Design Wall Monday - September 16

And here we are . . . another Monday rolling around.  It's that interesting time of year in this part of the country when we have a touch of summer and a touch of fall.  The days are still warm (or hot) and the evenings are almost chilly.  The trees are beginning to show some hints of fall colors to come, and that makes me itching to pull out the fall fabrics to sew.

Do you ever wonder about the idea of coincidence?  A week or so ago I ordered a kit for an autumn themed table runner, and the ruler that would make it easier - a large 60 degree diamond ruler.  The kit and ruler arrived in the mail on Thursday.  And on Friday one of my daughters texted me about making a Native American star quilt for her husband for his next birthday (June 2025).  That new ruler will really come in handy for that project.  Is that a coincidence?  It was obviously meant to be. 

I have a basic pattern for the star quilt already, but I think we'll have fun planning the colors and shopping together for the fabrics to make that special quilt.  So - it's not on my Design Wall right now, but it's going to be in the planning stages.  

What is actually on my design wall this week?  The store sample project is the priority project this week.  It's a mystery quilt for an upcoming shop hop, so I can't show you exactly what I'm making yet.  But let's just say there has been some progress.  Five of the 9 main blocks are finished, with the other 4 started.  Once those blocks are done, then I'll be tackling the pieced border, which may take some concentration to keep organized.

One other thing on my design wall this week - the new Saturday Sampler blocks for September.  We're making 8 colorful Churn Dash blocks.  I'm hoping to get them at least cut out by the end of the week.   

I'm linking up with Design Wall Monday . . .

https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

RSC24 - Week #37

It's my very favorite Saturday of every month - Saturday Sampler in the morning and Sew Vintage in the afternoon.  With both of those fun in-person activities mixed in with the weekly Rainbow Scrap Challenge postings, my brain is going to be spinning with quilting ideas by the end of the day.

I wasn't sure that brown was going to work very well with the black and white in the Night Vision blocks, but I dug in and tried to choose "warm" tones of brown.  And I'm pleasantly surprised.   

The contrast isn't the best in that darker pinwheel, but I really do like the Night Vision block.  

One brown and one black Brighten block joined the stack.  I hope to do more of these dark ones before the end of the month. 

String blocks had fallen off my radar lately, but I did get a brown version of both done early in the week.  There were other partially constructed string blocks in the box too, so those came out to be sewn up during the week too. 

Throughout the rest of the week I used string blocks as Leader/Enders in between sewing the Kitty blocks into more rows.  You can see the Kitty rows hanging up behind these.  The last of the scrappy Kitty blocks are now sewn into 5 rows, but I didn't get them attached to the first half of the quilt.  But that's OK - it should be easy to finish up after I finish a store sample quilt top for my local quilt shop.  

This is how I have been putting the bigger string blocks together. There are 22 of these blocks with the white center strip now, so a lot more are needed for a good sized quilt.  For now however, the hanger and string project box are back in the closet while I focus the next 2 weeks on other things.

These were also part of my Leader/Ender sewing this week - more String Beads and more of the 16-patch units.  I need to count the String Bead blocks because I have no idea how many I've made.  The 16-patch units have been added to the small pile left over from the Churn Dash blocks I made with them.  I counted 9 of these, at 4.5" unfinished.  They may become the centers of more Churn Dash blocks, or stars, or Bead blocks . . . or something else.  

Another RSC block set from previous years has come back out of the closet too.  Bonnie Hunter has released the pattern for Diamond Tiles just this week.  It was a block she originally released in her Addicted to Scraps column in Quiltmaker magazine, which I immediately tore out of the magazine.  I made some (about 20) blocks, but then hung the pattern and more pieces in the sewing room closet.  The blocks are so cute and finish at 7".  My original plan had been making a baby quilt so I used a lot of bright colors and kid prints for the centers.  My brain says "do something with these", so as I finish up the store sample quilt top and the Kitty quilt top as a current RSC project, I might go back to making these going forward.  

I'm linking up to more Rainbow fun . . .

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

Store sample

Some secret sewing will be happening in the next week - using these pretty Lori Holt fabrics.  I've been asked to sewn a store sample quilt, and am quite excited for this one.  Yesterday I picked up the pattern and the fabric from The Pin Cushion.  The pattern was designed by one of the young gals working there and it's really cute.

Yesterday was The Day!

Yesterday was a long-anticipated date for my husband.  It was season ticket selection day for Jackrabbit basketball at South Dakota State University.   

