WIP: Boxes of Colour + Mystery Quilt + Block Swap + Next Quilt

Well, it’s been a couple of weeks and the Boxes of Colour quilt isn’t finished 😞 My sewing machine — specifically the bobbin case — decided to go north for the summer season rather than continue the quilting process. The bobbin case wrenched itself out of its foundation, not once but twice. Mike was able to get it back into place the first time, but we decided the second time to get a new bobbin case. Amazon came through in a couple of days and I installed the new case — and the same thing happened with the new case. Razzlefracket !!!!

I found a sewing machine repair person with very good ratings (what did we do before the Internet?) and this past Wednesday I brought my machine to him. I expected to pull out my old machine, but lo and behold, the guy, Daniel, fixed it while I was standing there. A little stopper was slightly out of alignment. which allowed the bobbin case to leap out. He was a bundle of tips and tricks about the machine. He oiled some places I didn’t know about and now my machine runs as smooth as silk.

I’ll finish the Boxes of Colour very soon and show you a picture in my next post.

My block swap partner and I mailed each other our Old Italian block. On the left is her block and mine on the right. They complement each other very well and I assume they’ll be incorporated into the mystery quilt.

Speaking of the mystery quilt, the above are Clue #1 block. I’m loving the colors. . .

While my machine was out of commission, I started cutting fabric for my next quilt “Standing Strong” pictured below. This is a Quilts of Valor (QoV) quilt and I’ll be donating it to the Quilts of Valor organization. You can see more here. Since QoV are on the larger side (minimum of 55” x 65”; maximum of 72” x 90”) I’ll be sending this quilt to my longarm quilter.

This quilt checks a couple of boxes I’ve had on my list: a donation quilt to QoV and a bargello quilt. More about bargello here. This is the first quilt kit I’ve bought; based on my experience with counted cross stitch quilts, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have enough fabric in the kit and would have to purchase more. But so far I’ve had extra fabric when I’ve finished the cutting.

WIP: Boxes of Colour + Mystery Quilt + Block Swap

In my last update, I noted that were were a few problems with the quilt top and it was — frankly — ugly. Well, I’ve fixed that and here’s the quilt sandwich, complete with my toes and Bridges’s paw 😁 I’ve begun the quilting and this will likely be complete by the end of August.

I got the fabric for the first clue in the Cotton Cuts mystery quilt. I watched a couple of YouTube videos as a couple of bloggers put together their fabric. I also read up on “flying geese” blocks (this is the first time I’ve done flying geese) and here’s my first two sets of blocks. The flying geese are the left black and white dots in Sec. 1B. Flying geese can be difficult because you’re sewing on the bias which can stretch out of alignment. I’m pretty pleased with my technique on this.

I completed the Old Italian blocks for the Block Swap (Cotton Cuts is sponsoring this) and I have the name and address of the individual who I’ll exchange blocks with !! I might give that person a choice of the two blocks — or I might not. . .

WIP: Boxes of Colour + Mystery Quilt + Block Challenge/Swap

I’m still working along on the Boxes of Colour quilt and laid it on the floor to see how things were looking. There are a couple of problems with the quilt. First off the butterfly fabric is too bright and calls too much attention to itself. I’ll make another couple of blocks to replace these. Secondly I need to make two more Block B’s to fill in the upper left of the quilt. And lastly, I think this is pretty ugly. I made a poor design choice when I selected two different purples. I should have used the same background for all the blocks which would have showcased the blocks better. Ah, well, lesson learned. . . Perhaps someone can use it as a dog bed 😳

I’ve decided to join in on a Block of the Month Piazza Mystery Quilt from Cotton Cuts. A BOM (Block of the Month) project means that once a month I receive a set of pre-cut fabric to sew together to eventually create a quilt. Cotton Cuts had about 10 different colorways (you can see them here) and two different sizes - small and large.. I chose the small Venezia (no surprise since I love red and black & white). This project is a mystery quilt, meaning none of us quilters know what the final quilt will look like. I got my first “clue” this week (pictured below). The fabric is high quality and the instructions seem clear and straightforward. Additionally, Cotton Cuts is working with a quilt blogger who is creating a video showing how to create the quilt element(s). Yay !!!

