Improv WIP

January finds me determined to finish a couple WIPs, starting with an improv quilt.

I began making blocks during two different workshops with Cindy Grisdella

    The first workshop was in person on December 6, 2023.

    The second workshop was virtual on September 7, 2024.

Trying to combine different blocks, especially when I have used-up most of the fabric colors from the first workshop, has been challenging. 

Orange-y reds - Kona Crush - with bits of amber, aqua, and white are the quilt's center composition, from the first workshop.

I'm bordering the center with blocks from the second workshop, using Painter's Palette Aluminum as background. I began with improv triangles, some with strips of accents. Now 

Now I'm making "confetti dots" - Cindy's term for sprinkles of color. These have been slow-going. 

I'm disappointed with myself for not making more progress than this, but am allowing myself some grace.

The head cold I came down with last Friday, turned out to be COVID. It's been rough. I haven't felt like doing anything but lay in bed and be miserable. 

Wish I could say I'd been on a fabulous trip somewhere and the virus came home with me, but I've done nothing more than attend my usual group activities. I have a strong feeling that someone in my quilting groups or line dance classes shared it with me. I only hope I didn't pass it on to someone else before my symptoms began. It's still a very unpleasant virus to deal with. On the positive side, I can't taste anything. Food isn't appealing. I've lost three pounds. Linda

Waiting to Share

I've been waiting since November to share items I made as thank you and Christmas gifts for friends and family. The reason I had to wait is that one friend received her gift this week. Since she reads my blog, I didn't want to reveal her present.  

I made these items and gave them away:

• 5 Dayna Packs
• 5 sets of three Humbug bags - small, medium, and large
• 2 bowl buddies (lower right, made with orphan blocks)
• and 1 zipper M&M pouch 

I really like the Dayna Packs! I made the first one (not shown) following the pattern's poorly written instructions. (Yes, I'm warning you.) The next five I made (shown here) were made following a YouTube hack that adds a second, larger zipper pocket at the top of the bag! Much, much better! 

The Dayna Pack is advertised as a fanny pack (Does anyone over the age of 30 wear those?), but I've found it's the perfect, body-hugging, cross body bag. 

The Dayna Pack at the top is made with peace fabric from Spoonflower, and cork. I gave that one to my Peace, Love, and Ukulele club leader. She thanked me and I saw last week that she's using it! Yay!

The Humbug Bag is a very old pattern. I've practically worn out my set - small, medium, and large - from use as cosmetic/toiletries travel bags. A very practical thing to own and use. 

This set now belongs to my on-line Bible study leader, and was made by piecing 1½" squares into a rectangle that I quilted before sewing into a Humbug. 

For one Humbug in this set, I used an improv block, always quilting before sewing. 

I like threading each ribbon with a wood bead because it gives the bag some weight, though I'm sure a large plastic bead would work. Maybe better. I machine wash my bags. 

These are really a snap to make, and I was on a roll finding scraps and blocks to work with, and choosing colors to make coordinating sets. 

As much as I'd like to say that everyone liked their gifts, in fact, I haven't heard from several recipients. No thanks are necessary. Just hoping everyone finds them useful.

Activities have begun again this week, in earnest!

From Monday through Saturday, I have eight activities to attend - ukulele, line dancing (twice), Bible study (twice), and Quilting Guild of The Villages and Central Florida MQG (thrice). From that, you might be able to discern that it's "snowbird season," when part-time residents and visitors "flock" to Florida for the winter. Activities are ramped-up to fulfill the desires of the influx of people who'll be around until April or so. 

Quilting Guild of The Villages will have its biannual quilt show - Showcase of Quilts - January 24-25. I'll have two quilts (two allowed per member) in the modern category.  Linda

End of December/End of Year

Fabric tracking has been all consuming through 2024 as I'm aiming to use all my stash by 2033. You might ask why I picked that year.

I've selected 2033 as the year I'll officially be really old - I may no longer have dexterous use of my hands, or I could have poor(er) eyesight. The year may seem arbitrary but having a goal keeps me focused on my sewing room priority - to USE UP! 

In December I had numerous small makes that I'll share as soon as all gifts are given. But I can feel pleased with December numbers: 9.83 yards used, mostly due to quilt finishes as I pieced quilt backs, and made binding and quilt labels.

