To-Do Tuesday 3/30/2021

Happy To-Do Tuesday once again!  It's time to look back at my to-do list from last week, see how I did on accomplishing my goals, then post a new list for the week ahead. I'm linking up with the  To-Do Tuesday Weekly Link-up hosted by Chris at Chris Knits. 

I worked on a variety of different projects last week, making good progress on each one. My to-do list helps keep me from drifting along, wondering what I should work on next.

To-Do List for 3/23 - 3/29:

1. Bowties 365--make at least 1 bowtie block every day   ✔done 

I ended up with 36 Bowtie blocks in dark and medium greens.

2. Sewcialites QAL--make block #24   ✔done 

Instead of making the pattern given, a tulip block, I substituted a block from the 2017 Moda Blockheads. This block is called Peace and Plenty.

3. Beveled Blocks--finish piecing back  ✔done 

The back is finished, I got photos of both the top and back, and shared them in

THIS blog post.

4. Sew Colorful Stars--make 1 green block  ✔done and posted on Saturday

5. Orphan Adoptions--pick winners, pack and ship giveaways  ✔done 

Nann and Erin were the winners, and they have both received their orphans.

One new project has joined the to-do list for next week. That is my old Around the Twist quilt that I shared in yesterday's post. I am going to be taking out the ugly quilting that had been done 25 years ago, replace the batting, and start over on the quilting.

To-Do List for 3/30 - 4/5

1. Bowties 365--make at least 1 bowtie block every day

2. Sewcialites QAL--make block #25

3. Beveled Blocks--make binding

4. 30's Kaleidoscope--make light blue blocks

5. Around the Twist--remove old quilting

That should all be more than enough to keep me busy for the next week!  I'll report on my progress and post a new set of goals next Tuesday. I'm linking up with other To-Do Tuesday lists at Chris Knits.

Julie in GA  

Design Wall Monday 3/29/2021

Angela at soscrappy announced over the weekend that our Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for April will be light/bright blue. I decided to go through my quilt tops to find something featuring light blue that I could get quilted up and finished next month. There were several options, but this is the one I chose to work on first.

Around the Twist, 24" x 32.5"

pattern by Trudie Hughes

from her book Template-Free Quiltmaking, 1986

As you can see, this little quilt has already been quilted, and it is very badly done. I made the quilt top in my first year as a quilter, 1995, and attempted to machine quilt it in 1996 (25 years ago!) I used polyester batting which, along with a poor choice of quilting design, made the whole thing puff out in between the lines of stitching. I got this far, hated how it was turning out, and put it away in the closet. I think it's time to resurrect this sad little quilt.

I've started removing some of the the machine quilting. It was done with invisible thread, both top and bobbin, which makes it very hard to see. My plan is to take out all the quilting, press the top and back to get rid of the creases from the quilting (which will probably require wetting them heavily,) then layer it with new cotton batting. I haven't figured out a new plan for the quilting design yet, but I will come up with something. 

Finishing this little quilt is going to be my One Monthly Goal for the month of April. It may not be my finest work, but it is a special reminder of my early days as a quilter, and it deserves to be finished for that reason.

Linking up with:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA  

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 13, 2021

It has been a very busy week in the quilting room, with lots of fabric moving both in and out. The past week is the first time since early January that I have fabric additions to include in my stash report, 12.5 yards total. I took advantage of a recent sale at Connecting Threads to stock up on some basics, mostly from their Chambray Tonals line.

Buying fabrics online is a tricky business. It's so hard to tell exactly what the colors will look like, and the scale of prints can be different than expected too. My surprise in this group was the yellow. I thought it was going to be a nice, soft yellow, but it is actually much brighter and more lemony than I expected. Oh well, it's still a pretty color, just not quite what I was hoping for.

The outgoing numbers from the stash more than make up for the additions. I used 5.75 yards for the Beveled Blocks quilt top, 4.75 yards for the back, and 5/8 yard in some extra/sample Beveled Blocks. I also used 3/8 yard in my dark green Sew Colorful Stars block. 

For my stash reports, I count all quilt fabric that comes into my sewing room as additions, whether it is fabric that I have purchased or if it is a gift or giveaway prize. On the flip side of that, I count any fabric that I give away in the used column. This week I gave away two quilt orphan prizes. The Grassy Creek orphan included 6 large blocks and 34 9-patch blocks, which totaled 1.875 yards of fabric. The Blooming Onion orphan consisted of 6 blocks plus cut pieces for 11 more blocks, 1.5 yards. The grand total for the usage column this week is 14.875 yards!

2021 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                           14.875 yards

Used year to date:                       82.125 yards

Added last week:                           12.50 yards

Added year to date:                         24.0 yards

Net used year to date              58.125 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. We are getting out of the house a little more some days, which means I'm not home all day long and able to quilt whenever I want. That has meant making a point of doing at least a little bit of stitching after dinner some nights. I'm trying to keep that 100% record intact!

15 Minute Challenge for 2021: 

3/21 - 3/27                7 of 7 days

2021 Total              86 of 86 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

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 13, 2021

Today is the last dark green Saturday for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and I finished my last big block a couple days ago. This is my Sew Colorful Stars block.

Sew Colorful Stars, 16" finished size

I made my block from a stack of 3" green squares that were in the scrap drawer. I wish I had added a few brighter greens so it didn't all look so much like the same color. We'll see how the blocks look together when I get all the other colors done. This one might get remade at a later date.

I gathered my collection of green blocks from March together on the design wall. The only RSC blocks not up there are the green 30's kaleidoscope blocks. There just wasn't enough space for everything, and they look so pastel compared to the rest.

Top right and left: Scrap Magnet; top center: Sew Colorful Stars; lower left: Glorified 9-Patch; and lower right: Bowties 365.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday.

Julie in GA

Beveled Blocks Top and Back Done!

My most recent quilt top, Beveled Blocks, is finished! I even got a back pieced for it already.

Beveled Blocks top, 60.5" x 72.5"

The back includes four leftover quilt blocks at the center.

Beveled Blocks backing, 71" x 85"

Most of my quilting time is spent switching around between multiple projects. They might be block-of-the-week or -month quilts that I'm trying to keep caught up, or ongoing projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge with a block pattern repeated each month in a different color. I like having a variety of projects in the works. It's helpful to be able to choose what I'm in the mood to work on rather than what needs to be done next on a single project.

Despite that tendency, there are times when I get totally absorbed by a single project and all others fall to the wayside temporarily. That was the case last week. I pulled out the Beveled Blocks kit that I had purchased way back in 2009! Within a week I had made all the blocks and gotten them joined together into a top. A few days later, the backing was also done.

I had made a few sample blocks from this pattern several years earlier, and I even made a smaller wallhanging version with blues and tans in 2018 which hangs above the fireplace in our living room. It is easy to vary the block size with this pattern, and the piecing goes quickly.

The Beveled Blocks pattern is by Aardvark Quilts. I don't see it listed on their website, but I believe it is still available from other retailers.

This quilt top and backing will be going to Kat's Covered in Love quilting charity in Texas. They are one of the designated charities for the 2021 Hands 2 Help Quilt Challenge.

Linking up with:
Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Favorite Finish at Meadow Mist Designs

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA  

To-Do Tuesday 3/23/2021

Happy To-Do Tuesday once again!  It's time to look back at my to-do list from last week, see how I did on accomplishing my goals, then post a new list for the week ahead. I'm linking up with the  To-Do Tuesday Weekly Link-up hosted by Chris at Chris Knits. 

Last week's quilting time was focused on the Beveled Blocks quilt. Not only did I get all the blocks made, I got the top put together and started piecing the back. 

To-Do List for 3/16 - 3/22:

1. Bowties 365--make at least 1 bowtie block every day   ✔done 

Twelve Bowtie blocks done this week. That brings me up to 30 so far this month.

2. Sewcialites QAL--make block #23       ✔done 

3. Beveled Blocks--finish cutting parts, make blocks   ✔done 

This photo shows 30 finished blocks before they were joined together into a top.

For the week ahead, I'm planning to finish the backing for the Beveled Blocks quilt and make a few blocks for ongoing projects. I might try to find another old project to pull out and work on too.

To-Do List for 3/23 - 3/29:

1. Bowties 365--make at least 1 bowtie block every day

2. Sewcialites QAL--make block #24

3. Beveled Blocks--finish piecing back

4. Sew Colorful Stars--make 1 green block

5. Orphan Adoptions--pick winners, pack and ship giveaways

For anyone who hasn't heard, the Orphan Adoption event is sponsored twice a year by Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework. I have two orphans available to give away. You can see them HERE and HERE. I'm going to extend my deadline for entries to tomorrow morning (Wednesday, 3/24) at 7 a.m. Leave a comment on either or both posts if you would like to win.

That should all be more than enough to keep me busy for the next week!  I'll report on my progress and post a new set of goals next Tuesday. I'm linking up with other To-Do Tuesday lists at Chris Knits.

Julie in GA  

Design Wall Monday 3/22/2021

Last week was a whirlwind of piecing blocks for the Beveled Blocks quilt, and I was able to complete the top on Saturday. You can see the blocks in yesterday's post, and I hope to share photos of the finished top later this week if the weather cooperates.

I ended up with five extra blocks that didn't make it into the top. Four have been joined together to become the center of the quilt backing. The majority of the back will be the olive paisley print shown at the top and bottom.

All of the pieces have been cut for the back, and I hope to get it put together in the next couple of days.

If anyone is interested, I have two giveaways posted as part of the Spring 2020 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event  hosted by Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework. You can read more about them HERE and HERE. I'm accepting entries until Tuesday at noon.

Linking up with:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA  

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 12, 2021

Before I get into the weekly reports, I want to mention the Spring 2020 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event  hosted by Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework. I have two "orphans" available for adoption, and you can read more about them HERE and HERE. I'm accepting entries until Tuesday at noon.

We've had some lovely warm weather lately, but the first day of spring was cooler and rather windy, keeping us mostly indoors for the day. Lucky for me, yesterday was also Worldwide Quilting Day, and I took full advantage of it. I spent the morning making the blocks for my Beveled Blocks quilt, and after lunch I arranged and rearranged the blocks on my design wall, then got them all stitched together. Here are the blocks before they were joined.

The Beveled Blocks quilt was really my only project over the past week, except for the bowtie blocks that I use as leaders and enders. In addition to the full day of quilting on Saturday, I spent well over 15 minutes quilting every other day of the week. 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. 

15 Minute Challenge for 2021: 

3/14 - 3/20                7 of 7 days

2021 Total              79 of 79 days

As for the stash report, I haven't added up my yardage used on the Beveled Blocks yet. That will be reported next week. I did use 3/8 yard for my latest group of Glorified 9-Patch blocks.

I also sent a stack of strips of 30's fabrics to my sister for a quilt project she is making. The strips all measured 5" wide, and lengths varied from about 4" to around 9 or 10". I didn't add up all the lengths, but the whole stack weighed 1 lb., 2.9 oz. At 3 yards per pound, I'm counting the total as 3.5 yards.

2021 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                            3.875 yards

Used year to date:                         67.25 yards

Added last week:                              0.0 yards

Added year to date:                      11.50 yards

Net used year to date                55.75 yards

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

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 12, 2021

March is green month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and there is certainly plenty of green in evidence around here, both inside and out. Happy spring and Happy Worldwide Quilting Day to all!

One set of green blocks that was completed recently is my Glorified 9-Patch blocks. I've even got one block with shamrocks on it for St. Patrick's Day. I started out piecing the curves on these blocks by hand, but didn't really enjoy that process. Now I am stitching the blocks completely by machine. These blocks will be trimmed to 6.5" when I am ready to join them together.

My main green project for the week was an old kit that I came across, the Beveled Blocks quilt. The kit included 24 fat quarters, enough to make a quilt that measures 48" x 60". I decided to add many of my own fabrics and make a larger quilt top. Here you can see enough parts for 30 blocks, although at this point they all need the diagonal seams stitched to finish the blocks. 

My goal for the day is to get these parts all turned into blocks. I'm sure there will be some time spent arranging and rearranging the placement of all the blocks, but I'm hoping to get them joined together by the end of the day. I've warned my guy that it is Worldwide Quilting Day, so he shouldn't expect me to do any household chores today. It's a good thing I took care of the laundry yesterday!

