next up

After I posted last night about what I might do next my eye kept wondering to a piece of the "Pay It Forward" (PIF) challenge fabric. What did I have that might work with that stripe? LOL, it sort of reminds me a pair of bell bottom pants I had back in the late 60's.

I only have a yard of it so I needed to do a little math to see if could squeeze what I needed out of it. That plan started with what size background squares I needed to cut. EQ to the rescue! You can probably see my scribble notes on the printout to aid in cutting.

I could not match the yellow but what worked was the leftover border fabric from my big bargello bed quilt. It is a creamy yellow background with brighter yellow flower and the same colored green leaf. Not ideal maybe but it would work plus I had enough of it---31 x 108 long piece.

The green in the stripe is pretty subtle esp from a few feet away. Too bad I goofed up and cut up most of that green into binding for Bridge Creek Blossom. I haven't decided for sure if I want that blue border or the green border fabric for binding yet but leaning toward blue. See how I wind up with lots of binding on storage?? Anyway, that left the denim blue or the pink-y red.

A huntin' I went. Amazingly I found the perfect red mixed in the mid to darker blue basket, not where it really belongs. It almost looks like someone tried to dye it and is only 36 wide. It should be fine for those cornerstones and little quarter square triangles that will be needed. My printout page copied from my quilt bible Fon's and Porter's Quilter's Complete Guide to the rescue. That and another cheat sheet on how many squares in a strip and strips in a yard hang off the pegboard for quick consultation, always!


This might not be the world's most attractive quilt but it should work. Two challenges met: to use the PIF fabric for a donation quilt and a personal challenge to use the stash when possible. As you can see, I cut it out this morning after living with my decisions over night. The photo at right shows you were I am headed. Stripe fabrics work great for these though the ideal would be to use strings or piece it in some manner. I was stash busting on that long ago donated one too. I have done it both ways in the past. Once I even cut the stripes the "wrong" directions and it made it look totally different! It is doubtful that I will border the present one as all that is left is that pink-y red that I may be able to use up on the back. As printed, it will be in the WTIL size range.

So after lunch, I'll piece the backing and binding(s) for Bridge Creek Blossom and start on the RR Crossing. So far it has been a jammie day with the morning sneaking away in pursuit of my hobby and obsession. Shower time and get dressed by lunch!

WIP Sunday---huh?

Yeah it is customary to post this "work in progress" stuff on Wednesday---alliteration, after all. Who knows what I might be working on by then? Knowing me, this same top if I don't get busy on it this afternoon. ( I didn't get the whole thing in the picture---some is hanging below the sewing machine table.)

I was on loose ends a couple days ago--really didn't feel like working on the fusible applique "Be Attitudes" since I normally buttonhole and then quilt it right after I finish the applique---machine still in shop till probably months end.

What to work on instead though? Earlier in the week I had drug home a bag of stuff one of the Belles had brought. A few blocks that needed the sashing removed from a donation top--did that but will re-visit the piecing back together later. Also in the bag was a pile of appliqued floral blocks with pieced half star baskets. Hmmm, interesting-- but only 5 or 6 are completely done and a bunch more to work on. Not yet but possibly down the line---and with different fabrics if I have to do them. (Looks like poly-cotton which you know will not crease properly but I could be wrong about that fiber content)

When I went to stow those sections away in the closet, I pulled out a stack of 3 1/2 inch cut strips I had found at our meeting place at the church---that white, gold, striped and leopard looking print you see in the picture. At one point before it got put away, I had pulled some fabrics from my stash to pair with it: an gold pinecone looking print, black with stars and crescents, a stylized graduated rust landscape print with what looks flocks of birds on it, and so on. I think I had planned an old pro bono fav Snuggle Up top. Obviously judging from the picture, I got busy on a top.

There were 10 strips of that jungle piece--more than I really needed--or so I thought. I loved the cobblestone looking giraffe piece but alas, it was only a fat quarter and I had cut a big hunk out of that for an "I spy" section. With some piecing, I was able to squeeze out two strips. I could use another scanty piecein that set aside pile in between those. Once I started cutting the other yardage I had on hand, I had 5 strips available in 6 different fabrics. Perfect, I thought!

Well, actually it ended up being TWO tops I am making. At some point when I was sewing it occured to me that 30- 3 inch finished strips would make a quilt that was 90 inches long!! Not a bad idea if I were not making a donation top and we shoot for 40 x 60. DUH, 20 strips, not 30. Okay, 10 strips towards another top then. I raided my stash (again) and came up with a few other prints that will work with the greens, golds, brown tones--using some of the extra Hearth and Home yardage I got for my upcoming Strip Twist for the FAB retreat. Some cat and dog fabric Mom sent home with me will work too.

Actually the first top has 21 strips in the final strip set and the 2nd, 20. The 2nd is not shown but the strip sets are made, joined and looped and cut, just waiting for me to finish up the 1st one. I was able to squeeze out 11- 3 1/2 inch strips vertically from each strip set. I left off yesterday on Snuggle #1 with vertical strips joined in pairs. I plan borders on this one with that rust colored squiggles old Fons and Porter (I think) print but maybe a narrow inset of black between the top and the border. I only have one small square section left of that squiggle stuff along with a pile of narrower strips after I cut for the quilt (s) but I may have enough cut to border both. I'll find out soon enough! I might be back to piecing to squeeze it out but hey, if it worked for our quilting foremothers it will certainly work for me.

Stash busting is the name of the game, after all.

Oh, some final thoughts on this pattern---switching horses in midstream with the strip pairs, messed up the direction that I had pressed the strips. If you look at the strip sets when joined, on the back of the piece, the strips should appear to be raised up and them the alternating looks strip indented and narrower across the back of the yardage. Let me see if I can explain this better--every other strips has its seam allowances pressed AWAY from it. Pressing in that manner will allow the seams to nest perfectly when joining vertically. Actually the pdf file of the pattern has a good illustration of how the back of your piece should look before looping.

The other thing? When sewing strip sets, join the consecutive strip (or strip pairs) by starting your sewing line from the opposite direction or the piece will start bowing. You need the feed dogs to work their magic and ease the middle strips in. I think I may have picked up that tip in Billie Lauder's Bargello quilt----it also uses this loop idea as does Bonnie Hunter's scrappy bargello though I don't think she says to do direction switching.

Hope you have a good day with whatever you chose to do------

some production and some stashbusting

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Easter weekend. Quiet day here; in fact, DJ had told me a few days prior that I didn't have to cook a traditional Easter meal for us so we had some freezer leftovers with a couple additional sides to round out the meal. Okay by me!

I have gotten some sewing done over the past few days though. Shown at left is what I have been calling the "World's Ugliest Quilt" or WUQ for short. It salvaged what was supposed to have been a Pioneer Braid strippie along with the yellow I had cut for sashing and top/bottom border sections. I had enough for 12 blocks with 4 sections when I whacked them up. I guess it is no more or no less attractive than any other crumb or string type quilt. But I think that they will be ice skating in August if I ever try making either form of this quilt again, LOL. I had enough fabric leftover from my scrappy bargello backing to use it for the backing fabric on this top as well as the binding. Slightly different green but with all this color, I doubt that it makes much difference.

Here is the other top that I was working on this weekend. Actually it is a mostly done top that Finn passed on to the Belles to use last year? She posted about the history of it on her blog at one time so that is probably in her archives under "divorce" quilt. This picture does not do it justice though as it is a little fuzzy. I still need to mark some crosshatching on it and maybe a simple cable from the border before we can pin it.

Anyway, it was in a 4 x 4 on point set minus the borders when I started working on it. I decided yesterday that it had antiqued long enough. and it might be better to get it into a rectangular shape rather than a square for the kids. That required a little dismantling to get the blocks moved from the left side of the quilt down to the bottom--mostly getting the setting and corner triangles reconfigured. I had that much done by supper time.

I remember this fabric well. I had some very near like it that came in a kit from BH&G back in the early/mid 90's. I made it into a log cabin quilt that I donated for a lap robe to a local B-N, IL nursing home--might have been a guild service project. I liked the fabric and always thought I might make another log cabin like it from the leftovers. The first rounds of a log cabin never take up much yardage, right? Didn't happen but I would stumble upon it occasionally and think it might be a quick project for WTIL. Of course, now that I am looking for the leftover fabrics bits or the picture of the quilt that I had with it, I can't find them--figures, huh?

Finn had sent the extra yellow background fabric and I had the burgundy piece in my stash so that took care of the borders. I yanked another bit of yardage for the binding and part of the backing and another piece of yardage my mom had sent along with it. Stash busting, in other words.

