First Two Finally Finishes for 2023

And just like that, after lamenting in my Last post of 2022 that I was feeling I was falling behind in my participation in Country Threads’ 2022/23 Dirty Dozen UFO because I only had flimsies to show for the months of October through December, I machine quilted and bound October’s and December’s flimsies this  week. This was made possible by Mary Etherington declaring that during January and February there would be no number or color drawn so we can catch up especially since these are the months where snow and cold would make it possible for us to stay home and sew. Well, here where I live in the Midwest, we’re experiencing unusual warm weather in the 40’s and 50’s and there has been no measurable snow for the past two weeks, but I still stayed home to sew after returning from the GP House. Despite really wanting to sew a new project with some new fabrics I received for Christmas and Juki Junebug still not sewing perfectly (I really miss my threads being cut automatically) I am happy that Wonderland, the patchwork throw, and FALLoween I, the future wall hanging are finally finished. Here are the deets:

Wonderland was the last flimsy I finished for 2022 and the plan was for this to be a quick quilt finish since I was only going to back it with my favorite Gray Chenille Plush which I will again mention that this makes for a wonderful, snuggly quilt/throw. Since we’re leaving once again for the GP House this weekend, I wanted to take this to give to the darling Granddaughter in hopes I can reclaim the Carrie Bloomston Patchwork Throw I made last May for me to use in her bedroom. She decided that this must be shared with her and I’m lucky if I get at least a quarter of the throw to snuggle under. Like her Grandma, she likes the feel of the plush backing.

The fabrics for this quilt/throw is from Katarina Roccella’s Wonderland collection along with other Art Gallery prints and some Cotton + Steel prints. These fabrics have been set aside for several years and I decided that this collection would be added to the 2022/23 UFO Challenge list. I just love the combination of the pinks, peaches, plum mixed with the grays and  the minty green I call Aquamint. The focal print of the sweet girls of which I only had a fat quarter would determine the pattern since there was no way I could cut this print into small patches. The prints on the lower right were added since I thought I could use these colors, especially the plum/abergine print.

I’m calling this pattern Easy Ernie Eights, since the eight inch blocks are made up of with either 4”x8”(f) Ernie rail blocks  combined with 4”x8”(f) plain rectangle patches, two plain rectangles or two Ernie rail blocks. I first drew out the pattern on my trusty graph paper to determine how many of each rail blocks/patches I needed to cut and sew. You can see that the sweet girl print was fussy cut into 4-1/2” x 8-1/2” rectangles and I used every bit of the fat quarter; I even had to piece together one of the rectangles together and hopefully the darling granddaughter won’t notice.

Since there was no batting in between the top and the plush chenille backing, I only quilted vertical lines between the four inch segments in a gray polyester thread. The binding is the pink xoxo print from Cotton + Steel, one of my favorite prints to use for binding. The Wonderland Patchwork Throw measures 56” x 80”. If the darling granddaughter still won’t give up the Carrie Bloomston Patchwork Throw, then I will be happy to claim this one as mine, hopefully she won’t decide she needs both of them and Grandma will be left out in the cold.

FALLoween I was a flimsy finished last October and would have been quilted then had Juki Junebug didn’t need to go to the Spa. 

I just love the prints and colors in this quilt as they are a collection of Sandy Gervais prints from when I first started quilting in 1996 and she was with Moda to some of her later prints from Riley Blake. I knew these fabrics would look great with the Cinnamon Spice pattern designed by Ledine Watson of Sugar Stitches Quilt Company and this would be the second time I made this pattern with my Cracker Jack being my first one made last April. I did modify the size of the blocks.

The pieced backing was made with yardage of two Sandy Gervais prints sitting in the stash for way too long and it didn’t take me too long to decide that it was time to use it up for  this very deserving top. I machine quilted with a combination of straight and wavy lines with a CT Essential Thread in Camel. The binding is the orange grid print, one of my favorite prints in my stash and may be the first time I ever used it for binding. Because Juki Junebug sometimes is continuing to sew after I release the foot pedal, I wasn’t comfortable sewing the binding down with her so I had to hand sew which was a good thing to do while watching the three crossover NCIS TV shows. FALLoween I measures 60” square, the perfect size to hang in the family room. I also have a FALLoween II flimsy and considered finishing it also but decided to wait since I still need to quilt my November quilt, which I did before starting this post and does it look awful. Guess what  I’ll be ripping out after this post. I love my FALLoween I quilt and can’t wait to hang it up this Fall. I’ve been wanting a new Fall quilt for the last several years but never seem to be in the mood during the Summer when it was too hot to be working with warm color fabrics. I’ll be ready this Fall for sure.

Here’s some photos taken outside which usually is hard to do in January with the snow and cold. The Master Quilt Holder definitely did not have any problems assisting me. Once my November quilt is finally finished, I am so looking forward to sewing a new project, but then again, I may feel like machine quilting some more flimsies, especially if I order my new machine next week.

Linking up with My Quilt Infatuation/NTT

A Pair of Patchwork Throws

Whenever I back a quilt top with just a plush fabric like Minky, I call them a Patchwork Throw since there is no batting in the middle. I’ve made at least twenty Patchwork Throws during the last six years and like to make them for a number of reasons; they finish quick with simple quilting, feel and wash nicely, no need to iron the plush fabric and a nice way to finish a flimsy which may have been sitting around for too long. The pair above are for me, the one on the right is for my bedroom at home and the one on the left is for me to use when sleeping in the darling Granddaughter’s bedroom. Here are some deets on these pair of Patchwork Throws.

The Amy Butler Patchwork Throw is my April finish for the Country Threads Dirty Dozen UFO Challenge. This is the second patchwork throw finished for the Challenge, the first one Innocent Crush was posted last August and I mentioned that I would be finishing the Amy Butler throw some day. Both of these throws were made with 8” HST from over five years ago when I went on a die-cutting spree after I purchased the die. This throw measures 48” x 64”, a nice lap size for keeping the legs warm when sitting and is backed with one of my favorite plush fabrics in lime green. I machine quilted with straight and diagonal lines and was pleased with how it looks and feels. BTW, this is the second patchwork throw made with the Amy Butler fabric since I made almost 100 HSTs back then. The first throw was a quick gift I made for my Godmother who was recovering from a knee injury in 2016 and also the first time I ever made a patchwork throw. I can’t say enough how nice these are.

After I finished the Amy Butler Patchwork Throw, I thought I would work on my Carrie Bloomston quilt which is a modified Unruly Pattern by Kelly Young, My Quilt Infatuation (not an affiliate link). I started  sewing the strip sets almost a year ago and finally pieced the blocks. After the flimsy was finished, I decided to make it a patchwork throw since I needed one and I like them for sleeping. I bring one whenever we travel and stay at a hotel. I have to mention that the second patchwork throw I ever made was with Carrie Bloomston fabrics but a little smaller.

The backing is a gray chenille plush which is another favorite. I machine quilted with straight vertical lines spaced 2” apart. Again, this throw quilted beautifully. The gray binding was the only print which is not a Carrie Bloomston fabric and is a print from Ann Kelle’s Remix fabrics. This throw measures 54” x 90”. 

The Master Quilt Holder was able to help me this time as his knee is feeling a lot better.  He was able to climb the step ladder to hang one throw and stoop a little for the other throw—glad to have him back. I wish the weather would have been nicer for the photos outside but we’ve been experiencing cloudy and rainy weather for the past week. Supposedly, we may have some 80 degree days next week but I’m pretty sure I won’t have a quilt ready to photograph outside. Would you believe the next project I’m working on involves more Carrie Bloomston fabrics. I forgot to mention earlier that I really love her fabrics.

I’m looking forward to a nice and relaxing Mother’s Day weekend and hope you are too.

Linking up with: My Quilt Infatuation/NTT

I Keep Throwing Along: Patchwork Throw #4

Yep, I made another patchwork throw; the three made within the last few weeks was not enough.  Truth is I needed to make this one after my Hubby's surgery last week after realizing that the other patchwork throws I made were just not the right size or were not meant for my use.  I needed one small enough to cover my lap while sitting in the hospital waiting room which I knew would be too cold for my newly acquired Senior Citizen body so I was resolved to make one when we returned home.  While Hubby was recovering sitting in the family room, I stayed upstairs and made this while sewing in the dining room.  I needed to be close by if case he needed anything or if someone came knocking at the door which always happens when you can't get out of the chair.  Before I continue with this post, surgery went very well and Hubby was feeling like his old (literally and figuratively) self in a few days; in fact, he said he hasn't felt this good for awhile since the hernia was really bothering him for the past few months.  

