Friday Finishes

I've wanted to make a picnic quilt for over a year, and had all kinds of designs in mind. Wide canvas in green was purchased for the backing, so there was a target size - 56 x 68. Finally, the utility of the quilt pointed to a simple design, squares cut 4 1/2". The starting fabric was a gifted piece that was challenging to use, it has large white un-finished paint by number bird and flower images (Moda - Lush Uptown 'Paint by Number' by Erin Michael.) I loved the red background, and since there was a lot of green, a red and green checker quilt was the goal. Almost half of the red blocks were able to be cut from the print, and other reds were pulled in.

For the greens, one floral print with white and yellow flowers was the main fabric, and assorted leafy prints rounded out the green blocks. Most of the squares are laid out in diagonal strips of varying lengths. They seem to pull the eye along instead of jumping from print to print. There's a bit of "mushiness" where one floral was almost half-green/half red, but it was a sentimental piece and needed to be included.

Keeping with the no-stress design, straight lines -- two through each square in each direction, were quilted on the longarm. They are equal distant from each seam, and the center opening is slightly larger (4 doesn't divide by 3 easily.) On a domestic machine I continued with stitch-in-the-ditch along all seams.

Also finished is knitted Little Dragon #6, grey with pink accents. I had to figure out how to make the "afterthought" bobbles, where in the pattern they are knit from the main body color.

Project Round-up

I love seeing quilts photographed outside, though the weather has to cooperate. I had thought our horse fencing and cedar fence would be a great place to hang quilts...until it was clear that the birds love to sit on the top rail, especially the robins and quail. The salal is in berry right now, not so tidy. Smaller quilts can be photographed on the design wall, but the lighting can still be a challenge.

Bricks 6-piece charity quilt, 88” x 60.5” 

There are a lot of quilts made with these colors, to the point that it's getting hard to pick the correct picture from the folder! This is a scrappy bricks-type quilt, with only 6 pieces per block. The block is a rectangle, and the sizes are limited since you alternate vertical and horizontal columns. Of course partial blocks could be an option. It gives a different look than the square blocks with 8 pieces.

Preemie Quilt, Chicken Panel

The last two preemie quilts made from chicken fabric - one panel and a coordinate that I picked up at a guild meeting for this purpose. I thought this tilted setting might be more interesting than a straight set, though if using such a panel again would stick to a straight set.

Dragon #5, Ozzie's

Dragon #5 is another mini, about 6" tall. Each one gets a bit more refined. I've used up almost all of the poly batting scraps that were pulled apart for stuffing.  I'm tempted to buy a bag to continue knitting toys. I've also fallen in love with a sewing pattern for a cat named "Mr. Socks" at Ann Wood Handmade, though she uses wool stuffing. 

I'm piecing the last 24 of the Twirla blocks, and sewing masks in small batches. I bought the Creative Grids mask template with three sizes, and have been adding 1" to the outside fabric on the straight end to make a casing for elastic, similar to a downloadable free pattern used earlier. Sewing in the elastic makes it harder to adjust the size, plus some elastic gives out after time. 

I saw a tip on the Selvage Blog about using a bead to make the elastics adjustable, and have a question in to her on the bead specifics. I've made masks for several neighbors of all sizes, and getting the elastic the right length is a challenge. With a casing at the sides, pleats aren't needed, and I've been making the elastic a loop tied with a knot, so they can be adjusted, but the bead idea looks slick. I've made some with long ties too, using a bias maker, as they are supposed to be more comfortable for those who wear glasses and/or wear masks all day (such as DH.)

Slowly, Slowly Catchy Dragon

9-Patch Plus, started from a small group of 2.5" squares, some gifted to me, others cut from scraps. Quilted with a combination of freehand curves on the longarm and diagonal stitching on the Juki. I thought the curves would help soften all the straight lines, and kept notes on doing a variation that doesn't put so many threads in the center of each 9-patch block.

9-Patch Plus, 54" x 42'

Mini "Little Dragon", 5 inches tall

This little fellow didn't want to leave the house, and hung around until Dragon #4 was finished.

Mini "Little Dragon", 6 inches tall

The next dragon, another "mini" version, will be a combination of yarns from #3 and #4.
Also in progress are Twirla blocks, and the first of two aqua "Bricks" quilts is ready for binding..

Two Finishes

Yesterday was very rainy, which kept me out of the garden and at work in the studio. Finally bound is "Crayons", based on Color Me by Emily Herrick. This quilt was my way of justifying my large box of strings. It is waiting for a special home, either to a friend or a raffle.

Crayons, 69.5” x 51.5” 

Quilting pattern "Spilled Ink"

Several years ago, a friend gave a demonstration at an American Sewing Guild meeting making a rope basket using clothesline as the core, wrapping strips of fabric around it as you stitched. She had purchased extra bundles of clothesline and I bought one. I'd made coiled baskets before using yarn, which is a slow process. Not long ago I saw some baskets made just with variegated thread, and really liked how they looked. I needed a container for the studio for collecting the leftover bits of projects to come back into the house. This was sized to fit a wall shelf. 

It used up all 100 feet of clothesline and some of the older 30 wt variegated thread that I prefer not to use on the longarm. It took only 6 bobbins and less than 2 hours total. The top binding is home dec weight fabric scraps. I also used a new tool, the Folded Corner Clipper to cut the binding ends before sewing together for a continuous binding.  Krista Moser had demonstrated the tool at a meeting and has a Youtube video demonstrating it. It was really fun and easy to stitch the basket.

Clothesline bowl

Little Dragon

"Little Dragon" pattern by Susan B. Anderson, finished size 8" tall. It was a goal to finish some charity scarves before buying this pattern, and it was finished within one week. A bit fiddly, but just as charming as the pattern photo, though a bit larger. The yarn is probably an Aran weight, an overdyed natural grey that was a bit rough for a hat and not enough for a scarf. There will likely be a 2nd dragon with this yarn and perhaps a third, smaller version in sock weight yarn.

Latest Finishes

Much gardening is happening now, both real and online. We're spreading the most recent load of mulch and trying to get the grass established in the area recently raised to prevent being underwater. The vegetable garden (all raised beds) is in full swing, and a couple of ornamental plant orders should be arriving soon.  The Master Gardener training is all online for now and it's very informative.  With the class, reading list and assignments it's also cutting into sewing time. I'm looking forward to eventually having field trips.

The Spiderweb Quilt is finished, and washed with some color-catchers. There had been a bit of color bleeding when I wetted down the lumpy intersections. There was still a small spot of bleeding through to the light backing.

Spiderweb Quilting

The Scrappy Crayons is ready for quilting, and stash had just the right backing. Lately I've been seeing more of my gifted quilts being used on the floor, so wanted a dark backing. This is also why I chose the tiny black/white check as the sashing and background for the tips.

Scrappy Crayons

In progress are two tops, one started from a collection of 2.5" squares, 9-patch layouts and the other is a shoeboxes full of "bricks", cut 5.5" x 3.5" blue/green/aqua, making a rectangle with 8 pieces per block. The nine-patches are fun to sew, and putting all the blocks up helps me to see what color fabrics are needed to fill it out. I'm ready to cut out a new project, but holding off until these two tops are sewn. 

Nine patch blocks in progress

There's an accumulation of partial bobbins with brown and green thread, which is pointing at the next top being a brown and green charity quilt cut out and ready for sewing. It's another "gingham" style quilt, all squares, and has s backing fabric with it.

Spring projects

Gardening is in full swing now, and there is less sewing going on than in the past couple of months. I'm also studying to become a Master Gardener.  I've made a few masks, so far just for our use (I've offered to neighbors and family who declined.) Living in a sparsely populated area has its advantages, so we use the masks just for shopping trips. About 2/3 of the customers at Home Depot were wearing masks, and those who didn't wear one also had no clue about personal space (waaay less than 6 feet.)

The other non-quilty sewing consisted of two pillow covers for the new sofas. Previously I'd re-covered two cushions and hemmed a large piece of yardage to protect the back of the sofa from the sun. Using an outdoor fabric that is both fade-resistant and washable, the covers overlap on the back side with a narrow hem, without zippers or buttons. 

The current obsession project is scrappy crayons. I've finished eight strips - yellow, orange, pink, red, light green, green and light blue, with two more to come. Some colors did not have as many fabric options. These are mainly narrow trimmings from quilt backings or scraps. It's a bit fussy but I like how it is looking.

The floral HST quilt is quilted, bound and labeled for donation. Finished size is 76" x 64".. Quilted with "Wildflowers".

Twin Boxes is quilted and bound. I'm not sure where it is headed. Size: 85.5" x 68.5", quilted with "Bauhaus".

The Spiderweb top is assembled. It was a bit of a slog, but I persisted. The intersections are not as accurate as I would have liked. Using the spray bottle liberally when pressing, the Rinseaway stabilizer softened up a lot at the intersections. Originally I was planning on a busy backing, then realized that spiderweb quilting would be fun if it shows on the back, so I found a light grey print. I may quilt a couple of spiders on it too. This is a small lap-sized quilt.