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

The Bat Block

A couple days ago, I was rummaging through my orange scraps thinking I'd make a little something seasonal, and found a #batblock! I pattern-tested the block for Louise @imfeelincrafty like 7 years ago. So I decided it was finally time I make it into something. Better late than never, right? 

The block being just 10.5" x 6.5", I decided to make a little wall hanging. I grabbed my stack of orange fabrics and was surprised that what I'd used in the bat block wasn't the traditional "pumpkin" orange. But I found some oranges that I liked - a mix of prints and solids, then found a few black prints to include. First, I made some improv four-patch blocks using the stacks method from Nicholas Ball's Inspiring Improv. Then I used a handful of scraps sprinkled among them to make several rows of patchwork. You may or may not be able to tell, but there's one row above the bat, and three rows below.

For quilting, I used Aurifil 50wt 2692 [Black] to quilt the bat, and that was SO fun! Then I used Aurifil 40wt 3920 [Golden Glow], a variegated thread, to quilt vertical lines below the bat and 'sky' curves above. The little hanging finished at 11" x 15", bound with a black stripe. Then I made a casing for the dowel and a hanger of black cording. Such a fun little project I didn't even have in my mind's eye two days ago!! BTW, if you love Louise's little bat block pattern as much as I do, you can find the pattern here.

Diamond Cut

The HuRTy ruler by Latifah Saafir @latifahsaafirstudios had been in my studio for two full years, and last week I finally pulled some scraps from the bin and gave it a try. Let's just say I was duly impressed! Never had I made HRTs so effortlessly. So I decided to try my hand at a small quilt of HRTs, and chose a tetrad (four-color) palette made up initially of Kona Rich Red, Heliotrope, Orchid Ice, Key Lime, and an unidentified green similar to Kelly.

Honestly, it made sense on my color wheel, but I wasn't so sure in reality as I began to make blocks. I added in gray and black to see if that helped things at all (I think it did); and then incorporated a few solid triangles, which I think helped even more. Whatever, the dye was cast, and I moved forward with my plan.

Inspired by a painting by Andrew Kuo @andrewkuostudio called "I Forget", my little quilt was composed of HRTs, one half in a vertical stripe, and the other half with more blocky shapes. And of course, this project was an obvious candidate for a pieced backing. 

I turned to an old favorite quilting design - Fancy Straight Line quilting from Jacquie Gering's Walk book. I used Aurifil 40wt 1231 [Spring Green] for quilting with 50wt in the bobbin and 50wt 2692 [Black] for the binding. 

The little quilt finished at 12.5" x 24.5", which I didn't realize until this very moment, is very nearly the exact proportion of the 3" x 6" HRTs. Perfect. It's times like this, when I can just play with fabric and thread and design, that I'm so grateful I have the supplies and ability to sew. It's such a satisfying way to create.

Binding Techniques

After presenting my tutorial for matched binding at Seattle MQG recently, I came home thinking about the various binding techniques I'd tried over the years, and thought I'd do a little round-up in case it's helpful for you all. 

• Straight Matched Binding [click link for my tutorial]

Matchy-Matchy

• Angled Matched Binding [clink link for my tutorial]

Red Cross Meets Very Peri

• Binding Flange by Julie Herman @jaybirdquilts 

The Mango Block

• Two Toned Binding by Ellyn Zinsmeister @ellynz 

• Single Fold Binding by Yvonne Fuchs @quiltingjetgirl

From One to Nine

• Quilt Facing Tutorial by Audrey Esarey @cottonandbourbon

l'uscita

• Wide Binding Tutorial by Audrey Esarey @cottonandbourbon

Matrix

• No-Tails Binding by Linda Hungerford @flourishingpalms

Sands of Time

• Striped Binding [click link for my tutorial]

Swoon

Of course, there are oodles of other options. Check out my Quilt Binding + Tutorials pin board for some of them! And let me know if you have a favorite that I haven't mentioned, ok?

