{Post 1,027} A Surprise Started

There is a dear elderly widow in my church that loves flowers.  She has given me several of my favorite plants in our natural area out front.  


I have been machine quilting last night and this AM and have learned the hard way that I can't keep doing that like the Energizer bunny, or I'll pay for it in back and shoulder pain the next day (s).  Only this much more to go on my wreath quilt (about 3 more feet of batting showing, so I must be close to the end!):

So as I took a break from machine quilting today, I started a set of 8" string blocks for my friend, Mrs. H.  I used widely-colored strings from my watercolor quilt stash.  The same fabrics that I used for my Florabunda quilt.  


Here are my flocks so far.  In this photo, the paper is still on the backs, so they don't stick flat to the design wall.

My son, Luke, saw them and said they look like stained glass.  I suppose they do from a distance.  I used a 1" cut black strip for the center diagonally of each block.  I love the ease and mindlessness of sewing strings.

~Joan

{Post #990} Gifting Quilts

I want some input from those of you who make quilts to give as gifts.  Recently I decided to make some gift quilts.  Some have been small wall hangings or table runners.  Others are baby-sized (40" square) or larger.  Some are large twin-bed-sized or larger for throws.  


Here is my dilemma.  In think only twice in my quilt gift-giving has the recipient told me thank you or that they like the quilt.  I have made many baby quilts and quilts for Christmas gifts over the years.


Having made some quilts for my very particular daughter this past year in preparation for her wedding, I know that some people are very picky about colors, styles, patterns, sizes, etc.  My daughter proved that by "hating" some quilts I suggested and "loving" others.  She loved this one.  Go figure.

The problem is this.  I told a friend I wanted to make him a quilt.  He responded, "I love your quilts."  He was here for lunch (his birthday) this past Sunday.  So I took the opportunity to show him some of the recycled shirt plaid quilts I'm working on downstairs in my sewing room.  I thought he could let me know if he liked one of those.  I had one in mind, and oddly enough, that's the one he liked most.  I could tell he wasn't really thrilled with it though.  It would be a larger version of this baby quilt I just finished:

We got upstairs, and he gravitated to the quilt rack in the living room and started looking through the quilts on it.  There were probably 12 full-sized quilts.  He couldn't find the one he was looking for, which does not surprise me.  The kids take quilts off there to their rooms, etc.  He said he was looking for one that he remembered liking that had "warm colors".  Then he picked the most difficult and time-consuming one I had on there and said that is the one he liked the most.  Well, I'm not willing to put THAT much time into a quilt for a friend.  Seriously.  When I made it, I was thinking that I'd never make one again.  Here it is:

It's like, "Yes, I love you, but not that much!"  

My niece was here for Susie's graduation this past week.  I told my sister (her mom) that I'd like to make her a quilt.  I thought she'd like my recent Florabunda and was going to give her that one w/o asking for her input, as a surprise.  This picture shows half of it.  

Turns out she didn't like it at all.  So I'm glad I did not surprise her with it.  She started looking through some of my books and patterns.  She found one she liked.  It is hard for non-sewers to imagine a quilt pattern in colors different from the ones shown in the sample pattern.  I understand that.  


The challenge (and what I want your input on) is that the quilt (even if it's a small one) take up time.  Some times LOTS of time.  I don't want to make something if the recipient is not going to like it.  But, honestly?  Most people can't even tell me what kind of quilt they like.  They might give a color scheme, but when confronted with it in person, realize they don't like it after all.  Same with a pattern.  They like it, but when they see it in "their" colors, they don't like it.


I am frustrated because I want to make people quilts.  The truth is that I have gotten very little feedback from those I have given quilts to as gifts.  I am assuming they 


1.  don't like them  
2.  don't care about them  
3.  forgot to mention it
4.  whatever!!


Since making quilts is a hobby I love, and I have so much fabric here to use, I want to bless others with quilts they will like.  What do YOU do??


~Joan

{Post #957} One Quilt At A Time...or Three!

I noticed something unusual...I get more done on a quilt when I only work on that quilt.  What a concept!  But I find myself working a bit here and there on other quilts while the main quilt is in process.  That's usually because as I am cutting for the "main quilt", I cut pieces for other quilts I plan to make in the future.  Plus, there's the whole leader/ender thing.  Ironically, the future is now (I think that's a quote from some famous historian, but I don't know who)...I can barely wait to see how one block of "future quilt" looks, and next thing I know, I'm zipping up a couple blocks, then another...


It's a vicious cycle.  But I was looking back at my recently finished quilts.  Florabunda.  Bow Ties.  Two I Spy baby quilts.  Scrappy Trips Floral/Plaid/Thimbleberries scraps.  Hmmm...there's a pattern here.


All that to say that I finished MOST of the piecing for my Fair & Square quilt last night.  I need to add the black 1-1/2" wide sashing to about 20 blocks, then I'm ready to lay this quilt out on the design wall.  Finished piecing, starching (it pains me to even type the word), and removing paper foundations from the last 29 string blocks.  So if I can find some piecing time today, this might be ready to lay out next week.


Here are the last 11 1-1/2" strip 4-patch blocks.  In spite of having few shirts, there is a lot of variety in each block.  Once again, my goal was to separate the attention-getting fabrics (you know who you are!).

Here is my design wall as of last night.

In the back are a few of the finished sashed and pieced string blocks.  On the right are the two outer border pieces I have done so far.  They are folded in half and are much longer than they appear.  They are pieced from 2" strips.  


What is that on the left side?  Oh...that's what I was referring to earlier in this post.  As I am handling all these plaids, I have been cutting strips for a scrappy bargello plaids and stripes only quilt.  Nearly all are shirt strips.  I just HAD to see what one panel would end up looking like.  I had a picture in my MIND, but I wanted to see one on the WALL :)  This is the result of 40 2-1/2" strips.  The panel is 80-1/2" long and 12-1/2" wide.


There are only 6 panels in the quilt I plan to make, so I am 1/6 of the way there!  If it weren't for the cutting of all the strips, I could have one of those made in a day, I think.  Quilted and all!  Sooooo fast.  Truly, as with any good scrap quilt, ANYTHING goes!!  No matchy-matchy fabrics.  Just toss it in there.  I might use a jelly roll that's been languishing in my fabric storage for one of these.  They are just that fast and easy.  


I thought it would be difficult to cut the tubes of squares from the original panel.  It wasn't.  In fact, I was fairly frightened about the process because instead of cutting my strips 18" as suggested (I couldn't stand to throw away such a large chunk of fabric), I cut mine 16", giving me only 1" total of waste.  So after I straightened up one side, I had just a smidge to trim from the other.  All was well.  Perfect, in fact.  It didn't pain me at all to throw away <1" of fabric total from each strip.  If I had the 3" piece, I would have been racking my brain to come up with a way to USE it!  Really!  Just ask my daughters :)


Off for a busy day.  Graduate brunch, airsoft war, and opening season for the baseball team my son is on.  Glory!


~Joan

{Post #949} Florabunda Fully Finished

Today I finished the machine quilting on the Florabunda quilt, bound it, labeled it, and washed and dried it.  A full day!!  I am enamored by the machine quilting on this beauty.  The HandiQuilter machine and frame makes it soooo easy to quilt lovely designs.  No monetary commission, just a happy customer.

I had a few small pieces of the 3-1/2" wide strips used to make the HSTs in each block.  I had just enough w/o cutting into any other pieces to cut BINDING!  Will the fabric supply ever end??  Hahaha...never throw away a shred, just.  in.  case.  This is about 70" x 90".


Our house runneth over with quilts.  The thing is, they are all special in different ways...pattern, technique, hand quilted, etc., etc.


~Joan

{Post #947} Scrappy Trips Top Finished

I have been up since 4 AM (nap coming later this afternoon).  Rachel had to be at a meeting place at 6 AM for a competition some of our church children are attending.  So I've been sewing a little this AM.

Here is my completed Scrappy Trips top.  I used up some of my still leftover watercolor strips for the border.  

  
Now for a few close-ups.  When you see the diversity of these fabrics, you will wonder if I have another screw loose (thanks, Julie).

The point is...ANYthing goes in these scrappy quilts.  As I have preached in the past...just spread out the attention-getting prints.

The inner border is the BACK of a brushed cotton fabric.  It's 1/2" finished.  Then I cut my 6" watercolor border that was left over into 3 two-inch strips (and I still have some left over!).

My next task is to have the patience to cut an entire scrappy bargello out of plaids.  I have started using salad or spinach plastic boxes for storing kits in progress.  I will need to clean out from under my cutting table (I cringe at the thought) to make room for more storage boxes.  I am the president of the "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" club.  We meet right next to Procrastinators Anonymous.

This quilt top measures about 41-1/2" now.  After I finish my Florabunda quilting, I will pop this one on next.

~Joan

{Post #945} Scrappy Trip Piecing

I did some more machine quilting on my Florabunda.  The design is very small and it is slow going.  It will be worth it in the end, so I'm not complaining, just updating!


Somewhere I saw a pic of dear Bonnie Hunter with two scrappy trip quilts.  I just looked for it and cannot find it.  Some help with that?  One was a baby size made with 2" strips and the other was much larger, made with 2-1/2" strips.  I am in the process of making one from 2" strips.  It's a hodge podge of everything...plaids, florals, and the every-present Thimbleberries.  As with every other scrappy quilt though, it all goes when there's enough variety. 


I am going to have it set 4 x 4 blocks.  That will make it 36" square.  I might add a border and call it done for a baby quilt.

~Joan

{Post #944} Wowser Flower!!

Seriously, if you machine quilt with free-motion designs and do NOT have the Pajama Quilter DVDs, stop reading this and go order them.  I just quilted these beautiful flowers, leaves, and ribbons on my Florabunda quilt.

I cannot recommend Dawn's DVDs highly enough.  A little practice on a whiteboard, and dive right in.  Foolproof designs.

~Joan

{Post #933} Florabunda Bordered

My Florabunda quilt top has both borders on it.  I did another "Bonnie" and cut enough 6" wide dark florals to frame out the 2" wide lights I used for the inner border.  Mix and match--just use it up!


Now to start a backing tonight.  I want to use up a bunch of the florals.  I am leaning towards alternating light and dark 10" squares.  But me being me, I want to cut up ANY little bits left over so I don't have any little more bits to store.  That means I need another quilt to cut out or at least sizes of pieces so I don't end up putting most of this back on the shelf.  I have lots more lights than darks, so I may just use lights.


It has been fun to use some non-Thimbleberries.  Don't be me wrong--I love them, but a change has been nice.


Here is the quilt folded in half and pinned to my design wall.

Here is what I have left after making the above quilt:

Hopefully after backing it will be a much shorter stack...but I don't really think it will.


~Joan

{Post #918} Florabunda 48 Blocks & Border

Finished up the center of my Florabunda quilt tonight and added one pieced inner border.  I think I'll cut up the dark 3-1/2" strips I have left over to run one border of that around the outside. 

I sewed the 1-1/2" strips left over from trimming down the light 3-1/2" strips (original size of the triangle units) together then trimmed them down to 2" and sewed them in lengths.  I used up all but about 10" of what I had cut originally.  How great is that?

The picture at the bottom is w/o the inner border yet attached that is shown in close-ups above.  How confusing is that?


~Joan

{Post #917} Florabunda 36 & Bow Ties

Here are all my Florabunda blocks sewn together.  This measures 54" square.  I cut enough more pieces to add a row to the top and bottom to make it 54" x 72".  Then I'll add some scraps to put a "border" on it...maybe.

Here is a pile of pieces to make 12 more blocks.

Julie is sending me 25 sets of pieces (and I sent her 25), so I'm going to wait to make any more sets of 4 until I get her pieces sewn up.  I finished piecing all my bow tie blocks that are cut.

~Joan

{Post #915} Hexagons

I worked on my hexagon quilt a little this AM.  I was staying at the flea market with Rachel while she sold her homemade goodies.  Here is my Grandmother's Flower Garden hexagon project so far...it measures 20" x 30" at its widest parts.

I just have one more row of blossoms to go down the right side.  There's light at the end of the tunnel!

Must be the influence of Pinterest, but I have all kinds of decluttering/repurposing/redecorating ideas floating around in my head.  I think this quilt will go either in my bathroom or above the head of my bed.  I want to hand quilt it like Natasha did hers (but hers is much larger, and if I'm not mistaken, nearly finished).

Bonnie is having another yard sale Saturday on March 3.  I will be selling my two hand-quilting hoops--one oval and one for borders, as well as numerous books and patterns.  I hope to have better pictures this go-round.  I also have a queen-sized quilt that I no longer use that I made a long time ago.  Everything went marvelously last time.  Be ready to participate on March 3.

Off to cheer for Rachel's basketball team in about 15 minutes.  At her game last night, I met a new quilting friend (hi, Penny!) whose daughter is on the same team.  We never met until last night.  As we were standing there talking, I told her there were some strings on the side of her vest and did she want me to pull them off?  She said she had been sewing before she came, and that certainly got my attention.  Then she corrected herself and said she had not been sewing, she had been PIECING A QUILT TOP!!  Needless to say, we had a LOT to talk about for the next hour.  She is a fairly new quilter.  I gave her my blog address.  I'm sure we'll chat a bit more at the game today :)

I laid out 36 my Florabunda blocks last night.  I am at that crucial point where I need to determine how large the finished product should be.  Since the blocks finish at 9 inches, this is 54" square at this point.  That does not seem large enough.

I will have to let those marinate for a while.

~Joan

{Post #914} Florabunda x 36 & Lamp

Here are 36 Florabunda blocks, a la Bonnie.

Yesterday my husband and I attended a funeral for the brother of one of his co-workers.  On the long way there we passed an IKEA store in Charlotte.  My mind immediately went back to Bonnie's lamp.  I didn't even know where there was an IKEA store around my home!  


The bulb for my sewing machine costs about $5, and one only lasts for about 3 months.  So we stopped on the way back and I got one.  Mind is RED.  Live-a-little red (long story there).  


Light on:

Light off:

What a difference.  My sewing machine bulb was on in both pictures.  This light was great.  $9.99 plus tax!


Good night!


