Monday Meandering 6 - 28 - 2021

Are you sewing Positivity?  Or should I say Positivity blocks?  I've been working on mine for the last several days. Let me show you what I've gotten done so far.

Here's how I organize my cut blocks. I use a Wonder clip for each block. And then I put the pile next to my sewing machine ready to sew either as the main project or a leader ender.  

I'm using grey, whites, tans, and ecrus for my background fabrics. My plus signs are going to be all different greens. Have you decided whether you are going to place the 6" strip going up and down or side to side?  Or maybe what ever direction it happens to fall?  I'm pondering that idea but haven't made a final decision. 

And, I haven't decided how I'm mixing up the grey/white/ecru/tan blocks in the quilt layout.  Here are two different possibilities. 

Surround the ecrus/whites with grey?

Or maybe every other block?

No answers yet but I'm working on it. Do you see those green fabrics hanging on the design wall?  That is how I made sure every single green was a different fabric. 

  

I put all the blocks I had already made on the design wall. Then I went to my green scraps/fat quarters and started pulling a variety of greens:  yellow greens, blue greens, dark greens, light greens, only a few with other colors with them, patterned greens, solid greens. I checked to make sure the fabric hadn't already been used. Now they are hanging on the wall until I need to cut more blocks. I could have come up with a lot more greens but I quit at 48 -- one for every block I'm going to make. I'm really enjoying working with just one main color on this project. (I may add a second color at some point before it is done but don't hold your breath!)  

Now I'm thinking about my backing.  I need to check out what fabric I have that would work. (I'd love to make this whole quilt without buying any new fabric.) I figure I need 4 yards of 42" wide fabric or 2 yards of a wide back. I'll be poking around in my stash over the next week to figure out what I can work with. 

Now, on to my goals from last week. 

6/21/2021

Trim and bind remade log cabin ✅ trimmed and first side of binding sewn on  

Continue making Ombre Log Cabins Blocks ✅ some cut out but not sewn yet

Finish string blocks  ✅ Lots done but may need one more

Quilt and bind purple table runner ✅ Done! 

I may not have finished all goals except the table runner I showed here, but I did make forward progress on all of the items. I also spent quite a bit of time working on the Positivity blocks that weren't even on the list! It seems to me I also finished a book or two this week too. It's all good.

And for this week:

6/28/2021

Finish sewing binding on remade log cabin

Continue cutting and making Positivity blocks

Make a few Ombré log cabin blocks

Cut out and begin sewing a new small quilt

The string blocks will only take a few more seams to finish up so I'm hoping to cut out a new child's quilt.  I have so much really cute fabric that kids would love -- it's time to make some of it into tops.  And, my list of tops ready for quilting is growing so maybe I'd better plan to quilt a few during July! 

Are you ready to hit the linky parties?  Here  are my regular parties: Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, To Do Tuesday. And just for this week, The Positivity QAL Progress Link Up. It's so fun to check out other blog posts.  And, wow, a whole lot of bloggers are working on the Positivity QAL.  (I've been negligent linking to Design Wall Monday and To Do Tuesday. I hope to remember this week.) 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Table Scraps Challenge -- Purple

It's the day before the last Saturday in June.  Do you know what that means?  Yep, time to share my Table Scraps Challenge piece for purple June.   Once again I decided to do a table runner AND to use Accuquilt dies that I've hardly used.   

Here are the dies I decided to use. These were part of a companion set for my 9" Cube.  These dies are no longer available in either of the current cube companion sets.  But you can get different sized Drunkard's Path dies if you have a Accucut cutter.  Mine are 5" cut, finished at 4.5". 

I made the blocks and then tried to decide how I would put them together. This arrangement was chosen. It was fun turning the quarter circles around trying to find a pleasing design.  I decided to add the corner triangles to get a different look for the border. Although this design is not in the book, I did get a lot of inspiration from John Kubiniec's book, A New Spin on Drunkard's Path.

As usual, I quilted this on my Bernina 635 with a walking foot.  I used a magenta colored Mettler PolySheen top thread with a Mettler cotton in the bobbin. 

I pulled a piece of fabric I've had for years (and years!) for the backing. I was happy to use it and I like the way it compliments the front. Oh yes, all fabric was from stash! 

We are only 6 months through the year long Table Scraps Challenge. I'm having a lot of fun making these small quilts and enjoying trying things I doubt I'd try on a larger quilt.  I wonder what our next color is going to be.  

