Saturday, June 1, 2013

May UFO Parade

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

No, wait, that the postman. But it also applies to this intrepid band of quilters -- we had rain, snow and WIND this May! And look at the finishes 52 Quilts "13 in 2013 Challenge" participants submitted!

Oh. Wait. First, you want to know what quilt to work on in June. June's challenge is UFO #9.

If you're a new reader, you can play along with the "13 in 2013" challenge. Just go here to read how!

My #9 UFO is another old old oldie! The instructions for this project (prints cut out, no background cut and not a single stitch sewn!) are from a magazine dated 2002! 


Here's a closeup of the 1930s reproduction fabrics I'll be using:


I found an entire bolt of white Michael Miller "cotton couture" to use for the background. Or maybe I'll use Kona Cotton "snow." Either way, I'd better get started, because there is a new Scrap Squad quilt due later this month!

Hmm, I see I didn't post a photo of my May UFO project underway. The top is pieced, that's finished for me! I worked on this quilt at Quilting in the Pines in McCall, Idaho. I had the blocks up on my nifty new portable design wall, and every time someone complimented it, I said "Oh, but I don't like this style of fabric."  Guess what? By the time I had it finished, I'd fallen in love with it!


This is a Deb Caffrey mystery I made a couple of years ago in batiks. A fellow quilter made hers in Civil War Reproduction fabrics, and I liked it so much, I made the quilt again.  I love how the bubblegum pink "pops" in this quilt.

And now, on with the show!

Debra was quick with her May finish. I received her email and photo on May 10, and what a great finish! I love the chocolate-covered-cherries colors, and look at those flying geese! Here is what Debra writes about this quilt:
 It is called Box of Chocolates and I got  the pattern from American Patchwork & Quilting, December 2010 Issue 107. The pattern was made by Chloe Anderson and Colleen Reale of Toadusew Creative Concepts. I made the king size and I believe the finished size is about 104" square. I laid it on my California king bed and it overlaps - thank goodness!!! 

Since she had the rest of the month, Debra also finished this adorable patriotic embroidery project:


My #12 is a small stitchery created by Joann Mullaly, formerly of the Country Loft, who does a lot of primitive work.  Joann's blog is:  woolcrazy-jam.blogspot.com. The stitchery is great for July 4th and I am so happy that it was chosen prior to July 4. The threads are a variegated Valdani and the stitchery was done on a tea-dyed muslin. The total size is approximately 16 x 24.
Great job, Debra!

Sandi of kwiltnkats continues her "k" quilt theme with "Knautical" (blogged here). Sandi explains:
Knautical is a Judy Laquidara pattern from last year that was a quilt along.  Judy doesn't have it listed in her Free Patterns, but with a little hopping around on her website (www.patchworktimes.com) one could find it.  Judy calls it Scraps Ahoy...."get my project being called Knautical?"

What a great scrappy quilt, Sandi! Guess I'll add it to my Scrap Basket Sunday "to do" list!

In spite of moving from Arizona to Idaho for the summer, finishing her "row by row" QAL and attending Quilt Camp in the Pines, Carol managed a finish in May!

Here are her cute mini heart quilts:


And oops, almost forgot her second finish for this month:


Carol says she is caught up now!  Good for you, Carol!

Martha is another "achiever" this month, Here is her first "May finish." It's the "Amish with a Twist" BOM from Marcus Brothers (yes, I know. It's also on my UFO pile!)


You've already seen the pattern for Martha's second May finish, on last Saturday's Road Trip Report. Here is why I had to add this pattern to my overflowing "I want to make this" list!


To really appreciate Sue's May UFO finish, you must go to her blog, here, to see the detail of the quilting. I love your loops-and-leaves quilting design, Sue!


Ohmigoodness, Susan from Brisbane has an absolutely stunning McKenna Ryan block made into a wallhanging:


Click on the photo so you can see the 3D lacey butterflies -- and the beads! and the lovely free-motion quilting! Here is the link to Susan's blog so you can read all about it!

Deb S. finished this lovely, summery quilt -- she calls it "Watercolor Spring."



Deb reports "Strait of Georgia from "More Fat Quarter Quilts" by M'Liss Rae Hawley and it was inspired by a fat quarter bundle I bought from Keepsake Quilting in 2004. " Read about her quilt on her blog "A Simple Life Quilts," here.

Oh wow, look at this beauty by Karen!


You may recognize this as Bonnie Hunter's 2009 mystery quilt, Double Delight. Karen blogged her finish here. I think anyone who finishes one of Bonnie's mysteries should get extra credit!

Just under the wire, here is Noela's May finish, 


Isn't it sweet?

Eleven finishes for May (I can count mine, twelve!). That's pretty good! I found this cute Amy Butler stationery set online, and just in case our May UFO giveaway winner likes Martha's "Spin Cycle" quilt, I'm including a new EZ Dresden ruler.



And the winner is:

Oh, look, that's Carol! Congratulations, Carol!

Tomorrow is "Scrap Basket Sunday" -- come back and see!




From the desk of your auntmartisignature

Friday, May 31, 2013

Two Friday Finishes

Last week I got so tired of working on my 2012 Designer Mystery BOM, I dropped it and whipped up the May "Vintage Schnibbles" project.



The pattern is Gentle Art by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. and the fabric is a charm pack of The Ladies Stitching Club from Moda. It's the 22nd quilt I've pieced in 2013, on my way to my fourth year of 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks.

On Memorial Day, I took a notion to finish a red-white-and-blue quilt for a Sailor on The Younger Son's ship, the USS George Washington. She passed the test for her Navy Warfare Qualification, kind of a big deal in the Navy.


I blogged this one in process. The pattern is "Stars from Stripes" by Cozy Quilts, and the fabric is all from my RWB strip bin.  Congratulations, Sailor!

Tomorrow's Fat Quarter Fun class at Ruth's Stitchery has been cancelled. Instead, I will work on the last FQF quilt I started. It's called "Currents," designed by Sharon Winter for Brookshier Design Studio..


Can you believe that design is made with just HSTs and solid squares? I'll show you my version on Design Wall Monday.

Linking up to Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday, hosted this week by Lucy at Charm About You, Link a Finish Friday by Richard and Tanya, and Can I get a Whoop Whoop by Sarah.

LAFF - Richard and Tanya Quilts 


Tomorrow is UFO Parade Day -- get those May UFO finishes in before 6pm MDT today to be included. And come back tomorrow to see some wonderful finished UFOs!




From the desk of your auntmartisignature

Thursday, May 30, 2013

500 Followers Winner!

We have a winner! If you notice that the RNG "max" is 114 instead of 116, that's because I deleted two comments that wanted me to try their miraculous weight-loss methods.


Interestingly, the winner is "Anonymous," but Laura cleverly included her name in her comment. Yay!


Laura, thank you so much for including your "identity!" Shoot me an email at AuntMarti at 52Quilts dot com with your mailing address, and I'll send off your prize. Thanks for following 52 Quilts!

I have a "Friday Finish" to share tomorrow. Several, in fact! Hope you come back to see them.

From the desk of your auntmartisignature

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tuesday Tool: Cutting Corners Ruler

Today's Tuesday Tool is another one of those rulers that make you think "oh, I don't need that."  Maybe not, but if you're making striped setting triangles, believe me, you'll want it!

CCR6003.jpg

Sharyn Craig's "Cutting Corners Ruler" makes it easy to cut the corner from a block, square or triangle.  Why would you want to do that?

See the outside "setting triangles" on this quilt? Think you can strip piece them, then cut 45 degree triangles from the strata?  Yes, you could. But you'd waste every other triangle, else the stripes wouldn't be the same from block to block.


The Cutting Corners Ruler makes it possible to piece each triangle with the accent stripe in the same place, and not waste fabric. Here's how.

1. This quilt calls for 2.5"  X 9" strips for the corner setting triangles. The Cutting Corners Ruler has marks for 1/2" increments and 1/4" increments. Place the ruler so the 2" mark matches the upper right corner of the 2.5" X 9" strip:


2. Repeat on left-hand upper corner:


3. The Accent Strip is 2" X 5" -- place the Cutting Corners Ruler at the 1.5" mark (note that the ruler is placed at the mark 1/2" less than the width of the cut strip):


4. Repeat for opposite top corner:


5. The small background triangle is just a 1 7/8" square cut in half. Sew the accent strip between the two background strips, and you have a perfectly sized setting triangle:


Cutting Corner Ruler includes instructions for multiple sizes of triangles, plus more complex blocks. "At Sea" is a Cozy Quilts pattern, and is the Jelly Roll Party project at Ruth's Stitchery for June.

Only one more day to sign up for the 500 Followers Giveaway. Go here to comment for your chance to win a Fat Quarters stack and rulers!

From the desk of your auntmartisignature

Monday, May 27, 2013

Design Wall Monday: Stars from Stripes Lap Quilt

Because today is Memorial Day, I decided I should work on a patriotic quilt.

I started this one at Ruth's Stitchery in January for "Quilts of Valor" day.  I have enough blocks put together to make a lap quilt, or a quilt just the right size for a "rack" on an aircraft carrier!

The pattern I'm using is from Cozy Quilts. It's called "Stars from Stripes." What a great way to use red and blue 2.5" strips!

Stars from Stripes

Here is my quilt on the design wall. I will use the HSTs cut from the blocks for the middle border.


Hope I have enough of the blue outer border fabric!


I always light a blue candle for important "Navy days," such as the day the GW puts out to sea. I have one burning today because it's Memorial Day, and I want to honor all Sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Remember to comment on this post by Thursday for a chance to win my 500+ followers giveaway!

From the desk of your auntmartisignature

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Scrappy Sunday: Lest We Forget

In the US, tomorrow is Memorial Day. Memorial Day, observed on the final Monday in May, is a day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Originally known as Decoration Day, it began soon after the American Civil War to commemorate the more than 600,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who died in that war.

Many people visit the gravesites of their ancestors on this day, whether or not they served in the Armed Forces. I remember as a child visiting the graves of my grandparents to decorate them with lilacs or iris (which my mother called "flags") each Decoration Day. More recently, my late brother and his wife decorated more than 100 graves each year. Since my parents' graves are more than 1000 miles away from my home in Colorado, I took flowers to them earlier in May.


Such a patriotic holiday makes me think of My Little Sailor, Jacob. Which makes me think of the Jacob's Ladder block. I seem to be hooked on this block this month! These two blocks are from the first Scrap Basket Sunday in May:



And here is the red, white and blue Jacob's Ladder block I pieced this morning:


The four-patches are my Leaders and Enders blocks for this month. I drafted a quilt with these blocks in EQ7:
 

I think I'll send this quilt to the next Sailor on the USS George Washington who earns the Naval Warfare Badge.

Far-called, our navies melt away;
   On dune and headland sinks the fire:  
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
   Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!  
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,  
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
(from "Recessional" by Rudyard Kipling)

Lest We Forget. 

From the desk of your auntmartisignature