Rainbows

I took a wonderful course with Jo Avery at QuiltCon on needle-turned applique rainbows - read about the class. My class project is now done and finishes at 17" x 17".

All steps of this project have been enjoyable. The applique finished up quickly and since then I've been slow stitching the hand quilting on my piece. It has been my go-to handwork project for guild meetings and coffee meetups. 

While I could certainly keep adding more quilting texture, I decided to call it done and shift my attention to a new version, done in colors of the trans flag.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

On My Cutting Table

Warning! This post is filled with beautiful fabric. 😉

I've been playing with some beautiful fabric in my sewing room. First up is the QuiltCon fabric challenge using Ruby & Bee solids in colorways slate, rain cloud, stormy, unicorn, turmeric, and poppy. These fabrics are so soft and wonderful to work with. My quilt top is in the works - here is a sneak peak of one of the blocks I was experimenting with.

I drew up a design for the quilt and then deviated from the specifics quite a bit. Its been a fun make and I look forward to sharing.

Next up is this beautiful rainbow of rich color - Speckled from Ruby Star. I'm working on a quilt for a Fat Quarter Shop pattern launch coming in August. 

The blocks have been fun to put together and I'll be donating the finished quilt to my guild's community giving project.

Since I'll have lots of scraps leftover, I've decided to pair them with this Ruby Star Ten Years of Magic panel and make lots of economy blocks.

These will be a really fun sew and I can't wait to get started.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Layered Legacies - NC Museum of Art Exhibit

I spent a delightful afternoon yesterday visiting the Layered Legacy exhibit at the NC Museum of Art. (The show closes later this month so check it out soon if you are local!) The quilts on exhibit, the majority of which were created in the early to mid-1800s, were on loan from Old Salem. 

The quilt above was the oldest in the exhibit and was dated as 1796 and from the household of Elizabeth Webster. The word household was used multiple times throughout the exhibit and there were posters on the wall to acknowledged that some of the family of some of these quilt holders owned slaves which may have contributed to the quilts but most certainly freed the quilt maker from daily domestic duties so they had time to create.

My favorite quilt in the exhibit is this blue and white quilt, created by a girl who died young and was preserved and treasured by her sister. Although hard to see in the photo, there was wonderful hand quilted motifs in the white areas.

I was most intrigued by all the hand quilting and the resulting texture. 

Outside the exhibit were 4 pieces of textile art from 3 different makers. The quilt is the work of my friend Michelle Wilke. The exhibit store had some of Michelle's work for sale plus books from my friend Frances Dowell. I have such talented friends!

In the main gift store, they had a repurposed cigarette machine which dispensed mini works of art for $5. So fun! I treated my daughter to a token and several people came up while we were having fun choosing and then went to buy their own tokens!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Happy July - 2024 goal check-in

Happy July! Didn't see fireworks this year but we did enjoy some ice cream sundaes at a friends house on the 4th - so yummy.

With the year half over, I decided to check in with my goals for 2024 and join Yvonne's planning party. I'm making good progress against most of these goals. See my 2024 goal post here.

Starting with my making and creativity related goals:

• From my making perspective, I am working on two quilts for QuiltCon submission - one was my Pantone challenge quilt Peachy Keen. About half of the quilting is done and it has been sitting in 'time out' while I decide how I want to add some hand quilting. (Goal: Make at least one quilt to submit to QuiltCon 2025)

• I've a lot of fabric in stash that could be put to good use as donation quilts for my guilds charity. This small quilt is finished and I've got two donation quilts underway right now, all from stash. My HST quilt and the Seattle BOM quilt. Next up for the HST quilt is to pull together backing and binding so it can get quilted. Feeling good about being on a path to exceed this goal. (Goal: Donate at least one quilt to our guild charity using only fabric from stash.)

• Important to me is a goal to just play. I am working with large curves in one of my (fingers-crossed) QuiltCon submissions. Plus I made a mini improv quilt (not yet blogged out) and started a 2 color improv. I hope to focus more on the play aspect for the second part of the year and I still want to tackle some garment sewing. I also made this bag just to get a complete before tacking other projects (Goal: Play! Lots of ideas for this - explore new color combinations, start two color improv, experiment with large curves, make more mini quilts, and give garment sewing a try.)

