I’ve been working on my donation quilts this past month, along with a bunch of other things.  I found these patterns from Doug Leko at Antler Quilt Design, you get three in this one called Triple Twenty . There are directions for the three variations as well as multiple sizes.  I made two of the throw size, and one I tweaked a bit to use up the scraps, turned into a good crib size quilt.  What I like about these patterns are that they are scrap friendly, and fat quarter friendly, plus they work up quickly with their large rectangular blocks.

For the crib sized top, I used 2 1/2″ wide strips and pinwheels instead of geese or snowballs like the two larger ones.  The pattern calls for 20 FQs, I had a pack of the yellow, orange and pink, and eight FQs of Asian themed ones.  The added scraps and solids played nicely together.  Here’s a photo of the block of the Asian block before putting them together.

A few months ago, Sarah (the coordinator of Hands2Help) posted a tutorial for this quilt called “Place Your Bet”.  It is a good way to use up those pretty charm packs and a bit of background.

Now on to the quilt frame with these four, and off to their donation sites.

I have been working on my Christmas Figs BOM.  This month was the last set of blocks, the school house and the little spools block.  Next month is setting blocks and sashing, then borders for the finish.  I think this will be done for Christmas 2019 🙂

I also made month two of Mrs. Millers Apprentice, such a difference from making the 16″ fig blocks to 6 inch ones.  I finished my Shell Cottage socks, the first installment of the Curious Handmade sock KAL.  These are prettier than the photo shows the color has more shades of blue-gray and white in them.  The next pattern comes out Thursday, the 11th.  I have a few different skins of yarn to choose from, so depending on the pattern, I’m ready to cast on.

 

Lastly, I got my Forest Floor quilt bound this morning.  As soon as it warms up a bit, it’s going on my bed.  I was thinking about the many hours I spent quilting this giant of 11,236 square inches.  If I was to charge myself for the quilting it would be .07 x 11236 = $786.52.  Wow, maybe I should insure it lol.  Nancy over at Wasatch Quilting really out did herself with this set of designs.  Forest Floor digitized quilting patterns The sewing pattern is by Wing and a Prayer and is currently starting as a BOM over at Homespun Hearth

 Thanks for stopping by today.

Be sure to check out what everyone over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict is doing for “Can I get a Whoop Whoop?” Friday.

Last Sunday night I was making dinner, happily slicing up some collard greens (yeah collards) with my newly sharpened knife.  It happened quickly and mostly painlessly, but now my left thumb has a nice bandage on it. Luckily, I had gotten most of the sewing room put back together Friday and Saturday. Here’s my new view of the rainy weather and the poor soggy daffodils.

Due to my accident, not much sewing went on this week, and no knitting.  I got my Mrs. Millers blocks for March done today.  I used the technique in the booklet to make the Cats Cradle blocks with the easy angle.  It’s an OK technique, it seems like there is a bit less bias to deal with but next time I’ll use scant 1/4″ seams.  Most of my points are showing 😉 These blocks are 6 ½” much smaller and more fiddly than the Christmas fig ones, those are 12 ½ .  That BOM comes next week, I think I’m on the tenth month with that quilt, be done by next Christmas.

I’m kinda bummed I can’t knit, I just started the Sea Shell socks, got the ribbing done and I was about to start the ‘fun’ part, the patterning of the leg.  I’m hoping that the bandaid with be off soon.  I’m doing these two at a time, I separate them to turn the heels and then finish them together.  The color reminds me of the beach sand where I grew up.

My goals for this week are to get the Plus quilt on the frame and figure out how I’m going to quilt it.  I also have another baby quilt (mothers/cousins/sons/baby) to do, but hoping I can use one of the tops I already have made.  I got some Minky on sale at Amazon/fabric.com last week, so that’ll be a quick turn around.

Now if it would only stop raining.

My new window is in, but the room still has to be painted.  This means that all my stuff is still stacked in my DS’s room.  Sadly, he isn’t coming home for his spring break, but that also means that I don’t have to hurry and clear all the stuff out of his room.

Having no sewing space has been helpful in some ways.  I finally finished the Forest Floor quilt.  I believe that it took me longer to quilt it than it did to make the top.  I think I started the top last April, maybe March, quilting started in January ’19.  Anyway, it is almost a finished quilt, I still have to bind it, once my room is put back together.

