I started writing a blog post last weekend. I got about 4 pages done and I was just way too tired to continue. I left it up on the screen and went to bed. Unfortunately, I’m having issues with this computer and it rebooted itself without saving. I am the biggest proponent of backups and frequent saving, so I am kicking myself for not following my own advice!!
So, here I am, basically starting over. L
Project updates
I’m back from vacation and I was very good about what I brought to do. I got everything done that I had planned on my list except for one thing – the cutting for the contest entry. I simply didn’t have the right balance of fabrics (there’s a color progression in there). The list was:
· Mariner’s Compass quilt - Cut out/prep all pieces for blocks
· Curved Piece quilt (Circle Dance) - Layout quilt/arrange blocks
· Scrap Tamers - Month 3 – Seven sisters block - Determine layout AND Cut out any additional blocks needed
· Contest entry - Organize fabrics AND Cut fabrics
Additionally, the first Saturday that I was back home – just shy a week ago – was a “Sewing Saturday” for my quilt group at a local church. I got more work done there.
Circle Dance Quilt
I’ll start there with my updates and work a little backwards (time frame). I must put in a call out to Emmaus Lutheran Church in Saint Paul. My quilt group has a wonderful relationship with them and I hope it continues. The church is fairly small, but has an open, carpeted, basement that is perfect for us to use. They have about a dozen 8 foot resin folding tables and many chairs. The fact that the space is carpeted is a bonus and gives us a space for lying out and pinning quilts. I certainly take advantage of it!
The church has a group of older women who also “quilt”. Let me explain why I put that in quotes. This group donates many quilts each year to overseas charities. Those programs want simple quilts – not too nice or they are stolen and sold. The group at the church is older, and they enjoy getting together and doing projects. Piecing a quilt top is a fairly solitary activity so they don’t want to do that. They prefer to have finished quilt tops, which they tie together with yarn and then hand stitch the binding. My quilt group has worked out a deal where we cut the fabrics and make the quilt tops in exchange for the use of the facilities. It’s a win/win deal!
So, a week ago – on a Friday night – we had one of our regular (about 3-4 times a year) “cutting nights”. Nancy who is a church member and a member of our group collects fabric from a variety of sources. I recently culled and organized a section of my stash (yes, a section – it’s huge!) and donated quite a bit myself. We get together and divide into functions. Some people iron the fabrics, others cut, and some organize the cut pieces into kits. Each kit makes a 60 by 80 quilt top. The “pattern” is 6 – 10½” blocks by 8 – 10½” blocks. Each block can be a 10½” square, two 10½” rectangles or four 5 ½” blocks – all depended upon how big we can cut pieces from the fabric we have. Each quilt group member is expected to complete one top per year so that we can provide the church quilt group with enough tops for their projects.
We generally cut starting at 6 PM on the Friday night and run until 10ish. Some people stay 1 hour, some longer. I’ll confess that I usually only put in an hour. We always go to dinner on Friday nights and the socialization of that is important to me to. I try to make up for this by cutting at other times. For example, about six months ago I cut a bunch of fabric in my stash into about a 6 inch tall stack of pieces rather than just donating the fabric uncut.
Then, we return to the church in the morning and have a free time sewing day. I generally like to take advantage of the space there versus my house having insufficient floor space for a full sized quilt and layout projects there. I had also laid out the Circle Dance quilt on vacation and had labeled the rows. This is my initial plan:
I drew that out in Visio (Flow Chart program – I’m a computer geek too!), because I wanted a visual of which direction the pieces went. Unlike many quilts – the blocks are not symmetrical; layout direction mattered.
True to form, once I had it laid out on the floor, people started looking at it and rearranging pieces! I love that about my group! I got the top sewn together and then decided that it really needed some borders. I’m really trying hard to use stash, but I knew that I had nothing truly appropriate for borders for this quilt. All of the fabric in it is from the “Stonehenge” line. I picked out 24 fat quarters – with a nebulous color scheme in mind – and that’s the only fabric in there. I felt that I needed to stick with same or similar pattern style.
Since Twin City Quilting was so close by, we ran up there to pick up some border fabric. My daughter and a friend went with – Quilting is so social! I had seen some fabrics there a week or so before that I thought would work. I really thought that they were also the Stonehenge line, but, to my surprise, they were of a line called “Marble” or something like that! Must be the trend of the season….