Then my general well being goals:

• I've been postponing a big fabric clear out but still hoping to get to it this summer. (Goal: Adopt the 'container' concept in my sewing room and donate or sell fabric I no longer want.)

• Blogging is important for me to record what I am working on and I've continued to blog at least once weekly. It is really helpful to have a record of when projects were started and finished. For my newsletter, I started including some book recommendations since reading daily is something I continue to prioritize and enjoy. (Goal: Blog 1-2 times weekly plus I want to revamp my monthly newsletter & I intend to continue to make reading a part of my day.) 
• Perhaps my most important achievement is that I started taking twice weekly sessions with a trainer to improve my overall strength and balance. I really enjoy how these sessions make me feel. (Goal: I hope to add weekly strength training to my daily walking or swimming exercise.)

In addition to those mentioned above, I've got a number of WIPs that I do hope to give some attention to:

• I'm working on a quilt for an upcoming Fat Quarter Shop pattern release. The quilt top is done but I've got to get backing together and get it quilted. (This will also be a donation quilt.) Pattern releases in August so I can't share until then.
• The Local pattern is something I working on with a group of friends. I've finished 5 houses and much of 6 and 7 but I'm thinking of just making a small mini with four houses. 

Lots accomplished so far and (hopefully) more fun and creativity ahead!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Charm Square Stash HST Quilt Top Ready

One of my goals this year was to use my stash to create some donation quilts. (My guild donates to kids in the foster care system.) I had lots of leftover charm squares in my stash so I decided to make a HST quilt! I played around a bit with layouts and am happy with the result.

The HST were started as part of a guild retreat in November. They are easy to sew while chatting with others. I made good progress doing the sewing part but then let them sit for a while because trimming and ironing!

We have guild members who volunteer to LAQ our charity quilts. I need to pull together a backing and then get this quilt submitted. Can't wait to see all that quilty texture so that it can be donated.

The current size is 50" x 60" which is the minimum size that we want to donate. I am still thinking of making it just a bit bigger although I've yet to find a white fabric in my stash that is the same white. 

Have a wonderful day! Patty

HRT and HST Donation Quilt

A fun and quick finish! 

Blocks were created way back in January 2023 as part of the Modern HST BOM and then they were misplaced and forgotten about! I was happy to get a small quilt top assembled and quilted with a simple meander. I had just enough fabric leftover for the binding.

Quilt is 36" square and was donated through my LQS be a incubator quilt. (The quilts are draped over the incubators for those babies in the NICU and then go with them when they are ready to go home.)

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Grow Bag

You've likely seen blocks from the Back to Nature QAL. This little sprout block was designed by Jo from The Crafty Nomad . There are 9 blocks in total, all FPP, and all available for free. Instead of making a 9 block mini quilt, I decided to just make my favorite blocks and then use each one in a project.

Doesn't it make a sweet bag? I plan to gift this to my sister who works in a garden center and teaches about plants in a senior center. The bag pattern is (my favorite) is the open wide pouch by Noodlehead. I had a fun playful green print large scrap for the inside. The bag bottom and reverse side of bag are in navy - her favorite color.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Rediscovered Blocks!

Way back in January 2023, I put the finishing touches on the final blocks in the Modern HST BOM. I made the blocks smaller then the pattern called for and created some FPP patterns for the smaller half-square triangle (HST) and half-square rectangle (HRT) blocks.

Then I put those blocks aside for over a year. A few days ago, in searching for something else, I found them! (Isn't it always that way?) Honestly I had completely forgotten about the project and now I wonder how many completely forgotten projects I have buried away.

These blocks were always destined to be a incubator quilt. My LQS collects 36" square quilts for donation to a local hospital. These quilts are draped over the incubators for those babies in the Nicu and then go with them when they are ready to go home.

Instead of making more blocks to get the quilt top to the right size, empty squares plus a border were added. I am pleased with how it has turned out. 

I've got enough of the print fabric for the binding so next step is to figure out a backing and then do some FMQ. 

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Seattle BOM May June blocks

Spent time this weekend getting caught up on my blocks for the Seattle MQG's free BOM. (And, no this isn't my guild but they have graciously made it free to anyone!). This is perfect for using some coordinated large scraps.

The May and June blocks were the strips and the drunkards path at the bottom of the photo. I may have reversed the colors in the stripe blocks but I will make it work in the final quilt! The pattern calls for using 5 colors but I'm going scrappier.

My guild collects quilts in support of kids in the foster care system. This quilt and my HST charm square quilt are two of the quilts I'm working on to donate.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Seattle Wedding Quilt to the SPA

In early May, my family spent a week at the beach and I used some afternoon sew time to assemble the blocks for the Brushstrokes pattern by Shiners View. This is a very well written pattern and a forgiving pattern - the blocks are trimmed after sewing and there really isn't a wrong way to do things. 

I wanted the quilt to be slightly bigger than the pattern called for so I made an additional row and column so the quilt top will finish at 63" x 70". Fabrics are all Painters Palette solids in Aruba, Marine, Gulfstream plus a dark gray I had in my stash.

This will be a gift so I'm excited to see what it looks like all quilted!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Charm Square Stash HST Quilt top

Many months ago, I collected all my random charm squares and decided to make a HST quilt to be donated to my guilds community work. Since I was in no hurry, it took a bit of time to sew and then trim the over 200 HST. It was fun to lay them out - such a big range of colors and styles of prints.

For quilts with lots of blocks, I will sew things together in quadrants, first in rows with everything webbed together.

At this point, I've got all 4 quadrants webbed together and can start sewing rows to rows.

The dimensions of the quilt will be 52" x 60". I've a few more charm squares and am thinking about making it a bit bigger, likely by just adding rows and columns in a way that would not make it symmetrical. First I need to make sure there is enough variety in what hasn't yet been sewn to make it work.

This is one of three charity quilts I'm working on!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

London Quilt - Gifted!

I had an enjoyable time Saturday celebrating the wedding of my nephew and his new bride. His mom (my sister) suggested a color palette of red, white and blue and suggested an overall theme of London as the couple had gotten engaged in London on the Millennium Bridge and planned to return on their honeymoon.

The quilt design is inspired by numerous Instagram photos of similar quilts and the desire to play with quarter circles and orange peels!

The quilt was LAQ by @lovebugdoodles. Thread color matched the light blue and the pantograph chosen is Squared Rounded.

I was thrilled to find this panel of London for the back to celebrate their connection to that city. The colors matched perfectly!

To help with the overall presentation, I made a bag for the quilt using a remnant that I had leftover from making my daughter a prom-like dress for dress-up play. I've had this remnant for over 10 years and almost threw it away more than - glad I never did! 

I saw a video of the newlyweds unwrapping the quilt and they seemed to really like it!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Beach Quilting

Last week we spent a week at a NC beach. The weather was beautiful although stupid Covid caused us to miss a few actual sitting on the beach days. (Everyone recovered fine.)

I always like to bring my travel machine for sewing in the afternoon when the sun is too hot to be outside. This year I worked on the Brushstrokes pattern by Shiners View. The pattern was a perfect travel project. Basically each block consisted of the background fabric and one of four fabrics. Blocks were made oversized and pieces were cut wonky to add a look of improv.

Once I returned home, everything was pressed and trimmed and assembled into rows. Often when dealing with a large quilt, I will assemble in quadrants. For this one, I went with rows to make sure no blocks were flipped in the process. Fabrics used are all Paintbrush studio solids - pale aqua, marine and gulf stream.

The quilt top will be 56" x 63" when done. I am thinking about making it slightly larger and considered just add a border all the way around. If I went with 7" (the finished block size), the quilt would be 70" x 77". I could also just make some more blocks and add another column so that it is 63" square. 

Thoughts?

This was our family's first experience with Covid. One family member tested positive before we left but was feeling fine so we decided to mask up and open all the windows. While having half your vacation impacted by Covid is not what I would have hoped for, being able to sit on the back deck and enjoy the fresh air and ocean views was a pleasant way to recover.

