Friday, January 29, 2016

New Fabric!

I really don't need any fabric.  I have a lot.  It's not organized well though and I guess I really don't like it as much as solids.  So....

Today I went and bought a ton of Kaufman Kona Cotton solids!

I got warmed up last Wednesday...  After a nice lunch with my son in Carlsbad, I went to Quilt in a Day in San Marcos and picked up:


Purchase One


1 fat quarter - modern art for polaroid block  $2.55 includes 15% birthday discount

1 fat quarter - they didn't have krellow but I was hoping this would be close (actually Quilt in a Day does not have a good selection of yellow - and really not many solids - but they do have lots of other things)  
$2.55 includes 15% birthday discount

2 Kona Bay Solid White Skinny bolt (1.125 yards each)  Usually $6.75 On Sale: $4.72 each or 9.45 for both.  
 The lady wasn't able to tell me the difference between Kona and Kona Bay. There is also Kaufman Kona. I tested by putting a dark patterned fabric under them all - I could see thru all of them.  This Kona Bay felt softer so I went with it.

I had wanted to get a Quilt in a Day square up ruler as they had on sale (16 in for $13 or 9.5 in for $10.50, but they did not have in the store so skipped that this time. 

Was considering getting some stuff they were selling to stop fraying.  The sales lady said if I could still see the seams would be better to just zig zag them. So I'll do that with denim things I do in the future.

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tax 1.16

total = $15.71


Purchase Two

Just some of the Kaufman Kona Cotton Solids on sale.
Went on to the next store that has a lot of Kaufman Kona Cotton!  I was reminded that they also have Moda and other really nice fabrics, but I was interested in getting krellow for the polaroid block and I suspected this would be the place to get it locally.  And boy is it the place for the solids I like.  And happens they are having a great sale until the end of the month.

I just got a yard of krellow  on sale for $5.97
and a fat quarter of cute sock monkey fabric was $2.99 I got 10% discount (she entered I had coupon I think) $2.69

She would have cut any fabric I picked as a fat quarter, I think that's good customer service and I will remember that for the future!  Beverly's is a store I will return to.

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tax  .69

Total = $9.35

Purchase Three

My cart
But as I said at the beginning this was just the warm up.  I went back today and got a bunch more fabric.  Almost $200.00 of fabric is turned out.  And I tell you I was looking at other colors too.  I really like solids!
My fabric
4 yards of ash
4 yards of garnet
2 yards of rose
2 yards of delft
2 yards of cloud
2 yards of grellow
2 yards of banana
2 yards of silver
3 yards of charcoal
3 yards of coal
3 yards of black
Each yard is $5.97 * 29 = 173.13
tax = 13.85
Total = $186.98

What are my plans for this fabric?

It's way too much fabric.  But I do have rough plans.

The blues, yellows, light greys and dark greys may go in my Little Hazel.  I have just the first block to start with y-seams so we'll see how that goes and if I proceed with the rest of the project. I think I would learn a lot by doing this quilt.  (I bought enough garnet and rose so it could go in the quilt too if I wanted instead of the dark greys.)

The ash and garnet - and maybe the rose will be in my Facets quilt.  I already have the pieces of made fabric set (#10 on this list) so it's just a matter of getting things cut and sewn really.

But part of me is questioning working on the Facet quilt now at all.

The Little Hazel is going to be a-really-read-and-follow-the-directions.  I probably don't need two bigger projects like that right now.

I have my blocks to finish each month and my older projects to finish up too!

But we'll see!

Think I'll finish up the fun polaroid block and then start the center of the first block for Little Hazel with some scrap fabric (which is what I should have done before buying the fabric).  I may even make a block or two of Facets just to see how that looks and how I feel.

By then it will be the first of the month and a lot of new blocks will be available!

Happy Sewing!

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I'm lusting after more solids.  I could get a little of all the pale ones, and pick up so some beautiful rich colors too.  Oh and they had the nicest looking polka dot material, and all those modern Moda fabrics were calling to me too.

But I'd just be looking at the folded fabric or it would be boxed up and put away so better just stick with what I have, right?  Right!

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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Tumbler: After Additional Hour or so the quilting is done! My Jan OMG Done!

