The Like, Totally Quilt

Boy it feels great to have this quilt done! Begun back in February, with my good friend Louise @imfeelincrafty as designer and hostess, I've been making blocks month by month pretty much on schedule. My Seattle MQG guild mates - and others! - have been actively making them as well, so it's been fun to follow along with them too.

A pieced quilt back seemed in order, and I started with extra blocks from the front but then made a bunch more HRTs and HSTs from scraps.

The overall quilt is 56" x 56". I went pretty simple with my quilting, using the serpentine stitch on my backup machine, with Aurifil 40wt 6722 [Sea Biscuit]. Gotta say, that serpentine goes pretty quickly, and before I knew it, I was binding the quilt in Kona Pacific, one of the colors used in making the blocks.

I haven't been quite as good with having a monthly quilt finish this year, so it feels extra good to have one for November. Plus, a nice, cozy quilt finish is always a good thing.

Linking up with quilting JETgirl's Favorite Finish for November 2024.

Block Studies Collective | Log Cabin

November was my second month participating in Tara Faughnan's @tarafaughnan Block Studies Collective, and I was pretty pleased we'd be focusing on the log cabin block. Except the focus was on a unique shape, actually a courthouse steps variation, and the construction was done with a new-to-me technique for foundation paper-piecing.

To be honest, Tara provided numerous templates for us to try, but this 5" x 10" finished rectangle was my favorite, so I just focused on it. 

After making the first block, I made the second with an eye on the first, knowing I'd use them together, and I wanted them similar yet different. Once paired up, I bordered them with the darkest solid in the palette, Kona Everglade.

I wanted to make a finished project with this piece, and in a perfect world, I would have stretched it on a frame. But instead, I decided to quilt the border with coordinating thread and make a pillow.

The end result is stuffed plump with that pillow form, so you can barely see the quilted border. OH well! It makes me happy, just the same.

All the Windows

When I first saw the Windows Embroidery Sampler at Snuggly Monkey, I was in need of a new stitchery project, and was excited to try something new to me by a new designer, Colette Moscrop. Screen printed on 100% linen, the sampler was pretty big - 19.5" x 13.5". As the description said, "This windows design is perfect for embroidery and makes a great starting point for a modern sampler." IE. I'd have to come up with my own stitching plan.

It wasn't until I was a few windows in that I decided to try as many different embroidery stitches as I could. At first, I didn't really anticipate using 67(!) different stitches/stitch variations, but that's exactly what happened. I stitched a bunch I knew by heart, then moved on to referencing embroidery books in my own collection, as well as online sources. At some point, I began keeping track of what I was stitching, just for fun.

All along, I was using a double thickness of Aurifil 12wt in a limited selections of colors. On each window, I also outlined it, either on the inside or out, with a backstitch. I looked back, and it took me about two months of evening stitching to finish filling all the windows. I'm not quite sure what this sampler will become from here, but I sure do love it. I learned so many new embroidery stitches! Here's a highlight of just some of them.

Floral Stitches VII

This month's floral stitches sampler arrived the night before we were to fly out of town for a long weekend. I immediately deemed it the perfect handwork project to take with me, and I actually spent most of the first leg of our trip stitching on it.

Once I was home, obviously I might as well finish it up before getting back to my larger Windows project. It took just a few evenings before it was done. I think this dandelion was one of the quicker of the floral samples, less detailed, and due to my choice of palette, more subtle than most. But it was the perfect project for this moment in time.

It's the Little Things

Last year on International Scrap Sorting Day, I actually managed to sort my print scraps by color, though I chose not to press any of them or cut them into any particular sizes. And that's how things have remained, and it's been fine. Though I didn't really participate on the day this year, other than play with piecing scraps together, it was the impetus to make several small projects.

First up was a set of four orange and black potholders.

With two round 'corners,' and two square, they are my favorite potholder shape. I put the same backing on all of them, a favorite orange print from my stash, the same as some of the scraps on the front.

And then I actually used some charm squares to make a lined drawstring bag to hold my older granddaughter's birthday gift. After miscutting my lining fabric, I ended up with a combo of the Simple Patchwork Drawstring Bag + Mini Accent Drawstring Bag variations from the Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern by Jeni Baker @jenib320. Actually, I'm quite happy with it, and might make this combo again on purpose!

This last make wasn't actually made from scraps, per se, but it seemed to fit the 'Little Things' category. And it's a Pop Open Pouch made for my daughter-in-law, Lindsey @lindsjeske, who we happily got to celebrate with on her birthday this year. The pattern is one by Aneela Hoey @aneelahoey, and is actually one of my very favorite zipper pouch patterns to make and to use.

So all three of those projects were most enjoyable to make. Now back to finishing up a quilt back for my Like, Totally BOM quilt and this month's Block Studies Collective project, which I have yet to start. Onward.

Like, Totally :: November

It's hard to believe this month's #seamqgbom2024 blocks are the final blocks of this year's Seattle MQG BOM. Our BOM designer, Louise @imfeelincrafty calls them "V" blocks.

I couldn't resist putting all of my blocks right up on the design wall, so they were all in order when I was ready to sew them together.

Ends up, I had time over the weekend to finish piecing the top! Gotta say, I'm pretty excited about that!

I also started in on a pieced quilt back beginning with my scraps. I'm hoping maybe I can get the quilt finished by the end of the month. We'll see!

Spicy Glyphs

My bee mate Irene @hixsonir chose our final Bee Sewcial prompt for the year, "Spicy Glyphs." She gave us 8 unique figures to recreate in warm, spicy colors. 

Irene instructed us to "think cinnamon nutmeg chili ginger mustard saffron turmeric wasabi coffee…." Yummy, right? Figures and grounds could be broken into different colors and values, or be made in just two colors. Here's my first block, 12" x 13". 

My second block measured 11" x 13.5", and I used two shades of ginger/mustard for the figure this time. It's subtle but it's there. With my first block, Irene had commented that she liked that I left some elements edge to edge, so I made sure to do that again in the second block. Gotta say, this second one really challenged me, and I needed my seam ripper more than once. But I like where it ended up, so it was worth it.

So that's the last of my Bee Sewcial blocks for 2024. I'll be back at some point to do a round up of all of the prompts and my responses this year.

October Fabric Usage

After bringing in zero new fabric in September, I had anticipated some new acquisitions in October. So the first handful of prints and a lot of the solids I ended up getting were planned. BUT with an unexpected travel purchase, and joining Tara Faughnan's Block Studies Collective, the purchases added up. I decided to just go for it, hoping this month would be much quieter.

So once the calendar turned to October, I went and chose a few cuts of Night Rainbow by Deborah Fisher @fishmuseum. I'd had my eye on that new line, especially that Boundless Binding in Gingersnap print shown below on the far right. I went ahead and grabbed a coordinating print as well as a pair of tone-on-tone prints, which my stash is currently lacking.

When in Pleasanton CA visiting our son and dil, we went to the Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival, where I surprisingly saw Paul of Island Quilter @islandquilter. He and his partner Anya have been longtime friends of Seattle MQG, often bringing their mobile store to our retreats.

Of course I had to give them a little business, and purchased half-yard cuts of Alison Glass Topography in four colors, focusing on tone-on-tone prints again.

And then I placed a generous order of solids, both to restock my stash, get several for next month's BSC palette, and a solid necessary to finish my BOM. It is what it is, right?

It added up, no doubt about it. But I very nearly used as much as I brought it. I figure, I'll just keep sewing.

October Fabric Usage

Used up: 13.78 yards [5.66 projects + 8.12 recycled/donated]
Brought in: 17.5 yards 
Net: 3.72 yards