Design Wall Monday - back to a UFO

With a morning off work, I pulled this UFO back out.  It's one of the August options on my APQ UFO Challenge list.  The only thing on the center section that still needed done was to applique the 5 red birds.  I've been using a simple blanket stitch on these applique pieces.

Then I rethreaded my machine and stitched up the top section and the bottom section.  Those side sections will be next. Several sashing pieces need to be added as well, but I'm starting to get excited about having this one getting closer to being a completed top.  It's very overcast again today so the lighting isn't showing the colors very well, but this will be a cheery Christmas-y quilt.



Let's all see what is on other Design Walls today:  http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

Bikes and blocks

It felt like Sunday today, but my calendar assured me it was really just Saturday. I think it must be because the MN Vikings game was on TV this afternoon and football should be Sunday afternoons.  I did a little sewing on my RSC18 blocks for August. These blocks are a 1930s era block pattern called State of Georgia, which I really like.  This month’s color was orange and I discovered that I don’t have much orange except for Halloween prints. So 2 of the blocks have the same fabrics in them but reversed locations. 

We had company too - daughter #1 and her friend came to Mitchell early this morning to ride their bicycles in the Tour de Corn. They chose to ride the 62 mile route.  It was a tough ride I guess due to the heat and a stiff breeze.  It’s a great hobby that they enjoy, even though their husbands don’t join in.  These ladies did the 5 day Tour de Nebraska early in the summer, and have done various other rides around the region too.  And yes - they usually dress to match each other when they do these rides.  Today they even matched their bikes. 

Construction zone

We've been living in a construction zone all week.  But we can see the light - literally - at the end of the construction tunnel.  After 12 years in this house we finally decided to add more egress windows in the basement.

 

 

The family room has always felt like a dungeon.  It runs the length of the house and had one tiny little basement window high up on the wall.  And there was landscaping in front of it besides.  So this is the window that excites us the most. We put in a double egress window here and it has already changed the whole feel of the room. Let there be light!!!

 

They'll come back and do the finish work inside and outside next week.  You can see why it took 5 days to get the windows set in, because we have brick exterior.  Which meant there was a LOT of prep work.  One young man spent his week digging the big hole for this double window and a smaller hole for the single bedroom window. The main guy removed brick and chiseled his way through the brick and the concrete and the rebar. 

 

 

 

 

The contractor just shook his head and said our house was certainly built right.  It took most of their time this week to just get the openings made.  At least for the smaller window in the bedroom they didn't have to remove lots of brick.  The masonry guy will hopefully get everything back to normal next week too.   

 

 

Saturday Sampler

 

The final 2 blocks for Saturday Sampler are complete.  This block looked kind of complicated but was actually very easy to put together.  Blue was the only color I hadn't used yet.  It took me almost as long to decide on my fabrics as it did to sew the blocks.

 

 

I didn't have to work yesterday so there was plenty of time to play with these.  The layout provided to us was OK, but I wasn't excited about it. That layout used pieced alternate blocks. I made one and decided not to go that route.  But I liked the idea of alternate blocks, so I spent some time rearranging some options on my design "floor".  Now my plan is to go with an "on point" layout with 5 rows of 4 pieced blocks, separated by black print blocks. That will use 20 of the 21 blocks I've made.

 

I had a white with black print that I tried first as alternate blocks but it read very grey from a distance and made the colors look washed out.  So I dug back into that bin of black/white prints and found lots of black background prints.  Most of these have a fairly large print.  I will need to buy a couple more black prints for a bit more variety, plus I don't have enough to use for the setting triangles around the edges of the quilt.  Will I have this top done in time to show at the next Saturday Sampler class in September?  That is the plan.  

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

 

The best phone call I've gotten this week - was to tell me I had won this gorgeous quilt.

 

In late spring, The Pin Cushion held a Butterfly Bash party one evening. They had lots of fun butterfly themed events for the enjoyment of all who attended.  A local landscape company even did a program on butterfly gardens.

 

Each attendee received a pattern and fabric for a vintage style appliqued butterfly block.  If we returned the block finished, then our name was entered into a drawing to win the quilt that the shop planned to make to reproduce a vintage quilt they had displayed.  Our names also went into the drawing when we made purchases.

 

 

 

This is the beautiful quilt they made using everyone's blocks.  The fabrics are all 1930s reproductions, which I absolutely love. Isn't this a happy quilt?  And I'm the lucky winner!

 

 

 

Disappearing 4-patch top

The plan was to add a border to this, but now I'm not so sure I want to do that. I think I need to let this one hang on the design wall for awhile and let the idea keep percolating.

There are still a few charm squares left from the French General pack, but I only had enough of the background to do these 16 squares.  It's about the right size now - 32" square - to lay on my big round coffee table or to hang on the wall.  So if I do end up adding a border it will probably be a fairly narrow one. The leftover charm squares will go into the scrap bins to use another time.

Decisions, decisions.

Sunday progress

Ten blocks are done and the other 6 are ready to cut. The disappearing 4-patch is so easy. Cuts are made 1 inch from the center seams.

Then a little rearranging and sew them back together.


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