Quilting is in my Blood

I am joining the weekly To-Do Tuesday Linky Party hosted by Chris at ChrisKnits. 

To-Do for the week of June 15th-21st:

1. Make one Fancy Fox block. √Done

2. Take two workshops through the online Vermont Quilt Festival. They were Storm at Seas: No More Tears Paper Piecing with David Sirota and Vintage Quilt Revival with Giuseppe Ribaudo (AKA Giucy Giuce). √Done

3. Make more Positivity blocks. √Done

To-Do #1

On Friday I made my first Fancy Fox block for the Quilted Connections 1st Annual Spectacular Summer Sew-Along. This sew-along is to make Elizabeth Hartman quilts and other projects of our own choice and share at least one block per week. I made some Fancy Foxes five years ago that I eventually sewed into a modified Fancy Forest quilt for my sister-in-law Sharon (see second photo below). I’m making another version of this modified quilt, so get ready to see a lot of Elizabeth Hartman’s cute animals and a couple whimsical thistle flowers in the next couple months.

To-Do #2

I really enjoyed the two workshops I took through the Vermont Quilt Festival. I’ve wanted to make a Storm at Seas quilt for several years, and it was fun to learn another paper piecing method that does not involve ripping papers from the finished blocks. Dave’s method is similar to freezer paper piecing, but templates are printed on vellum paper rather than freezer paper. It was also super cool to learn his tip for matching points that involves using dental floss. Check out his How to Match Perfect Points video. I’ve sewn some units together for a portion of 30″ square wall-hanging:

Vintage Quilt Revival was a process-oriented workshop that incorporated modern design features while maintaining and appreciating elements of traditional quilting. The quilt I plan to redesign is a quilt made for me by my mom in the 1980s. While it is not my current quilting ascetic, there are many aspects of this quilt that I think are striking. The number one feature I want to include in my rendition of my mom’s quilt is the repeating diagonal stripe.

To-Do #3

I made more Positivity blocks this past week and will share a pic of them in my June 2021 OMG post later this week.

To-Do for the week of June 22nd-28th:

1. Quilt minimally and bind rainbow Sashiko squares to make into mug rugs for my cousins.
2. Make another Fancy Fox block.
3. Work on Positivity quilt.
4. Make more Storm at Sea units.

Linking up to Chris Knits: To-Do Tuesday.

I am joining the weekly To-Do Tuesday Linky Party hosted by Chris at ChrisKnits. 

To-Do for the week of June 8th-14th:

1. Make two blocks for the Covered in Love May-June Block Drive. √Done

2. Stitch two Sashiko rainbow squares. √Done

3. Subcut 2.5” and 4.5” squares and 2.5” X 6.5” rectangles for the Positivity Quilt Along hosted by Sew Preeti Quilts. √Done

To-Do #1

These two blocks for the Covered in Love May-June Block Drive were quick and easy to make. Tammy is guest hosting this block drive, and she has chosen a really easy block with a 5” center (our choice—think I-Spy for Grown-ups) and 3.5” borders in colors of sea and sand (which can include the colors yellow, cream, and gold). The centers I used were from my recent Whale Tales projects, but any 5” square can be used for these blocks.

To-Do #2

Many of you will recognize these two Sashiko squares stitched with rainbow thread. This is the second time I’ve stitched these two patterns, and they are two of my favorite Sashiko patterns with their modern look and ease of stitching. These will be made into mug rugs for my cousin, Sally, and her daughter, Kenzie, who I will see when visit California next month. They both are sewists and quilters who enjoy hand-crafted items.

To-Do #3

Early in the week I got the sub-cutting done for my Positivity quilt so decided to start sewing blocks together. I’m using Alison Glass Kaleidoscope fabrics, and the three blocks below are made using Mermaid, Tiger, and Turtle with a Charcoal background. These blocks lend themselves to being chain-pieced, so it doesn’t take long to finish a batch of them. I found I didn’t even need to pin when sewing until I was sewing the three block “columns” together. The colors of these Kaleidoscope fabrics are so rich which makes sewing these simple blocks together a joy.

To-Do for the week of June 15th-21st:

1. Make one Fancy Fox block for the Quilted Connections 1st Annual Spectacular Summer Sew-Along. This sew-along is to make Elizabeth Hartman quilts and other projects of our own choice and share at least one block per week.
   

2. Take two workshops through the online Vermont Quilt Festival. The first on June 17th is called Storm at Seas No Tears Paper Piecing with David Sirota. The second, Vintage Quilt Revival, is a two-day class (June 18th & 20th) with Giuseppe Ribaudo better known to the quilting community as Giucy Giuce. I’m really excited to learn how to deconstruct the elements of a vintage quilt and turn it into something new.

3. Make more Positivity blocks.

Linking up to Chris Knits: To-Do Tuesday.

I am joining the weekly To-Do Tuesday Linky Party hosted by Chris at ChrisKnits. 

To-Do for the week of June 1st-7th:

1. Bind my modified Meadowland (Whale Tales) quilt. √Done
2. Get caught up with Tech Know Quilters intro to Easy Draw lessons. √Done
3. Cut 2.5” and 4.5” strips for the Positivity Quilt Along hosted by Sew Preeti Quilts. √Done

To-Do #1

I’ve had my quilted Whale Tales Modified Meadowland quilt back for a couple months from Jessica@ Sugar Mill Quilts whom I have gotten to know through Instagram. I really like the quilting pattern that she suggested which looks like ocean waves. This 64” X 64” throw is for my nephew Jack who will celebrate his 50th birthday in July. I will be able to give it to him in person when I visit California early next month. Jack is a surfer and loves the ocean, so I thought a quilt using the Whale Tales fabric collection by Katherine Quinn would be perfect for him. The binding is grey Cloud 9 Shadow Cirrus solid which I also used in the quilt. It is favorite fabric of mine because of the texture it adds, though like any shot cotton, it does tend to fray.

I sewed this quilt in rows rather than blocks to accommodate the 8.5” fussy-cut squares featuring some wonderful ocean images. The orangey-brown fabric that frames the octopus below is Kona Cedar. I really like how it complements the feature fabrics in the quilt top. 

The backing fabric is a Cotton+Steel Octopus print that I’ve had in my stash for a few years.

To-Do #2

I finished the 13 lessons that were included in Kari Schell’s Tech Know Quilters Intro to Easy Draw module. Below is a quilt I drafted in EQ8 using Kari’s instructions that I may make someday using Giucy Giuce’s fabrics.

To-Do #3

I’m starting to cut fabrics a little early for the Positivity QAL, so I can get most of the blocks sewed before my trip to CA. I used my Accuquilt strip cutter to cut the 2.5” colorful Kaleidoscope strips as well as the 2.5” Charcoal background strips. I wished I had a strip cutter to cut the twenty-two 4.5” background strips, but I got those done the old fashioned way. No pic—you’ll have to trust me on this!!!

To-Do for the week of June 8th-14th:

1. Make two blocks for the Covered in Love May-June Block Drive. Tammy is guest hosting this block drive, and she has chosen a really easy block with a 5” center (our choice—think I-Spy for Grown-ups) and 3.5” borders in colors of sea and sand (which can include the colors yellow, cream, and gold).

2. Stitch two Sashiko rainbow squares that will be made into mug rugs for my cousin, Sally, and her daughter, Kenzie, who I will see when visit California next month. They both are sewists and quilters who enjoy hand-crafted items.

3. Subcut 2.5” and 4.5” squares and 2.5” X 6.5” rectangles for the Positivity Quilt Along hosted by Sew Preeti Quilts.

Linking up to Chris Knits: To-Do Tuesday.

I am joining the weekly To-Do Tuesday Linky Party hosted by Chris at ChrisKnits. 

To-Do for the week of May 25th-31st:

1. Take a photo of Ombré Star. √Done
2. Finish my Two Cranes Sashiko project and write my May 2021 OMG Finish post. √Done
3. Attach a hanging sleeve to my Planner Quilt. √Done

To-Do #1

I had hoped to get outside to take a photo of Ombré Star, but life has been extra busy these days, so I opted for a photo on my full-size bed. It is definitely a nice size quilt at 72” square. I really love the Simple Stars quilting done by Sew Shabby Quilting.

To-Do #2

I finished my Two Cranes Sashiko project and wrote about it in my May 2021 One Monthly Goal Finish post.

To-Do #3

I got the hanging sleeve attached to my Planner Quilt and here it is hanging on the wall above my bed. I deliberately did not include the quilt on my bed since it doesn’t look good with the Planner Quilt! I think a coordinating Ombré quilt for my bed is in my future but definitely not this year! For now that Planner Quilt is acting as a curtain on the small window in my back room.

To-Do for the week of June 1st-7th:

1. Get caught up with Tech Know Quilters intro to Easy Draw lessons.
2. Bind my modified Meadowland (Whale Tales) quilt.
3. Cut 2.5” and 4.5” strips for the Positivity Quilt Along hosted by Sew Preeti Quilts.

Linking up to Chris Knits: To-Do Tuesday.

I am joining the weekly To-Do Tuesday Linky Party hosted by Chris at ChrisKnits. 

To-Do for the week of May 18th-24th:

1. Bind my Ombré Star quilt that is for my great-niece, Sophia’s high school graduation in June. √Done
2. Work on my Watercolor quilt. √Done
3. Continue to work on my Two Cranes Sashiko project. √Done

To-Do #1

I finished binding Sophia’s quilt on Sunday but did not have time to take a full photo of this quilt. I took a quick pic that shows the binding, the quilting (Simple Stars by Sew Shabby Quilting) and the backing fabric (Jennifer Sampou’s Chalk and Charcoal Wide-Capri).

To-Do #2

I did work a little more on my Watercolor project but ran into a snag when I tried to make the mirror image units. I’m thinking it is likely that I missed out on some important information when I took Audrey’s class on May 16th. Since I will be able to retake the class in the future, I’ve decided to put this project away until I retake the class.

To-Do #3

I made more headway on my Two Cranes Sashiko project and should be able to finish it this coming week.

Quilt Recipients Update:

I have a few pics to share with you of recent recipients of my quilts. First up is my amazing great-niece Rachel with her mini quilt that arrived on her graduation day:

Next is sweet Baby Lucy on her Cat & Birds quilt:

And finally here is a photo of adorable  Baby Harper on her Ombré Quilt:

To-Do for the week of May 25th-31st:

1. Take a photo of Ombré Star.
2. Finish my Two Cranes Sashiko project and write my May 2021 OMG Finish post.
3. Attach a hanging sleeve to my Planner Quilt.

Linking up to Chris Knits: To-Do Tuesday.

I am joining the weekly To-Do Tuesday Linky Party hosted by Chris at ChrisKnits. 

To-Do for the week of May 11th-17th:

1. Bind my ombré Planner Quilt. √ Done
2. Prep for and take Audrey Esarey’s online Watercolor Quilt Workshop on May 16th. √ Done
3. Work on my Two Cranes Sashiko project. √ Done

To-Do #1

I decided to make a scrappy binding for my Planner Quilt with leftover ombré fabric. I really like how it looks and only had one join on a mitered corner, but it wasn’t too bulky and sewed up fine. I did take it to work but didn’t like how it looked on the loveseat in my office, but it sure looks nice outside next to our Amish wagon planter that has a load of petunias. But the perspective is off in the photo as the quilt only measures 34.5” across and is 32” long. I will probably sew a hanging sleeve on it and hang it above my bed when I put my Blithe quilt back on it. 

To-Do #2

No one who has read my blog for long would be surprised that I chose to include gradations of teal in my Watercolor class quilt, but the yellow-to-brown half might even shock some folks! I was very excited to take this class that combines color gradation with curves. Unfortunately I had a family emergency and could only partially participate in the class. Audrey is going to graciously allow me to take the class again at a later date. I’m pretty sure I picked up on the broad strokes of the class but am sure I missed some of the nuances. Things have calmed down a bit, and I’ve been able to cut most of the pieces and have started to sew a few together. I hope to share some of my sewing progress next week.

To-Do #3

I made good headway on my Two Cranes Sashiko project and was able to get one crane completely stitched. I like how the pencil yellow thread contrasts again the dark blue background. 

To-Do for the week of May 18th-25th:

1. Bind my Ombré Star quilt that is for my great-niece, Sophia’s high school graduation in June.
2. Work on my Watercolor quilt.
3. Continue to work on my Two Cranes Sashiko project.

Linking up to Chris Knits: To-Do Tuesday.