I can say that this patchwork throw was ready to be made; I already had the right scraps already cut to 8-1/2" wide strips mostly from my C+S Coin Quilt, Ernie Interrupts Quilt and Unruly Quilt along with leftover patches of some of my favorite Tammis Keefe, Lotta Jansdotter, and of course, Cotton + Steel prints.  Since I wanted to make this a smaller patchwork throw, it was quickly sewn together by sewing five rows of the 8-1/2" strip sets and patches 'ala Scrap Vortex style until the desired length of 60" long; this was a quickie.

Another reason for making this throw 40" x 60" is that I wanted to use this IKEA fleece throw purchased many years ago for just $2.49 and no longer available. I'm using this with some trepidation since the washing instructions are, wash in warm water, gentle cycle, do not dry or iron which makes me wonder if this fleece can't handle heat and might melt or disintegrate.  So, if I'm going to use this, I might as well be the guinea pig and of course will follow the washing instructions. This fleece is very lightweight, almost like flannel, and if you hold it up to the light, you can see the top but that doesn't bother me, just the possibility that I really didn't want to make a disposable throw.  We'll see and hopefully I can't report later about this patchwork throw after I wash it, but first I'm going to use it for awhile.  It is such a cute and modern print.

I did some daredevil machine quilting with straight and wave lines by only basting the top with flowerhead pins.  I know I could have spray basted, I have never done this yet, but didn't want to wash it for reasons stated above.  The fleece did sew very nicely and I didn't experience any problems.

What I love about my latest patchwork throw is that I'm once again using my beloved scraps and laughing at this Tammis Keefe print which you can see why it didn't make the "cut, for the quilt since Mama Kitty's head went missing but I thought it was okay for the throw.

Also, I used one of the prints for the binding, red newsprint from Carrie Bloomston's Paint fabric line and I love seeing the words appearing around the throw and thinking of using more text prints for binding.

As you can see, the lightness and size of this patchwork throw can be easily rolled up in case you need a pillow and fits in my hand so I can take a photo of it with my other hand.  Okay, I do have large hands.

Seriously, with Florence happening last week and people having to evacuate, it made me think this patchwork throw is small enough to throw in my bag if needed which I pray I never will.  I'll be leaving this where I can quickly find it.  Also, if I can find a suitable fleece, (I'm really hoping the IKEA fleece will wash fine)  I'll be making more of this size to give.

Unfortunately, National Jelly Roll Day fell on the 15th this month which is the day I always set aside to work on my QALs:

Classic Meets Modern hosted by Kelly, My Quilt Infatuation

The 12" Squash Blossom and Eccentric Stars were so fun to sew and they may be my favorite blocks so far.

Next month, the last two blocks will be made and then in November we will sew the filler blocks before the top can be assembled and finished by December.  I really love this quilt along; I'm using skills long neglected like patience and paying attention to details and my seam ripper is my Studio Pet.

Fireburst Mystery hosted by Tish's Adventure in Wonderland

Block #2, four blocks are finished and I am up to date.  Would you believe these took the majority of my day to make--I had to read the instructions nice and slow and Señor Sudio Pet was very helpful.

Last but not the least, I finally finished the fabric flash cards made from an Einstein Baby Genius panel.  I originally was going to make a quilt sooner but had an epiphany that granddaughter Micah has enough quilts for now and can play with these fabric flash cards when she is at my house since I realized that I hardly have any toys for her here.  Another reason why they're staying at my house is because these cards were pretty labor intensive and I could have made at least two-three patchwork throws for the time it took me to make these fabric flash cards, these need to stay here so they don't get lost with her other toys.  Of course, I may change my mind if she really wants to take them home. What sound does an unhappy Grandma makes when her hard work gets lost.  Grrrrrrrrr with a smile of course.

And speaking of epiphanies, I had one while I was doing upstairs sewing in the dining room, the formal dining room with the Queen Anne furniture, dark and heavy.  This room also houses a lot of my finished quilts and with the thought of moving the desktop computer back to the dining room for various reasons, I thought I could turn the dining room into a FORMAL sewing studio.  My regular studio, or soon to be renamed my informal sewing studio, will still be downstairs in the basement.  It would involve no furniture moving or purchase, I would just need to pack up the never used China from the cabinet and buffet which would be replaced by lovely bundles of fabric stash never used or to be purchased.  Pretty good idea but of course I would have to wait until Hubby recovers from his surgery which depending upon how much he's on board with this idea may not happen for another five years.  Hee Hee, one can dream and scheme, right.

Linking up with: Cooking Up Quilts, Main Crush Monday, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Oh Scrap!, My Quilt Infatuation, Needle and Thread Thursday