Springtime Blues (and Purples)

It's a relief to have spring this year. Winter was long and unproductive. But when things warmed up a little, I got all this energy to throw into some projects.

Erica's quilt top has been pieced, except for the borders. I had to take a picture of it outside, otherwise the colors look inaccurate. And I didn't want to lay it on the ground, so you get a draped photo. Once I get borders, there will be much better pictures.

This shows the essence of the project, and that's what I want you to see. This might be the last time I ever do this design. It has not been easy. And I recently figured out why. There's a line on my machine that marks the quarter inch seam allowance, and I just measured it for the first time in my life, and it's wrong!! This is not so noticeable when I'm sewing squares together. But when those squares are sewed to multiple triangles like this, it just doesn't turn out even in the end. It meant I had to scrap or creatively adjust all the blocks that weren't snail trail.

In the end, I am moderately happy with the outcome. If I magically mustered up the energy to attempt this design again, the blocks would be 8" instead of 12", and I would add in some velvet scraps here and there.

I am not planning to do any more on this quilt until it sees its future home this month. Then we can make some decisions on the borders, and I can work on it until it's done.

Feeling like I needed something else to work on, I pulled out ALL of my fabric scraps, including prints I thought I would use on the above quilt, and didn't. And some that I did. And some that I got from my mother. I've been seeing a lot of amazing vintage style quilts on the net that have me salivating, so I finally started putting one together.

Here's the first quarter of it. It doesn't look as vintagey as I'd hoped, but I so appreciate the turquoise and purple together that I don't care. I have to make 3 more of those strips and I'll have a complete top. No borders for this one. I'm going get some batting in there, slap a muslin backing on it and put it under the machine.

The main reason I am doing this patchwork is to get machine practice before I quilt Erica's. I might do a few more to make sure I am getting the hang of it. Not sure what I will do with the practice patchworks, but I have a couple of ideas. In the mean time, I am now accepting unwanted fat quarters! Not that I ever expect to see an unwanted fat quarter. (Is there such thing?) I would more prefer to see anyone reading this finish their own projects that they bought that fat quarter for in the first place.

And now I'm going to do some hand quilting on a project I will be posting next time, after a certain someone has their birthday this month.

piecing adventures

I've been piecing this lady for a while. This is the original photo, before I cut the rest of the edge triangles.

Those of you with a good eye will know which block is facing the wrong direction... I didn't notice that until I had spent about 40 minutes staring at it, making mental notes for future adjustments.

Also, one of the blocks up there has been removed. It was a temporary place filler until I finished the last block.

I still have not decided on just the right layout. I'll probably be rearranging this one for a while, because I actually really like this one. It has to be perfect.

Here are some of the light blocks grouped together.

I am really proud of this one. And very glad I waited so long to do the Erica quilt. I would have been disappointed if I had attempted it too early in the evolution of my personal quilting style.  The second the top is pieced, I am taking it to SW Decoratives, where I got most of the fabric. I can't wait to show it off.

Usually I am perpetually excited about future possible projects in quilting. But I haven't been that way lately. Maybe because I am too excited about my current project. Or maybe I've finally learned not to bite off more than I can chew. I want to use all of my enthusiasm to finish this one before the end of the year. Then I will have my full attention to use on the next project. I really can't even afford to think about what direction I will go once this one is done.

But I'm sure I will surprise myself.

Additions

The snail's trail blocks are going really well.  So well, I got a little bored of making them. I knew I needed another dimension. So in-between each little snail swirl will be an embellishment block.  I had to draw up templates for these, since I am generally a simple block kinda girl.  I didn't want these to be simple, and believe me, they weren't.  But I LOVE how they turned out.

This is just a nine-patch. I saw this block on pinterest, and have no idea how to rearrange measurements so that they make the block size I need.  Luckily, this was a simple one to draw a template for.  I can use a ruler, but I don't do math where seem allowances are concerned. It always ends badly.

When I found this block, I forgot that I wasn't supposed to be doing nine 4.5"x4.5". I was supposed to accommodate that this was a 4 patch design, and kept the patches at 4.5", so I had to add some extra blocks around it. But now, I kinda like that the star is in the corner. All that's really important is that I have both a light and dark star block.

Okay, have to make about 30 more blocks overall, so I need to get busy. Just felt like throwing a post up today. I'm pretty jazzed by the results.

poor progress is still progress

A quilt for Erica, my dear cousin, has been in my mind since I first decided I wanted to quilt 17 years ago.  That's a lot of years to come to grips with the differences between reality and fantasy.  I have been envisioning this epic quilt, for a lady I have loved and admired since I've known her (waaay longer than 17 years), as a kind of magical miracle.

Turns out, I don't have miraculous magic within my current realms of creativity.  But I'm getting there.  Until I fully do, she gets a quilt anyway.  THIS IS THE YEAR.

