Willow 2 (second landscape)

I was stalled on the quilting because of machine tension issues but now the sky is mostly done.  I may make it taller as I have about 4 more inches of fabric above what is cropped in the photo.  I need to quilt the foreground then adjust the tree and stitch the tree down.

Progress on Row by Row

I have been cleaning and organizing so less sewing in the last week.  Today I added 9 inch Monkey Wrench blocks to the row by row design wall.  I used the technique Anita Grossman Soloman taught in her newest Craftsy class and they go quickly.  I wanted to play and I have been thinking of how I will set the quilt.  I have a couple more row kits - actually 4, but I think I will only use two.  One kit has vinyl and I think I will pass that to someone at guild.  Another is water themed, but longhorns, cattle ranch style and I will pass that to a friend if she wants it.  I just don't think they will go well with what I am planning.

It's a very rough plan and I wanted it to keep moving.  If I overthink it I will stall.  I want to make a new couch quilt.  I need it big enough to cover a 6' 2" grandson.

So this is what my design wall looks like:

This row is from Minding My P's and Q's in Denton, TX

This row is from Quilt Among Friends in Arlington, TX.  It is from Edyta Sitar accuquilt shapes.  There are cut outs to add chicks under the umbrellas and fabrics to give them boots but I haven't done that part because I am wondering if I want to use the umbrellas individually or vertically rather than a row.

Last are the blocks I made.  Just playing and having fun.

The Monkey Wrench blocks could go together as a horizontal row as most of the rows are 9 inch finished.  I am also wondering about a row or two of flying geese...

Landscapes - changes, new one

On the original landscape I cut the sky to layer it like Gloria Loughman has us do in her Craftsy Class.  That didn't work well because I had used cheap muslin to paint the sky for the first Willow Tree landscape and it raveled a lot.  I tried doing a blanket stitch with clear monopoly thread but still didn't like how it looked.  I painted three pieces to applique on top of the gap and they worked somewhat.  I quilted it in rows matching the size of the additional pieces.  I like it, but....it needs more work...but with adding paints (watercolor crayons) I can tweak forever and it will still be off.  So I am stopping for now.  It needs a facing or binding or more ???

So I have more of most of the fabrics so I am taking what I learned and making a second Willow landscape.  Below is the fabric for the tree.  It's feathers but I don't know the manufacturer.  I found it at a quilt show and bought the fat quarter from a vendor.

I painted a couple new sky panels, and things are going quickly for this second one.  I need to add more to the tree, but I am liking this one.

More Rows

I have completed a couple more rows from 2015 Row By Row kits.  The top one is from Minding My P's and Q's quilt shop in Denton, TX.  The second one is from Quilt Country in Lewisville, TX.  I particularly like the jelly fish fabric.  I think it was a great choice of fabric and the kit included the small amount of yarn, also.

I have to add eyes to the fish and turtle on the bottom one.

Sewing the Landscape

I started sewing/quilting at the same time.  Honestly, I think I could be tweaking this forever so I just layered it and started. 

Some Changes To The Landscape

 Nothing sewn yet. Still evolving.

I know what I am going to work on next

A truth: The more you quilt, the more you use your stash. The less you sew,
the more you buy.
Weird, isn't it?!
Nancie on Stashbuster’s  Yahoo Group

I like the row by row that many shops are participating in during the summer months.  Last summer when I had a two year old in tow, I would make brief visits to quilt shops and if I liked their row I would buy the kit.  I usually don’t buy kits but I thought I was going to be sewing again at the end of summer and it seemed like a bright and cheery fabric.  Life stayed busy so the kits lingered in a drawer.  I forgot about them.

Yesterday I had an email from a friend.  Dana lives in Houston and I had asked her to pick me up a row by row pattern from any quilt shop she visited in that area.  She surprised me by buying and sending me a kit.  So, when I saw her email I remembered I had some row kits to put together.  I have found what I am going to work on next – doing the machine applique and putting these rows together. 

The kit came with the charms/buttons to add on.  Aren't they cute?

I have also been sewing up more snap bags as they go quickly.