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday.

Julie in GA

Orphan Adoption--Blooming Onion

Update Wed. 3/24/21--This giveaway is closed. The winner is Nann and she has been contacted by email. Watch for new orphan giveaways in September.

This is my second offering for the Spring 2020 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event  hosted by Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework. You can see my other orphan that is available, my extra Grassy Creek blocks, HERE.

The Orphan Adoption event is held twice a year to help quilters clear out some of the old projects that we will never finish. It's the perfect opportunity to pass along your orphan blocks/projects to someone else who will love and finish them! It's also a great time to acquire a new project or two for yourself.

Blooming Onion quilt top, 60.5" x 80.5"

The orphan that is available for adoption comes in two parts. The first part is the extra pieces that were leftover when I made my Blooming Onion quilt, shown above. I had cut more pieces than needed in order to give myself more variety to choose from when making the blocks. Each block is made from five different segments, and you will receive between nine and twelve of each segment. That means you can make nine complete blocks with these pieces, and up to twelve if you add some of your own fabrics.

Extra pieces

The pattern that I used to make these blocks is actually called Blue Onion by Karla Alexander of Saginaw Street Quilts. The pattern will not be included with the block pieces, but you can buy it at Karla's website HERE.

The second part of the "orphan" is a set of six Blooming Onion blocks made in shades of yellow and gold. These were my sample blocks before I made the batik quilt top. The blocks have been trimmed to 10.75". Having these blocks will let you see how the blocks are to be constructed from the batik pieces.

Leave a comment to let me know if you would like to adopt this orphan project. Shipping in the U.S. only. Please be sure to include your email address so I can contact the winner. I will choose a random winner next Tuesday, March 23. Get your comment in by noon that day. Be sure to check out the rest of the quilty orphans over at Quilting is more fun than Housework. 

Julie in GA

Orphan Adoption--Grassy Creek

Update Wed. 3/24/21--This giveaway is closed. The winner is Erin and she has been contacted by email. Watch for new orphan giveaways in September.

It is time once again for one of my favorite events, the Spring 2021 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event, hosted by Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework. This twice-yearly giveaway is the perfect opportunity to clear out some old projects that I am ready to admit I have lost interest in and pass them on to someone who will be happy to finish them. The recipient is happy to get a new project, and I get rid of the guilt of having another UFO hanging around, plus I empty out one of my project boxes.

One of the orphans I gave away last fall was a set of four Jacob's Ladder blocks, plus enough parts to make more. I was very happy to receive an email a couple months later with a photo of this finished quilt top made from those parts. It was going to be given to someone recovering from serious auto accident injuries. I am thrilled that my UFO was able to bring someone else some happiness and comfort.

I have participated in the Orphan Adoption several times before, and most of those times I have given away old UFOs that I knew I would never get around to finishing. This year is different--I am giving away leftover pieces from two different recent projects. The first group comes from Grassy Creek, the Bonnie Hunter 2020 mystery quilt. 

My Grassy Creek giveaway will include the six large blocks shown in the above photo, plus 34 of the little green and orange 9-patches (there are 21 of them in the photo.) The large blocks finish at 12" and the 9-patches at 3". The taupe with white dots fabric that you see between the blocks is not included--that is the flannel that covers my design wall.

Bonnie's clues for the mystery are not posted on her blog anymore, but you can purchase a PDF of the pattern. When I made my version of Grassy Creek, I changed my color palette partway through and decided to avoid the brighter oranges and greens that you see in these blocks. That is why I ended up with so many extras, and now they can be yours!

I have one other orphan available for adoption, the leftover pieces from my recent Blooming Onion quilt top. You can find that listing HERE.

Leave a comment to let me know if you would like to adopt this orphan project. Shipping in the U.S. only. Please be sure to include your email address so I can contact the winner. I will choose a random winner next Tuesday, March 23. Get your comment in by noon that day. Be sure to check out the rest of the quilty orphans over at Quilting is more fun than Housework. 

