Mad Mad March

Back in the middle of March, I was prepared to name this Post March Badness because I was distracted and avoiding what I needed to sew in order to have some Finally Finished quilts. Fortunately, I finally came to my sewsenses and finished these five quilts during this past six days while having a Cold. Nothing like waiting to the last week of the month and am thankful March has 31 days. All five of these quilts were flimsies made either almost twelve to eighteen months ago, this past January or this month. Can you guess which one was the oldest?

Before I provide the details on the above quilts, I like to briefly mention the numerous distractions which may have been prompted by my telling the Hubby that I get stressed whenever a computer is involved right before we were purchasing new tax software and a printer in order to file our taxes. Downloading new software on our ancient CPU is always stressful since it seems to take forever and the only time we use this computer is for taxes. Afterwards, things seem to mushroom with having to change passwords, updating subscriptions and accounts, a credit card being compromised, etc., Happily, the pressure and stress of tax filing which always dampens the quilting spirit is over since the taxes were filed in mid March. Another distraction but most important was the celebration of  the darling Granddaughter’s 9th birthday which involved hosting her birthday party at the trampoline park. Also, there was much time spent with  Hubby as his Emotional  Support Wife by accompanying him on four band gigs and numerous doctor and dental visits which I’ll provide more details later in this Post. Of course, there was some mischief making which you will see the big one later.

My usual focus for the month is to finally finish my UFO listed on my 2026 Country Threads Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge and #6 was pulled. I was not in the mood to work on this project which I will explain later and chose to work on my #6 in my Machine Quilting list. It’s a good thing I’d compiled several lists since the decision to quilt my Heather Ross Hexie quilt was rather serendipitous because I always celebrate the darling Granddaughter’s birthday with a new quilt.

I was inspired to make this quilt almost two years ago when my Downunder torMentor, Susan of PatchworknPlay posted her quilt https://patchworknplay.blogspot.com/2024/04/a-travelling-quilt.html?m=1.

I love. It when I am inspired to make a quilt especially when I have the same fabric sitting in my stash for way too long and I also can use my die-cutter to make the patches. I had cut the patches in 2024 but did not sew the flimsy until almost a year ago. As mentioned previously, I’m glad I put this flimsy on my machine quilting list and it was #6 because it was perfect for the darling Granddaughter’s 9th Birthday quilt.

Machine quilting with a CT Essential Thread in medium brown went surprisingly well with straight lines along the hexie center and edges and did not realize this would create a diamond crosshatch which complemented this quilt. I was planning on using the brown check for the binding but did not have any yardage left, so I thought, and used the multi-color diamond print which worked well. I ended up finding the brown check yardage in the backing vault yesterday, but oh well, I’m happy with this quilt. I’m sure the darling Granddaughter won’t mind when I hang this quilt up in her bedroom at the GP House.

Last month, I made this flimsy (right) with the leftover blocks from my Ricochet Quilt and thought it would be fine as a small lap quilt. On March 1st while I was disappointed with the CT UFO number 6, I decided I add borders to this quilt, since I had the fabric, rather than working on my UFO Project. I temporarily named it Macaroni and Cheese but have now changed it to Jack Cheese.

Since my new bolt of Pellon Cotton/Soy batting arrived, I decided it would be a nice finish since it was tied to my Ricochet Quilt which was #4 on the CT UFO list last month and maybe feeling guilty for not working on the #6. I machine quilted with straight and wavey vertical lines spaced 1.5” apart in the same CT blue thread as the Richochet quilt. As mentioned in the Richochet Post, I had yardage of two blue plaid prints which I had offer to my quilt peep who declined them and I am still thankful I was able to use them in my Ricochet and Jack Cheese quilts. I thought it was worth mentioning how well I matched the plaid lines on the backing. Jack Cheese measure 60’x72” and now sitting well in the Family Room where Ricochet is also residing.

I made the Washi Tape Salute flimsy in the middle of March right after filing the tax returns and was another distraction and avoidance since this wasn’t in my plans to make this.

I die-cut 5” squares from each of the fabrics in Rashida Coleman Hale Washi Tape and Salutation fabric lines. I was planning on making a version of Villa Rosa’s Clover pattern but decided to make a square quilt with 4” and 8” four patches and 4-1/2” which meant trimming the already die-cut 5” squares. Don’t worry, I’m not over the Clover pattern. Initially the yellow squares were going to be scattered throughout with the blues and pinks but decided to layout them together around the 8” four patch center as a focal point.

Washi Tape Salute was machine quilted with #2105 Yellow Aurifil thread with diagonal and crosshatch lines. I used a Ruby Star print for the backing and the binding was the only print not from any Ruby Star fabric line but a gold check print from Connecting Threads. Washi Tape Salute measures 32” square which is a nice size for a quick make and finish.

Would you believe this was my oldest flimsy from this group of five and was made eighteen months ago from leftover strips from the Farmhouse Baby Boomer Blankie. I’m pretty sure I was inspired by a pattern I saw on Pinterest, This was made shortly after the blankie was made and should have been a quick finally finish since the binding and backing was ready but for some reason I must have been distracted. The straight and wavey line quilting using a CT Essential Thread in Apple Green took less than an hour and hand sewing the binding took longer. This table runner measures 22”x40”.

When the Farmhouse Baby Boomer Blankie was first finished, my plan was to give it to one of Hubby’s sister who lives on a farm but glad I didn’t. I had an epiphany when I was binding the table runner that the GP House has farmhouse decor and the two would be perfect there. I then decided that the table runner is now a chair runner and will look quite pretty on my high back chair.

I decided to end March with a high five finish with the Alphabet Four Patch flimsy made in January when I was having a moment with my some of my quilts made with my stash of Children prints. The fabrics were from a fat quarter. Bundle of Windham’s A is for… and may have been purchased when Craftsy sold fabrics. Alphabet Four Patch measures 32” square and made with 16”, 8” and 4” four patches. Straight line Crosshatch machine quilting with a CT Essential Thread in pale peach or Fawn was quick and easy. Again, I am loving 32” square quilts.

I thought this would be a good place to mention the big mischief making involving more time than the finishing of the five flimsies which is a project I’m calling Simple Smitten. Hubby and I watch TV together in the evening after dinner which is a good time for knitting and hand sewing. I was tired of knitting and wanted a new hand sewing project and thought of resuming EPPing with the leftovers from my Smitten Quilt finished over eight years ago. My intention was to made a small wall quilt with the lone block leftover but somehow it has morphed into making 30 blocks now, the same size as the Smitten Quilt. I calling it Simple Smitten since most of the blocks would be made using large diamonds and hexies paper pieces. By making it much larger, it meant days of hunting fabrics from the original quilt, finding new fabrics and of course die-cutting way more than needed. I did this during the first weeks of March and still not focused on finishing anything. This project should keep me busy for awhile and I already had some late night sewing with the six blocks made. During the scavenging and rummaging through the scrap bins, I found the once lost National Park fabrics which I don’t know why it was there. I once blamed Demando for taking it but now think maybe he put it back. I’m just joking but it’s a possibility.

And here is a pic of the #6 UFO project which I was not in a mood to finally finish it which involves sewing a few filler patches highlighted in yellow and adding a border. These blocks were made from an almost twenty year old BOM, Peace and Plenty by Fat Quarter Shop and features blocks from Moda Fabrics designers. Good Quilt Peep Carol and I have named this quilt as the Block of the Month from Hell. I have good reasons for not wanting to finish this, mainly because of the size, twin size even after excluding the three blocks never made, where would I hang it since there is no way I would lay this on a bed and if I want to devote the time to finish it. I’m starting to get picky, believe it or not. I still like the blocks but not sewn together and my plan now is to separate the blocks by colorway, appliqued or pieced, and maybe making several wall hangings, large and small. 

Speaking of knitting and being tired of it after knitting the two shawls on the left, and putting the Simple Smitten project together, I am knitting the Sophie Scarf which is a very popular pattern. Sadly, I am finding time to knit this because my dear Hubby is having a bad month with dental and health issues. We had several visits to the dentist because his new crown is creating problems which we first thought was caused by a head cold but now may lead to a root canal. Last year, he had two Kyphoplasty surgery to repair fractures in his spine and now, almost the same time as last year, he has to have hernia surgery next week. The Sophie Scarf so far has been knitted mostly during the dental and doctor visits and there is a strong possibility that it will be finished by next week. Hubby is a real trooper and still plans on doing a band gig this week.

Just for laughs I thought I included an edited photo of the Darling Granddaughter surprised at having received another quilt from Grandmin. I tell her she can never have too many quilts as I tell myself you can never make too many quilts, right?

Sorry for this long Post, but it has been a mad, mad March. Before we leave for the GP House this week, I have a big mess to clean up in the Studio. Also, I’m really hoping Mary pulls a good number for April’s Dirty Dozen UFO challenge.

Wishing you a blessed Easter Holiday!

UFOs with Eunice

Eunice is my Studio Tormentor who in my head tells me to sew the right thing which usually means an UFO, a very old UFO. I put Eunice in time out last year plus Country Threads did not have a 2024/25 Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge so there was no project list  and my output this year is lower than normal. Usually at this time of year I had 10 Finally Finishes as opposed to only six so far this year. I pretty much enjoyed making the quilts made and wanted to continue but Eunice had other plans. This week I have two Finally Finishes and two Flimsies from the UFO pile and also one flimsie made several weeks ago before I finished my quilt for mmmquilts Glowing Hearts Quilt Along.These UFOs include one flimsie made over twelve years ago and two which the blocks were sewn last year but felt longer. I thought I’d do a short recap in the order of when they were finished.

If there’s a UFO which bugs me, it’s the one with the blocks made and ready to be made into a Flimsy. I finished three flimsies and this Heather Ross Hexie quilt was the first one. For some reason because I quilted my QAL quilt, I wanted to work on this one because the Hexies and Triangles were die-cut  for what felt like were years but to my surprise I did this last year. Speaking of Tormentors, Susan, my Downunder Tormentor made a Heather Ross hexie quilt last year and I was inspired to make one after I saw hers. After all I had wonderful prints in my Heather Ross stash which has been sitting in my stash for too long and large hexies were perfect. I’ll write more about this quilt once it’s a Finally Finish and I need to ask Sue’s permission to include her wonderful quilt in my Post.

My two Finally Finishes are these two door quilts; the Marcia Derse on the left and the Asian Cranes on the right.

• Marcia Derse aka Rose quilt (can you see my name in the center using the letters from her Alphabet panel) was a flimsy I made over four years and I was tired of seeing it hanging from one of the cabinet doors in my studio. I wanted this to hang this on the hallway door leading to the lower level, aka basement, studio. I did a combination machine and hand quilting over the past few months and the binding was sewn down this past weekend. The Rose Door Quilt measures 22”x38”.
• The Asian Cranes was a flimsy made over twelve years ago and would have remained a UFO if Demando had not requested I make a door quilt to cover the hallway electrical panel at his girlfriend’s house. His request was to use colorful fabric and something Asian and I knew I could use this flimsy by reworking it to fit the needed dimension. It helped that I knew his girlfriend’s favorite color is purple. I did simple straight grid quilting using a CT Essential Thread in Violet. Asian Cranes Door Quilt measures 22”x 36” and I’m hoping it’s the right size. It might be a 1/2” too short and I know how fussy Demando can be.

This is the one UFO which bugged me the most as the blocks were started around ten years and there are several reasons why I don’t like the pattern which I’ll explain when I write a Post after it is quilted. This is the Jack and Jill pattern inspired by Missouri Star Quilt Company and most of the fabric is Marcus Bros. Aunt Grace Ties One On. Although I had more fabric to make a larger quilt, I decided to make only a 40” square.

I have to say this is my favorite flimsy finish since it is the Fresh Air Quilt pattern designed by Mary Etherington/Connie Tesene of Country Threads. This is one of the great patterns featured in their Fresh Starts Quilts book, 2022. I cut the patches in 2022 but did not sew the blocks until December 2024. The fabrics used were Amanda Herring’s Jane Austen and Brenda Ratliff’s One Room Schoolhouse. This flimsy measures 64” square.

While Hubby is still recuperating from his back problems, my late night downstairs sewing/TV time has been curtailed, so I’ve been spending time in my upstairs Fiber Room which is where my wool stash is kept. One of the things I wanted to work on was reducing my wool stash so I’ve already made quillies (wool circles) and thought I would try rug hooking. I finished my first piece which measures 14”x16”, die cut most of the strips and I still on the fence if I’m “hooked”. My first piece looks like it was punched rather than hooked which has neater lines. I finally improved, as you can see on the very tiny lower right rectangle. I didn’t like the backing I used, it may have been tufting instead of Monks Cloth plus still have a lot to learn about the hoops and needle. I do know I don’t plan on hooking large pieces and will stick to small projects. 

I do like making the quillies but there’s only so may mats and pincushions to be made. There’s always Wool Applique.

I am looking forward to the Celebration of a Famous Canadian’s Birthday parade feature the many Glowing Hearts Quilts made. See you on Sunday, June 15th!

Linking up with:My Quilt Infatuation/NTT