13 in 2013 April UFO Parade

Does anyone besides me think April went by really, really fast?  Maybe it's because we had so much snow, it felt more like February than April!

Even so, we have some really great finished for the 13 in 2013 UFO Challenge.  Before I share the photos, here is the number for the May UFO project:

12

I squeaked in my finish just under the wire!  My April UFO was a mystery quilt I started last summer at Quilt Colorado 2012.  The designer is Linda Ballard of Let's Quilt. 

"Bits and Pieces" is probably the most "mysterious" mystery quilt I've made.  You really had to sew all the steps before a clue emerged as to what the quilt would look like!  The pattern called for four borders, but I didn't have enough of the orange fabric to add a border, so I left it off.  And I think it looks fine -- love the HST border.

This is the 17th quilt top I've finished this year.

Now, refill your coffee cup and sit back to enjoy the parade!

First up, Carol from Idaho and Arizona send this photo of her Thimbleberries blocks from 2008.  I remember this project, and I think Carol gets extra credit for finishing three months worth of blocks -- they are complicated!

Susan embroidered this lovely tablerunner.  Here is the link to her blog post explaining the project -- doesn't she do nice work?

Another Australian, Sue, made these clever "loyalty card" wallets to match handbags she made earlier.  Isn't this a great idea to keep track of all those "you shop here too often" cards?  Her blog post with a link to the tutorial is here.

She also finished her bonus #13 project, "Stars Aligned."  Go here to read all about it!

 Karen of Stitching Circle also has two big finishes this month.  First, Big Stars by Judy Laquidara:

And, Bonnie Hunter's Roll Roll Cotton Boll!  

Deb S. also finished a beautiful, spring-like table runner (who knows, maybe it's Spring where Deb lives!). I love her applique:

Nurse Jessi made this darling baby quilt for Olivia Grace:

Here's a close-up of the darling binding:

 And speaking of darling, doesn't Olivia Grace look happy with her new quilt?

I have to share what Debbi told me about her April project, it made me laugh!

My UFO this month was to make Bargello placemats so that I could learn the process. Oh, I learned! First and foremost is: I learned that I don't think I am willing to tackle a full-size Bargello quilt just yet! LOL! And after taking these pictures, I have learned that these placemats (meant for my SIL) REALLY coordinate well with my Berber carpet! Hahaha!

Isn't it amazing how different two placemats made with the same fabrics can look?

Another fellow retiree, Irene, made two quilts this month.  First up is from Debbie Mumm's Project Kids book, it's a quilt-as-you-go project perfect for the child of two baseball fans!

And second is another of her clever photo frame quilts to add to her Christmas prezzie stash:

I love the idea of a photo frame quilt, Irene.  Is is your own design or from a tutorial?

Sandi made another lovely batik number this month -- I love the colors in this one!

Sandi explains the process for "Kalahari" on her blog, here.

Hold the presses!

One more last-minute finish -- Noela completed this quilt with some of my favorite fabrics.  Whew, just made it, Noela!

Mr. Random Number Generator chose #6 for this parade's giveaway.  Karen, I hope you haven't bought a copy of the new 100 Blocks Magazine vol. 7, because I have one with your name on it!

Thanks to everyone who submitted finished UFOs this month.  If I missed your entry, please please please let me know!  And good luck with project #12!


From the desk of your

100 Blocks Blog Hop Giveaway

Today is the day!  The Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks vol. 7 blog hop kicks off today.

I didn't design a block for Vol. 7, but I did test a passel of the blocks, and design and piece a sample quilt. Below are the blocks I tested.

#609, Summer's End by Jenniver Schifano Thomas, Curlicue Creations:

#613 Diamond Crossing by Lisa Bassett, Relatively Creative Patterns:

#622, Barn Swallows, by Nancy McNally:

#629, Anni's Flower Jug by Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched:

#642, Basket of Blooms by Erin Russet, of McCall's Quilting:

#654, Double Crossed, by AnneMarie Chany, of Gen X Quilters:

#657, Plaid Squares, by Melissa Corry of Happy Quilting:

#658, A Divided Flock, by Elizabeth Dackson of don't call me betsy:

#660, Apple Tree, by June Dudley of Quiltmaker magazine:

#661, Prairie Sunburst, by Deanne Eisenman of Snuggles Quilts:

#678, Beach Cabanas by Cheryl Lynch of Oy Vey! Quilt Designs:

# 679, Rick Rack Row, by Marian Mapes:

#682, Stairway to Heaven, by Scott Murkin or Patchwork Possibilities:

#688, Hearts Around, by Marjorie Rhine, of Quilt Design NW:

I enjoyed test-sewing the blocks.  It's amazing how creative block designers can be!

My favorite part of the process was designing a quilt using one of the blocks I tested.  I particularly wanted to sew a "modern" quilt.  At the time my quilt was due, I had only tested one block that I considered truly a "modern quilt" block, "A Divided Flock," by Elizabeth Dackson.

Testers were urged to used three or more blocks that they had sewn, but I couldn't find another block that went well with Elizabeth's block. So I used just the one, repeated twelve times! Since I wasn't "following the rules," I called my quilt "Flying My Own Way."  It was a thrill for me to use a fabric line that had not yet been released, Denyse Schmidt's "Shelburne Falls" collection.

Quiltmaker magazine presents each block tester with two copies of the new magazine, and I'd love to give you one of my copies.  If you'd like one of the test blocks sewn by Your Aunt Marti, as well as the magazine, just leave a comment on this post before next Monday, May 6 at noon MDT.  I'll let the Random Number Generator choose a winner -- yes, international entries welcome!

Tomorrow is the last day to send me the photo of your April UFO -- I got mine done, wheeee!  Come back Wednesday to see the Parade.




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Finish it up Friday

Well, no trip to Colorado Quilt Council for me tomorrow.  I still have two quilts to finish before the weekend is over!

I did finish piecing my April "Vintage Schnibbles."  This month's quilt is "Hat Trick."  I used 1930s reproduction scraps for this cute nine-patch wall hanging, and muslin for the setting squares and triangles. It's the 15th quilt I've pieced this year.

My friend Holly always wanted a purple kitchen, and her current house indeed has a purple kitchen.  She is moving this summer, and will be living in a rental -- so no more purple kitchen!  I used purple for the center squares on this quilt, and will bind it in purple, so she will at least have a purple quilt!

I emailed this one to Sinta for the Vintage Schnibbles parade.  Check it out on Sinta's blog next Wednesday.

I've also finished the piecing for next Friday's Jelly Roll Party sample.  The pattern is "At Sea" from Cozy Quilts.  This quilt marks the first time I've tried Sharyn Craig's "cutting corners" ruler, and I've got to say, the ruler is worth the money it cost.  I'm going to try one of the patterns she included with the ruler -- when I have some sewing time to spare.

Quilt #16 for 2013, "At Sea" is made with a jelly roll of Edyta Sitar's Laundry Basket batiks.  I'm quilting it using Cheryl Malkowski's "Flames" quilting design from her doodle Quilting book. I was inspired to try this quilting motif by Barb Shie's quilting on a recent Brown Bag Surprise quilt from Ruth's Stitchery

Linking up to Thank Goodness it's Finished Friday at What a Hoot!

I really must get my April UFO quilt finished -- 126 HSTs, and three borders, and it's finished!  Come back Wednesday for the April UFO parade!

From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday: It's a Mystery!

This week's WIP is also my April UFO project.  It's a mystery quilt I started last summer at Quilt Colorado 2012.  The designer is Linda Ballard of Let's Quilt.

"Mystery at Quilt Colorado" is probably the most "mysterious" mystery quilt I've made.  You really had to sew all the steps before a clue emerged as to what the quilt would look like!

A further mystery:  I knew, I just knew, I had lots of the fabric I used left over. I needed more of the "dark" fabric to make the borders. But I couldn't find it -- my sewing room is a disaster area, the result of an energetic search for the extra fabric.

Amazingly, I awoke this morning with the thought "it's on the bolt."  You see, I have a dozen or so bolts of fabric stored behind my cutting table, mostly backings and background fabrics.  I moved the cutting table out, and there it was!

I have the twelve blocks complete, next I will work on the sashing and the pieced border.

Saturday at Front Range Modern Quilt Guild, Kari presented a wonderful talk on "color."  She suggested translating a photo of our quilts to grayscale to see if the contrast is adequate.

I'm very happy to report the contrast for this quilt is excellent!  Kari, thanks for the excellent tip!

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

It's going to be "down to the wire" to get this UFO complete before the end of the month!  How is your's coming?  Email me a photo when you get it finished!


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World Book Night

Tonight is "World Book Night" in the US.  If you haven't heard of it, here is what WorldBookNight.org says about this project:

About World Book Night
World Book Night is an annual celebration dedicated to spreading the love of reading, person to person.  Each year on April 23, tens of thousands of people go out into their communities and give half a million free World Book Night paperbacks to light and non-readers.  In 2012, World Book Night was celebrated in the U.S., the UK, Ireland, and Germany.
World Book Night is about giving books and encouraging reading in those who don’t regularly do so. But it is also about more than that: It’s about people, communities and connections, about reaching out to others and touching lives in the simplest of ways—through the sharing of stories.
World Book Night is a nonprofit organization. We exist because of the support of thousands of book givers, booksellers, librarians, and financial supporters who believe in our mission.  Successfully launched in the U.K. in 2011, World Book Night was first celebrated in the U.S. in 2012. Thank you to our U.K. friends for such a wonderful idea!

I am lucky to be chosen to be a book "giver" for 2013.  A few months ago, WBN asked for input on what books to give away this year.  I read several of the books, and chose "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham.

I mailed my books to My Little Sailor on the USS George Washington -- after all, a United States Ship is technically US soil!  I chose "Playing for Pizza" because I thought this light read would appeal to young Sailors who might not have the "reading habit."  I hope during their summer "cruise," they will enjoy reading this book and maybe come back for more.

If you'd like to get involved, go here to sign up for the World Book Night newsletter.  And keep on reading!

From the desk of your

What's on the Design Wall?

I know, I promised a road trip report.  I got caught up working on the next Jelly Roll Party sample, so I'll save the Saturday Stash for next Saturday!

The June Jelly Roll Party quilt at Ruth's Stitchery is "At Sea," from Cozy Quilts.

The Party Girls chose this one for June from a pile of patterns I brought into the shop.  I love it, mostly because of the name.  I want to have some quilts completed in case a Sailor on My Little Sailor's ship, the USS George Washington, gets a major award.  It takes two weeks for mail to reach them, so I need to be ready to ship off a quilt at a moment's notice!

Here is my layout of the blocks:

My fabrics are from Edyta Sitar's "Laundry Basket" batiks collection.  The background is a very pale seafoam green.  I'm waiting for the yardage from Edyta to arrive at Ruth's for the border.

After I had the blocks for "At Sea" pieced, I decided to finish the blocks for this month's "Vintage Schnibbles" parade.  The pattern is "Hat Trick," and I'm using 1930s reproduction scraps for mine:

I did go with the muslin for the setting squares and triangles.  It will be fun to quilt something fancy in those blank spaces.

There is barely one week left to finish my April UFO, and this is all I have done!

How about you?  When you have your UFO "finished" (remember, *you* decide what is finished!), take a photo and email me the photo at AuntMarti at 52quilts dot com. The parade will be May 1st! 



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