600 Posts!

According to blogger, this is the 600th post from 52 Quilts!  Wow! There will be a giveaway, of course, but not until the Grow Your Blog hop ends on February 15.  Stand by!

In searching for the link to my original Grow Your Blog 2015 post, I realized the GYB link in the February UFO Parade didn't go to the GYB post. I'm so sorry I inconvenienced you!

Here is the post where you comment to win the 52 Quilts giveaway in the 2015 Grow Your party.

And just in case you've time to visit some more blogs, here is the link to sponsor Vicki's of 2 Bags Full post listing all the participants.

Comments to win the giveaway end at midnight on Saturday, February 14, so let's get hoppin'!




From the desk of your

Grow Your Blog 2015

It's that time again -- time to meet new bloggers and visit new blogs. If you're new to "52 Quilts in 52 Weeks," welcome! If you're a current follower, welcome back!

Note: I am receiving so many "no reply commenter" comments today! Please, if you think you might be a "no reply commenter," include your contact info in your comment -- if I can't find you, I can't reply to your comment!

Grow Your Blog is the brainchild of Vicki at 2 Bags Full. Visit her blog to view the list of more than 400 blogs, all celebrating today!

About 52 Quilts

"52 Quilts in 52 Weeks" came about when I bragged in July of 2011 that I had made 35 quilt tops so far that year. Elder Son said "hey, that's almost one quilt per week!" And the challenge was on! Could I really make 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks?  Well, yes!  Younger Son insisted "52 quilts in 52 weeks is a great idea for a blog," so Thanksgiving weekend I dipped my toe in the blogging water.

The Younger Son (aka My Little Sailor, currently assigned to the American Forces Network in Yokosuka, Japan) is my tech editor. He updates the blog header each year, and wrote a really touching blog post last Mother's Day. Best of all, he is a professional photographer, so my profile photo makes me look 10 years younger (and 20 pounds lighter!)

UFO Challenge

My favorite posts are the monthly "UFO Parades." Each month, on the first, I post a "parade" of finishes by 52 Quilt's followers. Last year we finished nearly 200 projects! Go here for details, and remember: You are the boss of your quilting!

I make a quilt for each of my Mother's great- and great-great grandchildren when they turn 12 (next one will be posted Friday!). Last Summer, I finished my Farmer's Wife quilt for for my brother and his wife to celebrate their 50th Anniversary.

Hats for Sailors

My other "big project" is Hats for Sailors. This group knits hats for US Navy Sailors, and each year we select one or more ships to receive the hats we've knit that year. In 2014, we knit more than 500 hats! My goal for 2015 is to knit 52 Hats for Sailors (nine so far!)

There's a Giveaway!

I think the most fun thing about "Grow Your Blog" week is the giveaway. I love sending goodies all over the world -- I've made friends in Australia (Hi! Susan!), Israel (Hi! Debbie!) and England (Hi! Gill!).  This year, I have seven of Miss Rosie's "Schnibbles" patterns plus two charm packs of Bonnie & Camille's Vintage Modern to give away. 

Want to win? All you have to do is:

1. Comment on this blog post. Tell me if you're a quilter or if your craftiness takes another form.
2. If you're a no-reply blogger, please include contact info. If I can't find you, I can't send you the prize.
3. My blog is set not to allow anonymous comments so that the robots cannot find me. If you do not have an ID, you can still enter by email at the address listed under "About Aunt Marti" in the right-hand column of this page and I will post your comment for you so you have a chance to win. 
4. International entries welcome, of course!
5. Giveaway ends Valentines Day, February 14 at noon Mountain Standard Time. The winner will be announced on Sunday, February 15.

I didn't quite make 52 quilts in 2014 -- and I probably won't in 2015, either. But it's lots of fun to try, right? Thanks for dropping by!

From the desk of your

Grow Your Blog Giveaway

Only a few more days to enter the giveaway to win all 12 patterns from Sassafras Lane!

Go to this blog post to comment and enter.




The giveaway ends Friday, February 14 at noon Mountain Standard Time (USA)


From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday: January Report

Three days left in January, and my "January Quilty To-Do List" is completely crossed-off!

Which means I get to do "whatever I want."

Knitting

Here is what I have underway right now. First, the "My Year in Temperatures" scarf. This is really turning out to be fun. I use the Weather Underground "History" page for my zip code to determine the low, mean, and high temps each day. I chose a color of yarn for each five-degree range of temperature difference. Nearing the end of one month of knitting three rows each day, it's easy to see how widely the temperature swings in Colorado!

Notice that new row of hot pink? The low yesterday was -3F! As we enter February, I'm hoping for some more green-into-yellow rows.

With the advent of the new season of Downton Abbey, I'm back to knitting Hats for Sailors. Hats are the perfect project to knit while watching TV, or listening to the "Outlander" series on Audible.  Thus far, I've knit three Hats for Sailors, one for me and one for Elder son. I guess I might be knitting 52 Hats in 52 Weeks this year! Details on Ravelry -- my Ravelry name is (surprise!) Aunt Marti

Leaders and Enders

My current  "Leaders and Enders" project is the "Cathedral Square Quilt" from Lee at Freshly Pieced. The sample is made from Denyse Schmidt fabrics and I have an (cough) extensive collection of DS fabric, so -- that's what I'm using also!

That's only four of the 4-patch blocks I've finished. I have most of the 39 required 4-patches sewn, just not yet pressed. It's amazing how fast things go together when they are the leaders and enders! The next step requires Flying Geese (yuck), but since I've discovered the Bloc Loc Flying Geese ruler and the "no waste" method of Flying Geese, I don't hate making them as much as I used to.

Quilt WIP

This is my "when I have time" project:

It's "Metro Hoops" made with Jenny's Quick Curve Ruler. I started it back in November! I have all the grey blocks made and trimmed, and I've sewn all the curved pieces on the white blocks. This is my "reward" project, when I have everything on the list completed, I get to work on this one!

Grow Your Blog Giveaway

Have you entered the giveaway for the 'Grow Your Blog" hop? Click here to go to the post where you need to comment for a chance to win all 12 patterns from Sassafras Lane Designs.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the first UFO Parade of 2014, on Saturday, February 1st!


From the desk of your

Grow Your Blog

It's that time again -- time to meet new bloggers and visit new blogs. If you're new to "52 Quilts in 52 Weeks," welcome! If you're a current follower, welcome back!

Grow Your Blog is the brainchild of Vicki at 2 Bags Full. Visit her blog to view the list of more than 200 blogs, all celebrating today!

About 52 Quilts

"52 Quilts in 52 Weeks" came about when I bragged in July of 2011 that I had made 35 quilt tops so far that year. Elder Son said "hey, that's almost one quilt per week!" And the challenge was on! Could I really make 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks?  Well, yes! I have for three years now, and I'm underway for a fourth! Younger Son insisted "52 quilts in 52 weeks is a great idea for a blog," so Thanksgiving weekend I dipped my toe in the blogging water.

The Younger Son (aka My Little Sailor, currently assigned to the USS George Washington aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan) is my tech editor. He updates the blog header each year, and wrote a really touching blog post last Mother's Day. Best of all, he is a professional photographer, so my profile photo makes me look 10 years younger (and 20 pounds lighter!)

I've done a lot of test-sewing, twice for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine, for Amy Gibson's Sugar Block Club, and as a member of Quilty Pleasure's 2013 Scrap Squad. I've also test-sewn bags for Sara of Sew Sweetness and several other designers. I make a quilt for each of my Mother's great- and great-great grandchildren when they turn 12 (there's a lot of them!). Last November, I made a 25th Anniversary quilt for the first of my nieces and her husband to celebrate that milestone.

2012 ushered in my first monthly "UFO Challenge." I had been complaining about how slow the person whose UFO Challenge I was following had been about announcing what number quilt we were to work on that month. DH said "Hello, you could choose your own numbers!" So I did, and we're on the third year of the 52 Quilts UFO Challenge. NO, I'm not challenging readers to make 52 each year -- just one per month!  The UFO Parade kicks off the first day of each month, details here.

