Getting It Done--May/June 2013

It's hard to believe that our next Get It Done list will take us into the second half of 2013. Posting this list at Patchwork Times has really helped keep me focused on reaching my goals for each month. 

GOALS FOR MAY:  I was able to finish 4 of my 5 goals for May, plus one extra project (quilted and bound my flag quilt.)

1.  Dancing Stars--make 8-10 blocks in this month's color (blue) for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  10 blocks done 5/24

2.  Scrappy Sampler BOM--make this month's set of blocks.  Done 5/22

3.  Zigzag quilt--machine quilting + binding.  Done 5/26

4.  Woven baby quilt--machine quilting  Done 5/3

5.  "Curves & Cornerstones" quilt--begin making the additional 12 blocks needed.  haven't touched it

GOALS FOR JUNE:

I have spent a good deal of time going through my UFOs and unquilted tops. It is a large collection, and I am very motivated to finish up some of those projects. I go back to work in six weeks, just after July 4th, and I think I should be able to finish at least a couple of my old projects before then (plus keep up with current BOMs.)

1.  Dancing Stars--make 8-10 blocks in this month's color (yellow) for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  

2.  Scrappy Sampler BOM--make this month's set of blocks. 

3.  Bind Woven Ribbons quilt.

4.  Finish Storm at Sea hanging sleeve, prep for quilt show.

5.  Quilt and bind one more top.

See how well other quilters did at reaching their goals this month and what they hope to accomplish in the month ahead at Patchwork Times.

Julie in GA

Flag and Zigzag quilts finished!

It is unusual enough for me to get one quilt finished, but this week I managed to finish two! Granted, neither one is very big, but I was quite happy to get both my Zigzag quilt and my Flag wallhanging quilted and bound.

The Zigzag quilt was made to be donated to Quilts Beyond Borders through the Hands 2 Help challenge. It was great fun to make this bright, cheery quilt, and I hope it will be well loved by the child who receives it. You can check out more quilts that have been made for the Hands 2 Help challenge.

The Flag wallhanging was a project that was started in 2002 when members of our quilt guild exchanged triangles for maximum variety of fabrics. The quilt top was finished in the summer of 2003 and has been hidden away in a box ever since. I ran across it recently and decided it deserved to be finished.  The quilting is simple stitch-in-the-ditch straight lines along the stripes. In the blue area, I stitched around the stars, then quilted additional stars for a total of 13 stars (but they are hard to see--I might have to go back over them with a contrasting thread.)

The flag quilt will be hung up later today, and the Zigzag quilt will get packed up to send off as soon as I get a label on it.

Today I am linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict and to Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts. Check out both places to see more finishes and other exciting projects.


Julie in GA

WIP Wednesday--Flag quilt

In honor of Memorial Day, I decided to pull out this flag quilt top and get it quilted up for the summer. It was started in my quilt guild when we exchanged triangle squares to increase the variety of fabrics in our flags. I've had it packed away in a box for several years, and it feels great to be getting it  finished.

I got it layered and pin-basted yesterday, then started on the quilting. I used this great fabric from Connecting Threads on the back. I wish I had bought lots more of this one!

This should finish up pretty quickly, then I can hang it up to be enjoyed until Labor Day. I love the idea of having more seasonal quilt hangings that we can switch in and out through the year.

I am linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced. You can check out lots of great projects there.

Julie in GA

15 Minute Challenge May 14 - 27

I have been enjoying some much-needed free time lately. I finished up one costume project recently and am waiting for the next one to arrive. In the meantime, I have been catching up on my on-going projects, the Dancing Stars blocks for the Rainbow Scrap challenge and the May blocks for the Scrappy Sampler BOM. You can see a photo of my blocks for both projects here.

I had intended to work on a red, white & blue project yesterday. However, when I pulled out my box of unfinished quilt tops to find the flag quilt I made several years ago, I ended up going through the entire box and taking photos of every one of them. I need to update my UFO list to include the many pieces I pulled out yesterday.

May 14th to 27th
Tuesday--coat lining
Wednesday--Dancing Stars (in the car), Scrappy Sampler
Thursday--coat lining, Dancing Stars
Friday--Dancing Stars
Saturday--Scrappy Sampler
Sunday--Dancing Stars
Monday--none
Tuesday--Dancing Stars
Wednesday--Scrappy Sampler
Thursday--Dancing Stars
Friday--Dancing Stars
Saturday--Dancing Stars, Zigzag Quilt
Sunday--Zigzag Quilt (FINISHED!)
Monday--clean sewing room, photograph UFOs/unquilted tops

I was especially happy to finish the Zigzag quilt I made for the Hands2Help Challenge. I spent part of Saturday and most of Sunday getting it quilted and bound. Here is the finished product. The photo was taken indoors so it is a little dark.

Check out the 15 Minute Challenge posts at Life in Pieces to see how others are finding time for their creative pursuits. 


Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 5/27/13

Last night I was thinking that I should sew on a red, white & blue project today in honor of Memorial Day. I remembered coming across this unquilted flag top when I was going through a box recently. I don't think I will work on it today, but it looks like a good project for June so that we can have it up for July 4th.

I also found this nearly finished Stack & Whack top. All that needs to be done is attaching the borders, and they are already made. I just love that cute robot/aliens fabric!

There are many more quilt tops and unfinished projects that were packed up with those two. I am going to work on getting photos of them all today.  I also hope to spend some time making more blocks for my RWB Scrap Club Sampler. I need 4 more pineapple blocks, 2 big stars and about 15 small stars to get it to the size I want.

Happy Memorial Day to all and many thanks to the brave men & women who have served our country.

As usual, I will be linking up to Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.  Check out all the great inspiration there. 

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 5/26/13

Used this week--1 yard for Dancing Stars blocks and .75 yards for Scrappy Sampler BOM  

Added this week--2 yards Moda ombre dots 

Used this week:   1.75 
Used year to date:  37.25 yards    

Added this week:   2 yards   

Added year to date: 22 yards

Net year to date:   15.25 yards used 

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie

Blue stars for May

It took me most of the month to really get going on my Dancing Stars blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This month's color is bright blue. The blocks that I have finished this month have a combination of both hand and machine stitched foundation piecing. I decided to try making them by hand to take along as a travel project on a couple of recent trips. It has worked out well, although they are VERY slow to stitch by hand. 

My favorite time each month after I finish making stars in the new color is to see how they look with all the previous colors. It gets more exciting to see the combinations every month! This photo shows just under half of the total number of blocks I have made so far.

I am linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2013, where you can see all sorts of wonderful ways that other quilters have been using their blue scraps this month. It's never too late to join the fun! The Dancing Stars pattern is available as a free download at Amy's Creative Side.

Also happening at Amy's Creative Side is the Blogger's Quilt Festival. There are tons of amazing quilts entered in a variety of categories. You can go HERE to find the main page with links to all the different categories. I entered my Blazing Hidden Nine-Patch quilt in wall hangings, #34, which can be found HERE. You can vote for your favorite quilt in each category until May 31st.

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 5/20/13

The center of my Scrappy Sampler BOM is still up on the Design Wall, but a few blocks have been added since last week. Our assignment this month is to make 8 blocks that will finish at 8" each. So far I have finished 6 of them. 

I entered my Blazing Hidden Nine-Patch quilt in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

It is entry #34 in the wall hanging category which can be found here. Voting for favorites begins on Friday, May 24th. To find links for all the categories, visit Amy's Creative Side.

As usual, I will be linking up to Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.  Check out all the great inspiration there. 

