April in review

HMMMM - April was a bit more productive than March was, which does make me feel good. But being productive also means that I have 4 quilt tops hanging in my closet ready to be quilted. Two are large, and 2 are small.  

• 3 purple RSC14 Pig Tail blocks - DONE

• 2 Saturday Sampler blocks - DONE

• UFO progress - Loralei Golfers - bring to flimsy stage - DONE (ready to quilt)

• UFO progress - 2 aqua owl pillowcases - DONE & Donated

In addition to these goals, I did manage a couple of other things:

• finished binding Boxed Squares and got it mailed
• made a small Strip & Twist wall hanging (ready to quilt)
• 3 string blocks
• 2 baby burp cloths for gifts
• cleaning up my scrap bin overflow

Design wall Monday - Red, white, and blue

I liked the second block from our Saturday Sampler so much that I decided to play with this block to make something patriotic.  Here is one version and the reverse fabric version is cut out and ready to sew. I haven't decided what these blocks will become eventually, but I sure like how this one looks.  It's so much fun to play with blocks even when there isn't a clear plan.

I will link up to Judy's Patchwork Times post for Design Wall Monday.  Go check out what other quilters are working on this week.

Cleaning up the debris

Today seemed like a perfect day to do a little cleaning in my sewing room.  My scrap bin had exploded everywhere, plus I needed to refold some larger pieces of fabric to  put away where they could actually be found again.

Before . . . . . . .

About 3 hours later following lots of organizing, folding, some ironing, and sorting . . . the floor and the top of the dresser are no longer a dumping ground.  And I made 3 more string blocks while I had lots of strips handy.  Now there is actually room to set the antique lamps on top of those small drawer sections. 

Traveling Stars

Two more Traveling Stars added to the stack today. I'm getting very close to having enough for a queen size quilt.  Notice the Sturgis star - a member of our guild recently move west to the Sturgis area and she sent 6" squares to share with members.  Sturgis is famous for the huge motorcycle rally held each summer with hundreds of thousands of riders attending.

My regular readers know that our guild has a tradition of sharing 6" squares of fabric purchased when we travel and visit quilt shops. I've been making these star blocks because I just didn't want to cut into a lot of these fabrics. So - each center is 6" square.

Sharing "quilty" love

I hope my cousin and her friend don't mind my sharing this photo. My Boxed Squares quilt was purchased by my cousin (a fabulous knitter) and given as a gift to a dear friend who is also a fiber artist (knitter, spinner, weaver).  It is so rewarding to know that one of my quilts has a new home with another lover of fiber.  This picture really made my day!!

Baby projects

There are such cute baby and kid fabrics out today. I've made a few more burp cloths as baby gifts and this one has to be my favorite. 

Design Wall Monday - Saturday Sampler blocks #3 and #9

We are halfway through our Saturday Sampler and I've loving these block designs because they are all star blocks.  Stars are one of my favorite kinds of block.  This SS has 2 blocks each month and they are just reversing the fabrics except for the centers.  Month one had green/red, month two had blue/green and now month 3 is this brown/orange combo.  This will make a stunning quilt I think.

 

I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday on http://www.patchworktimes.com/

Alphabet pillowcases - Done!

Check off another UFO from my list - these aqua alphabet pillowcases.  The fabric for these has been sitting in my stash for a couple of years. And these will be donated along with a couple of others made this winter.  

Summer Mystery Quilt is done

The Pin Cushion did a great job quilting my Summer Mystery Quilt and I picked it up late last week. Now the binding is on and I can check off another finish.  This light yellow and red floral combination turned out pretty even though yellow is NOT one of my favorite colors. I think this pinwheel design would be really great in a scrappy version.

Binding a UFO

I finally managed to convince Sammy that I didn't need help holding down my quilt while I attached the binding.  This is not a spot he normally chooses. Usually he lies on the ironing board you can see in the background. 

Now I'm working on the hand stitching while watching the Masters golf tourny on TV. And can you guess where this cat is now? Yup - laying on the quilt so that I can only work so far before having to move him.  We know who the boss is in this house.

Happy 1st Birthday!

My twin grand-babies, Olivia and Jonah turn 1 today!  Can't wait to see them on Saturday and give them big birthday kisses.  I have 4 of the cutest grandchildren on the planet. 

Loralei Golfers is a flimsy

I haven't completely convinced myself that the light blue outside border is going to stay as is. Maybe, maybe not, or maybe it will become narrower.  This turned out bigger than I was expecting - ending up almost 70" square.  But I can say that this UFO has been moved from block stage to flimsy stage, and that was one of my April goals.

3 purple Pig Tails on my design wall

The background really is a crisp white, although the sunshine on my deck made it look a bit lavender. These Pig Tail blocks are for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC14) project hosted by So Scrappy, and this month marks 1/3 of the way done.  So I have 12 blocks (blue, aqua, purple, pink).  I've linked to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. Check out what others have added to their design walls lately.

Productive weekend

Our guild had a class yesterday morning and we used a pattern and ruler called Strip and Twist. We came with our homework done - the strip sets all sewn. Then we cut the pieces and sewed.  My navy, lime, and grey combination turned out well and now it is ready to sandwich and quilt.

Today I finished a quilt top and made 2 blocks for another project. But I'll show those another day.  And I have the binding ready to put onto another UFO quilt.  Moving forward . . . 

It is purple month for RSC14

One block done and 2 more cut out for my purple additions to my RSC14 project.  I'm doing these Pig Tail blocks from the book El's Kitchen by Eleanor Burns. Love, love, love this block.  I'm doing 3 each month so I'll have 12 blocks done when I finish these (blue, pink, aqua, purple).

Slow progress

Slowly but surely I'm putting together the Loralei Golfers blocks to make a flimsy.  The first 2 rows are set together with narrow sashing and cornerstones, with 2 more rows to go plus the border.

This UFO has been sitting around in various stages for several years.  I bought the fabric panel when it first came out, but then it just sat in my stash.

Last summer I put the bright colored frames around them. But they were still too small (and different sizes) to make a good sized quilt, so they hung on my design wall for quite awhile - waiting for some inspiration.  Finally bought the black confetti fabric and put another frame around them all, making 14" blocks.

This week I bought the pink solid and dug the yellow out of my stash for the sash and cornerstones.  And I bought some border fabric although I'm not sure yet how wide it will be.

Boxed Squares

This UFO can be checked off my list because it is ready to go into the mail to its new home in Minnesota.  I managed to finally finish the last 24" of binding after work today.  Boxed Squares was made with a jelly roll and has been "marinating" on my UFO list for a couple of years.

April goals

How ambitious should I be for April? I'm really hoping that spring will arrive and that I can add some golf to my calendar.  But I want to spend some quality time in my sewing room too, so here are a few goals to work on:

• 3 RSC14 Pig Tail blocks (purple)
• 2 Saturday Sampler blocks
• UFO progress - Loralei Golfers - bring to flimsy stage
• UFO progress - 2 aqua owl pillowcases