The Last Quilt

I know you all know this isn't the last quilt I will make. It is the last family quilt that I have left to do. My nephew has patiently waited, has never asked when his quilt will be done, and to be honest, he's a guy and has probably no memory or idea that I would be making him his own quilt. But it's almost done.

The only decision I let any of them make was color. Seriously, letting a non quilter pick out a pattern for their own quilt would be painful on it's own, but imagine if they picked a Cathedral Windows, or Double Wedding Ring, or, or, or.... You get my point. I love this pattern, Blooming Pineapples from Bonnie Hunter. I've made it a lot. It's the pattern on my bed, I've done table runners, it's been gifted to my friend, to my other nephew,  it's just a perfect block to use up fabrics in one color and it's a block you can pick up and work on without twisting your brain on how it goes together. And you get bonus 1/2 sq. triangles. This is what I now have,   240 + blocks  all trimmed up to 2 1/2".

And I have this; a stack of 64 finished blocks, all ready for the design wall. The great thing about this pattern is the lay out options.

I could do this, all the cream marching in one direction.

Or this, I love the 4 cream triangles coming together for a scrappy square.

Or I could set the blocks on pint and find a print for setting triangles, or used cream scrappy triangles.

Or a zig zag setting.  This one might look better with more blocks up on the wall. Squint :)

But for now, this is all in a box, waiting to go on retreat with me.  My goal is not to finish any one top, but to use the huge design wall for the layouts, pin my rows in stacks and mark them all for assembly back in my studio. 

And I even have a starter kit for the next green/cream mock pineapple quilt. 

Do you have a "go to" pattern when you are making quilts that will possibly end up on a camping trip?

Keep stitching,
Sharon

The Process of Cleaning

If only I put things back every time I finished with them, I wouldn't end up with the messes in my sewing room and the rest of my home.  Oh well, at 50+ years on this planet, I don't think it's going to change much in the years to come.

I'm trying to find my cutting table, it's buried.  But when I try to sort/tidy/put away, I just keep coming across things that need to be finished.  So here's my clean up story. I pulled out a bag of green scraps and started pressing and sorting and purging.

No point in putting them back in a box or a bag, so I started cutting and organizing for another mock Pineapple block quilt from Bonnie Hunter.  This is the perfect quilt for me, I love the finished look, all the choices of layout and the ability to use up lots of odd duck fabrics.

The center of this block is 3 1/2" square and is perfect to use as a "leader/ender" and I like to make this quilt in stacks of 10 blocks.

I've got two blocks finished, only 98 more to go!

OK so I didn't get very far in finding my table............stay tuned.

Sharon

Red & White LOVE

Finally, this is finished. Well, it needs a label but my friend is making one for me, I just have to get her the information.

This quilt is for my bed and here are the particulars.
Bonnie Hunter pattern,  Pineapple Blossoms  Bonnie is the ultimate scrap quilter, but I tend to be more controlled with my fabric choices. 
Blocks constructed using her method of making the corners results in "bonus blocks"  You get 5 from each block so this quilt generates 550 1/2 sq triangles.

This quilt finished at 90 x 100  For batting I used a layer of Warm & Natural AND a layer of Hobbs Wool. 

**UPDATE** I used two batts, W & N on the bottom for the density and weight, it's a flat batt, and wool on top for the warmth and loft.  I like heavy blankets on me in the wintertime. **

Thread used was King Tut hombre reds on top and Signature Cotton in Holiday Red for the back. 
A scrappy binding finished it off.

I'm calling this my LOVE quilt.  I love red and whites, I used a triple heart motif on the quilting,

it's the first quilt I've made specifically for my own bed, and I absolutely fell in love with all the Red & White two color quilts while in NYC this spring.
What's your favorite color combination?

Sharon

To the Wall

Remember these? 110 blocks of red and cream?

Half of them have hit the design wall. Then work got busy this week and I haven't been back to the storage room. I need to find my painters tape to mark the rows.

I always use a black and white shot to help me spread out the values. Some of these blocks are darker and this is the best way to see what needs moved. Sometimes it's as simple as rotating a block.

Hope you get to stitch this weekend.
Sharon

Red and White Revisited

Life has been busy lately.  As much as I've tried to keep up reading my favorite blogs and commenting here and there, I haven't been able to keep up with my own blog, or my housework or yardwork.  But that can wait while I get in some quilting time this weekend.
I've been working on my Red and Cream Pineapple Blossom pattern as there isn't much brain power needed for these blocks. 

I've had the strips and squares pre cut so I wasn't even needing to measure anything.

