Blogger's Quilt Festival #2 -- Turn by Turn

Hi again!   This is my second entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival which started today and runs through May 29. 

Many thanks to Amy's Creative Side for hosting the festival and giving us all the opportunity to see the lovely projects everyone has been working on this past year.  The quilts are amazing.

My entry is a quilt from a pattern found in Quilt Sampler (Spring/Summer 2011), called Turn by Turn.  I started it in February 2013, sent it off to be quilted in March, and didn't finish it until November 2014.  What can I say--I hate to do bindings and I'm not good at finishing.  This is during the binding process, but shows the richness of the Kaffe fabrics better than the other photographs.

 

   

 

It was quilted by Yvette of Yvette's Custom Quilting.  The quilting is hard to see, but really lovely. It runs along each strip of color, with a small separate design on the brown and white dot.  I likely wouldn't have chosen the brown and white dot for the lattice if it hadn't been used in the magazine, but it worked really well to set off the colors of the Kaffes.   

 

 

The backing is also a Kaffe, a print called Bekah.  It is one of my favorites for backing.  Really a gorgeous fabric.  I was a little sad to use up my last piece of the print.

 

The binding is a fabric by Philip Jacobs called Chard, in blue, which has enough teal and pink to pull it all together.

And just because this photo was in with the others, and because Bryna was so sweet at this age (and at that moment), here's the finished French General.  I'm guessing I didn't post a photo because it was to be a gift.

Both Turn by Turn and the French General were Christmas presents this past Christmas.  I was sorry to see them go!

 

Turn by Turn is entered in the Large Quilt Category of the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  It measures roughly 110 x 120 plus the outside border, so maybe 120 x 130?  (I didn't measure it before it was given away)  I pieced it, and it was quilted wonderfully by Yvette of Yvette's Custom Quilting.

 

Be sure to check out all the other quilts in the Large Category at the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  And thanks for stopping by!

Good News/Bad News

It's been a busy time, and I've only a few minutes for an update, so here goes........

Good News:  The borders are on and this quilt's off to be quilted. 

Bad News: The two quilts (Bordered Diamonds and French General) are back and now need binding!

And add them to the the other one waiting, and it means a month of sewing on bindings ahead!

Bindings = ICK ICK ICK

  

Good News:  The hexies are sewn together. 

Bad News: I am super sick of pink, and there's still a BIG stack of leftover hexies still to use.

I've put the spare hexies and the top away for a "rest" period before any sewing more pink. I'm still trying to decide about the border treatment, and that will take time--maybe years.
 

Good News:  Found these cute little bins at Hobby Lobby.  They aren't durable (made of paper), but at only $1.99 each, they've been a good aid in keeping the cutting table organized.  I use them to coral and sort the scraps.  And when they aren't in use, they stack nicely.     

Bad News: They are full of more pink scraps to use up!

BIG, BIG GOOD NEWS: I've had the same sewing machine for FORTY years. When it started having problems, a very nice friend loaned me her older (1130) Bernina, which was a definite help (thanks Patty!) But now I have a new one of these (woohoo!) and a new cabinet will come tomorrow! The spot is all vacuumed and ready!

 

Bad News:  I am such a slow learner--it's a big jump to computerized from my old Viking.  I am more than a little bit intimidated.  Even worse, I have been too busy with family stuff to be able to spend much time getting acquainted--maybe tomorrow........

If you don't see many posts from me for awhile, please ask someone to check to see if I've accidentally sewn myself into something and am stuck under the presser foot. 

Happy Stitching!

Building "Block" Fun

When you realize your sewing room is jam packed with close to a million unfinished projects, you catch the flu, feel thoroughly depressed, and have lost your quilting mojo, what do you do?

 

You start something new, of course!  Something low stress and colorful and just for fun! 

romanianquiltstudio.com

  In January, I decided as a personal pick-me-up I'd make a “quick” little project, and sew a baby quilt for a neighbor's first grandbaby.  

 

I had previously purchased the pattern, Building Fun, from Geta who blogs at Geta's Quilt Studio.  Bright and cheerful, it was the perfect project!   (I borrowed this photo from Pinterest--my pattern copy is a bit mutilated)

 
The instructions were clear, the blocks went together easily, and it was fun picking the fabrics for each block.  I decided to use only fabric from stash, and finally used a few pieces by Keiko Goko that I have been hoarding.  I chose black/white polka dots for the border, but I think it would have been fun to use a bit smaller polka dot for the backgrounds (didn't think of that until it was done).