Local House #5 - The Browns

Welcome to the home of the Browns! A friend organized a fun QAL using the Local pattern by Carolyn Friedlander. Each month, we'll each make a house and read the back story about the owner. Several of us plan to add our own homes to the neighborhood. ( I've printed off the pattern at 50% scale.)

Here is my neighborhood so far - the Carlos, the Cahills, the Minkos, the home of Lynn and Terrence and now the Browns! Next up for June is the homes of Paul and Lucy which are actually two houses.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Pickle Bird - Make Modern Magazine issue #58

I am very excited to share that my quilt Pickle Bird is in the latest issue of Make Modern Magazine - issue 58!

Pickle Bird was designed for the QuiltCon 2024 fabric challenge. (Sadly it was not juried into the show.) I love my whimsical birds made from a modernized pickle block. You can read more about the quilt and see some close-ups of the quilting on this post.

The quilt top assembles quickly and the pattern includes FPP for an easy way to make the triangle-in-a-square units (aka the Pickle Bird beak!)

My youngest joined me for a photo shoot at our neighborhood playground. In their twenties, it had been quite a few years since they had played around at the park!

Make Modern is a digital magazine, originating in Australia, which publishes six issues a year. There are many options for subscriptions, both yearly and all access.

Issue 58 has 9 others wonderful projects in addition to Pickle Bird. You can purchase a single issue for under $12 US ($15 AUD).

If you make your own version of Pickle Bird, please share!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Scrap Quilts May update

Spent time this weekend getting caught up on my blocks for the Seattle MQG's free BOM. (And, no this isn't my guild but they have graciously made it free to anyone!). This is perfect for using some coordinated large scraps.

My guild collects quilts in support of kids in the foster care system. I hope to finish two quilt tops this year using scraps. The second one is all based on HST and was temporarily misplaced in my sewing room. Thankfully it has now been found. I've got 44 done and trimmed, 32 waiting for trimming, and then at least 92 more to go. Everything is kitted so now I just need to not loose it again!

Once the May blocks post, I hope to get right on it!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

London Quilt Spa Day

One of the projects that has kept me quite busy is a quilt to gift to my nephew and bride for their upcoming wedding. My sister suggested a palette of red, white, and blue with a theme of London. After considering a bunch of different ideas, I decided to have fun with quarter circles and orange peels in the requested colorway with a bit of orange for an extra pop of color. For the back, I found this great panel using the same colorway. My plan is to surround the panel with the blue fabric.

My quilt is now at the Spa! In other words, I've dropped it off with my LAQ. I used to have all my quilts LAQed but now I just do so for special quilts (larger than baby sized) that will be gifted. I can't wait to get the quilt back and see the transformation that quilting brings!

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Local House #4 - The home of Lynn and Terrence

Welcome to the home of Lynn and Terrence! A friend organized a fun QAL using the Local pattern by Carolyn Friedlander. Each month, we'll each make a house and read the back story about the owner. Several of us plan to add our own homes to the neighborhood. ( I've printed off the pattern at 50% scale.)

Here is my neighborhood so far - the Carlos, the Cahills, the Minkos and now the home of Lynn and Terrence! Next up for May is The Browns which looks to be the simplest one so far.

Have a wonderful day! Patty

Magic Bag

I needed a break from walking foot quilting on my quilt Peachy Keen and decided to make a bag. Last summer, my son gifted me some Dr. Who themed fabric and given that the next season of the show is about to begin, I decided it was time to put the fabric to good to use.

There are many tutorials out on youtube which detail the drafting of a template and bag construction. I've watched several of them and found this one to be the easiest to follow. I did end up doing something different with my side panels (folding them over to avoid binding). Once the bag was done, I also saw this tutorial (~29 min mark) which is a better method then what I improvised. If you are interested in making a similar bag, I did see that there are a few patterns available. 

I do see myself making this pattern again and do a few things differently - try canvas instead of quilting cotton to have more structure, put tabs on the zipper ends, and consider a zipper with two pulls.

Interested in making a bag but think this is too difficult? My favorite go to bag tutorial is Noodlehead's Wide Open bag. I made the large size last year to help transport things when I go for my daily swim

Have a wonderful day! Patty