Scrap Hexie Saturday

I decided to get all of my scrappy hexie stars and snowflakes up on the wall together to look at the layout. These were started last August as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and became my favorite way to spend time during my morning train commute to work and while "watching" television in the evenings, especially baseball games.

It looks like the only colors I am missing are yellow (our color for June!) and orange. After that, it will be all about the background hexies and getting everything joined together. I imagine that will take at least another year. Below is my EQ7 version of the design. I am still playing with ideas for how to finish it off.

Check out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge posts every Saturday to see how others are using up their scraps. So many beautiful projects! This week I am also linking up to the Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden.


Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 5/26/14

My design wall suddenly got so full that it is difficult for me to get a photo of it all. Of course, it doesn't help that I have to stand in the bathroom and shoot photos through the doorway. That definitely limits how much I can get into the shot, and the lighting is not great either.

The blocks on the upper half are for Judy's "Tell It to the Stars" monthly mystery at Patchwork Times. The two blocks on the right end were the ones I made for May. I'm liking how these blocks look together and can't wait to see what Judy has planned for us next.

Tell It to the Stars mystery

On the lower half of the wall are my QOV bowtie blocks. Last week I got a sampling of fabrics from the new line at Connecting Threads, Hometown Summer. They have some great red, white & blue prints (check out my Stash Report post from Sunday for a photo.) Yesterday I couldn't resist cutting into those new fabrics and making more bowties. Depending on whether I decide to make this quilt with or without borders, I need either 26, 45, or 66 more bowtie blocks to get up to the minimum size for a Quilt of Valor.

Quilt of Valor Bowties

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times where you can see all sorts of amazing quilting inspiration! I am also linking up to the Tell It to the Stars post for June where others will show their progress on this mystery.

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 5/25/14

Just as I knew was going to happen, this was the week when my stash report took a left turn after some sizeable additions to the stash. 

Added this week:
9 yards of the new "Hometown Summer" collection from Connecting Threads. I got mostly fat quarters, but there are half-yard pieces of a few, and a larger amount of the light print on the left end to use as a background. These will be great additions to my QOV collection. I also got two fat quarters of the RWB stars print in the second photo for the background of my QOV Bowties blocks.

"Hometown Summer" from Connecting Threads

"Freedom" by Robert Kaufman

7.75 yards from Sew Batik. I bought a 1-yard piece of the "Nautica" gradation (royal blue to dark blue) from them in Paducah, then decided to go ahead and get more for the background of a Mariner's Compass quilt that is in the planning stages. I also got a little bundle of red & white batik fat quarters, plus another gradation in silver/grey.

Fabrics from SewBatik

Used:  .5 yards for the Tell It to the Stars mystery blocks for May
          .5 yards for Scrap Hexies in green and purple


Used this week:                              1.0 yards
Used year to date:                       60.5  yards

Stashed this week:                     17.25 yards

Stashed year to date:              67.875 yards 

Net year to date:                       7.375 yards stashed  


Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie in GA

Scraphappy Saturday 5/24/14

I am much later than usual in getting my post written for today's Rainbow Scrap Challenge link up, but that's because I really didn't have much to show until this evening. I showed my scrappy green hexie star last week, and I finished my green snowflake a few days ago. Tonight I also managed to finish the purple hexie star from April.

I am hoping that before next Saturday I will have a chance to put up all the colors that I have finished on the design wall to see how they look together.

Check out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge posts every Saturday to see how others are using up their scraps. So many beautiful projects! This week I am also linking up to the Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden.


Julie in GA

Santa Quilt

Val at Val's Quilting Studio is hosting the Tuesday Archives again. Each week, Val chooses two quilting themes, and bloggers link up with old blog posts that relate to those two topics. One subject this week is Christmas quilts. I have a very special Christmas quilt that I have shown on my blog, but haven't told the story of it's making.

The story begins with the fact that my husband collects Santas of all sizes and styles. We have Santa teapots, cookie jars, ornaments, figures, plates, mugs, nightlights, salt and pepper shakers, glasses, etc., etc....

There is no telling how many Santas live at our house.

Back in 2006, before we were married, I found this fabulous Santa fabric at a quilt shop in Edmonton, Alberta. The line of fabrics was "Good Tidings" by Diane Knott for Clothworks. I knew I had to make him a quilt featuring this fabric. My photo shows six of the nine different Santa figures.

