It's a Finish! Trail Mix

I'm in finishing mode!

It's a finish!

72 x 90

Trail Mix is a pattern by Mabeth Oxendreider. I found it in a booklet I picked up at a library book sale a long time ago - Better Homes & Gardens Quilt Lovers Favorites. It is now a free online pattern at American Patchwork & Quilting. .  It makes a very large quilt so I left the borders off of mine. 

I started Trail Mix in 2014 to use a collection of fall fabrics I picked up over the years every time those fall fabrics went on sale.  I thought the yellow "trail" through the quilt would be like a trail through the autumn woods. 

You probably know I usually sew blocks together randomly so sewing these blocks in proper order was the most difficult part of making this quilt that has a variety of different blocks. 

I finished the top in 2019 so there was quite a span of years in between start in September 2014 and finish.  I retired in March 2017 and have been trying to finish old UFOs since then. Autumn seemed like a good time to finish up this quilt. 

I quilted leaves in tan thread on my sewing machine (DSM).  I actually had a variety of leftover bindings in Autumn colors to use for a scrappy binding. 

 For this one I used a wide backing. 

And on to the next! 

(I've actually got one quilted and am hand sewing the binding tonight...maybe...and I have another half quilted on the sewing machine. Then I think I need to piece some backings). 

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Midweek Chain Report

 Trail Mix

It's a flimsy!

If I remember correctly it's 72 x 80.

I decided that this month I would work on a couple of UFOs with CHAINs in them.  This is my second UFO with CHAINS I've brought to flimsy stage this month. 

 I started this in September 2014. Then I worked on it again in 2016. I actually have the book with the pattern but since then it has been released as a free online pattern if you are interested.  I'm not adding the borders which would make it 84 x 102. I don't want a quilt that big. 

I used Autumn themed fabrics and colors in the various blocks and used different yellows and a few oranges to form the chain or what I see as a trail through the woods.  Makes me feel like I should go take a hike! 

That's the only chain themed work I did this week. I think I'll have to carry my theme into May in order to get those old UFOs like Jack's Chain to flimsy stage but it's rather difficult to concentrate on those more complex quilts in between gardening tasks this time of year.  But I have no deadlines except for those self-imposed ones so I'm free to go with the flow. 

Midweek Chain Report

 It's a flimsy!

Interlocking Chains

70 x 84

   The Interlocking Chain pattern can be found at Quilter's Cache. 

 I started making these blocks in 2016 as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. Yellow, brown, orange...

 ...red and blue.   

I made it my goal to try to get some UFOs with chains in them to flimsy stage in April. I had to make 12 more blocks this month to add to the previously made 18. And now it's a flimsy. Wooohooo! 

 In other chain news I did make a few more Carolina Chain blocks.  I have only about 1/3 of the dark and light chains necessary to start top assembly. Since I only started this last year to use 2 inch scraps left after making my Fractured Rainbow quilt I'm going to set it aside for this month until I get the older chain quilts to flimsy stage. 

 I've moved forward some on Jack's Chain. I have another "row" to add to this section and then I'll add it to the bigger section and take a measurement. I'm aiming for a large quilt but not sure how many more block and connector rows I need before I can call this a flimsy.  With all the Y seams this is very slow going and I want to get one other chain quilt to flimsy stage so I can totally devote time to getting Jack's Chain to flimsy stage. I'm hoping that happens this month. Time will tell. 

I've joined 5 of 15 rows of Trail Mix. Hopefully this will be a flimsy next week although I have been spending a lot of time in the garden and not so much time sewing lately. A few rainy days are in the forecast this week so we shall see what happens.  I think this trail/chain will look like a patch through the woods in autumn. 

Midweek Chain Report

 I picked the theme CHAINS for April to move some UFOs forward and am reporting on progress each Wednesday in order to keep myself accountable. 

I made four more INTERLOCKING CHAIN blocks.  Only four more to go and I will have 30 blocks and be ready for top assembly. 

 I finished 42 Nine Patches for TRAIL MIX.  This quilt requires five different sets of blocks and this is the final set so I can now start assembling a top.  

CAROLINA CHAINS

I made 18 more dark chain blocks for a total of 50 and 28 more light chain blocks for a total of 60.

No work was done this week on JACK'S CHAIN.  

Mid Week Chain Report

 Saturday I decided to work on five different UFOs in April that involve CHAINS. Since then I've worked on all of them and am going to report on them every Wednesday in order to hold myself accountable. 

Jack's Chain

I cut a lot of neutral hexagons and made five blocks. I've been using swapped nine patches with dark corners to make these. 

 I also made a long connector row. 

 Trail Mix

I made the 24 Double Nine Patch blocks required and cut pieces for the next set of 48 blocks. Can't remember the next block but it will be the last of the five sets to make and then I can start quilt top assembly. 

 Interlocking Chains

I made two more blocks and found fabric pairs for the rest of the blocks.  I think I have eight left to make. 

 Gallimaufry

These little four inch blocks are inspired by a vintage quilt. If there is a name for this block I don't know. I just figured out how to make the block by looking at pictures. 

Carolina Chains

7 with dark chains and 6 with light chains. 

And so it goes...

Chains

 I think my April theme to move UFOs forward will be CHAINS. 

The idea came to me a couple of days ago when I was working on these blocks I call Gallimaufry which are inspired by a vintage quilt. There are fourteen pieces in each four inch block. I cut the little 1.5 inch HSTs and bagged them up as I was cutting QST pieces for another quilt.  I cut the other half of the HST from white or muslin scraps.  I wanted white so the chains that form can be seen more clearly.  The 1.5 inch squares and 2.5 inch squares come from the respective scrap bins.   I made some in green since green is the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.    If I remember correctly I need around 400 blocks and I have about a third of those made.   

I started this quilt early last year. 

 Working on those Gallimaufry blocks somehow motivated me to work on my Carolina Chain blocks with light chains...

...and with dark chains. 

I also started these blocks some time last year. After I made my Fractured Rainbow quilt that used 2 inch scraps I cut from scrap chunks I was left with a lot of 2 inch scraps so I started some Carolina Chain blocks as well as a couple of others that use 2 inch scraps.

While in chain mode I dug into my Trail Mix project box (started September 2014) to see what needed to be done to move it forward.  I have three of the five different sets of blocks made so I cut pieces for the rest of the blocks. I've been using Autumn fabrics and my trail (or chain) is in yellows.  I'm hoping it will remind me of a nice hike in the woods in Autumn. 

Then I thought about my Interlocking Chains which I started in 2016 - fourteen inch blocks I made from 2.5 inch scraps.  I need to dig it out to see how many more blocks I need to move it to flimsy stage.  I'm thinking I have around 20 blocks. 

And then there's my Jack's Chain #2.

Looks like I started it September 2014.   

I don't think I've worked on it since April 2017 so it's about time I move it forward. 

I'm looking forward to working on these old friends in April.  How many will be flimsies at the end of April?  Time will tell!! 

What's in the Book?

 I recently found these four patch blocks stored inside this book when I was looking through my books for something else.   Surprise! Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.  And, no, I don't normally store quilt blocks in books. 

I see according to my blog I started this quilt in September 2014 and then I evidently stashed it in a safe place - the pattern book.   I was going to make it to use some fall fabrics and thought it would remind me of  a nice hike on a trail through autumn woods. 

 With step 1 done I moved on to step 2 which was to make 38 double four patches.   So I made those a couple of days ago and am ready for step 3 now. 

This time I left the blocks laying out where I could see them. 

Moving another UFO forward...

More later!

Choose Your Own BlockAlong

I'm going to join the "Choose Your Own BlockAlong". 

One of the projects I've started is Trail Mix by Maybeth Oxenreider. It consists of 5 different blocks. Block A is a simple four patch made of 3.5 inch squares.   I'm hoping to use up a lot of the chunks of fall fabrics I've accumulated.  I finished up the required 32 four patches and I'm on to the next block which I think is a double four patch. 

I'm also going to be making some red and white blocks of my choice. I have 12 - 12 inch blocks from a swap and I'm going to make more 3, 6 and 9 inch blocks  to add to the 12 until I have enough for a bed sized quilt. 

I also have 12 swap blocks from a 30s reproduction birthday club swap. I requested  any 12 inch star block in any color of 30s  fabrics on a blue background.  Needless to say I'm going to be making many more 12 inch star blocks until I have enough for a large quilt. 

So, I've chosen Trail Mix blocks,  a variety of red and white blocks and 30s reproduction star blocks for my BlockAlong.   I usually have so many projects going and so many UFOs that this BlockAlong may keep me focused on finishes if I have a goal to link up each week with some progress. 

Link up each Monday at Live a Colorful Life.