Playing with Circles

All year I have been appliquing circles to black and white background blocks as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Each month we are assigned a color to focus on, and I have tried to make around a dozen blocks with each color. The design is based on the pattern "True Colors" by Nancy Mahoney from her book Simple Circles and Quick Curves.

I have been playing with layout ideas and filling in with additional circles where needed. The original pattern has the blocks arranged in vertical columns by color, but I think I will go with a less formal layout. I started out with the yellows at the top center, but shifted everything around in order to get the darkest blue and purple circles at the bottom of the quilt. You may notice that some of the circles look larger than the rest--those are the ones that have been cut but still need to be stitched to the blocks. I am very eager to finish making blocks and get this quilt put together soon!

I will be sharing with the following linky parties.:

Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Scraptastic Tuesday at Mrs Sew and Sow
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 10/4/15

I discovered a quick and easy way to make some headway at reducing my stash--give it away! A couple weeks ago I participated in the 2015 Fall Quilty Orphan Adoption Event. I find it very difficult to give up any of my fabric stash or quilt UFOs, even those that have been hanging around for years, but it felt great to find new homes for two of my old projects. You can see photos of the projects I put up for adoption HERE. If you are interested in having any of your "orphans" adopted, watch for the next Orphan Adoption Event in March over at Quilting is more fun than Housework.

My stash addition for the week came from the two little charm packs of polka dots that I won in a giveaway. More cute fabric! 

Orphan Adoption--46 Envelope blocks       5 yards

Orphan Adoption--Simple Symmetry #2    3 yards

RSC Circles--20 orange blocks                 .5 yards

Polka Dot charms                                   .5 yards added

TOTALS: 

Used this week:                    8.50 yards     

Used year to date:          138.125 yards

Stashed this week:                 .50  yards

Stashed year to date:      106.375 yards 

Net year to date:              31.75 yards used

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.  

Julie in GA

Circling the Rainbow

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for October is brown, but I haven't had any time to pull out my brown scraps yet. It has been a very busy week, both at work and in the evenings, and that has kept me from having much time to quilt. I need to get going on cutting squares for my rainbow bowtie blocks.

I decided a couple months ago that I wasn't going to include neutral colors like brown or black in my circle applique quilt.  If you saw my post from two weeks ago, it included a photo of the original quilt by Nancy Mahoney. Her quilt has the blocks arranged in vertical rows of color. I am thinking I might arrange my blocks in a gradation from lightest at the center of the quilt out to darker around the outside. Here's my first attempt with that idea.

There are a few holes in this grouping, and I would like to add enough blocks to end up with the quilt being 8 blocks wide instead of 7. I will need to make some more background squares, then decide where to add more colors. I know there are several lighter green circles around here somewhere just waiting to be stitched down.

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

Throwback Thursday--A Garden of Stars

Last week I showed the quilt that was my first entry for the Ben Franklin Crafts Quilting Challenge in Oconomowoc, WI from 1998. Here is another of my challenge entries, this time dating back to 2001.

I believe the challenge fabrics that had to be used in the quilt were the ones you see in this close-up photo--the blue, gold and burgundy prints, plus maybe the beige background. The star block measures 6".

The pattern I used was a variation on Judy Martin's pattern "Desert Twilight" from The Block Book. I changed the small stars a little bit and added the gold framing around the octagon. My favorite part of this quilt is the blue fabric that forms the large star points and the outer border. That was a wonderful find!

A Garden of Stars 2001
36" square
based on the pattern "Desert Twilight" by Judy Martin in The Block Book

My little quilt took 2nd place in the Ben Franklin Challenge in 2001 and also won viewer's choice. It is still a favorite of mine and hangs in our den at home.

Check out other Throwback Thursday quilt posts at both Krista Quilts and at A Quarter Inch from the Edge. Even better, add your own post to the link-ups. We'd love to see your quilts from the past! 


Julie in GA

Strippy Baby Quilt

The strippy baby quilt has been completed! This quilt was made for a baby shower being held today, which I found out about just a few days ago. The short time meant I needed to come up with a super quick quilt to make.

After looking around at various ideas on Pinterest, I decided to make a quilt-as-you-go strippy quilt. My main inspiration came from MaryQuilts.com. First I chose a focus fabric (the one on the left end) and a fabric for the backing (the monkey print.) Then I pulled one light print and five brights that coordinate well with the focus fabric.

I didn't have time to put together a whole tutorial and series of photos of my process, but the construction is a basic stitch-and-flip technique. I can tell you what sizes I cut the strips. These will make a quilt that measures 36" x 42.5".

Focus fabric:  Cut 4 strips @ 5" x 37"

Light fabric:   Cut 8 strips @ 2" x 37"

Brights:  Cut 1 strips from each fabric @ 3" x 37"

My backing and batting were both cut at 38" wide x 48" long. I laid the backing out wrong side up, then spread the batting over it. I marked a horizontal line across the center of the batting as a guideline for my first strips. I started at the center of the quilt with the red strip right side up and one light strip, wrong side up, with the two strips laid along the guideline. Stitch the strips down through all layers (batting and backing.) Press the light strip flat. 

Next lay another light strip wrong side up against the other edge of the red strip. Stitch light strip down, then press. Continue adding strips, working out toward both ends of the quilt. Once all the strips have been stitched down, you can square up the quilt, trimming along the four outer edges. Add a binding and your quilt is finished! 

I will be sharing this with the following linky parties.:

Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Let's Make Baby Quilts at Michelle's Romantic Tangle

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

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 9/27/15

For the second week in a row, there were no additions to my stash this week. It feels so good to be clearing out a little space in my sewing room!

A couple days ago I found out about a baby shower for a co-worker that is being held on Monday. Wait a second, did you say this Monday?! Unfortunately, I don't have any baby quilts in reserve, so I made a cute quilt-as-you-go baby quilt yesterday and will finish the binding on it today.

Here are the fabrics I used in the baby quilt. The print on the left is the focus fabric, and the monkey print is the back of the quilt. I will show the finished quilt tomorrow (I hope!) and maybe include instructions for how I made it.

TOTALS: 

Used this week:                    3.50 yards     

Used year to date:          129.625 yards

Stashed this week:                    0  yards

Stashed year to date:      105.875 yards 

Net year to date:              23.75 yards used

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.  

Julie in GA

Throwback Thursday--Feathered Star

When I lived in Milwaukee, one of my favorite stores for quilting fabric was the Ben Franklin Crafts store in Oconomowoc, WI. They had (and still have) a large quilting area with a great selection of fabrics. Every year they would sponsor a quilt challenge which required buying their Challenge Pack, usually 3 or 4 fabrics in 1/4-yard pieces. A recognizable amount of each challenge fabric had to be used in the entry, along with other fabrics of my choice. For this quilt, I believe the challenge fabrics were the large floral print, the blue, and the plaid.

Feathered Star Medallion
Ben Franklin Challenge 1998
29" square

1998 was the first time I entered the Ben Franklin Challenge with this Feathered Star quilt. My piecing looks pretty good, especially for someone who had been quilting only a couple of years at this point. The bigger problem, both then and now, is in the quilting. This quilt definitely needed more quilting in the background areas, maybe some stippling around those flowers. Perhaps someday I will go back and add more quilting to this little quilt.

Check out other Throwback Thursday quilt posts at Krista Quilts. Even better, add your own post to the link-up. We'd love to see your quilts from the past! 


Julie in GA

Orphan Adoption Giveaway Winners

I find it very difficult to part with any of my stash of quilting projects and/or fabrics. Even UFOs that have been stashed away in boxes or bins for many years can seem too precious to give up, even though it is unlikely I will ever go back and finish them. 

Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework just hosted the Fall 2015 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event. I believe she is planning to repeat this event again next March. Cynthia motivated me to pull out a couple of old projects to give away.

I offered up the following two projects for adoption, and it's time to announce the winners!

The first "orphan" is my Envelope mystery quilt blocks and pieces to make more. Winner #1 is Sherry who commented:
"WOW! Both projects are wonderful. It would be a pleasure to complete either one of them. My guild was just discussing upping our charity program to include more groups yesterday. . . either of these would be a great addition to our cause."

The second "orphan" is the Simple Symmetry partial blocks and extra fabric. The winner of this prize is Kat. Here is her comment:
"Hi, these are great projects! I'd love to have either one or both for my charity, Covered in Love. We provide quilts to the families of patients who pass away in the local hospital. Thanks for sharing!"

Congratulations to the winners! I have emailed both to send me their mailing addresses. Thanks to everyone for your interest in adopting my orphans. Keep watching for the next orphan adoption event in March at Quilting is more fun than Housework.

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 9/21/15

After avoiding this project for over a week because of my frustration with the pieced border, I pulled out my Tell It to the Stars quilt again last night. The good news is that I finally got the pieced border to fit (although it took close to two hours with lots of adjusting of seam allowances.) The bad news is that I have only finished the first side--there are still three more to go! They will have to wait until tonight or later in the week.

This quilt was Judy Laquidara's 2014 mystery quilt. For some insane reason, I decided to change the spacing on that pieced border instead of following Judy's instructions. I know now that I should have stuck with the original plan, but I will plow ahead and get the rest of my version finished soon (I hope!)

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times and to Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt. Check them both out for lots of amazing quilting inspiration!

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 9/20/15

For the first time in almost a month, there were no additions to my stash this week. Woohooo! It's time to get back to stash busting!

I made 28 Wonky Star blocks for Alycia's block drive. My sister has also been making blocks, and we are going to combine our efforts and put them all together into a Quilt of Valor.

In other stash reduction efforts, I have offered up two projects as part of the Quilty Orphan Adoption over at Cynthia's blog. You can read about my "orphans" HERE, then go check out the others available for adoption at Quilting is more fun than Housework. It's not too late to join in--the link up is still open all day Sunday. Maybe one of your unloved projects could find a new home!

TOTALS: 

Used this week:                    3.25 yards     

Used year to date:          126.125 yards

Stashed this week:                    0  yards

Stashed year to date:      105.875 yards 

Net year to date:              20.25 yards used

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.