With the total remodel of the arena on campus it was also time for seat re-allocation for all season ticket holders.  And season ticket holders were required (with some exceptions) to appear in person - at your assigned date and time - to talk through with a staff "tour guide" to select seats.  September 11 at 6:50 PM in our case.  Available seats had a big yellow tag on them, with the section, row, and seat identified.  You can see lots of yellow tags yet in the sections above us.  Once you selected your seats the staff tour guide took the tags to the check out desk to verify selection.  And we paid the remaining amount due.  We got the tags to take with us.

See that yellow tag on the seats way across the arena?  Our seats are next to that.  We are directly across the floor from our seats the last 2 years.  Above us are the suites and press areas.  And in the concourse behind us will be the SDSU ice cream concession area - which excites my husband in particular.  Did you know that cookies 'n cream flavor was developed at SDSU decades ago?  The dairy science program is famous for its ice cream.  I was always happy when I had a class on that side of campus so I could stop into the dairy store and get ice cream. 

It was fun to tour the remodeled arena and see how beautiful it will be once it's finished in a couple of weeks.  We were freshmen at SDSU when the old arena opened, middle of the basketball season.  We were both at that first game in Frost Arena, although not together.  And we were there for the last game in Frost last spring.  The newly remodeled arena is now First Bank & Trust Arena.  The long concourse just inside the new entrance has an amazing wall of memorabilia staged in among large squares of the old wood floor.  Bleacher wood has been used as trim above concession stands and other spots. 

This morning I'm headed to a local elementary school with the DAR group to talk to 3rd-4th graders about the Constitution.  Should be fun!!!

Chubby Charmer bag

   The Chubby Charmer tote bag is done.  I used a charm pack purchased on the bus trip in July - and it was on clearance.  The lining is that pink batik from my stash.  The navy blue in the handles was also found in the stash.  Other than buying the fusible batting, this was a VERY inexpensive bag. 

The pattern has totally different handles and had pockets inside.  I deviated from the pattern by making my handles different, and also skipped the pockets.  My handles have 2 layers of fusible batting and 2 layers of fabric, with binding added to both sides to enclose the raw edges.  They are nice and sturdy.  And I didn't need pockets in this tote, as it will just be utilitarian. 

Tranquility is caught up

 So far it hasn't been too difficult to keep up with the Tranquility mystery BOM (Bear Creek Quilting).  Yesterday I finished this month's clue. 

These are the 4 different blocks we've made - one block design per month. The top left block has the largest quantity, with 12 of those made.  There are only 4 of the top right block.  We made 8 of each of those bottom blocks.  

So far I have absolutely no idea how these will go together - so the mystery aspect is alive and well for me.  

The other sewing that happened yesterday was to make the rest of the scrappy Kitty blocks needed for those final rows.  So the next step will be to lay out those rows and get this one to the flimsy stage - hopefully this week.

Design Wall Monday - Sept 9

 Here we are on a Monday again.  It was guild weekend, and as always the Show n Tell was SEW inspirational.  I must show the one that was my favorite.

Hopefully Karen won't mind that I'm sharing this picture.  This large wall hanging was amazing and my photo does not do it justice.  Each block is a mix of applique and embroidery.  Her embroidery was exquisite, and then the applique . . . wowza!  She even put in bits and pieces of lace on those cabin roofs and in the sashing blocks.  I will never make something this beautiful but can sure enjoy seeing it.  I predict this one could be the Viewer's Choice winner at our next quilt show.  

So . . . now back to more utilitarian quilts. Mine!  I have a new quilt to bind this week.  This is the Riley Blake Design challenge from earlier in 2024.  I did mine in 30s prints and added some additional blocks to my quilt to make it larger.  It's all quilted with Baptist Fans, which is so appropriate for the vintage-look fabrics.  Once the binding is done, I'll show it off. 

Clue #4 for the Tranquility mystery quilt came out last week.  I'm so glad I followed the hint provided in the email to cut the pieces slightly oversized and then square up those flying geese and HSTs before sewing them into the block.   That made the blocks come together nearly perfect.  We will need 8 of these blocks, bringing the total to 34 blocks so far.  

I have 4 done, with the remaining 4 blocks partially done.  The units are all sewn, but need pressing and squaring up.  My goal this week is to finish them all so that I stay caught up with this mystery.

The Chubby Charmer tote bag is also coming along.  There is some handwork to finish up, and then the handles can be attached.  Again - one of my goals for this week.

Making a few additional blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is always on my To Do list for each week.  And then . . . you know I'm likely to play with something else that wasn't even on the radar yet, because that seems to be my pattern.

I'm linking up today to Design Wall Monday . . .

https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

RSC24 - Week #36

This week I've spent significant time trying to clear up a backlog of UFO / WIP tasks taking up space.  They take up space in my sewing room and also in my brain.  So . . . my brown and black sewing is focused on moving those projects forward. 

The final batik Dutchman's Puzzle block needed for my quilt was made with a rich brown batik.  I even got the bonus triangles sewn into the Hourglass blocks right away.  Next step on this one is making a decision on sashing or no sashing.  

Ten more Kitty blocks were needed for that quilt top, and 3 were made using brown and black.  Almost ready to finish that quilt top.

The cover for a fastpitch softball themed travel pillow used up a bit more of that softball fabric.  Now I need to get a 14" pillow form.  This is a gift. 

And the boots-themed pillowcases are finished too.  There are some fancy boots just right for a pretty cowGIRL on this fabric.  These will go with the "horse" panel quilt I made for my grand-niece.  I used the same teal from the quilt in the cuffs of the cases.  Another gift. 

There was some binding done on another scrappy quilt, but I'll wait to show that off once it's completely done.  And I did make some progress on a couple of smaller UFOs too, so I'm calling this week successful.  Plus it's quilt guild meeting day and that's always fun.

What else is going on in the RSC world today?
https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

Small projects

At The Pin Cushion this month the Tilda Club project was actually a challenge project using a specific technique for HSTs.  They posted a video showing how to use strips of 2 different fabrics, sewn down each long side.  Then we used either the Companion Angle or the Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmer rulers to cut the Half Square Triangles all along the strips, flipping the ruler each time.

It's a very slick way to quickly make HSTs of any size, depending on the width of your strips.  I have both rulers, but used the Companion Angle this time.  The Slotted Trimmer lets you trim off the corner dog ears before sewing.  Otherwise they are pretty much identical rulers.  

We were challenged to use Tilda fabric to make whatever we wanted using those Half Square Triangles.  I had the pink floral Tilda fat quarter and used some scraps from other fabrics to go with it.

I made a 14" square doll quilt for this little "stuffie".  The cuddly little critter needed its own quilt before I could give it away to some kiddo.  

One more small project is nearing completion.

The Chubby Charmer bag components are now ready to assemble.  I changed up the handles by adding binding that matches the lining to both sides.  Those handles are thick and sturdy.  The front and back pieces are quilted and trimmed up.  Next step is to assemble all the pieces.  

Shibori Blues

One of my PIGS (projects in grocery sacks) for 2024 is done!  

Shibori Blues was the name of the fabric line, and the pattern was actually in the Missouri Star Block magazine this spring.  Trailing Squares is the pattern, but I'm still calling it Shibori Blues.  The colors are more accurate in this first picture.  It's all shades of Indigo.

I took it outside early yesterday morning for pictures and the shadows make the background look pale blue.  The background is a very bright white in reality.

I'm normally more of a fan of traditional types of blocks, but I do love this modern look.  It was such an easy pattern and done with just 1 layer cake and some background yardage.  I actually have a patriotic layer cake set aside to make this again.   

Paper piecing & pillowcases

Today is most likely to be a non-sewing day as my sister-in-law is coming and we plan to work on updating some genealogy info.  

The third block for the paper-pieced BOM is finished.  This one was tricky for me because there were a LOT of points to match.  Some are perfect. Some are not.  But overall I'm happy with it.  When I was in Rapid City a week ago I spent Saturday with an old friend, also a quilter.  She really loves paper piecing so I showed her this BOM on Facebook and she joined right in.  It will be lots more fun to work on these together - online - each month.  This is a 12 month BOM, with just 1 block per month.

I can check off one project from my September list already.  Since I had this set of pillowcases all cut and ready to sew, it was a quick finish.  They are now with the quilt and ready to be gifted to my grand-niece. 

Tomorrow the 4th clue (of 9) will be released for the Tranquility mystery quilt at Bear Creek Quilting.  They email the clue to participants during the first week each month.  We've made 24 blocks (12" finished) so far and have a lot of clues remaining, so it will be a BIG quilt.  The Saturday Sampler program this year is going to be a really big quilt too.  The next monthly blocks for that one is still a whole week away yet.  I've had no trouble keeping up with all 3 BOMs up to this point.

Kitting up QOV blocks and projects

Sunday afternoon was spent at the SD State Fair, although I can't say that I took in any of the state fair food or fun stuff.  Two of us from our Quilts of Valor group did a "talk" about the QOV program.  Maureen took a few photos too . . .

The stage in the Horizon Hall auditorium had been decorated with vintage linens and sweet little antique displays.  The audience was small - maybe 35 people - but it went well I think.  I took some of our current quilt tops for Show n Tell.  

Before leaving for the fair I did some reorganizing of QOV blocks, kits, fabric donations, etc.  Actually, I made a mess in my dining room that all needs to be put away again.  And I also made a mess in my sewing room because I wanted to take one of my design boards to the fair with me - and there was another set of Split Back Star blocks on that design board.  But I have now set aside some block kits that are ready to sew, and they are back in my sewing room.  This group is 4 Churn Dash blocks (12" finished).  

Four more Split Back Star blocks were cut from some donated fabric too.  We have a stack of these blocks with scrappy blue and reds going (including the ones on that design board), so a total of 8 of these will be added to the stack when I get them made.

And then there is this QOV kit I had put together that I wanted to make.  Like usual, I got started and then set it aside to work on other things.  One of my major flaws . . . 

I needed 9 blocks and only had 3 of them finished.  The layout I plan to use is from the book Circle of Nine, which will be different from my typical for a Quilt of Valor.  All of this QOV sewing really needs to be moved higher on my priorities and not set aside again.  

Design Wall Monday - Sept goals

What is on YOUR design wall this week?  I'm linking up with Design Wall Monday at   https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

My design wall is FULL of projects started and not finished - so, just like every week of every month!  I always have multiple projects going at once.  Sometimes that's a good thing and then periodically it overwhelms me.  I'm on the verge of being overwhelmed right now I think. 

I have kitted up a set of 2 pillowcases that will be part of a gift this fall.  The cowboy boot print is something I bought on the recent Quilt Dakota shop hop, and it's paired up with more of the teal I used in the quilt with the horse head panel.  The pillowcases will go to my grand-niece along with the quilt.  

Over the weekend, I sewed the Shooting Star blocks into pairs - one star block plus one alternate block.  These are a Rainbow Scrap Challenge set of blocks this year, but there are not nearly enough yet for a good size quilt.  So I'll continue making these, however, in the meantime, there is actually some progress.  And they are easier to clip to the hanger in the closet now.

Two-sies for Shooting Star and now 4-sies for Hunter's Star.  I sewed the Hunter's Star blocks into groups of 4 over the weekend too.  I've been making these with a couple batik layer cakes from my stash, and still have plenty to make this a bigger quilt.  I haven't decided yet just how big I want to make it.  But I do know I want this top DONE in September.  

Several Quilts of Valor blocks have been cut and kitted up this past week.  There is also a QOV kit that I want to get at least cut out and prepped for sewing.  A kit for an autumn door hanger is sitting on my cutting table - waiting.  A partially complete tote bag is sitting in my sewing room, still in parts.  Another couple of bag kits are also there.  I just might have to admit to myself that I have a fabric addiction.  LOL

This list of goals helps me focus, but also proves to me that there are way too many projects going on in various stages.  Hence - that tipping point toward overwhelming.

More goals for September

• Personal goals
• Walk at least 1 mile at least 5 days a week  
• Continue decluttering 
• Binding & other hand stitching
• Shibori Blues
• work on hand quilting projects (either Seasonal Cats or Vintage Stars)
• Block of the Month piecing
• Saturday Sampler - month #6 blocks 
• RSC blocks in new color - brown/black
• Tranquility mystery quilt clue #4
• Carol Doak paper pieced stars - block #3 
• Rainbow Scrap Challenge - progress on ANY of these
• Kitty blocks
• Dutchman's Puzzle
• Shooting Stars
• UFO / WIP projects - at least 1 of these
• quilt Bright Happy Blocks
• batik Hunter's Star quilt
• Chubby Charmer bag
• Quilts of Valor - blocks, kits, etc.  
• PIG (new projects) at least 1 of these
• set of pillowcases (cowboy boots) for a gift
• Hemingway Pouch
• fall door hanger
• Whatever else I want to play with!!