Something was wrong with the bobbin, it allowed me to stitch a few inches then the thread broke.  I decided to remove all that stitching then went walking to clear my head.  What was the solution?  I was going to change the needle as that does seem to be a solution to stitching problems, but took the bobbin out and discovered the thread was sticking out oddly.  So I tried to wind these thread onto a new bobbin.  It worked for about a quarter bobbin's worth.  I decided to give it a try.  I'm estimating that took about 30 minutes....  But the stitching was even and nice on my test bits so I put the needle in and finished that line!
http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/01/omg-its-finished-party-january-2015.html

In another 30 minutes I had finished the remaining three lines.  So done with this stage and done with what I wanted to do this month on this project for my January One Monthly Goal

I doubt that I would have finished this quilting so quickly without the call of this challenge, the opportunity to share and meet new folks, and the possibility of winning the beautiful red valentine fabric. So thank you so much Heidi for organizing OMG!  

After 19 hours for the quilting.  4.5 bobbins. January OMG Done!
  
Next steps: 
binding and label!

And thanks again to Candace for helping me figure out how to do the quilting design and encouraging me to just go for it!
I need to practice my binding skills so will save this part of the project to complete after I have made a few mug rugs or something!  I can bring this with me to my once a month sewing group next time it meets, I'm sure someone can guide me there so I have a nice binding to this project.

As a reminder, I started sewing this quilt in 2011, and it's been basted since 2013...
To see the posts about this quilt:
http://quiltquest.blogspot.com/search/label/tumbler

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Now I have a few days before the beginning of a new month so I'm going to use my quilting time to work on the Polaroid Blocks that my Stash Bee/Hive 8 friend Katrin will be compiling to make a quilt for her friend's little daughter, Hanno, who will be going thru chemotherapy now.  If you have time, won't you join in?  If you only have time to find fabrics for the photo part of the block you could send to me and I would put into the frames for Katrin!  

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Thanks for coming by!




Sunday, January 24, 2016

Tumbler Progress: About 3.5 hours (in two sessions) and almost done!

I'm not sure why today's first sewing session went so quickly...

Session One

I started at 4.:49pm and at 6:28pm I had sewn the second lines for one side starting in the center, and even did one line on the other side of the quilt!  So that's 10 angle lines done so far today.  I'm still on the same bobbin so no time was wasted in that regard.

So that's 1 hour 39 minutes if I'm doing my math correctly.  And an average of around 10 minutes for each angle line!  The sewing flowed during this session...

After around 16 hours of quilting.  This is the side that is the most done.  You can click to see the enlarged version.



Session Two (no photos)

I sewed again from 10:47pm to 12:44am.  This time I only did 8 lines.  Near the top of the 9th line at 12:29am I ran out of bobbin.  It took about 7 minutes to get the new bobbin in place and to hide the ends of the threads from where the bobbin ran out.  I started again and then about 8 minutes later the thread got caught and I ended up cutting it to release the material.  I decided it might be too late to continue.

I think I have 4 more lines to go then done with this stage of the project.  There are a few spots where I need to pick out thread that was crossed over and became part of the quilting on the back. For this second sewing (which was the other side of the quilt) there was more pleating that I could not stop from happening.  I tried sewing very slowly, sometimes that seemed to prevent the pleating but there were other times when slow sewing did not help in that regard.  Next project I will use that special top and bottom feeding foot that Katrin reminded me about.

As I travel thru the blocks instead of seeing the colors and fabric, now I'm noticing where I wasn't as careful as I should have been with the stitching even with the FMQing.  I hope the wash will fluff the fabric up so the puckers blend in...

So pretend there is a photo here to show the progress after 18 hours of quilting.  At this stage I've used around 4.5 spools of bobbin.








Tumbler Progress: Almost three hours more 14 lines a new bobbin started


Continuing with my details on this project...

This time I just clicked to see what time it was when I finished a line.  I was able to finish the other side of the quilt with the mainly single lines of angles.  So I just now need to add the second lines of angles to the top and I'll be done.

Today was different than the other days as I did all the sewing in one session.  Our son's little dog kept me company. I thought I had taken photos her on the quilt, but nothing was on the camera when I offloaded the quilt photos.  She came in the room and sat on the chair I had on the side, then all of a sudden she was in my lap and climbed up to sit on the quilt!  I got her to move to a pair of jeans that I put on the table for a while.  Then she was back in my lap, but finally she moved back to the chair and curled up to sleep next to me while I worked.

