2013 Finish-A-Long: Q4 Finishes

Was I ever surprised when I sorted through the Finish-A-Long flickr group last week and realized that I have finished 28(!) projects with the FAL since it started 2 years ago! See what a good encouragement it is!? So here's my finishes for 2013 Quarter 4:

This little block was a recreation of that made for my Mango quilt back in 2011. Yeah, I meant to create a tutorial long before now, but you know how it goes . . . 

{click for pdf tutorial & templates}

Anyway, I made a few more blocks and came up with a fun mini just to show another way the block could be used. I had so much fun quilting this up, and now it's hanging on my mini wall!

(Beware: you'll be seeing the Mango block again in one of next quarter's projects too.)

Next up was the "For Pleat's Sake!" Tote Bag by U-handbag. I had my fabric all cut . . .

And before I knew it, I had a cool bag that I've used every day since!

When I put this piece of crazy-piecing on my FAL list, Crazy Rainbow was just a vision in my mind as my project for the Mini Quilt Swap sponsored by schnitzel & boo.

I was a little obsessive with the crazy-piecing, and pretty much covered my entire design board with it. But I was indeed able to create exactly what I had in mind. Seriously, this mini was just SO much fun to create!

And lastly was a carryover from last quarter - the Polaroid blocks that I got in the *Picture-Perfect* Polaroid Block Swap last year and then had the Always Bee Learning Bee put together for me into blocks. Gee whiz, I usually don't need that much help!

But a bit of time between Christmas and New Year's and I was finally able to finish "Snapshots" just before year's end.

Whew. List complete.

Linking up with Leanne/shecanquilt and the Finish-A-Long 2013 Q4 linkup.

2013 Finish-A-Long: Q4 List

Please don't laugh. But yesterday when I was mulling over this list, there was only one thing that could truthfully go on it, and that would be the Polaroid Blocks that the Always Bee Learning Bee had put together for me.


The Star Bright quilt, the other project that I had in mind to complete in Q4, got finished before I got around to writing my list!

This isn't to say I didn't have oodles of projects in my head for this next quarter; in fact a few even have deadlines! BUT they weren't started yet.

SO, in an effort to have a respectable list, I quickly started a few of those projects . . .

• At this point, this project shall remain nameless, but I have a tutorial in the works, as well as a mini quilt, and it all starts with this little block.

• Another project I've been wanting to tackle is the "For Pleat's Sake!" Tote Bag by U-handbag. So I've cut my fabrics (more on them later), and the leather handles are headed my way.

• And finally, I'm been wanting to do some scrappy piecing as well as make some Churn Dash blocks. AND I've entered the Mini Quilt Swap. So I'm going to combine these three. Here's my start:

So there, I feel better now. There's plenty more on my mind, and I expect the unplanned as always, but for now, it's a good start.

Linking up with the 2013 FAL Q4.

Anticipating Autumn

According to the Bing Dictionary, the definition of "anticipate" is to: act beforehand to address something imminent: to imagine or consider something before it happens and make any necessary preparations or changes. And that is exactly what I did when I asked the members of That Stash Bee to make Modern Maples blocks for me back in June. I really loved the many Modern Maples quilts I had seen around blogland, and wanted one for our own home. This fall. 

I started out making this block as a sample and asked for basic leaf colors on light (non-white) solids or low-volume prints.  

Even a lighter leaf on a darker background was acceptable, and since I only received 1 of those, I made 1 more and brought my total number of blocks to 20.

So earlier this week, I took all my leaf blocks, laid them out, and cut a variety of solid and print squares, enough so I could do the 5x6 block layout I had planned. This would make a nice lap quilt, measuring 60x72".

For a backing, I used a Curious Nature print by Parson Gray. It had some leafy images and also the sense of sidewalk, which in my childhood was the place where all the most interesting leaves were found. (In fact, one of my favorite childhood activities was making leaf rubbings.)

For quilting I used Aurifil 50wt #2000, which is named "Beige" but in reality is much more interesting than its name implies and nicely brought all the colored leaves to blow nicely together. I stitched straight-lines, first making a grid along both sides of the seam-lines between blocks. Then I went zigging and zagging a bit so I went through the stem of each leaf. I added more parallel lines diagonally to decrease the amount of unquilted space, though this is one of the less densely quilted quilts I've done, with the diagonals about 4" apart.

The binding is one of my new favorite prints - Carrie Bloomston's  Collage Scratch in Putty. It was just the perfect shade to blend with the mix of backgrounds, and with its subtle lines is not really a stripe but gives a bit of that effect but in a subdued way, letting the leaf blocks really be the focus. (Click the Collage link and you can see it better.)

So don't get me wrong. I am totally enjoying these last few weeks of summer, and am not over-anticipating the arrival of autumn, but on the other hand, quilt-wise, I'm ready.

This finish is from my 2013 Q3 Finish-A-Long list. Linking up with Fabric Tuesday and Finish It Up Friday.

2013 Finish-A-Long: Q3 List

Considering I've just received the last of my blocks in three bees, it's pretty obvious where to start my third quarter FAL list! Top priority is FAITH Circle's June quilt, where we used SewCraftyJess' "Starburst Cross" block tutorial. 

Next up, the Modern Maple blocks made by That Stash Bee.

In May, I sent Always Bee Learning Bee beemates 9 polaroid blocks collected during the *Picture-Perfect* Polaroid Swap, along with several black and white prints, and asked them to frame the blocks. I just put all the blocks up on the design wall to take a photo for this post, so what you see isn't the final layout. I'm thinking that will be a tad tricky!

Not bee blocks, but I decided to go ahead and add the Slice and Insert blocks I made during Katie & Jacquie's class. I'm thinking maybe a wall hanging with these. I hope I can get back into the improv groove, as I'd like to make a few more blocks before putting them all together.

