January One Monthly Goal Finish Link-up

Ready to link up your January finishes?

Don't panic - this link-up is open until January 31 at 11:55 pm ET.

Want to see everyone's goals for the month - check out the January goal page!

My goal for January was to make a simple flannel quilt from squares.  It came out so soft - I love it.  I wrote up a quick tutorial in case you want to make one of your own.

Now it's your turn to link up!  Please add a link to this OMG post so others can follow where you are linking.   Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post:  

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - January Finish Link-up

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Click here to enter

Have a wonderful day! Patty

A bit of Orange?

Recently I found myself with a bit of quilting low mojo.  I wanted to make something but once I finished my Range Backpack, there weren't any projects that were calling my name.  I was gifted with a FQ bundle of Kona blues and decided to make something with them.

With no particular plan in mind, I cut up half of each FQ and started making drunkard's path blocks.  I've got them on the floor right now (my design wall is full!) is what is likely not the final layout. 

I gave myself a constraint for the quilt - the quilt top and the binding had to come all from the FQ bundle - no fabric could be purchased.

But with a few more blocks still to sew from the FQ halves, I'm thinking it needs a bit of orange.  I've got a few shades sitting in my stash but this is my favorite so far.

What do you think?  Should I add a bit or orange?

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Range Backpack

I love bag patterns from Noodlehead.  I've made two Firefly Totes and one Sandhill Sling (so far!) and with a (hopefully, covid rates permitting) trip to QuiltCon next month, I wanted a new backpack and just finished making the Range Backpack.

The printed canvas fabric was sourced from Spoonflower.  The contrasting gray is RF Big Sur, left over from one of the other bags.  The lining is one of my all time favorite prints by Giucy Giuce.

The directions were easy to follow.  The pattern was also easy to modify.   I added a inset pocket on the back of the bag so I could keep my wallet or phone secure but also easily accessible.

I also added an inside zipper pocket by layering it on top of the drop in pocket in the pattern.

Finally, on the other side of the lining, I used some mesh to make two pockets, one of which is to keep my water bottle so it is standing up and easy to retrieve.

I took the assembly process slow and it was very enjoyable!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Buffalo Plaid Quilt Tutorial

After seeing (and petting) some soft flannel in my LQS, I decided to make a simple quilt with nice easy squares and large meander quilting.  I'd always wanted to make a buffalo plaid quilt and in case you do too, you can find a brief tutorial below.  (I used the Yuletide Gatherings Flannel.)

My quilt finished at 55'' x 55''.  You can easily change the size of your quilt by adding or subtracting the rows and columns or even changing the size of the blocks.  The fabric requirements are for a quilt which finishes at 55" x 55".

Buffalo Plaid Quilt Tutorial

Fabric Requirements 

• Dark Gray (DG) - 1 yard
• Light Gray (LG) - 1.5 yards
• White (W) - 0.75 yard
• Binding - 0.5 yard (assumes binding cut at 2.25")
• Backing - 3 yards

Cutting

Cut 5 1/2'' x WOF strips from each.  You will need 6 strips of the DG, 9 strips of the LG, and 4 strips of the W.  Each 5 1/2'' x WOF strip will yield seven (7) 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" squares.  Cut the required number as shown in table below.

Quilt Assembly

Assemble 6 rows of DG and LG squares.  Each row uses 6 DG and 5 LG.  Press seams towards the LG.

Assemble 5 rows of the LG and W squares.  Each row uses 6DG and 5W.  Press seams towards the LG.

Join rows together, alternating the DG/LG row with the LG/W row, ending with the DG/LG row.  Pin at each intersection to ensure seams stay nested.

Quilt and enjoy!  I used a basic large meander on my domestic machine.  It only used 2 bobbins and didn't take long to quilt!

If you make a buffalo plaid quilt using this tutorial, please let me know!

Pin for later:

Have a wonderful day! Patty

2021 Temperature Quilt Flimsy

And 2021 is a wrap!

There was such an amazing string of days at the end of December - which continued into the first 2 days of January - where we saw high temperatures in the 70s (yellow) and upper 60s (green).  The other amazing part is the lows were not all that low - look at those greens in the last 3 days of the year which means the low temperature was in the 60s!

Since I used the same fabric 2 years in a row, I've really enjoyed the year to year compares - 2020 on the right and 2021 on the left.  (See the fully quilted 2020 version here.)   The compare really shows how unusually warm 2021 December was!

