Quilt News! Sunflowers and Chairs Quilt, Quilted and Finished! Christmas in July?? Yes, Christmas Hourglass Blocks Rearranging and Planning.

Machine quilting my Sunflowers and Chairs Quilt.

Machine quilting progress..

These are my Christmas Hourglass Blocks in design process, for a runner size..

Pinning on binding, binding is 1 3/4".

My Sunflowers and Chairs small quilt finish! 30" x 40".

Improv Chair blocks 'on the drawing board...'

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends from the valley, full of sunshine.

This last week I finished my Sunflowers and Chairs improv quilt, 30" x 40". The  quilt started when I was inspired to make a few improv chair blocks by Debbie's post @ aquilterstable. I got out my graph paper, pencil and ruler and sketched out some chairs. Then I decided which sizes I wanted and cut out chair pieces for three or four chairs. Deciding what would go around the chairs took a while. I began interviewing fabrics and colors and began piecing the background together. I had some beautiful batik fabric with sunflowers and I wanted to use that, it reminded me of warm summer time.

I've been on a 'finishing' line of thinking lately. The goal is to get some projects done and sent off so they can be used and enjoyed.

While I was searching for backing fabric I came across my Christmas Hourglass blocks that needed to be rearranged for best effect. I enjoy piecing hourglass blocks and when I get into the process sometimes I get careless as to placement and then later need to unpick and turn a few hourglass blocks to work with the whole. The Christmas Hourglass blocks will be runner size when done, nice on a table for the holidays.

And that is the news from the compound. How are your finishes coming along? Are you working on any Christmas in July projects?

I'll be by to visit. 

Quilt News! Fun Ruby Star Society Quilt Fabrics, Getting Another 1/2 Square Triangle Blocks Medallion with Borders Quilt Ready for Hand Quilting..

Happy Independence Day!! We have so much to be thankful for.

This quilt, 54" x 54",  is finished and ready to be sent as a wedding gift.

My unfinished 1/2 Square Triangle Medallion Quilt with Borders, 54" x 58", layered and pinned for hand quilting.

Close up of some of the RSS fabrics in my unfinished Medallion Quilt with Borders.

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends!! Cool summer here, everything is green and verdant.

A couple of years ago I bought yardage and precuts of RSS fabric prints mostly in reds and pinks leaning into neutrals. (And obviously I'm not afraid of red and pink!!) I've used that fabric in different projects and in 3 different quilts. Two of those quilts are finished and the last one is pin basted ready for hand quilting. I also used Kona Cotton solids in  purple and navy blue for 2 of the borders in my unfinished quilt. The binding fabric I will use for that quilt I ordered from an Etsy shop and it is Strawberries in Plum. That will repeat the colors in the purple and navy blue borders making the quilt design work as a whole. That's how I choose colors in my projects, they have to work well together, (no one hogging all the attention.) I love the RSS Strawberry print fabric it comes in a lot of different colorways, if I were rich and greedy I would buy some of each!

My finished quilt 1/2 Square Triangles in Barn Raising Formation Medallion with Borders, 54" x 54" is soon to be mailed off as a wedding gift. I use long descriptive names to set my quilts apart because lately my quilts have all had a lot of red and pink and 1/2 square triangle blocks in them. 

And it's Independence Day weekend!! Bar-b-ques and vacation! 

Have a wonderful weekend, I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Quilt Project Organizing and Planning, Jolene Klassen's Book Scrap Quilt Diary, Happy Father's Day! Rain and Wild Roses Today

My current library books..

My newly pieced quilt top, Four Patch on Point 7" blocks with Borders.

I'm still sewing together Sunflower Pincushions, here's my latest..

Closeup of my top; Four Patch on Point 7" blocks with Borders..

Wild Roses are blooming now, can you smell them?

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! 

Summer will be officially here this weekend such a vigorous time of year. Birds, flowers, trees etc all happy and growing with amazing vitality. And God Bless our fathers, I hope you had a great Father's Day!

I've been slowly organizing my quilt projects this last few weeks. I've measured my finished quilt tops and wrote the measurements in my quilt/art notebook . Then I noted if my quilt tops had a backing finished and ready to go with it, and if not I noted the measurements that would be needed so I could search my stash and scraps to meet the need, maybe considering buying yardage if needed.

And then when I figured the top and backing were together and ready the next consideration is the batting I'll need for each. And also very important to decide is the quilting method, hand quilting or machine quilting. I can machine quilt my smaller art quilts and maybe even hand quilt a few. The bigger quilts however will be done on a long arm by a professional. I don't have the room for a long arm and my arms and back don't want to be subjected to the stress of machine quilting on my domestic machine. I'm trying to be realistic and start moving toward getting my quilt tops finished and done. It relieves stress for me to get the process organized, it feels much more doable.

