Clue 8

Clue 6 is done, clue 7 is half done, but I jumped ahead to put together one of clue 8.

On Ringo Lake clue 5 done!

oodles of geese.  I can't wait to see how they come together

working on clue 4 On Ringo Lake

I think I am going to like all these fabrics together.  There should be a lot more blue and charcoal in the upcoming clues.  To see other quilter's progress visit Bonnie Hunter's blog via this link

On Ringo Lake Part 3

I am working on part 3 of Bonnie Hunter's mystery.  To see other quilters' progress click here

I wonder how it will look when there is more charcoal gray in the mix ?

Bonnie Hunter Mystery - On Ringo Lake part 2

I am working away.  These are such cute units.  Click to see other's progress quiltville link

I also played with unit 1 and 2 combos to see how my colors will look together

Donation Quilt. D for Done

This has been in my to be quilted pile for awhile and I finished it up this last week.   I was going to quilt spirals and got bored so I added some flowers.  I was a little stressed about my imperfect spirals, but it shrank up quite a bit so I guess that is a lesson on don't bother stressing...

On Ringo Lake Mystery Quilt

I am in progress on clue one.  I love these little blocks.

One thing leads to another

So..I was fired up to finish the trash to treasure pineapple top.  I made 42 blocks, but they needed little corners.  I think the corners will be grey.  I debated about other techniques wondering if I could do the 5 or 10 minute block into the corners as the blocks come together.  Here is a link to one of the videos 10 minute quilt block 

Ultimately I decided that I would just chain sew the blocks and add corners and trim.  I knew I had grey fabric with a quilt I'd started and then decided not to make.  I retrieved the grey fabric and found I had more of the first block done than I remembered.  I decided to go ahead and make this quilt rather than discard it.  I kind of like it again.  The pattern is Round and Round by Camille Roskelley.

Mystery fabrics chosen and pineapple blocks

I have chosen fabrics for Bonnie Hunter's upcoming mystery.  These are the colors I think I will use. I am substituting charcoal grey/black for the browns and purple/lavender for the melon/salmon. I know Bonnie's colors are complementary turquoise/melon and mine are not.

And I keep adding pineapple blocks, they are quick to make when I don't fuss on color placement.  I do think I probably need sashing.  This will probably be a couch throw - fun, but not beautiful.

Scrappy Pineapple Blocks

At a recent small group sewing day I was finishing up my pineapple quilt.  I had put it aside with 79 blocks and now I have a top with 100 blocks.  I picked out border fabric and will show pictures soon.

When I revisited Gyleen Fitzgerald Trash to Treasure pineapple ruler I decided to make one of the pineapples with just every color and no order.  Adding pieces at random.  These blocks are 5 rounds.  I am thinking of adding grey corners and grey sashing because I like how it looks on the gray design wall.  Originally all blocks were going to be yellow centered but I am branching out to different colors now.

These equal mindless mental health sewing that I like to start my day with.  I am stretching my comfort a little with their randomness.  I have seen beautiful quilts made with these but I think I will add the grey sashing.

Deborha Boschert Workshop

Friday I took a workshop  with  Deborah Boschert.  This is her website http://deborahsstudio.com/
From her website this is the description of the class:

"Captivating Compositions for Art Quilts
Deborah introduces eight design guides that get the creative juices flowing. Look at examples of captivating compositions from fine art and the quilt world. Create a “sketch” for each of the design guides using fused fabrics. Learn to edit, audition and improvise using a super helpful design checklist. Explore adding details with machine and hand stitching. Your completed set of fabric sketches can be used as instruction and inspiration for future art quilts."

She is a great teacher.  She is helpful, clear, encouraging and supportive.  I feel like I grew with this class. Below are the sketches I made - note some will get more stitching eventually but I stopped playing with them because I am eager to take what I have learned to a bigger project.

Priorities

This rainy morning I woke up groggy which is unusual for me and Brandon couldn't find his band t shirt they wear on Thursdays.  I looked but couldn't find it either.  He rather blithely said, "oh, you can bring it to me at 6th or 7th period"  Not knowing where it is (he probably left it in his band locker) and it is not a priority uniform thing more a solidarity thing -  I looked at him and thought, "yeah, that's probably not going to happen". Which is how I feel when someone suggests I do mending or make something for someone.

Tumbling Blocks Top

Top is almost finished.  I took this picture before I added grey pieces to the side cut outs.  I just need to fill in the bottom and then make the corners where needed.  I am not sure how I am going to quilt it, but I like it.  Originally as I was constructing it I had it flipped with the grey section on the right rather than the top, but I think I will leave it this way. I have to trim the top straight also.  It is a little confusing because my design wall is grey.

I won a sewing machine!

Last weekend I participated in the North Texas Shop Hop.  It was the first time I'd ever visited every shop in a shop hop which is much easier to do now that I am retired.  I got a lot of ideas from seeing projects, fabric, displays but there wasn't anything particular I was shopping for though I did try to buy at least a fat quarter from every shop. 

I found out this morning that I won the gift basket from one of the shops.  If you visited all 11 shops then you were in a drawing for a $200 gift basket - each of the 11 shops was giving away one.  I won from Sew It UP  which is a lovely Bernina store with very cute fabric.  This is what they gave me:

I am very happy.  I feel so blessed.  I think this will make a great machine to take to workshops and now when my granddaughters visit we will be able to have 2 machines going at the same time.

guild workshop tablecloth

After being part of the Programs Team my 2 yr term is ending this month.  I am happy to have time off with no responsibilities at guild meetings starting in October.  In the 2 years it hadn't occurred to me to quilt the tablecloth we use to designate the workshop sign up table.  We inherited the job and it came with a cotton cloth hemmed with the word "Workshops" fused on.  At the quilt show last month a member suggested I quilt it so that has been my most recent project.