I also cut and hand-pieced 49 Inner City blocks. This makes me happy to look at! The colors! And using solid scraps!

The half-yard of incoming fabric was unexpected - a Christmas present from my St. Augustine friend, Candi. She's such an enabler thoughtful friend! Her card said:

"Sorry for adding to your stash but I needed to reduce mine. 😊 "

This is Kona 2024 Color of the Year - Julep - the only fabric that came into my sewing room in December. (Gee thanks, Candi! 😏)

The big Ta-Dah (for me) is the total amount of fabric used in 2024. That number is 112.55 yards! Adding back incoming yardage that totalled 23.67 yards, and my net output was 88.88 yards. Not too bad. 

Actually I'm thrilled! I will be fabric tracking again in 2025, my third year of doing so. 

Looking ahead to 2025, I'm focusing on finishing a couple of WIPs, the first being my 100-Day Challenge/Quilt Your Life. The 151 blocks I made during those 100 days have been around since September. The problem is I can't figure out how to arrange them in a cohesive quilt design. 

I tried grouping them.

I tried a chronological order of my 100 days of activities. What a mish-mash!

I tried a sort of diagonal layout. None of these are right. 

I'll keep moving them around, but I'm thinking I might add something to blocks that are problematic, like those aqua "book blocks" in the upper right corner.

Also, I haven't given up on the idea of including these one-inch curvelets in the design, especially because: 1) I began making them during the 100 Days; and 2) they aren't designated for anything else. 

I foresee lots of happy sewing room activities in the year ahead. Hopefully you'll be making along with me, and let me know what you're up to.

As I reflect on a year of blogging - 71 blog posts - my heart is bursting with gratitude for those of you who read and comment. It's your comments that keep me going, knowing I'm reaching you. Then, the most enjoyable part is replying to your comments and questions. Thank you for engaging! 

I'm wishing everyone a wonderful 2025! Linda

2024 Blog Posts, and Books Read

Following Debbie's lead at A Quilter's Table where she presented her "Best of 2024" blog post (she shared some really lovely modern beauties!) I looked at the number of views of each of my 70 blog posts in 2024. These are my five most popular posts, beginning with the one that had the fifth most views.  

#5: Three Day Retreat Plans published May 2

In this post I shared my intentions of making the scrappy Bonnie Lass quilt; Tara Faughnan's foundation paper pieced design called Sunny; and a Plus Quilt. It's likely most viewers were interested in Tara's Sunny pattern which had just been released.  

#4 QuiltCon Raleigh Part 3 published March 3

Of the five blog posts I wrote about QuiltCon 2024, why Part 3 was viewed more times than the others is beyond me!

This post focused on QuiltCon entries in the handwork category, and included info about the Improv Tiny Piecing workshop I took at QuiltCon with Jo Avery of Scotland. 

#3 Modern Potholder Group Quilt published January 30

This was my first blog post about the group quilt I organized. Fifteen makers were involved in making Pot Luck, and I'm thrilled our quilt was accepted into QuiltCon Phoenix, in 2025. See quilt here.

#2 Small Things published January 7

Fabric twining AND making Confetti Pouches were the focus of this post.

#1 Confetti Pouch Exterior Tutorial published January 10

My #1 most viewed blog post, by far and away, is the tutorial for making these pouches. That's a good indication that makers still like a blog tutorial. 

Locally, I will be teaching a Confetti Pouches workshop in June 2025. 

Book Recommendation

This is my last 2024 book recommendation/review.

The Second Sleep by Robert Harris is an unexpected story as it begins, charmingly enough, with a priest riding a donkey to a remote village in rural England. Father Christopher Fairfax has been  ispatched to hold a service for, and bury the local priest who died from a fall. 

As the reader comes to believe this is a story about old England, in fact it's about old England after the apocalypse. Back in 2025 the world, as everyone knew it, came to a tragic end. Now, eight hundred years later, the church governs and sheriffs and magistrates enforce the laws. It's illegal to be interested in or collect antiquities - things like plastic drinking straws and bottles, glass jars, and the odd things that show an apple with a bite out of it. 

Father Fairfax becomes interested in the deceased priests collection of antiquities, including books that recount some of what happened 800 years ago. Soon he's embroiled in what he discovers, jeopardizing his position in the church, compounded by his interest in Lady Durston. 

I wish I could say I finished 2024 reading with a great title, but this was only okay. The ending left me wondering - wishing I knew more.   

Linda's score: 3.7/5.0

December Books

In December I listened to ten audiobooks. Those I gave a score of 4.0 and higher were:

1. The Good Father, Diane Chamberlain - 4.4
2. True Believer, Nicholas Sparks - 4.3
3. Alone in the Dark, Joanne Ryan - 4.2
4. The Liberty Scarf, Runyan, Ciesielski, and McMillan - 4.2

5. Prom Mom, Laura Lipmann - 4.1

6. Yours Truly, Abby Jimenez - 4.0

7. Pretty Dead Things, Lillian West - 4.0

All of 2024 - 102 Books

This year I listened to and wrote blog reviews for 102 books. You can find all those titles on the "Books Read" tab, at the top of my Home Page. 

All my 2024 reads are listed on that page, AND there's a link to a PDF, in case you'd like to print it.

Also, I kept a Book Bracket throughout the year. You can see that The Women by Kristin Hannah was my favorite book. 

The author Charles Martin - The Last Exchange - always comes through with a great story. 

Each book that was my favorite for the month is also shown. 

Lotsa reading options for 2025! Linda

Labeling Quilts

With all the quilts I've finished in the past few months, I realized I was way overdue for making labels. But in a way, that's a good thing.

Since I use 8½" X 11" sheets of EQ Printables for making labels, it's most efficient to print a whole page of labels, rather than print one or two labels, piecemeal, and then have small leftovers of EQ Printables that aren't easy to feed through the printer. 

To make six quilt labels, I used two pages of EQ Printables. As you might notice, one label - the one for the group quilt, Pot Luck - was quite large because I included a complete description of how the quilt came together, as well as a color key with everyone's names and initials on top of the blocks each person made.

I like to make a fabric border around each label because it's easier to hand stitch through fabric than through the EQ Printables.

I cut 1¾"-wide strips that, after being sewn to all four sides, I press with Quilting and Crafting Spray. I won this product in an Instagram giveaway, and found I like it for the way it enhances pressing, but doesn't give it a starched feel.

After pressing flat, I fold each raw edge in half to the inside, meeting the seam.

Every quilt label includes:

• quilt name
• quilt dimensions
• description - credit to the designer (if made from a pattern), or made for a challenge
• type of quilting - free motion, walking foot, or ruler work
• machine I quilted on
• my name, with maiden name
• my city, state
• month, year finished; and if know, the start month and year

Here are the labels I made bordered with fabrics from each quilt. 

Each was hand-sewn to the lower right corner of the quilt back.

A necessary job, and a good feeling of accomplishment.

Two of these quilts are heading to Austin for QuiltCon judging. One is a donation. The others? For now, they're joining stacks of older quilts in the top of the closet. 

Linda

Bonnie Lass Finish

With my new favorite Bible verse in mind - Finished is better than starting (Ecclesiastes 7:8) - I'm delighted to call Bonnie Lass a finished quilt. 

Bonnie Lass, 61" X 71"

Bonnie Lass is another Jen Kingwell pattern from her book Quilt Lovely. I chose this one because it's a great way to use scraps. I first began working on it earlier this year, in May when I went on a quilt retreat with Central Florida MQG, so it hasn't languished unfinished for too long.

Continuing to focus on using stash, I picked up my favorite pieced backing book Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs by Kelly Young, and selected the design "Cool Columns."

For my 61" X 71" finished quilt, this backing used 3.19 yards of fabric.

To use-up batting scraps, I even pieced those! Overlapping two batting pieces, I rotary cut wavy curves and then hand-stitched to join them together. 

For a quilt design, I turned again to Esther Frenzel's IPatchandQuilt blog. 

Scrolling through numerous free motion quilting designs, I settled on Fluff Ball. This is Esther's lovely sample. 

Admittedly, the design took a while to master, and even then, I didn't execute it perfectly. 

But I'm happy with the overall look. Thread is YLI 40-weight in orange to yellow variegated colors.

The 2¼"-wide binding is nearly all of what remained of a piece that's in the back. This is truly a scrap quilt!

Bonnie Lass is quilt finish number 12 for 2024, and I'm very satisfied with that total.

All my quilt finishes can be viewed by clicking tabs at the top of my blog Home Page.

Linda