Inspiration Sewing Madness

The sewing room has been humming with all kinds of projects!  Inspiration hits and I enter a "must sew now!" session.  

Thanks to encouragement from several commenters, the fat quarter miscutting was rescued on the Memory Lane quilt. 

To my great amazement, sewing together all the squares resulted in the exact size strip I needed. 

All cutting completed and ready to start switching up the fabrics for the blocks.  I originally fell in love with this Connecting Threads line called Oh My Darling because of the two green prints, which I purchased in yardage to make a Kim Diehl lap quilt called Twilight Hopscotch. 

I finished this quilt during the first year of the pandemic.  I added an extra row of stars and chains to make it longer. One of my favorite quilts ever! 

I finished another A block for the Plaidish2 quilt so I could lay it out with the B blocks I've made so far and check out the plaid.  Sew much scrappy! My sister pointed out all the fabrics that were from her scrap piles :)  Lots more sewing to do on this one. The smaller pieces are 2.5" wide before sewing. 

I added a bunch of details to the pieces for the Bookshelf quilt I'm making my niece Enna. 

Here's all the pieces so far, not in any final arrangement at all.  I need to decide on fabric for the shelves so I can make more design decisions.  A design wall would sure be handy for this!

Lastly, THIS Squirrel leapt out of the precuts bin!  I may have gotten the charm pack as a freebie at Sewtopia or won it at guild, I don't recall.  I had an APQ magazine out with a charity quilt pattern. 

 The Make The Connection free pattern is by Jo Kramer and her daughter Kelli from Jo's Country Junction.  It is comprised of two blocks and is super simple to put together. using 5" charms  The bright blue solid I pulled from stash is just barely large enough to make the baby size quilt, so I will have to cut carefully--obviously not my strong point, lol, but will be fun to put together. 

  Last summer I finally quilted the one I made using random mini charms and donated it to guild.

The fast and easy walking foot quilting was fun to do.  Lots of sewing and quilting coming up!

Catching Up, Squirrels, and Sewing

The sewing room was broken down for multiple days after we had the window installation.  I didn't want to completely reassemble the room before our monthly cleaners came.  I'll show something pretty first!  The DMC cat kit stitch is finished.  I used some washi tape I had on hand to wrap the hoop.  The stitchery needs a bath and press before I install and finish it in the hoop. The surface embroidery in white was pretty fussy to do, but sure looks cute; love the whiskers and smile too.

Here's the room before reassembly. It did not take too long to fix up.

The groaning fat quarter drawers were reinserted once the dresser was in place.  The newly operable window is open,  yay. During the reassembly of the cutting table items and things in Hoosier cabinet there were a couple of squirrels released...

There was a baggie of some green 3.5" tumblers that had been hanging around for far too long.  I quickly scrounged up some more green scraps to cut enough to make some placemats.  I'll square off the sides with a border to make the placemat wide enough.   The late night pic is making these prints look a lot grayer than they are. 

I also found this kitted up block my sister probably gave me out of a raffle basket she won and would never make herself! 

Whoever donated it had included a handy cutting diagram with the instructions, which is very much appreciated! I'll enjoy playing with these pieces. 

Some B blocks for the Plaidish2 quilt got assembled  as leader-enders while sewing the tumblers. There is lots to do on the bookshelf quilt for my niece, Emma.  She was in town recently and we conferred over details.  That's the project box occupying the cutting table in these pics :)

Block Redux Squirrel

Squirrel!  A quilt in the June 2021 APQ magazine caught my eye--it's actually the cover quilt. It features flying geese in two versions.  I decided a cropped portion of the design would make a great baby quilt. However, I did not want to cut the large number of 2.5" squares required for stitch and flip corners and corner squares on the small flying geese--8 per block.  There would be a lot of extra sewing to try to save the small waste triangles as HSTs. So pencil and graph paper planning ensued. 

As you can see, there were a lot of seams in the pieced smaller flying geese (does this block have another name--maybe pyramid geese?). My thought was to use HSTs for the smaller triangles and assemble it in two rows, as laid out below.   I cut those from print 2.5" strips I had on hand, and cut larger corner triangles from white. 

You can see a bit of the pattern in the corner of the pic.  I sewed the small geese rows together first.  Who has already spotted what happened next?  Give yourself a pat on the back if you correctly noticed the inner geese pieces were too small. 

