Mingled

Here's another do.Good Stitches finish - the latest from Faith Circle. I asked my bee mates for a mix of half-square triangles, quarter-square triangles, and half-square plus quarter-square triangles - a mix I really love.

You'll find great tutorials for all in Emily Dennis' How to Sew a Perfect Quarter-Square Triangle on Craftsy. They are a fun easy sew, and as you can see, look great in a solid and print combo.

I pieced just a few extra blocks into the backing, along with some stash solids. And then! Quilting.

I think this was the most fun I've had quilting in a while! I was at a loss at first, but finally cracked open Jacquie Gering's Walk book and settled on The Boomerang design. Let's just say it looks more complicated that it really was to execute. I tried Cotton + Steel 50 wt thread #753-1095, which provided a little contrast yet still blended really well.

The quilt finished at 48" x 56" and will soon be headed off to Valley Breast Center. And I'm happy to be caught up with my "outside" commitments, that's for sure.

All the Greens

What little guilt I had for not finishing February's Faith Circle quilt in the suggested timeline melted away today. Hubby and I are on a week-long get-away on Orcas Island, and this afternoon's exploring included a visit to Orcas Island Pottery, the oldest pottery in the Pacific Northwest, and a landmark since its inception in 1945. And yes, the pottery was lovely, showcased throughout the garden and in historic log cabins. The setting was itself, somewhat magical.



But it was the treehouse that led me to ask permission to take some photos, and photoshoot aside, climbing up into the 200 year old cedar tree took me back to my childhood, where encountering such a treehouse (with a bunkbed! and a play kitchen!) would have been a dream come true.



Back to the quilt, yes? It was inspired by the Pantone Color of the Year Greenery, and in fact, became a collection of many wonderful greens. Our bee used Jodi/Tales of Cloth's Squash Blossom block tutorial, which is just so striking. 



For the backing, I actually chose a print from Violet Craft's Christmas at Brambleberry Ridge, but it was a perfect green to tie those on the front together - enough so that I used it for the binding as well.



Quilting was kept simple - a serpentine stitch vertically across the quilt in Aurifil 50wt #2024 (White).

The finished quilt measures 48" x 60". I began to sew the binding on just a few days ago, waiting in the ferry line to Orcas, and took the last stitch in a cabin overlooking Deer Harbor. To be able to take photos of it with such an enticing backdrop as the pottery grounds was a bit of a thrill. Kind of like coming to the end of a well-loved fairy tale.

This project was on my 2017 Q2 Finish-A-Long list!

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday!

Off the Cuff

It was weeks ago when I agreed to make a quilted wall hanging for a friend's auction, so it was silly to wait till the week it was needed to get started. But that's what went down, basically because I couldn't decide what to do!

Rummaging through my solids scrap bin for bee blocks the other day, I unearthed some leftover Improv Under the Influence strips from my class with Krista Hennebury last year. [Here's my original project.]  I found a yard of Essex Linen in Graphite in my stash, and the ingredients were sorted out.

As you can see in the top photo, my design wasn't earth-shattering, but I figured I could spice things up a notch with some improv quilting, echoing the shapes in the strips. Most of the quilting was done in Aurifil 50wt #5004 (Grey Smoke), but I did a ghost strip in #2140 (mustard), then did the same quilting in the colored strips themselves. This was fun quilting! 

In the areas without a colored strip or ghost quilting, I stuck with straight-line, in 3/8" increments. Sadly, the ghost strip isn't that noticeable in the finished quilt - a good reason to try some thicker thread for accent quilting like this. Note to self!



Of course there was one strip that called out for some matched-binding, and why not?

Finishing at 34 x 42", I'm not quite sure this little quilt has a style that will most appeal to the auction crowd, but I managed to create it from stash and had fun making it up as I went, which was a good deal for me.

Untitled in Green

A friend at work recently asked if I'd make a wall-hanging for a charity auction he was supporting. I gladly said yes, loving the freedom of his instruction to make whatever I wanted. I chose improv.

It had been a while since I had stepped up to the cutting table with no real plan. I guess since I was still in a mod mood, I'd chosen a fat-quarter of Bloom Modern II by Jason Yenter along with a length of a natural Kokka cotton-linen blend. Krista/Poppyprint's improv under the influence technique came to mind, so I went ahead and cut a fat-quarter of the blend, placed it right sides together with the cotton, and started marking, sewing, and cutting, creating a squarish focal piece surrounded by negative space.

Quilting a squared-off zig-zag with Aurifil 50wt #2310 (light beige) gave the quilt considerable texture.

I  had an extra strip of piecing, so I cut it to work into the binding, above and below the main point of interest. Annnnd, I'd run out of the natural-colored linen by now, so I turned to a slightly darker shade of chambray to fill in as needed.

Though very simple in design, I thought there were enough little features to give this piece some interest. Finishing at 24" x 36", I hope it finds a home with someone who thinks so too.

The Habit of Giving

One of my summer sewing traditions these last few years has been to participate in 100 Quilts for Kids. Hosted by Heather/Quilts in the Queue, 100 Quilts for Kids is an annual charity quilt drive that encourages quilters to make a quilt and donate it to a child in need. One thing I love about this effort is that you are encouraged to donate quilts in your own community. I've set a few aside through the year, with plans to deliver them to my local Project Linus chapter. Here's what I'm sharing this year.

ETNO! Baby


Mod Irish


On the Clock

 

This year, the campaign is running from August 1-September 30. There's a place to link up, and a chance for prizes, even. Glance at this post which shows quilts I've donated in past drives, many with links to fun and simple quilt patterns that could still be made in plenty of time. Plus this year, I used my Quarter-Cut Baby Quilt Top tutorial, which provides another quick option. Hope you consider joining us in the giving tradition. It's a good thing.

