Stash Report and Stitching Time 3/3/2024

February was the month of many small red blocks, as shown in my post for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge yesterday (read the post HERE.) 

Some of those blocks have already been counted in earlier stash reports, but many have not. The remaining blocks from February used a total of 1.5 yards of fabric. No new fabric was added to the stash last week.

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                     1.50 yards

Used year to date:               15.25 yards

Added last week:                     0.0 yards

Added year to date:             17.50 yards

Net added in 2024:            2.25 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 finishing up the red blocks for February, I also cut out and started piecing a new baby quilt for a sewing day along with other guild members.

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

2/25 - 3  /2          7 of 7 days

2024 Total        62 of 62 days

Success rate                100%

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

So Many Red Blocks!

February was the month to use our red scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and I certainly went through plenty of red. Now it's time to put away the red scraps and make a start on my purple scraps for March. I don't have anything purple to show yet, so I'm posting a final wrap-up of all my red blocks from the past month. (Some of these have already been shared in earlier posts.)

My first red project to get done in February was the blocks for the RSC 2024 Samper, Hen and Chicks. The small blocks will finish at 3" and the larger ones are 6". I'm planning to make all my blocks for this sampler from batiks.

My next project was the Rail Fence Spinner blocks. I ended up with eight red blocks, plus one green block leftover from January. These are also 6" blocks.

I've been participating in the Project Quilting challenges at Persimon Dreams for the past couple of years. One of our challenges in February was to use "Hourglass" as our inspiration. I made a scrappy, strippy red placemat, which is also my entry in the Table Scraps Challenge at The Joyful Quilter.

Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts is hosting a Birthday Quilt 2024 quilt along to celebrate her birthday. There is a new pattern for a 6" block posted every week. I am alternating using a dark or a light background each week, and my blocks this month all feature red.

Hollow 9-Patch blocks have been one of my leader and ender projects since the beginning of the year. I ended up with nine 6" blocks in red for February.

The last red project for the month was added to the lineup less than two weeks ago. It is the improv scrappy colorwash blocks inspired by Terry Rowland. You can read more about these in last week's post. I ended up with 36 blocks for the month. They will finish at 3".

I put most of my red blocks up on the design wall together, although the Terry blocks are not included. It makes a wonderfully crazy, scrappy jumble of red!

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

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Stash Report and Stitching Time 2/25/2024

My first two blocks for the Chatsworth Quilt Along were finished just in time for the release of the next two blocks on Thursday. I'm so excited by how these blocks look, and I've already started on Blocks 3 & 4. These two used a total of 3/4 yard of fabric.

Chatsworth blocks #1 & 2

My other fabric usage for the week was 1/2 yard for the  placemat made as part of Project Quilting 15.4: Hourglass. You can see it HERE. There were no new fabric additions to the stash last week, but I did place an order that should get here in a week or so.

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                     1.25 yards

Used year to date:               13.75 yards

Added last week:                     0.0 yards

Added year to date:             17.50 yards

Net added in 2024:             3.75 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've been working away at several different projects, and yesterday I spent part of the afternoon pulling out fabric options for two possible baby quilts.

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

2/18 - 2/24          7 of 7 days

2024 Total        55 of 55 days

Success rate                100%

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

A New Scrappy Project

Over the past several years, I've done a few projects inspired by Bonnie Hunter's Leader and Ender challenges. Every summer, Bonnie introduces a new block to be made while working on other projects. If you have the pieces all cut and waiting next to the machine, it's amazing how much you can get done without really trying. For an explanation of how leaders and enders work, check out Bonnie's page HERE.

I've done a couple of leader/ender projects recently with the goal of making one block for every day of the year. I didn't always succeed at that goal, but I've come close. These have included my Square Dance blocks in 2020 (near the bottom of the page,) Bowties in 2021 (HERE and HERE,) and the Rail Fence blocks in 2022 & '23.

I hadn't come up with a plan for a daily block to make this year until about a week ago. I've been seeing photos of some wonderful colorwash quilts made by Terry Rowland of T Row Studios. I haven't been able to find a blog or website for her, but she is active on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. She has a series of three YouTube videos demonstrating how to make this amazing quilt.

The blocks are extremely easy to make and perfect for using up scraps. Each block finishes at only 3" square (although it would be simple enough to make them larger too.) I spent one afternoon cutting up red scraps, our color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and ended up with this. Each little stack will become one block.

Most of my blocks so far have been made as leaders and enders, although I did finish off a couple extras for the photo this morning. Once again, my goal is to average one block every day. Some days I might not get any made, but other days there will be a few.

The block with the white wavy stripes on red really jumps out at me and might not work for the colorwash effect. I'll wait to see how it looks when I have blocks made in more colors. 

I should be able to finish the rest of the red blocks before the end of February. I'd also like to start a set of green blocks, our color from January, but I'm not sure I'll have time to get very far on that this month. The greens might spill over into future months.

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

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Project Quilting 15.4: Hourglass

The fourth challenge for Season 15 of Project Quilting was announced on Sunday, and the theme this week is "Hourglass":

 

PQ 15.4 HOURGLASS

It’s one of the most common yet foundational of geometric shapes: the hourglass. Just two triangles stacked tip-to-tip. Put them inside a square and it’s a block even beginners can sew. 

 

But it’s also a symbol embued with meaning – representing the passage of time, a reminder of our inevitable mortality. A grim reminder of things lost and … wait, it got real grim all a sudden. 

 

Maybe I should switch subjects.

 

SEX! Yay! That’s better: let’s instead consider the hourglass as an idealization of the womanly form and the lusty virtues of youth. 

Er. Or maybe I should just stop and let you decide where you take this one?

Rule One: you must use an hourglass SHAPE in your project, but you do not have to use the exact hourglass BLOCK.

My version of the hourglass challenge used the traditional block design, but turned it into a rectangle so that it could become a placemat. I began with the triangles along the outer edges, then built them up with strips in a variety of red fabrics, our color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Hourglass placemat, 12.75" x 16.75"

This placemat will join the pile that is accumulating to be donated to Meals on Wheels. Since I used leftover strips and scraps, I'm also entering this for the Table Scraps Challenge at The Joyful Quilter. I've even got some hearts in there to fit the monthly theme.

The backing fabric was folded around to the front to become the binding.

Linking up with:

Project Quilting 15.4 at Persimon Dreams

Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

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

Table Scraps Challenge at The Joyful Quilter

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at So Scrappy

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Chatsworth Blocks

My second block for the Chatsworth Quilt-Along has been finished for a week or so, but I finally got some photos of it over the weekend.

Chatsworth, Block 2

16" finished size block

I'm planning to use different red and blue fabrics in each block with a single background fabric. I had pulled out several light blue fabrics as options for the ring of triangles around the star, but it turned out that I had just enough of the fabric in this block to use in all the blocks (fingers crossed that I counted correctly while cutting.)

Here are my first two blocks together. The next two blocks will be presented later this week.

I'm very excited about this quilt and have to restrain myself to keep from diving in and making all the blocks right now!

The Chatsworth pattern was designed by Doug Leko of Antler Quilt Design, and the quilt-along is hosted by Moda Fabrics. The quilt finishes at 74" x 88", but the book also includes other size variations and layouts. It's not too late to join the quilt-along!

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 2/18/2024

My main quilting project for the past week was catching up on the Stay at Home Round Robin (SAHRR) borders. I finished off the assignments for week 3 (triangles) and week 4 (on point), ending up with two 20" blocks. You can see both blocks below and read more about them in yesterday's post. I used a total of 3/4 yard of fabric in the borders of those blocks.

I also used 3/8 yard of fabric for the Rail Fence Spinner blocks shared in yesterday's Rainbow Scrap Challenge post.