Julie in GA

To-Do Tuesday 3/16/2021

Happy To-Do Tuesday once again!  It's time to look back at my to-do list from last week, see how I did on accomplishing my goals, then post a new list for the week ahead. I'm linking up with the  To-Do Tuesday Weekly Link-up hosted by Chris at Chris Knits. 

I got through my whole list last week, then pulled out a very old kit to start as a new project on Sunday. That quilt will be my primary focus for the week ahead.

 

To-Do List for 3/9 - 3/15:

1. Bowties 365--make at least 1 bowtie block every day   ✔done 

2. Scrap Magnet--make two blocks in greens       ✔done 

3. Sewcialites QAL--make block #22      ✔done 

4. Glorified 9Patch--prep green blocks    ✔4 green blocks done 

To-Do List for 3/16 - 3/22:

1. Bowties 365--make at least 1 bowtie block every day

2. Sewcialites QAL--make block #23

3. Beveled Blocks--finish cutting parts, make blocks

Beveled Blocks is the old kit that I pulled out over the weekend. You can read more about it in yesterday's post. I'm adding fabrics from my stash to the kit for more variety. That has added time to the cutting process, but will make for a more interesting quilt. My goal for the next week is to finish the cutting and to piece most of the blocks for this quilt. I need a total of 30 blocks for my planned quilt size. Here's what is done so far. 

That should all be more than enough to keep me busy for the next week!  I'll report on my progress and post a new set of goals next Tuesday. I'm linking up with other To-Do Tuesday lists at Chris Knits.

Julie in GA  

Design Wall Monday 3/15/2021

My quilting mojo has been a little hard to find lately. I have stayed up-to-date with my ongoing projects like the Sewcialites weekly blocks and the different rainbow projects I'm working on for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. However, I've been wanting to pull out a UFO and get it put together, but none of them were speaking to me--at least, not until I remembered my Beveled Blocks quilt kit, which has been hanging around in my sewing room since 2009!

It is very rare for me to buy a quilt kit. I generally prefer to buy patterns and choose my own fabrics. On the rare occasion that I do buy a kit, it is usually because it is a great price, and I know I can split it up and use the fabric from the kit for other projects. In this case, I am using the pattern and the fabrics from this kit together, but also adding some of my own fabrics to the mix.

These are the fabrics that were included with the kit--24 fat quarters. I could make the whole quilt top as shown in the pattern, 48" x 60", using just these fabrics. Instead I decided to add my own fabrics and use half of the FQ pieces, saving the other half of each piece. That gives me a wider variety of prints in the quilt, plus some new additions to my stash. I spent much of yesterday pulling and cutting brown fabrics, plus I made a start on the greens. 

I managed to get the piecing done for six blocks, although the final diagonal seams have not been stitched. I will wait to do that after all the block halves are pieced and I can mix and match fabric combinations. I'm planning to make a larger size quilt than the pattern, maybe 60" x 72". 

Once I get all of the strips cut, the blocks will come together quickly. I'm enjoying the process and look forward to getting more block parts up on the design wall soon.

Linking up with:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA  

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 11, 2021

Spring is springing up all around us in Georgia, thanks to a stretch of beautifully warm and sunny days this week. We decided it was a good time to get out of the house for a day and made the drive to Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground, GA. The main feature at Gibbs is daffodils. According to their website, they have over 200 varieties of daffodils, with a total of over 20 million plants! It's still early in the season, and we hope to get back there in a few weeks to see even more blooms.

There is some significant stash usage to report this week, not because I did that much cutting and sewing, but because I finally added up the numbers for the yardage used in my completed Grassy Creek quilt top. My 64" x 79" top took 5.5 yards of fabric for the piecing, plus 1-1/8 yard for the border. My other usage for the week was 3/4 yard for my green Scrap Magnet blocks, shared in yesterday's post. There were no new additions to the stash last week.

2021 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                            7.375 yards

Used year to date:                       63.375 yards

Added last week:                              0.0 yards

Added year to date:                      11.50 yards

Net used year to date              51.875 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. It was tough getting some time on the day we went to the gardens, but I did manage to do a little stitching after we got back. Every other day had plenty of time for quilting.

15 Minute Challenge for 2021: 

3/7 - 3/13                  7 of 7 days

2021 Total              72 of 72 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