In for a Penny In for a pound.

idiom. British. used to say that a person should finish what he or she has started to do even though it may be difficult or expensive

That’s how I feel about my Split Nines project. It started as a way to get my bin/box of 2 ½ inch squares reduced. This bin also contained a bunch of HSTs too. I needed 1008 squares and 504 HSTs to make a top that will be 72″ by 84″. I started by cutting a few more white and off white HSTs with the Accuquilt cutter die. It cuts 16 triangles from a 8″ x 9″ piece of fabric. I think I must have gotten carried away, as I soon found I had more than enough cut. I also found a bunch that were already cut in the bin. I spent two sewing sessions making about 700 of them. Yeah, a few too many, but I was thinking I could use them as an outer border. Last night I started putting some of the nine patch blocks together, they go pretty quickly, once you have all the HSTs done. Definitely not expensive, as no new fabric has been or will be purchased for this project. The only difficulty is avoiding boredom, but it is an interesting way to wander through ones fabric collection. I remember most of the projects each square/fabric came from, it is like a trip down memory lane, is that strange?

I am sticking with the layout that Bonnie Hunter used in the free pattern/guide she has. It is based on a quilt she calls Perkiomen Valley Split 9 patch. I found this explanation:

The Perkiomen Valley quilt design is named for the Perkiomen Creek that flows diagonally through Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. This is an early documented pattern from the Germans who settled in this area. 

The design is made of nine-patch blocks split by a diagonal, thus creating a dark and light color scheme. It’s the way these blocks are put together that makes the Perkiomen Valley quilt design, which is said to represent the hills and valleys. Typically a scrap quilt, the layout always results in a square, 10 blocks across and 10 blocks down.

Atypically, my top will be a bit larger 12 blocks by 14, although, I could make it 16 x 16. I would need about 20 more HSTs. It’s a possibility, plus just think of all the squares I would use up. There would be 768 hsts, and 1536 squares, I might even begin to see the bottom of this bin.

The Hobbit house is about 40% stitched. On the FB group I follow for this year-long stitch-a -long, one person is done with it. She started the same day I did, 4/11, she is a pretty quick stitcher. Each house is in an area 120 stitches by 120, I’d say the area is about 75% filled, so roughly 10,000 little X stitches. (Yay math!) She finished in 15 days, thats approximately 650 stitches a day. I think I average about 300 a day, and I usually stitch for about 2 hours. The previous 4 houses took me about three weeks to stitch.

With this house, I have started to use bees wax on my threads. I have a small tin of it, and by pressing my thumb over the thread, I pull the thread through to get a light coating. I found that the threads were fraying and breaking as I used them and were looking fuzzy. I usually use a ten inch length piece to avoid this, but it was still happening. My theory is that the Aida cloth is rougher than the linen and other even weave cloths I have used and the thread wears out faster.

I did finally finish the Strawberry Picnic quilt this week, needs binding though. I put the Noel quilt on next, and I’m about ½ way through it. Once the Split Nine patch quilt is done, it’ll free up my sewing table and I can get the bindings done on those two three, (don’t forget Morning Glory). I also go the Spot-on quilt top together, it will join the TBQ pile too. Next up is the Moondance Revival, as the backing for it was delivered.

Lastly I finished block 6 of the Simple Days quilt top. I have three more to do, 8,9 and 3, I don’t know why I missed 3, but I still have to construct the block, then embroider it. Eight and Nine are made, just need embellishments.

Time to get a move on, the day is passing quickly.

Be Kind.

Todays “chore” is to get 6 quilts styled and photographed to post on Etsy. Yesterday I gathered them all up and steamed them to get fold lines out. Now I am just waiting for the sun to come out so I can get some good natural lighting, probably around 11am. I really should do these photo shoots more often, but during the winter good lighting is hard to come by. I try to get eight to ten shots of each, I have a list made by Quilty Love that I use as a guide. Still its easier to get them all out, set up the photo site and do them one at a time.

