June Doings Done in July

My quilt top for the Crazy Mom's June QAL is done!  I'm a little bit late seeing that this quilt was suppose to be done by the end of June but I had to finish some other projects first coupled with a visit from my granddaughter. This is one of my favorite quilts from Amanda Jean Nyberg's "No Scrap Left Behind" book and I wasn't planning on participating in the QAL but decided to since my two quilt friends in Iowa were going to make this quilt.  Imagine my surprise when I found out several days ago that they decided not to do it since they didn't like how their first blocks were looking which is understandable  because I wasn't sure how I was going to like my quilt. Once all of the blocks were sewn I really like this quilt made with a collection of feedsack and 30's scraps from many past projects.

I started picking out the fabrics during the last week of June and sewed the block strips this past weekend.  I had the black and white check in my stash and the green dots, which is the same green fabric used in the quilt in the book, was given to me by my two quilts friends in Iowa so I couldn't be mad at them for dropping out of the QAL.  I will admit that I do not like making quilts with blocks set on point (it's those setting triangles) and considered doing an alternate layout with the blocks going just horizontal but I realized that would be too boring so I toughed it out and stuck with sewing the blocks on point.  I did a 4 x 4 layout which made this a 67" square quilt but, to me, it felt like I was sewing a king size quilt.

Like previous projects using scraps which always result in a messy aftermath, I've created makings for another scrap project.  I definitely should make a pin cushion with one of the leftover blocks but that will be for another day.  I was gifted with some beautiful feedsack squares from my quilt blog friend Wendy and when I received them I was surprised they were prints that I did not have in my stash so I'm looking for a pattern to showcase them. Since I've now made at least six quilts with the same feedsack stash,  it'll be nice to work with different feedsack prints.

From one QAL to now another one, I plan on making the quilt featured in the Twelve Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop and QAL (you can read about it here) which starts today.  My Christmas fabrics have been chosen so I'm ready to start the QAL on time and thankfully the blocks are not set on point.

I'm glad that I didn't machine quilt the Ardently Austen top, (previously posted here) right away because thanks to Susan Snooks, PatchworknPlay, (you can see her beautiful Rollercoaster quilt here) I discovered the serpentine stitch on Hazel, my new Juki F600 sewing machine which I'm still not as comfortable sewing on like I am with my old Juki 2010Q.  I'm liking this stitch to use for the baby quilts I make so I definitely plan on using it again.  It's a nice alternative to the straight line stitching and might make me adventurous enough to try free-motion quilting, maybe.

I'm still struggling with my Minus 100 Yard Challenge thanks to Christmas in July sales and never wanting to miss an opportunity to purchase sale fabric for backings. I definitely need to focus on quilting some of the quilt tops on my project list.

Minus 100 Yard Challenge:

Previous Total: - 42.50 yards         
New Total:  -49.125 yards  (this will change for the worst next week when the 8 yards of backing fabric arrives and is factored in-yikes!)

Linking up with:

My Quilt Infatuation: Needle and Thread Thursday

Crazy Mom Quilts: Finish It Up Friday

Busy Hands Quilts:  Finish or Not Friday

SaveSave
SaveSave

Quilter's Choice--It Has To Be Ardently Austen for Baby Austen

This was the week I was supposed to get back on track but somehow the distractions are still continuing (it took me two days to clean up my studio and playing with fabric was involved) so I only was able to make a top for a baby quilt for my peep Mary's new granddaughter.  I've made doghouse quilts for all of her kids and have already made one baby quilt for her first granddaughter several years ago.  Usually I like to have the quilt made before the arrival of the new baby but I was waiting because the gender wasn't going to be known until after the delivery and I was hoping to make a quilt with Cotton+Steel's Sloth fabric which I thought would be perfect for a possible grandson and Mary's daughter was okay with the fabric.

I like to make a quilt which I know will fit with the decor of the baby's room which I did previously with the first granddaughter and I was planning on making another modern low volume quilt pending fabric approval by the mother.  After the arrival of Austen Hazel several weeks ago, I was prepared to switch to another Cotton+Steel fabric until I had a epiphany which only took almost a week that I had  Ardently Austen fabrics designed by Amanda Herring in my stash.  There was no way I could even think of using another fabric line since I have an understanding that whenever a fabric line comes out with a family member's name, a quilt needs to be made for that person. I have extended this understanding for newborn babies of friends.  I mentioned to the daughter that sadly she will have no say in Austen's quilt and that this quilt will be my choice.  I think I've did the right thing even though I'm not sure if the quilt is going to fit with the decor or the mother's taste.

I only had a limited amount of 10" squares and some yardage of the floral and teapot prints.  I initially was going to make a quilt with 5" squares but when I cut the 10" squares in half, I thought rectangles would look better to showcase the prints.  This quilt measures 36" square and the plan is to machine quilt it with vertical straight lines with my Juki 2010Q.  By the way, I sewed this top using my brand new Juki HZL F600 sewing machine named Hazel (just like Austen's middle name) and surprisingly I had problems with the 1/4" quilting presser foot which I'm happy to say I have resolved.  Either it was too much lighting or I need different reading glasses, because the problem was I was not seeing that I was not butting the fabric up to the edge which caused my seam lines to be too narrow.

Hopefully,  the Baby Austen quilt will be welcomed and, if not, I'm prepared to make another quilt more to their liking, and give this quilt then to Grandma Mary....I'm pretty sure I can make her like this quilt but then who in their right mind would not want a quilt that had their name on it.

And on a happy note, I never win or should I say hardly ever win any raffle or drawings but the past two weeks, I won three patterns and they are:

Courtesy of Jen Rosin (A Dream and a Stitch):  Star Blossom by Tish N Wonderland (you can see it here).  Participants were asked what colors they would make this quilt and I responded Teal and Terra Cotta.  Now that I have this pattern, I'm thinking Basic Grey's Christmas fabrics.

Courtesy of MMMi Quilts and participating in the Free Fall QAL, I received two patterns from Meadow Mist Designs; Foothills Mystery and Looking Glass (you can see them here).  I'll have to think about what I have in my stash but I'm pretty sure I have the right fabric.

My hubby the PunMaster had to make a comment when I told him of my haul:  "I'm sensing a pattern here" which corny as it sounds, I wouldn't mind if my luck continues.

Linking up with:

Crazy Mom's Quilts: Finish It Up Friday
Busy Hands Quilts: Finish or Not Friday
Confessions of a Fabric Addict:Can I Get A Whoop, Whoop

SaveSave