There were no new fabric additions to the stash last week. I keep chipping away at getting back to even numbers.

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                  1.125 yards

Used year to date:               12.50 yards

Added last week:                     0.0 yards

Added year to date:             17.50 yards

Net added in 2024:              5.0 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. Besides cutting and stitching, I've also been devoting more time lately to quilt guild business. We kicked off our new Block of the Month project this week, and I need to get my blocks made before the next meeting. I'm having a hard time deciding on my color palette.

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

2/11 - 2/17          7 of 7 days

2024 Total        48 of 48 days

Success rate                100%

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

SAHRR Round 4--On Point

The next border for the 2024 Stay at Home Round Robin project was announced on Monday. Our assignment this week came from Brenda @ Songbird Designs, and her choice was square in a square or on point blocks. It didn't take me long to realize that my signature blocks from Rounds 1 and 2 would make a great border if set on point.

The signature blocks had to be trimmed down a bit to get them to the right finished size, but they fit together very nicely to surround the 12" star block. 

I also stitched the triangles border to the Liberty Legacy block center. Now each of these blocks with borders will finish at 20".

I'm adding my post to Brenda's link-up for Round 4 at Songbird Designs.  The entire 2024 SAHRR schedule is below.

January 15: Center block: Gail @ Quilting Gail

January 22: 1st Round:   Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life

January 29: 2nd Round:   Anja @ Anja Quilts

February 5: 3rd Round:  Emily @ The Darling Dogwood

February 12: 4th Round:  Brenda @ Songbird Designs

February 19: 5th Round: Gail @ Quilting Gail

February 26: 6th Round: Kathleen @ Kathleen McMusing

March 18:   Parade: showing all of your finished SAHRRs!

 

We only have two more rounds to go for our round robin quilts. I can't wait to see what the final borders will be!

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Red Spinners

One of my projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year has been making Rail Fence Spinner blocks. I made Rail Fence blocks for the RSC all through last year, ending up with two small quilts at the end of the year, which you can see HERE and HERE. There were still some blocks left after that, and I started using them in groups of four to make spinner blocks. Here's what I was able to make from last year's leftovers.

I've continued making more of these blocks for the RSC, mostly using them as leaders and enders while working on other projects. However, this week ended up with a day of nothing but rail fence stitching. I made seven more red blocks, plus finished the last green block from January.

The red blocks for February combined with the greens from January make a very festive display! Each block will finish at 6".

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

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

SAHRR Round 3--Triangles

My progress on the 2024 Stay at Home Round Robin project stalled out a bit last week. Our assignment from Emily @ The Darling Dogwood for the third round was triangles, and I didn't finish making mine until last night. I like the way they look surrounding my main block.

The triangles have been sewn into groups of 8, but none are joined to the block yet.

Various options are still being considered for my signature blocks. Here are a couple of possibilities with a 12" star block

I'm still trying to decide how to use them effectively. The assignment for Round #4 is Square in a Square or on point blocks. Hmm--I hadn't thought about putting anything on point before. That might be an interesting variation.

I missed last week's link-up, but I will add this post to Brenda's link-up for this week at Songbird Designs.  The entire 2024 SAHRR schedule is below.

January 15: Center block: Gail @ Quilting Gail

January 22: 1st Round:   Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life

January 29: 2nd Round:   Anja @ Anja Quilts

February 5: 3rd Round:  Emily @ The Darling Dogwood

February 12: 4th Round:  Brenda @ Songbird Designs

February 19: 5th Round: Gail @ Quilting Gail

February 26: 6th Round: Kathleen @ Kathleen McMusing

March 18:   Parade: showing all of your finished SAHRRs!

 

There are only a couple more rounds left to go on this project. I'm still muddling my way along, making units for each week's assignment, but not making many decisions on how they will be used. Stay tuned!

I'm also linking up with Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and at Monday Musings at Songbird Designs. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA