{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 #941} Bow Ties Quilt Quilted

Last night I finished the quilting on my bow ties quilt.  I made up a continuous pattern for the blocks.  It left a space on the alternate blocks, but I'm OK with that.  These are taken outside.

I made a label for the back by making a cream bow tie block against the same background fabric as the backing fabric of the quilt.  I sewed it down on two sides as it is sewn into a corner of the quilt.  I will hand sew down the other two sides this afternoon then wash and dry it and take another picture of the whole thing.

~Joan

{Post #940} Machine Quilting AM

Bow tie quilting began!  I made up two new-to-me designs.  One is for the border:

Here is how I quilted the center...I made up a neat continuous design:

I made a newby mistake...put the backing on the frame sideways.  I wondered why I had so much fabric on each side, then I got to the bottom and ran out of backing fabric.  From now on, I'll be marking the top edge of the top, batting, and backing with a safety pin.  This is only one row longer than it is wide, so it was easy to do.


~Joan

{Post #932} Bow Tie Center Finished

This AM I finished sewing my bow tie quilt center.  Here are some pictures.  I picked border fabric.  The plaid alternate blocks are dark cream with sage green and eggplant color plaid lines.

I was packaging up my surprise package that was posted today.  Spontaneity overtook me, and I took a self-portrait.  On the cutting edge of technology, I tell you.  Photoshop can only do so much!  ;)

If statistics can be believed, I'm one of only 2% of the world's population with green eyes.  


~Joan

{Post #931} Bow Ties Partly Set

Here is how much I have sewn together of my bow tie top.  I have one more diagonal row put together, and that will be the final row, making the set of blocks 7 x 8.

I am really liking the setting plaid.  I didn't measure the piece before I started, and it turns out that I will have just enough after cutting the corner and side triangles as well as the 6-1/2" alternate blocks.  I think I have 2 of the square blocks left over.  That was cutting it close!  I am going to use a sage green for an inner border and a dark purple for the outer border.  Those are the two colors in the plaid with the dark cream.


In other breaking news, Elisabeth mowed our yard today and cut down the prolific monkey grass around our huge natural areas.  Thanks, Elisabeth!!

Rachel had oral surgery yesterday AM and is doing fantastic!!  Here is a bad pic of some lovely flowers she rec'd as a get-well from our church family:

{Post #930} Possible Layout

I really want to make a plaid quilt.  I also am not thrilled with using side-by-side-by-side bow tie blocks.  What do you think of this on-point setting with plaid alternate blocks?  Best of both worlds or yuck?

~Joan

{Post #929} Mail Surprise

Got a nice surprise in the mail today.  Two actually, but this one is a quilty one!

Leeanne is one of my bloggy friends from New Zealand.  She sent me these lovely bow tie blocks to add to my collection.  That was so thoughtful!  This afternoon I sewed them to some of my others.  Yippee!


~Joan

{Post #920} Bow Ties So Far

I rec'd a lovely package from Julie this afternoon.  We swapped some bow tie pieces.  I was hoping I'd get to sew them soon, so I just went ahead and sewed them tonight.


Here are the little 2-piece units in a smile shape:

They are happy to be living at my house.  Here are the units from the above pic sewn to a colored square and in line to be ironed:

Here are the units pressed open...nearly finished--just one more seam:

Here's all my Julie blocks:

I wonder if they'll play nicely with the ones from my stash?  Well, let's see, shall we?  These are all the unconnected blocks.

Well, I might as well throw the ones sewn into 4-block units up there, too:

That's all I have cut so far.  181 blocks in all.  That looks (and sounds) like a LOT, but it's only 39" x 48" at the widest points.


Here are two blocks I was worried about playing nicely with my other ones.  See if you can find them in the above picture:

Tomorrow night is our second "Sit 'n Knit" at our house.  I already know two ladies cannot come, but one of my Y friends will be coming!  I am sure the group will vary weekly, and I am eagerly anticipating it weekly! 


Other wonderful news:  I sold my Little Gracie frame yesterday, and the new owner already took it away!


~Joan

{Post #911} More Bow Tie Blocks and SCRAPS

OK--so these really ARE scraps.  Susie saw these on my cutting table and asked "Are you keeping THOSE??"  She knows my affinity for using it all.  These, however, did go into the trash.  I figure by the time I took off a seam allowance there wouldn't be enough fabric showing to determine color!!  These are the trimmings from the little squares for my bow tie blocks.

Here is my progress on the bow tie blocks.  I don't have any more cut right now.  

I need to take Benjamin to the doctor's for an ear infection.  Poor kid.  Can't even remember the last time he saw a doctor, but it hasn't been in the last 6 years.  Fortunately, my family doctor accepted him as a new patient and we go in about 10 minutes.


~Joan

{Post #909} New Project and Heart Garland

My favorite 17-year-old asked me if I wanted to watch a movie and hang out in the sewing room tonight.  Music to my ears.  She made this beautiful garland out of poster board...

I started making these.  I tried to resist, but I made some for my BFF, Julie.  Now I'm hooked.  They take next to no time to cut and sew (really!).  I'll have a queen-sized quilt out of these babies in no time!  {right}

Each bow tie block is 3-1/2" unfinished.  I decided to go ahead and put 4 scrappy blocks together like this as I make them.  This block measures 6-1/2" square.  I am going all rogue and mixing Thimbleberries and non-T'b again.


Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow.


~Joan