Sunday, July 28, 2019

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 30, 2019

The past week included lots of quilting time, most of it starting a new quilt. That project isn't at a point where I can count any of the yardage used yet, but I did use a little bit on other things. My usage total for the week is 3/8 yard on my pink Tiny Tuesday and Framed Crumb Star blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. You can see all the blocks in yesterday's post. There was one addition to the stash, this wild piece of flannel that I bought to use as the backing on the Rainbow Disappearing 9-Patch quilt. They look great together!




2019 STASH TOTALS
Used last week:                          .375 yards
Used year to date:                     28.25 yards
Added last week:                         1.50 yards
Added year to date:                   32.25 yards
Net stashed year to date:          4.0 yards



Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I'm a little bit obsessed with my new quilt project, so I had no trouble making time to quilt every day this week.

15 Minute Challenge:  
7/21 - 7/27              7 of 7 days
2019 Total         193 of 208 days


Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. 

Happy quilting everyone!


Julie in GA

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 30, 2019

It is the last pink Saturday of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I managed to keep up with all of my RSC projects except one--not bad for a busy month with lots of travel. Here are all of my pink blocks.


Framed Crumb Star, 12" finished size

12 Stairsteps blocks, each finishes at 6"
8 Orange Peels, 3" finished size
I still have 8 more of these to make in pinks

6 Tiny Tuesday blocks, 4.5" each
the adorable piglet block
designed by Sally Trude

Here is the entire collection together.



I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on SundayBe sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Stitching and DeStashing--Weeks 28 & 29, 2019

My Stash Report didn't get posted last week because I was in New York on a combination business and fun trip. We were having costume fittings in NY for a new show on Monday - Wednesday, and I was able to go up a couple days early and took Ed along. We had a great time, even though we didn't get to use our tickets for "To Kill a Mockingbird" because of the big blackout on Saturday night. We will just have to go back another time to see it! Fortunately, we did see the matinee of "Hamilton" that afternoon, and it was amazing!

Other highlights of the trip included visiting the Metropolitan Museum, taking the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, and our first time at the new Yankees Stadium. Of course, I kept seeing quilt designs all over the place, including the brick patterns in this beautiful old building.


Stash usage over the past two weeks included 2.5 yards for the Rainbow Gradation Disappearing 9-Patch quilt top, plus 5/8 yard for my Stairsteps blocks in pink. There was no new fabric added to the stash over the two weeks. I did visit a couple of NY fabric stores, and they had some quilting cottons in stock, but nothing terribly unusual, plus their prices were very high (as everything seems to be in New York.)


2019 STASH TOTALS
Used last week:                        3.125 yards
Used year to date:                   27.875 yards
Added last week:                          0.0 yards
Added year to date:                   30.75 yards
Net stashed year to date:         2.875 yards



Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I had my Orange Peel project along on my trip, which made it possible to squeeze in some quilting time every day except one over the past two weeks.

15 Minute Challenge:  
7/7 - 7/20            13 of 14 days
2019 Total         186 of 201 days


Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. 

Happy quilting everyone!


Julie in GA

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 29, 2019

It was hard to find any time for quilting this week, but I did pull out some of my pink crumbs and bits yesterday to make a Framed Crumb Star for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.



I love putting all of the different colors of these blocks up on the wall together!



I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on SundayBe sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 28, 2019

I managed to find a little time this week to pull out my pink scraps and work up a batch of Stairsteps blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. These blocks have been coming together more quickly because I have all of the white and black/grey fabrics cut in advance and just need to add my color of the month.



Another set of 12 blocks completed! I'm very anxious to start putting the different colors together, but we still have a few more months left to add. We must still have three colors to go--I am expecting purple, light blue, and probably brown/black

While I had a week off recently, I spent a couple days obsessed by a new project, a Rainbow Gradation Disappearing 9Patch. This was inspired by a D9P QAL hosted by Julie Cefalu at The Crafty Quilter. It isn't scrappy, but I know that the Rainbow Scrap Challenge crowd will enjoy the rainbow. You can read more about this top and see in-process photos in yesterday's post HERE.


Rainbow Gradation Disappearing 9Patch
39.5" x 48"

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on SundayBe sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Friday, July 12, 2019

Rainbow Gradation Disappearing 9-Patch

There are always so many quilt-alongs and mystery quilts on-line that I read about and would like to join, but I know I can't do them all. However, sometimes one comes along at the right time that proves to be irresistible. The Disappearing 9-Patch QAL by Julie Cefalu at The Crafty Quilter proved to be one of those. I discovered the QAL just before I started a week of vacation time at home, and what could be easier than 9-patches? Count me in!


The most difficult part of this project was deciding on my design and fabrics. A photo in one of Julie's posts showed her blocks in a rainbow of colors, and that idea was very appealing to me. Instead of using a charm pack, I pulled a group of fabrics that I have been saving for just the right project for many years. They are the "Inner Light Gradations" line by Debra Lunn & Michael Mrowka for Timeless Treasures. The date on the selvage of the fabrics--2003!! I bought the entire line in 2005 when I was working in Atlanta for the first time. I also returned to the quilt shop a few days later and bought the pastel version of the same group of fabrics. Aren't these beautiful?!