This week I finished up the five quilt tops from last weeks scrap using sessions. I started a new kit that I got a few months ago. It is from Connecting Threads, called Spot On. I got it all cut out and have started making the blocks. It is simple piecing and lots of assembly line sewing, make forty-two of everything. I like the fabric line, general store, it’s probably not readily available as it was a line from last year. It is sort of a 1930’s repro, but in more primary colors.

My next project is going to be a Bonnie Hunter pattern called Split Nine Patch, it’s a free pattern from Quiltville. I have a very big pile of 2 ½ inch squares and a smaller pile of HST’s. This quilt uses about 1000 squares and 500 HSTs, it might make a dent. I still have a quilt top that I made a few years ago, from Wedding Dress Blue, ‘Growing up Odd‘ and it used up a bunch. I have made lots more scraps since then, and the top is still in the TBQ pile. I bought fabric this week, two backings for quilt tops, Indigo Way and Moondance. Plus Fat Quarter shop had a sale on Jelly rolls, so I picked up one of those. It is from the Queen of ‘Ween collection, that I have a bunch of already. Hoping to get a quilt idea for this halloween themed fabric.

The Hobbit House is taking shape, the door at least. What I thought were sheep are actually pigs, very clean pigs. I can’t remember if Hobbits raised pigs or sheep, I kinda thought they were vegetarians. I didn’t work on it yesterday, instead I pulled out a Simple Days block and got most of the embroidery done on it. I hope to finish up the appliqué parts and the rest of the stitching tonight. Maybe while the Q24 stitches another row of strawberries on the Picnic quilt.

Be Kind.

Five quilts made for (almost) the price of one. I can’t remember when I bought the fabric to make this quilt, I got it from Craftsy/Bluprint, so thats an age (2018) or so ago. I was going to make the quilt pattern called Field Trip, the kit contained two rolls of 9 inch wide-WoF, 19 different prints from the line called Strawberry Fizz. I just did the math, it’s about nine yards of fabric. The original pattern is no longer available, but Busy Hands quilts has a similar one called Scrappy Goodness. This past week I was determined to use up all of this fabric. First there is “Picnic Plaid” (a Busy Hands pattern). Then the “Morning Flower patch” (from JTCPQ), the “Tessa quilt” (from Kitchen Table Quilting), Super Star (from the booklet Simple Treasures by Ankas Traeasures), and lastly “Lovers Lane” (from JTCPQ).

A few of these quilt tops were modified, as I made the pieces a little smaller. I wanted to use the Accuquilt dies I have on hand to cut the HSTs and the strips. The remaining scraps will be cut into 2 ½” squares. No more Strawberry Fizz for me, thank you. Now it’s on to something else from the stash. Maybe Halloween themed?

In other finishing news, the Cottage from the Fabulous House series is complete. I stayed up late one night and stitched the last of the flowers. Although looking at it here I realize I forgot three little leaves in the left hand border. I’ll get them done before I start the Hobbit house. I can’t start that one yet, as I am waiting on the pattern to arrive. It was supposed to be here yesterday, but alas, USPS didn’t deliver for me. These houses are small, about 6 inches square. The Cottage was a bit boring, too many bricks to stitch, I like the way it turned out though.

Today I am going to try to get the quilting done on the Morning Glory quilt, and finish off the Lovers lane top. The weather has been very conducive to being outdoors this past week, rain is coming Saturday. Good stay in and sew time.

Be Kind.

AWAY. I’m cold and it’s wet out, yesterday it hailed for a bit. My bones are cold, and I feel like I need to hibernate. In between rainstorms yesterday, I hung a bunch of cloth napkins out on my solar rotary dryer. I soaked up the sun for a few minutes, looked at all the lush weed growth in my yard and scuttled back inside. In the sewing room I have a portable heater going. I turned off the house’s main heater a few weeks ago after receiving the monthly electricity bill. In the words of every parent throughout the winter months I “put on a sweater” and it wasn’t that chilly. Also keeping busy helps keep one warm.

On the design wall, I took down the scales quilt pieces. I want to rework it with some solids in it to increase the size. Doing so would have required me to pull the pieces down to rearrange them anyway, plus the dog was doing his best to scramble them too. In a box they went, they’ll be back, maybe in the summer. I was left with another box of scraps of another fabric line, Strawberry fizz. I had bought these from Craftsy when they were liquidating their fabrics, two rolls of 1/4 yard cuts. I wanted to make a Tessa Quilt from Kitchen Table Quilting after the Picnic one (Busy Hands Quilts) one I made last year. It took me about an hour to find the digital pattern, as I couldn’t remember the name of it. I didn’t have enough scraps to make a throw size quilt , so I made the baby size. There is some waste when one squares these quilts up, and lots of extra white bordered pieces due to strip piecing and cutting. The top is put together on the diagonal and then trimmed. I still had plenty of fabric left to make another top. I got out the “Just Two Charm Pack Quilts” book (PDF) from Meadow Mist Designs and chose the “Morning flower patch” quilt. Just 400 – 2 ½” blocks and I could use the extra 1 ½” white strip I had from the Tessa quilt scraps. I also remembered to use the Accuquilt Go to cut all those squares. Six passes through with the strip cutting die, and they were done. I spent the day yesterday sewing the nine patches and the cross sections. I may get the 58″ x 70″ top together later today. This is the same book that I used to participate in the quilt a long last month. You can see all the quilts in the quilt parade Cheryl posted a few weeks ago. Lots of inspiration for scrappy quilts.

This past week I also got the binding on the ‘Ribbon Runs Through it’ quilt and it is now on my bed. Plus I got the Morning Glories quilt on the frame and stitched out a row of leafy vines on it.

The Cottage, of the Fabulous Houses series is almost done, I finished the bricks yesterday, and I am hoping to finish the rooftop today. The next one, Hobbit house hasn’t been shipped yet, but I have all the flosses picked and ready to go. A few people on the FB site for this stitch-a-long were saying how they thought this next house was a little dull. Ideas about adding some flowers and changing roof lines are popping up. I kinda like the design as is, although, I think the sheep need dark faces, ears and legs, maybe a little grass under their feet. I was actually thinking I could pull the Consider the Lillies piece out and stitch a little on it while I wait for the FH pattern delivery.

Be Kind.

It’s the last Friday in March, and I couldn’t come up with a good title. My big accomplishment this week is the completion of the Morning Glory top. After getting all the green and white block pieces done and de-papered, I put all the blocks together. Wouldn’t you know I was four green and white pieces short? This is better than making too many I guess. Each 12 inch block has 53 pieces, which adds up to 2597 pieces for the top. This is a typical Bonnie Hunter quilt pattern, and I like that it uses up lots of scraps. I put the top together yesterday, and made an executive decision. I decided to move the Asilomar retreat top back to the TBQ pile and use the backing that I had mounted on the frame for the Morning Glory top. I still have to press the MG top, but its closer to being done.

Steadily stitching bricks and flowers on the Fabulous Houses “Cottage” installment (left side). The next house pattern was released a few days ago, I had gotten the floss requirements, now I have a picture (on right). It’s a Hobbit house, I can’t decide if there are sheep or pigs in the front, possibly fluffy sheep, are there special hobbit sheep?

The bindings were attached to two of the finished quilts, I made the binding for the RRTI quilt, but it will have to wait until next week for its finish. I got the clamshell quilt top on to the design wall, I think it maybe too small for a quilt throw. I sewed two rows together and they are about 32 inched long. I am trying to decide whether to add some more shells in, possibly solid complimentary colors.

My holiday weekend started out being a quiet one, and has evolved into a party, with 7 guests showing up on Sunday. Today is cleaning day, yuck.

Be Kind.