Block Studies Collective | Hourglass

Truly impromptu - like on the last day of sign-ups - I decided to sign up for Tara Faughnan's @tarafaughnan Block Studies Collective. A six-month membership, it is in its second season, and honestly, I was just plain curious. Tara's gift with color has long impressed me, and I was hoping I could learn a little something. That said, it all begins with a palette and a block to focus on for the month.

Starting late as I did, I chose to select fabrics from my stash, matching Tara's palette as close as I could. 

(L-R) Konas Navy, Windsor, Harbor, Cyan, Seascape?, Cloud, Bubblegum,
Carnation, Baby Pink, Artichoke, Spice, Coral, Ochre

The whole objective is to work small and play with shape and color, this month with the hourglass block. I made some pretty precise, and others more improvisational. Here's my finished quilt top, 19.75" x 21.25".

For a quilt back, I used leftover blocks, scraps, and a bit of my original fabric pull.

And then for quilting, I did an angled grid. First I quilted vertical lines about 1/4" apart using primarily Aurifil 40wt 2730 [Delft Blue], adding in several lines of Aurifil 28wt 2710 [Robin's Egg]. Then at an angle, I quilted lines 3/4" apart with the lighter Robin's Egg thread.

And finally, it was time for binding! I was auditioning binding options, thinking that a particular blue would look good on one side, though I really preferred the darker blue over all. Then it dawned on me that it was time to try the No Tails Binding Tutorial by Linda Hungerford @flourishingpalms. That way I could do one color on just one side. If you happen to be a member of The MQG, there's a video presentation of Linda sharing the technique, which is a good supplement to her written tutorial. My one tip after trying the technique is to be sure and use coordinating thread on those mitered corners.

So I'm calling this little quilt "Sands of Time," a nod to the hourglass block. I kind of wish I'd gone a little more improvisational with my blocks and layout, but it was still a very fun exercise, and I like the finish well enough. 

Floral Stitches VI

It's hard to believe this is the SIXTH floral stitches sampler I've done. You may remember at the start, that I signed up for just six of the 12 months offered. Well, I extended that, so I'll be stitching the entire collection. I've just enjoyed them too much to stop now!

Besides echo stitching inside the flower petals, I really enjoyed doing some wrapped backstitch in some of the 'rainbows.' Finally, I added a definite ringed border to the design with a backstitch and chain stitch combo. For each of the three main colors - red, green, and blue - I again used Rebecca's tip of rotating through three shades of each color. I think that's been my go-to method ever since I heard her mention it.

And just for fun, here's a pic of the backside... could be neater, could be worse. It's not something I think about much!

Kelp

Karen @capitolaquilter chose Kelp as the Bee Sewcial prompt for this month. "Refer to my Jellyfish for the Palette: primarily blues/greens of all shades for background and mostly yellow/orange but can lean towards mustard/rust and include greens as long as it contrasts with the background. Sprinkle in bits of other colors as necessary." Karen also provided a link to Monterey Bay Aquarium as a source for ideas: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/giant-kelp

Here's my first block for her, 12" x 14", inspired by a kelp variety common at the aquarium - Dictyoneurum reticulatum AKA reticulated alga. I improv-pieced a rectangle of orange and yellow scraps before cutting them into kelp-inspired shapes. Then one by one, I pieced them together with the background fabric.

My second block measures 11" x 14.5" and is inspired by a feather boa kelp. I debated whether or not to piece the 'border' with smaller bits of the various colors, but for variety-sake, I decided to. Plus I kind of like the addition of that darker green 'just because.'

Windows Update

Though I took a brief break to stitch this month's floral stitches sampler, I've mostly been working on White Windows, the embroidery piece by Colette Moscrop @colettemoscrop, and I'm loving it. I even took it (and worked on it!) when we went out of town last weekend.

Somewhere along the line, I decided I needed to keep track of the embroidery stitches I'm using to fill in the windows, since I'm trying to use as many different stitches as I can come up with.

At first, I was just using stitches that were familiar to me. But as I've gone along, I've been consulting the internet and a couple of embroidery books I have in my library. We'll see if I run out of ideas before I get to the end!