Monday Meandering 7 - 15 - 2019

I can't decide if I should be saying "It's a wrap" for the week just ended or "Welcome new week."  No  matter, this past week was very quilty.  I don't have a lot to show for it but I am making forward progress on several projects.

First up, I finished a top with 9 sawtooth stars.  I was just using up two pieces of fabric I had.  One was a piece of Hoffman fabric from an early challenge. (Ok, maybe it was like a really early challenge fabric.  I don't remember for sure, and I didn't make and enter anything so nothing I can go look at.)

Here's what the fabric looked like when I pulled it off my shelf.  Yea, it was cut up a LOT.

But look how great it looks as a sawtooth star. 

The pink fabric is an old KP Kids fabric.  I bought some when it originally came out and then found several different colors recently and picked up pink, purple and green.  I really like it but honestly, it's sometimes hard to use older colors with more current colors.  This piece has been sitting for a few years.   Now it is almost all gone.  I probably have enough to do the binding once I find a backing fabric for it. 

Here's the finished top.  I wanted to add a little extra length to bring the quilt to 36 x 42".  I thought adding the extra flying geese worked -- but it might have been better designed so the rows of the blocks with the flying geese were more coordinated.  Who knows, I may take the top and bottom off and change it.  Or not.  What do you think?  Should I change the top and bottom rows. And if so what do you suggest?  I've got a lot of white squares that I could use between the geese. 

I also began prepping more of the fabric to make "Flower Song" blocks. Don't remember from last week?  Here's the link. Scroll down to see the block.  The half square triangles are made from a strip of color and a background color that are sewn together on the top and bottom.  Here's a group of them that I finished sewing this afternoon. (And that is the back side of the fabric!)  I really like these lovely bright colors.  And, I thought I'd show off the "bread board" that Pat made that is right above the first drawer in my sewing desk.  I think my friend Beth called it a bread board when she first saw it.  We used to have bread boards built into our lower kitchen cabinets at several of our houses.  I am not sure they are still being offered in new houses.  And, I don't remember using mine all that often.  But I sure like it on my sewing desk.  It gives me a big space to pile either finished units or units waiting to be sewn.  

Here's what happened with my goals last week.

July 8, 2019

Hand quilt on old Christmas quilt✔️

Make more quarter square triangle ✔️

Make some pink Rainbow Scrap blocks✔️

Cut some Flower Song blocks✔️ some strips are sewn together...cutting coming soon 

Finish making Sawtooth Star blocks✔️

And here's my plan for next week.  It seems like a lot but it really isn't too bad. 

July 15, 2019

Hand quilt on old Christmas quilt

Finish doll sweater, start second one 

Buy backing for batik rail fence 

Make backing for Donna’s blocks 

Quilt 1 VSQ charity quilt

Keep working on Flower Song blocks 

Here are the parties I'm linking to: Oh Scrap!, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday, Moving It Forward and What I Made Monday.  (I'll add the links for those parties that aren't posted Sunday night...yep I really try to get my Monday blog written and posted the night before!  And, I've been succeeding for the most part.)

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 7 - 8 - 2019

Did you have a great 4 of July?  We used to enjoy taking our kids to firework shows when we lived in Columbia, Maryland.  Now we sometimes check from our back deck to see if we can see any of the local fireworks.  This year it was so hot and humid that we enjoyed the Capitol Fourth on PBS. Nice air conditioning, no humidity or rain.  

I've spent quite a few days down in the studio this week.  By Friday afternoon I knew I needed to recheck my goals list because I had wandered away from what I really wanted to get done.   

I finished the last of the grand's coverups/sweatshirts.  Sophie chose this cute seaside saying from Designs by Juju.  It is from Beach Word Art 5 set.  It stitched out beautifully.  I bought the large magnetic hoop to go with my  new Viking.  It is so easy to use it -- especially on this sweatshirt.  This week I did get some more magnets so I can attach items with 8 magnets rather than just 4.  It's time to mail the girls their new beach coverup/sweatshirt.

Do you remember this suggested quilt top?  (I'll wait, unless you remember it from last Monday...)  I really wanted to get it to finished top stage so here it is.  I didn't like the hot pink with the blocks I had been given so I tried something else.  Ohio Star blocks. Or at least kind of like an Ohio Star block.  The blocks are 12" finished.  The top will eventually go to a nursing home that likes 36" wide quilts by no more than 42" tall.  I think these quilts need to be longer than 36" so I added the pink strips top and bottom to make it a bit longer.  The odd width is because that was all the pink I had left.  I took apart an extra block to put the multicolor dots on black in the center of the borders.  I've found a piece of backing but it isn't quite wide enough.  So I will be taking the other 7 units from the extra block and adding more quarter square triangle units to make the backing wide enough.  (I don't really like making involved pieced backs but it makes some sense this time since I have several units done already.)  Hopefully, I'll get the backing done in the next couple of weeks and then get it finished up.

And here's one last block I tried before I cut out a whole quilt. The pattern is Flower Song by Cozy Quilt Company.  It's designed to use 2.5" strips and their Strip Tube Ruler.  If you don't have their ruler they give easy directions to cut the half square triangles by marking a diagonal on a square ruler. I have a partial jelly roll that I think will look great in this block.  I'll be kitting this one up for the October retreat.  Lots of pieces to be cut and sewn but I liked the design.  (Hey, and I'm actually using one of the many patterns I've bought!)   

It wasn't the best week for my goals although I got quite a few of them done.  All of the Four Patch variation blocks for the Taps quilt are done.  I started another small charity quilt using the Sawtooth Star block and some stash fabric that was not on my goal list.   Overall I'm not unhappy with what I did get done. 

July 1, 2019

Hand quilt on old Christmas quilt√

Make last two Ohio star variation blocks and sew top together√

Continue working on patriotic Four Patch variation (Taps quilt)√

Finish rest of blue Rainbow Scrap blocks√ I may make 1 more …

Start doll sweater(s) didn’t even think about this one… 

Possibly start sewing moose blocks I put the blocks up on the design wall but that was it. 

Next week I will be trying to work on these goals. 

July 8, 2019

Hand quilt on old Christmas quilt

Make more quarter square triangle squares for backing for Donna's quilt 

Make some pink Rainbow Scrap blocks

Cut some Flower Song blocks 

Finish making Sawtooth Star blocks

Put border on the batik rail fence blocks 

I'm done with this blog except to remind you to go visit my favorite linky parties:  Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday, Moving It Forward and What I Made Monday.  If it's not linked yet the blog hasn't been posted yet.  I'll check back and add the links√. (I know, amazing that I remembered to do it first thing this am!)  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie