WIP List

My to-do list is suddenly out of control. I've mostly been progressing through one scrappy quilt after another over the summer, but this week I've added a couple of new quilt projects to my list. That AND I realized I had more WIPS than I thought. So let's see what all I've got going, ok?

1. The purple quilt, where quilting has just been completed and next I need to make and stitch on a facing. This one should be my next quilt finish, and relatively soon, so I'm feeling good about that.

2. I've received all of my Bee Sewcial @beesewcial blocks for my latest prompt! They are all up on the design wall, percolating, and I love them. A proper layout is next on the agenda, so mulling that one over. I'm thinking of possibly adding some more black and white, so I need to firm up some plans before moving ahead.

3. The Kitchen Quilt is brand new this week, and fortunately, I'll be working on its blocks over the next several weeks. So I'm feeling ok about taking my time with this one for now.

4. Oops! I'm joining the Elate QAL with Carolyn Friedlander @carolynfriedlander, which officially began today. I actually purchased the pattern and pre-ordered her new Memento fabric weeks ago, so it's been on my mind. The fabric is on it's way to me now, so my next task there is deciding which fat-quarter pairings I will use. There are 28 fat-quarters in the collection, and I only need 18 for the medium size quilt I'm planning to make.

5. Up to date on the BOM with Seattle MQG, there will be one more set of blocks to make in September, then I assume we'll get the layout instructions in October. So if I follow instructions as they arrive, I shouldn't have to get serious about a quilt top for a while.

6. The Inspired by Nature workshop I took with Vicky Conley @vicki_conley_are_and_design last month was great, though I wasn't totally happy with my result. So it'll take some focus to take a fresh look at it and move forward, and it's TBD what I decide about all that.

7. Remember the Patchwork City quilt blocks I was hoping to continue with the Tula Pink fabric I got off the free table at a guild meeting? Well I've only made one 'new' block so far, and though I do want to continue, I feel like that project will take some real focus too. It's a mix of pieced and paper-pieced blocks, and will probably continue on the back burner for a while.

Yikes! How did that even happen? I very rarely have a quilt WIP list this long. But I don't feel too bad about it, knowing my scrap basket it almost empty from all the scrappy quilts I've made lately, but it does feel a tad overwhelming, yes. Especially since I was hoping to make at least one more scrap quilt with what's left in the scrap basket, and I was hoping to take a fabric printing class and make something with my own printed fabric, just to try something new. So we'll see how it goes. #1 is top priority, and I fully intend to get serious about #2 and #4 next; then #3 and #5 over the next couple of months as I get the info I need. That doesn't sound too impossible, does it?

About Those WIPS

It was back in September that I listed out the six quilt works-in-progress that I had going on. Six was A LOT for me! But I've been steadily making progress, and thought I'd report back in about them, probably for the final time. I'll share the last couple, of course, again once they are complete.

1. Summer Sampler 2021 :: Finally, some progress!! I put my blocks back up on the design wall while I considered stash sashing options.

I settled on some choices, and actually have everything cut out to finish the top. Now to start in on piecing! I know I still have a ways to go, but a finish at least feels feasible now.

2. Bee Sewcial fine-line pieced blocks :: You've seen this one finished, and no, it didn't get accepted into QuiltCon like I'd hoped, but it's done, and ready to share another day.

3. House Top blocks :: Housetops is done, and happily it got washed up and was gifted. And I wondered aloud to my daughter recently that I could find no blue scraps in the scrap basket.... Hmm. I wonder why.

4. QuiltCon Artisan Cotton Fabric Challenge :: This one, Striped Much, is also done and was submitted to the challenge it was created for. Since it wasn't accepted into the show, it's ready to find a new home.

5. Bowtie blocks :: Progress here too! I need just a few more hand-pieced blocks for my chosen layout, and those are now prepped. I had to order more Kona Enchanted, which wasn't easy to find! But I have it now, and this one's on the docket for more piecing once my deadline hand-stitching is complete.

6. Seattle MQG Salsa Medallian BOM [aka my own Pantone challenge] :: Also complete, and I'm now looking forward to discovering what fabric is closest to the new Pantone COTY, Very Peri.

So, I feel pretty good about how my WIP list has played out. Of course, other quilts and projects have snuck in, which is fine. But I'll keep plugging along, and definitely will be glad when this list is no more.

WIP Update

So almost a month ago, I posted about my then-current WIP list of six quilts. I've definitely make some good progress, and hope you don't mind my reporting in. 

1. Summer Sampler 2021 :: Haven't touched this one, but will need to settle on sashing fabrics and get them ordered. Since I'm choosing to (sorta) restrict my fabric purchases, I'll do that when the time comes.