Here's my list of linky parties for the weekend: Midweek Makers, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop,  Finished or Not Friday, Beauties Pageant, Scrap Happy Saturday, and The Table Scraps Runner/Topper Challenge.  Wow. That's a lot of linky parties.  Enjoy seeing what is happening with quilters across the Internet. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

A bit of technical info -- I find that my photos look great after I edit them in my Photos on my Mac.  But once I finish and publish my post they get darker.  Today I made an effort to really lighten and brighten my photos.  I'll evaluate this attempt after I post my blog.  Maybe they will have just the right lightness to make them look great. 

Monday Meanderings 6 - 21 - 2021

May I complain about the weather for just a short paragraph?  It's hot and humid here. Three days ago it was low humidity and lovely with temps in the mid 70s.  I want that weather back!  But I doubt we'll see it until October. Sigh. And for those of you where it REALLY is hot 🌞-- my heart understands it's miserable. I hope the hot weather breaks soon.  

I've one picture of my whole design wall to share what I've been working on this week.  So left to right my projects are String Blocks with Positivity - 11 done but piled behind the 2 visible blocks below; Ombre Log Cabin blocks, 3  4 " garlic knots (those were just for fun but I suppose I should make some more.  Everything to the right are mostly odd ball blocks I've found with a few I'm actually, kind of, working on.  The top right is a village scene that needs to be quilted with the backing fabric next to it. (It's going to take forever to quilt it so I just haven't been motivated to start it!) 

I know I've made more string blocks and Positivity blocks since I took this photo. But I've sewn all of the Ombre Log Cabin blocks that I've cut out.  Time to get back to cutting more of them. 

I am sharing one of my customer's quilts that I finished in March this year.  

This was made by Marlyn. 

Size: 40 x 59"

Thread: So Fine 451

Pattern: Diane by My Creative Stitches

Batting:  Warm and White 

I'm pretty sure these are batiks.  I know it was great to stitch out. Below it's still on the long arm being quilted.  Do you see that blue painter's tape?  That marks the center of the quilt and where I line up the next row, which is already in progress in the picture. 

Now, on to my goals. Look at all those check marks! 

6/14/2021

Finish quilting Remade Log Cabin✅; figure amt of fabric used —didn't do this 

More Ombré Log Cabins✅

More Positivity blocks✅

More string blocks ✅

This week it's more of the same.  What I didn't have on the list was working on the June (purple) Table Scraps project.  I got the top totally done. Quilting and binding  it is on this new goal list. 

6/21/2021

Trim and bind remade log cabin

Continue making Ombre Log Cabins Blocks 

Finish string blocks

Quilt and bind purple table runner

Hopefully it will be a great week of quilting this week.  The weather will continue to be hot so I'll be staying inside a lot. 

I'm linking up to my regular Monday parties: Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, and To Do Tuesday.  Let's check some blogs out!

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Monday Meandering 6 - 14 - 2021

 Look who came to visit this weekend!  

This is Cassie, our granddog.  She's the only pup left from the original 4 dogs owned by our kids and/or us.  Kevin's family is vacationing this week so we agreed to take her.  She is about 14 years old and slow.  Although she goes with Pat for an hour walk in the mornings and seems to keep up with him.  I take her for a shorter walk in the evenings.  We don't usually let dogs on our couch but she is getting special permission. (It helps that she doesn't move the sheet around on the couch especially since it is a new couch.) 

Here's what I was working on this weekend -- my Remade Log Cabin.  Knowing I started out June with a ridiculously large fabric purchase I decided it made sense to pick a bigger top to quilt this weekend.  I already had half the backing -- only bought 3 yards to have enough.  Whatever is left of the black backing is probably going to be the binding...unless I decide on a red binding instead. I've finished 4 rows and have 5 more to go.  I should finish it up Monday or Tuesday.  

So what does my goal list look like this week? Not too bad actually. 

6/7/2021

Make more Positivity blocks✅  Several are cut out and about 8 are done.

Prep backing ✅ and quilt Remade Log Cabin -- in progress.

Figure fabric acquisition and usage for May✅

Decide and start next quilt top — decided the ombré log cabin is my new quilt. 

Make some ombre log cabin blocks ✅ I think I have 9 finished. I might make a queen size quilt with these time will tell.

And here's this week's list.

6/14/2021

Finish quilting Remade Log Cabin, figure amt of fabric used. 

More Ombré Log Cabins

More Positivity blocks

More string blocks 

Nothing new, these are all repeats.  But I am making progress on all the different blocks I'm working on.  They actually work well making 1 block of each type at the same time. The string blocks are mostly being done as leader/enders. 

Here's my linky parties for the beginning of this week. Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, and To Do Tuesday. Have fun surfing. (I'll be back to link up the last two after they are posted.)

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Friday Finish and Stashbusting

Can you believe it?  I have another finish.  It was done at the end of May so it seems appropriate that I also share my stashbusting stats for May.  Yes, it generally takes me a while to get the stats together and publish them.  This time I had lots of smaller bits of fabric scraps to measure and record from part of the group Jenny gave me.  So here's my awesome stashbusting statistics!

2021	Fabric In Month	Fabric In Year	Fabric Out Month	Fabric Out Year	Total In or Out Year
May	15.875	37.500	19.250	61.00	23.500

I was so sure I'd brought in way more fabric than I used.  Well, surprise -- I used 3.375 more yards.  Even though I've had a big influx of fabric already in June, I've loaded a twin size quilt backing on Ruthie and will finish it and quilt it over the weekend and next week if needed. Between it and possibly one or two smaller quilts I should be able to use more fabric in June than I bring in.  I'll keep you posted. 

Here's the quilt I finished at the end of May.  It is a pinwheel quilt, kind of.  You start with 2 squares of fabric and follow some special directions to get two finished blocks. The closest I've seen to describing how the block is made is in the book "Sew Simple Pinwheels" by Karen Hellaby.  The major difference is the directions I have start with 2 14" squares, a light and a dark and you sew 8 triangles sets at the same time on the block. Then like in the book you cut the HSTs in half, trim them and sew them back together. The blocks finished at 11".  

Quite a few of the blocks were made by members of a group I was in and then sent to me so I couldn't count all of them. 

Pattern: Pinwheels (I was taught the block at a guild retreat but don't know the name.) 

Quilting Pattern: Ginger Star by Apricot Moon.

Thread: Omni Natural White by Superior Threads

Size: 56 x 67.5" 

The wind was blowing like crazy as I tried to get pictures.  I'm surprised I was able to get several while the wind slowed down.  Below is the back where you can see the quilting better.  All of these pictures can be clicked on and enlarged.  

I'm not exactly sure who will get this quilt but I'll be giving it to Virginia Star Quilters to donate to a veteran at some point. 

Next up, I've been making log cabin blocks with my Ombre Confetti fabric.  And I am tickled with what I've made so far! I think I decided to use 6 of the 9 ombre fabrics. You can look at Monday's post to see the 9 fabrics I have to use. 

Although I didn't take a picture I'm also making Positivity blocks at the same time.  I think I got 4 of those done. (Check out the top logo on the right  for a link to Preeti's Positivity Block sew along.)  I haven't been sewing as much as I usually do so I'm not really cranking out blocks.  I still need to cut the ombre pieces from the strips I cut but I have several of the white strips already cut to size.  I know I'll have to find some more white on whites to make the number of blocks I want.  Stay tuned for more blocks in the next few weeks. 

Are you ready to get your party on?  Here's where I'm linking up and hopefully you'll start some surfing by visiting some of these parties: Mid Week Makers, Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop, Finished or Not Friday, and Beauties Pageant. There are a lot of blogs to visit so let's go surfing now, everyone is learning how.... oops I got a little carried away with the Beach Boy's song Surfin' Safari. Need I say I'm a big Beach Boys fan?  

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

PS -- Is it just me or have we always had an option to add fonts to the list of available fonts on blogger?  I bet I'll be choosing a new font every once and a while.  Darn, no Comic Sans which is one of my favorite fun fonts.  Remember let's surf the web for quilt blogs. 

Monday Meanderings 6 - 7 - 2021

The first Monday in June. Our weather went from cool and rainy to humid and hot during the last week. I'm not much interested in going out although I have still been walking most evenings. Tonight was a rather short walk but if it cools down I'll get back to a half hour or so. Honestly, who wants to walk when they can quilt?

I don't have all that much to show you yet. So I'm showing you what's on my design wall. The top two blocks are string blocks that will go to one of the FCQ Equilters between now and August 1.  She had us use the directions from Lori Holt's Sew Your Stash Series #3 - 8" Scrappy Stings Block Tutorial on YouTube. They are really easy and fast. I like that Lori suggests using strips 1.5" to 2.5" and possibly all the way up to 3".  I've made a start on 3 more. I may have to make some for me too. It's a great way to use up some scraps. 

Below the string blocks is my one and only Positivity Block.  (See the badge on the upper right?  Click on it and you'll go directly to Preeti's Positivity Sew Along.) I may already be behind!  I've decided I'm going to go with green + signs and both light and dark background.  The background will be a variety of fabrics. Keep tuned to see more Positivity blocks show up. 

As much as I have been trying to control how much fabric I have coming into the studio I've been failing miserably recently.  You'll notice I even have a to do item on my goals list so I can figure out how much fabric came in and went out in May.  It's not going to look good.  

OOPS.  I may have gone a little wild for June already.  I belong to SewItsForSale.groups.io. It's an online group for people who want to buy and sell items for sewing. Unfortunately I do pay attention to what is offered each day.  Generally I am not the first person to respond to an item so I don't often buy stuff (mostly fabric.) But last week I noticed an offer right after it was posted and it was too good to pass up.  It was for a kit which included all the fabric for the top and binding and the pattern.  I wasn't that interested in the pattern although it is nice.  But there was more than 11 yards of fabric for $55 and that included postage.  I checked the picture out and realized it was Moda Ombre Confetti Metallic by Vanessa Christenson of V and Co.  I jumped at the chance. I'm not sure why but the seller offered it at $50 if I wanted it. You bet. It arrived yesterday. See the beauties below.  Aren't they gorgeous.  

I found a Moda Bake Shop log cabin quilt using the fabric. (I'll wait why you take a look.)  I'm going to pick the brighter fabrics and make it. I'll probably use a variety of whites for the light side of the log cabins. (Um, I'm not sure whether I'll get on it right away or wait since I have 3 or 4 fabric groupings already picked for various patterns hanging around the studio now.)  Nah, I'll probably make one or two just to see how cute they are! Maybe I can show you next week. 

Since Monday is generally my Goals day let's see how I did.  Not bad at all. 

5/31/2021

Prep & mail quilts for H2H. ✅

Cut out and sew a new quilt✅

Finish blue basket — need to buy more Pellon Flex Foam 

Quilt another quilt ✅

Sew a Patriotic Happy Quilt together✅

I was very happy to get all of the above done except finishing the blue basket.  That will be on hold until I break down and buy more Flex Foam.  I'm hoping to make two more after the blue one.  As I'm pulling scraps for the string blocks I find it is really easy to pull from the baskets.  I hope I'll make a bit of a dent as most of the finished baskets are pack full of scraps. 

And here's what's going to be done (hopefully) this week: 

6/7/2021

Make more Positivity blocks

Prep backing and quilt Remade Log Cabin

Figure fabric acquisition and usage for May

Decide and start next quilt top 

Make some ombre log cabin blocks 

Hopefully I'll get everything on this list done.  Remember where I said I've already gone wild in June?  About that.  It dawned on me I need to have a big finish this month.  And the biggest quilt I have is the twin size Remade Log Cabin. The top is done and I have a big hunk of fabric for the backing.  Except it isn't enough for the whole backing. SIGH.  I went ahead and bought 3 yards of Kona in black from JoAnns to add to the big piece I already have. (It's hard to resist when Kona was already on sale and there was a 25% off if I ordered it for pick up. Score!)  After I wash the black, I'll cut it in half down the middle and attache it to both sides of the other fabric I have.  (think 40" plus 20 and 20 gives me a piece 80" wide by 108. The quilt is 70 by 90- something.) So that will be hitting Ruthie early this week. 

My week is going to be full.  The quilting group in the neighborhood is starting up again on Thursday. I hope to go with a pile of blocks cut out and ready to be made.

That's enough for today.  Here are my favorite beginning of the week linky parties. Go check them out! Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday and To Do Tuesday. ARGH I noticed I haven't been successful remembering to link up to To Do Tuesday.  Hopefully I will this week. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Friday Finish! 6 - 4 - 2021

I'm tickled to admit I've finished another quilt.  It's small but it's done! 

Pattern: Bonnie Hunter's Chunky Churn Dash set with plain squares. 

Quilting Pattern: Elkweed by Apricot Moon.

Thread: 504 Silver Screen So Fine. 

Size: 42.5" X 48.5".

Here's a close up showing a bit of the backing and the quilting pattern.  If you are familiar with Apricot Moon's Ginger designs this is very similar.  Yes, I picked that yellow green for the binding.  Basically, I didn't have any fabric that would have looked any better and there is some yellow green in the quilt. 

It was hard to get a good picture of this quilt.  A big rainstorm was coming within minutes and the wind was blowing. My trusty quilt holder did a great job. 

I've got one more quilt finished to share -- probably next week.  Then I have to get busy quilting some more of my tops. 

I'm linking up with my regular Friday parties.  Come take a look and see what folks have been working on. MidWeek Makers, Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, Beauties Pageant, and Finished or Not Friday.  Have fun surfing! 

Have you made a Positivity Block from SewPreetiQuilts.com? Click on the link to go directly to the directions.  Preeti has also shown a whole lot of quilt layouts for this block.  I need to get going and make some more.  It's a really easy but great block.  Give it a try! 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie