Stars Galore and ABC Table Scraps Challenge

Today I have two very different, but related, projects to share with you. The first project is a quilt top that I made as part of a joint effort between the Common Threads Quilters Guild and the Sharpsburg Piecemakers, with the finished quilts going to a local program for homeless veterans. This is the Stars Galore quilt top, which measures 72.5" x 81.5"

Stars Galore quilt top

The starting point for this top was a large zipper bag of precut charm squares and smaller blue squares for the star points, plus long 3" strips of the blue for borders. I also received a diagram for the pattern layout. You can see more photos of this quilt top in process, including closer shots of some of the fabrics, in my earlier posts HERE and HERE.

The quilt top was completed and turned in at a guild meeting two weeks ago. I had several leftover charm squares, plus many bonus triangles from making the star points and some extra blue strips from the border. Instead of trying to find a place to store the leftovers away in my already messy sewing room, I decided to use up as many of those scraps as possible. 

I started by making the triangles into little pinwheel blocks. I was able to get a total of 16 pinwheels from those triangles. Here are a few of them that didn't make the final cut and will join my collection of orphan blocks. The pinwheels were trimmed to 3.5" square.

There was enough of the blue border fabric to use it as sashing around a dozen of the pinwheels, along with squares cut from some of the charm squares, to make this placemat. 

Pinwheels Galore placemat, 13" x 19"

More of the leftover charm squares were joined together for the placemat backing, then bordered with more of the blue print. You can see some of the stitch-in-the-ditch quilting on the back side.

This little placemat is my entry for this month's ABC Table Scraps Challenge at The Joyful Quilter. Our color for the month of June, as assigned by the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, was light blue, and I certainly used plenty of that. The letters for the ABC Challenge were D and I. I'm interpreting those letters as referring to my Design Inspiration, which was to use up those bonus triangles to make pinwheels, which then led to making the placemat. The placemat will be donated to Meals on Wheels.

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

ABC Table Scraps Challenge at The Joyful Quilter

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at So Scrappy

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Tuesday To-Do List 6/27/2023

Good morning and welcome to another To-Do Tuesday! 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.

It was a very good week for the to-do list, with all four items being completed!

To-Do List for 6/20 - 6/26/2023

1. Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs blog hop--write my post   ✔done 

I shared my Toppling Tower quilt back HERE. You can read more about Kelly's wonderful new book and find links to the other bloggers who participated in the blog tour at My Quilt Infatuation.

Toppling Tower quilt back

2. A Maze Zing--make light blue block   ✔done 

One light blue and one medium blue block finished.

3. Modern Quilt Studio Mystery--make second set of blocks   ✔done 

These are the first two sets of blocks together.

4. Rainbow Scrap Challenge 16-Patch Stars--make 2 blocks   ✔done 

One light green and one light blue block done.

My list for the next week includes one older UFO, plus a sample for a new idea, along with the ongoing projects. 

To-Do List for 6/27 - 7/3/2023

1. Moda Blockheads quilt top--add borders

I made blocks as part of the original Moda Blockheads QAL starting in 2017. The blocks were completed and joined together in 2021. I would love to finish the borders on this quilt top, just in time for July 4th!

2. A Maze Zing--make sample with Christmas fabrics

3. ABC Table Scraps Challenge--finish light blue project

4. Modern Quilt Studio Mystery--make third set of blocks

5. Rainbow Scrap Challenge 16-Patch Stars--make 2 red blocks

That will be enough to keep me busy 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 

Stash Report and Stitching Time 6/25/2023

Even though it was completed a couple weeks ago, I was unable to share my Toppling Tower pieced quilt back until this week because it was part of the blog hop for Kelly Young's new book, Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs. You can see my blog post HERE or learn more at Kelly's blog/website My Quilt Infatuation.

Toppling Tower quilt back, 73" x 93"

Now that the blog hop has happened, I can count the yardage for the quilt back in my stash report. That came to 5.5 yards. I also used another yard making 16-Patch Stars and A Maze Zing blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, all shared in yesterday's post. All this usage has got my stash report back to showing more used than added for the year!

2023 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                         6.50 yards

Used year to date:                   54.25 yards

Added last week:                         0.0 yards

Added year to date:                49.625 yards

Net used in 2023                  4.625 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. Besides the blocks for the Rainbow Challenge, most of my quilting time was spent on making blocks for the Modern Quilt Studio summer mystery. I definitely got more than 15 minutes of quilting time every day last week.

15 Minute Challenge for 2023: 

6/18 - 6/24           7 of 7 days

2023 Total      165 of 175 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 Saturday

We had several rainy days this week, which meant even more time than usual spent quilting. No complaints here! I was able to make blocks for two different Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects using our colors of the month, light blue and light green.

I started with the 16-Patch Stars, making one block in each color. My blocks are made from 3.5" squares and will finish at 12".

I dug out the darker green and blue blocks for a group photo. Looking good!

After those were done, I discovered some strips I had pulled out for the A Maze Zing class last week and decided to make a couple of blue blocks. These will join the two green blocks shared in last week's post.

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

Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs Blog Hop

Today is the publication date for Kelly Young's wonderful new book, Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs. I was one of the lucky quilters who was asked by Kelly to make one of her quilt back patterns and share my thoughts on the new book.

It's no surprise that Kelly would write a book about pieced quilt backs. She shares photos regularly on her blog/website, My Quilt Infatuation, including both the fronts and backs of the many wonderful quilts she completes. This new book has patterns for 30 different pieced quilt backs, most of them very easy to make.  

Kelly asked each of us participating in her book release blog hop to choose one of the quilt back patterns to make. After debating over several of the designs, I chose the Toppling Tower pattern. First let me give you a look at Kelly's version.

Toppling Tower by Kelly Young

Sharing her version of this quilt back pattern will give you an idea of how easy her designs are to adapt. The pattern produces a quilt back that measures 72" x 72" (there are also two other sizes in the book.) That width was fine, but my quilt back needed to be almost two feet longer. I had decided to piece a back for this quilt, my ombre Positivity quilt top, pieced in 2021.

Positivity quilt top, 60" x 80"

Instead of a stack of 8 strips, my version of Toppling Tower has 9 horizontal bars, plus extra background fabric at the top and bottom for additional length. 

My Toppling Tower, 73" x 93"

Kelly's pattern was easy to follow, and I appreciated the fact that every design includes instructions for three different sizes. The designs in the book include 15 patterns that use scraps and leftovers (arranged by scrap size to make your backing choice easier.) The other 15 patterns are made with stash/yardage, arranged by the number of fabrics needed.

Not only does this book include patterns for 30 different quilt back designs, there is a link for 18 free downloadable bonus patterns for the quilt fronts. The book also includes full instructions on finishing your quilt. The quilt back designs are wonderfully inventive, and many of them would also work beautifully as the quilt front if you need a quick project.

Congratulations to Kelly on another amazing publication! (She has also published two earlier books.) Signed copies of Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs are available at Kelly's Etsy shop. You can also find the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Connecting Threads, Missouri Star, or ask for it at your local quilt shop.

My thanks to Kelly for including me in this blog hop. Below are links to the other quilters who are participating.

Sandra @ mmm...quilts

Rose @ Something Rosemade

Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts

Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal

Anja @ Anja Quilts

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting

Vasudha @ Storied Quilts

Kris @ Sew Sunshine

Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

Rebecca @ Rebecca Grace Quilting

Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts

Susan @ Quilt Fabrication

Kate @ Katie Mae Quilts

Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts

Linda @ Flourishing Palms

Anne-Marie @ Stories From the Sewing Room

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

Gail @ Quilting Gail

Kat @ Scrapbox Quilts

Julie @ Julie's Quilts and Costumes (you are here!)

Jan @ The Colorful Fabriholic

I'm ready to check out all the other quilt backs everyone else has made!

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA

Tuesday To-Do List 6/20/2023

Good morning and welcome to another To-Do Tuesday! 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 knew that my list from last week was ambitious, and I am happy to see that I managed to complete four of the five items on that list. 

To-Do List for 6/13 - 6/19/2023

1. Get outdoor photos of recent finishes   ✔done 

2. A Maze Zing workshop--get my supplies together  ✔done 

The guild workshop with Candace Hassen was great, and I ended up with two finished A Maze Zing blocks that measure about 13" x 19". I'm planning to continue making these each month as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

3. National Quilt Museum BOM--make Block #2   ✔done 

I wasn't crazy about the design of the second block, but after some tweaking with the layout and colors, I was happier with my version.

4. Modern Quilt Studio Mystery--make first set of blocks   ✔done 

I finished set #1 yesterday and made a start on set #2.

5. Rainbow Scrap Challenge 16-Patch Stars--make 2 blocks  not done

The first item on my new list needs to happen TODAY. Everything else is negotiable through the coming week.

To-Do List for 6/20 - 6/26/2023

1. Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs blog hop--write my post

Kelly Young has a new book being released tomorrow, and I have a pieced backing to share as part of the blog hop.

2. A Maze Zing workshop--make light blue block

3. Modern Quilt Studio Mystery--make second set of blocks

4. Rainbow Scrap Challenge 16-Patch Stars--make 2 blocks

That will be enough to keep me busy 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 6/19/2023

Much of my quilting time over the weekend was spent working on my blocks for the first installment of the Summer Camp Modern Mystery Quiltalong, hosted by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr of Modern Quilt Studio. Part 2 was posted on Friday, so I am a little bit behind, but I hope to catch up in the next few days. 

I shared two potential fabric pulls for this project in last week's post. Although I loved the first palette in that post, it seemed too similar to what many other mystery participants were showing on Facebook. I decided to use the second choice, with colors inspired by the red rocks of Sedona, AZ. The fabrics are all solids except for the slightly mottled sandy piece running up the center, which will probably become my background fabric.

The blocks are easy to piece, but the cutting took me awhile because I had so many fabrics to include. Here is my first completed set of blocks, all displayed on that same sandy background fabric.

The Summer Camp Modern Mystery Quiltalong just started on June 1st, so it's not too late to join the fun! One thing I should let you know is that it is not a free mystery; you have to buy the pattern which also includes video tutorials. You can also see more inspiration at their public Facebook group page HERE.

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 6/18/2023

There have been so many different quilt projects getting worked on this week that I've even moved one of them to another room! My fabric pull for the Modern Quilt Studio Summer Camp Mystery ended up with close to 40 solid fabrics, and they have been relegated to the living room where I have a folding table set up for cutting and sorting. 

I'm happy to be able to report some fabric used from the stash this week! I used 5/8 yard for the two A Maze Zing blocks shared in yesterday's post, plus another 1/2 yard for the second block in the National Quilt Museum's Block of the Month. If you check out that link, you'll see that I changed the block design significantly. The original block is meant to be the California redwoods, but mine represents the brilliant colors of the maple trees in fall.

2023 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                       1.125 yards

Used year to date:                   47.75 yards

Added last week:                         0.0 yards

Added year to date:                49.625 yards

Net stashed in 2023             1.875 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. Between the mystery quilt, the BOM block, and the A Maze Zing class, it has been a very busy week!

15 Minute Challenge for 2023: 

6/11 - 6/17           7 of 7 days

2023 Total      158 of 168 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

A New Rainbow Project

It wasn't my intention to start another new project for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, but that seems to be exactly what happened. I had the good fortune to see a trunk show and take a class with Candace Hassen on Thursday. She shared many of her amazing scrap quilts and talked about how she developed the designs for them. You can see them at her website HERE.

Our class with Candace was her A Maze Zing pattern. There were two versions, one with a single giant block and the other has multiple smaller blocks. The version with smaller blocks is called Hoopla, but the piecing method is the same. Here are Candace's versions of the two patterns.

