2024 Quilting Q3 Check In

How can it be October?? We're three-quarters though 2024, so it's time to join in the #2024QuiltingQ3CheckIn with Yvonne of @quiltingjetgirl. 

(Italics are from my original post; regular text is my current response.)

Quilts

I'm glancing back at my goals from January's Quilting Planning Party to see how I've done, and for the first time this year, I did not meet my loose goal of at least one quilt per month. In fact, I have just two small quilt finishes for the quarter. Oh well!

• Surrounds was my entry in Seattle MQG's "I Heard It On the Radio" quilt challenge. I plan to share more about it and the challenge quilt show in the months ahead.

• Matrix was begun in an On the Grid workshop with Maria Shell, and made incorporating several improv elements Maria shared in the workshop. Very fun!

I do have three quilts in progress:

• One using my Bee Sewcial prompt for July, Minimal Shapes; I'm still receiving blocks from my bee mates.
• "Like, Totally", the 2024 Seattle MQG BOM, which is still ongoing.
• The chair quilt I've been working on the last few months. I just finished quilting and hope to start binding tonight.

Handwork

• I've continued to enjoy stitching Dropcloth @dropcloth samplers, and have added several to the mix, all part of the Floral Stitches series: 

• Floral Stitches II
• 
  
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• Floral Stitches III





Floral Stitches IV

Floral Stitches V

• Other handwork - My daughter, Rachel @snippetsofsweetness, gave me a sashiko piece back in February that I finally finished!!

• AND I started a new handwork piece - White Windows by Colette Moscrop. It's still very much underway.

Community

• I plan to continue with the regular blogging and publishing monthly or so newsletters. This has continued to go well, with the expected ebbs and flows, depending on what I'm working on and life happenings. 
• Next week, I plan to participate in a 'round table' at our monthly Seattle MQG meeting, sharing my tutorial for matched binding. There will be several other members sharing a particular skill as well. 

New Directions

• Maybe not new exactly, but I feel the need for a studio refresh - In July, I worked on a few more refreshes. See Studio Refresh I and Studio Refresh II.

Well that's it for now. It's felt like a very disjointed quarter, especially August and September, but that's how life goes sometimes. Just working at taking one day at a time, and letting it be what it is. Meanwhile, I've got a quilt finish in sight, and I'm calling that a win.

Linking up with Yvonne's #2024QuiltingQ3CheckIn.

Windows Embroidery Sampler

A new handwork project is always exciting, and since this one will probably take me a while, I thought I'd mark the beginning of it with a post. It's the white windows on 100% linen embroidery sampler by Colette Moscrop @colettemoscrop, which I purchased from Snuggly Monkey @snugglymonkey. A hand screen printed fabric panel, it measures 13.5" x 20.5".

I backed it with Essex linen in natural, and hand-basted it.

Due to the nature of this piece, I have to decide how to stitch it! I'm using Aurifil 12wt, and just deciding on stitches as I go. So far, I'm really enjoying it, and love stitching on the 100% linen.

September Fabric Usage

Guess what?! I didn't bring in an inch of fabric this month! To be honest, I WANTED to. There is a new line I'm itching to select a few pieces from, as well as several solids I need to restock. 

But I forced myself to wait a few weeks, as I knew my usage wouldn't be that great. Taking a vacation was awesome, but it doesn't help the productivity does it? 😉 So other than bee and BOM blocks and backings for a couple of embroidery samplers, all the fabric used was for the chair quilt - top and back. And that's ok!

September Fabric Usage

Used up: 6.45 yards [5.15 projects + 1.3 recycled/donated]
Brought in: 0.0 yards 
Net: -6.45 yards

Find a Seat

It's been a full month since I checked in about the chair quilt, and I finally have a completed quilt top!

Measuring 47" x 62", I ended up using the OOP Mod Tex Flower in Sorbet by Studio RK to fill in around the table and chairs as I puzzled them all together. It's chaotic, and overwhelming, and I love it.

Now to make a pieced quilt back and consider a quilting plan. It feels good to finally have a quilt project thoroughly underway!

whisper wind sky

It was Leanne's @shecanquilt turn to choose a Bee Sewcial @beesewcial prompt this month, and she chose "whisper, wind, and sky, mainly the clouds in the sky. Consider the movement of the breath during a whisper or of the clouds in the sky." She asked that we make improv blocks using fabric “crumbs” - no piece larger than 2” on a side. "Your crumbs can be used in any shapes you like, cut with or without rulers or both, can be all of one shape (e.g. rectangles or long stripes ) or a combination of all shapes." The colours requested ran from bright white to darkest black and the blues and possibly other colours we might see in a daytime sky.

I opted to create entirely ruler-free, and made two blocks, the first measuring about 10" x 10". Despite the fact that Seattle experiences its share of cloudy and rainy days, we count any day with sunshine or blue sky a win, brief though it may be.

The second block measures approximately 11.5" x 18" and represents the band of dark clouds we sometimes see over the lake behind our house prior to a weather shift. Hubby or I always comment when one of us sees a band of dark clouds, as they are so striking. 

Both blocks will be sent to Leanne untrimmed, per her request. They were a bit of a challenge for me, as I don't usually save fabric crumbs, so pretty much had to cut up larger scraps into smaller pieces to play with. I'm curious.... do you save crumbs 2" or smaller? Do you keep them separate from your other scraps? Curious minds want to know.

Floral Stitches V

It was pretty perfect timing that a new floral stitches sampler arrived in the mail the day after I got back from vacation. I was definitely in the mood.

It felt like this one - a poppy?? - was one of the quicker samplers in the series. In fact, I had a really hard time stopping. So I took the time to add echo stitching inside the flower pedals, and a combination 'border' - first a twisted chain stitch, followed outside by a back stitch. At that point, I called it done!

Linking up with Favorite Finish {September} with Yvonne @quiltingjetgirl!

Like, Totally :: September

Near the end of August, I took my #1 sewing machine in for a cleaning, then promptly left for a 10 day vacation. That all resulted in over a two-week break from sewing. Period.

So over the weekend, I finally drug out a backup machine, and got to work on this month's #seamqgbom2024 blocks - a combo of striped and regular HSTs.

Boy that felt good! The blocks were straight-forward enough to be a perfect reintroduction back into sewing. Just two more sets of blocks to come in this delightful BOM.

At the Table :: 2024 Rainy Day Bites May to August

My foodie posts may not be everyone's cup of tea, and I totally get that. So feel free to peruse or move on as I report in on the last several months of Rainy Day Bites Cookbook Club. I'm actually heading out on vacation in the morning, so hopefully I'll be able to post a bit on IG. But I'll be back posting about quilting and sewing before you know it.

Note that I linked to each IG post, in case you wanted to read what I wrote about each recipe.

May

Featured book: First Generation: Recipes From my Taiwanese-American Home by @littlefatboyfrankie. 

Topic: Identity through food.

scallion pancakes 

fried egg rice with cilantro

June

Featured book: The Global Pantry Cookbook: Transform Your Everyday Cooking with Tahini, Gochujang, Miso, and Other Irresistible Ingredients by @anntaylorpittman and @scottmowb 

Topic: Diversify your pantry and avoiding waste.

"diner-style" French onion soup

crunchy panko pain perdu with bacon ketchup and bacon maple syrup

May & June baking: Chicano Bakes: Recipes for Mexican Pan Dulce, Tamales, and my Favorite Desserts by @chicanoeats.

Mexican sprinkle cookies

dulce de leche

chocolate caliente

tres leches

July

Featured book: The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey by @gazamom @thegazakitchen 

Topic: Discover the food and people of war-torn Gaza.

falafel

open-faced pies

August

Featured book: Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking: 125 Recipes from the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Ocean Islands by @cocinacriolla 

Topic: Explore the diverse food and complex history of the tropical islands and the issues they face including colonialism, climate change, and food insecurity.

pernil (AKA marinated roast pork shoulder)

stewed red beans with butternut squash

July & August baking: Sugarcane: Sweet Recipes from My Half-Filipino Kitchen by @arlynosborne.

Maja Blanca Custard Cake

southeast tiramisu

mango float cheesecake cups

marbled ube banana bread

Our last day of the month global baking party selections (any recipe from any cookbook):

May | New Zealand/Australia: Pavlova from barefoot contessa at home cookbook by Ina Garten @inagarten.

June | Italy: Gelato, Sorbet or Granita from from Aloha Days Hula Nights, a cookbook from The Junior League of Honolulu HI

lemon granita

July | Greece/Turkey: Baklava from San Juan Classis by Janice Veal and Dawn Ashbach

August | Portugal: Pastéis de Nata (custard cream tarts) from My Portugal: Recipes and Stories by George Mendes

This quarter had several new-to-me ingredients. I learned about ube - purple yam from the Philippines; and pandan, made from leaves of a tropical plant.  Probably my absolute favorite discovery was tres leche, which I's heard of but never had. Now I have the recipe to make it myself. Remember, anyone can join the club. Just follow @rainydaybites to see what we're cooking each month!

August Fabric Usage

Sad, but true. August was a pretty uneventful month in my little creative universe. Between a slow-going improv chair project and COVID invading our house, there wasn't energy for much. Early on, though, I bought a small stack of solids as considerations for said chairs, and also a beautiful floral for a planned bag project.

The Haralson Belt Bag did become reality, thankfully, and is now with its new owner. Other than that and a couple of drawstring bags, a mini quilt, BOM blocks, and the new Plover Pouch that.is.all. It is what it is, right? At any rate, I look forward to stepping in with fresh eyes and energy after a bit of vacation.

August Fabric Usage

Used up: 9.70 yards [6.22 projects + 3.48 recycled/donated]
Brought in: 6.0 yards 
Net: -3.70 yards

Plover Pouch

I couldn't help but try the new Plover Pouch pattern from Anna Graham @noodlehead531, so I set the chair project aside and dug in. After deciding to make the medium version, I was pretty thrilled at the main fabric I found in my stash to use for it - an OOP viewmasters from Ruby Star Rising by Melody Miller. Essex Homespun in Navy coordinated nicely as the accent gusset fabric; lining fabric was a little harder to find but I think Ruby Star Society Thatch in Cloud from Floradora by Jen Hewett fit well, and luckily I had enough.

As usual, cutting and interfacing all the pattern pieces is half the effort in bag-making, though I actually found the actual sewing of this bag kind of challenging. Between the unique technique of the zipper panels, the gussets, and using zipper by the yard, it just took some real focus. 

One thing about that zipper by the yard is that it isn't measured quite the same as traditional zippers. Thankfully, Anna provided excellent tips on how to measure and make adjustments for both types. 

I somehow missed that fold-over elastic was listed among the needed supplies, so I improvised on the trim of the mesh pockets. I used the selvage from the lining fabric. I thought it added a fun touch. 

A feature of the Plover that I really liked was the snaps holding down the zipper end tabs. Unfortunately I didn't have the right kind of snaps, and realizing late in the game, I opted for buttons. I only had two I liked well enough to use, and even though they didn't match, I liked that they were both blue, so went with them anyway. I'll stock up on the snaps for next time.

So even though this pouch was more challenging than some I've made, the second I turned it right-side out, nearly finished, I loved it and wouldn't really hesitate to make it again. Another great feature of the pattern is that Anna provides a video sew-along(!), which is always an asset. I found the medium version (10” wide by 3 ½” deep, 7 ½” tall) to be a terrific size for a variety of uses. Not sure yet if I'll use mine for a hand project or for personal items, but either way, I can't wait!

Haralson Belt Bag III

Does this bag look familiar?

If so, I'm not surprised! After seeing my Haralson Belt Bag, a pattern by Anna Graham @noodlehead531, I made a pretty blue one for my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness using Essex Speckle Yarn Dyed in Ocean for the exterior. Blue is her very favorite, and when my daughter-in-law Lindsey @lindsjeske saw it, she commented on how much she liked it. I offered to make a Haralson bag for her too, and she liked that idea! After talking about it, we agreed I'd use the same Ocean Essex exterior with a different lining - Rifle Paper Co. Garden Party Wild Rose in Blue Metallic.

Other than that, the zips, hardware, leather, and webbing are all the same as Rachel's. The girls can't help if they have similar tastes!

This is a really enjoyable bag to make, though I think I'm done for now!