Yeah, way too small!  I used Bonnie Hunter's Essential Triangle ruler to cut the geese pieces from my precut 2.5" strips, not wanting to cut a size square I do not have in my scrap system to cut in half--or waste 5" squares--for the inner geese.

I assembled the pyramid geese and added the corner white triangles. The larger geese were also cut with Bonnie's Essential Triangle tool.  This exercise took a couple of hours, but I'm glad to eliminate assembly seams while using up lots of scraps.  I'll continue using prints for the pyramid geese and solids for the large geese, a bunch of which I cut yesterday.  My cropped portion of the quilt design will have 16 blocks and I'll add a narrow border or two to make it about 36" square.  Another new project to add to the list, but I am so happy when I can use up a lot of these scraps I save, and use as leader-enders. This is about the fourth leader-ender I have going now :)  

Design Wall Monday--May 17

 Design Wall Monday--see more Design Walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog. 

There has only been a little time spent on the sewing machine lately, but a few projects got moved along.  

I made the binding for the star quilt and that got applied. 

I made the binding single fold from this cheddar print and will hand stitch it down.  A bunch of thread ends need to be buried as well. 

The Plaidish quilt was also layered with batting and backing and is resting for a bit.  I pulled a number of leftover binding pieces to use with this scrappy project.  

Recently I pulled a lot of dark squares out of the bulging 2.5" precut drawer for a Plaidish2 quilt.  The designer, Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting, designed this second scrappy quilt with limited dark fabrics and more lights and mediums, which are more plentiful in most people's stash. She designed it block style to make it simple to make the size you want. Free download is available from her store.   

I finished the quilting and binding on the strawberry block mini quilt for my sister.  Mom wants one now!

Leftover binding to the rescue again--there were two pink lengths perfect for this job.  I still plan to make a four block version for myself.  The strawberry quilt was the on the cover of the April 2021 APQ magazine. I think there may be a quiltalong happening on Instagram too. 

Working On It

Over the weekend I had planned to start on the Blackbird Designs cross-stitch project, but somehow that never happened.  I did make a trip to Michael's on Friday night to pick up the poor man's Qsnap frame in a larger size...after spending an afternoon hour looking for a set I was sure I had.  Boy, going through my cross-stitching supplies turned up some old memories!  

I stitched these Southwest cacti so long ago that they are back in style now :)  The framing stage is always my hang-up, but the time spent stitching these really does deserve that effort. 

Lots of hoops, charts, and linens in this box, as well as some other half or nearly complete cross stitched pieces.  I have a wooden stretcher bar set in the box, but really like the snap type.  I bought an 11" set----reading reviews, it seems the QSnap brand sets are not interchangeable (as well as expensive), whereas the knockoff from Michael's I was able to combine with the 8" set I already had.  

While I took the photo with the frame set vertically, I will be stitching it held horizontally.  I agreed with many commenters that the clamps are hard to get off--my method is to pry the clamp gently from one end, not the middle.  Anyway, I am ready to get the floss wound on the cards and start stitching. I read on Patchwork Times that there is a Blackbird Designs stitchalong coming up this weekend so perhaps I can join in.

Saturday I took my mom to get her first COVID vaccine.  I took wrong turn and ended up having to backtrack to the unfamiliar clinic, but we were early and things proceeded smoothly once we got in the socially distanced line.  After visiting a while with Mom and Dad, I played in the sewing room with some leftovers in a baggie, which of course I found when I was looking for something else. Squirrel!

These were cutoffs from the Greenpiece quilt and the pinwheels finish at 2.5 inches. 

I like the mini pinwheels on the back too :)  It seems a bit narrow to go around a dolly, except maybe Malibu Barbie, and I'll have to choose some side borders from more Greenpiece scraps. 

Trying to get more finished quilts out the door, I texted my niece Hannah, who just moved to a new house, pics of a few finished tops.   She chose the Plaidish quilt top, which lacked a prepared backing. 

I thought this Comma print from stash was modern enough, but the backing needed to be wider.  It took an inordinate amount of time to audition stash pulls, but finally a solution was located. 

