Design Wall Monday 8/16/2021

Last week was one of those times when I had multiple quilting projects that I'd planned to work on, but I got totally distracted by something unplanned. Squirrel! I was digging through a box of leftover pieces and parts from previous quilt projects, and I came across a bag of scraps and partial strip sets from one of my all-time favorite quilts.

This is the Blooming Nine-Patch quilt that I started in a class back in 2000. The quilt was finished in 2001. I call it Volcano Island, envisioning the hot pink and orange fabrics as the center of the volcano, blending out to the cooler colors of the water. I love the way the fabrics blend together and hide the piecing seams. You should be able to click on the photo to enlarge it.

The bag I'd found had some leftover strips of these fabrics, and even a few partial strip sets and several blocks. When I checked my stash, I discovered that I had extra yardage of most of the same fabrics. I knew there wasn't enough to make a big quilt, but I started making more nine-patch blocks with what I had, substituting similar fabrics where necessary. Instead of the usual Blooming Nine-Patch layout, which alternates nine-patch blocks with larger squares, this quilt will be made up of just the nine-patches.

I started at the center of the quilt, but decided to add an extra orange fabric to punch up the color. I tried two different options, shown above, and decided to go with the second choice because it blended in better with the other fabrics. I'm continuing to make more nine-patch blocks, working my way out from that center. It looks like I should be able to make a largish baby quilt from the fabrics I've got here, and I hope to have it all together by the end of the week.

Check out what other quilters are working on this week:

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 33, 2021

This week's stash report shows a small change in the fabric used total, 3/8 yard for the Sew Colorful Stars block that I shared in yesterday's post. No new fabric was added to the stash.

2021 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                            .375 yards

Used year to date:                   130.125 yards

Added last week:                            0.0 yards

Added year to date:                   101.50 yards

Net used year to date            28.625 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. Most of my quilting time over the past week was spent on a new project made from the leftovers of an old project. I will share more about that soon! I quilted on 7 of the 7 days last week.

15 Minute Challenge for 2021: 

8/8 - 8/14                 7 of 7 days

2021 Total          224 of 226 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 33, 2021

I've been working my way through my projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and this week that included making my Sew Colorful Stars block using my teal, turquoise and aqua scraps.

Sew Colorful Stars, 16" finished block,

pattern by Fat Quarter Shop

I think my RSC project for the next week will be kaleidoscope blocks. I'm using 30's fabrics for those blocks, and I already used the only turquoise print along with the blues, but I have set aside some multi-colored 30's fabrics along with the rest of the pieces sent by my sister a few months ago.

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 8/10/2021

Today's to-do list post is going to be a rush job because I need to get moving sooner than usual for an appointment. I should have gotten this post written and ready to go last night, but it didn't happen. My apologies for the shortage of photos in today's post.

I did have a good week with the to-do list, posting check marks next to every item. 

To-Do List for 8/3 - 8/9

1. Bowties 365--make one Bowtie block each day   ✔done

Eleven bowtie blocks were made last week.

2. Hearts Applique--stitch at least one block   ✔done

Two teal/turquoise blocks completed.

3. Make a new pouch to hold my applique project   ✔done

Pouch is done and was shared in Sunday's post.

4. Scrap Magnet--make 2 teal/turquoise blocks   ✔done

These blocks were shared in Saturday's post, along with two Homespun blocks.

5. Positivity QAL--join rows of blocks together   ✔done

Half of my Positivity quilt is together!

The list for the next week includes one non-quilting project. I have been working on a coat for our local theater company's production of A Christmas Carol, and I need to put in some time on that. 

To-Do List for 8/10 - 8/16

1. Bowties 365--make one Bowtie block each day

2. Hearts Applique--stitch at least one block

3. Sew Colorful Stars--make 1 teal/turquoise block

4. Positivity QAL--make the last 6 blocks

5. Make progress on Scrooge coat

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--8/9/2021

When looking for a set of fabrics that I used in a quilt several years ago, I found these four blocks that had been made as samples of the pattern I was considering for the vegetable print fabrics. They didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, because I didn't like the way the star points blend into the diagonal chain of squares. They have been stashed away ever since, but I'm thinking about giving them another chance.

I started out with the red and orange fabrics coming together at the center, then flipped the blocks around to put the greens at the center. The second version is my favorite of the two.

These blocks measure 13" each unfinished. I'm not sure if I will do anything with them, but it's fun to pull them out again. I still have more of all the same fabrics.

Here is the original quilt I made with the vegetable fabrics. It was started in 2003, but not finished until 2011.

Veggie Log Cabins

52.5" x 74.5"

Check out what other quilters are working on this week:

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 32, 2021

The good news for my stash report this week is that there were no new additions to the stash. After adding over 40 yards in July, I'm hoping to keep fabric acquisitions to a minimum for the next few months. We'll see how that goes! 

The usage for the week totals 2-1/2 yards going out. I used 3/4 yard for the Scrap Magnet blocks and 5/8 yard for the Homespun blocks, all of which were shown in yesterday's post. I also used one yard to make a mat to cover the top of a teak cabinet near our front door. I have no memory of where the fabric came from, but it looks great here.

My other usage for the week went into a little zipper pouch, made to hold my current hand applique blocks. The pouch I had been using was just a little too small, so I decided to make a new one. I started with three turquoise/aqua crumb blocks that measured 6.5", added a row of 2" squares for the bottom, and lined it with a teal green fabric. There's even a pocket on the inside.

I'm counting only 1/8 yard as used for the pouch because the fabric for the crumb blocks had already been deducted when those blocks were made (2017 or '18?)

2021 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                            2.50 yards

Used year to date:                     129.75 yards

Added last week:                            0.0 yards

Added year to date:                   101.50 yards

Net used year to date              28.25 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. I have been concentrating on my projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, with the new projects that I showed filling in at other times. I went 7 for 7 days this week!

15 Minute Challenge for 2021: 

8/1 - 8/7                   7 of 7 days

2021 Total          217 of 219 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 32, 2021

I've been getting back to a semi-regular routine of quilting time every day since we got back from our trip to Wisconsin last week. I prepped the pieces for a couple of different Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects, then started stitching up blocks. The first set to be done were the Scrap Magnet blocks. Since our RSC color for August is the whole blue-green family (aqua, teal, turquoise, etc.), I made one block in the teal/green family and one that is more turquoise/blue (at least, that's how I see them.)

Scrap Magnet pattern by Kirsty of Bonjour Quilts.

I also made a start on my Homespun blocks for the month. The first block features lighter aqua/teal fabrics, and the second has the darker shades.

Homespun design by Modernly Morgan

At one point while switching blocks on the design wall for photos, I ended up with one of each pattern up there. I decided to get a group shot of all four blocks. They are all almost the same size blocks and make a pretty grouping together.

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 8/3/2021

I'm a week behind with my Tuesday to-do list because we were visiting family in Wisconsin last Tuesday. It was a wonderful trip, especially since most of the family didn't know we were coming--surprise! I took along a hand applique project and managed to find some time for it almost every day, so I did make a little forward progress.

To-Do List for 7/20 - 7/26

1. Bowties 365--make one Bowtie block each day ✔done

I ended up with 36 medium and dark blue Bowtie blocks for July.

2. Hearts Applique--prep and stitch blocks  ✔done

Four hearts blocks are finished.

3. Positivity QAL--start joining blocks together  ✔done

Half of the Positivity blocks are joined into rows.

It's time for me to get back on track with regular quilting time every day, and my to-list for next week reflects that plan.

To-Do List for 8/3 - 8/9

1. Bowties 365--make one Bowtie block each day

2. Hearts Applique--stitch at least one block

3. Make a new pouch to hold my applique project

4. Scrap Magnet--make 2 teal/turquoise blocks

3. Positivity QAL--join rows of blocks 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 Melva Loves Scraps.

Julie in GA  

Design Wall and OMG

It has been several months since I last participated in the One Monthly Goal link-up, but I'm feeling the need for a little motivational assistance. Maybe this will help me stay on track.

Progress on my grey and turquoise Positivity quilt has been very slow over the past month or so. I did make six more blocks recently, and started joining the blocks together into rows. You can see half of the quilt in this photo.

My goal for the month of August is to make the final six blocks for this quilt, then to get all the blocks joined together into a finished quilt top. A bonus goal would be to get a back pieced for it too.

Check out what other quilters are working on this week:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

Stitching and Stashing--Week 31, 2021

We have been away from home for most of the past week+, surprising my family by showing up for a gathering in Wisconsin last Saturday. My mother and one sister were the only people we told in advance, and it was such fun to see the reactions when others spotted us there. Lots of driving to get there and back, but definitely worth it to reconnect with family!

Because we were gone last week, I don't have any usage to count on my stash report. However, there has been an enormous increase in fabric added to the stash. There was one online fabric order that arrived, plus fabric purchases from two quilt shops, with the majority of the additions coming from a stop at Hancock's in Paducah. I was like a kid in the candy store there, and Ed encouraged me to get whatever I wanted--how lucky am I?!

Here's the stack of new fabrics that have been added to the stash. I got a good variety of light neutrals, a few grey and black, some warm colors at the top, and lots of blues! The extra thick pieces at the bottom are some bigger yardage pieces of flannels from Hancock's.

This group of flannels are wonderfully thick and soft, and I am dreaming about using some of them for flannel shirts. I think I have enough of the two pieces at the bottom of the photo to do that, possibly with accents of the other pieces. They would also work very well for cozy quilt backs.

2021 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                                0.0 yards

Used year to date:                       127.25 yards

Added last week:                           32.25 yards

Added year to date:                     101.50 yards

Net used year to date                25.75 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 took a hand stitching project along on our trip, and even managed to work on it every single day! Since we got back Thursday night, I have mostly been concentrating on getting my new fabrics washed and put away.

15 Minute Challenge for 2021: 

7/25- 7/31                7 of 7 days

2021 Total          210 of 212 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. I'm also linking up with Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA