Time to Quilt

The holiday season is beginning just as busy as usual. Thankfully, no hurricane threats to deal with this year and I’m hopeful that trend continues.

Today a couple of guild members met at our county fairgrounds to judge the contest blocks for this year’s quilt. Each year the guild makes a quilt to display with the fair’s theme. It then becomes part of the collection dating back 40 years. Quilts from previous years are displayed during the South Florida Fair hanging from the rafters in the exhibition hall. This year it’s “Party with the Pirates”.

I was honored to be asked to piece the top this year. I wasn’t one of the judges so was able to submit my own block. Since the judging is complete I can show you the block my granddaughter made (left) and the one I entered (right). I’m so proud of how patient and careful she was stitching her block.

Last week our guild had a Santa workshop. It was lots of fun! When I got home the only thing left to do was sew on the button eyes and nose.

I brought two items for show and tell. One was a bargello quilt I made earlier this year. I initially planned to donate it for a family member’s quarter auction fundraiser (for a child’s kidney transplant operation). A guild member asked if I’d sell it to her. I usually donate quilts, so this was new for me but I’m happy it went to someone who loves it and for probably more than it would have taken in at the auction. I have another quilt planned for the fundraiser, and I’ll show you that one when it’s finished.

My other show & tell was this little table topper “Not Kitten Around”. It’s part of a Riley Blake calendar series. I’m not making them all but I was able to purchase this individual month from our local quilt shop, Quilt a Bit. I bought the turkey today to make for Thanksgiving. They’re small at only 12″ x 14″ but that’s just the size I need fit the stand I already owned.

Don’t mind the open garage door in the background. My husband has started his annual Halloween decorating. With a 20′ x 30′ garage and two sheds (11′ x 20′ and 8′ x 10′), he still barely has enough room for all the Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween decorations in addition to patriotic, Easter, and Valentine’s Day. The kids in the neighborhood absolutely love it when they see he’s beginning to decorate. 😉

When people ask what he thinks about how involved I am with my quilting and fabric, I just roll my eyes and think, “if you only knew!” I believe he’s secretly thrilled that I have my own “thing,” so he can enjoy his hobby without interference from me. LOL

I finished one of my patriotic string quilts in the last two weeks also. I’m happy with what I did get finished but, not so much with all the things I’ve started and put aside. Oops! As soon as I finish assembling the fair quilt I’ll get busy with all the WIPS (works in progress) so I can enjoy making a few things for Christmas. It’ll be here before we know it!

One of our guild members shared an idea this month for a leaders/enders unit. (No one explains what this is better than Bonnie Hunter. You can read more about the process here.) The drawing above is the one our guild member has invited us to join her in making for the next six months.

Today I started cutting some scraps that I plan to use with a black background. I think I already know how I want to finish the quilt so I’ll be excited to see it progress over the next several months. It it goes quickly, I have a plan for a second quilt using different fabrics and setting. I think this will be fun!

I don’t have anything finished to show this week even though I have been busy. I like to bind my string quilts by hand, a little bit each night, so it takes several days to finish. That might be a good thing because I’ve been procrastinated about adding older post so expect to see a few more of those.

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Originally posted October 22, 2023

This week I finished a quilt from scraps using the Atkinson Designs pattern called Step Right Up.

The strips were leftovers from another Atkinson pattern I finished last year that had previously been a UFO.

Two more tops were made with the left over strips but they still need to be quilted.

A lot of my scrap quilts have a lot of added background fabric. It’s not the most efficient way to use the leftovers but, it’s more important to me to enjoy making the quilt.

The next two finishes are string quilts. The first was made using Bonnie Hunter’s String X free pattern with paper telephone Yellow Book pages. I prefer paper foundations to keep the quilts lighter than using muslin or other lightweight fabrics.

The tiniest strings were stitched to adding machine paper to make the fun quilt below. I’d had the Crosswalk quilt pattern on my list to make for a while now. It was fun to take the original idea and substitute strings for the centers of the blocks.

A few partial solid strips left after making the blocks were used for the scrappy binding.

A switch on my long arm broke, so I’ve been organizing while waiting for the part. The room doesn’t really need it, but we expect our hurricane windows to be installed in 4 to 6 weeks. When we get the notice from the installer, I’ll have to quickly move everything to one corner. I’m using these couple of days to consolidate as much as I can. All the furniture is on casters, including the long arm frame, so moving things shouldn’t be too difficult.

My longarm is back in service! Yay!

The problem was the bobbin case and as soon as I saw the new one there was no doubt. Notice the clasp on top of the case on the right. I’m sure that happened when I dropped it. The screw that holds it in place was still tight but the metal thing was definitely not right.

I didn’t even want to try bending it back in place on the off chance that I might make things worse, like cause the machine to jump timing. I know from past experience that’s a $700 housecall and several weeks wait for the appointment.

I quilted a guild Community Outreach top and it worked just fine. I think the stitches even look better on the back now. I used a “Mod Dots” design board by Urban Elementz to quilt it (a PVC version of a pantograph used with a stylus). I think it mimics the balls of yarn the cats are playing with in the quilt top.

I also made a sample block with the Kaffe fabric scraps. I’m glad I did because I quickly realized I’m not going to be able to make one block a day like I’d planned.

There are 17 logs in each block (41 pieces). I like to press the log before I add the next one. I was constantly getting up and down. This one block took over an hour to make.

Plan B: Cut out all the blocks, label everything well, and sew one log on all 24 blocks each day. I’d much rather get up once to press 24 pieces, than to get up 17 times.

I really do like the block. I may just finish this quilt for the bed in our guest room/home office. It’ll make the room feel like a tropical getaway. 🙂

Have you ever begun with an idea and have it morph into something you didn’t quite expect? Here’s how this one began – late last night.

I’d seen a photo on Facebook of a pattern by a company that didn’t have the rights to it. The actual pattern is called Petal Pop and designed by Melissa Corry. I liked it and noticed it used jelly roll strips, which I thought might be perfect for our guild’s strip challenge program in the spring.

Last night, I considered buying the pattern but chose not to when I saw the quilt shown on the cover was 98″ x 98″. The 50″ square version only had one “flower” in the center and I didn’t like it nearly as much.

I considered cutting the strips in half, 1 1/4″ wide, but that would make them really narrow and involve a lot of extra math! 🙂

Instead, I stayed up late and graphed a block that would use 1 1/2″ wide pieces. The block is an usual one, but looking at where the sashing and cornerstones are located helped to define it.

A few months ago, I saw a picture of some quilt blocks in progress. The quilter didn’t mention the pattern, but I recognized immediately that it was this same block. Looking at that photo also helped me figure out how the block was probably pieced.

I went to bed wondering how the blocks would look using some of these scraps??? Most of them read as solids though and I didn’t think that was the look I wanted.

A honeybun of 1 1/2″ wide strips would be perfect for the finished size I hoped to make. Problem is, I already own plenty of fabric. Buying something new would be going in the opposite direction of my goal – that is to try and use scraps and strings as often as possible.

I went to bed and put the idea to rest too.

Remember seeing these photos? I received those Kaffe scraps back in July from an online friend with whom I had shared some Civil War-type background pieces of fabric. I made one quilt with the Kaffe prints and mentioned being a little disappointed with it in this post. I put the rest away in a box to use in the near future for string blocks.

This morning I remembered them and decided to layout what I had left to see if they might work for this quilt. Other than a handful of pieces that are 3″ and 4″ wide (not shown here), these are what’s left.

These strips are all shorter than 40″ and less than 2 1/2″wide.

I counted them and I have plenty to make the quilt top since they are all at least the 17″ I’ll need for the block size I drew. Yay!

Kaffe prints are usually too busy for my taste. There’s a lot of background fabric in this quilt so I’m hopeful that it will tone them down just a bit.

The quilt in the pattern reminds me of a Lori Holt farm/country style project. Mine is much more likely to look like a garden you’d see in the tropics.