And now I have 80 blocks finished and the remaining 30 have all been started.

I also got my mini Red & White finished but I didn't get it sent off to Temecula for their R & W show. Did you all see pics of it? Check it out here.

Tonight I am machine quilting for a customer, I'm excited to work on this as it's a special quilt for her DH.

Past Projects Updated

I've shown this as a top before and now it's a quilt.  I managed to slip this on my longarm in between a couple of customer quilts.  I did a huge Civil War Sampler BOM for my friend and I loved the thread color and quilting design, so I put my CW swap top on right after hers and copied the process. 

I made a scrappy binding, and bundled this up for my camping trip to Mt. Baker.  I hoped to get 2 sides of the binding done and by Sat afternoon, I was finished!  Sitting around the campfire in the early hours, my quilt wrapped around my lap to take off the morning chill, stitching down the binding, What a great way to start a day!  Now I need to label it and attach a sleeve.  I'm going to put this in the NW WA fair as a group project.

This one is still a WIP.  My 9 patch swap that I'm using for the center of my Sisters Choice block.  The star points are perfect for leaders and enders, I got a bunch done when I made a Lib Log piece a few weeks ago.

I've also prepped a few blocks for Beyond the Cherry Tree BOM.  I'm working on the Grape Vine block and I love how its turning out.  It helps that I did the prep work months ago.  I can't imagine having to sit and do 120+ circles to start this block.   Making the circles is TV work.

I have another project in my mind and I'm going to rent time on the AccuCutter at Fabrics Etc in Bellingham.  This will speed up that one step and I already envision myself sitting on the sofa in the winter, basting and gathering circles and building up a good supply for a future project.  I've already got a bag full for the border of my BTCT, even though I'm only on block 11 out of 25.
I've also started this little hand project. This is my first go at a Hawaiian applique.

I've been able to make progress on these two pieces because they are so portable. Even if I only got one or two grapes sewn on, I felt it was worth taking this zip lock bag in my purse. I got almost one whole grape section stitched while waiting at a dr's appt last week.

Lastly, I've revisited this project.   It's also a Bonnie Hunter pattern.

I'm making headway on this by keeping it out on the side of my sewing table. I've got all my strips organized in a cutlery tray which makes it easy to pick up a few strips and sew. I work on this project 10 blocks at a time, and I've got 20 finished and 60 in some state of completion. I decided I need 110 blocks for this to fit my bed, I like this pattern without borders.

What tricks do you have to keep on task with projects?

Sharon

Mixed Bag of Projects

A while ago BumbleBeans (I think it was V) blogged about novelty fabrics and showed her cute ones.  These are my two favorites that live in my sewing room.

I really must make something from these and get some enjoyment from them!

Last week I took a picture of my design wall, I had a lot of things going on.  I have got my 30's reproduction BOM blocks sewn together, the ones I cut and organized while away in April.  I've got two other blocks that needed applique also finished. I'm eating this elephant one bite at a time.

I gave these a try.  They are very labor intensive and the only way I would work on a Pineapple piece would be to pre cut all the strips and organize them like a log cabin project.  I do love how they look though.

I'm still plugging away on my Sisters Choice, I've re-engaged on my Beyond the Cherry Tree applique BOM, prepping 4 more blocks this week.  I'm about 1/2 way through the hand quilting on my little folk flowers from Gwen's workshop. Lots going on and most is on the back burner as I have customer quilts that are my priority for the next few weeks.  I got my lawn mowed as soon as I got home tonight so at least I won't look out the window feeling that I need to be doing yard work instead of quilting.
Sew a bit this weekend, it'll make you feel good!
Sharon

Stop now if you don't want to see another red and white quilt athough this post is more about design rather than color.  Walking through the Red & White show was overwhelming and I didn't focus on specifics.  Now that I've had some time to go through my photos, I was intrigued by the Pineapple quilts.  One piece was hanging at City Quilter, made by Anita Grossman Soloman and the others were at the show.

One pattern

Same two colors

Three different quilts.

This makes me want to make a two color pineapple quilt. And yes, I'd like it to be red and white. My ten yards of Rich Red Kona has arrived, now I'm waiting for a bold of Antique Kona. I bought a yard of each to see how they would play together. I think they get along very well.

This piece is 15 x 15. I'm going to hand quilt it, with all the hockey on for the next month, I'm confident I'll get it done by June. That's my goal for this piece.
Sharon

Weekend Wrap Up

Do you have so many things you want to do you that you go round in circles trying to get to all of them? That was me this weekend. I did accomplish a lot though, the biggest one was going to Fabric Etc for their big sale and left with NO fabric for my studio. Now that's not to say I didn't purchase fabric, when you call your friends and they ask you to shop for them, well, that satisfied the need to leave with fabrics in hand. I did leave with a pattern and a few other goodies. If you visit my area, don't miss Carol's shop. They always make you feel welcome and special when you walk through the door.
This has been a top for quite some time, and now it's a quilt. Once I trim it, I'll use the backing extras for the binding.

Another Bonnie Hunter pattern has been completed. There will be more of this pattern in my quilting future.
As much as I'm trying to resist starting any new projects, I did spend some time working on this.

It doesn't fall into the new project catagory because the blocks were all left over from Surrounded, a quilt pattern from Four Paws Quilting. Every so often I'd come across these and wonder what to do with them. After digging in my scrap bag of greens, I found a few of the original fabrics, made a few more blocks to finish it and I made Limonade out of them. I need to turn and hand stitch the binding, label it and then gift it.
In the process of digging in scrap bags, this came upstairs with me yesterday.

It's a bag of 1" strips. I sat and joined them all together and started working on a rag rug. Turning a pile of strips into this........

...well, it just feels good!
Sharon

Quilting out of Boxes

For those who think I've abandoned my blog, I'm still here! As much as I'd like to post every day, not enough is happening that is blog worthy on a daily basis. I'm at a stage of several projects where there is still a lot of work to be done before there will be finishes, so I thought I'd share a few things that are in progress.
Beyond the Cherry Tree is a 25 BOM. Here is the box that I am working from.

I started after 12 months had been posted. I've been able to do 2 per month and here are the first six blocks.

 I think January is going to get the best of me as block #7 still needs about 40  5/8" circles sewn on. I keep poking away at it.  I thought this was a lot of circles, then I saw the pattern posted this month.....100+ grapes. Yikes!

The second box I'm working from is the 9 Patch swap I did through a Yahoo group.  I have 72 block centers that are all civil war repro's and I'm working on the sashing. I'm using shirtings and black or navy for the star points.

I needed to cut something like 550+ 2 1/2 " dark squares for the corners.  I'll end up with this many bonus 1/2 sq triangles that will finish out at 1 1/4".  They are getting trimmed and tossed into another box.
I've got seven blocks done.  I'm loving this pattern, it's a Bonnie Hunter pattern, Sisters Choice

This last box is the fourth piece I've made from this pattern.  I have also quilted a few tops for customers from this pattern.

Yup, it's also a Bonnie Hunter pattern, Pineapple Blossoms

I want to make this for my bed so I need 100 blocks for a 90 x 90.  So far I have 10 finished, but I work this pattern in rounds.  Currently I have 5 stacks of 10 blocks all in various stages.  For some reason I feel like I make more progress doing it this way.  This box sits on my sewing table, so whenever I sit at the machine, something is done on this project. I use this for my "leaders and enders" when I'm working on anything else. Every strip brings me closer to a finished block. Working on this gets me excited about my trip to NYC! I have also just loaded a blue and cream version of this onto my longarm and will post some pictures when it's finished.
So even though my blog has been a bit quite lately, not to worry, I'm stitching away in my corner of the world. 
Sharon

A Little of This and That

I've been feeling like I haven't accomplished much in my sewing room the last while. What with the hot days, the yard work and watering, work and just being plain tired, well, I haven't set the world on fire with my finishes. I'm still stitching away at my hand quilted feathers, but I managed to slip in an actual finish. Pieced, quilted and bound. It's a table runner that's only 12 x 36 but it's finished.  I managed to piece this with 2 charm packs and a strip of fabric that was in my bin.  I had to cut one 2 1/4 strip off a bolt of fabric to finish the binding.  What a great feeling to be using up things.  This will go off to an auction for a United Way fund raiser my sister has at her job.

This next little piece is finished with the piecing and applique.  Now it needs quilted.  Once again, I'm thinking "hand quilting" and then I look at my pile that is growing and think "maybe not".  When the mood strikes to pull this one out of the pile to start quilting, that's when I'll make the decision.

I've just finished quilting this top for my friend Norma T.  She took a class that I taught last year at the Stevenson Quilt Show.  This is Bonnie Hunter's  Pineapple Blossom.  I love this pattern, I've made one in browns, one in blues and I'm working on a red & cream one right now.

Here is a close up to show off the variety of fabrics Norma has used.  I love it. 

There won't be much quilting going on for the next couple of weeks, as I'm trying to get my place ready for an open house.  Yikes, that means picking up all my projects and spools of thread and pin cushions and, and, and.  Well, quilters know what I'm talking about!
Sharon