2. Bee Sewcial fine-line pieced blocks :: One morning I woke up with a vision, and have found that the puzzling hasn't been that bad. There's been both some 'sashing' and block piecing necessary, but overall I'm feeling really good about this one. A ways to go, but I'm steadily working on it!

3. House Top blocks :: This one has been hard to resist. When I haven't had much time or focus, these blocks have been perfect. As the scrap sizes have been whittled down, I've pulled from stash just a bit - grabbing from the small (less than fat-quarter) pieces I keep there. In doing so, the palette has lightened up a little, which I think will work out fine in the long run. So I'm shooting for 72 blocks and I've got 60 made! Here's the latest 25.

4. QuiltCon Artisan Cotton Fabric Challenge :: Oh yeah. Big success here. Striped Much is my challenge entry and also fit for the Connected Stripes Challenge. This one was a joy to create once I buckled down and got to it.

And then I got a bonus, choosing to deal with the scraps in the moment rather than tossing them in the scrap basket. Sequel was the happy result, and felt like a little respite from all things stressful. Scraps, improv, dense grid quilting, matched binding - I let this one encompass much of what I love about quilting.

5. Bowtie blocks :: These blocks are still safely set aside until the design wall is clear, so I can figure out a layout. Looking forward to more hand-piecing in my future, and seeing if 100 blocks will do or if I need to make more.

6. Seattle MQG Salsa Medallian BOM [aka my own Pantone challenge] :: I said this one would be the simplest and quickest to finish, so I did just that. Some Like It Medium was just what I needed to get me working through my list.

So two WIPs down, a bonus project, and two with major progress. I better get back to it!

2018 Finish-A-Long :: Q2 List

Considering I should have the project that I'm currently focused on done by the time the Q2 list link-up closes, that will leave just two wips to finish up this quarter. First really needs to be the multicolor wedge slab quilt for Faith circle.



After that, I'd like to get back to the Color Play quilt I started at QuiltCon. I'll need to find my notes, ahem, but with any luck I can get up to speed rather quickly. I'm looking forward to that.



So just two projects, but that worked well for me last quarter, and should still leave plenty of room for starting some yet-unknown projects as well. That sounds good to me.

WIP Wednesday

Throughout 2011 and well through 2014, I participated weekly in Lee/Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday link-up, where we would show progress on everything we were working on, basically encouraging us to, you know, keep sewing! It was really motivating and a fun group to be a part of. By the time it ended, I wasn't posting as often, but sometimes I miss it.

I'm actively working on three different quilts right now, waiting for blocks to arrive for another, weeks behind in a sew-along, and antsy to get back to piecing one and quilting on another. And of course, should really be working on something else that has a hard deadline. It all gets to be a bit much. So for old time's sake? Simple accountability? Whatever, it seemed important to gather them all together and report in.

Sidewalk Chalk on Asphalt - So nearly finished! It's back from being quilted by Stitched in Color, and I'm half-way through 416" of binding.

Looking Up - I've been quilting a few lines whenever I have a chance, and I'm close to finishing. It's unique, inspired (at least I think so), and imperfect.

Faith Circle Multicolor Wedge Slabs are still rolling in and I absolutely love them! After all of the neutrals I've been handling lately, this one's a delightful chance of pace.

My Two-Color Composition from Season Evan's class is really what I feel like getting to - something small and quick to finish. I may use it as a breather between finishing those top two and moving on to my deadline project.... a bit of a pause.

I'd also like to get back to Color Play, which I started in Tara Faughnan's class at QuiltCon. This one will probably wait a bit, but I'm excited about it.



The hand-pieced Teeny Tiny Trip Around the World is another one I'm working on consistently. Begun with Chawne Kimber at QuiltCon, I was sewing on it a bit every night until I started in on binding. So I hope to get back to it in a few days. This one will obviously be a long-term project. I'm hoping I don't lose interest any time soon.

And lastly is the #yearofscrappytriangles. I'm way behind, but have every intention of catching up. These blocks are quick to do, so I just need the right space. It'll come.

So there. Thanks for letting me air things out. 

Addendum

Well so much for my great commitment to starting out the year planless. I boldly put just two wips on my Q1 Finish-A-Long list, and gave the others (albeit only two) away. That felt good, and I was really hopeful that I could and would improv my way through the year. So about that.

I have made progress on the two wips and am still holding out a thread of hope that I can finish them this month. The Patchwork Forest top (above) is pieced, measuring 65" x 80". I need to come up with a backing and then get quilting. It doesn't need to be fancy, but it'll take some time of course. We shall see.

Below is the finished top of my Seattle MQG improv block-of-the-month from 2016. Brace yourselves.... I sent this one out to be quilted! I KNOW! I've gotten a few sneak peeks, and I love what I've seen. There's still a chance I'll get it back in the next couple of weeks with just enough time to bind it up before the quarter is over. Fingers crossed!

Ok, so that's all the old news. Here's what else I've got going....

So remember, two group quilts were started with the Pantone and Kona colors of the year? One was when I was host for Faith Circle's February do. Good Stitches quilt, and I've just received back all the blocks for that, so this quilt needs finished up soon.

And, I have over 30 gorgeous improv blocks from Seattle MQG for our current giving quilt, all using Kona's Pink Flamingo. Aren't they cool? Sorry, the lighting wasn't the best, but I think you can still get a hint of how awesome they are, right? I'm anxious to get them all up on the design wall!

Stay tuned for a review on Amy Friend's new book, Improv Paper Piecing: A Modern Approach to Quilt Design, coming soon. I'm digesting it a bit with a small project, so you'll see this finished before long.

And lastly, I started the project below for a challenge that's due in May, so I've set it aside for now. The rules are very particular regarding color and size and theme, so I'll share more of this as I go, but at least I have my idea in place. I just need to make it happen.



Whew! I hardly know what to work on first....the maker's dilemma, right?

Whole Cloth

Often after I've published an issue of The Scrap Basket newsletter, I've been inclined to try the technique or pattern I just featured. Most recently, it was the issue with whole cloth quilts that got me going in a new direction.

For the top of my whole cloth quilt, I chose a colorful Cotton+Steel print from Mesa by Alexia Abegg. This particular piece of fabric has a fun story attached, considering Alexia was standing right next to me when I purchased it at QuiltCon!

Anyway, I cut a length 45"x60" for the top, and pieced 9 coordinating C+S fat-quarters for a backing.

Shock of shocks, I decided I better pin-baste, since I was planning on hand-quilting this one. I know, also shocking. But my machine was headed in for a check-up, so it was perfect timing to go this route.

I posted the following progress photo on Instagram, asking two questions: 1 - "how big IS "big stitch" quilting?" and 2 - "who else stitches 2 (or more) rows with 2 (or more) needles before moving their hoop?" Here's a link to the conversation. I was kind of surprised that alot of folks don't even use a hoop when doing hand-quilting, though many also sewed with several needles at a time, so I don't feel weird about that. And my stitches measure about 1/4", which was the general consensus for big stitch quilting, though I'm not super consistent on my stitch length unfortunately. Considering I like organic quilting in general, I'm OK with that too. One clever commenter asked if I was left-handed, and no, I am not. I just happened to grab the hoop for a photo without thinking what direction I was holding it.

So here's where I am now, with about 1/3 of the quilting done. I'm using bamboo batting, and it's quilting very easily. As you can see, I'm using several colors of perle cotton #8, and combining both straight and outline stitches, all quite randomly chosen. (I like organic, remember?)

Despite the orientation of these photos, the quilting is actually going across the quilt. So it's slow sewing for me right now, and though I really miss my machine, I'm enjoying this project for what it is.

I'd  love to hear about your experience with whole cloth quilts, hand-quilting on pin-basted vs. spray-basted quilts, if you have a preferred batt for hand quilting, what "thread" you use, etc. etc. This is new territory for me, and I'm all ears.

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.

That Thing Called Process

Often when I start a project there comes a moment a few hours in, where I stand back and say to myself, "What was I thinking?" I just asked myself that very question.

So we have a guild challenge going on - a "binary" challenge, where we are to make a two-color quilt. No other criteria beyond that, except it's due on December 7. And yeah, I'm just getting started.

I began with a fat-quarter stack of green Kona cotton solids and picked out a variety of shades.

To start, I cut strips 2" - 3 1/2" wide from each fat quarter, and from there began crazy piecing, using the method in Quilting Modern as a general guide. I kept going until I had a mass approximately 24x28" or about 672 square inches of green craziness.

As a background, I'm using Andover Textured Solid in Tapioca. I cut a piece 16"xWOV to start, and began the process of slicing and inserting 1" - 2" strips of the crazy piecing. Here's the first piece up on my well-used design wall.

I finished transferring what was in my head to my fabric. And here is where I'm asking myself that question. "Uh, what was I thinking?"

I found some fun backing in my stash but some bamboo batt is still on its way, so I have a bit of time to mull over quilting, and basically just stand back and look at it. We'll see where it goes from here. Stay tuned!

Linking up with W.i.P. Wednesday.