 

 

The pattern calls for machine appliqué of the circles/centers, but I didn’t want to worry about colors showing through the white, so I sewed them using reverse appliqué, which worked really well.   I’d definitely recommend the pattern. (and I'm not connected in any way)

 

Even though the pattern went together well, the backing proved to be a challenge for my stash.  The top was too large for one width of the fabric to cover it.  Every piece of baby suitable fabric that I had was either too small, the wrong colors, or directional so it couldn’t be turned sideways.  Very irritating!  If I’d been thinking, I would have bought some Minkie and been done. 

But instead, since I had leftover strips from the blocks and leftover triangles from piecing the buildings, I decided I would piece of few of the fabrics together for a back.  Simple, right?  Ummm, NO.

The back was going fine until I measured and cut everything the wrong length--way, WAY short.  I had been going to run the piecing up and down, but that wasn't going to work with the short pieces.  So a new design and more piecing was necessary.  And more unpicking. 

 

I didn’t think to take photos during the process, but it’s a good thing you couldn’t hear what I said when I realized that I had cut everything too short.  Here’s what I finally ended up with:

 

 

The little bear fabric in the center is about 20+ years old, so it's nice to finally use some of it.  I like the way it eventually turned out, but when I look at it, it says “girl” to me--just too much pink.  And, the neighbor’s baby is going to be a boy.   After I thought about it awhile, I decided that my neighbor's grandbaby is going to absolutely love to read—books make good baby gifts, right? 

 

And feeling guilty for starting something new, (and on a roll piecing backs), I pulled out one of my many UFO tops (French General Reine des Abeilles), and started piecing a back for it with a few of the leftover hexagons.  (I needed something to join the two widths of fabric for the back.) 

 

 

(And here's where I have to admit that while these hexagons were up on the design wall, I started ANOTHER quilt right over them.  More on this one in the next post!)

I did manage to finally finish the French General hexagon back last night, and it's all bundled up with the quilt, ready to go to the quilter.  (And, yes, I forgot to photograph it, so you'll just have to wait for the big finish--which could be awhile, but at least progress has been made!)

And last post, I showed photos of the great snow we got two weeks ago, when our world looked like this:

 

Now this is all that is left of the snowman family.

 

 

So if you're on the east coast of the USA, don't despair--a bit warmer weather is heading your way!
 
Happy Stitching!

Les hexies sont finis!

The scary hexies are now a top! (And no, I do not speak much French so hopefully that is stated correctly.)

The top was made from a French General kit that I was lucky enough to win in a giveaway from Thelma at Cupcakes N'Daisies.  (Thank you Thelma!)

I made the kit just as directed in the pattern, although I just had to add a few more different French General fabrics (if ten fabrics are good, fifteen are better--I can never resist more variety).  Of course I just told myself it was because I wanted to add a smidgen of green to make the quilt be a bit more Christmasy without it being a Christmas only quilt.  Here's a closer view... 

The kit had a generous amount of fabrics even without my additions, so now I've quite a bunch of French General scraps as well as some half hexies and quite a few whole hexies, so I'm sure you'll see another hexie project here sometime--but not soon.  First I've got a few  million other UFO's to finish, and of course, this still needs quilting!

Happy Stitching!

Conquering Fears...

My UFO #7 in the Patchwork Times UFO Challenge is finished!  Finally!  I started this quilt about 1992 as a gift for my mom--so hmmmm almost twenty years ago--aren't you impressed with my speed of completion?

When I first started it, the pieces in each block were made of the same two fabrics, with a different two fabrics for each block, but when I put the blocks together, it looked too choppy, so I picked it all apart and stitched it back together with the fabrics mixed.  (insanity!)  Then I decided I wanted the outside triangles on the edge to both be dark to make a bit of definition. So I picked it apart again, and replaced the white with teal.

When the top was complete, I showed my mom. She is a non-sewer, non-quilter, and grew up in the age where poor people had quilts on their beds and rich people had bedspreads. (She was excited when she could afford a real bedspread.) 

Her response to the top was, "Why would I want that?!"




Yes, I was crushed.  But I spread the quilt top out on a queen size bed of mine, looked at it, and decided it would be better as king size anyway, given the block scale, and for balance.  So I took it apart, and added a row.  Of course I sewed the new row into the wrong place and had to pick it out again before it was put in correctly.

And, that is why a quilt takes twenty years to finish--lack of preplanning!  I worry a bit that the fabric will fall apart the first time it's washed--it's been picked apart that much.   Here's a closer view of the lovely quilting Yvette did, and the fabric on the back.

I wanted to hang it and take a long full photo, but it is just too big for me to handle--and yes, that is a whole lot of binding!  And that's all I've accomplished this past month--at least that I finished.  But I have an admission to make.  I've started something new--and not just one new project, but TWO! 

I've always been drawn to the circle type quilts I see on so many blogs, so I purchased a pattern called King George III Quilt, available here.  It wasn't exactly what I had been looking for, but it was close enough and I didn't think I would ever draft circular patterns on my own.  (I later figured out that the pattern I had been looking for is apparently a BOM from Amitie--oh well.  There's also another lovely circle pattern called Camelot by Trish Harper if you, too, want circles.) 

The King George pattern had languished in my sewing room due to my fear of hand piecing.  I've tried hand piecing a bit in the past and found it difficult and tediously slow.  But now for some reason, it doesn't seem so slow (perhaps it is at my pace now).  Here's my first (and only) completed block.

It went together relatively well (although I was short on the green fabric so couldn't make all the pieces match completely--as my daughter points out.)  And I guess the block isn't really done since it is still a circle and not yet put into a square, but since I'm not sure what I'm going to use as the background, this is done for now.

My second new project was with hexagons--another project I had postponed due to fear.  It is from a wonderful French General kit, Reine des Abeilles, I won earlier this year from Thelma at Cupcakes N' Daisies. I had decided I would work on it this fall, so I cut out the pieces this month (to be ready, of course).

But then I couldn't wait, so I started piecing them together.  Here's part of the first panel (on top of the other projects on my design wall).                       

Turns out that circles, hand piecing, and hexies aren't that scary after all!

Scoreboard for the Month/Year/Total Project:

Roseville Blocks -  8/13 blocks, 1/4 panels, 0/4 borders completed, none in August

Flower Garden Blocks - 6/24 completed, none in August

King George III - 1/12 completed, one in August

UFO Challenges Completed - 8/12, one in August  (up to date)

Old projects Entirely Completed - 4, including the Teal Quilt in August

New Projects Started - 8, including French General hexies and King George III in August (this explains a lot about my growing number of UFO's)

UFO's to Finish - More than I can list on two pages!  So sad...and truly SCARY!

Happy Stitching! 

C'est merveilleux!-- French General!

In my haste to post about my finished block for the UFO Challenge, I spaced out (do people still say that?) something I wanted to show! Look at what I won!

I was VERY lucky to win this wonderful French General kit--pattern, hexie template, and lots of gorgeous French General fabrics!   It was one of three great prizes in a giveaway celebrating Thelma's 250th post at her blog, Cupcakes 'n' Daisies.
 
Thelma always posts lots of photos of lovely quilts and her steps in the process of making them. I enjoy seeing the steps and learning about her decision making process, and it's fun to follow along, but I have to admit that Thelma makes me feel highly inefficient. She actually finishes her projects--they look great too!  And she has an organized sewing room! All right, I admit I read her blog hoping to learn her secrets!
 
Right now Thelma's leading a Quiltalong of the quilt Eventide, and it's worth reading about just to see the different fabrics variations people have chosen and how each changes the look of the quilt.  Here's her last Tuesday's Eventide posting.  Next Tuesday, April 5, is the Eventide parade, so you should visit and check all the different versions out!
 

I've never worked with (or even owned) any French General, and I'm excited to start on the kit, but admit the hexagons intimidate me a bit. They are quite large (5+ inches), and while that should be reassuring compared to the little ones, somehow the size is intimidating too. This is the pattern, Reine des Abeilles.  (I believe it means queen bee)
 
And somewhere lost in my sewing closet is a bin of little hexies and a bunch of vintage fabric and flowers garden circles I purchased already in process that I'd like to finish.  My fear of hexies needs to be conquered!  Each time someone posts photos of their hexie projects and English piecing, I'm intrigued--almost enough to give it a try.  I think winning this kit, is my nudge to get on with it.
 
So I'm going to save up courage for a couple months (and try to finish a few UFO's), but will likely give these scary hexies a try this summer or fall. So if you don't see some progress on them by fall, please remind me, and help get me past my Hexie Anxiety.  And Thank you so much Thelma--the fabrics are beautiful!  Merci beaucoup!