In the Works, and a Little Finish

I have several projects in the works, and only one little finish. What has my interest now? What I'm spending most of my time on? Yarn-y things.

I know this looks like a lot of yarn, and it is. But it wasn't my intention to purchase so much. Little did I know when I placed my online order through the Etsy shop EbabyShop, that this Alize Bella 100% cotton yarn, which qualified for free shipping, would come from Turkey! I was notified that an additional $24 US customs fee was due. Or, I could purchase more yarn and the custom fee would be paid by the seller. I opted for more yarn so as to ensure I wasn't giving away $24 for nothing.

I'm using the gray yarn (top row) to crochet Summer Cardigan that's found on KnitcroAddict's YouTube channel.

I'm following Wan's video instruction, to make this practical summer cardigan using a fun stitch called the drunken granny stitch. Ha, ha!

I've nearly finished crocheting the back section that measures, for me, 19½" across. This is the first time I'm attempting to use yarn to make a garment for myself. (Oh dear.)

The stitch is pretty though, isn't it? There's no RS or WS. (Right Side or Wrong Side) See how I'm learning the pattern lingo?

Also, being a big fan of Jo Avery designs, I started another of her hand appliquéd and embroidered pieces. This one is called In Full Bloom, and appears is the current issue of Today's Quilter magazine. Again, my digital public library has this publication available for patrons so I was able to check it out, print templates and get started. It looks wrinkled because I rolled it up to take to Big Cypress Quilters' Tuesday open sew where I was able to get several pieces appliquéd.

My only finish of late is this 7" X 9" string-pieced mug rug.

I sewed it on Sunday after spending time on Saturday with the our county's "Basics and Beyond" 4-H Club kids. As I guided two girls, ages 8 and 12, through cutting and piecing their quilt blocks, I encouraged them to keep their scraps. At the end of our sewing time, the older one handed me her half-square triangle off-cuts and said she didn't want them. So, I brought those home along with some of the strips that several of the children had tossed into the trash. Yes, I went dumpster-diving! 

I added a couple of my own fabric strings to the front; the backing and binding are my fabrics.

I'll take the mug rug to next month's 4-H Club meeting to show the kids what can be done with their scraps. I'm thinking to give the mug rug to either the club leader, Barb (who isn't thanked as often as she deserves to be) or the 12 year-old girl I worked with. Linda

Rainbow Strings

I have another finish to share this week, though this quilt was completed a few weeks ago. What with other activities and preoccupation with Hurricane Irma, the timing just wasn't right for posting about it.

Rainbow Strings, 64" X 80"

This Rainbow Strings quilt (for want of a clever name), is one of those "free" quilts that I put together with strips that have been saved in a plastic container over a long period of time. It's also made with a technique I really like - fabric strips sewn to a foundation paper of telephone book pages. What better way to use up an unused telephone book?! Just fill half of a 8-1/2" X 8-1/2" telephone book page with random-width strips of a single color, and fill the other half with white prints.

If you'd like to make a quilt like this go here to download my free "Stringing Colors" instructions. I wrote these directions in 2009 to make quilts for Australia bush fire relief, and it remains a good go-to design for any charity or donation quilt. 

That's what very likely will become of this quilt.

Rainbow Strings is made with request loft Quilter's Dream 100 percent cotton. This design was quilted with Aurifil 50-weight thread.

These loops were quilted with 40-weight YLI orange/yellow variegated thread.

I'm especially happy with the binding.

It was sewn using the method No Tails Binding: Mitered Corners by Machine. You can find my binding tutorial here. If you're a member of the Modern Quilt Guild, you can watch my binding webinar that explains the technique step-by-step. It's here, on the members-only resources page.

It feels good to be knocking out a few finishes, after stuttering to a stop over the summer, due to carpal tunnel syndrome. My wrist bothers me now and again, when I'm spending too much time at one repetitive motion (like hand sewing binding), but overall I think it's better.

I'm caught up on quilting until I get two more tops basted! When you're a quilter, the fun just never ends! Linda

Those String-Pieced Diamonds

With a few finishes behind me in 2016, and feelin' ready to tackle something else, I decided to resurrect a five year old project: Picket Fence. The last time I worked on it was January, 2012, when I went with Hope Quilter friends (my Iowa church quilting group) on a retreat to Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp. I miss every one of these special friends, but not having to dress like that for months!

Picket Fence is one of the patterns in Elsie Campbell's book "String Quilts." I began making string 60-degree diamonds to use up fabric scraps. Then, my friend Carla made some too, and ended up giving me hers! This is Picket Fence then.

Since I decided to make the quilt larger, to fit our king-sized bed, I calculated that I needed 336 diamonds for a 96" X 115" quilt. In June 2014, when I was "queen" of the Mid-Century Modern Bee, I asked those quilters to make diamonds for me too!

I made hundreds of these diamonds myself and have been thrilled to use up lots of old fabrics, especially those traditional prints that I wouldn't think of using in a modern quilt. 

