Quilt News! Sunflowers with Borders Quilt Top Finish, Komebukuro/Rice/Drawstring Bag finish #3 in a Series, Happy April!

My newest drawstring bag finish. It's embellished with running stitch, sides are 5" square.

Sunflowers with Borders close view.

Here are the 3 rice/drawstring bags I've made this year, I'm keeping sewing supplies in them.

Sunflowers with Borders quilt top finish, 35 x 57".

 

Hello Quilt Friends! 

'April showers bring May flowers' and that is what we have in the valley. The sun does manage to peak through, lovely, and the birds sing rain or shine.

My blog friend, Carin @ queeniepatch.blogspot.com sent me an interesting link to a great article on Komebukuro, which is traditional Japanese rice bags, and their cultural history. Here is the link; https://tatter.org/komebukuro/ . There are also some beautiful examples of vintage komebukuro in the article. Thank you Carin!

The fabric I used for my 3 drawstring bags was leftovers/scraps and extra fat quarters, (bought too many on a sale.) And the drawstrings on two were made of extra ribbon and I used the same fabric for drawstrings on my last bag as the the body of the bag. I'm hooked on these little bags, I have fun changing up the sizes and using different fabrics. And I enjoy embellishing them with sashiko/running stitches. They are also very useful and make good gifts.

This week I finished piecing the final borders onto my Sunflowers with Borders Quilt top. I bought the panel at The Quilt Barn in Puyallup, WA. The Quilt Barn has a wonderful selection of color, I always find what I need and what I didn't realize I needed. :)

Next on my agenda is to finish piecing my Log Cabin Improv quilt top.  

Linda @ kokaquilts has a gorgeous Housetop Log Cabin variation that she has pieced. If you want to see a fabulous quilt visit her blog.

And that is the quilt news from the valley, where progress is being made.

What are you finishing up this week? I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Sunflowers with Borders Quilt Top Progress, Sashiko Embellished Rice Bag Finish, Spring Blossoms...

Another Rice Bag variation with Sashiko on pink linen....

White Hellebore at Lake Wilderness Arboretum.

My Sunflowers Panel with Borders quilt top, one more dark border to go.....

White Quince blooming at local arboretum.

Border choice interview... dark, light, dark, light and so forth....

Cherry blossoms ready to open..

 

Hello Quilt Friends, I hope you had a good Easter. 

It's spring and we're enjoying walks in the local arboretum, things are sprouting, birds are singing and blossoms are opening.

I finished another Rice Bag, I found a slightly different method and I wanted to see how it would turn out. I was happy with the outcome but I had to tweek the drawstring casing to work with the ribbon I had on hand. I always try whenever possible to use up what I have when making new projects. The bag now functions well but I had to take it apart a few times to get it there. The challenge met!

And good progress is being made on my Sunflowers Panel with Borders Quilt top. I bought the Sunflower Panel at the Quilt Barn in Puyallup, WA, last summer when I saw it on display. There were little bits of blue and purple tucked in among the sunflowers, 'I know what I could do with that!'... And it was on....

Walks in the Lake Wilderness Arboretum are stupendous this time of the year. The Hellebore and Camellias are fading out, the Magnolias are taking turns, their blossoms are super fragrant. I could  go on and on but I won't. 

What new color and project challenges are you in the middle of? 

Have a great day and I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Three Coneflowers Medallion with Borders Quilt Top Finish, Spring Flowers Up, Log Cabin Blocks in Housetop Formation

Jonquils...

Wind Flowers...

My finished quilt top, Three Coneflowers with Borders....

 

Hello Quilt Friends! 

Of course spring officially starts on the 20th of March but here locally in Lake Wilderness Arboretum, Jonquils and Windflowers/Anemone are blooming now. Also blooming are Camellia shrubs, Crocus and Hellebore, etc. It is colorful and exciting.

This last week I finished up the top of my Bramble Blooms l QAL project. I call it Three Coneflowers Medallion with Borders. I wanted to keep the outside border dark to contrast with the light border preceding it. I had a difficult time trying to decide how complicated to piece that final border. But finally inspired by Linda at kokaquilts and her housetop logcabin quilts, because they look so fun! I realized that the BBl qal project just had to get finished so I could move onto something else! I tried new techniques (raw edge machine applique) and got some good tips from Audrey at quiltyfolk. Thank you Audrey.

Now did someone say Log Cabin blocks in housetop formation? Here I come!

What projects are you finishing up?

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! In Pieces! Piecing Together Blocks for Sunflower Panel Border and Cutting Strips for Improv Borders for 3 Coneflowers Medallion Quilt with Borders BB Challenge..

Strips cut for improv borders for my version of Bramble Blooms Challenge..

These blocks are for two different projects, maybe more, I tend to 'over' piece.

 Hello Quilt Friends!

Happy March! busy month with spring right around the corner and Easter at the end of the month, not to mention lots of family birthdays! Whew, but it's exciting.

This last week I've been piecing and pressing fabric and blocks for different projects. I like to have strips of fabric and blocks ready for experimenting and interviewing before final design decisions in my projects. I find that having a good neutral fabric handy really calms the color hysteria that can happen in the design process. Because I am rapacious when it comes to color!

That is the news from the valley where we have sun/clouds and Daffodils are beginning to bloom.

What progress have you made this week?

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! 3 Coneflowers Medallion with Borders Quilt Challenge Update and Progress, Second Border and Counting....

First Border, dark half square triangles all around.

 

Second Border, light.... there will be more!

Hello Quilt Friends! 

Sun mixed in with clouds this morning. 

And I'm reporting my progress on 3 Coneflowers Medallion Challenge Quilt in the way of two added borders. Visit Audrey @ quiltyfolk to check out the Bramble Blooms challenge prompts. I'm using the prompts as a general guideline that's how I work.

A lot of my inspiration comes from Gwen Marston's books. Her book Liberated Medallion Quilts is packed with great design ideas in the 'liberated' way. 

That's the update from the valley where more design, piecing and progress will be forthcoming soon!

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Bramble Blooms Challenge Progress on 3 Coneflowers Medallion Quilt, First Border Half Square Triangles Piecing, Happy Friday!

First border of half square triangles laid out around center medallion

Border piecing in progress...

 

 

Hello quilt friends! 

This a quick update on piecing progress on my 3 Coneflowers Medallion Quilt started as I joined in the Bramble Blooms challenge by Audrey @ quiltyfolk. 

I decided the first border would be 1/2 square triangles and the piecing has begun. Other projects are being moved foward but news on those later.

Today the sun is out and I must get out and walk in it!

Hope you enjoy your Friday too and find a place to relax. I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News! Bramble Blooms QAL Progress, 3 Coneflowers Medallion, Machine Applique, Raw Edge....

Flowers and stems auditioning...

Started sewing pieces down ...

Now onto the first border....

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends!

I wanted to post my Bramble quilt along project, 3 Coneflowers, progress. The colors came together as I remembered one of my favorite art coaches saying, 'Light, dark, light, dark' and that helps me when choosing what color to lay down where. 

Then I found a few 'raw edge' machine applique tutorials that made sense to me and I was brave and sewed the pieces down! Next onto cutting out and piecing the first border.

That is the Bramble QAL news from the valley!

Have you made any choices or progress on any projects, that's half the fun isn't it?

I'll be by to visit. And Linda @ Koka Quilts says and I quote, "May the usual creative chaos continue!"