For fun, I used artificial intelligence to create a picture of a typical south Florida garden. It sure ooks a lot like those Kaffe fabrics above, doesn’t it? The photo caption was AI generated too. I had to laugh when I read the “tranquil meadow scene” description. I don’t see a meadow, do you?😂

The funny thing about how all this evolved is this .. I had jist texted my friend Robin a day or two earlier about wanting to try something different but I wasn’t sure what that “something” was. We discussed a sew along of a quilt a blogger was making but I tend to turn projects like that into UFOs that I have to deal with later, so I avoid them. I also mentioned a quilt shop class that looked interesting or maybe even a block swap with friends, but neither of those felt like what I really wanted to do either.

Maybe what I needed was in front of me all along, a project like this. One that was interesting and something I hadn’t done previously. A quilt that would take a while to complete but didn’t require me to put it aside to wait on some one or some thing.

I do still want to continue focusing on making scrap and string quilts because I enjoy making them. This will give me a needed break from focusing so much on those they start to get boring. I can work on cutting and piecing a block at a time and watch the quilt grow gradually.

My new bobbin case just arrived while writing this post. I’m eager to try it but I need to do some housework first because if it works, I’ll want to start quilting the guild donation quilt I have loaded. If it doesn’t, well…that could also consume the rest of my day.
Fingers crossed! &&

I’m trying to get better at using strings, scraps, and leftover parts & pieces as opposed to “saving” them. Not only does it help with organizing and keeping things neater, but it’s also easier to use them while I still have coordinating fabrics on hand.

I worked on piecing this little quilt as a leaders/enders project while I was sewing other things.

I was a little tired of the dinosaurs after finishing the quilt below in July and was ready for a break. Focusing on a new project made sewing a pair of fabric together at a time for this one a lot easier and it was finished in no time.

The second quilt began with the “waste” triangles from making the quilt above.

I know how much little boys love dinosaurs so I’m hoping they might make give a little one somewhere a reason to smile and be happy.

Other than that quilt at the beginning of the week, I didn’t get anything else quilted. My long arm is out of commission for a few days. It’s only a year old so I don’t think it’s a mechanical problem, but it won’t pick up the bobbin thread. My husband tried to fix the clasp on top of the case, but it broke. I dropped the case a few days ago, and now the thread isn’t coming out through the hole on top; it’s sliding off to the side instead.

I ordered two new cases at $99 each. Yikes! These machines aren’t for the faint of heart. I’d never suggest getting one unless you’re committed to using it often. It might actually be more cost effective to pay a professional quilter to do them for you. It’s not about cost for me. I enjoy being able to do my own. Just as some fishermen would rather have the expense of owning their own boat rather than pay to go deep sea fishing. If it’s something you really, really want, then by all means – save and buy one. I did. Just don’t do it thinking it will save you money because it may not in the long run.

Sam, my husband, suggested getting a back-up for potential future problems, so I’ll be able can replace it and see if an issue is with the bobbin or something else. I know he’s right. For now, I’m only guessing it’s the bobbin until the new one arrives. Keeping my fingers crossed that’s all it is. && He’s a retired auto mechanic, sewing machines aren’t his specialty, but I’m really lucky he can fix almost anything around the house I manage to break!

This week has been frustrating. I ordered a pair of Sketcher Slip-Ons for sewing without a shoe on when I’m at either the quilt bee or a guild workshop. I figured it’ll make it a little easier to put it back on when it’s time to pack up from a day of sewing and go home.

The price was good compared to the store, but they sent me mismatched shoes—one size 9 and one size 7.5. One shoe is clearly larger with more laces so I’m curious how they got together in a box but I’ll never know. (I’m picturing and episode of “I Love Lucy” where her and Ethel were working on the factory chocolate conveyor belts…LOL).

I returned the shoes and am still waiting for the replacement.

Since I can’t quilt the patriotic string top I finished this week, I began piecing the second one. That one will probably be done tomorrow and then it’s on to the third. In the evening, I’m starting to gather ideas for the bright mix print strings and scraps I’ll work on next.

The little cut up pieces above are called “crumbs”. I don’t save these but I know a lot of quilters do. The bottom of my food chain ends with strings. 🙂

The plants are loving all the rain we’ve been getting. I’m not so sure the lawn maintenance guys are thrilled at how fast the grass and hedges are growing though!

I’m loving that it’s the peak of hurricane season and the ocean is quiet. Let’s hope it stays that way for the next month or two.