Julie

Stash Report Sunday 5/19/13

For some reason, it has been more difficult to not buy fabric lately, after several months with no purchases. I guess all those trips to the quilt shops when my mother & sister were visiting recently got me in the mood. I am trying to resist, but it has been tough. All those sale emails! I should unsubscribe from all those mailing lists, but I love to see what's out there.

I decided to go ahead and count the yardage for the Irish Chain quilt top that I showed a week ago. I also made the binding to go with it. It is becoming a Quilt of Valor. The next project is quilting the Zigzag quilt and sending that off for the Hands 2 Help challenge.


Used this week:   6.5 (Irish Chain top & binding)
Used year to date:  35.5 yards    

Added this week:   0 yards   

Added year to date: 20 yards

Net year to date:  15.5 yards used 

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie

It's Blogger's Quilt Festival time!

Once again it is time for the spring Blogger's Quilt Festival, the wonderful online quilt show organized by Amy at Amy's Creative Side. 

There will be tons of fabulous, amazing quilts in all of the categories.  I can't wait to see what everyone has entered this spring. Last fall was the first time I followed the festival, and I was overwhelmed by how many incredible quilts were shown.

I haven't finished many quilts since last fall's festival, but I do have one that I am especially proud of.  This is my Blazing Hidden Nine-Patch.

The top for this quilt was made for my quilt guild's nine-patch challenge. It wasn't until last year that I was able to get it quilted. I have always thought it looks like the glow of a fire showing through a dark screen, so it was quilted with a flame pattern.

This is my favorite type of quilt to make--a very simple pattern made special by the choice of fabrics. It is one of my all-time favorite quilts, and I hope you like it too.  I have entered it in the wall quilt category.  You can see all the entries in this category here.  Voting for your favorites begins May 24th. For more info about the festival and to see all the categories/entries go here.

QUILT SPECS:

BLAZING HIDDEN NINE-PATCH

Finished size: 46" x 58"

Pattern: "Atlanta Commons" by Marti Michell in her book 101 Nine Patch Quilts

Blogger's Quilt Festival #34 in wall hangings

Julie in GA

15 Minute Challenge 5/14/13

This is my favorite time of year. The weather is so beautiful, lots of flowers are blooming, and my schedule has lightened up, making it possible for me to get in some serious quilting time. The next couple of months are the best opportunity to finish up some of my old projects (and maybe start something new!)

I have mostly been continuing with my ongoing BOM projects. So far this month I have made 5 Dancing Stars blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Yesterday I started working on this month's blocks for the Scrappy Sampler BOM. Both of these projects are hanging out on my design wall.

I managed to sew for 6 out of the 7 days last week. Pretty good considering I was away from home the first 3 days. I prepared a hand-sewing project to take along and that kept me on track.

May 7th to 13th
Tuesday--nothing
Wednesday--Dancing Stars
Thursday--Dancing Stars
Friday--Irish Chain
Saturday--Irish Chain, Dancing Stars
Sunday--Irish Chain, Dancing Stars, Scrappy Sampler
Monday--Scrappy Sampler

Check out the 15 Minute Challenge posts at Life in Pieces to see how others are finding time for their creativity. 


Julie

Design Wall Monday 5/13/13

My design wall shows my latest group of Dancing Stars blocks at the top. I was able to continue the foundation piecing by hand while I was out of town last week. You can see how I did that by clicking here. Now I am back to doing them by machine.

The lower part has the center of my Scrappy Sampler BOM quilt. I have been auditioning fabrics for the next group of blocks. Looking at the photo makes me think I should switch one or two fabrics to brighter colors rather than so many dark. Making those will be my next project. If you are interested in seeing this quilt in all bright batiks, you can find that here.

As usual, I will be linking up to Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.  Check out all the great inspiration there. 

Julie

Stash Report Sunday 5/12/13

I fell off the no-fabric-buying wagon in a big way this week. When I took my Turning Leaves quilt to my friend Jan for longarm quilting, she pointed out a bin of fabric that she was selling for a friend who had given up quilting. They were all very nice quilt shop fabrics priced at $2 per yard, $3 for batiks. How could I resist those prices?!! Most of what I got were large pieces that will be good for backing (the medium blue on the left) or backgrounds (the white with tiny red stars and the yellow.) The rest are smaller (1/2 - 3/4 yard) pieces.

I was going through a box of quilt tops recently, most of which were made in the late 1990's up to about 2003 when I went on the road.  One was this Irish Chain that I made as a beginning quilting class sample.  I discovered that this pattern was not a good choice for beginners--a very accurate 1/4" seam is necessary for these blocks to fit together.  That was too difficult for new quilters and led to lots of frustration.

This is not a quilt I feel the need to finish for myself, but it is the perfect size for a Quilt of Valor.  I think that the medium blue fabric I just bought will be perfect for the back.  I just needed to add another fabric to get a little more length to make it big enough.

I have a question for others who participate in the weekly Stash Reports.  Would you count the fabric in the Irish Chain quilt top as yardage used?  The fabric in that top hasn't been "yardage" for a long time, but it has been taking up space in my sewing room all those years.  

Used this week:   4.75 yard  (back for Irish Chain quilt)
Used year to date:  29 yards    

Added this week:   15.75 yards   

Added year to date: 20 yards

Net year to date:  9 yards used 

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie

Dancing Sapphire Stars

It has taken me a little while to get going on my blue Dancing Stars blocks for the May Rainbow Scrap Challenge. In previous months, my stars were foundation pieced by machine. This month I decided to try foundation piecing by hand because I was going to be traveling for close to a week and wanted a hand sewing project to take along. For more info on my hand-piecing, check out this post.

So far I have one block finished and another one together that needs the foundation paper removed and the edges trimmed. The segments for my third block have all the parts sewn to the foundations, and the strip segments need to be stitched together.

I am back home after being gone for almost a week, which means I can go back to machine piecing these blocks, but it is good to know that the hand piecing works well too.


I am linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2013, where you can see all sorts of wonderful ways that other quilters have been using their blue scraps this month. The Dancing Stars pattern is available at Amy's Creative Side (and it's free!)


Julie

15 Minute Challenge 5/7/13

In her 15 Minute Challenge post for this week, Kate talks about some of the many other creative outlets that quilters enjoy. My other source of creative inspiration is my job of making theater costumes. One of the best things about it is the variety of projects we get to do. In the past 9 months or so, we got to work on everything from tailoring 1970's style men's suits to gypsy costumes for Zorro. Every show is different, and it is so much fun to see the final product up there on stage.

It looks like I missed posting for the 15 Minute Challenge last week, so we will have a double dose listing today. It has been a fun and busy couple of weeks, including having my sister Karen and my mother visiting. Karen and I made a baby quilt together for her first grandchild. We always have such a great time when we get to quilt together, but it doesn't happen very often.

Tues., 4/23--cleaning sewing room
Wed., 4/24--cleaning sewing room
Thur., 4/25--Dancing Stars
Fri., 4/26--Dancing Stars
Sat., 4/27--baby quilt 
Sun., 4/28--baby quilt
Mon., 4/29--baby quilt, quilt shops
Tues., 4/30--quilt shops
Wed., 5/1--baby quilt
Thur., 5/2--baby quilt
Fri., 5/3--baby quilt, Dancing Stars
Sat., 5/4--Dancing Stars
Sun., 5/5--Dancing Stars
Mon., 5/6--Dancing Stars

I didn't get to sew every day, but I did have quilt-related activity each day. A couple days were spent cleaning the sewing room, and I also spent part of last Monday and Tuesday taking my sister & mother to some of the local quilt shops. Visiting the stores definitely gets my creative juices flowing!

Here is a photo of the finished baby quilt we made. We worked together on the piecing, then I did the quilting and Karen did the binding. It will be given to my niece at her baby shower this Saturday, but unfortunately I won't be able to attend.  Baby shower in Wisconsin, I will be in Georgia.

Check out the 15 Minute Challenge posts at Life in Pieces to see how others are finding time for their creativity. 


Julie

Design Wall Monday 5/6/13

My design wall is empty this week, but I do have a design table. I have been working on more Dancing Stars blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This month's color is bright blue. The blocks are foundation pieced, and I decided to try doing the piecing by hand.  First I needle punched the foundations with my sewing machine. This makes it much easier to sew through the foundation.

After that I started hand stitching my star fabrics to the foundations. For me, it was easiest and most secure to sew with a backstitch.  I started out doing a small running stitch, but I couldn't get a consistent stitch length. Here are the segments for one block.

Here are the same segments from the right side. After they were all stitched to the foundations, I pressed them lightly, then trimmed the long edges where they will get joined together. Once I get the seams stitched, I will trim around the outside edges of the block to square it up.

As usual, I will be linking up to Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.  Check out all the great inspiration there. 

Julie

Stash Report Sunday 5/5/13

This past week was the first time there was yardage added to my stash since early in January, and most of what was added has already been used up. My sister and I made a baby quilt together last weekend, but wanted to back it with a flannel and didn't have anything we liked. Time for a trip to the quilt shop. This adorable monkey print flannel was perfect!

That accounts for 1.5 yards added and already used.  We used 3/8 yard from my stash for the quilt top too, but the rest for that came from Karen's stash. I also pieced the backing for my Turning Leaves quilt that is going to the longarm quilter next week.


Used this week:  5 yard  
Used year to date:  24.25 yards    

Added this week:   1.75 yards

Added year to date: 4.25 yards

Net year to date:  20 yards used 

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie

Starting with Blue

There wasn't much time this week to get started on my blue Dancing Stars for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I did pull out some scraps, and even got the pieces cut for a few blocks. Even though the official color for the month is sapphire blue, the pattern for these stars requires a light and a bright together, so mine include pale blue too.

Due to lack of time to spend at my sewing machine, I decided to try something different and hand piece a block. I got most of two segments stitched today and hope to get the rest of the block pieced tomorrow. It's slow going, but at least some progress is happening.

I am linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2013, where you can see all sorts of wonderful ways that other quilters have been using their blue scraps this month. 

Julie

Getting It Done--April/May

April was a very busy month, with long work hours at the beginning of the month and guests at the end.  I was happy that I managed to meet 4 out of 5 of my "Get It Done" goals for April. 

APRIL GOALS:
1.  CLEAN UP SEWING ROOM!!!  It is a disaster area, making it very hard for me to get anything done.  4/30--The sewing room is greatly improved.  I would like to reorganize some things in there, but it will have to wait.

2.  Dancing Stars--make 8-10 blocks in this month's color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  11 blocks done

3.  Scrappy Sampler BOM--make this month's set of blocks.  
     Done 4/22

4.  Patriotic Sampler--make at least 4 more blocks.  None this month.

5.  Choose a UFO to work on over the summer break and make a start on it.
     After going through all my UFOs for Judy's UFO Parade a couple weeks ago, I realized that the one I most want to work on right now is the oldest.  It is my Curves & Cornerstones log cabin variation (also known as "Unteraegeri Adventure".)  This UFO goes back to 1996. I still like the pattern and my fabrics, so this is planned to be my main UFO project for the summer.

GOALS FOR MAY:

1.  Dancing Stars--make 8-10 blocks in this month's color (blue) for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

2.  Scrappy Sampler BOM--make this month's set of blocks.  

3.  Zigzag quilt--machine quilting + binding.

4.  Woven baby quilt--machine quilting

5.  "Curves & Cornerstones" quilt--begin making the additional 12 blocks needed.



See how well other quilters did at reaching their goals this month and what they hope to accomplish in May at Patchwork Times.

Julie