Section 9 - Mischievous Wife quilt

Here is my latest progress on my Mischievous Wife quilt (aka a simplified version of the Gypsy Wife quilt).  I'm really glad that I didn't have to do the actual section 9 of the Gypsy Wife for this meeting.  I totally wouldn't have had the time.  I just did get this one finished and it's due on Wednesday.  Yard work and babysitting my adorable granddaughter have limited my sewing time this month.

Mystery Blocks #3

I'm a little ahead of the game on my guild blocks this month.  I had to present the blocks because our normal teacher (the one who actually knows what the finished quilt will look like) wasn't able to be at the meeting.  Since I already had the pieces cut out and partially assembled for one block, I went ahead and finished it.  I decided to do the other one too, while I was in that gear.  So here are my blocks that aren't actually due until April.  Go me!

Mystery Blocks #2

Here are my two newest blocks for our guild mystery quilt.  I really don't like them as much as last month's blocks.  I don't know if it is my fabric choices or the block design itself, but to me they are just sorta blah.  Oh well, at least they are done.

Black & Gray Pot Holder

This is one of my UFO for this year.  The pieces are pretty small and I originally intended it to be more of an artsy piece, but then I really wasn't feeling it as art, so I made it into a pot holder.  It has both regular batting and insulated batting.  It is machine quilted in-the-ditch-ish around each of the little hourglass blocks.

Lots of little pieces, carefully sewn together to form a light to dark fade, now something to set hot dishes on.  Oh well, at least it is finished!

Mischievous Wife quilt - part one

This year my Moda quilt group at the quilt shoppe is doing the "Gypsy Wife" quilt.  I don't particularly like the Gypsy Wife quilt.  It's not really my style and it looks extremely complicated - lots of small pieces, partial seams, confusing directions, etc.  So, I decided that I'm not doing the Gypsy Wife, I'm doing the Mischievous Wife.  She's not as free and uninhibited as a gypsy, but she's still a little mischievous. 

I used nine of the focus blocks from the Gypsy Wife, and made them all 12 inches.  I used several of the filler blocks and made them either 4 inches or 6 inches.  All of my strips are 2 inches wide (finished) so that I can use jelly roll strips, and none of the placement requires partial seaming.  The focus blocks are in a symmetrical layout, but the filler blocks add some asymmetry and mischief. 

The group is doing one section of the quilt at a time.  The first assignment was Section 10.  I divided my quilt into 10 section, coordinating them to the sections of Gypsy Wife based on the focus blocks used in each section, as much as possible.

My plan for the quilt is to use all batiks.  The stripes alternate between white and light pastels.  The filler blocks are a shade darker.  Then the focus blocks are the darkest, brightest fabrics.

Mountain Sunset

This is my delectable mountains quilt from one of our guild projects last year.  I used a split complimentary color scheme - blue with shades of orange, red and yellow.  I was going for a look of mountains at sunset.  I had it machine quilted at Front Porch Quilt Shoppe in an all-over swirl pattern to somewhat mimic a wind motif.  I think it makes for a really striking quilt.

First two blocks - Guild Mystery Quilt 2018

This year in my quilt guild we are doing a mystery quilt.  Each month we will get directions for a block.  We are then supposed to make two blocks in that same pattern but with different fabrics in each.  These are my first two blocks.

Chubby Charmer

I finished this bag today.  It is made from a pattern called Chubby Charmer by Penny Sturges of Quilts Illustrated.  The pattern calls for 48 charm squares and 1-1/2 yards of fabric for the handles, lining, and pockets.  The charm pack is Mill Book Series c. 1852, one of Moda's Collections for a Cause (purchased in 2014).  I also used 1/2 a yard of fabric from that same line (purchased at the same time) for the handles and to cut some extra charm squares.  And I used some yardage from my stash for the lining and pockets.

Now I will have a bag that is large enough to carry a quilt in that isn't a reusable Walmart shopping bag.  I got teased about that recently.  This one is big enough to carry a 9x13 casserole dish in the bottom.  It says so right on the pattern!  The bottom is 9x18.

Goals for 2018

This year my sewing goals are more general than specific.  I want to try to focus on finishing things I've already started and using what I already have. 

So here are the goals spelled out:

1. Finish the year with fewer unquilted quilt tops than I started the year with (I started with 18, oops, make that 19, I just found another one). Updated 5/15/18)
2. If I start new projects, use fabrics that I already have on hand.
3. If I buy new fabric, it should be to finish an existing project or complete a project I've previously designed.

So far, I'm basically on track, but it is still early.  For my Moda project, I'm using a charm pack and a jelly roll that I already had.  For my guild project, I'm using a fat quarter bundle that I already had.

I've made a quilt top from a design I made last year and from a jelly roll I already had. And I made a bag from a charm pack I already had and fabric from my stash.

The new fabric I've bought so far was backing for the previously mentioned quilt top, and background fabric to go with a fat quarter bundle that I already had to make my guild project quilt.

And although I have made another quilt top since the first of the year, I've dropped 2 off to be quilted, so that more than balances out.

2017 in Review

Looking back at my sewing projects from last year, I found that I was a bit busier than the year before.  I finished 6 quilts, made 4 bags, 2 pillowcases, 2 pot holders, 2 matching place mats, 1 cat toy, and several cloth wipes (for my granddaughter).  That makes for 17 completed projects.  Not too bad.

I also completed 9 quilt tops that didn't get finished.  At least a couple of them I plan to quilt myself, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  One I know I plan to have quilted, but I haven't bought backing yet.  And one of them is quilted, but not yet bound.

It seems like the UFOs are starting to pile up a bit again.  I guess I should get to work on that this year.  But I also have several designs that I've dreamed up that I haven't made yet, so those are calling to me, too.  Somehow piecing almost always wins out over finishing. . .

Hearts and Stripes

This is my newest creation.  I just finished the quilt top this morning.  I designed it myself and I am calling the pattern Hearts and Stripes.  Not too creative a name, I know, but it's accurately descriptive.  It uses one "Surrounded by Love" jelly roll (purchased in 2017) and some yardage for the background and borders.  It finishes 64 inches by 70 inches.

I like the way that the vertical stripes in the hearts bisect the horizontal stripes in the rest of the quilt. 

Christmas Joy

This will be the last quilt that I finish this year.  I'm calling it "Christmas Joy".  It was a gift for my 8 month old granddaughter.  I machine quilted it myself.  I hope that someday she will enjoy having a Christmas quilt from her Grandmommy.  I know she will grow out of it size-wise, but it could be wall-hanging later on if she wants.  I haven't decided if I'm going to make getting a Christmas quilt into a tradition or not.  We'll see what next year brings.

Blue Lagoon

I actually finished binding this quilt the day before Thanksgiving, but I got so busy that I forgot to post it or even take a picture of it.  I gave it to my youngest son for Christmas.  It was going to be a "housewarming" gift for his new apartment, but since it was so close to Christmas I just decided to wait.  I named it "Blue Lagoon" after the fabric line that the 2-1/2 inch strips came from.

My cat, Dusty, is photo-bombing the picture.

Little Quilt for my Cats

I have two cats.  One is solid gray and the other is a black tortie.  They both like to camouflage themselves in matching blankets and covers.  Earlier this year I had my black and gray fabrics out in a heap on the loveseat in my sewing room.  The cats LOVED to get on the pile of fabric and nap, so I decided to use some of those fabrics and make a quilt for them.  I thought a simple 'puss in the corner' block repeated would make a good cat quilt.

They have an old shipping box that they like to lay in like a cat bed, so I'm going to drape this in the box.  It might make the box a little more comfy for them, and it should definitely make it look less like I just have an old Amazon box sitting around on the floor for no reason.  Hopefully it will be a win-win situation.

2017 Moda Project - Finished Quilt Top

So this year our Moda group decided to the Quilter's Patch quilt as our project.  I did a few blocks and decided that I didn't really like it that much, hated making the blocks, and didn't want to finish the quilt as patterned.  So I came up with my own design to use the blocks that I had made, and made a few more that I liked to go with them.  This is the finished top.  The original quilt had a greenhouse in the center, so I am calling mine "Inside the Greenhouse".  It is approximately 42 x 50 inches.

A New Purse for Camryn

My youngest son (who is 20 years old, btw) told my that his girlfriend said that she needed a new a purse.  I was wanting to make something for her, so I volunteered to make one for her. As far as I know it will be a surprise for her.  Her favorite color is green and she wears a lot of dark colors.  My son says that she will love it.  I hope so. 

New Cat toy

I made this cat toy a few months ago out of some scraps of left over quilted material.  You know, the edge that gets quilted by the long-armer that is just backing and batting.  I sewed it into a tube and stuffed it with plastic Walmart bags.  It took Cleopatra a while to warm up to it (as is the case with a lot of cat toys), but now she pounces on it, grabs it, and kicks it like crazy, which is exactly what I intended her do with it.

Autumn flowers

This year I signed up for the Flower Guild at my church.  That is the group that arranges the flowers that are on the altar.  I had never really learned to arrange flowers, but I have always wanted to learn. My friend Harriett said that the Flower Guild really needed some more people and she would teach me.  We arranged the flowers together several times and now it is time for me to start doing it on my own.  My first time will be in mid-November, so I am doing a little practicing at home.  I really like how these turned out.

Butterfly blocks for Moda

Our blocks for this month were butterfly blocks.  I didn't really like the butterfly block that was in the book, so I decided to make my own.  There are 8 inch blocks, just like the ones in the book, but they look very different.  These are the last blocks I plan to make for the quilt before I start assembling the quilt top.  Almost done with this quilt that I wish I had never started.  Hurray!

Scrappy Heart Quilt

This is a quilt top I made using some of the left over fabric from last year's Moda quilt.  I had an idea for a quilt made from a jelly roll that involves stripes and hearts.  I wanted to try out the heart block first on some scrap fabric before I started on the actual project with my jelly roll.  The project will use all of the jelly roll strips so there is really no room for trial and error there.  This isn't the same pattern as the hearts and stripes quilt, but it uses the same heart block.  Because, you know, once I had made the trial run heart block, I had to use it in something.