Design Wall Monday

Are you joining in on Bonnie Hunter's new mystery?

I love a mystery, and I look forward each year to Bonnie's new project at Quiltville.com!

Here are parts of the first two steps:

Using my Bloc_Loc ruler to check if my HSTs are truly 2.5" -- they are!

UPDATE:  Granny Maud's Girl asked about the Bloc_Loc rulers. They are my absolute, all-time, total favorite for making perfect HSTs (and even more for Flying Geese!)  Here is the link to my post describing how to use the Bloc_Loc HST ruler.

Becky asked what method I used for the rectangles. I used the flip-and-sew method. One of the ladies at Ruth's "Bonnie Hunter Mystery Sew-Along" used the EZ Angle method with good results. I swore to myself that I would save the cut-offs, but I caved and tossed them in the "cat bed donation scraps" bin!

Here are some bits for part two.  Love that bright pink!

I'll have a new finish to share on Friday!

December Jelly Roll Parade

What?!? December Already? One last assignment for 2014 UFOs:

#11

Clearly, I wasn't the only one who had a busy month in November. I received several emails last night with November finishes!

Debra B. was an early-bird finisher, though. Here are two finishes from Deb.

First, Asian Nights, my #3 UFO, is from Harriett & Carrie Hargraves, Quilter's Academy - Volume 1 - Freshman Year, book. I purchased both the freshman and sophomore years because "thru the grapevine" I heard the "academy" books were written for beginner thru advanced quilter's and will make everyone a much better quilter. I find the books very informative and when I find a quilt I really like, I flag it and it becomes one of my upcoming UFO's.

Deb, I can tell you've taken Harriet's instruction to heart. Beautiful work!

I also have two others that I made. I made jelly roll quilts (not really jelly rolls - just 3" strips of stuff that's laying around that I wanted to use up).

I love the doggy treats in the second photo. I can't believe the dogs let the treats lie on the floor -- mine catch their treats in the air and finish them in one bite!

Heather finished not one, not two, but three charity quilts this month! She tells about the recipients in her blog post on Peachy Pages.

Heather, you've made some soldiers and their families very happy, I'm sure!

Oh, look! Debra also sent photos of this clever wool project. Deb's guild, Sunshine Quilter's of El Cajon, enjoyed a workshop with Kathy of The Cottage at Cardiff Farms. They made these darling wool "stitcher's clutches."

Deb, I have one of Kathy's books, "The Cottage at Cardiff Farms Quilts," but I didn't realize she also did wool patterns. Darling, and I can't wait to see the pin keeps (cushions) you make in December!

Friend Martha in Idaho is making baby quilts again! She reports that the parents have a "beach" theme -- don't you think these quilts will fit perfectly with that?

Martha also finished this "Staggered Geese" quilt, a scrapbusters projects from my favorite Boise shop, Quilt Expressions. She reports a new method to make Flying Geese -- can't wait 'til I visit Idaho again to learn this technique!

Sue about "quilted her fingers off" to finish this beauty by the deadline of her brother's 60th birthday. Isn't is gorgeous?

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I have to show you the back so you can really see the heavy quilting. Wow, Sue -- I bet your brother loves it!

More details about Coastal Compass on Sue's Quilty Bits and Bobs.

Joy in Nashville has been busy this month. First, I want to show you her "A Quilt Block a Day" finish from last Spring:

Joy, I love it with the bright colors!

Joy also finished a long-time charm UFO. It's a Disappearing Nine-Patch she finished for a class sample:

This adorable pillow, made for Joy's sister, is a great way to use some of the decorative stitches on the sewing machine:

Mary finished her entry for the Michael Miller Modern Quilt Challenge. This challenge required the use of several MM pastels -- not always what I think of when I imagine modern quilts.

I think Mary did a great job making these fabrics look "modern!"  Here is the beading on the focal star -- click on the photo to see it close up!

Read more about Mary's challenge on her blog, Zippy Quilts.

Gill really hit the finishing jackpot this month! Just look at all these finishes (and that's not all)!

I love these hot water bottle covers! What a great gift idea for chilly UK winters!

She calls this a "fabric tidy box." Cute, huh? I need to make some of these!

This "chemistry" fabric (showing the Periodic Table of the Elements) was a big hit at Ruth's Stitchery, too:

And one can never have too many Superhero coin zipper bags!

Her "big" finish this month is this log cabin throw for her father in law. 

Looks like you're ready for the holidays, Gill!

I just have to share this stunning antique quilt with you. Joy sent this photo, explaining it was made by her grandmother who passed away last month. I'll let Joy explain in her own words:

She was an avid quilter and hand worker, and I have many pieces that she made for me. She is really where I learned to crochet, embroider, cross stitch, and latch hook. Since then, I have learned to machine sew and quilt, and she was always a big fan and supporter if my work. . . .  I did think of you last week as I was cleaning out her linen closet and came across this quilt. It was hand pieced and quilted. I will assume that it was completed by her, but it very well could have been made by my Great Grandmother. I share it with you, knowing that you will appreciate all of the work and love that has gone into it.  

Joy's treasure is the block pattern for the Autumn "A Quilt Block a Day." This is indeed a treasure, Joy. I hope you'll have it appraised, and buy a non-acid box to store it in!

Enjoy your holiday preparations, and I look forward to the last 2014 UFO Parade on New Year's Day 2015!

From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday: The Next Jelly Roll Quilt

I love making jelly roll quilts. And I love the Jelly Roll Party each month at Ruth's Stitchery!

The good thing about being the lead "partier" is, I guaranteed to finish (pieced, quilted and bound!) at least 12 quilts each year. Because I make the sample every month.

This week, I'm making the sample for our January Jelly Roll Party:

The pattern is by Gudrun Erle, "Strip to Shore." Of course, I bought it because of the Navy reference!

I'm using a "Grunge" by Moda jelly roll, and the background is navy blue Grunge.

No special ruler is needed, although it is easier to square up the hexagons with a 60 degree ruler. As you might guess from my photo, the hardest thing is arranging the pieces so no same colors match. I didn't always succeed!

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

To 52 Quilts' USA followers, and all the ships at sea:
Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

From the desk of your

Bag It: A New Bag from Sew Sweetness

I get a vicarious thrill from "test sewing" patterns for talented designers. One of my favorites is Sara Lawson of "Sew Sweetness."

Sara designs the best bags! My most recent "test sew" for Sara is the Tudor Bag.

This is a good-sized bag, about 13" by 15".  Sara included instructions for both regular handles and an adjustable shoulder strap. I found the perfect webbing for the straps at Snappy Quilts when I bought the Cotton + Steel canvas for the bag.

There is one zipper pocket on the outside, and four big pockets inside.

Believe it or not, this is the first time I've made a bag with the recessed zipper on top. And of course, I installed the zipper upside-down! Rather than struggle to open the zipper from inside the bag, I removed the zipper panels and re-attached them. I'll pay more attention to the part that reads "with the zipper facing down" next time!

I failed to take a photo of the metal "feet" attached to the bottom of the bag. This little detail really makes a professional finish to a bag. I added a shoulder strap pad, copied from the Vera Bradley Weekender bag. I don't usually use a shoulder strap, but if the bag is filled to capacity it will be heavy. So the padded strap is a good idea, I think.

This is not my favorite of Sara's bags (that would be the adorable mini train case I made last summer!) but it will make the perfect winter knitting bag.

Go to Sew Sweetness to see the bags made by Sara's other testers.

Thank you, Sara, for allowing me to test sew this bag for you!

From the desk of your

TGIFF: Two Finishes and a Charity Quilt

It's getting to be that time of year when block party quilts are being finished. 

One I am especially glad to have complete is Sample This! from A Quilter's Dream.

This is no ordinary sampler quilt. Rather than 12 blocks in four rows of three, it's made in seemingly random sections. Choosing the fabrics for each section is the most challenging part. I made one quilt using the identical fabrics on the pattern photo. The "real" fabrics are much more attractive than they look in the photo:

And, well -- more attractive than in my photo!

I also found the same fabrics in a green colorway (much more green than they appear in my photo!):

I can't wait to see what Cornelia does with the quilting on these two. But that will have to wait until after her Christmas rush!

The Front Range Modern Quilt Guild made blocks for a charity quilt at their September retreat. Emily put them together, Mary quilted the quilt, and I did the binding. This is truly a group effort!

I think Emily's layout is so fun!

Linking up to TFIFF, this week at What a Hoot!

I'm going to a quilters pajama party tonight at Nana's Quilt Cottage. Report to follow this weekend!

From the desk of your

Word Verification On: Spam Out

I've resisted turning on the Word Verification feature since I launched this blog. But this week, I've received so many spam comments that I've decided to turn it on for a period, to see if that helps.

I apologize to those who legitimately comment. I hope I won't need to leave it on, or worse yet, go to comment verification.

I'm pretty sure my followers aren't buying G-ucci knock-off handbags!


From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday: One Win, One Fail

I'm binding quilts today. And I'm not even using Susie's Magic Binding!

I bound a charity quilt for Front Range Modern Quilt Guild, but I didn't have a fabric similar to what was used on the front. So I cut the binding at 2.5", stitched it to the front and wrapped it to the back and top stitched. Hey, if Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle can bind their quilts that way, so can I!

Before I show you the day's fail, how about the day's success? It's only a little peek, because this is a test-sew for my favorite bag designer, Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness.

I made a quilt from my son's roommate, who is a major San Francisco fan. I couldn't find the San Francisco fabric (I thought) was in the stash for the backing. So I ran to JoAnn and bought some 49ers fleece. I decided to experiment with leaving out the batting and just using the fleece as backing and batting combined. I loaded the quilt and fleece on my Viking Mega Quilter, and it stitched just fine. I thought!

When I trimmed the extra backing away, I noticed the quilting stitches were loose in several places.

[BTW, that nail polish is OPI's Red Fingers and Mistletoes, by Gwen Stafani.]

I don't know if the stitches didn't form because I didn't anchor them at the beginning of the row -- I started stitching on the backing, so I didn't anchor them. 

Anyway, I am re-quilting the "bad rows" on my Juki and I'll ask Vivian, the quilting expert at Ruth's, if she has an idea what went wrong.

Nic will love the quilt, even if it falls apart the first time he washes it. And I have enough fleece to make a blanket for his dog, Willy!

Have you had any experience using fleece as a quilt backing? Any hints for the next time?

From the desk of your