WIP Wednesday: 3/30/22

 I got a new Lands End catalog the other day, the "home goods" version. They now have quilts for sale:

I love Lands End. A majority of my clothes come from Lands End. Yet, I'm not sure how I feel about this. The king-sized versions cost less than $400! If you have made a king-sized quilt, you know that using high quality fabric is not cheap. Factor in batting and backing, and if you have it quilted by someone else, you are probably shelling out $800 to $1000. And that doesn't include the time it takes to actually make the quilt. 

This is how they describe the quilts:

The secret is in the stitches. 

At Lands' End, we like to think quilts are more than just comfy. In many ways, they’re symbolic. They take individual pieces of fabric and bring them together – making them stronger, cozier and altogether homier. Not unlike a family. And, indeed, they often become family heirlooms, passed down to the next generation. We stitch every Lands’ End quilt with warmth and care. So you can settle in, snuggle up and get comfy. For seasons to come. 

Thoughts?

I made more blocks for the quilt I have named Jettstream. I'm pretty happy with the moody Amish vibe of the blocks.

Today I finished the latest block in the Riley Blake block challenge. This is Wind Blown designed by Amy Smart of @diaryofaquilter. I like this one a lot. Not surprising--I like pretty much anything designed by Amy. :)

March Monthly Report:

Used up/donated: 43.25
Brought in: 9
Net: -34.25
Year to date: -88.00 yards

And that's it for this week.

WIP Wednesday, 3/23/22

 I have only a couple of things to show for the week.

I finished another Double Ruby Ring block, this time in fall tones. I really like this one, but I probably say that about each block as it is completed.

I love following Dana from Old Red Barn. She incorporates ginghams and checks into nearly every quilt she makes. I took some time the other day to gather most of my ginghams into one handy place.

This mug arrived the other day. It is perfect in every way--color (mustardy--one of my favorites), flying geese (one of my favorite quilting shapes), size (not too large), and handle (just the right size for three fingers), hand thrown by Alexia Abegg.

On Saturday, I was able to have a virtual sew day with @stephiepeterson and @purduepam, coincidentally National Quilting Day! We worked on getting caught up on our Hygge Quilt Along by Annemarie Chaney. I'm using the Holiday Homies line of flannel by Tula Pink. It was so much fun to spend time with friends, even through a computer screen.

I picked up these four quilts from my fabulous quilter, Darby, this morning. I had given her another one, but we came to an agreement that an edge-to-edge design would not be the best choice. I have some ideas. I might even try to quilt it myself. 

I've started making some blocks out of a beautiful Oakshott collection named Jett. The warp threads are black and they give the blocks a moody, Amish kind of vibe. I'll have more to show next week.

WIP Wednesday, 3/16/22

Last week I ended up being on a roll to finish four smallish quilts, enlarge them and make the backings.  I posted two of the quilt tops last week, but here they are again with their corresponding backings. I haven't bothered to take good pictures of them at this point, so I apologize for that.

Llama Love:

Trip Around the Rainbow:

I was particularly happy with this backing because I had a remaining 1/2 yard of the border fabric and was able to show the full array of colors.

Galvanized:

The center of this quilt was based on a pillow I saw years ago at Target but it needed to be larger. It is made mostly of Kaffe Fassett shot cottons, with a couple Oakshotts thrown in.

Gradient:

This is one of my favorites, made out of hand-dyed Cherrywood fabrics.

 They are all off to be quilted next week and then I will have to come up with some binding for each one, so you will be seeing more of them later.

I'm caught up with blocks for the Riley Blake block challenge.

This is Garden Charm by Fran Gulick of @cottonandjoy, and might be one of my favorites so far. It's such a simple block, yet so very pretty.

This is Lynx by Amanda Neiderhauser of @jedicraftgirl and is another beauty. 

Here are the nine blocks I have made so far. I'm happy that the fabric designer, Crystal Manning, likes them too. :)

Remember a few weeks back when I showed the "geo name" that @sariditty designed? She is able to add it to wooden tailor's crappers so I ordered one and I'm so happy with it! If you have never used a tailor's clapper, it is great for flattening the seams on quilt blocks after you press them.

Years ago, 2008, my first pattern, Charm Parade, by published by JWD Publishing. It was geared for use with charm packs, which had just hit the market and Joen Wolfrom was looking for patterns that would use charm packs, which were one of the first precuts available after fat quarter bundles.

It was based on this floor tile in one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. 

I have made many, many versions of Charm Parade. But I have always had trouble with some of the measurements in the pattern. At that time, I was a novice when it came to pattern writing, and I didn't feel like I had to worry about it because the actual instructions were written by the team at JWD Publishing. 

Anyway, I have decided to update the pattern and make some changes. The original pattern was for a small quilt, 42 1/2" square, including borders. I plan to update it, eliminate the borders and include instructions for multiple sizes. At least that's the plan. To that end, I have been making more practice blocks, just to make sure I have the measurements and construction changes correct. I have a lot of scraps of the "bubble" fabric so I will be using that. It makes a really pretty block doesn't it?

And that's it for this week. Happy sewing.

WIP Wednesday, 3/9/22

 Last week, after I had already hit the publish button for "WIP Wednesday," I realized it was only Tuesday, not Wednesday. Oh well...

I have been slightly more productive this week. I finished one more block for the Riley Blake block challenge, the On Point Hourglass by Melissa Mortenson of @polkadotchair. As I make the blocks, I try to alternate between the blue and pink colorways so hopefully there will be a good balance when I'm done.

My good friend, Janice (@french75too), let me know there was an open sew day at a local quilt shop. So last Wednesday, I loaded up my Featherweight and a project that I seemingly only work on one block at a time when I need something to work on elsewhere. I finished only one block, but I spent a good amount of time wandering around the store, looking at actual bolts of fabric, something that has rarely happened during two years of the pandemic.

We were told the quilt store plans more of these open sew days when they do not have classes. So maybe I'll actually finish this quilt some time in 2022!

Our pastor and his wife are expecting a baby next month and there was a baby shower for her on Saturday. I decided to make the divided basket designed by Anna of Noodlehead. She writes fantastic patterns. I chose some long-hoarded fabrics from my stash. The three on the right are by Cotton and Steel--those little smiley suns and mice are so cute!

I added the "circa 2022" label on the back and some cute labels on the side--"live a colorful life" (of course) and "you are loved" by Kylie and the Machine.

Then I filled it up with some disposable diapers, bibs, a cute stuffed animal and shampoo, lotion, etc.

Robin seemed to like it, and that's what counts :)

And then for some reason I got on a roll with some smaller quilt tops that have been in a bin for years. I'm sure two of them are over ten years old. The problem has always been that they are small--a little large for a wall hanging but too small for a baby quilt. 

The first one was started in 2011 at the quilt retreat in Minnesota. I had these adorable llama prints from Laurie Wisbrun and had just started exploring working with solids. I got this far and it has been folded up ever since.

On Monday I got it out, determined to make it into a usable size. First I tried adding stripes all around. Way too overpowering.

The llamas have a subtle gray-on-white background so I found this white with gray x's and +'s; it was a much better choice for the top and bottom.

But then...because I had already made a backing based on the initial size, the backing too had to be enlarged.

I'm naming it Llama Llove and I think it is now a good size for a baby/toddler.

The next one consisted of nine blocks I put together at around the same time period. I think Quiltville Bonnie's trip around the world block was having its moment and I had a jelly roll of solids. I tried a couple of different settings.

Then about five years ago, on a trip down to QuiltCon in Pasadena, my friend, Janice, and I had lunch on the way and stopped at this cute quilt shop where I purchased four yards of Effervescence by Robert Kaufman. It was an ombre that went from red/orange to purple. I fell in love and bought four yards--probably thinking I could use it for a backing. 

Yesterday I started playing around with different ways to use it for a border. I originally thought I would put a band of color next to the corresponding block.

But the colors didn't flow as they made their way around the quilt top, so I began cutting where one color bled into the next and I liked it so much more. 

The next problem was making the transition in the corners. I cut multiple squares and experimented with folding them until I figured how to cut them and sew half square triangles to make the transition.

I was fortunate to have purchased four yards because I cut my way through nearly all of it before I got things right! 

I'm really happy with how it turned out. I love the way the print bubbles its way around the solid blocks.

I have two more quilt tops to work on. I'm enjoying the process so much. 

February Monthly Report:

Used up: 11.25 yards
Brought in: 12.50
Net: 1.25
Year to date: -53.75 yards