Lastly, Cotton Cuts is hosting a block challenge/swap. Each of those participating are given an 8.5”x8.5” swatch of fabric from our chosen colorway. Each of us selects a coordinating color from our stash and creates the block pictured below. This particular quilting technique creates two blocks in reverse colors. We’re given an address for our “partner” and we exchange the blocks through snail mail. I suppose I’ll have to create more blocks to make a placemat or mini quilt. This is my first experience with this and I’ve been wanting to challenge myself with more intricate blocks. So off the diving board I go into deep water 😜

WIP: Boxes of Colour (aka broken squares)

I’m creating the blocks for the Boxes of Colour quilt. The fabric I’m using is “Utopia Metallic” by Designer Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

The quilt designer has two block - labeled “Block A” and “Block B” which fit together to form a larger block. You can see the larger block loosely fitted together on my new “design wall” (a picnic tablecloth with flannel on the back - it works wonderfully !) The Block Bs create the look of a broken squares - at least to my eye.

I’m working on creating all the Block A and will then create all the Block B.

Zig Zag in Purple - Complete + Looking Ahead

The Big Zigzag quilt is complete !! I did more quilting on this project than any other I can remember. I used a variegated purple thread that ran from the palest orchid to the darkest purple and I’m very pleased with the outcome.

And another completion !! The second pair of throw pillow covers in what I call Aztec/Pueblo fabric. These look very nice on our living room sofa.

I bought a jelly roll (a full length of fabric [about 42”] by 2.5”) that I fell in love with (purple again 😁 ) and I’ll be using the fabric to make the “Boxes of Colour” baby quilt. The first picture below is the inspiration quilt and the second is a glimpse of some of the fabrics in the jelly roll and the background fabric I’ll be using.

I was browsing through my ever-growing “Is this my next quilt?” bookmarks and landed on Moda’s free Boxes of Colour. (Moda is one of the top fabric manufacturers. Most fabric manufacturers have free quilt patterns which showcase their fabric.) Fortunately the entire quilt pattern was on this page since the designer has abandoned her site. I really like the sort-of “broken boxes” and isn’t the quilting pattern cool !!

WIP: Zig Zag in Purple + Looking ahead

Here’s the inspiration quilt for Zig Zag in Purple. The pattern is from the book Go Big Go Bold by Barbara Cain; I’m making the lap size quilt which finishes at 45” x 60”. I was quite taken with several patterns and decided to do the Zig Zag in shades of purple.

Here’s the layout of the quilt; we have very tall windows, so you’re seeing the sun shining in slits (my photography needs some work 😜 )

I began the quilting yesterday (May 14, 2022) and will be at for several days. I’m using a variegated thread that begins in a very pale pink through dark purple. I’m pleased with the look of it. Here’s the quilting in progress:

I want to make throw pillow covers for our sofa; the throw pillows haven’t changed for a looooong time. You know I love the Maypole pattern so in consultation with my design expert (aka “the hubs”) we decided on something like this inspiration cover

Here’s the central fabric (I call it Aztec/Pueblo) with fat quarters of the coordinating fabrics. The throw pillow covers come together quickly since they’re easy-peasy.

Maypole Pillow Covers + Zig Zag

The weather here is shifting between spring and late winter. When we have spring-like days, we’ve been busy tending to flower beds and doing a little planting to replace shrubs that didn’t make it though the winter. So sewing time has been somewhat limited.

As you can see, I finished both pillow covers (and yes, Callie is shedding like crazy 😁 ). Mike is pleased to see bright fabric on his sofa. These are not quilted so I won’t include these in my gallery.

I’m starting work on another quilt that I call “Zig Zag in Purple”. The fabric with the triangles will be the background and the lighter purples will the the zig-zag. The merlot-colored fabric will be the binding.

Color Theory + Maypole Pillow Cover

I’ve decided to abandon the color theory class. I can’t see - at this point in time - how color theory will help me with my quilting. I watched a couple of color theory lectures on YouTube and, although the lectures were clearer than the instructor in my class, I’m not persuaded it will help me.

My current goal is to expand my quilt horizon using different blocks - both traditional and modern. I’m pretty shameless about copying someone else’s color combinations if I like them so I’m abandoning color theory for the moment.

I’ve decided to work on a block-a-month sew-along. More about that later.

I fell in love with the Maypole pattern by Suzy Quilts and I discovered that she has a Maypole pattern for pillow covers. I bought it because I’ve been wanting to update my throw pillows. The unfinished cover above I’m calling “spring”. It is way beyond my comfort level with patterned fabric but it turns out to look really good in Mike’s office. I’m working on the second pillow cover and will have them finished in my next post.

Square in Square Quilt + Color Theory Class

The square in square quilt is complete !! I liked working on this and I like the quilt. It will go into the pile of quilts to be donated once Mike and I are tired of it.

My color theory class met (remotely through YouTube) last Saturday, 3/12 and we were assigned two blocks. Our lesson was on monochrome colors and that was our assignment — two blocks in monochrome colors.

The block above is the Shoo Fly block. I have lots of gray fabric so that’s what I used.

The history of the Shoofly Quilt Block dates back to the mid-1800’s!  

This 9-patch block was named after a wild plant with rounded flowers called clover broom or shoofly.  Another name for this quilt block is “Hole in the Barn Door”.  The block is pretty simple to make and uses a limited number of half-square triangles HSTs). Our instructor suggested a 6” block, but assured us we could make any size we wished.

Star of Hope - 6” block

The block above is titled Star of Hope (again in shades of gray) and again our instructor suggested a 6” block. I used my Cricut (cutting machine) to cut the squares and then I cut some of the squares in half diagonally and again in half diagonally. At once I realized it was hopeless. Rest assured that the HSTs are TINY. I’m going to size the block up to 12” so the HSTs are easier to sew. This is a pretty block and while it’s not wonderful in gray, it will be attractive.

Today (March 19) we’ll be talking about analogous colors and I suspect we’ll be assigned a couple of more blocks (all of which will be 12” 😁)

Square-in-Square (Kaffe fabric) + Color Class

This “square-in-square” quilt featuring fabric from the Kaffe Fassett Collective is coming along nicely. Here’s the untrimmed quilt sandwich. The pink fabric folded at the top will be the binding. I’m really happy with the quilt backing (at the lower right) which I found at my local quilt shop. I’ll trim up and square the quilt, then cut and apply the binding.

I’m taking an online class titled “Color Theory for Quilters” presented by The Quilt Show. I’ve never explored color theory (no reason to do so in my former life) and so far the class is interesting, but I’ve no idea yet how to apply it to my quilting life. I bought the starter kit which includes the feature fabric (teal floral at the top left) + a number of fat quarters (these usually measure 18” x 22”).

Our instructor asked us to do a fabric pull with additional colors. Since all of the fabric in the kit is patterned I thought solids would be the way to go. Here’s my first take on fabrics to create the quilt blocks. You might notice that I’ve used the pink fabric from the Square-in-Square quilt above plus red from my stash. Once she announces the blocks she’s like us to make, I might change my mind. . . we’ll see

Maypole complete & Kaffe Fassett in Progress + a class !!

The Maypole Quilt in Red is complete !! I really like this pattern and I have a couple of inspiration quilts that you might see over time.

I’m not nuts about the specific fabric, but I could see this with sunflowers.

A classic in navy & white.

I’ve been working along on the Kaffe Fassett “square in square” quilt. Here are a few examples of the blocks I’m creating.

The quilt pattern doesn’t call for sashing but I’m going to include sashing ‘cause I don’t like these fabrics butted up to each other. Sashing is a strip of fabric that divide quilt blocks from each other. I haven’t thought too much yet about how I’ll quilt this.

I’m taking an online class - my first quilting class ever ! I’ve been thinking that I need to up my game in terms of different blocks. As I look through the quilts I’ve completed I see lots of simple blocks with a few exceptions. This class is largely about color theory for quilters but incorporates different blocks to create a sampler quilt. A sampler quilt doesn’t use the same block over and over — many sampler quilts use 12 different blocks, but any number of blocks can be used.

Even better, there’s a starter set of fabric and a book. The starter fabric is pictured below. The class starts on 2/19/22 (available on YouTube & Facebook) and I’m looking forward to it.

Maypole in Red // Square in Square // Bird Quilt

The Maypole quilt in Red top is complete. I’m waiting for the backing material so I’ll make a start on my next quilt — Square in Square with fabric from Kaffe Fassett. In the planning stages is a third quilt which I’m calling the Bird Quilt.