So, not only did I complete the arranging of the quilt on my vacation, I also finished the top – completing this project from my list. Remember, sandwiching and quilting is not included on my short term to do list – that will come later. Here’s the picture of the finished top. I just love it. This one is staying with me!
And a closeup of the borders. Doesn't the fabric look like it's from the SAME line?
See here for a post about the piecing of these blocks. (find the section on the Circle Dance Quilt)
Mariner’s Compass Quilt
The task for this was to cut out / prep the remaining blocks. This task is ONLY for the circle parts of the blocks; the backgrounds to square up the blocks – as well as the few sashing pieces – will be another task. Also, I don’t want to plan and / or cut out the big pieces with holes in them for the compasses until I’m done with the compasses – too much room for concerns there.
This project grew after the class I took. To prep for that class, I grabbed some fabrics from a pile I had. I’ll term it the “want to do something with, but not sure what” and/or the “these fabrics go nicely together, what should I do with them” pile. However, there were not very big pieces of the fabrics – not enough to piece a lot of paper pieced blocks (lots of waster there) AND have large squares for the backgrounds. I managed to eke out the remaining few blocks from these pieces just barely!
While visiting TCQ for my Circle Dance borders, I also picked up a yard of a bright green that I think will be good for the backgrounds. Then, back at the church, my daughter was organizing her stash – most of which came out of MY stash – and gave me back a large piece (3+ yards of another green that will go perfectly with the blocks and the first green! I think I’m set now.
Scrap Tamers – Month 3 – Seven Sisters Block
As I’ve mentioned before, besides doing the mystery with my monthly group at Glad Creations Quilt shop – the Scrap Tamers group – I’m also doing other projects. Each month, a set of Marti Mitchell templates is demoed and a pattern given. I’m doing a project from each pattern – size to be determined with each – and using ONLY stash. This includes backing, batting, thread – everything. I cannot buy anything. I also MUST make something from each pattern.
Month 3 is a new technique to do the Seven Sisters block. Traditionally, the block was made using 6 diamonds cut out and with inset and Y seams. Marti’s technique use only straight seams. Here’s a picture from the internet showing this block.
My task for vacation was to plan the project and to cut all the pieces for each block (sashing and borders to follow). I decided to do a baby quilt in blues and yellows. I do not have many yellows in my stash, but I did have several odd sized/shaped pieces of yellow in my 1/8 – ¾ yard section that I knew would be sitting there for a long time yet. After looking at the cutting directions for the blocks, I figured that I could make the stars in the pattern scrappy and use up a lot of those pieces. The back ground would be a single fabric, balanced out the quilt. I settled on blue because a couple people in my quilt group have been doing blue and yellow lately and I thought I’d give that a try. Here’s the pattern for the quilt:
In addition to my vacation task, I have now completed all the blocks and am determining sashing. I am glad that I learned this technique; I am glad that I did this traditional (with new technique) block and I am glad to have used some smaller pieces of my stash. However, this block does not inspire me, the color combination doesn’t excite me, and, frankly, I dislike the quilt so far. I know that some people will love it – the fabrics are quality, the piecing is done well, and I’ll quilt it nicely. It also grew to more of a lap sized quilt than a baby quilt. It will go to a charity auction or something similar. Here’s a picture of some of the blocks.
Contest entry - Organize fabrics AND Cut fabrics
The last thing on my vacation to do list was the Contest entry. This quilt is going to be full sized (see here for the “test” that I did. The contest entry must be only black, white, black and white and green (focus color) fabrics. I didn’t quite finish here. I determined that I need two more fabrics than I had brought. Part 1 was to organize fabrics. Since I would be 1000 miles from my stash, I grabbed a great many of the black, white, black and white fabrics – more fabric overall then I would need. One section of the planned pattern requires a color progression. I just didn’t have enough yardage of colors that worked for the middle section of the progression.
I did cut everything else, bagged and labeled, and am ready to start. The contest deadline is in April, so this is my next up project to finish.
Conclusion
That’s it for the vacation update. Here’s my running list – staying honest!!
Mariner’s Compass quilt
· Assemble blocks
· Cut sashing pieces
· Assemble quilt
Curved Piece quilt
Block of the Month – TCQ
Scrap Tamers
o Assemble quilt
o Bind quilt
· Month four – just got, haven’t looked at
o Cut out blocks
o Assemble blocks
o Assemble quilt
o Bind quilt
Contest entry
· Cut fabrics
· Piece blocks
· Assemble blocks
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