In additon I got the backing and binding cut for three other small tops over the weekend and into this morning. I had hoped to find something to border a top that Theramae had sent home with me---the dominant color on it was a rusty red but nothing I had seemed to work. Too bright, too orange, too something. There was no logical point to move the blocks around to make it rectangular either. It will remain square and borderless, LOL. Kids come in all sizes, after all. One fabric I had considered for the borders works fine for backing and binding using up some more fabric my mom had sent for the Belles that I had hand here at home.

Still to do today: write up a handout for the 2nd installment of our group's "non-mystery" mystery quilt. It is like my merkitty challenge quilt but I re-designed it and didn't follow the book instructions for assembly. I also need to do some design work for the heart block quilt and if I have time, the t-shirt quilt. That thing is getting to be a big source of procrastination and guilt. Frankly I am tired of looking at the piled up stuff waiting for me. My Viking has been in the shop for a week now and I truly think it will be another two weeks before I will be back to quilting. Should be hitting it in the piecing department in the meantime.

I had initially thought that I would be going up to Joy's this weekend for a little girl time but the timing is not working out for our hostess. I am hoping that the 4 of us who live locally can at least get together in some manner even if it just for lunch and chatting. BUT even if that doesn't happen, Norma and I thought we might pull out a UFO and get it up to flimsy status this wknd. I have found that we spur each other on when we sew "together" like this over the miles. Makes us more accountable somehow, I think, then when left to our own devices. I'll deal with "hafta" work between now and then and be ready to roll on Saturday. My choice: back to my 4 patch stacked posie, I think.

Well, we spur each other in more ways than one, LOL. I ordered two used books over the weekend, thanks to those little chats, LOL. ( Judy Sisneros' 9 Patch Pizzazz and One Block Wonders by another author--too lazy to go look) We have also been yakking about some other idea for FABS weekend in coming months. We had a lot of fun doing the convergence together recently and have been considering what we might do next. Several ideas have been bandied about and googled over to see some finished quilts. Links flying back and forth. Looks like some good choices for some donation quilts and in my case, some challenge fabric use.

I promised DJ some homemade chicken soup so best get on out to the kitchen----till next time. I'll have some pics of some of the quilts in the next post
that will be going to M2M 08soon.

Happy dancing and cutting up

Wahoo, as of 10 p.m. last night, I finished up the last of the 9 quilts in my stack. Very productive day yesterday as I bound three and quilted two. The first one was very easy, just channel quilting on some horizontal rows. The 2nd was a little more challenging as it had a bit of a wavy on one side, wider than I normally would use on my own border---so I marked and quilted a cable and dart design. I also realized that one edge had been shorted of fabric when it was pinned so I had to add a bit before I could bind it.

Aline had brought over some fabric late Thursday evening when I mentioned that I needed something "black" for the binding. She had 3 pieces that were "possibles" and told me to keep them--some her daughter who will be relocating from England back to the States by year's end had sent her to use. DJ took one look at "more fabric" and said if I keep it up, I'll have to move out some furniture, LOL. He might be right.

Pippi has grown attached to the bedroom window perch in the past two days. If not there, she is stretched out on the bed. Anywhere but under the bed, please and thank you. Just before I took the picture she was chirping at some birds and peering upward to the eaves. Naturally, she quit that when I tried to get her picture. With company coming late tomorrow, I probably won't see her for a few days.

When I got back from my morning's walk, DJ had already started cleaning up his area of the house a bit, not wanting to have to do it all in one day. I MAY get started at least in the sewing room. Part of it that straightening up was to get a box emptied out---my challenge box from Ellen specifically since it was sitting where I have been storing the table I put in front of the sewing table to hold the quilt weight. Bust that stash, after all, for some future or current projects.

I had mostly fats and some odd bits of yardage and I have some specific scrap quilts in mind for this. I cut some "nickels" and squares 2 and 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 squares for bowties. I also cut strips 2 x 3 1/2 for Grandma's Scrap Bag and strips 2 x 5 for some more basket weave sections to add to the leftovers from the top that Nancy had started . Also 2 1/2 inch strips---Faux Log Cabin and "Ducks in a Row" from Claudia's Quilt Shoppe which were presented as a part of her "Short 'n Scrappy" series from a few years back. The link will take you to her gallery page where she has a planned quilt shown. I believe that she has the actual pattern in a booklet for sale now--Slash Your Stash, published by Leisure Arts if that is the correct quilt whose corner I see. I have resized mine down to a 6 inch block so I can use more of those 2 1/2 inch squares and strips.

Some bits were tucked away intact in the fall colors box since I have three Thanksgiving/fall themed row robins coming up. A few bits of purple got stashed as well as couple of bug jar fabrics---one of the Belles gave me a jar quilt she had half started to finish up for the kids at some point. But I cut up most that didn't have another obvious purpose for a planned project or current UFO. In the foreground, I cut out what will be a Puss in the Corner in two colors. The EQ printout is hanging on the pegboard.

After that week's worth of quilting, I believe that I could use a break from the machine for a couple of days. Best get a handle on dealing with the aftermath of concentrated sewing and put the cut bits away. Oh, and run to the store for some celery--got a taste for Manhattan Clam Chowder for supper tonight. I'd rather be curling up with the Fons and Porter mag that came today than clean, any day.

still at it--stashbusting

Well, I am still at it again today but I knew I would be, LOL and planned for it. I have cut out three more tops today and have 6 project bags in my little basket to haul with me tomorrow for the sewing retreat.

I would like to prep one more but that will have to wait till after supper--I am on break at the moment! Actually I sat down to draw the Road to St. Louis up in EQ since I will be using larger blocks than shown in Hughes book. That's it at left. BUT my back keeps telling me to STAY down, LOL. DJ came home from playing another 18 holes of golf with our out of town guest about 3 so I've been on my own most of the day. Now he wants me to give him a haircut and also put a request in for potato soup for supper. I'll do it only because it ain't gonna happen till Sunday otherwise.

SO I thought I would share just what I cut and/or prepped today. Pat F, one of the Bama Belles had given me some yardage for the kids with a rather large race car in brights on black with bright green frogs driving them and some "go with's". There was even some black and white checkboard stuff like racing flags that I had previously used for binding---I had cut enough for another quilt. She had purchased the stuff, then moved out of state and knew she would not get to it.


I had been thinking about what to do with that for a couple weeks now--picking and rejecting several ideas because it could not be cut up too small. Last night I finally decided Snuggle Up but cut the strips 6 1/2 inches and alternate the race car fabric with a gold, green, royal blue and red. I had done something like that at one time with a bright tropical print and like the way it turned out. Use the checkboard binding. SO that was top #1 today.

There was still plenty of that race car stuff left though---so back I went to trying to decide again. Warm Wishes, maybe? Like the design but have never made one yet. I had thought about BQ originally and doing the blocks large as originally called for but had rejected that--I like smaller blocks as a rule.

I had planned to cut the race car squares to finish at 7 inch and DID cut two strips that way---then messed up and started cutting the remaining fabric at 6 1/2. GRRRRRR. Sit down and resize the blocks and the block set up to accomodate the goof. It will look sorta like the picture above ( Debbie Beaves pattern originally---Norma got me onto this!) Top #2 sacked up.

Next up---I cut the setting half square triangles and quarter square triangles to accomodate Nancy's framed 4 patch blocks. The fabric is a soft pink and her blocks are in this color range. That Easy Set ruler I spoke about in my previous post came in handy again today-cut strips and stack cut. Looks like I only need to make 2 more blocks--Nancy had enough for the top. I will use a phlange of a darker pink to bridge the border and the quilt body. I had unearthed a brown calico print from my under the cutting table bins for this. Something that I KNOW belonged to my mom at one point. Top #3 all ready to roll.

So the brown fabric yardage is no more, the race car stuff is all cut up. Most of a red kit fabric (Veronica, Pam, Cher and my mom all know exactly what that is!) is gone. A little less of some lime green and gold too. Busting stash for sure. BUT what really makes me feel good is knowing that soon this will be something usable for the kids. Stuck away on the shelf, it is not doing any good but creating more clutter.

Only other things that I have done besides cut and scheme---

• made some Peanut Candy to take for a sweet snack to share at the sew in. The recipe is from one of the Alabama senator's wives for the Alabama Peanut Producers--approx. half of all peanuts grown in the US are grown within a 100 mile radius of Dothan, AL after all. DJ told me at Christmas that I best not make it too often as it is pretty addictive
• loaded and unloaded the dishwasher
• loaded up my machine and sewing supplies in the car
• played too many hands of Superior Canfield--what else is new, LOL?

