12 Days of Christmas in July--Quilt Top Finished

It sure wasn't a beginning to feel like Christmas mood amidst the ring of fire heat wave, intermittent power outages, torrential downpours, flash flooding (some water in my basement studio because the sump pump went out, but not bad enough to stop me from sewing)  that occurred during the past twelve days but I'm glad my top is finished and is completed on schedule.

I love this top and that all of the fabric used came from my Christmas stash which I've been wanting to use up.  The fabric is all from different Basic Grey Christmas lines with the exception of one print which is from Sweetwater's Cookie Exchange line.  It just took me two auditions before I was happy with the fabric placement or "rhythm" like I call it.  I wasn't happy with the first audition and while I was walking the dog, the rhythm came to me.  When I worked at a quilt shop and was putting together a bargello type kit using five fabrics, I came up with a "rhythm"; Shocker (Accent), Light, Dark, Mush, Mush (medium value fabric)--you can dance a Salsa to this. I realized that since I had sixteen fabrics, four each of red, light, green and teal, I could use the same rhythm, just eliminate the last mush and then after rearranging the fabrics to this rhythm, I was happy.  

The suspense of wanting to see the way this quilt was going to turn out and not waiting until all four panels were sewn, (also couldn't figure out in my head how the four panels and the center square were going to be sewn together) I took a photo of the first panel sewn and then did a four square photo collage on PicMonkey, rotated the panels in each square and was able to preview the quilt and see that the center square involved a partial seam.  This felt like reading the ending of a mystery/suspense novel before finishing it because you had to know the outcome--which I don't do, but that's what it felt like when I was sewing the strips together.

Also, as I was sewing the strips, I was thinking that the word "Trip" in the pattern name can have dual meanings.  When you follow all of the directions and tips, your "trip" will be nice and enjoyable.  When you go off course which I did when I decided to split all of the seams of each strip sets for each panel all at once, and not one at a time like the direction, I did "trip" and stumble and became totally confused when one seam was split wrong.  I did "trip" several times--it probably didn't help that I was watching TV while splitting.  I did pay attention while sewing the strips together and always made sure I was sewing on the correct side so I did not "trip" then.  And, just as important, I pressed, according to the directions.  For such an easy pattern, it is so easy to sew wrong.  I've made several Trip Around the World Quilts before, but Sarah's (Confession of a Fabric Addict) directions were the best.  I've never made one like this one before and my strips laid nice and straight and sewed together very nicely (there were some spots where the seams didn't nest but like Sarah said, the pattern is so busy you won't notice them.

Now that this top is done, I am ready to join  the I Wish You A Merry Quilt Along which starts August 1st, (details can be found here).  I'll be using my Christmas Cotton+Steel stash for this quilt.  Of course, I needed buy some green fabrics to add to this mix and I might as well confess now, I also bought some more Christmas fabrics to add to the never-ending stash.

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop. ( Be sure to visit each blogger's site for wonderful holiday ideas and be eligible to win some great prizes), My Quilt Infatuation Needle and Thread Thursday;

Thank Goodness for Christmas QALs during the Summer

We're experiencing a heat wave this week, a "ring of fire" as the meteorologists are calling it and, of course, our central air has decided it needs to be fixed.  It's days like this I appreciate that my sewing studio is in the lower level, i.e, basement.  Also helping me to stay cool is the Quilt Along that is happening along side the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop.  Today is Day 6 and I am on schedule with my quilt.  I'm loving this Quilt Along because it only lasts 12 days, the helpful tips which were provided and also because I am using mostly several collections of Christmas fabrics from my Basic Grey stash which meant no new fabric was purchased.  What also is very nice are the tools which are helping me stay on task:  my die-cutter used for the sixty-four  2-1/2" strips needed for this quilt and made them nice and straight, my two big basting boards to keep my strips in order and my big Shape Cut Ruler Pro which made cutting the 2-1/2" strip sets an absolute breeze. (changing the blade on my rotary cutter helped too).

Please be sure to check out the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop,  (you can see it here) where twenty-five bloggers will be sharing their hand-crafted Christmas ideas.  Sarah is doing a great job with the blog hop and I like that the new links and the next quilt steps are posted each day after Midnight so I guess I'll be staying up late tonight just to satisfy my curiosity.

And once the July QAL is done, I'll be ready to start another one on August 1st.  I'm looking forward to participating in the I Wish You A Merry Quilt-A-Long,  and reuniting with some of the bloggers I met through the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop.  Eleven of these quilt bloggers will be releasing every other Tuesday, a new Free 12" quilt block pattern and tutorial.  (More information can be found on Quilting Jet Girl's blog, click here).  My plan for this one is to use my Cotton+Steel Christmas stash and to have a new wall hanging for the holiday.

I'm linking up with the fortnightly Sew Stitch Snap Share link up hosted by Linda of Kokaquilts.  I am honored and thrilled that Linda has mentioned me in her post today.  Please be sure to visit and join the link up to see Linda's lovely work, I love her fabric mashups, and to check out some of the other bloggers.

Here's hoping your quilting is keeping you cool!

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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

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Happy 4th and Happy Finishes

My week is starting off with a couple of finishes. My new quilt made with Pat Sloan's fabrics (mostly Hometown Girl) was finished just in time to hang on my front door to celebrate the 4th of July .  I've been wanting to make a flag quilt using aqua (love this combination) but saw a heart block made with strips so I combined the two ideas and came up with this.  This quilt measures 24" squares and was quick and easy to made.  The heart block measures 16" finished.

And another happy finish, all of the Smitten Blocks are done, the final 18 blocks are done. The other blocks can be seen on the following post, (here) and it only took watching all of the Gilmore Girl series and sequel, six movies, one documentary with eight episodes and six episodes of Blue Blood to finish the 28 blocks.  I just need to paper piece the setting blocks, decide on the layout and then I'm ready to sew the blocks together. Is it just me, but does paper piecing make your fingers sore?

It's only Tuesday, the 4th of July and I was hoping I could work on some more projects but I have to call it a week.  My granddaughter Micah and my DIL are coming in for an unexpected but happy four-day visit so quilting will have to come to  a standstill.  Maybe I can work on the replacement quilt for my Grandmother quilt, (you can read about it here) while they're here, because I still hoping to get it back from Micah.

Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

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

Good Things Can Happen In Threes

I mentioned on my post last week that I unexpectedly won three quilt patterns and commented that I wouldn't mind if unexpected good things continues and it has--two of them.  The first one is I really did not think I would have three baby quilts finished this week, especially if I was just starting them this past Tuesday but good quilting mojo seems to happen when there is a deadline involved which was the end of the second quarter. (I don't think I am alone in saying that this year is really going by fast). This is the second batch of baby quilts for the Blanket Ministry for my church and my quarterly commitment of three quilts (one for each month of the year) which needed to be done by today.  I finished them last night with one day to spare.  I had planned on starting them several weeks ago but I tend to be a quilter of the last moment and I really needed to clean up my studio (i.e., putting away new fabric and quilt distractions) before I could start working on a new project.  So, of course, after the clean up and several days of sewing, my studio is once again a mess--it's the circle of a quilter's life and I'll take it.

Here are some more photos of each quilt and the stats:

37.5" X 38", 7.5"  Finished Cut for Sashing and 1.75" x 7.5" Finished Strips

37.5" Square, 7.5" Finished Blocks

36" Square, 9" Finished Rail Fence Blocks (Two Variations)

And the third and final good thing which happened this past week are the three lovely gifts I received:

Going clockwise, the blue wall hanging was made by Lauren, my Quilt Goddaughter, the wool appliqué was made by my quilt peep, Linda and the pincushion was made by my friend, Connie.  (I have to mention that I also received some fabric from other friends but will show it once I've made something with it).

So I'm happy and blessed with my three for three for this month and hope whatever was happening to me this month will spread for others to enjoy.

You would think that by finishing the three baby quilts it would have put me back on track with my Minus 100 Yard Challenge.  Sadly, the nine yards of fabric used was offset by the 14.5 yards purchased this past week and being on sale didn't play a big part, it was just something I had to have.  I hate when this happens, I think.  I shall remain the optimist since I have some quilt projects that I can add to the reduction very soon, plus I haven't made any fabric purchases now for five days and I'm counting on my Fabric Fitness Coach from down under to keep me in line.

Minus 100 Yard  Challenge:

Prior YTD:                   -50.25 Yards

YTD:                             -42.5 Yards

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

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The Liebster Award--Discover New Blogs

I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by my fellow blogger Wendy of Peaceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life whom I've gotten to know this year when we both participated in the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop.  We've shared inspiration, fabric tales, stories and laughs and I am glad we still stay in touch with each other through our blogs. Participating in the Blog Hop was a wonderful way to connect with other quilters and grow your blog.

I was happy to learn about the Liebster Award which only exists on the Internet and is given to bloggers by other bloggers. It is a great way to discover and promote new bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It was started in 2011 and Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome which I have to say is what we quilt bloggers are all about. You can read more about the Liebster Award by visiting the Global Aussie's Website.

Part of the nomination process is answering the questions Wendy has prepared:

Who inspired you to quilt/sew?

My mother sewed all of my clothes when I was young and I accompanied her on many fabric shopping trips and when I started quilting, she supported my fabric stash.  What really started me quilting was when I saw a quilting magazine at the check-out counter and realized that I can make my own quilts.

If you could meet one person you have never met, who would it be?

Kaffe Fassett and my dream is coming true this October; I finally am going to be taking one of his classes.  I've been practicing how to correctly pronounce his name: Kaffe rhymes with safe.

What kind of music do you like?

I love all different types of music; it would be easier to tell you what type of music I don't like which is talking with no singing and songs using profanity.  I really like listening to the Frozen soundtrack while I'm sewing.

What was the last movie you saw in a theater?

I am too embarrassed to answer this question; let's just say I should have waited until 2018 when the Downton Abbey movie is going to be released.

What is your favorite quilt/sewn project/craft?

I love making a quilt that I can use a lot of different fabrics and the patches are either squares, rectangles or strips.  It's all about the fabrics and the easier the pattern the better.

What is your favorite candy bar?

I really like Chunky but Almond Joy is a close second.

Hand Quilt or Machine Quilt

Definitely Machine Quilt: I have way too many fabrics and quilts I want to make.

Favorite Color

Apple Green, Lime Green, Chartreuse--any yellow/green.

Favorite Quilting/Crafting Item

I was and still am afraid of my rotary cutter so my June Tailor Shape-Cut Ruler was a blessing when I first started.  It has been replaced now with my die-cutters.

Do you work on one project or many?

I could never work on just one project, I am not that disciplined plus I get distracted too easily by all the quilts I see on Blogs and Pinterest.  I have around 40 projects left on this year's project list.

.....

According to the 2017 requirements for the nominations, I am to include a short commentary on a blog that I follow and this is where I can give a shoutout to my blog mentor and Quilt Inspiration, Susan Snooks of PatchworknPlay.  Susan played an important part of me starting a blog last year and was very helpful and encouraging, plus it helped that she has a beautiful blog to inspire me. Her blog was one of the first ones that I left comments on and Susan reached out to me to let me know that I was a No Reply Commenter, a term I never heard before and made me realize that I really miss not having a Help Desk to help me navigate computer problems.  If you want to be inspired by beautiful handwork and fabric combinations, please check out Susan's Blog PatchworknPlay. Everytime I see her blog header, it makes me smile.  I think she is the reason why I take on the Jen Kingwell projects which sometimes I don't think it's a good thing.  I can say that Susan is my favorite Australian quilter and she has taken on a new role as my Fabric Fitness Coach. Let's just say I am to stop shopping and get back to the sewing table. Cheers, Suz!

....

MY FOUR NOMINATIONS for the Liebster Award are quilters I've gotten to know through the Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop:

Andrea of Goofin' Off Around the Block is a Quilt and Disney fanatic and, like me, believes fabric just magically appears.  I travel vicariously through her.

Liz of Savor Every Stitch has only been quilting for a short time and has already made some pretty wonderful quilts plus has amazing machine quilting skills.

Laura of Slice of Pi Quilts is another amazing and talented quilter and is always up for a challenge.

Kathleen of Kathleen McMusing who I consider a Quilt Sister and gotten to know her better when we both participated in the Free Fall QAL. 

These are the questions I would like to see their responses and some are a little different than the ones I answered.

• Who inspired you to quilt/sew?
• If you could meet one Quilt Personality, who would it be?
• Your preference while quilting:  Listening to Music, Watching a Movie, Listening to a Book on Tape, Whistling or Total Silence
• Do you have a favorite snack/munch while quilting?
• Do you look for quilts while watching a movie?
• What comes first when you make a quilt:  buying stash then look for a pattern or buy the pattern first and then the fabric
• What is your favorite quilt/sewn project/craft?
• Hand Quilt or Machine Quilt?
• Favorite Color?
• Favorite Quilting/Crafting Item?
• Do you work on one project or many?

I hope you check out everyones' blogs during the Liebster Award season and discover new blogs to follow.

Also, I would like to thank Wendy for the nomination and never did I think I would every have an opportunity to say this, it is an honor to be nominated.

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

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