My flimsy is 36" x 32", 1/2 the size of the 2020 version.  I've not yet decided if I'll make another for 2022.  I've two thoughts so far - one is to just keep extending the 2021 version and end up with a 2 year quilt.  The other is make an even smaller version.

My design documents both the high and low temperature in a block which finishes 1 1/2 '' x 2''.  The improv strip is 1/4'' wide and records the low temperatures.  

Every month takes 2 columns - the 1 through 15 in first column and then 16 through end of month in the second column.  Filler blocks are added to square off the quilt.  The thin strips - 1/4'' wide - are randomly inserted and run 'vertically' for odd days and 'horizontally' for even days.

I'm using the exact same fabric that I did for my 2020 Temperature quilt.  The time I spent organizing is paying off - it takes no time at all to get the prep work done for sewing each block.  I made myself a mini-quilt to show off my temperature grid.  Oranges are 80s, yellows are 70s and sew on.  I've been asked several times what my fabrics are - I used all Painters Palette solids:

100+ is Sangria, 95+ is Real Red, 90+ is Poppy red, 85+ is Burnt Orange, 80+ is Tangerine, 75+ is Pencil Yellow, 70+ is Bright Yellow, 65+ is Apple Green, 60+ is Mint, 55+ is Bright Aqua, 50+ is Turquoise, 45+ is China Blue, 40+ is Lapis, 35+ is Purple, 30+ is Amethyst, and any temp is the 20s is Royalty.

I've written up my basic temperature quilt process in my tutorial including where I source the high and low information.  You can see my temperature quilts for 2018, 2019, and 2020!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Wrapping Up Holiday Gifts

Christmas decorations are down and packed away - it was a lovely holiday!  I really enjoy gifting family a small handmade gift each year and wanted to share this year's makes.

For my youngest, I used the large size of the Noodlehead open wide bag tutorial to turn two drawings made in elementary school into a bag.  (I purchased the printed fabric way, way back during an elementary school fundraiser.)

My husband runs trails in a wonderful park each morning and talks often about this beaver family he sees most days.  He loved his gift!  I found the pattern on Etsy.  This is the 8" size block.  I filled the mini with batting so that it could serve as a trivet to protect a table top.

For my middle one, I printed some favorite photos (years ago) via Spoonflower.  I found them while doing some organizing so turned them into a pillow.

For my son, I made a quilt Always Right.  You can read more about it here.

And finally, for one of my sisters I made a bag used some cork - this is very fun to make!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Always Right

My son finished his PhD in 2021.  Given the pandemic, his dissertation defense was on Zoom so we actually got to watch him explain and defend his research.  (We had to promise not to ask a question! :-)

I started piecing on December 18 - a week before Christmas.  (Yikes!  I won't do that again.)  The quilt was gifted Christmas day, trimmed but without a binding and included a whole bunch of dangling threads still needing to be dealt with.  That said, I was quite proud that there were no basting pins attached!

Quilting itself was a loopy meander on the blue (Painters Palette Cadet Blue).  I left the white letters unquilted primarily because I ran out of time.  The unquilted areas aren't overly large.  The quilt measures 53" x 66".

The phrase on the quilt was lifted off a tee shirt that I briefly considered buying.   I couldn't get the phrase out of my head and knew my son would enjoy the sentiment so it became a quilt.  The lower case letters are from my Chunky Alphabet pattern.  (note - link updated 1/4)

Always Right was my last finish for 2021.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

January One Monthly Goal

Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2022!

I'm pleased to be hosting another year of One Monthly Goal 

New to One Monthly Goal?  Welcome!  To join, share a photo of your project plus, some words about what you want to accomplish in a blog post, an Instagram post (tutorial) or a post on Flickr and add that photo to the link-up.  Return at the end of the month and share your results.  (Results link-up opens for the last 7 days of the month.)

My goal for January is to make a flannel quilt - simple squares for some warm and cozy comfort on the couch.

Now it is your turn to link up - what is your goal for this month?   The One Monthly Goal accomplishment linkup will be available on January 25.  Make sure you add a link to this OMG post so others can find the OMG link-up from your blog.  Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post:  

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal January Link-up

Take a few minutes to visit others and make new friends!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a wonderful day! Patty