What I'm working on

This past weekend I spent many hours working on quilting - using my domestic machine to quilt the Super Mario twin-size flimsy!

In my usual procrastinating ways, I presented the flimsy to my grandnephew, Konner, on his 9th birthday, with a promise to quilt it in the next couple of weeks.  I promptly went home, set up my dining room table and ignored it for two weeks.

The rainy weekend didn't let me make any excuses, so not-so-bright and early Saturday morning I got started. Once I got into it, I chastised myself for waiting so long.  Why do I avoid things I enjoy doing?

All the straight-line diagonal quilting is done, as well as outlining the sashing and the outline of the designs.

I started out thinking simply - just get 'er done! Now that the background has been completed, the borders outlined and the edge sewed down and trimmed, I'm looking at the centres of each block and I can visualize more!  I'm going to attempt some straight-line quilting, along with free-motion quilting and play with each block.

  The pipe has cross-hatching in the light green areas, and will have straight vertical lines in the dark green.

Of course, it wasn't all work and no play - I also got to see this little cutie perform in her third dance recital!  She's done ballet the last three years, plus 1/2 year of tap, next year she's going to do tap and hip-hop! Can't believe she just turned 5!

Sunday Stash Report 2016, Week 3

Doing weekly reports on how my stash moves definitely keeps me motivated! Last week, I powered through to finish this quilt top, that was promised two (yikes!) years ago! I still have to buy some border fabric, but I'll count that separately.

And a quilt top is not complete until it has been inspected - Daisy did her job thoroughly, and then nicely posed! I've done other posts about this quilt - just search for Super Mario or click on the label below.

I've already made the matching pillowcase, which is already in use.

I had experimented with using strips of fabric, instead of all those small squares, but it didn't work out as well as I would have liked, so the quilt top is made up of 1,956 individual 2" squares! 

I'm considering this for the border fabric, bound with red and flannel or minky on the back:

Of course, in order to finish the top, I had to make a small purchase of orange for the Fire Flower and another look at the Christmas clearance rack at Hamel's:

I broke down and bought this print from the Holly's Tree Farm line with no plan. Don't you just love those vintage cars!

Added: 0.8 metres

Added Year to Date: 4.1 metres 

 

Used/Given away: 5 metres

 

Used/Given away Year to Date: 5 metres

 

Used/Given away for 2016: 0.9

I hope to stay in the clear all year, so that means I really have to buckle down and get those UFOs done, because I don't want to give up the fabric shopping!

Linking up with all the other Stashers at Judy's Patchwork Times - come check us out!

Sunday Stash Report, Week 37

 

Nothing in or out this week, but I've finally been playing in my sewing room.

 

Added: 0 metres

 

Added Year to Date: 26.35 metres 

 

Used/Given away: 0 metres

 

Used/Given away Year to Date: -23.0

 

Added for 2015: 3.35

 

I finally finished Step 1 of Bonnie Hunter's 2014 Mystery Quilt, Grand Illusion, all 100 units. (This is no longer available, but should appear in her next book.)

 

 

 

I got all of Step Two cut now, filling a mini-basket at my fingertips and I've started sewing, using these as leaders & enders. This step will create 200 bonus HST that will finish at 1 1/2".  Those could make a cute mini-quilt.

 

I pulled out my Birdie Stitches again, and I'm working on finishing the borders on the blocks.

 

 

(Another old picture, March block before I finished embroidering it)

 

I keep a series of baskets by my sewing machine filled with stages of various projects to use as leaders and enders.  This one has been sitting there far too long, and I want the basket for something else, so time to get 'er done!

 

I also worked on the Super Mario quilt, up to the point where I realized I didn't have the right orange for the Fire Flower, and I needed to cut more squares.  At least 3 blocks of six are finished now and the fourth one is half-way done! These blocks are huge at 27" each.

 

 

Last but not least, I made this cute little mini 9-patches:

 

 

The smallest scraps I keep are 1" squares and strips.  The bowl I keep them in was starting to get too full, so I made these 9-patches that finish at just 1 1/2" (unfinished 2").

 

 

 

I may try Sue Garman's Omigosh quilt someday, so 30 are a start - only about 850 more to go!

 

 

 

July To-Do List, Day 2 of 31 days of blogging

We had a great time yesterday celebrating Canada's birthday.  I saw on the news it's going to be a huge party in 3 years, our sesquicentennial (150 years).  There are websites galore already planning - here are just a couple.  I would love to go to PEI, it is the only province I haven't been to yet.

 

Ottawa (our nation's Capital)

 

Prince Edward Island (where the Confederation was signed)

 

 

I accomplish more when I set goals so I have decided on finishing the following free projects this month:

 

 

1.  Super-Mario quilt for great-nephew, Konner:

 

 

 

2 blocks done, 4 to go.  Using this tutorial from Cut to Pieces, I upsized the blocks to 1 1/2 finished, so the blocks are 27" finished.

 

 

2. I-spy quilt for great-nephew, Brayden:

 

 

 

It will be similar to this one.  I have made one for each of my grand-kids and grand-nephews when they turn 2 or 3, and Brayden is now 2.  That makes 6 in all, but there are 2 new babies coming later this year, so I'll have to hang on to those I-Spy prints a little longer (I was about to bundle them and sell them off).

 

3. Celtic Solstice for me

 

You can't get the pattern now, it was Bonnie Hunter's mystery last year and will appear in her next book. I only have 5 more blocks to make, so I have been playing with border designs.  I think I'm going to finish off all the white points and make the diamonds as shown.  I also varied the corner from Bonnie's

 

Now, for something new:

 

 

I have to reward myself so I purchased the pattern for the Nested Churn Dash from Quilt Jane for the low price of $2.00 Australian, which only came to $2.10 Cdn.  I probably could have figured it out on my own, but when someone else has already done the math, why not!  Click on my Craftsy button (to the right) and search for Quilt Jane, and you will see her lovely patterns.  (Note: Disclosure - I am a Craftsy affiliate so I will make a few pennies if you link to Craftsy through me).

 

I will be making mine with these lovely fabrics:

 

Pardon the lighting, it was nighttime.  This partial bundle is truer to colour.

The fabrics came from Warp & Weft, and are my quilt guild's summer challenge fabrics.

 

 

 

 



Sunday Stash Report, Week 12 - Happy Birthday to Me!

 

It arrived!  My big box (actually 2) arrived from Ozark Fabrics!  34 yards of goodness, purchased for between $4 - $8 US a yard over the last six months.  Even with the exchange rate and shipping, I averaged a price of $7/m!  Even those most of it was paid for in 2013, I'm counting it in my 2014 total spent.

 

 

Jason Yenter - Shangri-La:

 

 

Riley Blake - Chevrons & Houndstooth, along with novelty prints and Stitch prints:

 

 

I might have to start packaging bundles of the novelty prints and selling them off. I have a collection of about 200 or so prints, and I'll never make enough I-spy quilts to use them all.

 

Added this Week: 30.6 metres

 Added Year to Date: 62.1 metres 

Destashed this Week: 0.5 metres

 Destashed year to Date: 22.55 metres

 

 Added for 2014: 39.55 metres

Total spent  YTD $284.20 = $4.58/metre

 

Only one finish in the last three weeks, a small doll quilt for Zoey using the leftovers from my modern rail fence:

 

 

I backed it with minkee and didn't use any batting, and practiced some free-motion quilted loops:

 

 

 

I'm going to use this technique again!

 

Now I'm building a quilt for my great-nephew for his 7th birthday in May!

 

 

I'm using Cut to Pieces tutorial, but I've changed it up a little.  I'm using 2" squares to make 27" blocks, so I only have to make 6 instead of 12.  I'm also not using her technique of a fusible grid, instead I am just pinning all the seams like crazy!  Only 5 more to go!

 

And have hope, my friends and family back east, Spring is on its way.  We have signs of it here on the West Coast.

 

 

 

 

Every day I am reminded once again why I live here.  The best thing of all is that my kids choose to stay here as well, in fact buying homes on the same block that I live. 

 

There also advantages to living north of the 49th parallel - now that the spring solstice has passed, it is light enough to go for walks to the park in the evenings with the kids, their friends and the grandkids!

 

 

  Have a wonderful week, folks, and I hope you will see signs of spring soon as well.

 

 

NewFO Challenge Linky Party 2014

I'm going to join another linky party - forget the Finish it Up ones, maybe I'll have better success starting New FO's instead of finishing UFOs (Unfinished Objects)!

Hosted by Barbara of Cat Patches, she is a great enabler!

In all seriousness, I do better finishing a project when I know there is a new one in the wings waiting for me. I also have to play silly games with myself, like telling myself I can't go to the quilt cave until I've done some housework.  It's really dumb I have to do that, now that the kids left home, its not like there is anyone here to trip over things (except me!).

 I've updated my UFO and WIP page to track where I am on the old projects, and I will continue to whittle this list down, but as I finish two projects, this year I would like to start the following projects (some will be quick and easy, others will be long-term):

January:  Crazy Quilt Journal Project - I'm already committed to starting this project in January and it should be finished by December.

I come from a long line of seamstresses and sewists, and I've always wanted to make a crazy quilt, so I'm going to make something that will use the bits and bobs I've inherited, honour my mother and her ancestors, and learn something new.  Signup is closed now, but Kathy is accepting late registrations as time allows.  For more information, you can visit the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2014 here.

February:  I want to start a Super Mario quilt for my niece's oldest son.

This project also has a deadline - I need to have it done by early May for his seventh birthday.  

March:  My birthday month -  I plan on making myself a Tiny World!

I fell in love with Karen of Faeries and Fibres versions, and have a little collection of teacups and sugar pots from my mother and grandmother that would be perfect.



  April:  I Spy (need for June) - I've made one for all the little ones in the family, this newest one will be for the youngest who is turning two in June. Here's a picture of my last one:

May: My grandson hopefully still loves all things construction by his next birthday (he'll be 6), so this one will be next on deck:

Construction Zone by Quiltmaker Magazine

June: As part of my goal to give everyone in my family a quilt, I plan to start Elizabeth Hartmann's Cat quilt.  She's currently doing a quilt-along, so I have been saving the patterns for my cat-loving niece.

July: If I haven't already started one, I have to pick a pattern in July to start a queen-size quilt for my younger daughter and her husband.  It will probably be a Bonnie Hunter quilt.

August - October: I haven't chosen any for these months yet, but they will probably be small projects that, if successful, can be repeated easily to get my Christmas sewing done by the time the next project starts, which is:

November: As I have for the last 3 years, I will start Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt the day after American Thanksgiving. 

December: I hope to finish a couple of other embroidered-block quilts this year, so in December I will reward myself by starting this quilt! The free patterns can be found here - Sulky Threads 2013 Block of the Month - I Love Sewing -

I found the link on Barbara's (Cat Patches) NewFO list and fell in love.  I'll do it in the colours of my sewing room - pink, lime green and aqua.  When I followed the link, I discovered they have several years of BOM patterns that I want to do.  I'll limit myself to one for now!

Thanks to Barbara for this challenge - I hope this one will be easy for me to keep up with!  For other enablers lists, visit the Linky Party here!