Purple Coming and Going

I've got plenty of purple projects to share for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, but posting will be more difficult than usual because I'm working with my phone instead of my laptop. Formatting may be tricky today. Wish me luck!

My main purple project for the week was finishing a small reversible quilt that I have named "Pretty in Purple." It has 9-patch and HST blocks on one side, with 4-patch blocks on the other side. The finished size before washing is 36" x 48". This quilt will be one of my contributions to the Hands 2 Help Challenge at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

For the quilting, I stitched diagonal lines following the seams on the HSTs plus through the 9P blocks.

The other purple project was a set of 40 Rail Fence blocks. Each block will finish at 3".

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.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 4/24/2023

Our recent meeting for the Common Threads Quilt Guild included a new challenge issued by our president, Martha. She had discovered a stash of blocks made from charm squares and challenged us to make donation quilts from them. The blocks had been packed together into kits for us to take home, with the challenge to bring back a finished quilt next month.

These are the blocks that were in my kit. It is an extremely random mix of fabrics. Each block measures around 13.5", although the sizes do vary by as much as 1/2". The first thing I will need to do when I am ready to start sewing will be to press them all very well, and they will probably all get trimmed down to a consistent size.

Because of the differences in block sizes, I thought it would work best to add sashing and give the blocks a little separation. My first thought was to use a medium blue, and I found a fabric right away in my stash. I even have enough that I could use it on the back of the quilt.

The sashing strips in the photo above are different sizes because they came from my pre-cut strips drawers. I haven't decided yet which size I will use in the quilt. I added some squares of a possible cornerstone fabric and ended up with the combination shown below.

My favorite block from this group.

Check out what other quilters are working on this week at Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and at Monday Musings at Songbird Designs. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

Stash Report and Stitching Time 4/23/2023

My stash got a large addition his week, thanks to a recent order from a sale at Missouri Star. This was the first fabric purchased in almost two months, and I went way overboard with my additions. I just couldn't resist those sale prices!

The first group of fabrics are all three-yard pieces. The Santa fabric will become a pair of pajama pants for my favorite Santa collector later in the year. The other three pieces are all wide backings. The purple one will be used as the background for my Pickle Dish project.

The other fabrics I added are all different colors of one of my favorite blender prints, "Bedrock" by Windham Fabrics. Each of these is a two-yard piece, which is more than I would normally buy, but that is what was available. They are such wonderful basics that I know I will use them.

The additions to the stash totaled 22 yards. On the other side of the tally, I used 1/2 yard for three purple Jabberwocky blocks and 1/4 yard for the borders on the purple 4-patch quilt. I also gave away a bag of fabric pieces and scraps that weighed 2.5 pounds, which I'm counting as 7 yards.

2023 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                   7.75 yards

Used year to date:               41.0 yards

Added last week:                 22.0 yards

Added year to date:             36.5 yards

Net used in 2023               4.5 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. My focus this week has been on finishing up a couple of baby quilts. One is done, and the second is very close! Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photos of the finished quilt before I turned it in at the guild meeting on Thursday, but you can see a photo of the unquilted top in THIS POST.

15 Minute Challenge for 2023: 

4/16 - 4/22            7 of 7 days

2023 Total      109 of 112 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

Purple Jabberwocky

Another set of blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge was finished this week. These are my Jabberwocky blocks in purple.

I was able to pull the right scraps to make one block in bluish purple, one in reddish purple, and one in true purple. I must have been more distracted than usual while working on these because I kept making mistakes in my cutting. Some were just pieces that needed to be trimmed down a little more, but there was one set of pieces that had to be totally recut. They all turned out okay in the end.

Those blocks set in straight rows seemed a little static and boring. Maybe they would look better if every other row were offset.

I do like this better, but it means I'll have to figure out what to do in those spaces at the ends of the shorter rows. I'm definitely not going to make half blocks for the ends--the full blocks are difficult enough! That's something to ponder as I continue making more blocks each month.

The "Jabberwocky" block design is a Judy Martin pattern from The Block Book. I believe the book is out of print, but available at a variety of on-line sources. The finished size of these blocks will be 10.25". I'm planning to make 30 blocks altogether, then set them together with sashing and maybe a border, for a nice-sized throw quilt.

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.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

To-Do Tuesday 4/18/2023

It's time once again to share how I did on last Tuesday's to-do list, then figure out what I'd like to get done in the week ahead. The To-Do Tuesday link-up is hosted by Carol at Quilt Schmilt: For the Love of Fabric.

I didn't finish everything on last week's list, mostly because I became a little bit obsessed with the purple 9-patch quilt. We also spent some time getting our vegetable garden planted, which is always an exciting day!

To-Do List for 4/11 - 4/17/2023

1. Flannel baby quilt--quilt and finish  progress

I didn't get this quilt finished, but the layers have been stitched together around the outside edges and turned. All that's left is to close up the opening, then do some quick quilting.

2. Purple 9-Patches--finish making blocks, decide on setting plan  ✔done

Not only were the blocks finished and a plan figured out, but the quilt top is complete and I know how I want to finish it. You can read more in THIS POST.

3. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--make another set of purple blocks  not done

4. Continue working on clearing off cutting table    ✔done

My list for the next week looks very much like the previous list. I need to catch up on my RSC projects, plus finish the baby quilt to turn in at our guild meeting on Thursday.

To-Do List for 4/18 - 4/24/2023

1. Flannel baby quilt--quilt and finish

2. Pretty in Purple--add larger borders to 4-patch side, prep for quilting

3. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--make a set of purple blocks

4. Continue working on clearing off cutting table 

That's the plan for the week ahead. I'll report on my progress next Tuesday, and post a new set of goals too. I'm linking up with other To-Do Tuesday lists at Quilt Schmilt.

 

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA 

Design Wall Monday 4/17/2023

Yesterday was one of those days that it seemed like the quilting stars were in alignment for me. It's not that I got a lot of quilting done yesterday, but I did make one surprising discovery.

It started with me wondering whether to add a border to my recently completed Pretty in Purple 9-Patch quilt. I've been hoping to finish it off right away and donate it as part of the Hands 2 Help Challenge at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Then I remembered another small purple quilt, this one made from 4-patch blocks in 2020.

My happy discovery was finding out that the two quilts measure the same size across. The 4P quilt was about 2" shorter than the other quilt. Maybe I could make it a little longer and use the two together to make a reversible purple quilt.

This photo shows the two quilt tops next to each other. The top and bottom borders have been removed from the 4P quilt, and new, wider borders have been cut from the same fabric. I'm planning to get those stitched on today.

Check out what other quilters are working on this week at Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and at Monday Musings at Songbird Designs. I'm also sharing my progress with the Hands 2 Help Challenge at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

Stash Report and Stitching Time 4/16/2023

It has been a busy week around here, but a productive one in the sewing room. I was able to finish two quilt tops last week. The first was the Star Cluster quilt that was being made as part of a quilt-along with our guild (although I may end up adding more borders to enlarge it.) The second was the Pretty in Purple quilt, all scrappy 9-patches and half-square triangles. I'm going to repeat the photos of them from my earlier blog posts in case anyone missed them. Altogether, 4 yards of fabric used and no new fabric added.

Star Cluster quilt top, 45" square

Pretty in Purple, 36.5" x 48.5"

2023 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                    4.0 yards

Used year to date:             33.25 yards

Added last week:                   0.0 yards

Added year to date:             14.5 yards

Net used in 2023           18.75 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. My quilting time over the past week was mostly filled with making little 9P blocks for the Pretty in Purple quilt, plus the HSTs to go with them, then joining everything together, and finally cleaning up afterwards.

15 Minute Challenge for 2023: 

4/9 - 4/15             7 of 7 days

2023 Total      102 of 105 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

Playing with Little Purple Scraps

The past week was one of those times that an unplanned quilt project (squirrel!) snuck into the sewing room and wouldn't let go until it was done with me, or rather, I was done with it. This is my Pretty in Purple quilt top.

Pretty in Purple, 36.5" x 48.5"

It all started with a collection of 1.5" purple squares sent to me in 2017 by Jennifer who blogs at Life's Little Adventures. Here's what she sent me way back then.

I sorted all the little squares into matching stacks, then started making 9-Patch blocks with no plan for how I would use them. Every once in a while, I would run across the box with all the pieces and make a few more blocks, but there were still lots of squares to use.

One day last weekend I was having a hard time deciding what to work on after finishing the top of another quilt (see that one HERE), and ran across the box of purple squares while doing a little cleaning up in the sewing room. It was the perfect mindless project--no cutting to do, no planning needed, just sit down and sew 9-patches.

After a couple days of making blocks, I had used up most of the pile of purple squares and had made about 100 blocks. The photo above shows the squares that were left over at the end. The blocks measure only 3.5" unfinished, so I worked up a design adding HSTs to make a bigger quilt.

This photo gives a closer view of some of the fabrics. It's so hard to get a good photo of these purples! I did discover in the process of making this quilt that most of the squares I was sent were purples that lean more towards blue, and the purples in my stash tend to be more on the reddish side. However, I think they all worked together just fine, and it sure feels good to have emptied out that box of little purple squares! 

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.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Star Cluster Quilt-Along Top is Finished! (or maybe not?)

One of my favorite recent projects has been the Star Cluster quilt-along with other members of the Common Threads Quilters Guild in Newnan, GA. Several of us have been making quilts based on the quilt-along pattern from the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. This week I finished adding the last border to my quilt.

Star Cluster quilt top, approximately 45" square

I've been working completely from my stash on this project, mostly using batiks. I didn't have enough of any single fabric for the background of that outer border and ended up combining three different pieces. I thought the two viney prints were the same, but the colors sure turned out to be different, as you can see in the photo below.

This quilt is a very different style than what I usually make, which was both challenging and lots of fun for me. My husband Ed absolutely loves the way it has turned out, so much so that I'm thinking about making it even bigger. It currently measures about 45" square, and I'm thinking about making it into a throw size, 55"-60" wide x 70"-80" long. Enlarging this will involve some serious planning/designing, and I might need to buy some background fabric for any additional borders.

One challenge that hasn't been solved yet is a name for this. We've been throwing around all sorts of ideas, but none has stuck yet. Early in the process, Ed commented that it made him think of the Jetsons (do you remember that animated sitcom from the 1960's?) The original name for the pattern is Star Cluster, but I have made several baby quilts from a different design with the same name.

If you are interested in making this pattern yourself, it originated from the National Quilt Museum. It used to be available on their website, but they seem to have changed things around and moved it to their Facebook group page. I believe you will have to join their group to access it. Look under Files, then scroll down the page until you get to Quilt Along 2020. They have several other Block of the Month patterns in the files.

 

Linking up with:

Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

To-Do Tuesday 4/11/2023

 It's time once again to share how I did on last Tuesday's to-do list, then figure out what I'd like to get done in the week ahead. The To-Do Tuesday link-up is hosted by Carol at Quilt Schmilt: For the Love of Fabric.

I worked on some of the quilts from last week's list, plus threw in a couple of unplanned projects. I've even been doing a little bit of cleaning up of my cutting table (badly needed!)

To-Do List for 4/4 - 4/10/2023 

1. Quilt guild BOM--add border #6   ✔done

I completed this border and am thinking about making an even bigger quilt. You can see some progress in yesterday's post, and I will share more photos later in the week.

2. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--make 1 set of purple blocks   ✔done

I made two purple 16-Patch Star blocks, shared in Saturday's post.

3. Pickle Dish--cutting, maybe some piecing   nothing done

Besides the projects on my list, I was also able to take part in a guild sewing day last week. We worked on simple baby quilts from pre-cut kits, and I managed to get this top put together. The fabrics are all flannels.

Another project that I pulled out last week was these purple 9-patch blocks. I had been sent a pile of 1.5" squares of light and purple fabrics several years ago, and occasionally I would make more 9-patches from them. I'm getting close to using up all the squares and decided it was time to figure out a plan for them. This is the start of a setting idea.

To-Do List for 4/11 - 4/17/2023

1. Flannel baby quilt--quilt and finish

2. Purple 9-Patches--finish making blocks, decide on setting plan

3. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--make another set of purple blocks

4. Continue working on clearing off cutting table 

That's the plan for the week ahead. I'll report on my progress next Tuesday, and post a new set of goals too. I'm linking up with other To-Do Tuesday lists at Quilt Schmilt.

