It's All Good

I have finished another UFO. My goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes (# 147) was to just make the blocks into a top. I did find some time to not only make a top but to get it quilted and bound. 

The finished quilt is 70x84.   It is made similar to the Technicolour Yawn aka Scrap Vomit quilt at I'm a Ginger Monkey in that there is a Block A and a Block B but all my Block Bs are not made of the same fabrics.  

I've been making these blocks for several years - whenever I had a few 2.5 inch scraps left over from projects I would make a 49 patch block.  You can see I must have made a Halloween quilt around the time I assembled a block.  I tried not to repeat any fabrics except for the obvious design repeat in B Blocks.   Isn't it funny though that I randomly assembled blocks and the same fabric in different color ways (blue and green flowers) that were in two separate blocks ended up right next to each other? 

I like scrappy quilts. Everything goes together - dogs, frogs, ants, candy, witches, flowers, leaves, stars, hearts, polka dots, stripes, butterflies. There's so much to look at in a scrappy quilt.  You can play I Spy with the grandkids. And some fabrics just make you smile. There's memories of other projects, other times, people you gave quilts to - some unknown.  

I quilted it on my plain Jane DSM. Using the squares as a kind of grid I looped up and then down across two rows. 

It shows up a little better on the back. I used some light blue quilting cotton thread I had in my stash. The back was a nice cotton sheet from the thrift store.  The only real cost was the batting. 

I'm not calling my quilt Scrap Vomit or Technicolour Yawn.  

I think I will call it "It's All Good".  Because it is.  I like leftovers. 

And now I'm off to the Lovely Year of Finishes Party. 

And now that I've finished a UFO maybe I should start a new project. Maybe...

The Dwindling of the Pink?

Pink is color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Late last year I started making Sunbonnet Sues from postage stamp sized pieces(1.5 inch square) using a vintage pattern from Q is for Quilter.  Here's my pink girl.   In addition to postage stamp blocks in each color of the rainbow I also started making some heart blocks. 

I have a lot of UFOs and can never decided which to work on next. The color pink lead me to this UFO -  different 9 inch blocks in pink and black I swapped back in 2010.  I have 15 of them but wanted at least 20. 

So, I had enough of some pink scraps to make 5 more blocks.   I'll be joining them into a sampler throw soon. 

I also have another UFO in pink and black - Pink Thrifty blocks. I don't remember when I swapped these but it was quite a while ago.  I have 67 - 6 inch blocks and want 90 for a quilt 54x60. 

So, again, I went to the pink scrap bin for some pink scraps to make more blocks. 11 more and I will have another UFO on the way to completion. 

I don't think the pink scraps have dwindled too much. 

If you would like to join the Rainbow Scrap Challenge it's easy...grab some scraps and sew. If you don't have any pink scraps you can sure see some pink eye candy over at  the ScrapHappy Saturday linky party - a weekly RSC event. 

Beads on a String

Well, I punched in at work at 6 a.m. and left work at 9 a.m.   There is a winter weather advisory in effect for most of the day. We are supposed to get 6-7 inches of snow mixed with sleet at times and high winds that will cause low visibility, blowing and drifting.  I live out in the country and have a long commute time so thought I should try to get home before I get stuck at work.   And so now that gives me time to catch up on blog hopping and answering emails (while I still have internet).  And, it leaves time for sewing. 

This month's block at Block Lotto is Bead on a String on white background with beads in orange, yellow, maroon.  There's no maroon in my stash and very little orange or yellow but I managed to squeeze out a few blocks.  I don't really think I'm a fan of circles but just had to try to make a few. 

I'm also participating in the Block Lotto Mod Mod QAL so had to (well, I guess I really didn't have to but I did) make 13 beads for my Full/Queen sized quilt. 

I'm making my Mod Mod quilt in complementary colors so here is what I ended up from my pile of scraps.  I need 4 sets of three sewn together and one single. 

And  the beads will be mixed with my January Block Lotto Chevron blocks...

...in this configuration from the Mod Mod QAL Feb update

I think this quilt is definitely going to be wild. 

If this all looks interesting, fun and/or challenging join up at Block Lotto and get in on the action! 

blocklotto.com

Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times where I always see new projects I want to start.

What's Happening on the Crazy Farm?

I just finished block #3 for my Crazy Farm lap quilt. 

It was really difficult to see the stitching lines for this lady her chicks but I guess I managed okay. She's all done in black back stitch. I wasn't sure how well any colors would show up on that egg background.  I used 1 or 2 strands of black DMC.  The seam on the side is done in feather stitch, detached chains and pistil stitches.  I used a variegated cotton floss that changed colors from deep purple to lime green. 

On this seam I used some variegated floss too but it was all shades of green. I added some leaves to the turnips. 

I stitched up this motif in outline stitch using two strands of different flosses. The center to the sunflowers are all french knots. That was a lot of french knots! 

This flower seam is also stitched in two (or was it three?) strands of variegated floss.  I cut the butterflies out of some fabric with about 1/4 inch seam all around and then first appliqued them and then did a blanket stitch all around in one strand of brown. The bodies are all bullion stitches. 

On that long top seam I first did some long running stitches and some x stitches in between. Then I alternated some lazy daisy stitches on the running stitches. I did some back stitching around the seed packets but it was in black so doesn't show.  A couple of short seams have some herringbone stitches and one has a few straight stitch stars/asterisks. 

And so far I have 3 - 12 inch blocks finished out of the 20 I want. 

Doing any hand stitching today? Then head on over to Kathy's Quilts Slow Stitching Sunday and join the party. 

If you are interested in crazy quilting visit Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2014 for some inspiration. 

From Whence Did These Pink Scraps Come?

This week I used my pink scraps to make some 9 inch wonky log cabins and...

...4 -8 inch string blocks. 

I don't like pink so I was wondering from whence did these pink scraps come?  I'm a sucker for butterfly and heart/valentine prints. I won a couple of fat quarters that I've cut up and used in other scrap quilts. I made a couple of shirts, dresses and shorts for the granddaughters.  And I made a couple of quilts for the granddaughters.  Oh, and I like polka dots and I'm a sucker for novelty prints when they are on sale (like those dogs I used in a quilt for the granddaughters).  I think I might have made a pillowcase or grocery/book bag with a few of those prints too. 

We (Rainbow Scrap Challengers) are using up our pink scraps this month. Check out how this fine (well, kind of fine) ScrapHappy Saturday at SoScrappy. 

Don't Set Sail On Someone Else's Star

I won some Tall Star blocks from Block Lotto back in September.  The blocks were 6 x 9. I added 2 inch strips to each side to square them up to 9 inches. 

Then I made some wonky words - "Don't set sail on someone else's star" - which is supposedly an African proverb.   I found it by Googling for sayings with the word "star". The words are my first attempt at patchwork words. I wasn't quite sure how to add the words to the quilt so they could be read properly. I didn't fret over it too much. This is how they ended up. 

I figured with that saying I should add some ships to the quilt so made up a few Tall Ships - another Block Lotto block. 

I was a little short on the red fabric with little stars I had in my stash for backing so added a strip of some other red fabric with stars. 

I quilted most of it with loops and stars on my plain Jane DSM. 

The sail boats were quilted with just loops.  I don't think you can see it very well but under the ships I quilted what are supposed to be waves. 

All together the quilt looks like this.  That white stuff all over the bottom is snow. 

Don't Set Sail

72 x 90

Since it has some good advice for a high school graduate I'm putting this in the Grandkid's hope chest. One of them will get this for their high school graduation.  There's nothing like planning ahead I always say. The oldest Grandkids are 9 so it will probably be a while before it will get any use. 

Linky Partying at: 

Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts

Potpourri of Hand Stitching Projects

I'm still working on hand quilting this Double Wedding Ring. I'm stitching in the ditch around the rectangles in the arches  in order to get some practice stitching. before I attempt anything in the center areas.  There are 98 arches in this quilt so I think I will be at this for awhile. 

I need to finish stitching down the binding on this 72 x 90 quilt.  I hope to finish that before end of day so I can get it washed and dried today also. I live out in the country where the electricity is expensive. We get a lower rate on the weekends so we try to get our laundry done on weekends to save money. (In the summer we hang laundry outside to dry.) 

I finished 6 more butterflies and need to cut more to work on tonight and little bit each night after work and dinner.  I need to count how many I have left to do.  I THINK I have 44 finished and need 54.  I've been using 30s reproduction fabrics on Kona Snow embroidered with black perle #8. 

If you are doing some hand stitching this fine Sunday morning why not stitch along at 

 Slow Stitching Sunday hosted by Kathy's Quilts. 

Where is Pinkie? Where is Pinkie?

Pink is the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2014. 

I've made some pink 3 inch spool blocks which brings the total block count to 321. Over a third of those blocks are blue. So this year I hope to add to some of the other colors before I start assembling them into a quilt top.

These really are the same block as the spool block but change the colors around and add one and you have butterflies. 

Late last year I started making these 3 inch butterflies. These are the first in the color pink. 

I think I'm going to use make them into blocks like a vintage quilt I saw at Nostalgic Cafe. 

I think I have enough scraps left for some string and crumb blocks for next week. 

Looking for ideas for your pink scraps? Visit ScrapHappy Saturday at  SoScrappy. 

ALYoF February Goal

I just realized I haven't declared a February Lovely Year of Finishes Goal. 

I'm working on a UFO. I hope to have these 1470   2.5 inch squares  that I have made into 30  14 inch blocks made into a quilt TOP 70 x 84.   If I get more than that finished it will be a bonus. 

Oh, the quilt will look similar to the Technicolour Yawn aka Scrap Vomit quilt at I'm A Ginger Monkey  except that my Block B uses different colors for the center pattern. 

 Feb Goal Setting Party for ALYoF

Practice, Practice, Practice and then Practice

I decided I wanted to hand quilt this Double Wedding Ring quilt. 

I've done big stitching in perle 5 on my Dandy Garden quilt. 

I've done big stitching in perle 8 on my Rainbow of Favorite Things quilt. 

I've done big stitching in perle 8 that was then laced (laced running stitch).  This quilt also had some finer hand stitching in the ditch.    (Grandma's Sewing Room/Spools quilt),

Last year I tried hand quilting with 20 wt thread on this ginormous (somewhere between queen and king sized) snowball/nine patch quilt.  I couldn't get used to using a thimble. I couldn't get the stitching motion right. I couldn't get used how the quilt should fit in a hoop.  And the stitches looked like basting when I was finished. So it sits in a crumpled heap up on the bed in the spare bedroom. 

Everytime I had a coupon I bought a different kind of thimble to try. None of them felt right. Some fell off my finger. Some slipped when I tried to push a needle with it. 

I finally found one I can work with.  It has a little ridge around the top. 

I have a hoop I like and I've learned not to pull everything taught like I do for embroidery. 

I've started out by stitching in the ditch between fabric strips on the arches.  My stitches are kind of hidden that way while I practice, practice, practice. I think I have the motions figured out and feel a little more confident.  Now if I could just see a little better...

I'm meeting up with other folks at Kathy's Quilts for some Slow Sunday Stitching.