 

I am starting a new pair of socks today, they are a new pattern, the first of Curious Handmade’s Season 2.  They are called Shell Cottage Socks, the yarn I have is a gray, with the name Pearlescent Tonal, its a super wash Merino from Knit Picks.  I attended Stitches West last weekend, and tried to show some restraint as to stash enhancement.  I got yarn for three pairs of socks, a sweater, a shawl and a light linen shell.  There is just so much yarn to see and feel and imagine working with at this show.  I should go to my LYS more often, but since this show is at the beginning of the year, I usually end up buying enough yarn to last me a year or more.

Speaking of local shops, my local Quilt and Sewing Machine shop has been hinting about closing.  I’m saddened by this, as they have been in business for a really long time, the business was started by the family matriarch, and in the early nineties the next generation took it over. I have bought all my machines from them, and many yards of fabric.  I was there two weeks ago for their past-presidents day sale, stocks were low, no new lines of fabric seemed to be out on the floor.  They seemed to have stopped giving classes too.  I bought a laser pointer for my longarm, and a few yards of fabric.  The owner seemed a bit melancholy, but happy to get the sale.  I realize it’s getting harder and harder to own a small retail business these days.  I myself am guilty of internet shopping for most of my supplies, but it’s so much easier and in a way faster.  I have to make that extra effort to drive the 30 minutes to visit the store.  I hope others will too.

Linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I get a Whoop Whoop? today, as I am happy to have Forest floor (almost) done 😉

Yesterday I started moving some of my stash and shelving out of my sewing room in preparation for the new window installation.  I got a bit side tracked and sorted out a few drawers of miscellaneous fabric.  Cut offs from backings, extra blocks, strips of other fabrics and archival fabrics.  The last bunch was stuffed in the back of a drawer.  I remember buying this fabric, I liked the colors and I thought it was a nice scene, buying it because I liked it, and it was not for any project in particular.  I think this was the beginning of buying fabric just for the fun of it, to collect it, stash enhancement.  At the time, I had three small children, and not a lot of free time or money to splurge on fabric.  I think there may have been a certain amount of guilt attached to this piece of fabric.  Twenty years later, I still don’t have a clue what to do with it.  It’s large enough to make a backing, with some creative piecing, but that seems like the easy way out.  I could make individual blocks out of the different scenes and surround it with similarly colored pieced blocks.  I could cut it up really small and use it for a neutral.  I could leave it up on the design wall, but the window replacement…

This past weekend I worked on finishing the Forest Floor quilt.  I got the ‘top to bottom’ quilting done, and turned the quilt on the frame to complete the ‘left to right’ borders.  Here are some pictures, this is all computer guided, a set of designs from Wasatch Quilting .  I just got a laser pointer and installed it on my longarm, it points to where the needle will pierce the fabric.  It made placing the designs so much easier.

Also, earlier this week I bound these two quilts.  The Cat walk quilt and coincidentally an older UFO that was a mystery quilt in which I used a Julie Paschkis line called Catkin.

I haven’t heard form the contractor yet, so I think I have another day to empty the room. My DH is home today, for past presidents day, might be able to get some help there.

Linking up with Judy for Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

This week I worked on this quilt top, “Place Your Bet” from a tutorial by Sarah at Confessions of a Quilt Addict.  She’s hosting a quilt-a-long called Rockin’ Rectangles for her upcoming Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge.  It’s a quick to cut and easy to sew quilt, great for stash busting too.  I used two 5″ stackers, a yard of blue solid for the sashing and about 1 and 5/8s yard of white background.

I think it will be a good donation quilt for a young boy, space, planets, stars, and astronauts, but then again, I know a few young girls who are aspiring space explorers.  I’m sure the recipient will appreciate it 😉   This quilt is the first of the series, I really like the latest one, called Hip to be Square.  I need to find some more coordinating stash to make one.

I’ve been quilting on the Forest Floor quilt, I’m about 65% done.  All the ‘fun’ blocks are done, now just the multiple borders and corner stones.  Sorry no pictures yet.  The weather has been rain for the whole week.  The light just isn’t good enough for a decent picture of the quilt.

The rain also postponed the installation of the new window in my sewing room.  I need to empty out most of my stuff/stash before that project can happen.  A project in itself, but I guess I’ll do it this weekend.  I just need to put it all in the room across the hallway, which is my youngest sons room.  He’s at school, so he won’t mind.  It is very tempting to stage a take over though.  His room is larger, with a skylight and a bigger closet.  I’ll try to show restraint.

Linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for  Can I get a Whoop Whoop?