I don't recall where the red fabric came from, but since there is a lot of red in the top, it works for me!  Simple walking foot quilting will ensue when the sandwich is made. This is a free pattern from Kitchen Table Quilting, which is assembled block style.  My version is 6x8 blocks, roughly 60x80, a good couch size quilt.  I'm deep into planning a Bookshelf quilt with my niece Emma, as well.  The scraps and fat quarters need to get into a quilt!  I'm lucky to have such a problem with fabric wealth :)

My sister Kathy had asked me to help her on Sunday for a couple of hours with her own sewing room disaster, as it was so bad that she was not even able to make herself get in there.  I quickly began clearing up the cutting table, as the piles there were immediately in the doorway--that's enough to stop anyone!  We had a very entertaining time cleaning up together for a couple of hours and I left her ready to sit and stitch again soon.  

Design Wall Monday--8/3/2020

Design Wall Monday is here.  See more design walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog.

I've been shopping the stash to finish up all the lingering projects and squirrel projects. I finished off the binding for Dreamweaver and attached a label, the quilt also had its first bath;  I did not get to deliver the quilt or get pics of it yet with our son and daughter-in-law, perhaps next weekend.  There was leftover binding so I used it for a Guild baby quilt in progress. 

Looking back, I started this Houndstooth quilt THREE years ago.  Sheesh.  I could have cropped this photo better, but at least my pedicure still looks good--can't say the same about my manicure :)

Walking foot quilting with random spaced lines and then 3 step zig zag in an aqua thread.

Binding with a lighter print is a fun change.  I was annoyed at missing some of the binding while ditch stitching from the front, so added another line of machine stitching IN the binding.  I think it looks good, even if non-traditional. 

Backing with leftover flannel and scraps.   It finishes at about 40" square or so. Glad to have it off the list at last!

In the Squirrel category, I had a finished top that seemed too small to be very useful.  I bought the kit for the gingham plaid quilt at Sewtopia Boston nearly two years ago.  Shopping stash again for a border, I found a print that coordinated well with the teal green of the patchwork fabrics.

Pretty sure that was a quilting cotton I bought at Joann's several years ago.

Won't this make a cute picnic or beach quilt?  I've cobbled together a backing from leftovers and stash so that part is sorted. 

A Squirrel tablerunner also needed backing and binding.  I must have pulled 10 different choices for a pieced backing before cutting to the chase with a single fat quarter. 

I love the way channel quilting looks and chose to group together three lines across the piece.

I used a Hera tool to score the groups 1" apart, and the edge of the walking foot to space the quilting lines themselves.  Binding also got attached but I decided to hand stitch that down, a task for another day. 

Usually this time of year I would be showing how my entries did at our County Fair, but of course that was cancelled due to COVID-19.  Our County is still on a watch list, with more deaths and illnesses.  Scary times to be in crowded conditions.  There is always next year to hope for!

What I'm Working on Wednesday--Multiple Projects

I seem to be unable to settle in to one project for very long currently.  Stalling on a major one usually produces this condition.  In this case, the Dreamweaver quilt and all its applique has been hogging the cutting table.  I've pulled out the table on the Hoosier cabinet for an additional cutting and auditioning area. 

My DIL was happy with the progress and agreed with adding more applique.  We decided some smaller circles over the larger solid ones would help them stand out less. I had already cut a lot of leaves from the Steam a Seam fusible but needed more sheets.  Also I wanted to pick up some floss for another embroidery project.  Happily, although limiting customer volume and requiring masks, the larger local fabric store in town is open. 

I was able to find all of the floss colors for this thrift store scored Blackbird Designs pattern, and then wandered about the rest of the store.  There were 20% off tags on many of the bolt tables.  I found a good option for the backing of the Dreamweaver quilt, then perused the fat quarters while waiting for the cutting table traffic to clear. 

Well I HAD to buy these $2.00 fat quarters, didn't I?  I always need neutrals and picked up the fun stripes and a couple of blues as I seldom buy blue fabric.  I could have bought a lot more FQ but had to consider how stuffed the FQ storage drawers are...and put some back, lol. I want to make some cloth napkins and fat quarters work well for that. 

While avoiding the applique, I worked on the Perkiomen Valley blocks from last post.  Trying to figure out how to nest seams when the blocks were going to be twisted and turned was impossible, so I pressed all the seams open after chain piecing the block pieces.  I got annoyed by trying to stick my scissors between the pieces to snip the chain thread while holding them in my hand, so did this instead:

I laid the joined rows  on the table, pulling down the just  added row to the limit of the chain thread, and snipped through the now visible chain. 

When laying out the first few sets of squares and HSTs before piecing, I noticed I was choosing a blue for the center, and went with that for the remainder. Above the blocks are looking good in a straight set layout....

