Quilty Update

This quilt is a surprise for someone, so I won't say too much. It's going in the mail tomorrow. If it doesn't turn up in your mail box within a week, chances are that is wasn't for YOU.

I don't even remember the name of this quilt. I DO recall thinking it was a really cool design and ended up being much easier to make than I thought it would be.

**I found the book that the pattern is in, and the quilt is named Another Mosaic.**

Here's a closeup of one block. All the cream in the background is the same print, and each pinwheel is made of 4 matching blades. The rest is scrappy. If you are new to the quilting world, scrappy = fun. Scrappy means using that one last 2" strip of your favorite fabric. Scrappy means being able to look at your quilt with interest for longer than ten seconds. Scrappy means losing count of the different fabrics once you reach 60 or so.

Here is the progress on my Christmas quilt. I have the original quilt size made. I laid it on my bed and realized I need to make at least 3 more pieced blocks. I can do that! Right? Soon? Probably not.

I'll let you in on a little secret...

We had friends over for supper last night. I was showing the wife (hi, Marti!) my quilts in progress. That is, all the quilts that are not completely finished. While I had that short stack out, I thought it would be a good idea to inventory the little whippersnappers just so I could keep track. I am also considering buying a quilting machine to replace my relic. How many completed except for quilting tops do you think I have? These are all at least twin-sized quilts. Several are queen size.

I'll tell you tomorrow! Until then, I'm going to hang my head in shame and get QUILTING!! My sister's daughter's quilt is first. I'm just generous like that...putting her quilt ahead of all mine. Just ask her...I'm her favorite sister. And there are good reasons for that:

1. I'm her only sister.

2. Her quilt has been pieced even longer than any of mine.

3. I'm her only sister.

4. I machine quilt large quilt tops.

5. I'm her only sister.

Until tomorrow...keep on stitching!

~Joan

Another Scrappy Quilt Underway

Here is my latest scrap quilt. While I'm piecing something else (in this case the Mosaic Baby) I always have another scrap quilt in the works (at least partially cut) so that I can use the new units as leader/enders as I piece.

This is from the same book as Another Mosaic and is called Spring Break. I am going to call it The Grass is Always Greener or maybe Greener Grass.

I'll take a pic of the original quilt some time. Where I have green outer triangles, the original has light pink. I don't have pink in my public rooms, so green works for me. Special thanks to my sister for parting with 2 pieces of her lightest green Thimbleberries for me.

Off for a delicious supper...
~Joan

Mosaic Baby and Parker Baby

Every once in a great while I am patient, and sometimes it pays off. The top picture is made from the tiny HSTs left over from my Another Mosaic quilt top. They finish at 1" square. I have a pattern I have wanted to make for some time, but was put off because I'd have to make 60 little tiny 1" finished HSTs with the same background print. I double sewed the corners of the Another Mosaic quilt top, so I just had to square up 60 of them. Ha--like how simple I make that sound?...just square up 60 of them.

So over the last two evenings I pieced the above top. I am calling it Mosaic Baby. The original name of the pattern is Cotton Seeds. It's about 24" square. I am going to hand quilt it and put it somewhere in my home, probably in my sewing/school room.

The bottom picture (below the Mosaic Baby, so named because it is an offspring of the Another Mosaic top) is my first Parker baby. He was worth the wait, too. I'll let you interpret that as you will. It's all good. Isn't he handsome? This is my seldom-seen oldest child. I took this picture for his Facebook profile tonight. I am not a picture-taking mama. But here he is. I am very proud of him. He's a great guy. So many good qualities.

Hope you all have a good evening and enjoy YOUR babies, quilts or otherwise!

~Joan

Another Mosaic Top Finished

Above is my Another Mosaic quilt top. It is not very large. Perfect for a small throw. The close up picture at the bottom shows the border treatment. Makes me think of curtains...which are now window treatments. Anyway...

This is the block that is second from the left in the top-most row.

I already have a quilting design and recipient in mind.

My 3rd daughter had her tonsils out this AM. In addition to the normal pain with such a procedure, she has a nasty deep diagonal cut on her tongue that is puffy. Yikes!

Please be praying for her quick recovery.

~Joan

17 Another Mosaic Blocks

Here's my Valentine Day treat to myself...I spent about 45 minutes sewing (while Rachel pressed for me...definitely worth the $2 an hour I paid her). There are now 17 blocks finished for the Another Mosaic quilt. I can see where I need to add in a few more colors to give it some variety, but there are plenty more blocks to piece.

Happy Valentine's Day,

~Joan

Another Mosaic

I finished sewing and pressing the block units together this AM for six more blocks. Here is a potential layout of the blocks I have finished. I like to use slightly darker and lighter scraps to give the piece some movement. At this point I start being a bit more selective in my fabric choices to make sure I don't have too many darks or lights.

~Joan

Quilts Are A Many Splendored Thing

This is my newest piecing project. The pattern is called Another Mosaic. It's from a scrap quilting book. I think it is called Save The Scraps. These blocks go together so much easier than they look.

The blocks finish at 8-1/2" square. I am using up a lot of scraps in this. Many wonderful ladies sent me small pieces to use in my ongoing Seeds of Kindness quilt. I am using up the leftovers on this new project, Another Mosaic.

Meanwhile, my hand-quilted Christmas quilt from 2008 is nearly finished. I just have to do about halfway across the green divider at the top and all the way across at the bottom.

Until later,
~Joan

I Spy "IT"!!

I was sitting at the school table yesterday correcting a math lesson (which is in the center of the sewing room) and said to my oldest daughter (sitting across from me), "There IT is!" You see, the chair I was in faced my overstock/seasonal/flannel fabric bookshelf. I've already shown you my main shelf, but this holds those that don't play nicely with the others. There IT is, on the far right.
Maybe I can sneak over and persuade it to come a little farther out of hiding...

On the far right--that's IT! "it" is my backing fabric for the Mennonite Mosaic quilt. The top is nearly boring with it's almost solid fabrics (none are true solids, but they sure read that way from a little distance). I wanted something for the back that was a little surprise compared to the front. I bought that bolt of Thimbleberries back when it was on clearance. I intended to use it for jumpers for my girls, but only one liked it enough to wear it. It's sort of a periwinkle/light blue/denim-colored background. it has tiny red dots and the little daisies (which are my favorite flower). PERFECT! Now I need to incorporate all my little scraps into the back. 1. to get rid of them 2. to make the backing slightly larger than 2 widths of this fabric.

A plan is in place. Since I finished the top, a "what fabric am I going to use for backing" track has been running through my mind (albeit on the back burner) constantly. On the outside it might look like I'm giving a math lesson or cooking or hand sewing, but I was really in search of that fabric. Now I can play another sound track.

~Joan

My World Today

Only one person has actually taken the above medicine, but we are all (except for 2 of us) sick with the crud that's been going around...high fever, cough, sore throat, sinus congestion, and all other manner of fun.

I am not feeling all the effects (yet), but I don't think it will be long for me either.

I finished up all the "A" blocks for the Mennonite Mosaic quilt this morning. There are 8 A and 8 B. I ran out of steam (physically, not in the ironing sense) after blocks A were complete. I took a 2-1/2 hour nap, and feel like having another. Hard to believe that this entire quilt can be broken down into such simple sewing. Sewing the strips made it go really quickly and look so good. I think sewing all the little squares together is less neat from a sewing standpoint. My design wall is only big enough for 3 of these blocks at a time (well, 6 if you count the invisible ones).

I had the camera in hand when I went out to check the mail. Saw these beauties coming up...tulips we planted 2 falls ago. Last year they were pretty. Seems like they have multiplied a lot already just after a year. I think Emily planted them. I can't even remember what colors are where. Our front yard is mostly 2 huge natural areas. We planted several groups of these. Once in bloom they won't last long, but they are spectacular when they show up.

My only non-ill daughter in the middle, playing hula hoops with 2 of the neighbor's children.

Time for a good, brisk SIT. Hope you're all doing well.

~Joan

Beginning of Something BIG

I wasn't the kid in the back seat asking "are we there yet?", but I've always wanted to know, "How much farther?" What you see below is 18% of the 16 eleven-row blocks needed for the center of the Mennonite Mosaic. All cut and stitched up today.

If you compare this to my earlier post of color selections, you will see that I substituted a different red and green. These are the lighter side of Thimbleberries. I just can't put my trust in another fabric name brand. These wash up so well and rarely fade.


I'm already looking forward to putting some hand-quilting stitches in the finished top. How's that for VISION??

These worked up quickly. I'm taking a half of a width of fabric and piecing one row, then cutting it into 2" wide strips and piecing the strips together. Much easier than laying out all 2,025 two-inch squares (the original pattern actually calls for 1-3/4" squares, but I'm making mine a bit larger). I plan to use brown quilting thread and doing diagonal lines through all of it, but seeing someone else's might change my mind.

I cut out all my Apple Core quilt pieces. That will be my car project for the next few weeks of violin/piano lesson time (2 hours of car time per week). Maybe I'll make some progress on it in spite of not making the van trip this weekend.

Good night!
~Joan

Yel-low There!

The title is supposed to be read like "hello, there". It's one of those silly things we started saying who knows when.




On a quilty note, the above fabric arrived in the mail today. It is going into my Mennonite Mosaic quilt. I was thinking about the joy of starting a new project that I am undoubtedly going to LOVE. As I thought about buying all the fabrics for it, my eyes kept wandering over to my fabric shelf. It is just to the right of the desk my laptop is on. I have about 100 bolts of Thimbleberries fabrics on it.

Before you think I really am an overachiever, remember that I sell fabric from my home online. Very small business. My husband likens me to a drug pusher. He says I just sell it to support my habit. And he is right!

In the interest and self-preservation of frugality (after all, money doesn't grow on trees!), I wondered if I could make the quilt with all Thimbleberries and still stay fairly close to the original quilt's colors. There is nothing like the quality of Thimbleberries. I have quilts I've washed many times that still look like new. Sorry--we interrupt this commercial moment to finish this post.

Well, I had 3 small hurdles to clear...light blue, pink (?), and light yellow. After sleeping on it for a few nights, I decided to buy just what I needed in those colors and use my stash (above) for the rest. That's in the interest of saving money and still making (another) one of my dream quilts. Stay tuned. As soon as the blue and pink arrive, I'll be cutting strips and on my way. Ladies, start your sewing machines!!

Waiting for the checkered flag to drop...

~Joan