WIP Wednesday: Little House on the Prairie QAL

I'm a bit behind on my Little House mystery quilt. Blame it on the weather -- one of the AccuQuilt Go! dies I needed was in a truck stuck in a snowstorm in Wyoming!

The customer service lady at AccuQuilt was great, though. She "released" the remainder of my order, so I could finish this block.

My "birds in flight" blocks aren't quilt 6½" square, so I'm not sewing the big block together until I figure out where I went wrong!

What's in process in your sewing room?


From the desk of your

Tuesday Tutorial: A Tragic Tale

This may well be the saddest quilting story ever told. 

Can you see what this is? Maybe a closeup would help:

This is a beautifully pieced jelly roll quilt, which was washed before it was quilted and bound.

Now before you laugh, and say "Why would anyone wash an un-quilted quilt top?" listen to the reasoning behind this trauma.

You bring home new clothes from the store, and wash them before you wear them, right? So shouldn't you wash your quilt top before it is quilted?

Oh, the humanity.

But you know what? When I read the class instructions for my Jelly Roll Party at Ruth's Stitchery, it included the instructions to bring "wash and pressed fabric."

Noooooo!

Some quilters prewash, some don't (I don't!). But precuts should not be pre-washed -- especially strips! Because the manufacturer is cutting many, many layers of fabric in one swipe, precuts are rarely "on grain." So they tend to fray -- sometimes, a lot!

So please, don't prewash your precuts!

Here are two of my favorite strip pointers. 

First, have you ever opened a roll of 2½" strips and immediately been covered in tiny bits of fabric lint? Try this: before removing the rubber band or ribbon that holds the strips in place, roll the cut sides with a lint roller.

You'll be surprised at how much "lint" comes off on the roller! If you can't find your lint roller (hint: it's on the shelf above the clothes dryer), try using the nozzle of your vacuum cleaner.

Second, have you ever carefully pieced a block using 2½" strips and had it come out too small? It could be your seam allowance -- or it could be that the strip isn't a true 2½" wide. Especially with strips that have "pinked" edges, measure them before you sew!

Sometimes the 2½" width is at the "outside" of the pinked edge, sometimes it's at the "inside" of the pinking.

And sometimes, the strip isn't a complete 2½" wide at all!

Sometimes, the strips are 2½" wide at one end, but narrower at the opposite end. Measure before you sew!

Today is "Do a Grouch a Favor" Day.

Do a Grouch a Favor today. Do it and make the world a better place.
Everyone has been a grouch at one time or another. Some people are seemingly grouches all of the time. It's in their nature. Others are occasional grouches, influenced by events in their lives, lack of sleep, the weather, etc. A few people are good at disguising their grouchy mood. But, they still need cheering up.
 Look around for someone who is in a grouchy mood today. Then, do him or her a favor that will cheer up their day. There's plenty of grouches out there to practice on. Try it on all of the grouches that you see today, and watch the results!

Happy Do a Grouch a Favor Day!

From the desk of your

Sunday Stash: Michael Miller Cotton Couture

Sometimes, you come across a fabric that you just fall in love with.

Michael Miller's "Cotton Couture" is that fabric for me. It's "high density" (think super-expensive Egyptian cotton sheets, only softer and finer) with a "hand" that is like, well -- buttah. Almost too yummy for quilts, it makes me want to make summer blouses!

And Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts is hosting a QAL using these beautiful colors of Cotton Couture:

The Quilt-Along is called "Ugly Christmas Sweaters." 

My friend, Joy, hosts a cookie exchange every year. At the exchange, she also has an "ugly Christmas sweater" contest. I have won more than once (one year I wore a felt tree skirt, and yes, I won the contest). So when I saw Lorna's quilt, I knew I had to make it for Joy!

Ruth's Stitchery ordered all the colors of Cotton Couture needed for the quilt, as well as this adorable foxy print, Sweater Weather, for the back ground. The red print is Festive Nest for the backing. (Lorna used white Festive Nest for the background and Sweater Weather for the backing. But I love the foxes, so they are my background!)

I'm working on deadline to make a wedding quilt, but I stopped in the middle to make the first block:

Isn't it cute? I can't wait to make more blocks! 

Lorna is releasing instructions for each block every few days, go here to join. Or if you're impatient, like me, you can order the complete pattern in PDF format.

Now, back to the wedding quilt!


From the desk of your

Design Wall Monday

If you need a quick quilt for a gift, I can readily suggest this design!

Here is the sample for the April Jelly  Roll Party at Ruth's Stitchery. I tried two different layouts -- which do you like better?

I like "rainbow" layouts, so I tried this layout with the colors moving from the off-white background to the red:

But I decided the uneven numbers of each color would bother me, so I went with the random layout:

The pattern is "Gemini" from Villa Rosa Designs. The fabric is "Mon Ami" by BasicGrey for Moda. I chose this fabric because of the raindrops in one of the prints -- April showers, you know! I love the "grunge" semi-solids from BasicGrey, they add so much texture to the background. I'm planning straight-line quilting for this modern design. It will finish at 52" X 65" throw size.

Super-quick to sew up -- I had the pieces already cut, and it took only the better part of one day to stitch! I'll be using this pattern again for a baby quilt, or a 12th birthday quilt.

The fourth Jelly Roll sample quilt for 2016 finished already. Hooray!


From the desk of your

Sunday Stash: Some New Patterns

I like to buy new patterns and read/admire them for awhile before I buy the fabric to go with. 

First up is a new bag pattern from "Lazy Girl Designs," the Sweatpea Pods. Cathy brought back a sample of the special zipper required for this bag from Fall market. Isn't it cute?

I showed you this layer cake and "City Blocks" pattern last week -- now the Moda Bella Solids that I want to use for the background has arrived, so this will be my next "new quilt" start!

You know how I love "strip quilts." This new book from That Patchwork Place has lots of great patterns that use 2½" fabric strips. I can't decide which one to make first!

This was a "just because it's pretty" purchase. I have a growing collection of text prints, and I think this block will make a great pillow for my "word nerd" friends!

Being an Idaho native, I couldn't resist this embroidery pattern. Even though I haven't embroidered for years!

Do you ever buy a pattern that you'll never make up, just because you like it? Elder Son says "It's OK to buy it just because it's pretty!"


From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday: Mystery Quilt Catch-Up

Three snow days in a row means lots of quilting time!

I now have all the blocks finished for the English Manor Mystery Quilt Along. All I have left is the sashing, quilting, and binding.

This mystery QAL celebrates the 2015 season of "Downton Abbey."

It was designed and hosted by Ebony Love of LoveBug Studios. I was lucky that Ruth's Stitchery offered the entire line of Andover's Downton Abbey fabrics, and I chose the "Team Carson" colors.

I really like the darker colors of the "Team Carson" quilt. All I have to do now is find a guy who is a Downton Abbey fan, and is "quilt worthy!"

I am also stitching along with Ebony's "Little House on the Prairie" Mystery QAL. The Accuquilt Go! dies I ordered got caught in the midwest blizzard, so I skipped step 3 and went on to step 4.

I have to admit, it's a lot easier to piece precisely using the die cutter!

Although it's been nice to sew all day for three days, I'm ready to return to the shop tomorrow!

From the desk of your

February 1 UFO Parade

UFO challengers did so well finishing their favorite UFOs in January! The year is off to a great start, with 19 finishes.

If you're ready to start your next UFO, the number is:

And now, on to the parade!

A new challenger, Erin, sent this photo of her gorgeous scrappy Log Cabin. She writes:

I’m so excited to participate in your UFO challenge this year.  I made a list at the beginning of the year, and I had 28 UFOs.  Yikes!  But I finished one today (to Flimsy stage).  It will be a quilt for my new niece, born just before Christmas.  I blogged about it today at My Patchwork Life.

Welcome to the challenge, Erin, and I hope you get those UFOs pared down to a reasonable number this year!

Friend Martha and her daughter, Shannon, have had a busy January. I love the story behind this quilt:

My daughter made a quilt of over 100 leaves and a tree trunk she designed for a woman in her on-line mommy's group. The woman's one year old had died and the group wanted to do something for her. Most sent in signed leaves and Shannon appliquéd them. I quilted it and the woman loved it!  There is nothing like a quilt for comfort!

The Boise Modern Quilt Guild had a "tote exchange," and here is the tote Martha made. What a great idea for a swap!

Here are some more bags from the swap. I spy a "Sew Everything" bag there!

This pattern is from Quilt Expressions in Boise, and is called "Last Dance." I'll be shopping for this pattern next time I'm in Idaho!

Martha's DH calls this quilt her "circus quilt," but she says the real name is "Fair and Square." Love these colors!

You're right, Martha -- it's been a busy month in your household!

