ON A ROLL

I think I've finally found my groove again, just in time to pack up my sewing stuff for our annual move south for the winter!

Several years ago, I attended a shop hop and collected all the block kits from each shop (there were only 7 shops).  They had selected a theme, and colour scheme for the blocks, but one didn't follow the rules.  The 7 blocks sat on my design wall for many years, and this year I decided that I had to move them along.......

I had used the oddball block in another project, so I had 6 blocks to play with.  I decided to place them on point, and then looked for something to use in the 2 inside squares, as well as the setting triangle.  In my search, I found leftover large triangles from a blue and yellow quilt that I made in the mid 1990's!  I found a couple of pieces of blue and yellow print, still hiding in my stash, and before I knew it, a quilt top was completed.

MAKING MY SEWING ROOM TIDY!

My version of this task is to make something with leftover blocks!

In 2016, I made a one block wonder quilt that I called "Breaking Out!"  

I had some half block pieces left over, and I also cut the remaining stacked fabric into smaller pieces to make smaller units.  They have been on the edge of my design wall, just begging to be used.

Yesterday, I pulled some bright yellow "Fairy Frost" fabric from my shelves, and used it for the background of the runner.  I stitched the half  blocks into a large hexagon, with an open centre, then spent time with the iron, to fold all the edges of the units under.  The two smaller hexagons were made from the narrow, leftover strips set of the fabric.  I machine appliqued the pieces to the background, using monofilament thread and a narrow zig-zag stitch.  I plan to call it "Fiesta"......
Now I'm off to find backing and binding fabrics, and get to machine quilting!!!!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I am in mid-pack for our winter visit in the south.  My machine is packed, ready for travel, along with lots of projects to work on over the winter.  My threads, rulers, cutters, and tons of other items too numerous to mention are packed into totes, ready to be loaded in our van.

I have 2 design walls in my basement studio.  This is the smaller one, next to my sewing desk.  I have pinned up some orphan blocks, and have been hoping for some inspiration.  The panel on the bottom left is a tiny "stack n whack" panel, made from leftover fabric.  I might have to finish it as a miniature, or a small wall hanging.
My larger design wall is in the narrow hallway opposite the staircase, and is almost impossible to photograph!

First is my hourglass leader and ender project - I'll continue with this next year....

 When I was making my table topper for my guild's Christmas dinner, it was just as easy to make 2, so the top is in waiting for quilting.

I found the bunny, eggs and flowers appliques in a bag, leftover from a previous project, and had the basket block from a shop hop kit.  I appliqued the parts, and hope to make it into a table topper in the spring.

I used this pretty floral stripe to make a mitered border on a quilt, and just couldn't throw away the cut-offs!

Leftover half units from the one block wonder quilt I made last year.  I'm hoping that inspiration hits, so I can use these pieces.

Right now, they all have to wait until spring, and by then, I'm sure I'll have a few leftovers from my winter quilting to add to the mix!



Fabric used this week  1.75 yards
Fabric used year to date  112.25 yards
Fabric added this week  0 yards
Fabric added year to date  52 yards
Net used 2017  60.25 yards

I'm linking with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts here, and Love, Laugh Quilt: Monday here!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I thought I'd see what was in my cupboard, and found 4 hangers loaded with fabric strips that had been overlooked, and a small bag of "parts".  I trimmed them into the sizes of strips and squares that I save, to be added to my bins for future projects.

I found some 4 patches, and decided to get them into a quilt top before they got lost again for another 10 years or so!

I started by adding triangles to each 4-patch, to set them on point, using green and gold fabrics.  Then I added a border to each one, using the same dark red pin-dot fabric that was in the original blocks, and a navy blue fabric with silver speckles, just a shade darker than the original blue print.

While searching my stash for a fabric to use for sashing, I found a piece of the autumn print that was part of the original 4-patches!  Once that was added between the blocks,  I checked my stash of green fabrics and found a piece that was perfect for the final border and binding, and I was able to use the whole piece!

Just think - it all started with a dozen 4patch blocks!  I'll get a better picture of the whole quilt after I find some backing and complete the quilting!

I'm linking to Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.  Check out what others are working on this week.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

We received great news yesterday.  The eldest daughter of our dear friends is getting married on September 2nd!  We have know the bride since she was a year old, along with her middle sister who graduates with an engineering degree next week, and her brother, who is our Godson!  This will be quite the year for this family, and we're happy to be asked to share their celebrations.  Of coarse, I spent the evening coming up with a plan for a quilt for her and her husband to be!  

When looking through my orphan blocks, I found these six blocks, leftover from a double Irish chain quilt that I made a few years ago.

I also had a stack of 4-patch blocks that I made as "leaders and enders" during the winter.  Using these, along with 2-patch units with a light fabric and a centre dark square,  I'll have the blocks made in no time!  I have already pulled an assortment of light fabrics for the alternate blocks as well.  I want to have lots of time to concentrate on the quilting of this special quilt. 

I'm joining others at a new "design wall Monday" link-up today, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

OUT OF THE BOX QUILTS

During the past year, the volunteers who meet once a month to work on my guild's community quilt projects, spent time to sort all the donated orphan blocks and pre-made parts.  Each group of similar size and or shape were placed in a raspberry box.  (These boxes were salvaged from a local supermarket, and are cardboard, built to stack while holding quarts or pints of raspberries).

At our last get-together, our fearless leader asked if everyone would take a box home and figure out how to use the contents for a quilt.

My first box held 60 9-patch blocks that were 3 1/2 inches, and I made this quilt top.

I wrote about it on Design Wall Monday.  I had difficulty getting the true colours to show in the pictures.  The light borders are really a darker beige, the blue-ish border is much darker, and the final border is a deeper rust colour.

 Box number 2 held 29 pinwheel blocks that had been squared up to 8.25 inches.  I made one more block, then set them with sashing and cornerstones.
I decided to make a strippy border, so I sorted through my 1.5 and 2 inch strip bins and pulled all the strips that had colours found in the blocks.

I made binding for each quilt top, but don't have fabric for backing.  I'll take them to our next community quilts workshop, and hopefully I'll find backing fabric for each of them, then after pin-basting both, I'll bring them home to machine quilt.  This is a win-win - I get to use some of my fabric scraps, and there are 2 less boxes full of parts waiting to be used, and soon 2 more quilts ready to donate.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  13.875 yards

Fabric used year to date  129.125 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  28.5 yards

Net used 2014  100.625 yards

This week I completed 2 flannel baby quilts, 2 sets of placemats and a "snap bag".

I used the "waste" cut off ends of the strip sets from the table runner that I showed here.   I stitched them into an "X" block, and used them as the main fabric in the bag.  The bag finished 6 x 8 inches.

I decided to quilt different designs in each of the plain triangles.

One side has clamshells and continuous square shapes, and the other has a large half-flower and some swirls.  I made 2 prairie point triangles to use as the pulls to open the bag.

The bag has 2 strips of steel measuring tape in the top to hold it closed.  The top border fabric also forms the lining.

I'm happy that I used the leftovers right away, as I have 2 large containers of leftover blocks, and units that seem to be growing.  Since I've tackled my flannel leftovers, my next goal is to use more of the orphan blocks and units......

Check out everyone's stash report at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.