The above photo shows four different pieces of fabric. Each fabric shades from one color at the selvage toward the center fold, then reverses back again. The magic comes when two pieces of fabric are joined together. The color at the selvage of one pieces blends perfectly into the center color of the next piece. Here are two pieces laid together--the fold at the center where they meet up is nearly invisible.



For my D9P quilt, I decided to scale down the blocks and work with 3.5" squares, rather than the 5" charm squares in Julie's version. I chose a black print as my contrast fabric to set off the rainbow prints. I made a sample block before cutting into all of my precious fabrics. To maintain the direction of the print, I rotated the squares around the center when making the 9-patch block. Here is my first 9-patch before and after cutting it up.



For most D9P quilts, after the 9P block is cut into four sections, they are rotated to end up with the small squares toward the center for two sections and at the outer corners for the other two sections. This makes a block that requires very little matching of seams. The following example is from The Crafty Quilter.

Instead of joining my units in this way, I wanted to keep them all facing the same direction. I had seen a tutorial for a quilt made this way at Jo's Country Junction. She refers to it as Self-Sashing Disappearing 9-Patch. Here are some of my blocks up on the wall in this layout.


When it was time to join the blocks together, I did it in sections to avoid having to stitch so many long rows together. I divided the quilt into approximate quarters for this process. I also added rectangles of the black print and small squares of the colors along the left side and top edge to complete the sashing design. You can see that the upper sashing is separate along the top edge. This photo shows the lower left corner completely assembled, top left has the blocks joined into rows, and the  blocks on the right side have not yet been joined together.


Eventually I had four sections, which then became a finished quilt top!


Rainbow Gradation Disappearing Nine-Patch
39.5 x 48
This little top will make a great baby quilt. I need to find the perfect flannel print for the back (my favorite finish for a cozy baby quilt,) and then I can get this beauty quilted up and finished!

Thanks to Julie at The Crafty Quilter for the inspiration with her Disappearing 9Patch QAL. I'm looking to forward to seeing all the different versions that have been shared. I'm also linking up with Let's Make Baby Quilts at Michelle's Romantic Tangle, Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
and Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts.

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA

Sunday, July 7, 2019

Stitching and Stashing--Week 27, 2019

My stash numbers for the year had been steadily getting closer to even for the past several weeks. The last addition of new fabric was almost two months ago, but that streak is over now. I bought new fabric last week, and I love what I got! Somehow I will find space for it in the sewing room.

My purchases came from a lovely quilt shop called The Quilt Box in Dry Ridge, Kentucky. We had spent a couple of days in Cincinnati and were on our way to the Lexington area. Of course I had done my homework in advance and figured out where there were quilt shops to visit. The Quilt Box is only a few minutes drive from I-75, but it feels like you are very far from the rush of traffic. Such a quiet and peaceful place with very friendly people and beautiful fabrics--a perfect combination!

My purchases are not planned for anything in particular, just additions to colors that could use some freshening up. This first group are all from the line "Berry Nice" by P & B Fabrics. I was very tempted to buy a whole rainbow bundle of these fabrics, but limited myself to these few.




My other purchase was a panel that includes multiple prints in the same colorway. Altogether there are 8 fat quarters in this panel. It was very hard to pick just one color to buy. Here are the different prints included. I will cut them apart into separate fat quarters after the fabric gets washed.




Fortunately, it wasn't all about stash additions last week. I do have some usage to report too--5/8 yard for the borders on the "Practice What I Preach" quilt from the class I took with Pam Buda a week ago. I now have a finished quilt top!


Practice What I Preach quilt top, 43" square

I zoomed in on a section of the quilt to show the fabrics better. I'm especially happy with how that background fabric worked out.




2019 STASH TOTALS
Used last week:                          .625 yards
Used year to date:                   24.750 yards
Added last week:                          3.0 yards
Added year to date:                   30.75 yards
Net stashed year to date:          6.0 yards




Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I spent some time quilting every day except one last week, mostly hand stitching in the car. Progress is slow but steady.

15 Minute Challenge:  
6/30 - 7/6                6 of 7 days
2019 Total         173 of 187 days


Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. I'm also linking up with Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt.

Happy quilting everyone!


Julie in GA

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 27, 2019

The monthly color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge switched to pink with the start of July. I haven't had much time to play with my pink scraps yet, but I did get a few blocks made--two Orange Peels and two variations on Libby's Tiny Tuesday block. I changed the proportions a little bit for the second version of Libby's block.



I'm especially excited about my Orange Peel blocks at the moment because I received a special gift last week. My cousin's wife Sharon had two old quilt tops plus one quilt that she wanted me to have because no one in her family has any interest in quilts. This was one of the tops she gave me.



There is another row of blocks along the left side that didn't fit into the photo, 20 blocks total and they measure about 17.5" each. Most of the fabrics appear to be from the 30's, although some of the very dark prints might be earlier. I'm not very experienced at dating fabrics, so I would appreciate any other opinions. If anyone knows a name for this quilt block, that would be great too. Here's a closer look at some of the blocks.






I couldn't resist trying some of my Orange Peel blocks in the same layout. I don't have enough pink peels made, but I have plenty of red to play with.



I like it! It's too early for me to commit to how I will set these blocks together, but this might be a fun idea for them.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on SundayBe sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA
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