Joy certainly earns "a jewel in her crown" for this project. Here's what she told me about it:

Whew!  It is finally finished!
I went back and checked...my very first submission of a UFO was a t-shirt quilt for a friend in January 2014. When she gave me that quilt to reconstruct, she also gave me this quilt to repair. It needed many new diamonds, repairs to seams, a new border, new batting, and a new back.
We would have just made a new quilt, but this was sentimental to her, and she wanted it repaired. When I unquilted it, I found more repairs were needed than I originally thought. At that point, the task seemed impossible, and I set it aside to work on other projects. And I kept putting it off...for two more years. I finally decided to just get it finished. I spent my days of being snowed in to complete it. She was glad to have it back. Now I'm spending more time in my sewing room because I can sew whatever I want...Guilt Free!
Thanks so much for the "free" month!  I think it was just the motivation I needed to prioritize what really needed to be done.

Sue's "favorite UFO" is not a quilt but a group of blocks. She says she doesn't want to sew them together until she has them made in all the colors. This may result in multiple quilts! Read all about it on her blog, Quilty Bits and Bobs, here.

Oh, look, here's another one from Martha and Quilt Expressions!

Martha made this quilt from a set of 10" squares. No waste with this clever pattern!

Deb's submission this month is the "Zipper Quilt" from Missouri Star Quilt Company. She says a sewing buddy taught her friends to make this quilt, and Debra just had to make her's in red. 

So cheery, Deb, your photo really brightens my grey, snowy day!

Betsy received a Kaffe Fassett kit from a fellow quilter, and made this beauty for her brother. Lucky guy!

She practiced her long-arm quilting -- here's a closeup -- and I think she did a great job!

Susan sent a funny story with her finish:

This is my oldest UFO - Back in 1988, I went to the first NSW Quilt Guild's Quilt Symposium. One of the classes I did was machine quilting - using a walking foot - we had to pre-prepare a panel and in the class we quilted.  This was all before fabric markers that vanished, so it seems we marked in pencil.  I finished the panel at the time and it has been sitting / hiding ever since.(One interstate move and one house move)
It was meant to be a finish in my first (?) year of your challenge but couldn’t find it when the time came - so had to do another project. Finally, it's a cushion!

And a lovely cushion, too, Susan. Thanks for the chuckle!

Ohmigosh, that Martha! Here is her 5th finish for the month, a cute baby quilt called Fancy Foxes.

 Kerry has two lovely finishes for January. The first is in one of my favorite color combinations, blue and cheddar. It's called "Survivor," and Kerry started it in a class with Joyce Weeks at the San Diego quilt show two years ago. She says the class sample was pink and blue, but Kerry and I both love the cheddar and blue combination.

Next is Woodland Wildlife and is a leftover UFO from 2015. It is for Kerry's Granddaughter.

So cute, Kerry, she will love this!

Another new UFO challenger, Jennifer, is off to a good start for the new year.

She sent in photos of two finishes for this month.  First, Jennifer's "coffee quilt." she says she started it in 2004 or so with swap blocks. More blocks were added in 2009 or 2001, and now it's a lovely finish!

  

Jennifer's second quilt has a touching story:

The second one is one for my mom.  She was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer in September, and we were told to brace ourselves for the new year.  I've had the top done for a a year or so, but never quilted it because I was afraid. It's done now. I just finished the binding.

Irene finished two quilts for others this month. The first is lap quilt for a friend battling ovarian cancer. The pillow shows the backing that she used.

Irene's second  quilt is so clever!

The second one is from an old pattern book I have had in my UFOs for over a year. It will be in a silent auction fund raiser for  our church’s Child Development Center next month. It is a wall hanging organizer for papers, pencils and notes, etc.

Sandi sent the first finished "Aliietare" from Bonnie Hunter's newest mystery. Here's what she told me about it:

Each Black Friday now for six years I've been looking forward to Part 1 of Bonnie Hunter's Winter Mystery.  Bonnie is so gracious every year with all her followers providing a FREE design.  For me she's never disappointed in the reveal that takes place right at the New Year.  This year, as she has done previously, is a design in the colors of one of the many trips she takes while lecturing and presenting workshops.  The 2015 Mystery was Allietare created to commemorate her visit to Tuscany.  I coined my project Kontentment inspired by the meaning of Allietare...to GLADDEN, to REJOICE, to become CHEERFUL.  I love the colors of gold, red, black, a constant gray and the very necessary neutrals.  So without further ado here is my Kontentment.
You can also read a bit more about putting it together on my blog:
http://kwiltnkats.blogspot.com/2016/01/sunday-stash-report-january-10-2016.html  under the heading LABELS on the right side bar select Kontentment to get every post from the first part.

You make me wish I had done this mystery, Sandi!

My #9 UFO is the Downton Abbey mystery from year-before-last. What's yours?

From the desk of your