Saying Good-Bye to July

It's been almost three weeks since my last post and part of my reason for this brief respite is because it involved indulging in way too much July Sidewalk Sales, both online and on foot, which resulted in my having to reorganize my studio. I don't dare show photos of my latest acquisitions which also include my winnings of 33 fat quarters from participating in MMM Quilts Plus Playtime QAL (Thank you Sandra and Cali Quilt Co.) or my new storage unit; I'm just glad my studio is once again organized and a fabric diet will be planned for 2019.  I spent the last week of July catching up on some sewing and can post some finally finished quilts.

First up is my Stacked Squares Quilt designed by Erica Jackman of Kitchen Table Quilting and is a free pattern available from Moda Bake Shop.  I first became aware of this pattern through Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation and this is the second one I have made.  

I started making this quilt last year when I purchased Lynette Jensen's Quilts with a New Attitude being the Modern Traditional quilter which I am and also in possession of a bit of both Thimbleberries and Cotton+Steel fabrics, both RJR lines. I liked the idea of combining one of Lynette's traditional pattern with the modern C+S fabric so my intention was to make the Sky Blue Waters pattern.  I changed my mind when I realized that I needed a new wall quilt to go with the new blue and green bedspread for our "guest" bedroom (truth be told, I still call this Mike's room even though he hasn't occupied it in our ten years and is only used when he and his family comes to visit) and thought the Stacked Squares patten would make a better wall quilt. However, I did get the idea to combine both Thimbleberries and Cotton + Steel fabrics together since I thought some of the blue and green prints I had in both of my stash would go so well together.

I made these blocks almost a year ago and sadly I didn't feel the urgency to finish this quilt.  It was on my 2018 UFO list and my only impetus to finally finish this quilt is because there is another quilt I want to make similar to the Stack Squares pattern using blue and yellow Cotton + Steel.  Sometimes my UFO list has to take precedent and a DrEAMi project has to wait.  Also, I was really hesitant about cutting up these blocks since cute animal prints were involved and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be--the squirrels sewed up nicely.

My C+S+T (Cotton+Steel+Thimbleberries) quilt measures 60" square. Here are some close-up photos of the quilt.  Can you spot which prints are Thimbleberries and which ones are Cotton + Steel?   I quilted it with curvy lines, about 1" apart, with mint green thread and the funky dot backing is a ten year old print from the backing vault.  I used a green Thimbleberries print for the binding not only for nostalgia sake but also as a way to use up more of the Thimbleberries stash which has been quietly sitting on my shelf.

Now that this quilt is finally finished, I'm wondering why I didn't finish it sooner.  Also, since I've become reaquainted with the Thimbleberries book, I may do a variation of the Sky Blue Waters pattern with the blue and yellow Cotton + Steel prints.  It's funny how quilt inspiration can strike you or is this what you call serendipity?

And speaking of quilt inspiration or should I say impetus, I finally finished my sweet granddaughter, Micah, Fish Quilt which I mentioned in my last post that I had forgotten about it and needed to finally finish it since my claim that every quilt I started in 2018 were all finally finishes was not true because of this top.

The Anne Kellle fish fabric used for the backing was purchased last year when Micah was just months old and the 4.5" squares was pulled from stash but the top was not made until March of this year.  There's no better impetus for finally finishing this quilt than a visit to see Micah this weekend and I'm pretty sure she's going to love it since she's in a Fishie phase right now.  I love the wavy grid quilting with the variegated thread on the top and thankful that I had enough of the stripe fabric for the binding.  I think I'll be using this quilting pattern again for my one-patch quilts, a favorite of mine  for baby quilts.

Some of the other sewing I did was another Staggered Squares and Strip quilt top which I am doing for the Fabulous Freebies Blog Hop, August 20-24th hosted by Calico Joan of Moosestash Quilting where Bloggers are presenting their favorite or their own free quilt tutorial.  Here's a sneak peek of the quilt which I will be posting on my day which is August 24th and should be no surprise that it involves Cotton + Steel fabrics.  I'm being very partial when I say I love making these quilts because it's, easy,  a great pattern to use a lot of different fabrics and the quilting comes easy for me.

I'm calling it a month now and saying good-bye to July.  It's been a busy and fun month for me and I expect more of the same for August except for the fabric buying.  We'll be traveling in September and  hubby saids there are four quilt shops around where we will be staying so I need to do a fabric fast for August.

