And the sun shone down

Yes, the sun shone today, but more importantly, I finished this block for Terri! (Miss December in the birthday block swap.) It's late, to be sure, but it doesn't look half bad, if I do say so myself.

Terri supplied the yellow fabric to all the swappers, and asked us to use only blue and yellow in her blocks. All of hers so far are gorgeous... I hope mine plays well with them. I got the blue batik in a bundle at a quilt show, and the print at home in Michigan over Christmas. It's so pretty... but so directional, which made things more complicated that I really wanted! I'll give it a good pressing, then mail it Monday. That's a very good thing.

Mini Booty Complete!

My Miniature Booty II swap partner received her quilt on Friday, so I can talk more openly about it now! First and foremost, I was delighted to have a little challenge with Rose Marie as my partner. She requested colors of blue, green and yellow, and, from visiting her blog, I could quickly see how much she enjoys applique. (And does it beautifully, I might add.) Her pics are better than mine, so be sure to click through to her blog to see them. (She said all kinds of crazy-nice things about the quilt too, which are only half-true, but I appreciate them anyway!)

I had already fallen for the shape of the tulip in a pattern from the fall Quilt Sampler magazine, and this was the perfect opportunity. I was going to do some detailed fill background quilting to set off the simple shape (reality soon intervened...)

A trip to my stash revealed the perfect fabric combination; a few minutes with EQ6 resulted in a plan, and off I went. I put the top together really quickly, then worked on my Mariner's Compass block for the birthday swap.

Then my back went goofy. And I couldn't do anything. For what felt like forever.

When I could finally quilt again, I quickly realized I had to simplify my quilting plan. I ended up doing lots of echo quilting around the applique -- which really mashed down the background and made the tulip a little puffier than I would have liked -- then radiating lines in the lighter blue. A simple kind of loopy half flower thing in the checked fabric with some stippling, and I was done. And gee, at that point, I was only three days late.

Of course, I still needed binding. I had to get a little creative there, since I didn't have anywhere near enough yellow fabric to make a double binding. I ended up cutting the strips as wide as I could afford, then cutting a wider strip of the light blue. I strip-pieced them together, then folded in half to get the binding. By cutting the blue wider, I didn't have to worry about getting it on perfectly so the seam was the edge. I did the hand stitching in Harrisburg PA at the PA quilt national extravaganza (whatever) show, and managed to mail only 10 days late. WHEW.

Coming soon... pics from Harrisburg and the goodies I bought there :)

August Birthday Block Done

And I'm glad about that!

It's for Anne, who is away on vacation for two weeks, so I get to enjoy it for a little while before mailing!

Anne asked for Mariner's Compasses, any size from 8" to 14". Luckily for me, this great pattern was in the magazine Lorraine sent me with my ALQS top, so I didn't have to look far for a plan. The blue is almost the end of an old favorite fabric, as is the red/white check. I used the magic teabag paper stuff again for the paper piecing; I didn't feel like messing around with trying to find a way to print on it, so I just traced the foundations. I still don't enjoy that, but there are only 12 units so it went pretty quickly. I showed it in that state a couple of weeks back.

Then, I used Sulky washaway stabilizer to make the center circle. Yes, I probably could have pieced it in properly, but that seemed like a lot of work for only a moderate payoff! I turned a nice circle and buttonhole stitched it to the "ring," then went in and removed most of the stabilizer so it would rinse out easily. That was the end of last weekend's progress -- just that small amount of time at the machine was painful.

This weekend, I'm doing slightly better, although still not great. My chiro sent me for X-rays on Friday afternoon, but no results yet. I'm pretty confident there's nothing major going on -- I think if he'd just crack my neck and upper back, I'd feel a whole heck of a lot better.

Anyway, I wanted to finish this, since I still need to quilt my mini-booty, and I'd like to get ahead on these birthday blocks if I can this summer.

Inserting the circle was a lot easier than I had expected. I cut the arc and the short sides to the correct size, but left an extra inch on the two long sides so there'd be extra to square up properly. I left it a little big so Anne could decide which finished size worked best; it could be anywhere from about 11" to 13.5".

The block is pretty good sized, so the curve was gentle enough to not be stressful. I pinnned all the way around -- I hate admitting how much that helps! -- and used my Curvemaster foot. I know, the Curvemaster is supposed to eliminate the need for pinning... and it might, but it doesn't eliminate my penchant for stretching, so this works for me. Since I always pin left-to-right, the pins don't get in the way and the shortness of the Curvemaster foot helps me sew a smoother circle. Now this is weird -- I was almost all the way around the circle when I realized I was sewing THROUGH the foot. The little bit that forms a circle around the needle had moved under the needle, and I sewed three or four stitches before I realized it. I had to break the little bit of plastic off the foot to remove the patchwork. I don't think this affects the usability of the foot, but I just remembered I forgot to take out that needle, which is undoubtedly dull now!

Anyway, I did need to trim down my finished block, but overall, I'm pretty happy with it. I'm most happy that this is the only required Mariner's Compass this year ;)

Bluebird of Happiness (UFO Reveal #9)

Bluebird of Happiness
Originally uploaded by AJB30

Well, this is the beginning of box #3... and it's an old photo. Since I'm unlikely to get a better one quickly, it'll have to do :)

Pattern is from Stack A New Deck, and it's basically a wonky, mixed up log cabin. I made it in response to a challenge to a group of forum members who went to the Vermont Quilt Festival. (Dorothy, Sophie, Marcia, Melissa and my mom come to mind... Actually, I think my mom made a log cabin, too.) Anyway: there were two challenge fabrics -- the blue in the block centers, and a red that has a tiny black pattern in it. There's also a skinny blue "flap" before the final red border, which has little bluebirds in it. Not sure of the size, but I think the log cabin blocks are somewhere between 6.5 and 7" each.

Why isn't this done? I ended up not being able to go to VQF the year it was due ;-) [I moved into my house instead.] Plus, it wants feathers quilted in the white muslin, and, well, then I'd have to do them!

Hopefully I'll be back to a more regular posting schedule soon (after all, this is #189, and I need to hit #200 a week from Saturday!) . I commuted into NYC two days this week for a conference, then had to go down the shore today for a work retreat.

Weekend Roundup

Hmmm... what have I accomplished this weekend?

• I took three naps (one each day -- remember I have half days on Fridays during the summer). I think this is from my thyroid being out of whack... I started the higher dose of meds on Saturday, so hopefully I'll see improvement within a few weeks.
  
• I sewed my Mini Booty II top... I showed you the fabrics the other day, but I think I'm going to keep the top under wraps for a bit longer. I like it -- it's very cheerful.
• I've been watching Mad Men, set in an ad agency in the 50s. It's all very smokey and drinkey and sexist -- probably at least partially like real life! I think I'm on episode six of the first season; I don't get AMC, but the series is available for free through On Demand, so I've had my own mini-marathon.
  
• I started my August block for Kate's Birthday block swap on quilting.about.com. Miss August (aka Anne) asked for Mariner's Compass blocks in red, white and blue. Another first for me... although I always admire them, I've never really had the urge to sew one! Luckily, there is a lovely pattern in the Australian Quilters Companion magazine that Lorraine sent me with my ALQS quilt. Here's my progress:
  
  
  
  

And that's it. Not one for the record books by any means, but at least I have something to show for myself!

Mini Booty Progress and Little Snowpeople (UFO Reveal #8)

Well, the Apple Core fever is out of my system... and you won't be seeing the results! I opted for a little different approach to my Mini Booty II quilt, and I'm happy with how it's going. In fact, the top is done. I hope my partner likes it! Here's a preview of just the fabrics:

And the UFO parade continues, this time with a definite winter flair! Must be the heat and humidity getting to me -- I'd love to get close to one of these little guys or gals right about now ;)

My mom cross stitched them, and they're really cute! She swapped me these for a finished top (OK, a top that she helped me finish, but it was still done!), and I designed a little 24x36 quilt for them in EQ:

I remember searching for -- and buying -- a light fabric to match the Aida cloth, and even looking through my stash for other fabrics. So why are these little blocks in the UFO box? I probably got distracted by something else. Story of my life. And potentially a problem with evaluating all these abandoned projects -- now I want to work on all of them again!

Batik Jewel Box (UFO Reveal #7)

Here's a mostly-done top, in the Jewel Box pattern. Teresa hosted a swap for these on the quilting.about.com forum a while back, and I got this far in putting together my blocks. (Are you sensing a theme? Yes, I get swap fever from time to time, and this is what happens. Thus, I really have curtailed my swapping. Honest.) The creamy-tan color is a Michael Miller Krystal fabric that turned out to be practically impossible to find at the time, but those of us who persevered were rewarded with these beautiful blocks!

This top is currently 64x64. I has thought at one time to add borders just on two sides, and maybe some applique in those borders. I saw something in a magazine I kind of liked, but I never could find quite the right applique pattern. And so it sits in this state.

I think now I'll pass on the applique, and maybe do a pieced border with scrappy batik squares floating on the tan. I could quilt it with continuous curves in the chain and some kind of simple flower thing in the diamonds and call it good. Hmmm... not a bad idea ;)

Thank you to everyone for the nice comments on my stash of unfinished projects. I've been wanting to catalog them for a while, so this makes a nice record, and gives me a chance to consider next steps.

Spiced Pomegranates (UFO Reveal #6)

Actually, I'm not sure I can even call this a UFO -- it's actually an Un-STARTED Object! (Told you I wanted to put this box back...)

I bought this as a kit the year World Quilt Festival was in Grand Rapids, MI... but I can't remember if that was three summers ago or four. Let's say three -- that doesn't sound so bad ;) Some of the fabrics are from Moda Three Sisters lines (and you'll see them again later). The plan is to machine applique this; the last time I looked at the pattern, I couldn't decide how to approach it, though. I've had a little more practice in the intervening time... I think I'll use the Sulky wash-away stabilizer so I can get turned edges without having to starch and scorch. A little blind hem or buttonhole stitch and we're in business.

Pineapple Blossom (UFO Reveal #5) & Update on #4

Well, I opened box #2 today... I kind of wish I could put it back ;) It has two projects in it that aren't even started, and one that's barely a beginning.

Without further ado... the next one up is my Christmas Pineapple Blossom. Colene hosted a swap for these blocks on the quilting.about.com forum a while back (I don't know when, and I'm not sure I want to!). The free pattern is from Quiltville, and it was fun to make. I've got 40 of these 9" blocks, which again, might not be quite enough. I could sash them like Bonnie did in the pattern, but I kind of like them better without it. Here are four block:

This one would be pretty easy to finish up, though!

In other news... my mom says the pics of the indigo blocks from yesterday are really pink on her monitor -- like to the point of being ugly. I hope that's not the case for everyone -- they're really very white. Because I love you, here's the 6x6 setting for those beauties:

I should have mentioned yesterday that this setting was inspired by Beth Ferrier's Moondance -- a block of the month from a few years back. It's not a copy, but you can definitely see her influence in the lines. Looking at the image now, I think I'd probably do the outer row more as half setting blocks, to finish the "circle" around each block, but not have the blue feet trailing off ;)

Indigo & White (UFO Reveal #4)

I bought these beautiful fat eighths of indigo many years ago at the Vermont Quilt Festival, and set them aside for something special. When I decided to take a class making 40-6" blocks over five months, the indigos called out to me. I paired them with blue and white shirtings to make medium tones, and plain bleached muslin for the backgrounds. The class used Edyta Sitar's "Dear Mom" Quilt Recipe Cards. We had lots of fun in class each month -- two years ago ;)

(Ignore the pink cast to the photos -- the blocks are on top of pink foam insulation board for photography purposes!)

I only paper-pieced one of these blocks -- multiple attempts at traditional piecing couldn't produce a 6" block to save my life! One of my biggest challenges was keeping the directional prints in line... many of the indigos are directional, and at least one of my shirting prints. Many in the class worked with the Wuthering Heights line or CW repros to get the effect of the sample quilt; there were some with brights or random scraps, but mine was the only really crisp two-color plan. It always got lots of compliments -- I think it really shows off the tiny pieces!

Why is this one still blocks? I designed two settings for this quilt, and got stuck choosing!

The first is a simple on-point setting with sashing (takes 41 blocks -- not a problem to make one more). But that's only a 58" square quilt, which is kind of a funny size for me. There's enough indigo for a few more blocks, but not a large number... making this setting bigger would require buying more -- and they're not inexpensive, relatively speaking.

The second setting is definitely the result of too much time playing with EQ, but I absolutely love it. It's an uneven nine patch that's 3x6", and it makes a very cool circular pattern around the blocks. I love it -- I just don't love the idea of piecing 84 of those blocks! That one I can easily get to 71" square, though, which is a better size in general.

So, make the quilt I can reasonably finish, or make the quilt I love? I want to make the one I love... I was going to show you the EQ snapshots, but I can't find the project file -- it seems to have disappeared when I moved to EQ6. I can recreate it (I was able to put the blocks in a user library), but not tonight.

And that, my friends, is the end of UFO box #1...

Mini Booty tease...

Here's a little sneak peek at what I'm working on for my Miniature Booty II quilt... I've wanted to do something with Apple Core blocks for a while, and this seemed like a good time to try it out. Yeah, this will get that crazy idea out of my system ;) It took a while to get everything in the right position, so I took several photos of the layout for reference, since it's going to be very easy to mix these up!

Carpenter's Wheel (UFO Reveal #2)

Here's another oldie from box #1... this is a Carpenter's Wheel, and it measures about 33" square. There's no more of the beautiful green Moda -- maybe a tiny, carefully-hoarded scrap -- so it's basically done at this size. It actually makes a nice table topper "on point," since my dining table is a 36" square. I've displayed it for years in this unfinished state; unfortunately, I see now it has a couple of small spots or stains, probably from being on the table ;)

Why isn't this one done? Another really good reason... I can't decide if I should use batting, flannel or nothing when I "officially" make it a table topper. I want it to be flat, but since the entire thing is made of HSTs, there are a lot of seams and it gets a little lumpy in spots. This one could be done with just a couple of hours of effort on my part, so please advise!

Red, White & Romantic (UFO Reveal #1)

I can't believe how long ago I started this quilt... the magazine is dated February 2003, so it was one of my first quilting projects. Several members of the quilting.about.com forum swapped red and white fabrics to make this quilt... I wonder if anyone ever did?!

I started... and sewed 54 of these 6" Double X blocks. Some of them use just three fabrics, others have lots (maybe too many!). I know I sewed a lot of these hanging out with some friends in Albany, back in the day. Here are just a few of the blocks:

Weird thing #1: I made 54 of these, but the pattern only calls for 42. The pattern makes a queen-sized quilt. What was I thinking?

Weird thing #2: I've had a terrible time finding the right red fabric for the setting. I've bought fabric three times, I think, but none of them ever felt quite right when I got them home with the blocks. Part of my problem is that I used both white and cream fabrics.

Just for fun, here's another way to set these blocks, which could also be called Anvil blocks, with the dark centers:

So why is this a UFO when I obviously love red and white, I love the pattern and the process holds memories? See weird thing #2 above. And, unfortunately, the blocks aren't that well made, and I'm not looking forward to working with them. I haven't even tried to square them up -- I'm afraid of what I'll find!

There are three more projects in this box... My self-imposed rule is that I have to show you everything in the box before I can move on to the next box... there are 4 or 5 total boxes this size, plus a couple of one or two gallon ziplocs. That should keep us busy for a while ;)

Pssst...

If you want to see my ALQS contribution again (and really, why wouldn't you?!), visit Teresa, who managed NOT to overexpose her photos :) Check the group blog for some amazing eye candy from 41 talented quilters from around the world.

Improving...

Good news... my finger is getting better. It's still not terribly functional, but it bends probably 60* now at the middle joint. Maybe I can avoid the cortisone...

So, I've just been hanging out, watching Wimbledon and What Not to Wear. I did some sewing yesterday on my Fresh Squeezed Monkeys quilt -- I think I made 12 blocks yesterday (maybe 16, but I think 12). There's a long way to go yet, but it feels good to see the piles of units shrinking and the pile of blocks growing!

I *want* to be working on my birthday block for Miss August, but I don't think precision cutting pairs with the trigger finger... I'm clumsy to start with, so I guess I won't tempt fate with that idea. Luckily, Fresh Squeezed is past the cutting stage.

What's next?

At the least, Miss July's block for the new Birthday Block Swap that the lovely Kate hosts on the quilting.about.com forum. Thanks to Kate's tip about an Etsy seller, I scored some of the special teabag tissue that's popular in the UK for paper piecing; it arrived today, so as soon as I get my new ocean-colored fabrics washed, Joy's 9" New York Beauty block is on deck. (A first for me -- cross fingers, please!)

I'd like to get ahead on some of the other months, too, since I have more play time in the summer. I also need to get started on my quilt for Toni's Miniature Booty II... I've got an idea, but not all of the supplies I need to try it out. AND work on my Fresh Squeezed beauty... if I'd suck it up and press and trim my HSTs, that should move quickly.

I keep thinking I should make a list of goals like so many others do, but I seem to have an aversion to it for some idea! Probably because it reinforces the idea that I'm a little over-committed to swaps again at the moment...

The Big Finish

Well, it's still slightly overexposed, but my post-processing skills aren't up to the task of fixing it! This is my finished quilt for Another Little Quilt Swap, and it's just shy of 20" square. And yes, it's square, although you couldn't prove it by the photo! There are five 6" blocks, and four tiny 3" blocks. Three of the 6" ones are from Beth Ferrier's Moondance Block of the Month (top right and the bottom two); the top left is from an Edyta Sitar pattern pack, and the center (which is my new favorite!) is straight out of EQ.

The Beth Ferrier blocks and the 3" blocks were sitting quietly waiting to be used in a quilt, so when faced with the need to make a new one and stat, they kindly jumped up and offered their services! Luckily, it seemed to work out -- I'd probably do a couple of things differently if I did it again, but all in all, I'm happy with how it turned out.

Here's a closeup of the middle, although it's rotated. Oops!


I quilted a simple starflower-type pattern in each of the 6" blocks (thank heaven for Golden Threads paper!) and then meandered the rest. It's all done in a Sulky rayon thread, which matches beautifully but is a little shinier than I would have liked.

Who IS the recipient you ask? Why, it's written right here on the back of the quilt:

Huh, must have erased that info accidentally. Guess I *do* know a little bit about post-processing photos after all ;) Nonetheless, the quilt is is now making it's way to someone... I hope that someone likes it!

Sneak Preview Redux

Not the world's greatest photo, but it'll do... my NEW mini quilt is done, and ready to mailed yesterday to... someone who hasn't received one yet ;) This is just a part of my new offering -- my co-worker who ALWAYS has her camera, didn't. We took two pics using the built-in camera on her Macbook... I was too close, so they're a little overexposed. Nonetheless, it saved me waiting around Walgreens for an hour waiting for one-hour photo processing from the film camera (which I did find). With luck, those will be exposed more properly and I can show you the full finished product later.

WHEW!

Doin' a Happy Dance!

I'm all but done with my new ALQS quilt -- just half of the binding still to stitch by hand. I'm not sure I'd want to make a quilt under this kind of time constraint every time around*, but it did force me to make quick decisions and set reasonable goals. There are things I might do differently given the chance, but all in all, it's quite a nice little quilt if I do say so myself! In some ways, I like it better than the red and white one (even before it had a pink problem). I promise I'm not going to wash it -- I'm taking NO chances -- although I will carefully run the lint roller to remove the cat hair ;) One of my coworkers should be able to photograph it for me, too... sure wish I could even *find* the film camera -- I know there's a partial roll in it!

*For the record, Kate offered to talk to my swap partner to secure me an extension, but I wanted to at least try to finish on time. Fingers crossed, that won't be needed.

What's red and white and pink all over?

I've been debating whether I should talk about this... and decided today that I might as well! My red and white flying geese ALQS quilt isn't as red and white as it once was. For those who have been coveting it, I'm afraid I won't be sending it to anyone.

See, being such a traditional quilt, it really wanted to be washed so it would crinkle a little. Plus, the leave-in foundation "paper" I used (not the nice stuff Kate has, trust me!) felt a little stiff. I made a sample to be sure the ink from the printer wouldn't come off if it got wet... since the sample passed the test, I simply doused the quilt in cold water and tossed it in the dryer.

You know what happened, don't you? One (or more, I guess) of the beautiful reds from my scrap bin apparently isn't colorfast. It. bled. like. a. bitch. And then went into the dryer for 45 minutes. I cried when I pulled it out and saw it was now red, white and PINK.

And every time I look at it, my heart breaks again. I loved how it turned out. My feeble attempt at removing the pink wasn't successful, and I can't bring myself to try anything more drastic in case it makes it even worse.

So, I've started on Plan B, which is actually coming together quite nicely, given I just dreamed it up this afternoon! It's quite different from the original quilt -- and my blocks are almost finished... a little math, and I'll be on my way again tomorrow. I like how it looks so far... too bad you can't see it ;)