I played with a variety of ideas for the quilt, and settled on framing out the Santa blocks, then alternating them with log cabin blocks. The finished quilt measures about 56" x 72". My friend Jan at Cat's Meow Quilting did the fabulous machine quilting on it, which you can see better in the detail photo. This quilt hangs on the wall every year right near our Christmas tree.

That is the story of my very special Christmas quilt. Visit Val's Quilting Archives for more Christmas quilts and also for Chevron/Zigzag quilts (I have one posted there too.)

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 5/19/14

My design wall is filling up with my most recent new project, the Quilt of Valor bowties. These were started a little over a week ago as leaders and enders for a costume project that I have been working on, but there have been times when I just want to sit down and make a few more bowties. They are so quick & easy!

There are 36 blocks made so far, and they will finish at 6". I am planning to make 80 blocks and set them 8 x 10 plus borders to get the required size for a QOV. The background fabric is left over from backing my most recent red, white & blue quilt, and the bowties are all from stash fabrics. I will be playing with different arrangements of blocks later.

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times where you can see all sorts of quilting inspiration!

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 5/18/14

My main sewing focus over the past week was a big costume project that needs to be finished soon. However, I was able to sneak in some of my QOV bowtie blocks in between garment pieces. I finished 23 blocks, using 1 yard of fabric.

The rest of the outgoing fabric was 4 yards that I sent to my mother along with the quilt tops for her church's charity quilting. I'm sure they will put the fabric to good use.

It's a good thing I reduced my stash this week, because I have two fabric orders that should be arriving next week. One is mostly for a planned project, but the rest was an impulse purchase. Time to get busy sewing and make some room for the incoming purchases.


Used this week:                          5.0 yards
Used year to date:                      59.5  yards

Stashed this week:                       0 yards

Stashed year to date:              50.625 yards 

Net year to date:                   8.875 yards used  


Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie in GA

Green Goodies

This was a surprisingly productive week for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects. Our color for May is green, and I finished up the last two 6" LeMoyne Star blocks this week, plus made a 12" block. Maybe I will have time the rest of this month to go back and make a couple of 12" blocks in colors that I missed earlier in the year.

A week ago there was just a pile of green hexies, and now there is a scrappy green hexie star. I still hope to finish a green snowflake or two before the end of the month. I get lots of stitching done on these while "watching" baseball games on TV.

Check out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge posts every Saturday to see how others are using up their scraps. So many beautiful projects! This week I am also linking up to the Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden and to HeLP for Hexie-aholics at Sarah Did It. 

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 5/12/14

My design wall has a little bit of this and that on it today. To the right are my LeMoyne Stars for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in green, our color for May. That brings my total number of LeMoyne blocks up to around 40 of the 6" blocks and 3 or 4 of the 12" blocks--maybe it's time to check out all the colors together up on the wall one of these days.

On the lower left is my newest project, bowtie blocks for a Quilt of Valor. Bowties have become my favorite leader & ender project. They are so easy to cut and to stitch, but there are all sorts of fun layouts for the blocks. Last year I made 4" bowties for the border of this quilt top, and earlier this year I made a baby quilt out of 5" bowties. This time around the blocks will finish at 6", the same size as those little LeMoyne Stars.

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times where you can see all sorts of quilting inspiration!

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 5/11/14

My stash usage this week was small, but I hope to get more stitched up soon. I used 3/4 yard making my green LeMoyne Star blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  

Lately I have been feeling the need for a quick, simple project to have prepped and ready to stitch. Bowties seem to have become my go-to project at times like this. I have found that bowties are perfect to use as leaders/enders on other projects. Reading about a local quilt shop's QOV sewing day prompted me to start making red, white & blue bowties with the plan that they will become a Quilt of Valor.  So far, 13 blocks have been made, using 1/2 yard.

Used this week:                          1.25 yards
Used year to date:                      54.5  yards

Stashed this week:                       0 yards

Stashed year to date:              50.625 yards 

Net year to date:                   3.875 yards used  


Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie in GA

Green Scrappiness

I have been making good progress on my green LeMoyne Stars for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. The pieces are cut for two more 6" blocks with black background, plus I have enough green diamonds to make a 12" star.

Progress on my green hexies has been a little slower. I thought I was nearly done basting, but when I laid them out for a photo, there were many more cut out and ready to be basted. There will be lots more than needed for this month's star and snowflake. Looks like I will have plenty of green hexies leftover for another project. Can you tell that I have a lot of green fabric?!

