W.i.P. Wednesday

Time for W.i.P. Wednesday again!

Completed projects

Quilt #6 of the Prairie Women Sewing Circle is done. Yay. See the complete series here.

Ongoing projects

Still making half-square triangle blocks for the Scrapbuster Swap. There's alot of trimming and sewing still to be done on this little project. And this baby actually has a deadline, so I need to keep moving. But I have gotten a sample block done!

Whew! I finished my Kaleidoscope quilt along blocks! They overflowed my design wall, but here's some of them.

I joined the Summer Sampler Series Quilt Along hosted by Swim, Bike, Quilt, Fresh Lemons Quilts, and Freshly Pieced. I'm really excited about the citrus fabrics I'm using! The first block was a quick and easy one.

I finally cut out the Afternoon Snack table runner that my mom picked out. We're adapting this pattern by G. E. Designs. It's a quilt-as-you-go pattern, which I've only done a couple of times, but I think it'll go pretty quick.

Dream Big is still at the quilters. Anxious to see her again soon.

Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow" is still standing by.

AND a new W.i.P. - a Dots Swap hosted by Rachel of Snippets of Sweetness and myself! Stop by tomorrow for all the details!

Upcoming projects

* Stash quilt - Sew Katie Did's zig zag quilt. After taking Katie's class last week, zig zag may move farther down my list, as I started a new hst quilt in the class. We'll see.

* Shades of Grey.

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while

Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

That's it for this week! Be sure and head over to Freshly Pieced to see more W.i.P.s!

Farewell to the Prairie Women

Once upon a time, long long ago, I began a journey with the Prairie Women. Actually, it was the Prairie Women's Sewing Circle by Pam Buda of Heartspun Quilts. The "club", sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop, consisted of six monthly kits, each for a quilt representative of the 18 & early 1900's. Each came with a story of women and their quilting in that era. I so would not have made these quilts if I hadn't been intrigued with the "history" aspect of the series. After a while, though, my interest in the history was overshadowed by the desire to get them done! So be it. Finally, the series is complete. Share in my journey . . .

"Leap of Faith" - 17x21"

"Heartland Crossing" - 38x38"

"At Mama's Knee" - 17x17"

"Mrs. Olson's Hatbox" - 10x41"

"Seneca Falls" - 26x31"

"Gentleman Caller" - 57x68"

Here's a picture of them all together, so you can see their relative size.

All are machine-pieced; all machine-quilted, except for little "Leap of Faith", which I finished stitching the binding on in the waiting room as my little granddaughter was born. I'm glad I did the series, but I'm also glad to be done. Farewell, Prairie Women.

Linking up with Meg and the Finish it Up! challenge . . .

W.i.P. Wednesday

It's W.i.P. Wednesday, and I confess, I spent alot of time in the sewing room this last weekend. 

Completed projects

I snuck in another little project. Couldn't resist making another Mini Swoon.

Ongoing projects

Quilt #6 of the Prairie Women Sewing Circle is almost done! After what seemed like a very long time sewing the rows together, I took advantage of the great weather this weekend and laid it out on the deck to baste. Made basting almost fun! I should have the binding (and the series!} finished by the end of the week!

Still making half-square triangle blocks for the Scrapbuster Swap. There's alot of cutting, sewing, and trimming still to be done on this little project. And this baby actually has a deadline, so I need to keep moving.

I've barely begun piecing my Kaleidoscope quilt along triangles, but at least they are at the top of my list now! I'm somewhat uncertain about my lay-out, so that's slowed me down a tad.

Dream Big is still at the quilters. Anxious to see her again soon.

Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow". Coming into the mix soon!

Upcoming projects
* Afternoon Snack table runner adapted from this pattern by G. E. Designs. Really need to get going on this for my mom. Will be trying to cut it out this week.

* Stash quilt - Sew Katie Did's zig zag quilt. After taking Katie's class last week, zig zag may move farther down my list, as I started a new hst quilt in the class. We'll see.
* Shades of Grey.
* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while
Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

That's it for this week! Be sure and head over to Freshly Pieced to see more W.i.P.s!

Quilt-Alongs, Swaps, & Such

Even though I would have liked to sleep in on this lazy Saturday, there were benefits to waking early . . .

I was able to pack up my 100th post gift to send to Tiffany - Mini Swoon, along with a few fat quarters.

Momo dots, Kona Tourquoise, & a Valori Wells Wrenly print

I was able to cut and pack up my charm squares for the Gen X Quilters' Spoonflower Swap.

Spoonflower cluttered fruits

My Prairie Women Sewing Circle quilt #6 outgrew the design wall and was moved to the floor, where {bless him} hubby helped lay the rest of the blocks and setting pieces out. Believe it or not, this feels like a huge accomplishment - now I can at least stack the rows all up and continue with the sewing.

sunny Saturday - yay!

Lastly, again with hubby's help, we played with the layout of my Kaleidoscope quilt along triangles - at least got an idea on the design wall, so I can start piecing those too.

Whew! Talk about a sense of accomplishment! Feeling pretty good about all that . . .

W.i.P. Wednesday

Yay! It's W.i.P. Wednesday!

Completed projects

I snuck in a little project in celebration of my 100th post on Monday. I'll show it again on Thursday, when I announce the winner of my celebration give-away.

Ongoing projects

I finished all 120 4 1/2" bow-tie blocks for the Prairie Women Sewing Circle mini quilt! Here they are on my design wall. I'm relieved to have the little blocks done and have begun to piece the rows together, .

Still making half-square triangle blocks for the Scrapbuster Swap.

I've done the cutting for the Kaleidoscope quilt along hosted by don't call me betsy, so am on hold here until sewing directions come on Thursday.

Dream Big is still at the quilters.

Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow". Soon . . .

Upcoming projects

* Stash quilt - Sew Katie Did's zig zag quilt. I'm hoping to get started on this at Katie's HST class tonight!

* Shades of Grey. Ideas are still percolating - tentatively to include my variety of KONA grays, and then adding that splash of {as yet undetermined, but I think I've decided} color. . . * Afternoon Snack table runner adapted from this pattern by G. E. Designs.

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while
Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

That's it for this week! Be sure and head over to Freshly Pieced to see more W.i.P.s!

W.i.P. Wednesday

Another week, and here we are at W.i.P. Wednesday again!

Completed projects

My Sherbet Pips Comic Strip Quilt is done!

The Dream Big top and backing are done and got delivered to the long-arm quilter yesterday!

I continue to make bow-tie blocks for the  Prairie Women Sewing Circle mini quilt - about 65/120 are done.

My Hoopla charm pack got combined with the Scrapbuster swap. I am loving this new {to me} method of making half-square triangle blocks and have a very good start on these blocks.

Ongoing projects

* Kaleidoscope quilt along hosted by don't call me betsy starts Thursday!

* Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow". Still on the agenda.

Upcoming projects

* Afternoon Snack table runner adapted from this pattern by G. E. Designs.
* Shades of Grey. Ideas are still percolating - tentatively to include my variety of KONA grays, and then adding that splash of {as yet undetermined, but I think I've decided} color. . .

* Stash quilt - Sew Katie Did's zig zag quilt. I'm hoping to get started on this at Katie's HST class on June 29!

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while
Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

That's it for this week! Be sure and head over to Freshly Pieced to wander through other fun W.i.P.s!

Finish It Up! Challenge and Friday Night Sew-In

Last night was Friday Night Sew-In, and I worked most of the evening on the backing for the Dream Big quilt I've been working on. I had what I thought was a good idea, to create a focal point for the back with 'modern crosses', inspired by Don't Call Me Betsy's latest finish, and then 'fill in' with the large pieces of Central Park fabric left over from the front. Well, it didn't turn out quite like I'd imagined - much more scrappy than I'd hoped, but I think we'll go with it. I'm so inspired by other pieced backs I see online, but never quite 'get it' to my satisfaction. Anyway, I'll be sending Dream Big off to my long-arm quilter next week, as it's a tad large to tackle with my machine. Meanwhile, I've ordered the binding and plan to have that made up by the time the quilt comes back home.

 completed top

modern cross detail on back;

weather precludes a full photo today . . .

Yesterday I joined the Finish it Up! challenge, sponsored by Meg of Fashioned by Meg. It is suggested to only list projects that are actually cut out, so "Dream Big" is my first major w.i.p. listed. Also included will be "Light and Shadow" Bali pop quilt and "Gentlemen Caller", the last quilt in my Prairie Women Sewing Circle series.

Bali pop strips for Cappucino Light and Shadow

bow-ties for "Gentlemen Caller"

There are oodles of other projects listed on my sewing room white-board, but none are actually cut out, so we'll add those as we go along.

I'm linking up with both Friday Night Sew-In and Finish it Up!. . .

 

W.i.P. Wednesday

This week has been a good "back in the groove" kind of week. I sorted through my current and upcoming projects and sort of have a plan for the next couple of weeks. But seriously, there are not enough hours in the day!

Current projects

Comic Strip Quilt is quilted and so close to being complete - about 18" close, in fact.

My Dream Big top is nearing completion also. The 'pluses' are done.

Now the borders are going on - I'm reminded that this is not my favorite step in the quilting process either! But soon it will be done!

The Prairie Women Sewing Circle mini quilt has been put on hold for a few days as things progres on the previous two projects. Lots of little pieces and trimming yet to do here.

Ongoing projects

* Kaleidoscope quilt along hosted by don't call me betsy - I've added a few coordinates to my Denyse Schmidt Fairgrounds prints, and will soon have my stack collected for this qa that begins June 23. 

* Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow". Still hoping to get this further underway before the qa starts.

Upcoming projects

* Afternoon Snack table runner adapted from this pattern by G. E. Designs.

* Hoopla charm pack received in May's A Little Fabric, A Little Chocolate {Swap!}.

* Shades of Grey. Ideas are still percolating - tentatively to include my variety of KONA grays, and then adding that splash of {as yet undetermined, but I think I've decided} color. . .

* Stash quilt - Sew Katie Did's zig zag quilt. I'm hoping to get started on this at Katie's HST class on June 29!

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while
Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

That's it for this week! Now it's time to head on over to Freshly Pieced to see the other great W.i.P.s!

The Race is On

With the Kaleidoscope quilt along starting on June 23, and a Half Square Triangle class with Katie Pedersen of Sew Katie Did on June 29, there's really some {self-induced} pressure to get a few projects either finished or well on their way before the end of the month!

Central Park Dream Big

Prairie Women's Sewing Circle #6

Sherbet Pips Comic Strip

Not to forget Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow"! Lots to do this week, and hopefully I'll be able to join in on Friday Night Sew-In this Friday, June 17.

Meanwhile, linking up with {Sew} Modern Monday today!

Basics

I began my first quilting class on January 20, 1987 from Nancyann Twelker, who was a very well-respected quilt authority and teacher in the Pacific Northwest. It was from Nancyann that I learned the very basics of quilting, from vocabulary and technique to fabric choice and bias binding. (Nancy is why I still make 2" binding for all my quilts. Only in the last few years, did I stray from making bias binding for every quilt.)

Anyway, I thought of Nancyann last night, as I pulled out the last project of the Prairie Women’s Sewing Circle, a six-part kitted quilt along. This project has been on my W.i.P. Wednesday since the beginning, and I seriously want it done.

What brought Nancyann to mind was the "sandpaper board" I use every time I need to draw diagonal lines on squares, like I did last night for "Gentleman Caller", project #6 of the PWSC (basically a good old-fashioned bow tie quilt).

This board, made by Nancyann's husband, was purchased in that first class, and I have used it time and time again. I find it really does stablize the fabric as I draw those lines from corner to corner. Basically it's a piece of rough-grade sandpaper glued to a lap-size board.

I have tried The Angler 2 Tool, where no marking is involved, but usually come back to my tried-and-true (though boring) pencil and ruler method. At any rate, progress is underway, and I even got the first set of bow ties stitched up! 19 sets to go . . .