All of these projects are ones I'm really looking forward to, so hoping this can be a successful quarter!

Linking up with Leanne/shecanquilt and the Finish-A-Long Q3 linkup.

2013 Finish-A-Long: Q2 Finishes

Back in April when I made my Q2 FAL list, I basically was standing there holding a bunch of blocks I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with.

First up were the Hugs & Kisses blocks from the Mid-Century Modern bee. I had 13, and was thinking of making a couple more, and then somehow pull them into a quilt. 

Thanks to the thoughtful suggestions of others, I moved away from my standard 'row' quilt, turned all 13 blocks on point, and made something quite unexpected, which I named Common Affection.


Next up were the first five blocks from don't call me betsy's Lucky Star BOM.

Trying to be a little improv-y, I came up with Auspicious Sky, which was a stretch in more ways than one. My favorite part was using the mix of shot cotton (the main background fabric) accented with bits of Essex Yarn Dyed Denim and Kona Nightfall. With all of them and the Architextures in the stars, I was working with some of my very favorite fabrics.

And finally, there were those x and + blocks, which I'd been swapping and collecting for ages!

And whew! Just in the nick of time, I finished up Crossex!

So that's that! And wouldn't you know, I have whole new stacks of blocks to add to my Q3 list!

2013 Finish-A-Long: Q2 List

After a successful first quarter of FAL finishes, it's time to make a list for next quarter! Funny thing - though I have alot of ideas brewing, I only have a few projects actually started. So three it is!

x and + quilt - I began making and swapping these blocks over a year ago, and kept hoping for a third round. But when that didn't materialize by the time I saw Instagram's #xandplusalong this February, I decided I better just get started and make more blocks for myself. So I had 40, and have 40 more cut out.  This finish is my number one goal for this next quarter.

Mid-Century Modern quilt - One thing about participating in bees - you usually start accumulating blocks. So I have just received the last of 13 Hugs & Kisses blocks, am thinking of making a couple more, and then need a design plan to pull them into a quilt.

Lucky Star mini quilt - I am loving making these stars, but honestly don't think I can wait until the end of the year to use any of them, so I've decided to make a mini quilt. I have a tentative plan and some background fabric chosen, and look forward to moving forward on this one.

This is kind of random, but then again the perfect time to mention the Projects at a Glance sheets I came across over on from Pixels to Patchwork. Designed as a way to list all your projects for a single month, I am finding it much more helpful than my usual assorted lists. There are also Individual Project Sheets available if that is helpful to you. Just fyi . . .

Linking up with Leanne/shecanquilt and the Finish-A-Long Q2 linkup.

2013 Finish-A-Long: Q1 Finishes

There's always a hopeful sort of feeling when one posts a new Finish-A-Long list, as I did just three short months ago. And I'm more than pleased to be able to report that I finished my list!

Mod Crosses - The blocks for this quilt were all done when the quarter started, but I was short on time to get the rows together before an appointment with the long-arm quilter. Thankfully I made it and was super pleased with the finished quilt, and hubby and I took it out for a fun photo-shoot.

Quiet Book - This project was intended as a Christmas gift for grandgirl, but the details took longer than I anticipated. At least she enjoyed it when I finally finished it.

Merry Stocking - Another belated Christmas item, but at least it's ready for Christmas 2013.

Scrappy Trip - On a whim I joined this sew-along on Instagram, and maybe even due to its impromptu nature, I thoroughly enjoyed putting these blocks together straight from the scrap bin.

Mod Angles Cushion - This was one of those finishes that really made no sense to have dawdled on so long. The blocks were already made, and once I sat down to stitch them together, it was a quick finish. And the quilting on this one was immensely satisfying. {tutorial here}

So that's it for this quarter - time to start pulling together a new list!

Linking up with Q1 post quarter link up at shecanquilt.

Crosses

There's nothing quite like taking a finished quilt out for a photo-shoot.  There's an excitement that's hard to describe, but I bet alot of you know exactly what I'm talking about. So today hubby and I headed out, not quite having a plan, but with quilt and camera tossed in the back seat of the car. I had in mind maybe finding a church. Considering the finished quilt was one of modern crosses, I thought it would be nice to take photos with a more traditional cross.

We lucked out fairly quickly in a historic town near our home, though there was nowhere to hang the quilt, and it was too big for me to show it off in it's entirety. At least we got some decent pics of the front and the back.

Hubby raced up those stairs twice to try and help me hold the width of the quilt, with the camera below on automatic shoot. Unfortunately, we still weren't able to get the whole quilt or the cross up top.

We went on our merry way, and came across a sweet fence-line, but again, were only able to show off half the quilt, but still worth a few snaps.

Then around a bend, I saw a little building I had never noticed before. What caught my eye was its wire "framing" - perfect for a clothespin or six! Finally - a full view of this quilt - close to 95" square.

What may be my new go-to display spot, was in actuality a refurbished pump house from the 1930's.

Inside and out was decorated with glass tiles, mostly of sea creatures, apropos considering Puget Sound is a stone's throw away.

Here's a shot that shows off the beautiful quilting done by Girton Quilting.

 And one of the back of the quilt from inside the pump house.

Mission accomplished.

Modern Crosses was modified from a pattern by Susan Beal. The feature fabric was a jelly roll of curio by basic grey for Moda on a background of Kona Eggshell. Backing is Kona Parchment with strips of Eggshell and curio flowers on orange. Piecing was done entirely with Aurifil Mako 50 cotton thread in Natural, and the quilt was finished with a scrappy curio binding. This quilt is on my Q1 FAL list.

Linking up with Let's Get Acquainted Monday, Fabric Tuesday, and Finish it Up Friday!