I started at 1:06 and finished at 4:00.  During that time I sewed 14 lines of angles going down the side of the quilt, a single straight line at the end of that side, ran out of bobbin, so filled two bobbins, hid the mid-line bobbin thread, trimmed the thread for the new lines completed.  Whew!

After 14.5 hours of quilting.  There are a few places with the double lines in the angles too.

Of course now I realize my detail shots 
don't show the double angles....

Can really see lots of progress now!  I'm on bobbin 5.5.
I went to Road to California yesterday with some ladies I sew with during the once a month Saturday sewing group.  We pretty much stayed together while we went up and down the many rows of the vendor area.  So many things to see, it really became a blur! (One of the ladies had been there since Sunday taking classes everyday.  She was staying on until this Sunday.  It's her second year doing this, she says she learned so much that it's a wonderful week.)  I was just there to see the vendor area - and also got to see some of the show quilts.  As I went to the vendors I was on the look out for Creative Grids Rulers – $20 Triangle Squared and $18 Perfect Rectangle ones. that were called for in the Facets Quilt Along that I'm planning on working on.  I found some pretty much the same sized ones by Tri-Recs - I got the set for just $5.  That was a deal.  I also got a bunch of long zippers for all the future pillows I may be making - each for just fifty cents!  Another deal.  I gave that man my email to put my name on his email list.  He says he has no sales tax and free shipping deals every once in a while so I thought that would be a good list to be on.

Road to California Expenses
  • $15 Admission to Vendor Area
  • $5 Tri-Recs Tool
  • $12  24 zippers
  • I had two meals while we were there, and I'm going to take the lady who drove out to lunch later as a thank you. (She didn't want gas money or for me to pay for her meal or admission.)

http://quiltingmod.blogspot.com/2015/12/lessons-learned-linky-1.html
Anyway to get back to my tumbler quilting, the lady taking all the classes mentioned that some sewing machines with a needle up or down option also slightly lift the pressure foot when it stops in needle down to make it easier to readjust fabric.  The machine I'm using doesn't have this feature, but I realized I had not always been lifting the pressure foot to change the angle when going down the lines, and that, I think, contributed to my puckering in the stitching.  Those initial lines of stitching are not even close to being a quarter of an inch.  I don't know why I didn't see that before.  Anyway, it seems to make a big difference even now if I do not lift the foot when I turn the fabric.  So that is something else I have learned.

When changing the angle of a stitching line, be sure to lift the foot!

Previous things I learned or relearned recently are:
  • wind bobbins ahead of time
  • do any straight stitching before doing angles
  • shorten the stitch length at the beginning and end of a line of stitches
  • bring phone battery to conference so you can take photos! (I did but am sure that other people have posted better ones)
  • bring writing pad and pen or pencil to write down booth numbers that have items you might want to purchase or follow up on!
  • if the table you put up next to the sewing machine isn't the same height, and the quilt keeps getting caught in between, put something under the lower table so they are the same height.  (I put a pair of old jeans that will become a board game block underneath today and it made it so much nicer to not have to fight the quilt being caught.)
  • put something underneath or in front of the foot peddle to stop it from traveling as you sew.
To see previous posts about my tumbler project search for tumbler in the label and sort by date!





Thursday, January 21, 2016

Tumbler Progress: additional 3.5 hours adds 15 lines of quilting

Detail of half of the quilt showing
the alternating columns with stitching.
When I was nursing our son, I kept such detailed records of how long and from which side he nursed.  I made charts of the time and condition of diapers when they were changed.  None of that meant anything to anyone. The doctor never asked me for the information, but still I kept lists and charts.  Someday I will probably find those notes and wonder what to do with them...

So now I'm doing the same thing with this tumbler quilt.  Keeping way to many notes that don't really mean anything. But now I will type them in this blog.  It might be interesting to someone wondering how long it takes someone to quilt a tumbler in this design.

