Thursday, November 29, 2007

Stash Reduction

I think I'll join in on the stash reduction. I feel like I'm confessing. (lol) I did a rough estimate I've figured I have about 500 yards of fabric. It fits in its designated space and is not stashed all over the place. It is very organized. I keep my scraps cut using Bonnie Hunters scrap saver system. I love my stash and I enjoy playing with it. But there are a few pieces that have been hording space and 500 is a lot of fabric. I have 2 types of fabric I would like to bust (reduce). First ugly pieces meaning pieces that are off colors I don't use or like and they are just ugly or not quilt worthy. Second pieces I have large amounts of 3, 5, 8 yards etc. I seem to save these and am afraid to use them. Thinking that when I do finally find the perfect quilt for that piece I'll be 5" short because I used it in another scrap quilt. So this week I targeted these 2 fabrics. The purple is a ugly one I have 2 yds of it
and the green is a large piece
I've had for about 3 years
there is 8 yds of it.
First the green. I cut borders for the split rail fence quilt. I thought it looked really good with the other colors on the quilt.
Then I used it in the backing along with some 17" squares left over from another project. I then cut some 72" strips for a strip quilt I'm planning on making.(More on it later) I also decided to make this


Scrappy Bargello




from Bonnie Hunters web site. I'm going to use the ugly purple for some of the squares along with some of the green. Then border the quilt with the purple and use the green for binding. Here are all the strips for the squares. I'm going to use them for starters and enders. So as a tally the 2 yards of purple is used up. And I have 2 yards of the green left. A nice amount I can sneak it in to a few scrap quilts. I guess I have a few weeks of sewing before I start cutting into more of my stash.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Split Rail Fence

I have the rail fence blocks sewn together. I strip pieced the units using 1 1/2" strips. It went together fast. The top right now is 45" square. I'm undecided about borders yet. I would like to make the quilt a lap quilt. So I'm trying to decide how to make the borders on the top and bottom wider then the sides to get away from a square and end up with a rectangle. I just didn't feel like sewing another row of blocks. I did have a few sets of strips that were not wide enough for blocks and would like to use them in the border. Instead of adding them to my orphan collection.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Frog Joke

Some jokes are so dumb they are funny!!!!

A Frog walks into a bank...

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack.
"Miss Whack, I'd like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday."
Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name.
The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager.
Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.
The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.
Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.
She finds the manager and says, "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral."
She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what in the world is this?"



(you're gonna love this)

(its a real treat)

( a masterpiece)

(wait for it)

The bank manager looks back at her and says...
"It's a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."

Monday, November 12, 2007

Pineapple Medallion

Pineapple Medallion I first saw this quilt on Alex Anderson's show on TV. Nancy Kirk was on and it was hanging behind them. I thought it was so neat. It's an antique quilt from the 1870's. I recorded a little of the show so I could look at the quilt. Latter I found a picture of it in QNL Magazine. I've been thinking of this quilt for a while. I've been scared of the center pineapple block. I've tried them before and they get wonky and have lots of pieces and so many different techniques. And the center I charted it on EQ is a 20" block. Well last week I just thought I would give it a try. I thought it was to big for paper piecing so I just started sewing it like a log cabin block. Sew a round of logs. Square it up the block with a rotary cutter. Do the next round.

Here it is half done. It's a little off but not to bad it lays flat. I found it works better to pin the logs, so I don't pull the bias ends of the previous round. I'm so excited I am finally going to make a copy of the quilt. After the pineapple the rest of the quilt will be easier.

More Tally

Jack's Chain

I've made no progress on this for a year now. The 9 patches are left over from a different project. I love the lay out. I just hate the technique
Draw sewing lines on the pieces, pin and sew. I should just figure out how many circles I need for a lap quilt. It might not seem so endless then.

I seen a antique rail fence quilt at an auction and the rails were 1". I've never really liked this pattern but seeing it with smaller rails changed my mind. I'm strip piecing this and sewing the squares together as starters and enders.

Orphans

Not really a project. I've been collecting all my orphan blocks and misc. junk together.


