Dakota Inspired--Quilt Top Done!

My most recent finish is the quilt top from Alycia's Dakota Inspired mystery quilt-along. This one wasn't much of a mystery for me because I didn't start piecing mine until around the time that Alycia was giving the clues for assembling blocks.

Dakota Inspired, 67.5" x 83.25"

I always enjoy Alycia's mystery quilts because the piecing is fairly easy and goes quickly. I didn't have enough of any single red fabric, so each red churn dash is a different print. Some are red, white & blue prints, others are red tone-on-tones.

I added a border that was cut at 3" wide to finish off the outer edges. I love the way the dark blue fabric frames the rest of the quilt.

My best spot for taking quilt photos is with the quilt or top hanging off the railing of our back deck. It can be tricky if there is too much wind or sun, but I was fairly lucky out there today.

I'm  linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts.

Julie in GA

To-Do Tuesday 4/27/2021

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. 

Life seems to be very busy lately as we have been getting out of the house more. We reach the "fully vaccinated" stage tomorrow (two weeks since our 2nd shot.) It feels good to get closer to normal, but it has definitely cut into my quilting time. I am so thankful that I have this wonderful hobby which helped me stay sane  through the past year.

To-Do List for 4/20 - 4/26

1. Bowties 365--make at least 1 bowtie block every day not done

I finished 5 of 7 blocks last week, but I'm still ahead for the month with 33 total so far.

2. Sewcialites QAL--make block #28   ✔done

3. Sew Colorful Stars--make 1 light blue block  ✔done

4. Alycia's mystery #A12--make 8 red blocks   ✔done

Not only did I make the 8 red blocks, but I also finished the 6 remaining blue blocks. All the blocks for this quilt are done!

5. Glorified 9Patch--prep background for light blue blocks  ✔done

6. Around the Twist--figure out a plan for quilting  not done 

It's time to be realistic and cut the list down a bit since I will have less time to spend quilting. 

To-Do List for 4/27 - 5/3

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

2. Sewcialites QAL--make block #29

3. 30's Kaleidoscopes--make pink and yellow blocks from new fabrics

4. Alycia's mystery #A12--cut setting triangles, start joining together

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 4/26/2021

My larger design wall is covered with my blocks for Dakota Inspired, Alycia's most recent mystery quilt. The wall is so full that some of the blocks are cut off around the outer edges, but you get the idea. There is probably some rearranging of blocks still to come. It looks to me like I need to move one brighter red block to the bottom row.

The next step is to find a dark blue fabric for the outer setting triangles and final border. I don't have many options for that in my stash, but I did find an old Jinny Beyer paisley print that might have enough yardage. I couldn't get a good photo of the color--here is a washed-out version with the flash, followed by a too-dark shot without. The real color is somewhere in between. I hope the faint line down the middle of the second photo is just the fold catching the light and not a fade line.

 

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 17, 2021

My quilting time was somewhat limited last week, but I did manage to make the rest of the blocks for Alycia's latest Quilts of Valor mystery. Those blocks used two yards from my stash, and I hope to cut the setting triangles and get the quilt top put together this week. No pictures of my new blocks yet, but you can see my first batch of blocks in last week's post.

Sew Colorful Stars, 16" finished size

My other stash usage for the week was 3/8 yard for the light blue Sew Colorful Stars block for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. No new fabric has been added to the stash, but I'm eager to visit a quilt shop again once I get past the two weeks wait post-vaccine.

2021 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                            2.375 yards

Used year to date:                       92.375 yards

Added last week:                              0.0 yards

Added year to date:                         24.0 yards

Net used year to date              68.375 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 has been more difficult to get in my quilting time this week as we have been getting out more during the day, but I'm still hanging on at 100% for the week and the year!

15 Minute Challenge for 2021: 

4/18 - 4/24                7 of 7 days

2021 Total           114 of 114 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 17, 2021

I'm later than usual with my post for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this week, but that's because I didn't have anything to share until a few minutes ago. I just finished making my Sew Colorful Stars block in light blues for April.

Sew Colorful Stars, 16" finished size

I don't really enjoy making these blocks. All those triangles get rather tedious to me, but I keep going with them because I love the finished product!

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

To-Do Tuesday 4/20/2021

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 finished 5 out of 6 items from last week's list. Once again, I did not work on the quilting  on my Around the Twist quilt, but I did start one new project, Alycia's latest QOV mystery. I made 18 blocks for that quilt and have 14 more to make. The Around the Twist quilt is my One Monthly Goal for April, and I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever happen.

To-Do List for 4/13 - 4/19

1. GET VACCINATED! ✔DONE!  

It's such a relief to be done with that, and we didn't have any bad side effects.

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

I made 7 bowtie blocks last week, but don't have a photo to share.

3. Sewcialites QAL--make block #27   ✔done

4. Glorified 9Patch--prep light blue blocks ✔done

Centers for three light blue Glorified 9-Patch blocks plus Sewcialites Blocks #27

5. 30's Kaleidoscope--finish adding corner triangles  ✔done

Photos shared in Saturday's post.

6. Around the Twist--figure out a plan for quilting  not done

I'm keeping the Around the Twist quilt on the list, even though I can't seem to get motivated to work on that project. Maybe this will be the week!

To-Do List for 4/20 - 4/26

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

2. Sewcialites QAL--make block #28

3. Sew Colorful Stars--make 1 light blue block 

4. Alycia's mystery #A12--make 8 red blocks

5. Glorified 9Patch--prep background for light blue blocks 

6. Around the Twist--figure out a plan for quilting 

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  

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 16, 2021

My quilting time for the past week was mostly divided between two main projects. The first was adding the corner triangles to the kaleidoscope blocks that I have been making as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge since the beginning of this year. That doesn't change the Stash Report though, because I had already counted all the blocks as though they were complete.

The other project that filled my time last week was Alycia's current Quilts of Valor mystery #A12--Dakota Inspired. You can currently find pdf's for all the clues on her Alycia Quilts blog. The mystery started in early March, and I had been saving the clues since then, but wasn't making any of the parts yet. Once I saw the blocks and the quilt layout, I needed to pull out some fabrics and join in the fun.

This quilt will have a total of 32 blocks. I have finished 18 blocks and have 8 red and 6 blue still to be made. I didn't have a big enough piece of any one red fabric, so I am making each churn dash block out of a different red. The blue is a leftover from a recent quilt back.

Alycia's mystery #A12--Dakota Inspired

These 18 blocks used 2.5 yards from my stash. I am also counting 3/4 yards as used for some crumb and string blocks that I made recently. No new fabric was added last week. 

2021 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                              3.25 yards

Used year to date:                          90.0 yards

Added last week:                              0.0 yards

Added year to date:                         24.0 yards

Net used year to date                  66.0 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. We got our second Covid vaccine on Wednesday, and my sore arm limited the amount of rotary cutting I could do afterwards. Fortunately, the discomfort didn't last long, and I am still on track with quilting time every day.

15 Minute Challenge for 2021: 

4/11 - 4/17                7 of 7 days

2021 Total           107 of 107 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 16, 2021

The inspiration for the 1930's Kaleidoscope quilt that I have been making as one of my 2021 projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge came from this quilt by Linda Miller that I've saved in Pinterest for several years. 

1930's Kaleidoscope by Linda Rotz Miller

Linda's Flickr albums have an amazing wealth of inspiration. I could spend all day going through her in-progress photos. I've learned so much about quilt design from looking through her photos and reading her comments.

I've been making kaleidoscope blocks from my 30's fabrics for the RSC since the beginning of this year. I have made half of my blocks each month with white triangles on the outer corners. The other half of my blocks were octagons without any outer corners because my contrast fabric hadn't been selected yet. I auditioned some color options back in January, but I only had a set of pink blocks made at that point. Now that there are blocks in four different colors, it feels like the right time to decide on the contrast corner fabric. I ordered three different colors of Chambray Tonals from Connecting Threads during a recent sale.

My original plan was to use a pale yellow like Linda's quilt at the top of this post. Keeping the contrast low between the alternate corners and the white background helps make the circle design more visible. Unfortunately, the yellow I received was brighter than expected and didn't really work as well as I'd hoped.

Chambray--Light Honeysuckle

My favorite option from the original auditions in January was aqua, so I got some of the chambray in that color. This one was good, but didn't excite me as much as I thought it would.

Chambray--Light Aquamarine

To my surprise, the color that worked best of the three purchased was the mint green. This one keeps the contrast low enough, plus the green has the truest 30's feel to me. We have a winner! 

The following two photos both show blocks with the light mint chambray. They were taken in different rooms, one with the blocks laid out on a table and the other up on my design wall. It's surprising how different the color looks in each photo.

Chambray--Light Mint

Now that a decision has been made, I have started cutting into that mint fabric and gotten the corner triangles added to the blocks that need them. It feels good to move on to the next step of this quilt project. Here are some finished blocks in all the colors with their minty corners added.

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

To-Do Tuesday 4/13/2021

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 stayed on track for the most part last week, finishing four of my five tasks on the list. I keep avoiding the quilting on my little Around the Twist quilt, but I need to get started soon if it's going to get finished by the end of the month.

To-Do List for 4/6 - 4/12

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

2. Sewcialites QAL--make block #26   ✔done 

3. Scrap Magnet--make two  blue blocks   ✔four blocks done 

4. Around the Twist--figure out a plan for quilting  not done

5. 30's Kaleidoscope--choose fabric for corner triangles and start adding them to blocks   ✔done  

I chose a pale mint green and got the corners stitched to my yellow blocks.

My goal for the next week is to continue with the on-going projects, plus to prep some blocks for one of my rainbow projects. 

To-Do List for 4/13 - 4/19

1. GET VACCINATED! We have appointments for our 2nd dose tomorrow!

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

3. Sewcialites QAL--make block #27

4. 30's Kaleidoscope--finish adding corner triangles

5. Glorified 9Patch--prep light blue blocks 

6. Around the Twist--figure out a plan for quilting 

I'm planning to keep moving forward with these projects and hope to avoid adding any new ones to the list (although I've been tempted by Alycia's current QOV mystery.) 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--4/12/2021

There are some days when I have time I can spend in the sewing room, but I can't figure out what to work on. This is most likely to happen when I have just finished a big project like completing a quilt top or making a set of monthly blocks. Sometimes I want to quilt, but my brain can't handle anything complicated. That's when I pull out the crumbs and strings. 

Our April color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is light blue. I made six light blue crumb blocks and two string blocks a few days ago. I also finished off one yellow string block. These blocks currently measure 6.5" each.

When I went to put the blocks away, I discovered a good-sized stack of crumb blocks in other colors and decided to see how they looked on the design wall together. 

Isn't that a cheery collection of blocks! If I made three more, they could become a baby quilt, 36" x 48". On the other hand, there are a couple of colors missing (pink and orange.) If I make blocks with those colors and maybe add a few more to the colors that are short (yellow, aqua/teal), I could end up with a throw quilt. 80 blocks set 8 x 10 would make a quilt that measures 48" x 60". For now, they will go back in the box until I get inspired to pull them out again.

Linking up with:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA