Weave Got This! :: :: Blocks 7A + 7B

After all the improv I've been doing, precision piecing like this took real focus. But this month's guild BOM blocks are done, each 8.5" x 17.5".

Thankfully, though I was kind of dreading making these, they were pretty straightforward and went together in just a couple of hours of sewing. Now they're safely tucked away until I work on the project again next month.

Weave Got This! :: :: Blocks 6A + 6B

With this month's block assignment, we're over half-way through with this year's Seattle MQG BOM! And for the first time, my blocks used both the main and accent colors together.

There's actually a lighter orange that didn't get used this time, but still. It's fun to see more of a color variety in these blocks. Mirror-image blocks can get confusing, but this time they went together so quick and easy, there's not a seam-ripper in sight!

Weave Got This! :: :: Blocks 4A + 4B and 5A + 5B

Anxious to receive this month's assignment for our guild BOM, I was happy to see I FINALLY got to use my green accent colors - Konas Peridot (darker) and Olive (lighter). The assignment consisted of making four pairs of quarter log cabin blocks.

There were actually 4 sets of mirrored blocks, and the problem with making the pair above and then taking a break, was when I came back, I repeated the exact same process again, rather than making them with a mirrored layout. Oops. Eventually, I got it right....

On the second set, I paid better attention and got it right the first time.

Of course, I'm curious how these will 'fit' with the other blocks I've made, and IF some future blocks will include all six of my palette colors. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to be done with this month's assignment and moving on to other projects.

Weave Got This! :: :: Blocks 3A + 3B

With a gap between quilting projects, it was the perfect time to get my guild BOM blocks done for this month!

We're still working with the strip sets we made in February, but creating much more intricate blocks than we did last month.

The two sets of two are mirror images of each other and measure 17.5" x 11.5" unfinished. IE. they are good sized blocks!

So that's it for this project for now. Still anxious to see the other colors in my palette come into play.

Weave Got This! :: :: Blocks 1 + 2

One project I am hoping to keep up with this year is the Seattle MQG BOM that we're doing, Weave Got This! A mystery quilt design inspired by woven textiles, it's being hosted by our guild-members Nora Bauser @norstar_german and Rachel Singh @liketosew. Last month had us making strip sets, some of which were used to make the blocks in this month's assignment.

Block 1 involved cutting up two strip sets and arranging them into the pieced blocks on the right, above. We made four of those, and also of Block 2, which was done by cutting up another strip into 7.5" widths. So my work on this is done until we get April's assignment. I'm anxious to add in the greens from my palette, but who knows when that will be. So far, so good though.

Weave Got This!

At our last Seattle MQG guild meeting, a new BOM was announced, led by guild-members Nora Bauser @norstar_german and Rachel Singh @liketosew. It's a mystery quilt BOM, and we have the choice of doing a two-color or a six-color quilt. 

I'm going to go with six colors, and after perusing my stash with a list of fabric requirements in hand, I've chosen to use all KONA cottons with Espresso for my foreground color, Putty for the background, Tangerine and Orangeade as one set of accents, and Peridot and Olive as another. I need to order a bit more Espresso and Olive, but otherwise I'm good to go.

So my task for this month is done, and I'm anxious for our first piecing instructions come February.

Calendar Cascade Top!

It always feels GREAT to have a year-long project finished. Well, not finished per se, but at least I have a quilt top!

Designed by Seattle MQG guild member Naomi te Wildt @quiltingnaomi, the Calendar Cascade top is 70" x 92". I think it's a very clever design, with each row signifying a month of the year. I did add an extra insert in the row for November. My half-circles didn't quite meet cleanly, so that insert makes it a little less obvious. By then, I didn't have many of my original fabrics left that were large enough, so I chose the one I thought was best. Not ideal, but I'm ok with it.

Honestly, 92" is larger than I really feel like quilting these days, so happily, I've made arrangements to have this one long-armed. SO I need to get going on a quilt back and hopefully I can hand it off before long.

Calendar Cascade Catch Up

Back a few months when I began piecing my Calendar Cascade quilt, Seattle MQG's 2025 BOM, I didn't expect to wait quite so long to revisit the project. But time flew by, and finally I managed to catch up and make rows for May, June, and July.

Each month's assignment doesn't exactly match up with the actual month of the year when it's released. Remember, count how many shapes are in a specific row and that will tell you what month it's for - one for January, two for February, etc. So our assignments so far:

• February - make rows for January and April
• March - make rows for July and August
• April - make row for May
• May - make row for February
• June - make row for December
• July - make row for October 

Thus, we're actually 2/3 of the way through the year's rows! The bottom row for December shown above will actually receive borders along the top and bottom edges, once I order a bit more fabric. So I'll add that one day soon. Meanwhile, let's see if I can keep up a little better going forward.

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!

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.

Like, Totally :: June

Louise @imfeelincrafty, creator of this year's Seattle MQG BOM, looooves quarter circle blocks. So no surprise that a handful of them are included in this year's BOM. I can't say they're my favorite, but I don't really mind them, either. So once I got to a stopping point on my current project, I figured I'd take a break and get my June blocks done.

Fun that they were in two sizes! Also fun that Louise had us piece the block scraps together (not pictured), saying we'd be using them later. The less scraps the better, right? I could be wrong, but it would be just like Louise to encourage us to piece those 'extra' blocks into our quilt backs when the time comes. We'll see!

Like, Totally :: March

While watching our Seattle MQG zoom meeting this week, I finally got a start on this month's BOM blocks - a collection of flying geese!

I thought to go through my stash of charm squares for potential background fabrics, a holdover from my earlier quilting days, and was happy to find a nice handful of bold black and white prints. I used them in the blue block, and those three single geese at the bottom of the photo above. I kinda think they'll add a punch in the final quilt. Now they're all safely stored away until next month's assignment.

The "Like, Totally" Quilt BOM

Nothing like finishing one guild block-of-the-month just in time to start another! I'm pretty excited, though, as this year's BOM is designed by my good buddy Louise @imfeelincrafty. This year, the BOM is more of a sewalong than mystery, for a change. With a bit of an '80s feel, it's called "Like, Totally" quilt.

Louise provided a nice swatch card for us, and in addition to swatches of the fabrics I'm using, I also added the names, in case I need more along the way. As you can see, I'm using Kona cotton solids in Raisin, Rich Red, Lipstick, Pacific, and Lupine, with a variety of low volume fabrics for backgrounds.

February's blocks were pretty quick to sew up, and are all trimmed to 8.5" square. 

It's been fun to see the reaction to Louise's quilt design, and even non-members wanting to join us in the sewalong. Which is great! The link is open to all if you happen to be interested too!

Diamond Flare :: December

As fellow Seattle MQG members began to post their finished Diamond Flare Quilt tops, I got inspired to pull my blocks out and sew mine up! 

We've been working on our block-of-the-month (AKA BOM) all year, a pattern by guild member Taylor Krz @toadandsew, and the complete top measures 71" square. I still need to finish a quilt back, which I'm making from scraps left from yardage for the top. Hopefully I'll have this one quilted and done  early in the new year.

Diamond Flare :: September

Before the month comes to an end, I took some time to whip up the latest segments for my Seattle MQG Diamond Flare BOM quilt. This month's assignment - the stepping stone blocks on the sides of the pieced triangle blocks from last month - took a while and definitely demanded some concentration, but I love that they used all but one of the fabrics in my palette.

So this month's pieces were stitched together with last month's, but what comes next remains to be seen. One step at a time, right?

Diamond Flare :: August

It took me a while to sew up the latest installment of my Diamond Flare, the BOM quilt with Seattle MQG, but once I did, it was done in no time.

Of course I have no idea how those pieces will fit into the final round, but they're ready when the next step is revealed! We actually have three more installments before the quilt top is complete, so we've a ways to go. Until then, the mystery remains....

Diamond Flare :: July

Well my Diamond Flare BOM quilt with Seattle MQG is growing! Designed by guild member Taylor Krz @toadandsew, I was excited to see what this month's reveal held. My Diamond Flare went from this....

to this.

I felt like it was transformed with the addition of those corner piece, both in continuing the design, as well as the addition of those dark squares. It now measures 51" square! We're really only half-way along, as the final 'border' will take us several months to construct. But meanwhile, I like how it's looking, and am intrigued by the process. AND it's been Lego-inspected, so all is well.

Diamond Flare :: May

Those participating in the Diamond Flare BOM with Seattle MQG are really enjoying it from what I can see. (Take a quick peek!) The BOM is a mystery quilt designed by guild member Taylor Krz @toadandsew, and as the description implies, we are receiving just a bit more info each month. Here's where I left off last month, with a 31" square.

For May, we were given instructions to complete four sections and leave them untrimmed for now. 

Of course we don't know how things are going to fit together yet. So we'll all have to stay tuned to see what's next!

Diamond Flare :: April

Happily, the Diamond Flare BOM with Seattle MQG is proving to be very popular! (Take a quick peek!) And after completing March's blocks, I confess I was eager to see what was next.

A mystery quilt designed by guild member Taylor Krz @toadandsew, I was questioning my chosen palette just a bit after adding this month's blocks (the stripes). But Taylor assured me it would all turn out great, and I'm confident it will. This block will become the center of my quilt and currently measures 31" square. Now to pack it all away and wait patiently for May's block release. 

Diamond Flare :: March

Just popping in quickly to share the first block assignment for the Seattle MQG block-of-the-month, Diamond Flare. It's a mystery quilt designed by guild member Taylor Krz @toadandsew, and it started off easy with a bunch of HSTs.

It was hard to get a decent true-color photo of the blocks, but, as instructed, I used my lightest and darkest colors from my fabric pull - Kona Blue and Kona Forest.

So now we wait until April's meeting when the next assignment will be released. No worries... plenty of wips to work on here.