Linking up with 100 Quilts for Kids. Join us in using the hashtag #100quilts4kids on Instagram (though I see #100quiltsforkids being used too).

February Bee & Charity Blocks

Time to report in on this month's bee blocks! The first set I tackled were Crosspatch (aka Roman Cross) Blocks for Kelli/Kelli W of That Stash Bee. The block is from Vintage Quilt Revival by Katie Clark Blakesley, Lee Heinrich, Faith Jones, and though I was intimidated at first, once I got sewing, they went together easily. What made them unique was the combo of regular and paper piecing.

 

Carla/lollyquiltz of Mid-Century Modern Bee asked for the same block and palette she did last time around, while adding in some white. She's going to have a really nice-sized Church Dash quilt when she's done! There's something about this that I just love, and I think it's one of my favorite traditional-done-modern blocks!

As host of FAITH Circle this month, I already shared my block request - Vice-Versa blocks designed by Gen-X Quilter. But I thought you might enjoy seeing what my bee-mates are up to! (That's my sample block in the first square.) Looking good, huh?

1. Vice Versa BOM January blocks, 2. vice versa block, 3. Faith Circle, February, 4. Faith Circle, February, 5. Feb 2014 blocks done, 6. Do. Good Stitches Faith February 2014, 7. February Vice Versa blocks ~ Faith Circle, 8. Faith Circle, February

And these last blocks are a bonus - Urban Chicken blocks for a SMQG charity quilt. The original block is by Michelle Freedman/Design Camp, and I was helped along by the photos posted by Wombat Quilts.

So that's it for February - and of course my list is already growing for March!

Pluses

My most recent quilt finish will be donated to an organization that provides transitional housing in my community. When first considering what to make for them, I happened upon the Double Plus Quilt pattern from Quilts by Emily, and honestly it was a perfect choice.

I hadn't made a quilt strictly by a pattern for a while, so it was actually quite refreshing. With nice big 15" blocks, this one went together effortlessly. The backgrounds are Alexander Henry's Heath in Metal and Northcott Colorworks in Pearl, two long-time favorites. All the plusses were made with stash fabrics first inspired by the brown and blue plaid below. As I added more fabrics, the green snuck in, and all together, the palette has a very soothing feel to me. Continuing with the easy-going flow, I quilted horizontally using one of my machine's specialty stitches, a wide and wavy zig-zag and my much-favored Aurifil 50wt #2600 (light gray).

Backing is a Juggling Summer print by Zen Chic in pale gray, and the binding a square white dot on gray by sherbet pips by Annela Hoey. Finishing at 60x75", this one was indeed a pleasure to make, and I'd highly recommend the pattern.

Now I'm just hoping it'll give someone else as much pleasure as it's given me.

Linking up at Fabric Tuesday and Finish it Up Friday.

Arbitrary Blocks

There've been some miscellaneous blocks stitched up over the last couple of weeks, and I'm going to start with one that I'm sharing only to keep it real. In no way do I fault the pattern for this Sunlight Star, June's block in the Lucky Star BOM. But the teensy-weensy bits in this 6 1/2" block just plain did me in. Let's just leave it at that.

On the other hand, the slab blocks made to benefit "Just One Slab Quilts Recover Southern Alberta" went together flawlessly. Actually, I made two (the pink and aqua), and my local quilting buddy, Sharon/SharonBinWA, made a couple also (the navy and orange).

Lastly was a block for the SMQG Clothworks Organic Solids Modern Block Challenge. We were each given a stack of delightful solids, courtesy of Clothworks.

I opted for some crazy piecing, inspired by Quilting Modern. The technique in the book worked like a charm for me, and before I knew it, I had quite a modern little blob.

And here's what I ended up with! The block measures 8 1/2".

At our guild meeting last night, we turned our blocks in by placing them together on a large flannel board. Soooo inspiring! We kind of over-filled the board, and I only have a phone photo to show, but I still think it's worth sharing! (See my little block in the botton-right corner.)

So very inspiring! These blocks will be made into a charity quilt (or two), so I'll be sure and share when it/they are done!

Linking up with Really Random Thursday.

Encouraging

Last month I shared about "to Boston with Love" . . .

The project grew and flags from all over the world were sent to encourage the people of Boston. Yesterday and today, the flags were installed to become a special event at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, simply called, "To Boston With Love." You can keep an eye on Amy/During Quiet Time's blog posts and facebook to see photos.

Meanwhile, another effort has started - a tangible expression that victims of the recent Oklahoma tornadoes are being remembered: OKC Modern Quilters: Oklahoma Tornado Relief - Moore Love. The guild is accepting completed quilts of any size or style through June 30 and will see that they are delivered directly to those affected. 

It's good to join in these efforts to encourage others when we can. The quilting community is a caring and generous group, and it's amazing what we can accomplish together. Faith of Fresh Lemons has obviously been thinking the same thing. As I was beginning this post, I happened upon hers on The Power of Community. She has taken the lovely step to start a page on her blog to keep a list of needs that could be met by people like us. Take a look, and consider sending some encouragement today.

Dear Boston

Even though I'm away for a few days and not in my sewing room, I've had a bit of computer time and read about a couple of ways to send encouragement to Boston after their recent tragedy. For one, the Boston Modern Quilt Guild is making quilts, and welcomes donations of quilt blocks. For color, size, and deadline and mailing info, check out this post. And there's also a Quilts for Boston flickr group where you can post your blocks.

The Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild has initiated a different kind of effort - one of flags that will be displayed in Boston. All the details are here, and again, there is a flickr group: To Boston With Love. 

The Seattle Modern Quilt Quilt will be joining in with Vancouver to make flags, so check out this post if you are a Seattle local and want to join in. I'll be back stitching soon to support these efforts, and I hope you'll consider joining me . . .