A Maze Zing, 54" x 70"

pattern at Quilt Designs by Candace

Hoopla, 81" x 95"

pattern at Quilt Designs by Candace

I decided to go with the smaller blocks and pulled a variety of light and medium green fabrics for them, which was when I realized this could become an RSC project. Here are my two A Maze Zing/Hoopla blocks. They currently measure about 13" x 19", but I could easily make them larger.

The blocks were fun to make, and I look forward to adding more colors to the collection. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use them all together in a quilt. They would also work well individually as placemats. That's why I stopped when they reached the size they are right now.

For anyone interested in Candace's quilts and patterns, I highly recommend that you visit her website HERE. Her style of quilting really spoke to me, with fairly simple piecing and the emphasis on scrappiness and the use of color to make the designs interesting. If you are a member of The Quilt Show, the online show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, you can watch an episode with Candace as their guest. They display several of her wonderful quilts, then Candace demonstrates how to make the A Maze Zing quilt, plus one more of her wonderful designs. That is available HERE (but you must be a member to watch.)

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

Tuesday To-Do List 6/13/2023

Good morning and welcome to another To-Do Tuesday! I've missed posting my to-do list for a couple of weeks, but there has still been plenty getting done around here. Here are the results from my last to-do list, plus a new list for the week ahead. The To-Do Tuesday link-up is hosted by Carol at Quilt Schmilt: For the Love of Fabric.

The good news is that my last to-do list is completely done! As you will see, I spent the end of May finishing off orange projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

To-Do List for 5/23 - 5/29/2023

1. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--make orange Jabberwocky blocks  ✔done

2. Rainbow Scrap Challenge--finish orange Rail Fence blocks  ✔done

3. ABC Table Scraps Challenge--make orange placemat   ✔done

4. Wash new fabrics   ✔done (but no photo)

My new list may be overly ambitious, but there's a lot I would like to get done this week.

To-Do List for 6/13 - 6/19/2023

1. Get outdoor photos of recent finishes

2. A Maze Zing workshop--get my supplies together

3. National Quilt Museum BOM--make Block #2

4. Modern Quilt Studio Mystery--make first set of blocks

5. Rainbow Scrap Challenge 16-Patch Stars--make 2 blocks

That will be enough to keep me busy 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 6/12/2023

I knew I had been neglecting my blog lately, but I was still very surprised to discover that it has been nearly a month since my last Design Wall Monday post. I've been doing plenty of quilting; I just haven't been taking photos of everything or can't share photos just yet.

Today I have some photos of a new project that I am starting. I had become intrigued by the photos I'd been seeing of fabric pulls/color palettes for the Summer Camp Modern Mystery Quiltalong, hosted by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr of Modern Quilt Studio. Any of you who are regular readers of my blog know that I'm not a "modern" quilter. However, I am trying to expand my horizons, and this seemed like a good way to try something different.

The quiltalong starts by choosing a range of fabrics, with at least 15-20 different colors recommended for the piecing, plus a background fabric. After checking out many fabric pulls on Facebook (I think anyone on Facebook can see the posts HERE), I started going through my collection of solids. My first possible fabric palette was inspired by the colors in this Kaffe Fassett fabric.

Like the print fabric, my plan was to use primarily greens and greenish blues, with accents of mustard, caramel, salmon and lavender. Below is what I pulled from my stash, along with a couple of dark pieces as possible background.

While washing up my solid fabrics, I was inspired by a stack of darker solids that had sort of a terra cotta feel that I liked. I pulled out a group that ranges from gold to rust to brick red and some purples, along with some blues for accents. I might try to pull in more light/medium pieces to keep it from all being too dark, but I do love the feel of this grouping. The light pieces along the top and bottom are ideas for background, but none of them are really working for me yet--maybe more of a sandy desert color.

The Summer Camp Modern Mystery Quiltalong just started on June 1st, so it's not too late to join the fun! One thing I should let you know is that it is not a free mystery; you have to buy the pattern which also includes video tutorials.

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