2022 ends

 I'm killing time in Dr's waiting room. It's the perfect time to update here.

Christmas was pretty good with daughter and girlfriend and mutual fella friend. New years eve was just another night but neighbor had a great fireworks display. New Years day was annual game day at friend Irene's. Fun fun. I hope you all enjoyed the recent holidays.

I've been busy quilting donation quilts for church ladies and even piecing a few. And getting  those quilted.   Here's the latest pictures.

Most of the quilting was something  simple.Maybe lazy loops. Or curls. I quilted the 9-patch with big flowers that I echoed.  A few starts and stops beats marking and following lines of a panto.

 This last quilt top is my Civil War charm quilt top finally done. 

I'd like more pictures but it's wet outside and too big for my wall. I'd call it Thousand Pyramids, but there are closer to 1200 triangles, each different. A little bigger than planned. What was I thinking? 

I have a dozen self-made kits waiting to piece, but I hope to focus on quilting this winter and saving the piecing for at studio 3. 

Till next time, happy quilting.

Catch Up Time

I have quilt tops going back to July I think.

 The Churn Dash blocks I made a few years ago and they sat as I was undecided on the setting I wanted to use. They are a little busy being all scrappy. Glad I waited. I'm surprised how much I enjoy this little quilt. I think the green is singing to me.

The Blocks on point are one of only a few quilts I ever arranged on the diagonal. I think I made these blocks earlier this winter at Studio 3. I remember auditioning blue fabrics there for the setting pieces. But I bought the blocks home and checked my stash here where most of it is in the sewing room. I tend to like a gold like I used here. 

The quilt top on the left is a Robbing Peter to Pay Paul variation. I'm sure it goes by many names. If you know any of them. I'd be interested in hearing them. I started this well over 10 years ago. Ive done other variations of this before and can think of still others. Maybe some day.

 Cleaning out the closet I came across these 2 sets of 5 blocks. They are blocks using my Thirtysomething technique. I probably used the pieces for demonstrating when teaching. Time to finish them up and clean out the closet. Maybe just to move them to another location in the house though. I'm undecided where I'd donate them.

This is a disappearing 4-patch I think I pieced this spring. I did not enjoy the technique. I sure like the quilt though. Sue liked it well enough to make a pair for twin beds. 

Simple little squares and rectangles. Bright and fun and happy. Someone will like having it. Yes, the fabrics are from my stash. Fabric I bought! I bought many fat quarters over the years and just used little bits in my scrap quilts. I'm curious how many quilts some of  those individual fabrics have been used in. Impossible to count. 

The purple/blue is another simple one. Actually its one of two. I'd planned to set the blocks side by side without the white sashing added to just 2 sides of the rectangular blocks. But it was tooooooo much purple for my taste. The blocks I made at retreat in July. 

 This is a quarter of a quilt design by Bonnie Hunter. Lori1R, fellow Stasthbuster did hers in green. The 4-patches were made at Studio 3 in June. Then the top was assembled when I attended a retreat in October with Irene up at camp in White Lake, WI. I loved it there so much in the forest. We decided to plan on returning a few more times. I can see making this one again. 

I had the 2 blocks for this done and ready to finish at retreat too. I like to take projects all cut out and almost done so that I don't get confused. But I don't like to do borders at retreat. I often like to audition different border ideas. And for measuring the small ones I like to spread them out on my flannel wall to easily compare measurements to keep it square. 

I had hoped to keep this blog current, but its been a challenge to sit at the computer and I'd rather post from the computer than my phone. Part of my delay is that I never got around to taking pictures. I'm caught up now I think. If I didn't take a picture its cause the quilts were simple little 4-patch or 9-patch donation quilts. 

I did a fair bit of quilting this year so far using my longarm. Earlier in the year it was quilts for nephews family. I quilted a pile of donation quilts for church too. The other ladies do most of the piecing. I quilt the bigger ones for them and return them to the ladies for binding. We have one other volunteer with a longarm. She provides batting and backing and finishing and takes donations to her choice of charities. The church ladies like that. They just want to sew. 

I will check and see if that's everything, but I think so. No doubt it would be easier now to post from my phone, so we will see if that happens any time soon. Till then.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. 

Not like before

a 3 yard quilt using 4 fabrics. This reminded me of a  favorite color combination when I was a kid. Maize, carnation pink and midnight blue. 

A collection of 10" squares in a quick project. So satisfying. Looking forward to quilting it.

A snowball. Joint effort of several gals at church. A mystery who turned on the 9 patches. Lois made the snowballs and set the blocks. I bordered and will quilt and another will bind.

 So, yes, you can see I'm still quilting. Pretty much just comfort quilts for those in need. Just not like before when it was nearly a daily thing. I guess that's what retirement does to some people, change their way of life. I would like to quilt more and am making a bigger effort at it lately. It's been a challenging summer; my time is not my own. Things have calmed down and gardening season is winding down. Darker earlier when I prefer to quilt downstairs, so I should be more productive now. 

This week I prepped 7 backs and ordered batting so I'll be ready when it arrives. 

Today the Studio 3 Friday quilters met for the first time since covid hit. So fun catching up. We agreed we ought to meet just every other week and changed days to Wednesday. Thursday group attends quite sporadically. Maybe time to invite some new blood!

I have more to show but need pictures first!

REPORTING IN

 I've got 2 finishes to report. The  1st is a quilt from my great niece that finishes about 58" square. I made the top a few years ago using 1930s reproduction fabrics.

 This 2nd one is a broken dishes quilt my dear daughter asked for.  It was just twin size but when she saw it she said make it bigger for me so now it finishes 96" square.  To incorporate some new and different scraps I took the seam out of the middle and added 2 rows to mix up the prints a little better. Cleaned out the scrap box of old prints with this one. 

SHORT STACKS

 Well these short stacks of coins went together quickly. I had to futz with the stacks a bit to get them the same length because the strips weren't the same width throughout but that's OK. It was fun. Maybe cause it was bright.  I'm ready to do something with triangles. next. That's not counting the pile of 20 blocks waiting to be set on point. The setting fabric is cut and the rows are pinned together in order. I hope a diagonal set won't be too confusing to work on while I chat with my phone friend. It is rare that I make a diagonally set quilt, but I am familiar enough that I should be able to do it without all kinds of ups and downs to the flannel wall. I hope. 

My arms still isn't all better after injuring it last year. I'm starting more therapy tomorrow so with luck it won't bother me to quilt forever. I'm concerned it will bother me more to work in the garden. Part of getting old? Maybe

Coin Stacks

I know, this hardly looks like I would have made it, yet I did. The bright scraps I found at an estate sale a few years ago.  I knew the little scraps would work for this pattern and precut to boot, so I snatched them up.  A few bigger pieces of green and red pieces were in the mix but didn't work for this quilt. Not just the size, but the color. In exchange I added a few orange pieces.. Fun brights aren't my usual MO but couldn't resist. And the black sashing print with those fun bright little circles? Yes, in my stash.   And perfect for this quilt. Mark even asked me, Who made that quilt? He thinks it looks out of place here because it has no triangles. At least he didn't say it looked boring. Problem? Did I say there was a problem? 

Since this is as big as I want to go, I have plenty of leftover brights to make a second version. I even have another black that will be perfect. Sure wish black wasn't so hard on the eyes. Gotta love those LED lights.  Hopefully version 2 will commence tonight. 

THE Right Time

 A year ago I opened a box containing these three curvy pieced strip sets.

 I made them in a class probably around 1994. The teacher, Sonya Lee Barrington, had samples of what could be done with the strip sets but did not provide a pattern. I didn't really need a pattern because I didn't particularly like my strip sets. It was rare that I took a class and I wanted to use some older fabrics and not buy new because I didn't know what I would be doing with them. Little did I know they would sit for almost 30 years!

So last January I made a decision to make a quick little donation quilt and empty the box. A few days ago I opened the box again and began cutting and sewing again to make one more strip set. I'd cut the other pieces last January so this time it was just a few hours to get them together. Why I decided rectangles and not squares is beyond me. And I still had to decide if I wanted them scattered or like I finally decided with matching sets all in a row.  And the 3 at the top and bottom was a quick decision when I didn't have enough to complete the row and didn't care to make more.. I thought I might use the scraps from the back for a pieced back but then remembered another fabric about the same vintage and in the right colors. I am now anxious to get 'er done. I guess the time was right.

The Latest from Here

I didn't do a year end review because I hadn't posted in so long till the last 3 posts that show what I would have included, so if you missed it you might want to back up a few posts.  I participated in the Stashbusters Stay at Home Retreat a few weeks ago.I thought I'd report and show my work at the time. I guess better late than never.  I had hoped to get 3 to flimsy stage. I guess I did, but not the 3 I had hoped. That means I have one ready and waiting.

The first is this pinwheel quilt I showed before. I had leftover yellow triangles, so I must have planned to  complete the pinwheels at the edge. I didn't have anything suitable for a border, so I actually went shopping. Being bright, I thought something in the Kaffe Fasset collection might work. The shop Quiltagious in Mukwonago has a wall full of those prints. And yes, I actually like them, but rarely buy or use them.  Mark drove me, I didn't show him what I bought when I got to the car or at home. Then he sees it on the quilt and says "Who would buy that? I spose it was church fabric you wanted to use up. Um "NO, I bought it last week to border that quilt. Doesn't it look great?"  Yeah well, if you don't think so  maybe the picture doesn't do it justice.  

The framed and sashed four-patches is a design I found in the book "Worth Doing Twice" called Elsie Mildred.  Not easy to remember. I call it Thelma and Louise . I didn't follow it exactly; nothing new. It went together quickly. Maybe cause it was mostly cut out when I took the box off the shelf. But more likely cause there are no triangles in the quilt. I really enjoyed making it, except for the sashing. Ugh. Mark though it was boring maybe cause he's "used to seeing triangles". It may reside in our living room if I get it quilted.

This Past and Present variation of a quilt by Kim Brackett was mostly pieced at Studio 3. The blocks were sitting there most of the last 2 years, I could blame Covid, but all I had to do was  bring it home to finish. I usually join the blocks here anyway so I can use my big flannel wall, but I had 12 blocks waiting to get finished. Not a favorite but a friend liked it. What do you think? Likely I will finish it for donation.

This Blue Baby Sunshine and Shadow quilt was made following the pattern in the book, Tradition with a Twist. This is the second one I made of that pattern. Super Simple I did this one with the quilters at Studio 3. The quilting  and binding is done and it has been passed on to a great niece.  On the longarm frame now is a quilt for her mom and dad. 

I have a few empty project boxes in the closet now and hope to empty more soon. I've been focusing on emptying the boxes that have been sitting there the longest. Many are just leftovers suitable for a good start on a donation quilt. As much as I enjoy them, I hope I don't put off using the good stuff. That would be all the purchases made more recently. It is so hard to prioritize when you love it all, but I bet you knew that. 

Two More Tops

       Two more tops done. I may have started this one over 10 years ago. I used it to demonstrate the Thirtysomething technique when I was teaching. I would have made it bigger but I don't have any more red fabric left except for Civil War prints. It's called Family Tree. The pattern is in The Thirtysomething Block Book. It will remain a UFO for now.

Since Covid-19 struck, I've been in a quilt shop maybe 4 times. In and out quickly. I'm planning to go soon. It should be fun. I want to plan carefully because I don't need to add to my stash for the fun of it. Well, maybe a little. But maybe not red. Mark always told me to have fun when I went off to a quilt shop and that does mean to shop, right?  

This Triple four-patch was started earlier this year when Stashbusters started a  Trail Mix SewAlong. I just loved the block. The quilt has 5 different blocks in it, but since I made small wheel chair quilts with my blocks, I only used 2 or 3 different blocks per quilt. There are several ways to color the blocks and piece them too. This is what I ended up with. I won't be including a border on this one. And some day I may just add more blocks, provided the colors don't look out of place.

I took this picture of the bald eagles this morning out my sewing room window. They are sitting on the edge of the street enjoying their breakfast of a possum road kill, 3 days old.  Uck. They have been around all week. Why didn't they eat it earlier?  The birds were by the creek last spring for a few weeks, too. I wish I was quicker with the camera, I would have loved a picture of them in flight. 

 The "Creek" is Sugar Creek also out in front of the house a few hundred feet. Crazy full of wildlife. I've seen otter swimming in it. Again there is a new beaver dam this winter. This one is fairly close to the house. When we found it, we came upon a  deer skeleton  within a few feet of it. I haven't seen the beaver in years, just the stumps of the trees and bushes they cut down. I've heard them slap their tails on the water a few times. That's pretty cool. 

I'm not sure how I will finish the year with my quilting. I could cut or piece or bind or quilt or, or, or. Tired tonight. We burned 2 brush piles in the woods today. Perfect day for it. We made 14 piles this year and what if we don't get the snow we need to burn them????

A Preview

 This will be interesting. I designed this quilt years ago. Then 4 years ago I chose the fabric from stash. And now members of the Stashbusters online group is using the 54 - 40 or Fight block in quilts they are making. I guess its time to make it. I'm  almost all cut out too, using these fabrics.

 This design is related in that it uses the same unit. The unit goes by several names. A few years back it was Peaky and Spike. Another designer calls it Tri and Recs and uses a ruler set to cut the pieces. There are others. They are common pieces in patchwork and browsing a book of blocks you will see them often enough. I've used them a few times already in several quilts.

I'm rusty at this so giving links isn't going to work today, but check the quilts on posts dated

Jan 1, 2018

Nov 10, 2019

and Dec 7, 2021

A Few More

 I  Found another picture of a quilt I haven't shown. I quilted it using a circle template. 

Standard Stars

And another quilt top. 

Shoo-fly

This last one I put together a few days ago. I began cutting and sorting scraps and separated out the softer tones of the Civil War prints. All the little scrap triangles were already cut. I had no plan.I considered options as usual. Decided to keep it small, do a star then a few borders. I found the outer border in the wash basket. All I have left of that piece now is a piece 1" x 3 1/2"!

Spontaneous Sewing

There is still another 9 days till 2022. I am hoping to get another 3 tops done. The blocks are done, they just need to be joined and bordered. I'd like to get them done and moved out of this room. Then my focus will shift to finishing. (longarm quilting) That's in another room so I don't know what 'Im all fired up to get those done and outta here for. They must clutter my mind!

More I've done

 Some of these quilts I may have shown before in progress. Even  a few years ago. I wanted a better picture for my Pintrest board I labeled, Those I Did. They aren't labeled well on Pintrest as I am not intersted in sitting at the computer that much. As I was loading pictures to Pintrest I called it my Catalog as I have directed nieces and nephews to choose a quilt from that board. They can copy and paste in  a text to me.  Names aren't that important to me. Can you tell? And there are still a few I remember but don't have a picture of and they are already gone. 

Delectable Mountains

This is "Bermuda Sunrise", a Frog Hollow Design

Still thinking about a border for this one.

This was a collaboration between my niece and myself. She is a beginning quilter and I showed her how you can arrange a variety of common units in a variety of ways to fit within a 9-patch set up. It didn't take much for her to figure it out. All my pieces were precut. she designed the blocks and  I did the sewing. Lots of fun and a great lesson.

A little donation

 Following are some of the quilts or tops I made for donation. The little ones are sure fast. I'm sure I didn't get pictures of them all. It can be frustrating to get a good picture. I seem to get the best picture with a flash if I take it at night when it is dark in the room and there is no other light to influence the color. That's the tip I got from a professional photographer that shot pics for my first book.

Some I pieced and quilted, some I just quilted for donation for our church group. 

I made two of these. The blocks had been sitting for years. Finally a solution.

 This one sold quickly at our church fall festival.

The 4 above were made with orphan blocks piling up in a drawer.

The  2 below were made as a round robin with the Stashbusters online group.

Ill go round up some more quilts to photograph and maybe I'll get those posted soon too.

I hope you enjoyed the show.