First, I'm using a regular pressure foot. It has about a quarter inch on either side of the needle that I am using to guide the stitching.  If I do this design again I will do all the straight lines first, then go back and do the angle lines.  I'll decide after the piece is washed if I use the regular pressure foot again.  There are still a few pieces where there is a pucker in the sewing.  Very small.  I am more sure these will be sort of hidden once it's washed.

I am sewing starting in the center of the quilt and then moving out, always starting at the same top of the quilt.  I'm sewing along the inside of a column of pieces, then skipping a column and doing the same thing on the following column.  Later I will go back so there is a line of stitching on either side of all the seams.

What I did today, I think I will need to do three more times to finish the quilting on the project.  So I have roughly 11 hours of quilting to go!
After 11.5 hours or quilting.  I think I'll have to repeat what I did today three times to have all the lines quilted.



Today I worked about an additional 3.5 hours on the project and finished about 15 lines of mostly angle lines on the quilting.  I have about 45 lines of quilting to go!  (That is how I figure I have around 11 hours of quilting to go until the quilting part of the project is done. (then it'll be the binding and label!))

Here are the detailed notes:
Got started and bobbin ran out, finished the line but didn't record how long it took to sew that first angle line nor to hide the threads and reset the machine up with the new bobbin.
First 2 recorded lines (near center) took 32 minutes - 16 minutes for each angle line.
Next 3 lines took 35 minutes - almost 12 minutes for each angle line.
Final 8 angle lines of the day (toward outside) took 81 minutes - around 8 minutes for each one.
The outside straight line took only 5  minutes to sew.
I'm now on the third full complete bobbin, have added 15 lines of mostly angle lined quilting and have spent roughly additional 3.5 hours.
Will start the next session by winding the bobbin that is now empty so it is ready when I need it.




Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Expense: Postage

Finally got to the post office today and mailed the January Bee block off to its recipient.

Cost $2.54 to have the block along with the scrap triangles and few pieces of neutral rough cut charms to be delivered with a tracking number.

It's worth it to not have to worry about the block not being received.

I'm still thinking about what block I will request when it's my turn in July!

Tumbler Progress: 168 more minutes of sewing plus around an hour more results in 26.5 lines of quilting

You can tell from my blog entries that I have been doing other sewing instead of working on my tumbler quilt! (Pillows, Game boards, Scraps!)

But today I got back to the tumbler for just under three hours of quilting time.  In that amount of time I finished all the second straight lines for the quilt, trimmed the thread and brought the piece downstairs for a photo!
After about 8 hours of quilting and working with the fabric, still using the third bobbin.
So it took me about six minutes to do each of the straight lines that go across the quilt.  How do I sort of know this?  I set  my phone on the stop watch app and clicked when I finished a line and then started the timer again when the needle was in the down position and in place to start another line for stitching! (So I wasn't counting the time to reorient the fabric to get it ready for the next line of stitching at the sewing machine.)  I'm estimating that took about 2 minutes each time so that's additional hour on the quilt.



I learned that I should have done all the horizontal lines at the same time.  The first day of tumbler quilting I had started with trying to do some of the angular lines, but when I crossed those lines with the straight stitching, almost every time, there was a bubble in fabric that I had to work to try to flatten.
Plus about 2 minutes per line or another hour for
turning and setting up to sew again.  That's
about 8 hours on the quilting so far.

When I did the orange peel quilt it felt natural to rotate the quilt after each line was completed to add a different color to the quilt from a different direction, but this did not work with the tumbler quilt.  

I'm thinking it would have been better to do all the horizontal, straight stitching in the tumbler first.  I'm hoping this will get the fabric so it is very firmly oriented where it's supposed to be in the quilt!

I did what I have done so far by starting in the middle then skipping a few seams and sewing again, then I went back to fill things in so there was one line for each seam. After that I went back and filled in the second lines.  I'm hoping when the piece is finished and washed that the bubble of fabric at these intersections will be more or less unnoticeable.

Gosh, my fingers are crossed that when I do the rest of the angular lines that I will not continue to have the bubbling fabric problem!  If I do, I will change the design of the stitching and will do straight lines coming down thru the middle of the tumbler shapes.  Candace at Saltwater Quilts did this for some of her tumbler quilts.  She posted a photo and wrote: I stitched a fourth of an inch above and below each horizontal seam and through the middle of each of the tumblers. This version of her stitching looks terrific, but I had wanted to do the version she did after this with the lines following all the seams so that is what I am trying for in the tumbler. We'll see what happens with my quilt after the next session of sewing!

I thought I had basted my tumbler project quite snugly and completely.  I taped the backing, the batting and the top down on this huge basting table at the adult education class. Then I used all my pins, but them in all the alternating blocks on the inside and in each of the blocks on the perimeter of the project.  But guess it wasn't tight or often enough to prevent bubbling... or maybe it got loose being basted for almost three years before I started the quilting!

I'm pleased with how the quilt looks so far.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Q1 FAL 2016 - #22. Cow Pillow - We have a finish!

I have made my first pillow and my first finish from the 2016 Finish-A-Long Q1 list that I posted.

Started 1991 - Finished 2016!


I took with me to work on at my monthly sewing group, and it's done! I like the way the flap/flange covers the zipper as I didn't have one that matched any of the colors in the block.

: )



Making Scraps and Combining: Checkerboard Denim Pillow a Reality Now

Update: I finished the pillow on the second version of the block (in denim), the photo is below.  Used the zipper directions from the Moda Bake Shop Site.

 Like all of you, I've been seeing posts about using scraps, not buying fabric, finishing projects starting new projects. This year I'm noticing and determined to increase my sewing time, so I'm making links to these sites!

Here is my hanging scrap collection:
The fabric bits are arranged roughly by color, all ironed and ready to be pulled and used.

But that's not what struck my fancy.  Instead it was my collection of old jeans!

I've never cut into an old piece of clothing, it was easy once I made the cut.  The fabric sort of told me where to cut the strips to make a second checkerboard block for the Play with me Challenge.  I had a set of new jean needles all ready to insert in the machine, but the regular old needle I had in it was working so saved the special needles for later.

Originally I was thinking of turning this into a placemat.  What fun it would be to have them on the table for dinners for our game nights!  But even with out the sashing/borders this would be too large for our kitchen table... (although it does go well with the denim covered seat cushions that I made with an old duvet cover that was way too heavy to sleep under!)



So now I decided to change this into a pillow cover for my first ever sofa pillow!

Tomorrow I go to a sewing session and will get help I hope with deciding which jean fabric to use the the final border and for putting a zipper in the back! 

Update:
Here is the pillow!  Decided to use the same jean material for the borders and the back.
I'm very happy with the results, gave it to my husband!
Play With Me Checkers Pillow Front
Play With Me Checkers Pillow Back





I already posted a different post to these link parties, but I'm participating in these too!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

RSC16: January Blue with a Purple Accent

I've noticed the So Scrappy Rainbow challenge for a few years.

Last year or the year before I pulled out my smaller scraps, ironed and organized them by color.  Then hung them on a hanger based on color.  This year I've decided to take the assigned color and make it into a piece of fabric that could be cut into a 12 inch square.


Draft Blue Piece
I started with just the blue fabric, it didn't quite measure 12 inches and looked rather blah.  Either my scraps were too large or too small, or again I'm just not artistic with the fabric I have.


This year Angela added a secondary color 'purple accents for January' so I cut this draft square and added a small strip of lilac.  Decided to size it up to be the size of my ruler 12.5 inches.
Blue with Purple Accent 12.5"

I like the way the fabric pieces join and create jagged corners.  And the way some of the strips sort of line up after a break.  Next month I'll work more on lining things up, and will be more mindful of having larger seams at the ends.  

I'm already doing several projects where I measure an follow patterns.  I'm glad though to finally commit to making a scrappy block each month with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!



So Scrappy: Rainbow 2016: http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/p/rsc16.html  Monthly colors and ideas for blocks designed to end up in one end of year quilt.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Tumbler Progress: 1.5 Bobbins

Yesterday I straightened up the sewing room,  reset up my machine for FMQing, found the thread, half filled a bobbin, changed the needle, put the quilt under the needle and started putting the quilting stitches in the tumbler.

I started by doing one straight line, then turning the piece and going in the other direction with the angles - took 2.5 hours for all that!

Filled the bobbin and left things set up for today.

Today I was able to just start sewing! I think I did one straight and one pass with angles, then decided to only do the straight passes for alternating rows before considering doing more angles.  There were a few places where the fabric puckered, I just kept going.  Hopefully these puckers will not be noticeable once the quilt is washed.   Other than that, things went well.  I decided to go back and put a line at every seam before considering the angles again.

I did remember this second day to change the stitch length so it was shorter at the beginning and end of each line, so I'll be able to trim and not have to hide the ends as I did with the pajama bag!

It like going thru a sea of color and memories.  I'm enjoy seeing the fabrics again as they pass the needle.  I makes me happy to come across the fabric and decide, now that's my favorite.  Only to change my mind with another set of colors appear.


I don't remember why my then future DIL was with me, but I do remember she was with me when I got three different orange fabrics and she helped pick them out. Probably for the Block Lotto year.  And I'm glad when the fabric I used for pants for my son appear and remind me of those times.

I traded tumblers with an older lady in class so there are some really different for me fabrics, like flowers and these little bird houses. I've never noticed fabric like that when I have been to the store.  I can imagine it framing a window or on an apron when she was a young bride.  Fun.

I remembered when I got to a corner that the batting I used had a corner cut out so I had to cut a piece from another side and place it in the quilt sandwich, so there was batting in that corner.  It's secured pretty well I think.  I'll do some extra stitching there, perhaps with a label, before I give the quilt away. I should finish the quilt for my husband before I do that...

This batting a rather flat, it's warm and natural cotton I believe.  With the pins there is a lot of weight to this project so it seems wonderful.  I hope once it's quilted the weight will be nice for our friend.  It's a lot easier to remove the pins than it was to put them in!

Going to stop now after about 4 hours since I sewed thru a bobbin's worth of thread. This time I filled two bobbins so it will be a quicker change out the next time I quilt this. I'm not tired but do have some other work to do before my husband returns from work!

After 1.5 bobbins of quilting, and about 4 hours of quilting.




Sunday, January 10, 2016

2016 Finish-A-Long Q1 - The Dream List

A finish-a-long!  What a great concept! 

I've been noticing the Posts and Links for the Quarterly Finish-A-Long on other blogs, this is the first time I'm creating a list of projects to finish. 

Like several of the others who have already posted their lists, I've done a terrific job of starting different projects, but haven't been good with following thru and finishing quilts.  For a long time I didn't know how to do more than piece fabric.  But I have been learning finally how to finish a quilt. It takes me time, but I can baste and quilt and put on a binding now!

So this year my focus is on following thru and finishing quilts for my family and friends.

Once I decided to join in the Finish-A-Long, I went thru boxes in my new sewing room. I found 24 mostly old, old projects that I hope to finish this year. There are more, but I couldn't find them tonight so they will be pushed to the next quarter/year!


1.  Sharon Craig Half Log Cabin (around 1992).  A local quilt shop (Rosie's Quilt Shop on El Cajon in San Diego) organized around 50 people to each cut strips from a dark fabric and a light fabric.  We brought it to the store and they then organized packets so we all got one of everyone's contribution.  Then we used Sharon Craig's method for making half log cabins (that reminds me I have a regular log cabin too to finish up too - where is that?). Making the half log cabins was so much fun, I went to the store and bought tons of fabric so I could keep making them!  So instead of a twin, this is a king top.  It can't be the first thing I work on this quarter as I have so far only done lap or block quilting, but I found it tonight so it's on the list.  I realize I've been telling people I have fabric from my Godmother and mother, but really it's this quilt that was responsible for me buying and so having a ton of fabric that I'm not crazy about...  I only needed a strip from each, but had to buy what ever the minimum was...

2.  Quilt in a Day Tulips (around 1991).  This was my second quilt top.  I made this for my Godmother, but she only got to see the blocks.  She loved tulips and this sort of grey green.  I made the blocks from Eleanor Burns' book, but thought the setting wasn't interesting so I modified the sashing so the tulips were more random.  It was supposed to look like the seeds for the flowers had been flung on the field.  To get just the right shade of the green for the border I flipped the fabric over.  People looking at it though thought the I had goofed in my flower placement.  Oh well. I pieced a back from left over fabric.

3.  My First* Pieced Quilt Top - Stars and Planets (1990) I took a class when our son was three, so I remember the year! I have star blocks in all the colors of the rainbow, but my DH thought I should limit the number of colors so I picked these. I had wanted to make the quilt with solids, the teacher insisted I get fabric with a little design in it. It was boring to make all the blocks the same size so I made some that were smaller and added the HST border and some plain blocks on the top. I finished the extra long twin top and our little son admired it. Then he asked where the planets were! So I took a class to learn how to make circles (see quilt #6 on this list) and searched for just the perfect fabric to represent each of them. This time I only needed a few inches, but again had to buy what ever the minimum was. I either sewed quarter circles together or appliqued circles on the fabric with stars. (Pluto was too small for me to manage with fabric so I painted it on). The planets are sized to be correct relative to a one inch earth. This was going to be the back of the quilt. When I was working on this, our son asked where the sun was. I should have said he was the sun, but that didn't occur to me. I was overwhelmed so I put the quilt away... I could add the other color blocks to make the quilt fit the top of a king bed...  * This is my first completely pieced quilt top, after taking a class.  In the early 1960's with my mom's help, I started cutting pieces for a quilt with 1/2 inch seams, it was finally put together, quilted and bound in May 2012. The finish is blogged here: huge star quilt. My numbering system is off!  : )

4.  Husband Quilt - (2013) I cut fabric while we were in Cambridge.  I had one idea for the top, my DH had another.  Since it's for him it will be made the way he wanted.  Hopefully this quarter!  This post shows the various versions of the quilt.

5.  Irish Chain (around 1991) My third quilt.  I liked the idea of an Irish chain, but thought it was too simple so made it a triple!  I was surprised that the dark blue ended up being so large in the design. I put it on a table to show off, but a candle dripped on a piece of fabric so I'll have to figure out how to replace that piece in the middle of everything before quilting it.  But because of Leah Day' videos, I do believe I have the skills now to finish this one!

6.  Farm Scene Sampler (1991) I took a class to learn how to do curves so I could make the planets for my son's quilt.  The project was very good as we also did y-seams, applique hearts, miter corners and I also learned that if it doesn't fit to add more fabric or change the pattern!

7.  Cultural Fusion - Windmills (2015)  I was so fortunate last summer to take a day long class with Shajata Shah!  Had so much fun making the windmill blocks from her wonderful book, Cultural Fusion.  I hope to make all of the quilts in her book, in a timely manner.  These purple windmills will be flying off to a friend in Sweden when the quilt is completed.

8.  Tumbler (2011)  I sewed these in leader and ender fashion but then it took over as it was so much fun to sew these pieces (cut with a Studio GO from an adult education class) and arrange them so the colors were sort of clumped together.  This quilt is being made for our friend in Colorado.  This post shows the basted (since 2014) tumbler project. Now I know how to quilt the project, and since it's basted, it will be first on this list to be completed!

9.  Large Blocks (2013) When I was in Cambridge, an online Liberated Quilting friend, Audrey, gave me a great Freecycle sewing machine so I was able to sew.  I bought fabric and made these large blocks.  They were going to be a quilt for my DH but he wanted more black in it.  So it will be a quilt for me I think! This post has the image of the blocks on bed top.

10. Chinese Coins or Made Fabric (2011-ish) I found a stack of fabric in my mom's things that was mostly around 6 inches square.  I cut strips while in a class, with the intent to make a Chinese Coin quilt.  But I might make a Liberated Wedding ring quilt instead.

11. Leah Day Building Blocks (2014)  I got started, then things happened and I didn't continue working on this.  I found the blocks tonight so they are on the list to finish!  These posts show the blocks I've finished.  The rest are organized in baggies according to Leah's directions.

12. Marston/Moran Workshop (2012) - I was very lucky to attend a multiple day workshop held by Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran.  Before the workshop we were given preparation assignments to make parts for a quilt.  In theory I was supposed to have enough I guess that I just put the parts together to create a quilt.  That didn't happen for anyone I think in the class.  It was so exciting to see the quilts they have in their books in person and to meet them and other quilters.  As I recall I have just a few inches to fill in then can put the top together.

13. FMQAYGQAL (2012) - This was an online group organized by Laura/QuokkaQuilts that practiced FMQing, the blocks are all made and quilted.  I just have to find them and put them together and finish it up. This quilt is going to be a wedding present for one of my husband's students. Click here to see the posts about this project. This was the first time I used precuts for a quilt!

14. Wonky Shoo Fly (2010) - I won these blocks from the Block Lotto. I had been putting them together with solid blocks and practicing FMQing in sections.  Here is a post with a photo of some of the sections that are completed.  I have to find the blocks, but they will probably be one of the first projects I work on this quarter after the tumbler is quilted.  Each block is a different Leah Day Free Motion Design.  I even have a category on my blog to use to show all the progress on this project!

15. Liberated Round Robin LibRR1 (2011) - This was the year I was really getting going with my quilting.  I organized an online group - The Liberated Round Robin - and we worked on creating a liberated quilt.  I started mine with pieces of blocks that I got in an online liberated quilter fabric swap.  Here are my posts about this project.  I have two more rounds to add, but I'll have to find the project and pieces first!

16. Paper Pieced Deer Pillow (2015) - My son and his new wife had several pillows with deers on them on their wedding registry. After searching the web, I found a really nice paper piecing pattern from Julianna who lives in Poland that I'm going to use for one of the pillows. I have the orange/grey version finished, but I made a mistake in my piecing so will either correct that one or will make a new one with green/black/brown fabric.

17. Fused or Pieced Deer Pillow (2016) - For the other deer pillow, I may fuse the silhouette of a deer on fabric that will go with the paper pieced version.

18. Small Blocks (2010) - I made these with left overs after making the larger sized wonky shoo fly versions for the block lotto. These will make a nice little quilt for someone!


19.  Fused Circles (2014) -  I used a Studio GO to convert some beautiful Kansas City Troubles strips to fused circles.  I was going to do my interpretation of ChristaQuilts Abacus - but thought I would used the stitching from the Leah Day Butterfly project to practice FMQing.  I have many pieces ready, this might be the time I actually do it!

20. Friday Block Party (2011) -  For my contribution, I found free block designs that were in the shape of animals.  I made a lot of these blocks, and also some traditional blocks all with the grey background.  When I find the blocks, and the time, they would go together pretty easily in to a nice child's quilt. Posted progress here.

21. Quarter Circles (2011) - I had access to a Studio GO so cut a range of solids in blues and yellows with the quarter circle die, so I'm committed to these colors.  Perhaps this quarter I will be inspired to finish sewing these together and actually making a quilt!

22.  Cow Pillow (1991) - This was FMQed as part of a workshop, the back is perfect but it's done on not very nice looking muslim so would be better as a pillow.

23.  Lone Star Pieces (around 1991) - Eleanor Burns is from around here so if you take any adult education classes or quilting classes we are exposed to her sister's great demos and her books all the time.  In class I bought a ton of her books as we were given 30% discounts.  The lone star seems so complicated but with her directions was really doable even for a beginner like me.  Except I got too confident and impatient and didn't double check my angles for the last cuttings, so the angles are off.  Maybe this year I can improvise and make a quilt of the pieces.

24.  Whole Cloth Pillow (2012) - I followed along for Leah Day's instruction for a lot of the 2012 project.  This whole cloth piece doesn't look nice enough on the back to be part of a quilt, but would make a very nice pillow.  Blogged here.


Like the rest of you, I have new projects that I'm working on, and like some of you, I have even more WIP lurking in boxes waiting to be found again!

It's been fun for me to go thru boxes with these projects and remember them.  I've been so focused on new projects that I sort of just pushed them aside.  It's nice to have this finish a long to help me on my way to having finishes.

I'll be happy with any progress on finishing these this quarter!

Thank you all for for organizing the FAL!

Here are the 2016 Finish-A-Long Q1 guidelines:

For those of you who are new to the FAL, it is a place to find motivation and encouragement to complete those unfinished projects that are hanging about becoming UFOs. Every quarter you post a list of projects you hope to finish in the next three months, and then at the end of the quarter, you post a link from your blog, flickr or instagram of each successful finish from your original list.

Each finish is an entry for wonderful prizes from our sponsors. There is no penalty for not finishing a listed project, so feel free to make your list  long or short, as you wish.  The 2016 Schedule and the Rules for the FAL are on my permanent FAL page, let me know if you have any questions.