Linking up with:  Tish Adventure in Wonderland, UFO Busting, 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 

Another QAL Finally Finished: Wishi Washi

The good Quilt QAL energy continues with the Wishi Washi quilt which I started and finished within a week of participating in the Second Sew Along hosted by Roseanne of Homesewn By Us.  The official start of the Sew Along was July 1st but I didn't begin working on it until July 6th because I had to first finish my Playtime Plus Quilt for the parade which started on July 5th.  Once I was finished with that QAL I was ready to start another QAL or Sew Along with "no stress, no deadline, no prize and just for fun." Participants had a choice of making one of three patterns and I chose Up From Here designed by SewMamaSew which was the perfect pattern to make after coming off of the fun sewing time I had with my Playtime Plus Quilt.  I enjoyed Sandra's pattern so much, I modified the Up From Here pattern to the point it could be called a junior Playtime Plus quilt because I used 3.5" strips making my blocks 18" finished.

At the start of the Sew Along, I told Roseanne that I planned on using fabric from my Asian stash since I join Sew Alongs or QALs with the intent of using what I have and I do have a lot of Asian prints that have been long neglected.  As you can see, my Wishi Washi quilt doesn't look very Asian but if I hadn't looked in my Asian stash, I would not have found my inspiration print with the gray multi color print (second from the top) which is the Fiddlesticks print from the LahDeeDah collection designed by Erin McMorris/Windham Fabrics. If you're wondering why the Fiddlesticks print was in the Asian stash, it's because it reminded me of the Washi Tape print designed by Rashida Coleman Hale before she joined Cotton + Steel and it was a print that I wished I bought when it was available.  The coral print on the bottom is a Cotton + Steel print designed by Rashida so that's why I thought Wishi Washi would be a good name for the quilt.  I'm hoping Rashida will reissue this print again now that she is no longer designing for Cotton + Steel and if she does I'll make sure I buy some this time.  The lime green print is an Art Gallery Square Element and the gray crosshatch fabric on top is something I just purchased two weeks ago from Joann Fabrics with no idea that I would be using it for this quilt.   I am amazed and pleased that these four prints from four different fabric lines played so nicely with each other.

I have to mentioned that it's a challenge for me to make a quilt using just four fabrics but I was able to think clearly with the Wishi Washi quilt, which may have been fueled by my Hubby now adding cacao powder to my coffee in place of a certain sugar substitute, at least that's what I'm hoping it is. I decided that I would jazz up the quilt by using two different block layouts by keeping the the gray Fiddlesticks print in the same position but changed the orientation of the sticks and alternate the coral and lime green prints positions for each block layout.  I usually don't do this but I made two blocks before making the rest of them, one in layout A with the coral print in the top and bottom and the lime green print in the center of the block and layout B with the lime green print on the top and bottom and the coral print in the center just to make sure my idea would work.  Can you see how the gray Fiddlesticks print looks different in each block layout?

I am so glad I made the test blocks first because I was planning on making five layout A blocks and four layout B blocks since the blocks were going to be set in a three by three layout and they would alternate next to each which is what you usually do with this layout.  After I made the test blocks and they were next to each other, I could see that in order for the fabrics prints to alternate with each other diagonally and vertically, I would need to make six layout A blocks and they would be set in the top and bottom rows and three layout B blocks and they would only be in the center row.  Whew, so glad I realized this, big thanks in part to making the test blocks.  I also would like to mention that in the Up from Here pattern, the block seams were to be pressed open which I did not do because as you can see, the seams need to match up. In order for me to do this, I need to have nesting seams so for each block, I pressed the odd rows/strips with the seams up and the even rows with the seams down and once the blocks were sewn, which clicked together so nicely, the seams for layout A blocks were pressed to the right and the left for layout B blocks. Before I sewed the row of blocks together, I pressed the block seams for the rows with the layout A blocks to the right and left for the row with the layout B blocks and again clicking was heard. The Wishi Washi Quilt measures 54" square which is also the same size as the Playtime Plus Quilt.

My clear head came to the rescue once again when it came to deciding the backing, which usually takes a day or two, because I wasn't really excited about using my IKEA black and white print for this quilt. I remembered that I had this stash of a wonderful Phillip Jacobs Geranium Leaves print which has the same colors as the gray Fiddlesticks print.  It's really unusual for me to have the backing decided on before the top is finished.  I'm really glad that I finally was able to use the Geranium print since it's been sitting in my stash for more than ten years.

I quilted wavy organic lines, 1" apart, no straight lines this time, with Coral thread on the top and pale pink on the bottom and am happy to say this quilt lays nice and straight.  The Fiddlesticks print was used in the binding which is a nice way of using the inspiration print once again.

If I could give this quilt another name, besides the other two I already have, it would be the Rolling R quilt since the blocks look like a series of five lower case "r"s which I like to use the lower case letters as you can see on my logo.  I also admire people who have the enviable talent of being able to roll their "r"s  when saying certain words such as "Perfect" like my quilt peep Carol can do which I wish I could do, being the only one among family and friends who can't. I am so happy I found this gray print in my stash because it brought together some wonderful prints sitting in the stash for one fun quilt.  Like the Playtime Plus Quilt, once I started the Wishi Washi Quilt, I could not stop and I do believe this quilt was made and finally finished in 48 hours which is my fastest QAL finish ever.  It's going to be pretty hard to beat this time unless I make another one.  The Wishi Washi quilt is my sixth QAL quilt for the year and it's hard to believe that all of them are all finally finished.  Usually, there's at least a long year or more waiting period for the tops to be quilted but for reason I have good QAL energy this year and for that matter any quilt I started this year, I finished, so I thought.  As I am writing this post, I just remember that I have a quilt top I made for my granddaughter back in March which still needs to be quilted so guess what I'm going to be doing next.

As for the other two QALs which are continuing until the end of this year, I am on schedule and here are some photos:

Classic Meets Modern (hosted by My Quilt Infatuation)

The July blocks were both 12" and are the Bowtie and the Weathervane blocks.  I'm on schedule for this month and also for next month because I accidentally made the 10" Dutch Pinwheel block because I assumed the patterns were in order when I started making the June blocks.  Well, they weren't and the Dutch Pinwheel block wasn't supposed to be made until August.  It wasn't until I was writing my post I realized my mistake so I took a brief break to make the Bowtie Block which fortunately was pretty easy to make.  I have an extra block, the block in the middle on the bottom row in my quilt layout for this month.

Fireburst Mystery Quilt (hosted by Tish's Adventure in Wonderland)

The July blocks are done and were fun even though I was only able to die-cut the 2.5" squares which was a good thing since I need forty-four of them.

I'm thankful for the good quilt energy I've been experiencing so far this year and hopefully can start working on my UFO list, and maybe a DrEAMi quilt or two before the next QAL comes around.  Meanwhile, I'm going to check our supply of Trader Joe's Organic Fair Trade Cacao Powder (not an affiliate link) to make sure we don't run out and also to make sure this is what Hubby has been adding to my coffee.

Linking up with:  Cooking Up Quilts, Main Crush Monday, My Quilt Infatuation, Needle and Thread Thursday and Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday

Throwback Thursday: Let's See It for the Red, White and Blue

I didn't have a problem choosing a topic for my July Throwback Thursday post hosted by Sandra of mmm Quilts.  For me, July is the month for Red, White and Blue and I have plenty of quilts made with these colors which also happens to be the colors of my family room.  I almost gave my Hubby, a.k.a the Master Quilt Holder, a heart attack when I mentioned that I needed to take a photo of each of the seventeen quilts individually in this photo but I only said that in my continuous and relentless campaign to get a clothes line in the backyard.  As you can see in my photo, I have two piles: the ones on the chair are what I consider Patriotic Quilts which were made with the many wonderful patriotic fabrics designed after 9/11 and the red and blue quilts on the floor which has floral prints designed by Jan Patek and Barbara Brackman.  I can honestly say that ever since I started quilting over twenty years ago, I've made red, white and blue quilts.

It was really hot on Wednesday, so taking photos of each of the quilts was out of the question.  It just was exhausting to round up all of the quilts together for the group shot in the hot screen room and I did not include the ones hanging on the wall. If I could be granted one magical blogging power, it would be to twitch my nose and have all my quilts laid out, perfectly photographed and then the quilts and furniture moved back.  Since I don't have magic on my side, I'm only going to post a photo of these two quilt blocks, one embroidered and the other foundation pieced which is something I still don't do very much of being the strips and squares quilter that I am.  I love the doggy star.

And speaking of strips and squares (almost), I wanted to share the story behind this Scrappy Flag Quilt made over fifteen years ago.  I made this quilt when I was working at our local quilt shop and this pattern was brought to our attention at the weekly Show and Tell by a customer who saw it on the then Worldwide Web.  The 9" (finished) flag blocks were made through an exchange of patches, four of them consisting of one 3-1/2" x 5" blue rectangle and three red and white rail fence blocks of varying sizes and layouts.

Here is the pattern, based on my quilt, which I've drawn on graph paper and, yes, I still need to get EQ back on my computer.  The one thing not noted on this pattern is there are two layouts for the blocks, one with the blue rectangle on the upper left corner, which is the traditional flag layout and one with the blue rectangle in the upper right corner as you can see the two block layouts in the quilt.  Depending on the size you want to make your quilt will determine how many of each layout you need to make.  

We did a patch exchange amongst the staff and customers and to the best of my recollection there was no set amount to make, just that you have to have equal number of patches and you got to pick as many patches as you made.  I remember the tables which were set up in the basement of the shop with all of the patches laid out and how fun it was to see all of the different fabrics used.  Of course, it was quite daring or fun back then for Lynn, the quilt shop owner, to use fuchsia in some of her rail fence patches (see arrow on the left photo) for a color pop.  I guess we could have exchanged flag blocks but it wouldn't have been as much fun putting together your own combinations.  If I were to make another Flag quilt, I would use the same fabric or the same tone, like a beige or gold for the bottom 2.5" strip in Patch D to give a more defined zig zag line in the quilt.

Here's a photo of the Star Spangle backing fabric, which I still have some in my stash, and the wonderful Star longarm quilting done either by Marcia or Sue.

I don't participate in any online block or fabric exchanges now but am wondering if a scrappy flag would be a fun exchange.  I still have a lot of patriotic fabrics in my stash and still have some small wallhangings which this post is reminding me that still need to be quilted.  I made this door hanging several years ago and included lime green and aqua, colors I thought were fun when I first started seeing them in modern flag quilts several years ago. As much as I love adding these fun colors to the mix, red, white and blue quilts will always hold a special place in my heart and home.

Linking up with mmm quilts' Throwback Thursday

Plus Playtime Quilt-A Finally Finished and A Parade

This Friday, (July 6th), is the final link-up for the Plus Playtime QAL hosted by Sandra of mmm Quilts where the many participants will be parading their finished quilts. I previously posted my flimsy last month and provided the details on the quilt, my fabric selection and the fun I had making the quilt.  

I didn't start the machine quilting until Monday evening after my granddaughter left after an almost week visit and I'm happy the quilt was finished in time for the linkup.  The quilting didn't go as quickly as I would like but that what happens when you decide to do straight line quilting 1/2" apart.  (Note for myself: don't do this quilting ever again for large quilts) The texture is nice but the distortion wasn't and squaring it up was a challenge. Let's just say, my Playtime Plus quilt is a friendly and happy quilt because it waves at you.  I'm sure the quilt will lay flatter once I spend some time blocking it with T-pins on the floor, which presents another challenge, keeping the four dogs off of it.  I still want to hang it up on the wall but will be just as happy to make it what the QAL was originally intended for--an adult play mat and no way a dog mat.

I am loving the colors of this quilt and am glad I found the gold confetti print which picks up all of the colors in the small pluses. I chose a royal navy thread for the quilting and the backing is a navy fabric with gold specks from my stash. The blue binding is the same fabric used in one of the backgrounds and yay for machine sewing the binding again.

Be sure to check out the other quilts on the linkup. I've already seen some of them and let me say none of them are friendly as mine (wink). And one last photo of my very happy quilt waving you Good-bye!  For those of us in the States, I hope you are having a very enjoyable holiday week and a Happy 4th.

Linking up with:  mmm Quilts, Cooking Up Quilts, Main Crush Monday, My Quilt Infatuation, Needle and Thread Thursday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop 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 

A Finally Finish: The June Quilt

Last year, I participated in Crazy Mom's June QAL and I finished the top in July (you can read about it here) and has sat in the studio waiting to be quilted.  It was on my Quilty Confessions, UFO Busting List which I have to admit this list has been put on the wayside along with some of the other lists I made for 2018.  Even though the June quilt would have been perfect to finally finish in June, I still hadn't plan to quilt it until I happened to come across a photo of the top on my Pinterest board this past Tuesday.  My eyes immediately saw the quilting lines, just simple diagonal and horizontal grid lines and I was suddenly in the mood to start machine quilting.  It also helped that we were experiencing days of heavy rain which is perfect quilting weather for me.  So, with less than ten days left in June, my June Quilt was rightfully and finally finished during her namesake month.

The machine quilting was an absolute breeze and made me wonder why I waited so long.  But it's a good thing I did because I only started machine quilting the Jacqui Gering and Christa Watson method of starting the quilting on the side rather than the center.  In the past when I did grid quilting and started in the center, there was always the inevitable puckering and pinches when quilt lines intersected and for some reason when you start the quilting on the side, this doesn't happen.