~Joan

{Post #908} Small Scrappy Bargello Blocks

From little acorns mighty oaks grow.  Here are some scrap strips left over from my Florabunda blocks made into small bargello blocks.  They measure 9 inches (finished size).  The starting strips were 2 inches wide.  I am going to make enough for a baby quilt or possibly something a little larger.  I dared to mix Thimbleberries and my wild florals plus a little of this and a little of that.  The more you add, the more nothing stands out.  Who thought T'b could play with other fabrics so nicely?  This is only 4 blocks, but there will be many more.

{Post #906} HQ Frame & Florabunda

Since I still had my watercolor fabrics out, I decided to cut as many strips for my Florabunda quilt as I reasonably could.  I cut enough for 28 more blocks (already have 8 pieced).  There seems to be a lot of black background fabrics, so I want to sew these up and see what colors I want to add more of.


I don't have more than 3 of any one fabric, and they are not all matched up with the same "neutral".  I then subcut the triangles with my Easy Angle ruler.  It goes so fast during the piecing if you put your strips right sides together and not disturb them until they are sewn.  


As usual, after cutting a bunch of fabric, I can barely tell that the original stack shrunk at all.  I also made some cuts for a scrappy bargello quilt using some of these same prints (I am using 2" x 12-1/2" strips for that).  I wanted to use up the print if it just had one more strip in it.


Here are 28 blocks in a stack, ready to sew:

Isaac hurt his knee.  It is his laundry day.  I didn't want him going up and down the steps, so I did his laundry for him (which was a reason I was downstairs and able to sew some before supper).  I finished sewing the units for the Florabunda in the nick of time to make supper...Broccoli Pasta Soup, one of our favorites.


Here is the pile under my sewing table.  After supper I am going to press and subcut 4-patch units while I watch a movie.

Does that look like 28 nine-inch blocks to YOU?


Here are the long-awaited boxes.  Although I did some cleaning up in the garage in anticipation of moving my Little Gracie frame out there, it might be another week or so before the HQ frame is assembled and ready to use.  I can easily distract myself with other happenings though.

~Joan

{Post #905} Highway Hearts

This modern technology!  So much to have to learn.  I emailed myself this picture from the parking lot of the flea marker from my phone.  Rachel and I go over nearly every Friday from 9 AM until she sells all her muffins and brownies.  Those who haven't gotten hot chocolate or coffee by then are just out of luck.


This is my Highway Hearts quilt.  Most of it has been sewn on the road or asphalt!  I will check later to see how much hand quilting remains, but I know I'm 3 motifs closer to being finished than I was before this AM.  The lighting has been perfect in our vehicle lately.  It's bright, but slightly overcast...perfect for hand quilting.


Looking back at my blog, I realized that I started cutting and piecing this about a year ago.  It has been to Ohio and Florida numerous times.  The stories this quilt could tell.  Several specific memories are piecing 18 blocks in a hotel room while my husband attended meetings in FL while I suffered with a sinus infection, quilting at Emily's kitchen table in between washing the mud-mixing tools for Nate at 2 AM, and hand quilting in my parents "Florida room" in Ohio (which is ironic because that's where most of the real work took place--in Florida).  That leads me to explain my blog.  It's a journal for me.  I am grateful for those ladies I have gotten to know through it (hi, Julie!), but it's is a journal of events, quilts, daily happenings, etc.  It's nice to be able to look back on it from time to time.

I had to make a quick trip home for Rachel for some items she forgot to pack, and THE UPS TRUCK WAS IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE when I got there.  My HQ frame is here...in 5 big boxes (pictures to come later).  I am so blessed to have the room and money for this big ma'am-moo...


Bonnie posted pictures of her Florabunda quilt blocks this AM.  Mine are the opposite of hers.  Drat!  But I have 8 blocks made and there is no turning back.  Her neutral is yellow.  Mine is light florals because I'm not a yellow fan (to each her own, eh?).  Her main color is the chain, mine is the light color.  But at least I was consistent!


Off to get some lunch and then check schoolwork, etc.  Typical day in my life.


~Joan

{Post #904} Life After Thimbleberries

I was just thinking that I haven't been this tired in a long time.  Then I simultaneously realized that this is my third post today.  A connection?  Nah!


When I went through my watercolor fabrics earlier, I was wondering what I could make to use some of them.  You know I NEED to start a new project!  I didn't want to make an actual watercolor quilt.  So I started auditioning some of them in other quilts.  You know I'm a die-hard Thimbleberries girl, so this did not come easily.


Eventually I went with Bonnie Hunter's Florabunda pattern.  It's just a Jacob's Ladder with florals.  I am not a big fan of yellow, so I am using light florals for my "yellow".  I have sewn 8 blocks this afternoon.  Here is a sample:

And four together:

Have a good night!  Found out my new frame will be here tomorrow!


~Joan