First October Finish

I'm really falling behind this month -- the first finish of the month, and it's already October 18! Here is "Dresden Blooms," my UFO for October:

I'm slowly finishing all my projects from "the 1930s reproduction collection." This is a Strip Club project from years ago. Pattern by Susan Ziegler for Cozy Quilts.

The pattern has two borders of print fabrics around the center Dresden Plate block. Because I want this for a baby quilt, I left them out to make the quilt smaller.

That caused me a little trouble with the pink half-circles on the half-Dresdens on the outside blocks. It looks to me like the pattern tester had the same problem, or is that just wishful thinking?

Linking up to "Can I Get a Whoop Whoop" at Confessions of a Fabric Addict:

and Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts:

This is Quilt #44 for 2013 -- eight to go to make 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks! Guess I need to put down the knitting needles and get back to the sewing machine.

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WIP Wednesday: One Block Wonder

Why, oh why did I wait so long to begin this quilt? I thought it would be difficult! It's not, and wow, how fun it is turning out!

Jen at Quilter in the Closet is sponsoring a "One Block Wonder QAL."  I'm always a sucker for QALs (I think it's the accountability. I like keeping up so I can post my progress to the Flickr group!)

(image from Amazon.com)

One of the quilters at Cindy's quilt retreat last October was making this quilt from this fabric.

It's "Satsuki" from Robert Kaufman. Made in Japan! When I raced down to Boise to pick up My Little Sailor (home on emergency leave from his port call in Manila) I stopped off at Quilt Expressions and bought all they had left.

Fast forward to September, nearly one year later. When Jen announced the One Block wonder QAL, I dug out this fabric and my book. I was surprised how quickly the pieces went together. Thanks, Bonnie Hunter for the tip to store lots of pieces on a cookie sheet!

Here a just a few of my blocks on the design wall. I need to make 30 more before I really start designing the quilt. But who could resist seeing what it will look like?

I discovered Ruth's Stitchery here in the Springs has fabrics from this line, so I can choose a contrast color for the setting half-hexagons and borders. Orange? Blue? Cathy will have to help me decide!  Here is a link to my Flickr photostream, in case you want to see some more photos of this WIP.

I'll link up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced as soon as the link opens!

Quilt finish #45 for 2013 will be posted on Friday -- come back and see!

From the desk of your

Design Wall Monday: BOM Catch-up

After three days of sewing nothing but "Farmer's Wife" blocks, I am caught up on all but one of my Blocks of the Month projects!

First up, finally a second colorway for the "Toes in the Sand" BOM from the Quilt Asylum. Yep, that's Tula Pink's Saltwater.

Two different colorways of the same blocks from two different years of Patchwork Party (left two are from 2010, right two are from 2012).  The more I use Marti Michell's clever templates, the more I love them!

This quilt will be the first one I put together for the 2014 UFO Challenge -- because I want to take Ryokan to Japan as a housewarming gift for My Little Sailor!

My Amish With a Twist BOM from Ruth's Stitchery is almost to the point where I can decide on a background color. I decided the black was just too predictable. Ruth's has the entire line of Northcott Premium ColorWorks Solids, so there will be a perfect color just waiting for me, I know!

This isn't one block, it's part of the "piano key" border. I appreciate that the pattern has you make a few of these each month, rather than a whole passle when the blocks are finished. They're boring!

This is my shining accomplishment of the week! That's 18 (count them. I've counted them about 100 times, I can't believe I made that many 6.5"  blocks at once!) Farmer's Wife blocks!

If you're the least bit interested in making a Farmer's Wife quilt (and I love the ones in blogland made with modern fabrics, or just two colors. But never again!), I highly recommend you sign up for Marti Michell's "Farmers Wife" conversion charts. She sends one free set of instructions per week, and the next round of 10 sets begins Friday, October 18. Using her templates, the blocks go together like a hot knife through buttah. 

Here it is, my "BOM Control Central" board. That 3D Sampler quilt from Cindy's Quilt Shop is still kicking my butt. The blocks finish at 6" and the 3D technique requires insane amounts of concentration!

And here is the "October Quilts" list. Since I took this photo, I've crossed off ONE item on the list -- the jewelry roll test sew.

A teaser photo of that project: It turned out great, but we'll have to wait until Laura publishes the pattern to see the finished product! (And BTW, Amy, she says "thanks" for the photoshop tip!)

Since this post is already enormously photo-heavy, I'll leave you with a screen shot of my new desktop wallpaper. That's the USS George Washington, CVN 73 (that means aircraft carrier) departing Busan, South Korea.

Fair winds and following seas, Sailors!

From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday -- At Sea!

Although our Sailors work long, long hours when they are at sea, they do get some time off! Just before their current patrol, a shipmate of My Little Sailor bought a sewing machine. She wanted to learn to quilt! Lucky for her, MLS was a 4-H member who made quilts for several years as a member of the 4-H Wildcats club.

I immediately mailed fabric and a pattern. Their Chief agreed to let her bring the sewing machine on the summer patrol aboard the USS George Washington. Early in their "cruise," I received an email. "BK is working on her quarter-inch seams."

I'm a child of the Cold War. My first thought was "the spies who read all our email are surely wondering what THAT is code for!"

This morning I received another email, subject "BK Gets to Quilting." With photos! (After all, they work in the Media Shop.) Jacob reports:

BK started work on her first quilt today! She’s enjoying it & loves the batiks. She says thanks and even let me take photos of her to show you. =P

She’s learning really quick. Did you precut some of the strips or did it come that way as a kit? Either way—thanks, it helped a lot, I wasn’t up for cutting 42” widths on a 30” cutting mat!

She’s definitely got the right idea—measure twice, cut once. She also laid out all her strips and grouped them so she wouldn’t duplicate any colors in a single block. It’s really cool to see it ‘click’ for her as she realizes how this is going to go together. It helps that she can sew a straight ¼” seam.

Isn't it handy that the Media/Printshop work table is the perfect height for a cutting table? 

Of course, the fun part is seeing how the colors work together!

In case you're wondering, yes, she sewed on stripes for Sailors who were promoted during the first half of the patrol.

I can't remember what pattern I sent, so I'm also looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

I think this one should be the "photo of the week" for the ship!

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. I bet they've never seen photos like these!

A quilter is born! Thanks for the photos, Jacob. Quilt on, BK!



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BOM-Day

Being the first Monday of the month, today is Block-of-the-Month Day. I have so many BOMs in progress, I should devote every Monday to BOMs!

Today I started a new Patchwork Party project. The 2013 Patchwork Party blocks are pre-cut and ready to sew. I couldn't resist testing out the laser-cut blocks, and my first block, from Stitchin' Heaven in Texas, has convinced me to buy the rest.

The slightly darkened edges of the pieces are the result of the laser used to cut the pieces precisely.

The pieces went together flawlessly and quickly. What a great idea, to pre-cut the pieces!

Next up was the newest Mystery BOM from Ruth's Stitchery. Sonya created this project and presents a brief tutorial in the shop the First Thursday of each month. This month all we made was 22 half-square triangles (perfect thanks to the Bloc-Loc ruler!).

 Our Vintage Memories block party is nearly finished. This month is the center block:

I'm up to block 8 on Toes in the Sand. This quilt is made with Julie Herman's Hex N More ruler. I can't wait to see how the quilt comes together!

Only five  more BOM projects for this month!

From the desk of your

Stash -- Road Trip Report

You know it's a good day when you visit not one, but three shops you've never visited before!

My friend and fellow Front Range Modern Quilt Guild member, Chrystal, recently opened a new sewing shop in Loveland, Colorado. Since I resisted attending the Taos Wool Festival with BFF Mary, I took myself on a little road trip to Northern Colorado.

The first stop of the day was Greeley, and a fairly new shop, Sew Downtown. Greeley has recovered from the September floods, and the view of the Front Range is incredible. It was fun to eavesdrop on the Girl Scout (I think) sewing class that was happening in the back of the shop!

Next, a lovely drive through the Colorado countryside to Quilter's Stash in Windsor. I can't show you what I bought because it's for a mystery project. Let's just say I'm well on my way to my "you shop here too often" reward! (Psst -- if you're searching for the bunny with the FabShopHop, Quilter's Stash is a participating shop!)

Totally worth the drive!

"Cotton Candy Sewing Shop" is going to be a big hit, I'm sure. My "acid test" for a quilt shop is "does it have something I can't get anywhere else?" Well, Cotton Candy Sewing Shop has that -- in spades! Cotton Candy carries lines by designers Anna Maria Horner, Heather Ross and other lines from Michael Miller, Art Gallery and Robert Kaufman Fabrics. 

Of course, the shop MUST have one wall painted "cotton candy pink."

Anna Maria Horner -- fabrics not easy to find in Colorado. And fabrics by Free Spirit, also not something a lot of shops here stock.

I failed to ask Chrystal is she is the maker of this stunning quilt -- but look, it has a ribbon from the Larimer County Fair!

Update, Chrystal writes:

My grandma Dorothy made it, so the ribbon is from the Madison county fair in Nebraska. It's a pattern that she said is from a book called Bargello Quilts by Marge Edie but I just looked thru it and I couldn't find a heart pattern like hers, so i don't know how reliable that is. It is machine pieced and hand quilted, and that is her old treadle machine in the picture.

I was so pleased to find some Valorie Wells "Cocoon" voile in my "Japan trip" colors:

I bought one yard of "Effervescence" by Amelia Caruso for Robert Kaufman, just because Amelia is from Ft. Collins, Colorado. I didn't know what to make with it, but looking at her website, I see custom-made bags fashioned from this fun fabric. Score!

And Some Yarn!

Since I was "almost there," I dropped into the Loopy Ewe in Ft. Collins. They were my favorite yarn shop before they moved to Colorado -- now I can visit and fondle the yarn in person.

I recently cast on for a hat pattern called "Wurm" that needed a yarn with long, long color repeats. The yarn I was using was nice, but the repeats aren't long enough to make the stripes. On my last turn around the Loopy shelves, I spied:

Exactly the yarn used in one of the finished hats on Ravelry! This one's for me, baby! (Note: if you don't belong to Ravelry, it's free. Join so you can see this cool pattern!)

When I went to check out, Lynne told me I had a $16 credit -- who knew? Then while she was ringing up my sale, her assistant "dinged" the counter top bell. "That's for you," says Lynne. I won a free Loopy Ewe bag and skein of gorgeous Sweetgeorgiayarn tough love sock yarn. The bag also had some Tootsie Rolls in it, but, umm, they're gone now.

My last stop of the day was at Trelotta on South Broadway. I missed the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild meeting that was held at the shop -- WHAT a mistake! Look at these lovely Liberty prints I scored:

Tomorrow is BOM-Day. I have a new BOM to begin sewing tomorrow, come back and see what it is!

From the desk of your

Finally a Friday Finish

Today I have two finishes to share with you. I say "finally" not because they took a long time to finish, but "finally" because I had to wait for one to be published before I could share it. And "finally" because the other is for today's Jelly Roll Party at Ruth's Stitchery.

First, the October Jelly Roll Party sample.  It was a WIP on August 21 (what was that, 6 weeks ago?).

This quilt turned out big! Because I didn't read the directions (OK, directions are for wussies). If you look closely, you'll see that half the blocks have the print fabric in the center, and half have the background fabric in the center. I made all the "print in the center" blocks at the August Front Range Modern Quilt Guild sew-in.

When I brought the blocks home and put them up on the design wall, I realised "it doesn't look like the picture!"  Oh.

At this point, I thought "I'll just make it with all 'negative blocks.'" But of course, when it hung in the store, a customer would notice "that doesn't look like the picture on the pattern." So I made the same number of 'positive' blocks. And thought "I'll make two Halloween quilts."  But seriously, who needs two Halloween quilts? So I made one big Halloween quilt -- and I'm planning to give it to the son of a friend, whose birthday is on Halloween.

Details:  Pattern is Jacks be Quick from Cozy Quilts. Jelly Roll is Boo Crew from Sweetwater for Moda (I got mine at Ruth's, last time I checked, they still had one left!) Background fabric is Moda Bella Solids PFD (prepared for dyeing) also from Ruth's. Outer border is also from Boo Crew, I got mine from the Idaho Quilt Barn. Love that Susie's Magic Binding!

My other "ta da" for today is the first scrappy version of "Star Search" for Quiltmaker magazine's blog, Quilty Pleasures.

The details and a little tutorial about matching star points is on the Quilty Pleasures blog. Here is "the rest of the story."

Ten or so years ago, I started making quilts for each of my Mother's great-grandchildren when they turned 12. The very first one was for Levi, who was actually 15 (how do they grow up without us noticing?). I thought this year was a "bye," that there were no turning-twelves in that generation this year. I was wrong! Along in June, my niece posted a "Happy 12th Birthday, Eric" message on Facebook. Oops I quickly asked her "what is his favorite color?" and she replied "brown." 

Now I don't think I've ever made a brown quilt, but I had lots of brown batik scraps, so, as they say, "a star is born." I love the way this quilt turned out, and I particularly love the paisley quilting design Cornelia used. I'll pop this quilt in the mail to Eric today and wish him happy birthday -- only four months late!

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict, "Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?"

And the big OctoberQuest at Quokka Quilts:

AND Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts:

I still have some yarn to share with knitters willing to knit Hats for Sailors. Send me a message if you want some free yarn!






From the desk of your