I chose to use black thread for the quilting which went well with both the top and the perfect backing which I love.  Last year when I was on my fabric diet and  really didn't want to purchase any new fabric, I did break down to buy more of this fabric since I didn't have enough of it and didn't have any other fabric in my stash which would work as well as this print did.

The binding was done with the happy green polka dot fabric which is the same print Crazy Mom (Amanda Nyberg) used in her June Quilt in her book No Scraps Left Behind and was generously given to me by my good quilt friend Mary Etherington who got me involved in participating in the June QAL.  I normally don't machine bind quilts which are for me but I had to so I can show off the black thread some more.  

And now for some glamour shots which were taken on Saturday, our first day of sunshine and no rain.  The grass was so soggy and there was no way I was going to lay it down so I thought I would use my cute bicycle as a prop to hold the quilt.  It's sad to admit that I don't ride this bike which was a birthday gift from my hubby two years ago.  Three years ago, he gave me a choice of either a new sewing machine or a bicycle and it should be no surprise my Juki 2010Q came home.  The next year, I had no choice and I found this bicycle waiting for me on the front lawn.  Her name is Banana and it has some really pretty patchwork details on the frame which still doesn't inspire me to ride it.  My old legs need a bicycle with gears since we live in a hilly area and the cruiser is only good for level roads (at least this is what I tell Hubby).  I thought my vintage looking quilt would look pretty with my vintage looking bike; they go together, don't you think.

And another photo with my metal farm animals.  I've been wanting to use my metal goat, which I purchased when I was in South Carolina in April, for a photo shoot with one of my quilts and I thought my June Quilt which also has a farm vibe would look good with it.  I haven't named my goat yet but Mary Etherington suggested Susannah which is the name of her dearly loved and departed goat which when she was alive was how Mary and I became friends since I was such a fan of Susannah.  My hubby still talks about the time Susannah butted him and is just glad that this goat won't, so he thinks.  Since Mary did give me the happy green polka dot fabric, I should name my goat Susannah.  I also think since I have some blocks left over from the June Quilt, I should make a small quilt to place over her back and sides; won't that look cute?  I would love to keep my goat out on the front porch, decorated with quilts and all, but hubby is afraid of it disappearing because Susannah is just that cute.

I'm so glad I finally have a UFO quilt to cross off my list; would you believe it's only my second UFO finish for this year.  I have ten more on my list but won't be working on anymore for the rest of the month since my dear, sweet granddaughter, Micah, is arriving next week for a six-day visit which means there is no chance of quilting in the forecast.

Linking up with:  Tish Adventure in Wonderland, UFO Busting, 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 

It's Squirrel Time!

By squirrels I don't mean the four-legged ones, but I'm referring to the image many of us quilters envision when it's time to play in the sewing room.  I had to laugh at myself when I first saw Louise's latest post title: A Whole Family of Squirrels and really thought she was going to show some actual squirrel photos.  It started me wondering how they got on her boat but quickly realized after seeing the first quilt photo she meant quilt projects. I've been busy catching up on my QALs this past week and am now in pretty good shape so it's time for me to let the Squirrels in for some DrEAMi projects. But before you see my squirrels, I should show you my progress on the three QALs which I'm currently am participating in.  This is going to be somewhat of a long post for me but I figure since I'll be leaving for vacation later this week, I may not be posting again for awhile.

Classic Meet Modern QAL (hosted by Kelly of My Quilt Infatuation)

May Blocks:  Crossroads (right) and Double Arrow (left)

June Blocks:  X-Plus (left) and Ribbon Star (right)

The Classic Meets Modern Quilt so far:

I am now ahead of schedule and will link up my June Blocks later this month.  I am loving the way the quilt is looking and I am really tempted to sew the July Blocks now.

Plus Playtime Quilt Along (hosted by Sandra of MMM Quilts)

This QAL started on May 1st and as of June 1st all I had done was choosing the fabric. I was gifted with a shopping spree at The Red Hen Shop where I found the wonderful gold print (upper right corner), RJR's Confetti Basic which reminds me of the color of a Crayola Crayon box and was the perfect color for the main background color.  Once I had this fabric in place, the other fabrics came together quickly which are from several fabric lines:  Lily and Loom's Square One, several Indah and Mixology prints which were used in Sandra's Free Fall QAL from last year.  And like the Free Fall quilt, I didn't have enough of the other background fabric and so I made do with two different blue prints:  AGF Allover Bartack Printed Denim and Wilmington's Navy Essential Tossed Triangles (upper left corner).

With my color diagram which I sort of followed, Sandra's instructions carefully read and marked with notes, and the strips numbered, I first proceeded cautiously and made the first block.  I really had to pay attention to all of this because it was easy to be confused since the blue background in Sandra's instructions were going to be gold in my blocks and the yellow background in her's were going to be blue.  In addition, I alternated the blues and had to make sure I used the right blue for each strip.

OMG, was this a fun block even with all of the nuances I created.  

I was so hooked after I made the first row which is all I needed to do to be on schedule. This is such a fun pattern and sews together very quickly; once you get into a rhythm, you get into a zone.   I didn't want the fun to end but I had to go to bed since it was 1:00 a.m.  I decided I needed to finish the quilt the next day because I knew it would be hard to resume the rhythm process and get back into the zone.

I have a flimsy now which means I am ahead of schedule of this QAL.  I love the colors and believe me when I tell you the yellow pluses are not as fluorescent as they are in this photo.  I will say after I made the first row and did not like the last plus block I made with a blue and white print, I did not hesitate to rip it out and change it to another blue with less white because I knew it would bug me later.  There are a few other pluses I would have like to switch around but can live with the way my Plus Playtime quilt turned out. This pattern is so clever and while I was making the blocks I kept wondering how ever did Sandra came up with this idea.  The Shadow Quilter, so aptly named by Kathleen, deserves the Nobel Piece Prize for this pattern. It's really good for the brain cells and I really know my increments of threes now. It can be addicting--after I was done, I really wanted to make another one right away but sadly will have to wait another day. I am looking forward to hanging this quilt up once it's been machine quilted--I already know there will be straight and curvy lines involved.

Fireburst Mystery Quilt Along hosted by Tish's Adventure in Wonderland

I really did not think I would have time to start working on this QAL which started also on May 1st, with days left before we hit the road, but I surprised myself.  The fabrics were chosen last month which are from my Lonni Rossi and gray stash but sat on the shelf until Sunday.  This QAL really has an easy schedule since completion is until January 1st and I could have waited but cutting directions have been out since May 4th and piecing instructions just released last week.

I will say that I'm glad I was behind schedule and did not do the cutting until Sunday, because I realized when I was reading the piecing instructions that the above patches could be die-cut and that's what I did.  Thank you to my Sizzix HST and trapezoid dies.  Once again I learned my lesson when die-cutting non HST patches, like the trapezoid and HRT, you have to pay attention how the fabric lays on the die, it's all facing up or facing down depending on the direction.  You cannot fanfold the fabrics like you can with HST.

I'm now on schedule with the Fireburst Mystery QAL and there's no way that I can get ahead since after all it's a mystery quilt and the instructions are only released once a month.  I think I read somewhere that Tish could be bribed with chocolates.

During the midst of working on these QALS, I did find time, since it involved TV watching and upstairs sewing, I worked on these two DrEAMi projects which happened because I came across the fabrics while tidying up the studio:  Ernie strips made from Denyse Schmitz fabrics and lots of green HRTs inspired by a recent acquisition of some green batiks from Sandra of MMM Quilts. She has once again enabled me with another project by with some my collection of green fabrics given to me over the years from my dear Quilt Partner-in-Crime, Carol.  I'm thinking of creating another title for Sandra: Master MMM-nabler; really she has released some squirrels in my studio several times this year.

And finally, I have a new road project which involves appliquéing 2" feedsack circles made years ago onto 3-1/2" squares. Recognize them, Susan? I'll be carrying this project in my vintage Moda oversized, metal lunch box which makes a pretty good base when appliquéing in the car.  I couldn't decide on what I wanted to bring or to make while on the road this time and I thought I wanted to work with new fabrics but the feedsack circles spoke to me when I came across them, again, when I was putting something away. My plan is to make nine patch blocks with these circle blocks and hopefully I will be able to share a test block soon.

Now, it's time to say That's All Folks!  Sorry for writing such a long post but I am feeling a sense of freedom with the QALs done for now and I have time to work on other projects before any new squirrels find their way into my studio.  I'll be busy but am in a Happy Sewing frame of mind and hope this will last awhile. And now the mountains are calling me and I must sew, whoops, I mean go.

Linking up with:  Cooking Up Quilts, Main Crush Monday, My Quilt Infatuation, Needle and Thread Thursday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday, Busy Hands Quilts, Finish or Not Friday

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