Here’s a picture of the fabric for the Square in Square quilt. I love the designs that Fassett and his collaborators create. The heavily patterned pieces are 6” strips, 42” long; they’ll be cut to create the center square. The folded fabric will be used to create the frame around the central square.

The Bird Quilt is in the planning stage. I’ve downloaded the block patterns; I’ll need to calculate how much fabric I need to create the quilt itself. This is the inspiration quilt that called my name and tripped me as I went by 😁 😁

A start -- Maypole Baby Quilt

I’ve long admired the pattern “Maypole” by Suzy Quilts. I finally decided this was a quilt I wanted to make. After looking at many, many Maypoles other quilters created I decided on this quilt as my inspiration quilt.

So off I went to my local quilt shop and here’s the fabric one of the staff helped me put together.

I’ll begin cutting the fabric and will have more for you soon. . . .

A Finish: Kettle of Fish

The mini quilt Kettle of Fish is complete !!

I used a variegated thread to create wavy lines and I think that worked very well. I think it looks good on the wall in my sewing room.

WIP: Kettle of Fish

The fish quilt is coming along as you can see from the layout above. I need to square up the blocks but I like the layout and Mike approves (he’s my design guru 😁 ) . Once I’m ready to quilt (which will be soon) I found a variegated blue and green thread and I plan to use wavy quilt lines which might simulate ocean movement.

A Start -- Kettle of Fish

I’ve begun working on a quilt titled “A Kettle of Fish” using batik fabric. Here’s a picture of some of the fabric I’m using

And I’ve created a couple of blocks one of which looks like this

If you squint you can the dark green fish heading toward your left.

Batik (pronounced 'Bah-Teak') is a technique used to dye fabrics. First, melted wax is applied to the fabric in the areas that are to be free of dye. There are various methods used to apply the liquid wax, but brushing or directly pouring the wax are the most common. Once the molten wax cools, it hardens and penetrates into the fabric. Next the fabric is soaked in dye. The wax prevents dye from penetrating onto the fabric and therefore keeps those areas of fabric in their original color.

To remove the wax after the dyeing process, a solvent can be used. Alternatively, the hardened wax can be pressed out with an iron; the hot surface melts the wax it is pressed through the fabric. If a multiple-colored design is desired, the process is repeated for each color.

This project will take a while to complete, but I’ll update you as I go along.

No Progress Report

I’ve been occupied with projects other than sewing and quilting — and I’m beginning to get withdrawal symptoms 😳 😢 . I’ve

• been deadheading flowers,

• planting new ones,

• moving from one computer system to another,

• finding a new picture editor since the free one I’ve been using decided to go subscription model and

• just generally been busy with “stuff”.

I’m hoping to get back to sewing and quilting soon !!

WIP: Baby Quilt

The Orange Peel quilt is still on hold, but not abandoned.

In the meantime I used a very simple pattern to create another baby quilt. The fabric is “All Our Stars” by Jennifer Pugh for Wilmington Prints and it is called 10 Karat Crystals (also called a “layer cake” by other manufacturers). The quilt is 40” by 50”.

I’m getting a bit more adventurous with my quilting: wavy lines using navy thread 😄. The binding will also be navy.

WIP: Repair Work & a Table Topper

The orange peel quilt is on hold, but not abandoned. I need to consult with the quilt community about some. . . issues. . . with the quilt blocks.

In the meantime a quilt that stares me in the face when I’m at my computer was weeping because the binding was a mess.

You can see in the picture above that I didn’t catch the back of the quilt (in some places) when I applied the binding. Jenny Doan matriarch of the Missouri Star Quilt says “finished is better than perfect”, but this really was a mess and someday I’ll give it away.

So I spend a couple of useless days picking out the binding and realized I couldn’t reuse the binding. Ahhh well. I created more binding and the quilt looks much better now.

I also created a table topper using the Economy block (also called square-in-square). I fell in love with the butterfly fabric and thought the block would show it off nicely. It will be our spring/summer topper.

WIP: Orange Peel Quilt

Soooo - a short, but fervent, happy dance from me !! Here’s the design wall for the orange peel quilt !! I wish I were a better photographer or my camera took better pictures (I suspect it’s more the former than the latter 😉 ) The background is a pale-to-medium blue which doesn’t come across well in my pictures. Now on to sewing together the top, building the quilt sandwich and quilting the layers together. . .