 

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA 

Design Wall Monday 4/10/2023

Work has continued on the block-of-the-month quilt that several members of our quilt guild are making together. I finished constructing the star blocks and have started adding the background spacer pieces. The bottom border is nearly finished.

I will keep going on this border, which will bring the size of the quilt up to 45" square. This is the last border included in the original design, but I'm considering adding more borders to make it even bigger, maybe even turn it into a throw-sized quilt.

I discovered just this morning that the National Quilt Museum, the source of this BOM pattern, has changed their website. The links to the pattern that I included in earlier posts no longer work. The pattern seems to be available only from their Facebook group page (look under Files, then scroll down the page until you get to Quilt Along 2020.)

Check out what other quilters are working on this week at Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and at Monday Musings at Songbird Designs.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

Stash Report and Stitching Time 4/9/2023

My stash report for the past week shows a sizable move on the fabric added side, but it's because I was one of the lucky prize winners for the 2023 Stay at Home Round Robin (SAHRR.) My prize was this beautiful 20-piece bundle of Island Batik fat quarters from the Woodcut Blossoms line. I lifted this photo off the web because the pictures I took didn't show the colors nearly as well.

Unfortunately, my usage for the week doesn't come close to matching the addition. All I can count as used is 3/8 yard for the two 16-Patch Star blocks shared in yesterday's post.

2023 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                  .375 yards

Used year to date:             29.25 yards

Added last week:                   5.0 yards

Added year to date:              14.5 yards

Net used in 2023             14.75 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 ended up with 6 out of 7 days for the week, with most of the other day spent researching and making reservations for a fall trip to New England. One highlight of my quilting time last week was spending one morning working on baby quilts along with other members of the Common Threads Quilt Guild in Newnan, GA. The morning just flew by as we all stitched and chatted away.

15 Minute Challenge for 2023: 

4/2 - 4/8             6 of 7 days

2023 Total        95 of 98 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

Starting on the Purple Projects

It has become my habit this year that the first project I work on each month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is my 16-Patch Stars blocks. I guess that's because they are the easiest blocks to make. I already have some 3.5" squares, and it's easy to cut more from my 3.5" strips. This month's color is purple, and I made two blocks yesterday.

I thought about making one block with all reddish purples and one with all bluish purples, but I'm glad I combined both in each block. They seem more interesting this way.

In preparation for the month of purple, I also dug through my box of leftover and orphan blocks. One of my discoveries was this set of three blocks from a long-ago BOM at a local quilt shop. We received a different pattern each month and used our own fabrics to make the blocks.

This is the one fabric that appears in each of the blocks. According to my records, I bought it in 2000, so that might be about the time we were making the blocks. I still have close to 3 yards of the fabric and could easily make more blocks to go with these. It's a great color combination. I need to do some digging to figure out if I have any more of this set of patterns.

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.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

To-Do Tuesday 4/4/2023

It's time once again to share how I did on last Tuesday's to-do list, then figure out what I'd like to get done in the week ahead. The To-Do Tuesday link-up is hosted by Carol at Quilt Schmilt: For the Love of Fabric.

Somehow I missed posting my to-do list last week, although there was certainly plenty that needed to be done around here! Here's how I did with that list over the past two weeks.

To-Do List for 3/21 - 3/27/2023

1. Ruler Quilting Challenge--keep up with the lessons   ✔done

I kept up pretty well and ended up with four finished placemats.

2. Jabberwocky--make 3 green blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge  ✔done

3. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--cut greens for Rail Fence blocks and begin piecing   ✔done

4. Pickle Dish--cutting, maybe some piecing?  nothing done

I'm sticking with another short list for the week ahead.

To-Do List for 4/4 - 4/10/2023 

1. Quilt guild BOM--add border #6

2. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--pull out purple scraps, make 1 set of blocks

3. Pickle Dish--cutting, maybe some piecing (one of these weeks I'll actually make some progress on this!)

That's the plan for the week ahead. I'll report on my progress next Tuesday, and post a new set of goals too. I'm linking up with other To-Do Tuesday lists at Quilt Schmilt.

 

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA