Quilt News! Three Coneflowers Medallion with Borders Quilt with Raw Edge Applique Finish! Sewing/Project Room Peek, Make Twine with Fabric Strips for Komebukuro Bag? Yes!

My Three Coneflowers Medallion with Borders Quilt finished!

This is my sewing/project table, cleaned up for the photo, it's normally more cluttered!

My two fabric bins, yes, that is all I allow myself.

Hall closet where sewing/project tools, batting, etc and three finished quilt tops reside with bath towels and pillow cases. A multi-task closet.

My first Komebukuro Japanese style drawstring bag with new twine drawstrings.

Making twine with fabric strips is easy and I like the look with my bag.

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends!

Last week was extremely busy with several days of kids and grand kids visiting with fun and adventures. 

I did manage to get the binding sewn on my BB1 QAL project before they came and Three Cone Flowers Medallion Quilt is finished! I used Raw Edge Machine Applique to sew on the three cone flowers with leaves. That was my first try but a lot easier than I thought it would be. It's machine quilted.

I found a good tutorial on making twine with fabric strips and I liked the look. So I twined two lengths to replace the grey ribbon in my first yellow Komebukuro Japanese style drawstring bag. The twine drawstring looks more authentic. 

And Debbie @ aquilterstable featured some photos of her sewing/quilting room in her blog that I enjoyed seeing, so I thought I would show my humble sewing/quilting room too. Mine is a tight ship but it works for me. I iron on my Martelli's Round About cutting mat and ironing pad.

That is the news from the valley where I'm getting back to business as usual. I'm remembering to be thankful, counting my blessings one by one.

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Three Cone Flowers Quilt BB1 QAL Machine Quilting Progress, Four Tiles with Borders BB2 QAL Border Adjustment Progress, My Komebukuro Style Bag Number 4, Happy Independence Day!

My four Komebukuro style bags with Sashiko embellishment.

The backing is yellow batik, upper right corner, and I'll bind it in that yellow batik.

My Three Cone Flowers with Borders Quilt with machine quilting progress.

Four Tiles with Borders Quilt with adjusted borders as of today.

Hello Quilt Friends!

It's happy Independence Week here in the valley.  Vacation is in the air and sun and clouds keep the temperature just right.

I decided on a yellow batik for the backing of my Three Cone Flowers small quilt a Bramble Blooms QAL project by Audrey @ quiltyfolk. I pin basted the layers, top, batting and backing and with a machine quilt plan started in the quilting process, not difficult. The yellow batik will also be the binding in keeping with 'light, dark, light' for good contrast.

My Four Tiles with Borders #2 BB QAL, (again by Audrey), progress is good. I unpicked the dark thin border (can be seen in previous post) and lightened up a few of the saw teeth in the sawtooth border by unpicking and then piecing back in lighter 'teeth'. Looks better, I'm not sure how much bigger to make it I'm still planning.

And I'm in the planning stage for another Komebukuro style bag. I use them for storage and yes they do make good gifts. I like to look at them too, it's satisfying to me to have a project done. I found a good tutorial on adding woven loops to the top instead of a casing to hold the drawstring. The tutorial is by The Green Wrapper , it's clear and easy to follow. Trying something different in each of my Komebukuro style bags is a fun challenge.

That is the news from the valley. And I'm thankful.

Have you started anything challenging lately?

I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News! Improv Quilt Border Fun with Additions and Subtractions, BB2 QAL Progress, Embroidery Project Continued....Repair on Fancy Trim...Happy Family News..

I unpicked this dark thin border from my BB2 QAL project, not right!

Rail Fence Blocks quilt, the yellow inside border is Kona Cotton Banana Pepper.

Rail Fence Blocks with Two Borders Quilt, progress as of today.

The repaired fancy trim (below) will be added to my Stitch Journal.

I did some repairs on this gifted trim remnant and added metallic chain stitch.

 

Hello Quilt Friends!

Summer is delightful isn't it? And a new Grandson has been added to our family, healthy baby and mom. I'm so thankful!

This week I've been adding borders and unpicking other borders. I'm working on several different projects at the same time. When one gets tedious or my mind fizzles then I put that one down and pick up another.

My BB2 QAL project, Four Tiles with Borders, needed to have the last dark thin border unpicked and replaced with a lighter border. I just finished unpicking the dark border and now onto piecing the light replacement border. It will be much improved with the light border, giving a bigger and more open look.

Rail Fence Blocks with Borders made from scraps and orphan pieces, now has two borders and I love the Kona Cotton Banana Pepper yellow border, fits right in with summer!

A while back I was gifted with a peacock fancy trim remnant piece. It was a little frayed and I decided to add some metallic back tacking and thin sew in interfacing to some inside areas and chain stitches to the edges to give it some strength. It will go into my Stitch Journal with my embroidery samples and other pieces of my collected stitching and embroidery that are treasures.

That's the quilt news from the valley. How are you enjoying your summer?

And of course our friends down under are enjoying winter! I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News! #4 Komebukuro Style Draw String Bag Finish, New Improv Quilt Project from Leftover Pieces/Fabrics, Garden Party Inspiration, Happy June!

Scrappy orphan borders and blocks pieced together 14" x 18" so far.

My finished draw string bag with boro applied patches (running stitches.)

Fragrant Azaleas in the Wilderness Lake Arboretum.

Piecing 'orphan' blocks in progress, Rail Fence formation.

Iris at the arboretum, beautiful....color is important to me....

Close up of sashiko/running stitches, by hand...

My newest finished Komebukuro style draw string bag #4 open.

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! 

Summer is right around the corner. The neighborhood pool is now open and excited kids are enjoying the water and sun, marvelous.

More flowers are blooming at the local arboretum, colorful and inspiring.

And projects are getting finished and started here. I finished my 4th Komebukuro style draw string bag. I applied colorful patches with boro style stitches, (running stitches), using scraps and left over fabric from other projects. They make handy storage for sewing supplies. Working in series is a skill builder!

My newest Improv quilt challenge to myself, keeping creative juices flexible and flowing, is this: using left over border pieces and fabrics I pieced/trimmed them into blocks adding strips of color here and there. Now I want to add two more blocks and more strips of color. The big question in this new project is 'What if?'... more blocks, sashing, borders, how big, more pink? The blocks now are approx 5" square.

Also visit Linda @ kokaquilts for a gorgeous finish, her Garden Party quilt top. With all the flowers in bloom I'm feeling like a Garden Party would be just the thing!

That is the quilt news from the valley. What are you working on, any finishes?

I'll be by to visit....

Quilt News! BB2 Quilt Improv Design Challenge Update, Challenge by Audrey @ Quiltyfolk...In the Quiltosphere?

BB2, 4 Tiles Medallion Quilt with second border, piecing not finished.

I started with these 4 'Old Italian' type quilt blocks, influenced by Audrey's prompts. I'm calling them Tiles.

My BB1, 'Three Cone Flowers' in progress with 1st border.

 

This is my BB1 Three Cone Flowers with 3 Borders top finish.

Hello Quilt Friends! 

More spring showers and more May flowers here in the valley.

I've had some fun with Audrey's BB2 newest challenge following up my BB1 Three Coneflowers with 3 Borders quilt top finish. Audrey suggested 'solid connections' between the two challenge quilts using leftover scraps/pieces and again using 'languishing' fabrics. 'This looks like it could be interesting,' yes!

And so because it's the right time of year, spring, I pulled out my 'languishing' but beautiful Cherry Blossom fabric scraps made in South Korea (South Korea manufactures some beautiful quilt fabric). Then I mixed the cherry blossom fabric with left over scraps/pieces from my BB1 challenge quilt top. I also decided to use the sawtooth border design again.

I liked Audrey's improv blocks but I decided to be a little less improv and did not cut free hand but used a modified stack and whack approach to cutting the blocks. And to me the blocks are the 'Old Italian' block design so I'm calling my blocks 'tiles'. I'm choosing to make smaller projects rather than full size bed quilts. I don't have time or space to commit to more big quilt projects. The smaller size quilts look good on tables.

These projects are certainly loosening my 'design gears,' which in turn lets the ideas roll out smoother, as Audrey said would happen.

That is the BB2 progress news! What are you working on or dreaming up in your corner of the quiltosphere? Did I just make up a new word or what?

Have a great Memorial Day weekend! I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Curating Scrappy Quilt Orphan Blocks, Color and Why it Matters, Fleur Woods, Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden Tour, Federal Way, WA

Peonies in the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden.

Bonsai display in the RSBG, one of many...

Splendid yellow Rhododendron...

The Untamed Thread by Fleur Woods, slow stitch goodness and inspiration!

'Interviewing' scrappy, left over blocks, fun with design...

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! 'The season of singing has come,'

Enjoyment of spring has been the top priority around here. Walks in parks and botanical gardens high on the list. 

We toured the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, located in Federal Way, WA, yesterday. In the garden is an amazing display of Bonsai in the Pacific Bonsai Museum, they are works of art. And the garden has growing many other plants that naturally grow with rhododendrons. The azaleas perfumed the air and we kept our distance from the bees. Gorgeous garden scenery everywhere.

I saw a review of the book by Fleur Woods, The Untamed Thread Slow Stitch to Soothe the Soul and Ignite Creativity. And yes, reading it did in fact ignite creativity! Specifically in the category of color. Fleur is a virtuoso with color and encouragement, her book is unbeatable for reference.

Rachel @ Roxy Creations interviewed Fleur Woods in one of her videos. All of Rachel's videos are super for stitching  and color. Take time to go through them and you'll be transformed from not knowing what to do with color and stitching, to suddenly, ' Yeah, I can do that!'

This last week I've been arranging my left over scrappy blocks from my latest project, Sunflowers with Borders. I like letting the blocks 'talk' to me, dialogue with color.

And that is the news from the valley where birds start singing at 4 AM, slow at first, then they insist on waking everyone up. That's okay:)

I'll be by to visit!

 

 

Quilt News! Improv Log Cabin Blocks Process, Orphan Blocks and Leftover Pieces Now Leading Useful Lives, Plus General Busyness....

Orphan blocks sewed into new 'family' to add color to the kitchen.

My Improv Log Cabin blocks as of today... blocks are approx. 14" sq.

Log Cabin blocks ready for piecing on more logs/strips...

Extra blocks/pieces now pieced into useful table mat.....

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! More spring showers and busy stuff going on here in the valley. 

I've made progress on my Improv Log Cabin Blocks by adding onto blocks and auditioning placement etc. Most blocks are now about 14" square. I started this quilt last summer, challenging myself to use up small scraps. I started with small squarish pieces and decided to piece the blocks into Court House Steps configuration and most of the blocks are just that, one is not, just for fun. Now I ask myself, 'Should I add borders?' and my other self says, 'no.' 

Mary Hogan's book Log Cabin Improv has been my inspiration lately. I love her fearless exciting way with color and design! Her tutorials are excellent.

And visit Susan Stuklis @ susies-scraps.com to see her latest post titled Quickstep Two Four Six Eight Block, which is a Log Cabin block in Court House configuration tutorial made easy. If you want directions for Court House Steps blocks spelled out clear and easy this is it!

Last week I began piecing orphan blocks and left over bits/pieces into table mats, coasters and table runners, very useful items for the kitchen/dining room and they're washable. 

So I've made progress with projects and in between times I've watched the little Grand Muffin. Children are very creative aren't they?

That's the news and I'll be by to visit.