I'm reading some good books from the library and my copy of Jolene Klassen's book Scrap Quilting Diary. Jolene's book is beautiful in examples of contrast, piecing and scrap taming. 

And we welcomed a new baby born into our family last week. We are happy and blessed.

I hope your projects are moving along. What are your 'finishing challenges' and how do you work that out?

I'll be by to visit. 

Quilt News! Four Patch Blocks on Point Quilt Pieced and Borders Added,,,, Jolene Klassen's Book Scrap Quilt Diary, Glorious Peonies Blooming!

Half inch borders added, more to come...

My Four Patch Blocks on Point Quilt pieced, blocks 7" when finished.

Peonies are blooming at the arboretum...Super!!

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! Spring is full of color inspiration, are you soaking it up?

I've got my Four Patch on Point Quilt pieced and I'm adding borders now. The first border to go around will be 1/2" finished and there will be more. Probably a 3" border will get pieced on next, maybe with corner blocks, to be decided soon. 

Jolene Klassen's book Scrap Quilt Diary has been encouraging me along the scrappy path. She has an amazing way with 'taming scraps and making them into a pleasing quilt.' She talks about using light and dark values to 'make the design visible.' Great advice, so obvious but so easy to forget!

Another excellent source for scrappy quilt education and tips is Bonnie's 'Quiltville Scrap User's System'. Lots of good ideas to make your quilt life a bit more organized and productive. And productive doesn't have to mean fast, slowing down to smell the flowers is a wonderful concept.

 Speaking of flowers, the peonies are blooming in the park and they are spectacular.

What are you making progress on in your quilt world? I'll be by to visit. 

 

Quilt News! 3 Project Finishes; Framed Rail Fence Blocks Quilt, Four Patch on Point Quilt Blocks Progress and Spring Flowers Inspiration....

Iris are blooming at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum, fabulous and inspiring, just look at the yellows and purples!

My Hourglass Blocks Medallion Quilt finished approx 16" x 16".

Bleeding Hearts and Iris blooming.

My Four Patch on Point Quilt, interviewing color placement, blocks will be 7" finished.

Finished my Framed Rail Fence Blocks Quilt 23" x 15", inspired by 'Teresa DownUnder' tutorial.

 Small Improv Units and Orphan Blocks Quilt finished, approx 15" x 15".

 

 

Hello from the valley!  

May showers are bringing spring flowers and some project finishes!

I've been busy using up left over pieces and scraps from other projects to make small table mats/runners. I'm clearing out space for working on new projects and for new backing fabrics. I photographed two of my finished small quilts in the local arboretum taking advantage of abundant blooms and greenery. I finished up my runner sized Framed Rail Fence Block quilt. I was inspired by Teresa's tutorial on YouTube. She calls her blocks 'Scrappy Brick Quilt' but I searched that out and I believe the blocks are more of the Rail Fence style block, framed of course and so I call mine Framed Rail Fence Blocks.

Then a few days ago I got out my newest Four Patch on Point Blocks, 7" when finished,  and interviewed them for color placement. I need to piece a few more blocks and it will soon come together in a pleasing fashion! I like Four Patch on Point blocks classic with a secondary theme going on.

And that Quilt Friends is what I've been working on. I've also been walking in the park between rain showers enjoying the season.

What have you been working on lately? 

Do you get out to enjoy the spring inspiration? 

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Quilt Binding Finished on HSTs Medallion Quilt! Machine Quilting and Finishing Scrap Mini Quilts, Happy Mother's Day!

Pinning the binding down on my HSTs in Barn Raising Formation Medallion with Borders Quilt.

Binding is finished, a done deal.

Here I'm using scraps to piece together coasters and table toppers for gifts.

 

Hello Quilt Friends, Happy Mother's Day! Here in the valley we have clouds and spring flowers.

This last week I finished the binding on my HSTs Medallion with Borders Quilt, 54" x 54". I machine stitched the binding down because my hands need a break from hand quilting and stitching. I hand quilted this quilt and it took me over a year and a half, just saying..... Here is a photo of this quilt front and back before binding was finished.....

And I'm piecing/machine quilting and binding scraps into coasters, hot pads and table mats for gifts. 

I hope you're enjoying the spring and finishing projects. I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Scrappy Improv Piecing Quilt Design Edit #2 or Was it #3? Quick Update...

Scrappy Improv Piecing small quilt edit #2 or #3, I can't remember which now; the upper left Four Patch was unpicked and I replaced the saturated dark solid blue/green square with a blue print lighter in value. The lighter blue print works better with the whole.

 This is a very quick update. I've been studying this little quilt and trying to get it to the point where it works out as a whole. I knew that little saturated dark solid blue/green square in the top left hand four patch was going to have to go. Time consuming, yes, but it needed to be done.

Now it works as a whole and I'm happy with it.

 

Enjoy the spring! 

Do you have any challenging designs that need editing? How do you work that out? Besides throwing it away.

 

I'll be by to visit.