Here's Picket Fence a couple days ago. I fit as many diamonds on my design wall as possible - 14 columns of 16 diamonds each.

Because my web method of quilt top construction doesn't work with the angles of each "block," I'm sewing columns together first. The aqua step stool is how I reach the ceiling to pin each sewn column onto the design wall.

Since the quilt is 21 columns across, as soon as I get these pieced, I'll put up and arrange the next section. The last piecing step will be to sew all those columns together.

Given my upcoming activities, finishing this top will take a few weeks. This weekend I'm participating in Central Florida MQG/Quilting Guild of The Villages activities with Lee Heinrich (FreshlyPieced) - Saturday morning presentation and trunk show, dinner Saturday night, and taking her "Off the Grid" workshop all day Sunday. Monday is my left leg catheterization, and one of the follow-up restrictions that I can't use my sewing machine for several days...

But the design is looking so good, I won't stop now.

Since Picket Fence is an ideal scrap fabric user-upper, this post is linked to Leanne's (SheCanQuilt) blog for February's Scraptastic Tuesday. Linda

Retreating Means Lots of Sewing

Last Wednesday, Thursday, and part of Friday, I went on my second quilt retreat since moving to Florida. About 25 quilters from Bradenton Quilters (a chapter of Quilting Guild of The Villages), went to Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center in Leesburg, where we sewed in the Education Building, and slept in the Evergreen "hotel."

It was a lovely venue for a retreat! This is the view from our sewing room.

I'm still impressed whenever I see sand hill cranes, who are always in pairs. Though they look moderately-sized, they're really quite large... like five to six feet tall.

On Friday morning, my friend Karen (also formerly from Iowa) and I were were the first to arrive in the sewing room (we were also the last to go to bed each night), and blessed by this glorious sunrise.

Being late go-to-bed-ers, and early risers, we managed a lot of sewing. Heavenly.

The first order of business was obligation sewing. These are the October and November bee blocks for Anne and Elizabeth (foundation paper-pieced Pineapple Block) in our Mid-Century Modern Bee. And because my Australia friend, Jeanette, is celebrating a birthday in November and asked for blocks from her friends, I obliged. I hope she likes the FPP Palm block made in my favorite colors.

My big accomplishment at retreat was turning this pile of cut fabrics...

into this quilt top.

"Urban Abacus" is a pattern from Sew Kind of Wonderful, made using the Quick Curve Ruler. Students who enroll in my next Beyond First Time Quiltmaking class (see teaching schedule in above tab) can make this pattern, or one of two other options. 

While I love a pretty fabric collection, I've never been one to use only one collection in my quilts. I used several prints from the Terra Australis collection (Ella Blue Fabrics, by Emma Jean Jansen) and also some random prints from my stash. I had to include that print with oranges. It says, "Florida."

I also finished sewing 336 string diamonds needed for the "Picket Fence" quilt by Elsie Campbell that's for our king-sized bed. This project has been in limbo for about four years now, so it feels good to have finally finished stringing diamonds. 

Strings came from this bin, which remains so full, the lid doesn't fit! 

So, instead of sewing during last Saturday's Central Florida MQG Sew-In, I spent seven hours cutting strips into one-inch strips that I'll sew together to make a "yarn" ball for another crocheted rug. I can't tell you how good it feels to be getting these strings under control!

And, in an update about the grease on my QuiltCon Bias Tape Challenge quilt... these are the before and after pictures.

before treatment

After treatment with Zout, Dawn, and Grandma's Secret Spot Remover, the quilt looked like this. I also tested lighter fluid and bleach on another grease-marked piece of white Kona, just to see if they worked. This was as good as it got. Better, but not acceptable.

So, during retreat when brainstorming with Karen about possible fixes, she suggested an appliquéd hexagon. I ran with the idea, deciding to make the hexagon shape with bias tape. I cut a plastic template using the 4-1/2" size of the Hex N More ruler. The bias tape is hand-appliquéd and machine-quilted. I'll do this several more times, so it looks like those hexagons were planned all along.

Now it's back to machine quilting with a vengeance. I have a deadline to meet, and before then we're taking care of two grandsons for a week. 'Nuf said! Linda

Scraps

Attempting to reduce the fullness of my scrap bins, I've been doing lots of rotary cutting. From fabric pieces, I begin by cutting 5" squares. Then, 3" squares, 2-1/2" squares, 1-1/2" squares, and 1" strips. Those sizes have pretty much used up lots of my non-yardage prints. Slow progress.

The 3" squares and 2-1/2" squares are in this old sewing machine drawer. 

I'm making those patches into this block that I saw on Instagram. Victoria, who lives in Scotland and is @sewgoclimbing on IG, is making hers with 6" blocks. Following the photo of her quilt, and using EQ7, I designed my own version with 2" patches. My test block measures 12-1/2" X 12-1/2" unfinished. I love it... and now need only 29 more blocks to make a decent-sized quilt! I'm excited about using up those scraps, though.