Check out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge posts every Saturday to see how others are using up their scraps. So many beautiful projects! 

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 5/5/14

I discovered this morning that I didn't do a design wall post last Monday. I guess I was just too busy recovering from the trip to Paducah and enjoying my mother's visit. There hasn't been a whole lot going on with my design wall right now. The color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is green, and I was able to add three green LeMoyne stars to the purple blocks from April.

I posted photos of this bag with my stash report yesterday, but it is so darn cute that I need to show it again. This is the "Sew Together" bag, a pattern that Mom bought in Paducah and we made together last week. I am dying to make another one with a scrappy pieced exterior instead of a single fabric, but have too many other projects in line right now. I love the way the zipper becomes part of the handle.

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times where you can see all sorts of quilting inspiration!

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 5/4/14

Last week I was determined to get my stash report back on track after my fabric-filled trip to Paducah. My mother has talked about the quilts she makes with a group of ladies at her church which I believe go to the Orphan Grain Train. They use whatever fabrics they are given and put them together into very simple tied quilts. I decided that was the perfect way to use up some of the older fabrics in my stash. While Mom was here last week, I pieced together 4 tops measuring 60" x 80" and 1 back at 64" x 84".  

We also worked together making a pattern that Mom bought from a vendor at Paducah. It is the "Sew Together" bag from Sew Demented patterns. This great little bag has 3 zippered pockets inside, plus spaces between the pockets for more storage. Don't let all those zippers scare you--they aren't that hard! I had a great time making this bag and am already thinking about making another one! I think next time I will go scrappy and piece fabrics for the outside.

Besides those projects, I also finished my purple hexie snowflake and 3 purple LeMoyne Star blocks, all for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. It was a very productive week!

Here are my numbers: 
4 tops & 1 back for Mom's church           17.5 yd.
"Sew Together" bag                               1.25
Scrap Hexies snowflake                          .125
Rainbow LeMoyne--3 stars                      .25
Total                                                 19.125 yd


Used this week:                         19 .125 yards
Used year to date:                     53.25  yards

Stashed this week:                     0 yards

Stashed year to date:              50.625 yards 

Net year to date:                 2.375 yards used  (back in the black!)


Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie in GA

Going for Green

I fell a bit behind on my purple blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in April. I was able to finish up these 6" LeMoyne Stars on the first of May. 

My hexie project for April still has a ways to go before it will be complete. I finished assembling my hexie snowflake, but the star is still in pieces. I don't know if I will get to it this month, or set it aside for now.

I have been cutting up green scraps for the May blocks. I got all the pieces cut for my LeMoyne Stars for the month, and I also have a good pile of hexies ready for basting. The prep work is done, now I just need to find time for sewing!

Check out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge posts every Saturday to see how others are using up their scraps. So many beautiful projects! 

Julie in GA

Quilting Goals--April/May

April was not my most successful month for meeting my quilting goals. There were just too many other things going on that took time away from my sewing room.  Hopefully May will be better.

APRIL GOALS
1.  Finish quilting and bind Chinese Coins quilt.  This was also my April project for A Lovely Year of Finishes.  NOT DONE

2.  Rainbow Scrap Challenge--make 6-8 LeMoyne Stars in purple. 6 BLOCKS DONE (the block at the bottom has been taken apart)

3.  Scrap Hexies--make RSC hexie star & snowflakes.  SNOWFLAKE DONE, STAR PARTLY TOGETHER

4.  Tell It to the Stars (Judy L. mystery)--make April blocks.  DONE 4/3/14

5.  Spend at least 15 minutes each day quilting--cutting, sewing, designing, etc.   AT LEAST 15 MINUTES 25 DAYS OUT OF 30

MAY GOALS:
1.  I have been playing with ideas/designs for a Mariner's Compass quilt. My May goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes is to finalize my design, choose the background fabric, and make at least one block. Here is the design plan so far. I'm thinking the border design is too overwhelming and needs to be scaled down a bit.

2.  Rainbow Scrap Challenge--make 6-8 LeMoyne Stars in May's color (green?)
3.  Scrap Hexies--make RSC hexie star & snowflake (and finish April's star)
4.  Tell It to the Stars (Judy L. mystery)--make May blocks.
5.  Spend at least 15 minutes each day quilting--cutting, sewing, designing, etc. 

That covers my quilting plans and goals for May and my results from April. Watch for the next update at the end of May.

Julie in GA