Free Motion Quilting

A “Not Finished” Friday

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55557-go-glorified-nine-patch-package-tallNothing finished

No finishes this week!  I’ve been working A LOT on my March Island Batik challenge and I can’t show you yet!  I can tell you that I’m using the “Glorified 9 patch” Accuquilt die that I was given.  All the pieces for the block are on the die.  I have them all cut and most of them are on the design wall. Some blocks are sewn.

When I need a break from the excusiating SLOW curved piecing, I am quilting the “52 blocks in 52 weeks” quilt.  If you look closely, you can see that I’m doing graffiti quilting.  A little bit of this and a little bit of that! A swirl, pebbles, a heart, a teardrop, a flower and whatever comes to mind.  It’s fun and makes it so that I’m not bored.  I’m hoping that it will be finished soon!IMG_6222.jpeg

Island Batik Blog Hop

IMG_6171Did you see all the fabulous quilts??????  I’m in total awe of all of the Log Cabin Quilts that my fellow ambassadors made!  There were 12 different fabric collections … and no 2 quilts are alike!

To see a re-cap of this week’s quilts, visit Island Batik’s blog HERE.

For previous weeks, click HERE and HERE.  If you don’t go and look, you’ll be missing out on some fabulous, wonderful eye candy!

AND … for an opportunity to win some AWESOME Island Batik fabric, visit the following link!!!  Last week, one of my fellow Boundary Bay Quilt Guild members won … so you have a good chance to win as well!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was featured TWICE !!

Jennifer, at Inquiring Quilter featured the embroidery that I wrote about HERE.

Muv of Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing, who co-hosts “Free Motion Mavericks” featured this quilt.  The last post with this quilt talked about “How to Cut Perfect Borders Without using a Tape Measure.”  You can see that post HERE.

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One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Linking to:

Log Cabin Blog Hop

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I fell in love with this fabric the minute I saw it in my Island Batik box.  “Faded Blue Jeans” by Kathy Engle.  Those that know me, know that I practicly live in blue jeans.  I LOVE blue jeans.   And to know that I HAD to make a log cabin, well, the love fest began!!!  This beautiful fabric collection should be in fabric stores by the end of the month.
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Monday, Monday …

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Yesterday, I showed what I got done at the retreat and I just knew you’d want to see more details!  

Ode to 30’s

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When I started this quilt … a long time ago … I wasn’t aware that there was a quilt genre called “30s.”  I just picked the pink fabric (1st border) and picked out complementary colours.

I did a diagonal backing on Ode to 30’s.  I love how some of the blocks really shine through with the sun shining!  When I made the back, I was tired of putting a stripe vertical or horizontal … I’d worry about it looking crooked.  SEW,  I made sure that the diagonal did not reach the corners … this way, if the diagonal was off a degree or 2 (or 10!), it wouldn’t matter.  I think it worked!

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Some custom quilting in Ode to 30’s … and some blocks just had an all-over motif in each block.

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My husband loved the birds in the tree!IMG_2219.jpg

Details:

  • 58″ x 66″
  • Hobbs 80/20 batting
  • Pieced with Aurifil thread
  • Quilted with Glide thread
  • Binding is 2 colour/flange binding (1¼” dark & 1½” light)

Design Wall

Piecing:

Summer Solstice:  I did not work on this at the retreat.  Pat, one of the other retreaters, helped me get my head around the lone star piecing, so I hope to make some progress on that this week!

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Frolic: Bonnie Hunter’s Mystery:   The reveal came out on Friday … I have some cutting to do before I can start putting the blocks together.  I think I will like it when it’s done!

52 Blocks in 52 weeks:  Need to make the last 4 blocks.

Quilting:

Hope to sandwich and start quilting Bento Box  “Rag Log Cabin.”

TO DO

I’m linking up to Roseanne & Sue’s “TO DO” Tuesday. Their blog is “Home Sewn by Us.”

A Gladys Taber quote  “Contentment is a list with half of it crossed off.”

This week my list is ALL crossed off!

Last week’s list:

  1. Finish Ode to 30’s    √  done  
  2. Work on Bento Box  Rag Log Cabin  UFO  √  done  
  3. Make Maple leaf block for Australia   √  done  

This week’s list:

  1. Sandwhich Rag Log Cabin
  2. Start Quilting Rag Log Cabin
  3. Make at least 2 “Frolic” blocks
  4. Make the last 4 “52 blocks in 52 weeks”
  5. Put “52 blocks in 52 weeks” on design wall and arrange
  6. Start the lone star portion of Summer Solstice.

Stash Report

The 2 finished quilts used 21 yards of fabric, plus ½ yard for the maple-leaf blocks for Australia.  I did go shopping at the retreat but only bought zippers and a thingy-ma-jig to hold stuff at my machine.  No fabric added.

  • Fabric Used this week        21.5 yards
  • Fabric Used this year:         21.5  yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:      0
  • Net Fabric used                    21.5
  • –
  • Husband’s Purchases           0

Stitchin’ Time

  • January 1-19  : 12 out of 19   100% 

For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces

 

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I finished 2 UFOs.  And I’ve finished 2 of my 2020 starts.  There’s another 2020 start for Island Batik that I’ve put in the sheet, but I actually haven’t started it yet.

If you are working on your PHD in 2020, be sure to link up to the mid-January linky party and show us your progress! (HERE)

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One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Linking to:

The Retreat – January 2020

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The retreat I went to earlier this week was fantastic!  (I know, aren’t they always?)

It was a lot of fun!

Here is a slide show of the people and the projects … and I’m sure that I missed some of them!  You will see several “52 blocks in 52 weeks” quilts,  bags, games of Left-Right-Centre, Secret gift exchange, Maple leaf and tree blocks for Australia, and lots and lots of eye candy!

Here’s pictures of what I got done!

2 quilts quilted and bound:  The photo shoot happened at home during a break in the snow!

French General Layer Cake – a UFO from 2012

This was quilted with a large meander following the back fabric.  It was fun to do, but I doubt if I’ll do it again.  As I quilted, when I hit a seam, it would sort-of startle me.  I think when I quilt from the front, I know where the seams are and can prepare myself for the bumps that may be coming.

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Ode to 30’s – a UFO from 2009

IMG_2178.jpeg   58″ x 66″

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Maple Leaf Blocks

I made 3 maple-leaf blocks for the Australian wildfire relief.

Rag Log Cabin

Worked on what I was calling a rag bento box … but have since changed the name to a “Rag Log Cabin” quilt.  It’s definitely NOT a bento box!  Prior to the retreat, the centres were all fussy-cut at 6 ½” and the strips were cut at 3 ½”.  I had to cut more strips to finish the blocks.  Thankfully, I had taken the extra fabric with me.

It’s such a simple quilt design, but oh my … the ripping I had to do.  It was hard to wrap my head around “sew WRONG sides together.”  At least all the wrong sides together part is done!

Once I got home, I put the blocks up on the design wall and have webbed the top together.

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One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Lets Get Scrappy!

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I LOVE Scrappy Quilts!!!

It was fun to go through my box of Island Batik fabrics and make a scrappy quilt.  I wanted one that would cover my embroidery machine.  I ended up making 2.  The first one, I used my Accuquilt cutter and cut a zillion half-square triangles.  I love that the triangles were cut perfectly and were SEW easy to so and made for perfect HSTs.  However, I was not happy with the end result.  With the great variety of  scrappy pinwheels, it just ended up looking disjointed.  Not something to make me smile when I walk into my sewing room … so it became a bag to keep my Accuquilt Go cutter in.  You can read about it HERE.

The 2nd quilt is one that I’m VERY happy with and will enjoy seeing it covering my embroidery machine!  I used fall colours, many left-over from the “Soil and Seeds” collection that I used in a blog-hop quilt.  (See HERE)  And, I used other co-ordinating fabrics from Island Batik foundations, basics and stash buster bundles.  The background fabric is “Coconut,” an Island Batik foundations neutral.  I LOVE this neutral!

The 4 patch blocks are made with 2″ squares and end up being 3 ½” finished in the quilt. The batting is Hobbs 80/20.  The binding is 2″ scraps, left over from making the blocks.

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Sometimes mistakes happen

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Oh yes, they do!

Most of you know that I absolutely LOVE scrappy quilts.  Occasionally, I do sew a quilt with only a couple of fabrics, but for the most part, I love scrappy.  A few years ago, I made a series of quilts with my Grandmother’s fabric.  You can see them HERE.  I used pretty much all of the fabrics, without much consideration to colour.  The only rule was that 2 squares of the same colour couldn’t go next to each other.  There was every colour in the rainbow, shades, tints and tones and they all got mixed up together.  In my opinion, all of the quilts turned out just fine.

Then came the Island Batik January’s challenge to make something scrappy!  I smiled and smiled.  I knew I wanted to make a cover for my embroidery machine and it would just be a small quilt, not shaped or anything.  I have scraps from all the Island Batik projects that I made last year.   I decided to make pinwheels.  I used my Accuquilt Go to cut the pinwheels (talk about accurate!) and was mostly happy with each pinwheel.  Individually, they looked pretty good.  They all went well with the Island Batik grey solid.  Then, when I put them together, it was blah.  Like yuck! gross …  ULK!!!   Not something I’d like to look at every time I walked into my studio!

I quilted it with blue thread (Aurifil 1128), hoping that would add some cohesiveness.  It helped … a little … but … Not doing it for me.  ULK!!!

When I compared this to some of the quilts I made with Grandma’s fabric, I realize that in each of the blocks (some were the same size as the pinwheels in this piece) that the colours were all mixed up together.  In this piece, there isn’t the mixed variety … each pinwheel is only 2 colours.  My conclusions are that:  1.  If I’m going to do scrappy pinwheels, I need to stick to a certain theme or colour.  2. Scrappy quilts work best with lots of variation and a solid, or calm piece, to pull it all together.

It’s LEARNING … and I’m just fine with that!

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When I was looking at this quilt, I was wondering what I could make with it.  I had said on the blog that I had started Secret Project #1 – so, I couldn’t just ignore it and hope that it would disappear.  It was a project started in 2020, and therefore, needed to be finished in 2020.  And, I couldn’t wimp out on my PHD in 2020!  Especially this early in the year!!!

I have always fought with the bag that the Accuquilt cutter came in because it just fits and there isn’t a lot of wiggle room.  AND, to top it off, the bag ripped when I pulled it out to use it to cut the pinwheels.  An AH-HA moment happened.  This piece would be come a bag for the cutter.  A perfect solution, don’t ya think?

Here it is … and I’m thinking that it doesn’t look too bad as a bag.  And the Accuquilt Go fits in it with ease!

This is NOT my official Island Batik scrappy project for January but it is a completed project.  It did use Island Batik fabrics, cut with the HST Cube 8″ Accuquilt die, Aurifil thread and Hobbs 80/20 batting.    I had labelled this Secret Project #1.

There is still time

Screen Shot 2019-12-06 at 11.47.00 AMto join in PHD in 2020!

If you want to decrease your UFOs … and not make your UFO list any bigger, Join me for your PHD in 2020!  Check out this blog post for details … and scroll WAY down for the linky party so that you can join in!  You can join in on the PHD in 2020 until Jan. 14.  Then on the 1st and 15th of each month, there will be a linky party for you to show your progress.

Now, you don’t have to have a blog to join … you can use Pinterest (start a separate board) or Instagram … post the direct URL in the linky party and you’re IN!  Come and join us!

I was Featured

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By Jeniffer at Inquiring Quilter with This POST about 2 works in progress.  Thank you to Jennifer for hosting the Wednesday Wait Loss.  By the way … it’s worth going to her blog to see all the wonderful works that are featured this week.

Disclaimer: The products featured in this Blog post were given to me by Island Batik, and their co-sponsers Aurifil, Hobbs Batting & AccuQuilt!  

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Linking to:

PHD in 2019! DONE!!!

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These are the 3 baby quilts that were started this fall.  They were all donated to the guild.  And they were fun to do.  The one in the middle and the one on the right had flannel on both sides.  I learned that it is difficult to FMQ a 2-sided flannel quilt.   When I tackled the pink one, I just did straight lines with my walking foot.  The quilt didn’t stretch as much and it was way easier to do!  The one on the left had quilting cotton on the top with flannel on the back.  It was very easy to free-motion quilt the wavy lines. Continue reading →

Island Batik Projects – 2019 Review

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What a YEAR!!!

This has been a year of growth for me as a quilter.  Becoming an Island Batik Ambassador has been a highlight of my year! Thanks to the monthly challenges, I stepped outside my comfort zone and made things that I NEVER would have.   As well, a short photography class helped me go beyond my “quilt on a clothesline” photos!

Island Batik provided all of the fabrics for the quilts and projects this year.  My heart is over-filled with gratefullness for their generousity and that of the co-sponsers (Aurifil, Hobbs batting & Accuquilt).  I was totally spoiled this year by being an Island Batik Ambassador!

I am also grateful to my fellow Island Batik Ambassadors!  They offered a ton of support and encouragement.  Not to mention the plethora of ideas that flowed … it’s been a fun year!

February: Magnificent Mini

The first challenge for the year was to make a mini.  I wasn’t sure what to do … My love of fall colours and the desire to make something I would use, lead me to make this Suduko mini quilt.  For more details, go HERE.

Magnificent Mini

On the huge boulders on the side of our yard.

March:  Vintage Re-Imagined

What happens when you have beautiful fabric, an idea and EQ7?  Stars on Ice became the reality of that dream. See HERE.

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April: Accuquilt Baby Quilt

All ambassadors received an Accuquilt cutter and dies.  I used the 8″ cube dies to make this beautiful baby quilt.  See HERE.

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May: Make it Modern

Me? Make a modern quilt???  Find out more about how it came about HERE.

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Christmas RAPPing

This table runner was made for a Blog Hop celebrating the book “Christmas RAPPing” by Margaret Brewster Willingham and Nan Baker.  You can see the blog post HERE.

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June:  Try It

We were challenged to try a new technique … sew, I used one of Angela Walters quilting tutorial series and this table runner was born.  See HERE.

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A Zipper Pouch

This little zipper pouch was made with my embroidery machine, using an AnitaGoodesign pattern.  For more details see this POST.

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July: Artsy Fartsy

I do not do Artsy-Fartsy … I’m a more traditional quilter.  However, this project was enlightening.  I remembered how to do some simple embroidery stitches … and with it being “Artsy-Fartsy” I didn’t need to worry about it being exact.  You can read about it HERE.  This bag was made for travelling and I used it on my month long trip to Europe & Africa.

Quilt of Valour

One of my fellow Island Batik Ambassadors organized a group of us to make Quilts of Valour out of a wonderful line of fabric called “Freedom.”  It had lots of red, white & blue fabric.  Since I was making one for a Canadian veteran, I just wanted to use the red and white.  I did have to dip into the blue fabric for a few squares (scattered randomly) and the binding.  It is my own pattern.  Read more about it HERE.

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August: Beat the Heat

This was made for a blog hop.  The line is “Soil & Seeds.”  I loved the line and wanted to be able to showcase each fabric.  This quilt was perfect for that.  For more details, see HERE.

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September: Child’s Play

This quilt used the Accuquilt Die “Cleopatra’s Fan.”  It was an intimidating block for me to make: it had CURVED piecing.  However, I did learn that with the die, the pieces are cut perfectly and sewing the curves was not all that difficult.  It was fun to design the butterfly. Except for the antenna, the butterfly was cut with the Accuquilt 8 ” Cube dies.  You can read about the post HERE.

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Biscournu Pin Cushions

These little pin cushions were made with the “mistake” blocks from making the Christmas Rapping table runner (May). I think they are so stinking cute! And a fantastic way to use up those orphan blocks.  For more details see HERE.

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October:  Top it Off – using Applique!

Nothing says “October” to me more than pumpkins.  I had some great orange fabric, a great background fabric, my embroidery machine and this table runner fell into place.  For more details, see HERE.

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Island Batik Rayon

I needed new clothes … I had an ancient T-shirt pattern, I had this beautiful rayon fabric … SEW this top, which fits me perfectly, was made!  Check it out HERE.

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November: Tool Time

We needed to use our favourite tool.  My favourite is the Tri-rec ruler … and the Shape-cut ruler … and … a zillion other tools that are necessary for my quilt making … Visit THIS BLOG POST to see a video on how I used these tools.

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The Tool Time Mistake

I forgot to take pictures as I was making this quilt.  And it can easily be made with the Accuquilt Go, 8″ Cube dies. See HEREand HEREI love how this quilt used the same fabrics as the quilt above, but with a white background instead of black.  It certainly gives the quilts a very different look!

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Randy the Rhino

Many fellow Ambassadors made various “Funky Friends” for quilt market.  After my trip to Africa, I just HAD to make the Rhino!  See this POST for more details.

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December: 3D Challenge

This quilt pattern has always spoken “3D” to me. It was the obvious choice for a quilt!  See HERE  for more details!

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Sewing Machine Cover:  3D Challenge #2

I needed to make sewing machine covers for all of my machines.  I used the extra fabric from the 3D quilt to make this serger cover.  To find out how I did it, go HERE.

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Snowman Table Runner

You can call it a squirrel, you can call it a DrEAMI, but I’m calling it DONE.  Check out the details HERE.

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Alice Alpaca: 3D Challenge #3

Alice was fun to make!  See this POST for more details!

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Disclaimer: The products featured in this Blog post were given to me by Island Batik, and their co-sponsers Aurifil, Hobbs Batting & AccuQuilt!  And the Patterns for the Stuffed Animals were from Funky Friends.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Linking to:

Smith Mountain Morning is DONE, done, DONE!!!

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I started this quilt while at a workshop with Bonnie Hunter at Camp Arnold in 2015.  I’ve been working on it pretty steady for the last few months.  I made it bigger than the pattern … it is 89″ x 89″

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IMG_5775I did graffiti quilting, using Aurifil #2000 and just over 9 bobbins!  It took me quite a while to quilt it!  I used Hobbs 80/20 for batting!  I’m almost through the roll that I bought  a year ago!

This is my 13th UFO for this year!  Now, as soon as I get 3 little baby quilts completed, I will have acheived my PHD in 2019!

PHD in  2020?

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I’ve been asked if I’m going to do the PHD in 2020 … The answer is YES YES YES!!!

I have a ton of UFOs still left to do –  so, I’m going to continue doing this.  It certainly helps me to complete old UFOs and with finishing all the new starts, I don’t add to my UFO list.  Win-win, wouldn’t you say?  I’ll be posting more about this in the near future!  In the meantime, gather up your UFOs and be ready to join in the fun!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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A Squirrel, a DrEAMI … it’s done

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I’ve been dreaming, drooling, admiring and wanting to make this cute table topper from Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting!

IMG_5591And I needed a new table runner for my coffee table … it was time for the pumpkins to be retired for the year.  What’s a gal to do … it was obvious … it started easily with pulling fabric … and then it sat for a day … and then I started to make the first cut … and then the second cut … and before I knew it, it was almost done … SEW then I had to finish!  And finish I did!

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PHD in 2019 November update

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Baby Quilt Making Day

The Boundary Bay Quilt Guild gives numerous baby quilts away to various charities in the lower mainland.

The co-ordinators of the program had a Baby Quilt Making Day.  You come and make … guess what – a baby quilt!   There are kits you can choose from, tons of fabric to make up a kit of your own, or you can bring fabric from home.

I choose to make a quilt from my stash … I’m on a mission to decrease my stash – one yard at a time – so it was the obvious choice.

My only regret about baby quilt making day is that it was held on Nov. 30.  Which, according to my own rules for PHD in 2019, this quilt must be finished before Dec. 31 for me to recieve my own PHD in 2019!

Here’s a slide show of everyone at the Baby Quilt Making day:

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Retreat accomplishments – some …

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Oh my! The retreat was a great time.  They always are!  So many different projects, so many ideas, so much help … so much food … and 2 people brought halloween jellies and candy corn … groan!  … too much sugar …  click HERE to see the slide show of other people’s projects.

SEW … What did I get done? 

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Squirrels!!!

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Do you like or dislike squirrels?  We have black and grey squirrels in our backyard. And we enjoy watching them scurry along the fence, hopping onto the trees and burying nuts in our garden. A friend of mine said that squirrels are just rats with fuzzy tails.  I disagree.  They are cute and fun to watch!

Recently, (like in the past year) I’ve been noticing on quilt blogs that some projects are called “Squirrels.”  I didn’t understand exactly what this meant, and I went searching.  Google searching.  When I researched “squirrel quilts” – that’s what I got – a bunch of links to quilts containing squirrels.  Not what I was looking for.

Googled “squirrel quilts new projects” … BINGO … a definition of what I was looking for.  Quilt Diva Julie had the explanation!  Thank you Quilt Diva Julie! (Photo & Definition is from Quilt Diva Julie’s blog.

The Ad-Hoc Squirrel Club
A squirrel is a sudden distraction that pulls us away from projects already underway. Something so exciting that we drop what we’re doing to enjoy the unexpected. The term comes from the movie UP where the dog named Doug is talking and suddenly his head whips to one side as he shouts SQUIRREL and he’s off to chase it.

SEW … all this talk about squirrels … and yes, I did have a sudden distraction that pulled me away from what I was diligently working on.  Our guild has a Facebook page.  This Saturday, a baby quilt kit making day was happening.  One lady posted the cutest quilt with a baby on it.  Of course, it was scrappy and blue – that’s why I thought it was cute.  I quickly figured out how it could be done … easy peasy.  Then Saturday came and I wasn’t able to make it to the baby quilt kit making day.  Sew, to get rid of my guilt, I decided to make the quilt.  It was easy to start.

  • pulled fabric
  • cut them into 6 ½” blocks
  • sew blocks into half square triangles
  • oops – realized that I should have cut 7″ blocks to make the math work properly … oh well, I’ll just add a wider border
  • ironed the blocks
  • placed them on the design wall

That’s as far as the squirrel has progressed.  I will web this together and figure out if I need 2½” border or 3″ border to make the quilt 40″ x 40″.  And, it’s using up some of my stash! And that’s always a good thing!

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