The first picture shows a practice piece that I played with designs.  The fabric print is very busy so not much shows.  I did a flange binding in bright colors.

HSTs and Depression Blocks

Playing with my fabric counts as decluttering – doesn’t it?  As I was dealing with scraps I have been cutting tumblers, 1.5 inch strips for a future pineapple, and chunks 6 x 9.25 inches for HST triangles.  I am making 12 HST at a time with triangulations paper.

Half square triangles – my dilemma – I have been thinking for some time that I wanted to make another quilt using the Depression Block.  I need a lot of variety for what I want to make and there are many ways to make HSTs.  To me one of the easiest is to mindlessly sew on printed paper and cut them apart.  But in the case of 2 inch finished HST I make 12 of the same fabrics if I use a full sheet.  So if I was doing another way I could have more variety. 

My solution was to make more than I needed and they would be in my stash available for other projects.  I got this idea from Lynn Roddy Brown when she spoke to the Plano Guild last year.  She talked of “mental health sewing”.  Pointing out if you sewed 9 patches or triangles that it would be simple and easy and these components would be available to later incorporate into quilts.

As with many ideas as soon as I thought I’d apply it I found others who had previously advocated for it.  M J Fielek spoke at guild in July about “Beautiful Quilts Out of Simple Shapes” and she also mentioned Edyta Sitar and her book on triangles.

So when I started in early July I wondered how many should I make.  Previously when I made depression blocks the finished block was 12 inches but with 2 inch triangles the block will finish at 8 inches.  There are 16 HSTs per block. It will take 100 blocks or 1600 HSTs If I make a quilt that is 80 by 80 inches square.  Well the good news is I am going to have an alternate block – probably a kaleidoscope block so I only need half that amount plus extra to make a rectangular quilt.  I determined that if I made 2000 HSTS that would give me variety and extra for other projects.

By mid-August I had 1073 HSTs and I couldn't wait and I decided to start making blocks.  I will probably add to box of HSTs as I sort through fabrics and/or want different colors. 

  

As I do this there are other project being worked on and I think I have found the layout I like on the large tumbling blocks.  I removed the blocks that had segments of diamonds and am just using full and small blocks.  I think it will have gray background.  It’s a little confusing as my design wall is also gray.

2 Workshops with Gyleen Fitzgerald

I took workshops on Friday and Saturday.  It was lots of fun.  I knew I liked Gyleen Fitzgerald's techniques as I had seen her on The Quilt  Show and I have her pineapple ruler and book.

The first class was called Going in Circles.  The techniques presented were clear and easy then we had one on one help with arranging the designs.  A lot of good information was shared.

All the fabric is from my stash.  We were instructed to bring 4 color groups and not be too matchy.  I decided at the Dallas Guild lecture on Thurs. night that I wanted to take this class.  I didn't have a lot of time to pick fabrics but I chose magenta/yellow/bluegreen/white.  I think I ended up with lots of light and the whites read as solid.  The two yellow florals and two of the blue greens read as basically the same fabric.  So I think it was interesting color choices, but the yellow dominates as do the lights.  The way we did the construction we used the fabric amounts equally so it wasn't possible to limit the yellows.  They really come forward.  I think I should have had more motion in my whites, also.

The Saturday class was Play Modern.  This was a fantastic class.  Gyleen's butterfly technique is so great to make these easily.  When I first started quilting around 1993 I tried to make a tumbling block quilt and I found it too difficult.  I am happy I learned now and I have several ideas in my head about future quilts.

Supply list was 3 one yard pieces of fabric for the big tumbling blocks.  I had the darkest purple in my stash as I purchased it last fall for Bonnie Hunter's Mystery and then used a different fabric.  I don't have many one yard pieces of fabric in my stash so during lunch at Friday's workshop I went to a quilt store and picked out the light and medium pink/magenta.   The accent pieces are from stash.  The class was a technique class and I am trying different designs but my progress so far is below:

I highly recommend this teacher.

Silent Auction quilt and landscape play

I quilted the little flower quilt with a McTavish style background.  It's a little sloppy because I had trouble seeing the thread on the background.  I used a So Fine white.  I probably need to get an eye exam and improve the lighting where I work, but I wanted to get it done to work on the binding at my small sewing group.  I plan to donate it to the silent auction at my guild and I have enjoyed working on it.

I chose a purple fabric for the binding to balance the deep colors of the flowers.  I first used some black thread to highlight the flowers and leaves. 

This last is a small landscape I am playing with -- made from scraps I am enjoying working on it and it will probably finish at 5 by 7 or so.

 

Grandies Visiting!

Loralie and Kearstyn came to visit and we had such fun!  We swam almost every day and we did some crafting.  Kearstyn is turning into quite a cook and Loralie loves setting up dishes and playing hostess.  Pictures are animal wall hangings they made.  The patterns are from Wendi Gratz 's Craftsy Class Fusible Applique Made Easy.

 They chose their fabrics and I think they did a great job.  Kearstyn did all her own sewing but I helped Loralie a bit.

Making Little Quillts

My production has slowed.  I am still working on things but I am trying to do some original creations to put in my guild's silent auction in August.  I get frozen up sometimes, unsure if other's will like what I am doing or if I even like it...

I did a simple collage and quilted it on cream - but I forgot to take a picture and it's already turned in to the guild.  This is when I was just forming the leaders on parchment paper.  I will try and get a good picture at the show.

I've been playing with silk fusion and thought I'd make some flowers.  I couldn't find the background I wanted so put them on gray then decided I really needed the orange/peach background and I found it.  I will start quilting it today.