decided on using one of the green fabrics with gold stars on it.
One of the centre circles
My batting of choice for this quilt: Hobbs Heirloom Premium Wool Batting
The background was pieced, then the vase and flowers were placed on the background. I did this on the spare bed so that I could use glue (Acorn Precision Piecing Seam Align Glue) and press all the pieces into place. Yes, the spare bed makes a fantastic ironing surface for large projects!
Silly Moon Rulers: Rocket for all the straight lines, Charming and Kite (for the wavy line)
Make sure you visit Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for quilts as she is using the same fabric collection! She’s quite the artist, so I’m 100% positive that her quilt will be totally awesome!
Where can you buy Flutter Fields?
There are several stores throughout the USA that sell Flutter Fields:
Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!
Don’t Forget:
I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.
I used a strip set from Island Batik called “Playful Purples” and Island Batik solid white for the background. If you want to use the same fabric, both the strip set and the solid white is available at Creekside Quilts HERE.
Clue #5
This is the final clue. I was going to have you sew portions of this together first, but a couple of people said, “no, let the participants organize the fabrics how they want.” So, that’s what I’ve done!
Edit: Cut 2 more 5″ squares. Cut them in half diagonally. These 4 HST will be your corner blocks.
Here’s a picture of my top … I’ve started quilting it … if you look hard, you can see the straight lines through the coloured blocks and on the top left, the curved lines in the white block. I’m hoping that next week I will have the quilt quilted and bound. Once it’s finished, I’ll have a link party where you can add your quilt to show everyone.
Edit from Clue #4: You will need 124 sections for the quilt. If you can’t get 8 from each strata, you can make a shorter quilt … but it needs to be shorter in groups of 12. For example 112 will work.
Quilting Gail 