1st is a bunch of 1 1/2" squares that are sewn together. The ones in the bags and lose are squared up(4x4 & 2x2s). The ones in the basket have to be checked most are not square or too small sewn bad yuck whatever. I should just toss them.
I'm not sure what I want to do with these I keep changing possible layouts. Some of the fabrics are really off colors and just don't look good to me anymore.

Last are 2 piles of orphan left over blocks or parts of blocks. I know I should just make a orphan block quilt. Get rid of the badly sewn ones. These take up space and I waste time going through them every time I straighten up. I'm showing this stuff so I get motivated to get it used up or given to someone or tossed.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Dear Jane Blocks

I enjoy making the Dear Jane blocks when I'm in the right mood. I know it's going to take along time to finish so I don't have any time frame in mind for finishing it. Just enjoying the process. Some of the blocks are so cute. I scanned the layout in the book to keep track of the blocks I have done and the fabric I used. I also pin the number on each block so I know who they are.

Poinsettia Blocks

More project tally. Poinsettia blocks 8 done 16 about half done. Inset corners are slow going. I try to pin the pieces while I watch TV then sew through the stack and do it again. When I finish sewing the blocks I have to applique the stems and leaves yet. They should go fast I have them ready to go. I think I'll just sew the blocks together no sashing. I might add a border depending on how much fabrics I have left.
Here's a close up with a leaf.

Feathered Star Applique

My applique project is coming along. I need to add a few more circles a center flower. I should of just kitted up the blocks when I started this. I'd have all the pieces and not be running stuck with out the next pieces. I have 5 pieces left to applique, the borders and alternate blocks are done. This quilt is real close to being done.

The pattern is from
Kim Diehl's book Simple Traditions. It's finished size is 52 x 52".

Friday, November 09, 2007

9 Patches



This is a 9 patch cross. 9 patches set in a cross pattern. I'm almost done sewing up the 9 patch blocks. Hope to get them done today. And then lay out the quilt and sew it up. The squares in the 9 patches are cut 2" square. To give you a idea of the scale. I cut the muslin setting blocks at 5''. I'm hoping the greens and peaches in this quilt look good in my bedroom.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Birds inthe Air

This project is closest to getting done. It's an old traditional pattern and is very easy to sew I like the lay out with the red. Haven't decided to have the center red or pieced.

I have the pieced part of the block up to this stage. One more seem to sew on about half the blocks then add the red triangle. Then sew up the blocks. Shouldn't be to hard to finish up this one in the next week.


























Here is the original quilt it was in the July/ August Issue of Fons and Porter's Love Of Quilting.





Tally and Organize

I thought I would go through my currant projects to take inventory. I need to get some of these done. But all I seem to be thinking about is the new projects I want to start. Here is a list of what I have started oldest first.

Postage Stamp
Jack's Chain
Pine Burr

Poinsettia Quilt
Split Rail
Dear Jane
Feathered Star Applique
Red Birds in the Air
9 Patch Cross
Red String Quilt
Green String Quilt
Pineapple Medallion
Orphan Blocks

That's 13 large projects. In the piecing stage. I'm not counting flimsies waiting to be quilted. Over the next few days I'm going to post about each project, and hopefully as I organize and sort out these projects it will motivate me to get back to work on some of them and get them done.

Basket Top

New quilt stretcher. My husband stapled some fabric on some 1x4s for me. And I put my first quilt top in it. Works pretty good so far. Thought I would post a picture of it because I never did post a finished picture of this basket quilt. When I layed out the blocks I thought the quilt looked better with the matching blocks next to each other instead of spread out over the quilt.

I always thought the background fabric in this block was an ugly fabric. I think it was a clearance Christmas fabric. But I love the way it looks in this quilt.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Doll Quilts


Here is a pair of doll quilt tops I just finished. The strip one I did while I was working on string blocks. Just used the last ends of the strings. The 9 patch was the thread catchers I used in between pieces of the green 9 patch quilt I'm trying to get finished up. I must be getting closer the pieces keep getting bigger and the seams keep getting longer. Hope to finish up that one today. I hope to get the batting and backing on the doll quilts so I can get them quilted this weekend.