Making Progress

Jagged X

Sewing the two pieces together is a bit tricky.  You need to lay the pieces together in the proper way and sew the diagonal line between the proper corners to get the proper shape...what a concept!

To help me remember, I've laid it all out using one of my Design Boards
(by Bee in My Bonnet. See my post from January 10, 2021.)

It does come together quickly, if not a bit monotonous.

Long Time Gone

I couldn't help it....Here's the deal; work on the D-I-L birthday quilt and then I can work on LTG.  It's like dessert!

Piecing LTG on Miss Ellie and binge watching an old night-time drama, Melrose Place.

 

About half finished with the piecing of Jagged X and here is the first block (2) for LTG.

Rabbit Trail:  It's no secret I like watching quilt videos on YouTube.  A while back I watched one of my favs,
Laura of Sew Very Easy, give a demonstration for using a tailor's clapper when pressing quilt blocks.  HERE.

I've been paying more attention to pressing of late and I decided using a tailor's clapper when pressing was worth a try. 
Do you know how EXPENSIVE they are?!  IF you can even find one at a local shop.  Of course, I checked Amazon....
all the options had some negative reviews.

I came across a craft project one of the g-sons made in Vacation Bible School a few years ago.  A piece of wood with colorful paper glued on top (it had a picture of him binder-clipped to it.)  I didn't want to throw it away, so I made my own tailor's clapper!

 

Saved money and every time I use it I'll think of my little buddy! 

 

 

Happy Sewing!!

Up for a Challenge

In May, 2018, Charlotte-the-Tall and I had a travel adventure: we drove my new-to-me car from Portland, Oregon to Orange County, Calif by way of Spokane, Washington (to visit the Quilting Auntie) visiting quilt shops all along the way. 

 

One of those shops was The Stitchin Post in Sisters, Oregon.
You may have heard of Sisters, Oregon because of the annual Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show.

 

While at the Stitchin Post, I purchased this fat quarter bundle.

Gleaned by Carolyn Friedlander (produced by Robert Kaufman).

Normally I do not purchase fat quarter bundles because usually there aren't enough fabrics in the bundle to complete an entire quilt project.

I made an exception with this bundle because the fabrics were so appealing and because it is a BIG bundle.  I thought I stood a good chance.

 

 

Now, nearly three years later I have the perfect quilt...

Long Time Gone (LTG) by Jen Kingwell. 
I've never tackled a project this challenging.

Example plucked from the internet.

My fabric choices are not as intense.

I am still auditioning....LTG requires many different fabrics.

Long Time Gone created by Charlotte-the-Tall

So, while I'm working on the June and July birthday quilts, I'll also be working on Long Time Gone.
Call me crazy, but I am so excited.  

I do believe I have my quilting mojo back!  And, this is one quilt I will keep for myself.

Fresh Inspiration !

Now that the baby sister's quilt is off to the LAQ, I'm looking down the list of birthday quilts.

The next birthday is the D-I-L in June and right behind her is the eldest g-daughter's 12th birthday in July.

I've decided on the patterns:

For the D-I-L, Jagged X.  A free pattern from Jordan Fabrics. HERE

This picture was plucked from FB.

 

 My color choice is blue and white; Robert Kaufman, Dappled Blue.

Now to decide on a pattern for the almost-a-teenager (who thinks she is 16, already!) 
It can't be too childish.

And the winner is......Cat Walk.  They have a cat, a black cat, who sits on their block wall and watches the world go by. 

This is also a free pattern, from Fat Quarter Shop.  HERE

My fabric choice is Elizabeth Hartman Library by Robert Kaufman.  Not too cutesy.

Then I have a bit of a break with the next birthday quilt needing to be ready mid-December for the littlest little "Q". 
She will be 2.  Here she is, wearing a dress her Auntie Ana wore when she was about the same age.

 

Happy Sewing!

Catch Up Post

 

Ever have a catch up day?  That day when you tidy up all the loose ends of the week.
Consider this your Catch Up Post.

COVID or no COVID my workload is ramping up and the past week has been crazy busy. 
I will even be TRAVELING in a couple of weeks!  (she says with a bit of fear and trembling...)

 

 

 

 

 

Because the days have been long I have not been in the studio much. 
I did, however, work on the Tea Time quilt for my sister's birthday in April. 
I expect to finish the block assembly today.  

How I keep track of block placement.

 

 

It's unfortunate that, now that it is nearly all assembled, I notice a built-in focus point....
hummmmm.  Oh well....there are no quilt police***, right?

I still want to add at least one border but  because this quilt was created from a jelly roll there is no left-over fabric. A trip to the fabric store appears to be necessary.  I've been avoiding the fabric store....

As quilters we never stop learning....A while back I watched a video from
Just Get It Done Quilts about pressing blocks.  With these blocks I employed both the finger pressing technique Donna Jordan suggests in her video and  Karen's pressing technique from her video. 
I do believe these blocks are straighter and more true-to-size.

  Rounding out the week

 

 The son liked his birthday quilt...

Storm at Sea

 

 

 

 

My dear friend of more than 40 years, Jennifer, gave her log cabin a place of honor.  (and right this moment, in the entire Portland area, there is ice and snow...wonder if she fetched the quilt off the wall???)

 

Isn't this why we quilt?  

Quilts warm the body and the soul.

Happy Valentines Day to all

***Sam Gordon (who I do not know) has been posting these cute, quilt police blocks on the Collage Quilter FB page. 
Very creative.

UPDATE

An update on Sam Gordon and the Quilt Police blocks. He has his own FB page, Personal Patchworks.  HERE I believe I read somewhere on his page that he is putting together a pamphlet or pattern or something for the Quilt Police.
Wouldn't that be fun?!

 

Super Sunday

 Another Super Bowl...I am not as ambivalent to Bowl games as I once was, now that I have ball-playing g-sons.

 

Still, sitting around for FIVE hours to watch a ONE hour game is not high on my list of favorite Sunday activities.

Instead I will be putting the binding on the now-completed Storm at Sea birthday quilt for my son. 
And, not a day too soon as his birthday is tomorrow.

My son served 6 years in the U.S. Coast Guard.  He loved his time at sea.  He says he only got sea sick once.... 
I get sea sick just watching the waves HERE.

The end result is much nicer that I thought it would be.  Can you see the waves?  

 You might remember that I did not pick the fabrics for this quilt. 
The Quilting Auntie gifted me a fat quarter bundle, Summer Breezes.

The end result is a bit scrappy, but I like it.
This quilt was born a year ago.  See Post HERE from January 22, 2020.

 

 

 

 

Faith, my LAQ did such a nice job.  The quilting looks like waves. 

A side note:  This quilt was paper pieced...that means many hours of ripping out paper and days and days of cleaning up the teeny shreds that flew all over the room.  Faith mentioned she had a pattern that uses special rulers and it is faster and easier.  Now that I've completed this Storm at Sea I may give her method a try creating another.   We'll start with one block!

The gifting is tomorrow, complete with cake and ice cream.

 

And This Day in History

Four years ago--Super Bowl Sunday with my quilting Auntie.

While the Unkie watched the game, Auntie, Gail and I hit the quilt Shops of Spokane.

Auntie in her Studio....How I miss her!

This is my memory every Super Bowl Sunday.