...and here more dynamic in "The Stacey" layout, after a fellow guild member.  This is just a small corner of her layout, which I showed last time. The top is now complete. 

Another "squirrel" project jumped out when I was pulling charm squares for the Perkiomen Valley blocks.  I have acquired mini charm packs over the years, usually as freebies, but seldom use them.  A well aged Bubble Pop charm pack by Sandy Klop along with a sweet green and white background fabric pull from stash and I was on my way....

The Moda Love Quilt I have made in layer cake and charm pack size, but this is the first mini charm pack one I attempted.  These squares and HSTs are little!  This is a free pattern from Moda. 

Pen for size reference.  Since I used my Bloc-Loc trimmer for all of the HSTs, the rows went together pretty smoothly.  I did have to restitch a few seam allowances that got skewed, but it wasn't too painful.  This will likely become a pillow cover with the addition of more of the background print and leftover mini charms. 

...now back to applique pieces for Dreamweaver....

Design Wall Monday--March 2, 2020 New March Challenge

First Design Wall Monday of March is here--see more beauties on design walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog.  

Last March I did a UFO self-challenge working on a different project every three days.  That was a very motivating exercise and helped move along lots of different quilts that had been stalled at some stage or another.  This year I'm working on hidden projects, mostly contained in/on/under the Hoosier cabinet that substitutes for closet space in the open family room where I sew.  It's Empty the Hoosier this month!  I first attacked the overflowing scrap situation; I had a shoe box and deep wire basket full of fabric to deal with.

Pieces I had already precut to the sizes I save went into the drawers under the cutting table, and the larger slabs and strips to the ROY G BIV drawers under the desk, or the fat quarter dresser, depending on size.  The wire basket and plastic shoebox are empty again!  However, I accidentally started a new project while cutting up some of the green scraps....Squirrel!

I'm going to make a tablerunner for my oldest brother--his favorite color is green too. The fabric in the bottom right stack I used in a bed quilt I made him several years ago.  This squirrel project will match another started in April 2017 from Kim Brackett's pattern called Cross My Heart (from the book Scrap Basket Beauties), and finished in my Three for March self-challenge last year.

 Obviously this pic doesn't show the finish! I cut 40 sets of green fabrics but still need to cut the corner pieces from solid white. 

In the Hoosier cabinet I have a box with small unfinished projects; that also needs to be emptied! I chose one as a new leader-ender. I think the 5" charm pack was a prize and the pattern a free project card.  Anyway, I had already cut all the corner squares, they just needed to be marked with the stitching line, a tedious job that had stalled the project. 

This will make a good baby quilt if I make it square instead of a rectangle, wouldn't it?  Lots of fun piecing to start my Empty the Hoosier Challenge--I like it!

Design Wall Monday--last day of September 2019

On my design surfaces are projects in play, and a squirrel or two...  See more Design Walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts. 

The Newlyweds' Dreamcatcher quilt is the project in play in the background.  I completed three more rows and have 13 left to sew, so its halfway done!  There was some surgery and switcheroo needed when I got the squares out of order again, but that was easily repaired. 

One squirrel project is due to the sudden cooler weather, finally below 80s here in the daytime and last night dipped below 60 degrees--I needed a throw quilt over my side of the bed. That brought thoughts of Fall decorating and a quilt by Sherri McConnell in the latest issue of APQ magazine.  She used Fig Tree scraps; I'm pulling from scraps and stash.  I'll make a small wallhanging or mini quilt from one block.  She used triple sashing in two colors for her design and that sounds fun too. 

Obviously I am still stuck on Churn Dash designs :) and have made progress on the baby quilt I've been making 9 patch blocks for as leader-enders while sewing Dreamweaver rows. 

The third row is assembled but not yet sewn to the others.  Good thing I got a start on this, as I received a baby shower invite for October for mommy-to-be.  Two more rows yet to assemble before backing and binding are made.

Another squirrel popped up when I got thinking about a speaker we had a Guild this month. She accepted all the baby quilts made so far, and mentioned a Christmas Shop put on by local government for disadvantaged families.  She noted that handmade items such as quilts are always the first to go from the shop, which is open for weeks before Christmas, and suggested doll quilts.  I had a stack of four patches that finish at two inches and quickly sewed up a bunch. 

I just noticed in this pic that despite my efforts to avoid it there are a couple of "humble" patches that got turned, but they will stay!