Quilters are always asked "when did you start quilting?" and "what kinds of quilts do you like to make?" Well, I made my first quilt when I was 9 years old. My family had just moved from our farm into town, and it was summer, and I had no friends yet. So my Mother showed me how to draw squares on fabric and cut them out with scissors -- this was long before rotary cutters! I made dozens of 9-patch blocks that weren't sewn together into a quilt top until years later.

The advent of the 1976 US Bicentennial brought many home crafts, including quilting, back into the national consciousness. I made my first "real" quilt using Eleanor Burn's "Log Cabin Quilt in a Day" pattern. Still no rotary cutters, so we clipped the selvages and tore across the width of the fabric to make strips. The quilt was nay blue and mauve calico -- the height of color fashion in 1976! Long arm machines and free motion quilting were as yet unheard of, so Mom and I tied the quilt with pink embroidery floss. I gave that quilt to the Goodwill in 1996 when my husband retired from the Air Force and we moved from Virginia to Colorado. Now I wish I hadn't!

Two years ago my friend Deb (The Dishcloth Diva) invited me to a meeting of the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild. It was my first experience with modern quilts, and I fell hard! I've only made a few quilts that I really consider "modern," but I love the modern fabrics. My favorite fabric designers include Anna Maria Horner, Pat Bravo and Lizzie House. I guess my style is "modern traditional," that is, traditional designs with modern fabrics.

There's a Giveaway!

Pattern designer and long-armer extraordinaire, Kristy Wolf of Sassafras Lane Designs, graciously donated one each of her entire pattern line for my Grow Your Blog giveaway. That's 12 (really, 12!) patterns! I've made several of her designs, including yesterday's 'Wiley Way." Go here to see all of their designs.

And "Main Street" (photo of final quilt will be posted March 7):

Here are photos of all the Sassafras Lane patterns:

Want to win? All you have to do is:

1. Comment on this blog post. Tell me if you're a quilter or if your craftiness takes another form.
2. If you're a no-reply blogger, please include contact info. If I can't find you, I can't send you the prize.
3. My blog is set not to allow anonymous comments so that the robots cannot find me. If you do not have an ID, you can still enter by email at the address listed under "About Aunt Marti" in the right-hand column of this page and I will post your comment for you so you have a chance to win. 
4. International entries welcome, of course!
5. Giveaway ends Valentines Day, February 14 at noon Mountain Standard Time. The winner will be announced on Saturday, February 15.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you find some fun blogs today!




From the desk of your

We have a Winner!

OK, I didn't stay up until midnight to see who won the giveaway. But it's the first thing I did this morning -- it was only 6:10 am Mountain Daylight Time when I fired up the Random Number Generator to choose the winner.  Up for grabs was a PDF copy of "Tea Party" by Cluck Cluck Sew. Not the same copy I used, that one has notes and reminders all over it for when I teach the December Jelly Roll Class at Ruth's Stitchery!

 

 
I love PDF patterns -- no waiting for the postal carrier!

Have I teased you enough? Here it is, the winning number:

Which happens to be Suze, who said:

I was so touched when I read Suze's comment, I thought, "I hope she wins." The forces of the Universe were at work, because 'poof'' number 78 came up on the RNG! Suze is a retired IT type, and Grandma ("Ga") who lives in Oklahoma. Since she's in the states, I'm going to ask for her postal address so I can add some fabric to her prize. She blogs at Ga's House, and I  hope you'll all go to Suze's blog and tell her "congratulations!"

Congratulations, Suze! I hope when you get the quilt made, you'll send me a photo so I can share it with other followers of 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks.

I made 17 blocks for my Mystery Block Party yesterday, so I'm up-to-speed with my BOM Rehab Block-a-Day Challenge! Photos on Monday!


From the desk of your

Sunday is for Scraps: or Karen Snyder is So Clever!

Karen Snyder blogs at Anna Lena Land -- you've seen links to her blog for the seasonal Block-a-Day challenge.  Look what she came up with this week!

It's the fastest, easiest way to make scrappy four patches you've ever seen!

Because Karen has a whole tutorial on this method, I'm not going to repeat her instructions. Go here to see Karen's tutorial on "Magic Four Patches." I just had to try it out for myself. Here are my step-by-step photos, but again, to see the complete tutorial, you have to visit Anna Lena Land! Be sure to tell her Aunt Marti says "hi!"

By any chance, do you remember this quilt?

 

It was the May "Vintage Schnibbles" project, Gentle Art by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. The fabric is a charm pack of "Ladies Sewing Club" from Moda.  This little quilt only required half a charm pack, so I have a pile of leftover 5" squares.  Just right for Karen's new technique!

Step 1:

Detail of Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5 (this is the magic part!):

Step 6:

I think I'll use this technique to add a scrappy four-patch border to my May Schnibbles project!

You'll have to go here for the full instructions. While you're there, take a look around -- Anna Lena Land is one of my favorite places!

Linking up to another favorite, Scrap Basket Sunday.

And speaking of links, have you gone to this post to sign up for my Ho Ho Ho Blog Hop giveaway?

From the desk of your

Dots on Dots Blog Hop -- and a giveaway!

It's my day Dots on Dots Blog Hop!

Who doesn't love polka dots?  I know I do -- and here is my "dots on dots" block.

 

It's not an Aunt Marti original.  In fact, if I said "applique' in really bright colors," wouldn't you instantly think "Piece O' Cake Designs?"


You'd be right!

This block is from the February 2004 American Patchwork & Quilting magazine. Completely Dotty was designed by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins, the geniuses behind Piece O' Cake Designs.

 The blocks are made using the paper-piecing technique and assorted light and dark "dotty" scraps.

Someday, I will have the entire quilt to show you! 

But in the meanwhile, how's this for a polka dot cutie?

Those of you who guessed "skirt" when I posted this photo:

Were right.

I saw a similar skirt at the quilt show in Tacoma last month and decided I just had to make one for my granddaughter.  Orange is her favorite color, so every fabric I used has orange in it somewhere!

This skirt is super-easy to make.  If you can make a Dresden Plate block, you can make this!

I used my 9 degree ruler and 4 1/2" wide strips of dotty fabrics cut to 12 1/2" long.  I placed one short edge of the 12 1/2" by 4 1/2" rectangle on the 6" mark of the ruler, then cut each side.

When I started sewing the wedges together, I tried to put a light next to a bright or dark.  No more planning than that!

Fold each wedge right sides together lengthwise and stitch across the longer of the short ends.  Turn the point right side out and the wedge will magically look like a man's necktie!

Sew two together, then four together and sew on until there are enough to equal the waist measurement plus 2" for wearing ease.  Nadia wears a size 4, so I used 24 wedges.

Press the seams open, or to one side, whichever you prefer.

Once you have enough wedges to go around your little model, cut a 2 1/2" strip of fabric the waist measurement plus 3-4".  Press wrong sides together lengthwise and stitch to the top of the skirt. (There is no back seam yet, the skirt is still flat like a big clown's collar, so it's easy to stitch the waistband on and serge the seam if you have a serger.)  As you can see in this photo, the waistband is longer than the stop of the skirt -- not to worry, it will be trimmed off after the back seam is sewn.

Cut a length of 1/2" elastic the waist measurement plus 1" - 1 1/2" and insert into the waistband. If your granddaughter lives nearby, try the skirt on and adjust the elastic.  Secure at the ends with a straight pin (use safety pins if you're trying it on a child!).  Then sew the back seam from the bottom up through the waistband, securing the elastic with the stitching. 

Now trim the waistband even with the seam allowance.

If your granddaughter lives 1400 miles away, you'll need to find  friend who has a young girl willing to model for you!

Twirl, Lizzie!

Little girls love "twirly" skirts.  And Ladybugs.

Thanks, Maryann and Jen -- and especially Lizzie!



Be sure to visit the other dotty hoppers today:

Why Knot Kwilt 

Stitchin by the Lake

Beth @ Plum and June

The Recipe Bunny

Sunshine Girl

Aunt Marti (me!)

The Fuzzy Hat Quilter

Rose Prairie Quilts and Farm

Cliodana

And remember to sign up for my giveaway here!  You could win this fun Kate Spain stationery stuff:

From the desk of your