She requested blue and green.  So I accidentally had an earth shattering moment at my favorite quilt shop and decided to ignore the request and do purple.  I went in looking for blues and greens, I promise!  But in my quest to learn to release my creativity from the shackles of practicality, I went with my gut.

Now, if only that worked on the actual design.

In my usual fashion, I have been through SO MANY piecing concepts, including a regrettable experiment where I whimsically made random blocks willy-nilly, hoping the common fabrics and colors would tie the look together, like a funky sort of bohemian chaos.  And it just looked like a confusing vomit of perfectly good fabrics, all being used the wrong way.

So, I picked a design I have loved in the past, and always look at admiringly in magazines and pinterest when it's done just right.

Snail's trail.  And here was my primary result:
 

At the last minute, I sorta decided to throw in some blue, and I'm really glad I did.  It gives the block a sort of mystical quality that just purple wouldn't have been able to provide.

Here's my practice placing:

I think I like the individual blocks better than the overall look.  But I'm not sure because my mind will not see this as a completed piece.  I cannot imagine what this will look like, for some reason.

Haha, this was just a little experiment.  I love that center block there, but it's too small to use in this. (If you click on this picture to see it large, ignore the coffee spill on my carpet, that's gone now!)

I guess I'm still in the the design phase.  I mean, I like it.  I currently have six 12"x12" blocks going, so obviously I like it.  I'm just not so fully convinced this is The One.  Weird, I had an easier time finding a husband.

By the way, remember the purple and rust table runner?  Today I received a gift from that runner's new owner!!

That's a new book and masses of chocolate!!  I had to include the cute card and the Swedish shopping bags.  I've already started eating the chocolate, and dayum...  Almost too delicious to be true.

Thinking of giving myself a slogan.  "Will quilt for books and chocolate."

Table Runner on the Gammill

Once in a while, I feel inspired to create something for a specific person.  This was the case with my table runner project.  I wanted to create something for Eygló.  I actually went through 2 different color schemes, and 3 different ideas within the chosen scheme. 

I keep saying I'll work on my shortcomings in the measuring department, but I never do.  In this case, I like the effect.  Feels more home-made and fun.  I've never been a girl to appreciate painstaking perfection.

This is the quilting machine I won from Quiltmaker Magazine.  Never dreamed I would have a Gammill, but thought I had a better chance of affording one some day than winning one!  This is the first project I have entirely machine quilted on this baby.  So... there are a lot of bumps on the road.  I am still getting used to the tensions, and where not to oil!

Here's what the quilting looks like.  Laugh all you want.  I need the practice and I know it.  But I do like how it appears more whimsical because of my very low skill level.  More fun, less strict.  Here's front and back:

And the pretty photo:

I needed this distraction.  Before the piecing was done, I spent some time in the hospital for a kidney infection, and have been feeling down due to my recent MS diagnosis.  This is the project that I've been working on as I came through the other side of my funk, remembering that I do love to quilt.  That I will always quilt, no matter what tools I have, how little I can spend on fabric, or what my mobility looks like.  When it's something you love, there's always a way.

So it's a pretty special project, and I hope it transfers the feelings of triumph and joy to its new owner.

it's been busy

A few months ago,  friend handed me all the pieces she'd cut for a quilt she didn't have time to finish.  I agreed to piece and quilt it.  And it was supposed to be done by Christmas, but there was a lengthy delay for many reasons.  Mostly that I got a job.  And while it's only part time, it still threw off my estimated completion date by over a month.

This is a baby quilt that she'd carefully picked the fabric for, and cut with precision.  I was kinda amazed as I was piecing it.  My stuff is never measured that carefully!  I briefly considered trying to convince her to cut all of my future quilts.

Once the blocks were done, she arranged them how she wanted them.  This was a pretty fun process, fueled by some of the best iced coffee I've ever had, while dodging toddlers in various stages of mobility.

Here's the finished product:

And the quilting:

Turns out I might need to take a class to perfect corners.  I have them down when it comes to cutting separate binding.  But turning the leftover backing forward?  Saves so much time, and the corners make me batty.  But I enjoyed quilting this one.  The repetitive, but beautiful design (from a stencil) was very soothing.

The next project is a table runner for a friend in Sweden!  Here are the fabrics I've been cutting this weekend:

Don't be fooled by the boldness of the colors.  They actually play a very small role in the overall design.

Pink Dogwood Baby Quilt

Remember this one?

I finished up the quilting on this last summer.  Then no one on planet earth gave birth to a girl.  So much for getting ahead of the game.  But someone has just bought it!  So I finished up the binding and got it all ready to go.

The quilting:

The finished quilt:

I had to do the old way of binding, which is great because it's a bit more durable.  But it means a good few hours of dedicated hand-sewing.  Glad it's done, and especially glad it's getting a home.