Guess he is ready for the barbershop to open. Please don't tell me that I am wearing you out reading this! We are all busy women. Yes, I get a lot done but I have all day to do it. All part of the cycle--cut, then sew, then quilt--and repeat. I just do all my work at home where many of you have a job AND housework/homemaking duties as well. You might be lucky to only squeeze this sort of thing in on the weekend or a few hours in the evening.

stashbusting

Yep, I am hitting a stack of fabric that has been piled up on the pressing table for a couple of days now in preparation for some kit cutting. I have several ideas for donation quilt tops---all using a different technique or some blocks that the quilt group or a quilting friend has sent us. I am not entirely sure whether some of the fabric was sent by Finn, Cher, Pam, my mom or the donation box at this point. I hope once the tops are done, that some one will recognize it and smile when they see it has indeed been used for the kids.

One top I already cut out this morning/afternoon will be a Railroad Crossing type quilt but use a striped fabric instead of pieced strings similiar to the one you see pictured. THIS time I will have the stripes going vertically to the block and not horizontally, LOL. I like how the quilt turned out but I know that I "messed up" since it was not my original intention.

I found a nice lemon yellow at the long arm quilters shop the other day for a background fabric and pulled a primary colored stripe from my stash. I am counting this as my February challenge fabric from JudyL--pull a piece and get it stitched up. Does buying background fabric negate the fact that I am stashbusting the actual piece? HMMMM. Originally I had bought the yardage to make some bias binding on a quilt that had all the primary colors but got plenty of it since I knew I would eventually make a top much like this one. Truth be told, I probably could make another one just like it but could use the leftover stripe for backing.

The 2nd one that I just cut is probably the technique that Bonnie showed in her posting of Jan 16 HERE. She had described it as a "double cut nine patch". I found the book, used, on Amazon and had been looking at one she called "The Village" as a possible one to try. I had some cut squares of all manner of transportation things that I thought would work out for the giant ninepatches---15 1/2 inches before you cut them. So many of them have a blue background so I pulled a light green from my brights bin for what will be the sashing. A piece of green solid that came from somewhere for will be eventually be the cornerstones. I whacked up the rest of the yardage for binding. I also cut some of the bright primary stripe fabric for this and also a strip of that neat yellow with polka dots that I know Finn has used in this top---or one very much like it--for a little more interest.


There is a nice piece of light green background with trains on it (again from Finn maybe?) that could be the border fabric or backing--too nice to cut it up too small. Just looking at the pattern there is no reason why you can't just sash and cornerstones a bunch of cut squares but the idea is to try something new---keep it fresh.

Next one up is cutting the corner half square triangles and quarter square triangles for a zigzag strippie set that I want to use for setting Nancy's framed 4 patches in pink and brown tones. I found a light pink print on Monday when at Hancock's when Linda S asked me to help her pick out some backing fabric for a top she had just finished. (I'll get back to it once I finish up this note)

I was testing out an Easy Set ruler (by Sharon Hultgren and that I have owned for some time to cut the RR crossing. Pretty slick cutting everything off of strips instead of trying to cut a humungous square into quarters on the diagonals. No calculations needed but you cannot use it for in between sized blocks. I also own a Setting Triangle by Lynn Graves of Little Foot, Ltd. fame that was given to me as a gift. That one requires that you line up by the unfinished size of the blocks and you can use it on measure a full inch mark as well as a half inch mark ( i.e. 9 inches and 9 1/2 inches). At this point, no preference of ruler. As far as I can see they each have their use.

On a personal note, our house guest arrived after we had gone to bed (he sleeps in the van regardless) last night. He and DJ left about 8:30 to go play 18 holes and will also get a round in tomorrow. I had originally planned to go up to the quilt shop with Linda S and out for lunch but I had a horrid sinus headache this morning and called to cancel. I medicated and then went back to bed for a while and enjoyed the quiet house. Once I got up for good I did the laundry and started calculating and cutting. I'm not cooking tonight--we can go out for something--so far the choices are BBQ or Chinese. I'm leaving it up to DJ as I "pick" any other time.

Tomorrow, more cutting---probably a "Leap Frog " Old favorite from McCall's Quilting Quick Quilts May 2001 or framed blocks of some sort. (I found a pdf file for something with a slightly different twist but do not know the source to share it---the author gives no website in the file). Also I would like to cut some setting blocks for a "Road to St Louis" top that will use some of the 8 patch blocks we have made though I will need to resize the cutting directions to accomodate our sized blocks from 6 to 8 inch finished. It is an old Trudie Hughes pattern from Even More but I found a picture of one online HERE scroll down about 2/3 rds of the way. JoAnn Belling's quilt classes and some neat eye candy on the way.

Friday and Saturday I'll be off retreating so I'll be ready to get some of these kits sewn. Guess that's it for now