Koby, Jr., A Dreamy Dog Daze of Summer Quilt

I posted the Koby, Jr. flimsy earlier this month and, sew and behold, it is a Finally Finished for August. I am calling this a DrEAMi because it “Sew Happened”, really, right during a long stretch of very hot, humid weather. While rummaging through my stash to find fabrics for my Ole Glory Quilt and looking through my bins of Lights, I found a print which I knew was vintage Country Threads fabric because I had seen it when I visited Mary Etherington back in late May.

When we were in her studio, I had asked Mary if I could see the fabrics she designed for Benartex since I thought I never purchased any and expecting she would have a shelf exclusively for them. Surprisingly she only had a piece of this print which was laying on her sewing table. I’m sure if we looked harder we could have found more. So imagine being dumbfounded several months later when I saw yardage of the same print named Welcome  which probably have been sitting in my stash for years. I’m wondering if I bought it when I visited her shop the first time ten years ago.

After the Ole Glory Flimsy was made, I pulled out some “old friends”of mostly Jan Patek prints because I love making quilts with the color combination of red, beige, black and sage which you will see later. 

I knew the pattern I was going to use was Koby designed by GE Designs and it is a wonderful pattern (not an affiliate link) named after her dog. I love the layout of rectangles and strips or bricks and strips as I call it. The reason for naming this Koby, Jr is because I changed the dimensions of the patch sizes and although I do own three Stripology rulers I did not use them but instead my die cutter. I thought it would be appropriate to refer to Koby, Jr since there are several dog references especially the dog you see in the print which I recognized immediately when I found the Welcome fabric.

This pattern sews up fast and is a great stash buster. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a very versatile pattern and the bricks and strips can be laid horizontally for another great look.

Machine quilting with a CT Essential Thread in Barn Red with straight and wavy lines was fast and easy. The backing from the vault was a Free Spirit Print, My Sweet Sister Emma which was perfect. 

Koby, Jr was finished just in time to bring it the next day to Good Peep Mary’s beautiful house where I could take some photos there. I had to include a photo of Koby, Jr with her two Australian Doodles, Tater (L) and Pudge (R) since there is sort of a dog theme in this post and also I love seeing photos of dogs and cats with quilts, especially the ones posted by Joyfully Tracie with her dog Wally.  Just saying Wally and Pudge would make a cute couple and Tater reminds me of the dog in the Welcome fabric. Good Peeps Mary, Linda and I had a slow stitch day and I’ll be posting what I made and finished in the next post.

As I mentioned earlier in my Post, I love making quilts with the Red, Beige, Black and Sage color combination and since these quilts reside at the GP House because it goes well with the farmhouse decor, I thought I take a group shot of the five I’ve now made. Going from right to left, they are in chronological order of when they were made, the first two made over ten years ago and the third and fourth made around five years ago. The fourth quilt which was the last one I’ve made with this color combination and was finished in 2019, so it’s been four years, another good reason why I made Koby, Jr. By the way, the latest three quilts have a Mary Etherington influence either by fabric, fabric bomb (an unexpected fabric exchange where only one person is involved) or by pattern. Now before the month of August is over in a few days, I have another Post to write because I have three more Finally Finishes. Per usual, I never do what I say I’m going to do in my Posts, as in my July Post, I said I was going to take it easy by only finishing one project but instead I did six. August did seem like it lasted forever especially with the hot weather.

Linking up with:My Quilt Infatuation/NTT

Finally Finished: Two More Patchwork Throws

I finished the remaining two out of the three patchwork throws this week and was racing to take photos before the rain started again.  It's either been rainy or humid, both ideal conditions for staying indoors and finishing up these two patchwork throws.  The first patchwork throw, Scrap Vortex II was finally finished and you can see it on last week's post.

Both of these tops were backed with only plush fabrics, no batting in between, and when I do that I call them patchwork throws instead of quilts. I mentioned in last week's post how much I like how quilt tops with plush backing look and feel and that they really make quick finishes.  You can see the simple quilting I did. Sometimes, you just want to make something nice and simple. The only time consuming part is when you're pinning the binding down before sewing and once again for machine binding because you do have to pin every inch then.

Here are some details about these two patchwork throws which were both DrEAMi projects meaning they were both unplanned and not on my project lists.

I call this patchwork throw Gee Whiz and it was mentioned in this post several weeks ago and named so because it reminded me of a Gee Bend quilt and am amazed that it turned out the way it did.  I made the top from a charm pack of Denyse Schmidt's New Bedford and yardage of Chicopee so this would explain the unusual but fun color palette.  

I started making the top after I had stumbled across these fabrics back in May and got as far as making 2.5" x 4.5" rail blocks and was trying to figure a layout which involved several times ripping out and sewing back blocks twice.  I ended up with 8-patch blocks made from the yardage and four-patch strip blocks made with the charm pack. For some reason, I couldn't decide on the layout and put these blocks away on my project cart. Several weeks ago I came upon these blocks and knew what to finally do with these rail blocks--inspiration happens sometimes when you least expect it.

Such a simple layout and I don't know why I couldn't figure it out, alternate an 8-patch with a 4-patch.  Well, I'm glad I figured it out and knew that after all that I didn't want to quilt it, mainly because it only measures 48"x70" and knew it would be perfect as a patchwork throw.  The backing is a chenille plush which is my favorite although it is a little messy once you cut it but not bad as long as you have a Swifter nearby to clean up the fuzz.  And one last tidbit to add to the Gee Whiz of this quilt, I already mentioned the time involved in binding these patchwork throws, I had just enough of the tone on tone black used in the top for the binding.  After making the binding,  I was pinning it down and was almost to the end, I realized I did not have enough, I was one 42" strip short which I couldn't believe, I thought I had enough.  So I had to unpin the binding thinking I had to come up with an alternative and spent at least a half hour going through my bins of black fabric trying to find a replacement and in hopes of maybe finding more of the black on black tone fabric, but I didn't, and came up with using the last 1/2 yard of Kona Black I had.  So after, I cut the strips and went to my sewing machine, what does my wondering eye see, a strip of the black on black tone fabric which had fallen off the table and I didn't realize it.  So, I added this strip to the already made binding and once again had to pin it back onto the quilt.  I can say calling this quilt Gee Whiz was the nicest of all of the names I could have called it.

The Fairies Patchwork Throw is made from Lecien's Cinderberry Woodland fabric and started making the top during the waning days of August while working on finishing up other projects.  Yes, DrEAMi projects are meant to be interruptions.

Isn't this fabric just so adorable; it reminds me of Strawberry Shortcake and came to be in possession of this bundle back in May thanks to the Master MMM-nabler, Sandra who was helping a friend destash and asked if I would like to buy some since she thought it would make a cute quilt for my Granddaughter, Micah.  How can I say No to a sales pitch like that.  I was itching to make something with it but for the wrong reasons--I thought it was Holiday fabric and it's not, the red and greens misled me.  I decided to make a simple quilt with just 8" squares and 4"x8" rectangles and made sure I included every piece in the bundle.  I used brown polka dot fabric from my stash for the binding and in keeping with the polka dots found throughout the fabric, I used a dot plush for the backing.  This patchwork throws measures 52" x 64".  I'm planning on keeping this at my house and will use it for Micah when she's in the car with us but then again plans can change if she decides she wants to take it home with her.  Again, how can I say No to my sweet granddaughter.

Here's one last look at my row of Patchwork Throws.  If you're looking for a nice gift for the upcoming holidays, (btw I can't believe I'm typing this), you may want to make one, especially if you already have a top already made. I'm looking forward to working on the September smorgasbord of projects I have lined up and hopefully will have the time but not the weather to work on them.

Linking up with: My Quilt Infatuation, Needle and Thread Thursday,  Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Friday  and Crazy Mom's Finish It Up Friday.

The Big Cat Crossing Quilt: A DrEAMi and a Finally Finished for the End of June

Last January, when I made my Staggered Strips and Squares Quilt,  the Hinto Minto, and posted the sort-of tutorial, my plan was to make another one showcasing the black and white Cotton + Steel Neon Snow Leopard print and some of my fun prints in my stash.  During the past six months, in between QALs, projects, etc., I only managed to cut and sew the strips for the first round and only found time this month to work on the quilt to finally finish it in time for the June DrEAMi link-up hosted by Sandra of mmm Quilts.

I modified the pattern for the Big Cat Crossing Quilt by:

• cutting the panels of the "Cat" print 8-1/2" x 12-1/2" because I really wanted to showcase this fun print 
• the 4-1/2" x 8-1/2" accent blocks were set vertically along with some of the 81/2" square blocks
• the quilt measures 54" x 72" (approx.)

I machine quilted wavy, organic lines with a variegated gray thread with white thread on the bottom and much to my surprise turned out better than I expected.  I love how these quilting lines look on the "Cat" print; it really gives them some movement.

Once again, there was some indecision on my part as to the backing.  I had some 60" wide black and white print from IKEA which I wasn't completely happy with using and finally made up my mind that I would. But then I decided to take one more look in my stash and found the black and white Cross fabric which I thought would be perfect since the quilt is called Big Cat Crossing. I didn't have enough of the Cross print so I had to make a pieced back, which is not my favorite thing to do, by sewing another black and white print on the sides.  Luckily, since I don't make pieced backs very often, I managed to  center the quilt top  evenly with the backing which I didn't think of doing when I was basting.

The Big Cat Crossing Quilt was bound in the Cotton + Steel black and white Netorious print.   I'm beginning to become a fan of machine binding, not because it's faster than doing it by hand but I like it's another way to accent the quilting by using the same color thread for the binding.

What a wonderful way to end the month of June with a DrEAMi!  If I can toot my own horn, this is a great pattern for the 2.5" strips you can find in your stash.

I'm one of the twenty-two Quilt Bloggers who will be participating in the Fabulous Freebies Blog Hop hosted by CalicoJean of MooseStash Quilting. The Blog Hop will be from August 20-24th and Bloggers will be posting their favorite online free quilt patterns.  I will be posting my Staggered Strips and Squares tutorial on Thursday, August 23rd and will include my Big Cat Crossing Quilt and another quilt I have in the works.  Details are still being worked out and there may be sponsor giveaways.

Finally, I like to give one last shoutout for June which is sadly ending too soon.  I am amazed that I was able to finish this quilt in the wonderful month of June which started very busy for me with the projects completed earlier in the month.  I celebrated my Golden Anniversary of my Sweet Sixteenth birthday (another way to say I turned 66), went on a eleven day road trip  and visited my friend Mary Etherington in Iowa, went to the Quilt Museum in Lincoln, NE and finally ended up in Granby, Colorado where I discovered, The Fabric Nook, a gem of a quilt shop where I indulged in several fabric purchases.  We also made several side trips to Steamboat, where I met up briefly with a fellow Bee Blogger,  from 2017 and FB friend, Nancy Bekedam of Grace and Piece Quilting, visited the Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, where I was able to photograph my two "Colorado" quilts: Whitewater River Rafting (Regatta) and my Modern Neutral Jelly Roll Charm Chase next to a flowing river on a fence with barb wire--ouch, don't think that will happen again and a visit to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden.  Soon after we arrived home, my darling granddaughter, Micah and her mother came for almost a six day stay.  So I think I did pretty well with finishing the Cat Crossing Quilt and my June Quilt, my UFO finish for this month.

There's been enough excitement this month to hold me over for the next couple of months.  I'm looking forward to staying home and planning on finishing up some projects on my never-ending list such as quilting my Plus Playtime Quilt in which the link-up is in early July. Stay cool and dry since we Midwesterners having been experiencing too much rain and heat lately which is good inside sewing weather for me.

Linking up with: mmmquilts, DrEAMi June Linky Party, Cooking Up Quilts, Main Crush Monday, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Oh Scrap!, My Quilt Infatuation, Needle and Thread Thursday and Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Friday 

Miss Behaving or Misbehaving in March

It was a pretty good week of sewing for me: something I needed to do, I done did; I'm current with two QAL projects, I got to DREAMi! and still found some time and a way to start on two more projects.

The table topper for Micah's First Birthday party is on the way to be ready for the big celebration at the end of month.  The theme of her party will be Bees and I found the sweetest fabric by Timeless Treasures "You are My Sunshine."  The topper measures 27" x 39" and I just used a simple nine-patch pattern to showcase the fabrics and also because I didn't want to put in too time on something which may be on the receiving end of some party spills and crumbs.

My March blocks for the Classic Meet Modern Block of the Month Quilt Along hosted by My Quilt Infatuation are finished.  This month's blocks were the 10" Propeller block (left) and two 6" Sawtooth blocks and sewed together very easy.

All of the half-square triangles have been cut, sewn and arranged for the Postcards from Sweden from MMM quilts.  Since I used my stash of Kaffe Fassett Shot Cottons with some Peppered Cottons, my quilt doesn't look at bright as some of the other Postcard quilts so I may be calling mine Postcards from Kaffe.  We have two weeks to sew the rows together and I'm hoping Sandra will change it to three weeks since we'll be spending some time with the darling granddaughter at the end of the month.

This is my DREAMi! project which is  another quilt from Christa Watson's Piece and Quilt from Precut book, Dot 'N Dash which I happen upon quite innocently (wink).  I was putting away some fabric and came upon the wonderful Robert Kaufmann's Quilters Linen in a color I call Steel Teal which I forgot I had bought less than six months ago.  I knew it would work well with some 2-1/2" strips I already had cut in shades of grays, teals, pinks, etc. to make the Dot 'N Dash quilt.  Since Sandra is the host for both the Postcards from Sweden QAL and the monthly DREAMi linky party, it's going to be pretty okay if I take a little time away from the Postcard Quilt to spend a little time working on the Dot 'N Dash quilt, right Sandra?

In my never-ending quest to carve out more sewing time during the day, I thought a new portable sewing machine, a Juki HZL 70HW-A to use either in the dining room or kitchen would help.  I already own a Janome Gold which is a sweet little machine but the only drawback is that it does not have a needle up and down feature which I kick myself for not wanting to spend the extra $100 for it.  I sew in my studio which is in the basement or lower level of my house and too often I am drawn to the laptop which is sitting on the kitchen desk and I find myself spending way too much time on Social Media, Blogs, computer games, etc. which could be better spent on sewing.  I thought maybe having a sewing machine upstairs would distract me from the computer.  Also, since there are the TV shows I want to watch in the evenings, I also can also sew then as long as I have Closed Caption on. Really, it's not because the sewing machine is noisy, it's just that Hubby likes to play his guitar while watching TV.

I'm thinking my idea is working out quite well.  Since the arrival of the new Juki, I sewed sixty-four 8"x 12" strip blocks made from 2-1/2" strips of Kaffe Fassett stripes and shot cottons which have been waiting to be made for awhile so I'm considering it to be an unidentified UFO project.  And yes, I'm still spending more time with Kaffe and am pretty sure this is going to be my last project for the year using his fabrics, maybe.

And I sewed a mega strip for a future Staggered Strips and Squares quilt using low volume fabrics with some black and white Cotton + Steel fabrics. Once the strip sets and blocks are cut, I can finish sewing the top upstairs.  

I think my Juki Jr. and kitchen table sewing is just what I needed to get more of my projects done.  And as for my Janome Gold, I'll be saving it for Micah, she doesn't need to know about the wonders of needle up and down until later. Hopefully, whatever March Mode I'm on, either Miss Behaving by staying on task or Misbehaving where the fun is, it continues.  I'm happy with doing both.

Linking up with:  My Quilt Infatuation, Needle and Thread Thursday,  MMM Quilts, Crazy Mom Quilts, Finish It Up Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday, Busy Hands Quilts, Finish or Not Friday

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