From a bin of strings - 1"-wide to 2-1/2"-wide fabric strips I've collected over the years - I made six more 8" blocks to contribute to the donation quilt being made by the Central Florida MQG.

And, I got right on the Mid-Century Modern bee September block for Mary on Lake Pulaski. Mary asked us to make a Union Jack block (8" X 15-1/2" unfinished) following the tutorial by Mollie B. Sparkles. I'll admit that this one got the best of me! Those diagonal quadrants... let's just say I had to make more than one two of them before I got it right. After this, the Union Jack block is officially out of my system!

This quilt top is the second 54" X 60" design I'm offering to students in this fall's (September 25) Beyond First Time Quiltmaking class. I've named the pattern "Make it Easier," because it's a simplified version of the other pattern I'm offering. Lots of negative space that will demand some creative quilting. 

My Flower Ball quilt top is also done at 42" X 42" and is ready for basting and quilting. I finally decided to put the flower ball on a Kona Azure background. So, that means two more quilts need quilting...

...after this one is done. I've made very little progress on Happy Together, and what I've done I don't like. The curves aren't even. I've decided to move on to another block, and will revisit this one later. I sure love the texture that I get with double batting though! This is Quilter's Dream Wool on top of Quilter's Dream Request Poly. I'm quilting with Marathon iridescent thread and that's giving this a lovely sheen.

At the moment, I'm not my usual self. Sunday evening I was bitten by an insect - perhaps a mosquito. I'm having an allergic reaction. You're looking at my right forearm. The bite is oozing now. The hot, red, swollen area is about 4" across, and 6" from elbow to wrist. My skin feels oddly taut, and the itching is driving me crazy. Monday afternoon (Labor Day) I phoned a 24-hour nurse hotline, and am doing as suggested - icing it; putting on a paste of baking soda; elevating my arm; and I've taken some Benadryl. Don't like the pills though as they give me an upset stomach.

I know this will pass, though it has become apparent that my reaction to bites have been getting worse. Apparently, Florida's mosquitos are different than those in Iowa. Diligence about wearing repellent is needed. Did you know that Listerine is a great insect repellent? Just splash original, gold-colored Listerine on yourself. The bugs won't like you, and, you smell pretty good too! I need to take my own advice! Linda

Reentering Reality Since Retreating

Three days and two nights of almost non-stop sewing, away from home, were invigorating and draining. It's invigorating to be with 12 quilters who have different tastes, and fun to see them utilizing different techniques for creating quilts. Draining because I stayed up too late, including until 2 a.m. Sunday morning, sewing!

Here are some of our Hope Quilters, minus one quilter who could come only for one day. That's me, lower right. Would you believe, there are FOUR Linda's in this picture!?

The quilt on the wall behind us is none other than my still-progressing Friendship Medallion quilt that I'm putting together according to instructions parceled out by Patchwork Pumpkin, in Australia. I've completed seven steps now. Part eight will wrap it up.

It has, most assuredly, been the scrap-buster quilt I hoped it would be. But I still have heaps of those colorful 1-1/2" cut squares, used in the nine-patch blocks. I have a basket of them that I'm sewing into my first-ever Leaders and Enders project. 

Here are pictures of what a few people were working on. Lola is showing us the quilt from Elm Creek Quilters, Sylvia's Bridal Quilt.

Lola and her mother have been working on this together for the past five years. It's just stunning!

Jodi worked on this creation using a collection of Kaffe fabrics.

And she completed this creative quilt top.

Rachel used Ezekiel blocks to make this New Life quilt that will be given to a mission.

Help! I've fallen sewn blocks together incorrectly, and I can't get up can't take so many apart by myself! What better place to make a mistake and have friends help deconstruct lots of patches? That's what good friends do!

These are 60-degree diamonds. I began making them with Carla when she and I attended a November retreat. At our Hope Quilters retreat I finished sewing all 225 diamonds for Picket Fence. Yay!

I put only some of the blocks on the design wall, so I could again marvel over the optical effect. Isn't it something?! String-pieced blocks are so easy to sew together, but it's the value contrast - dark, medium, light - that makes this design so striking.  It will be just plain fun to lay out all the pieces and begin sewing them together!

One of our quilters brought along a sack of zippers from which we could take whatever we wanted. I had to giggle when I saw this zipper. First of all, check out the price for a metal zipper. Only 55 cents! Second, see the color name? Tango. This year, 2012, is the color year for Tangerine Tango. Ah, what once was old is new again. Now if we could only go back to those prices!

Reality this week means it's back to Bible study, taking my VW Bug in for servicing, getting my annual check-up, choir practice, and house purging. The list of to-sell and to-giveaway items continues to grow while the piles do too! Pretty soon I'll be needing to actually, physically, move these things out of the house. I'm trying to find deserving homes.

Our three Kansas City grandchildren came for an overnight the day I returned from retreat. They so seldom visit us - we're most often going there - that it was a treat to see them toddling through our house. Is there anything much cuter than little boys wearing fire truck sleepers? Linda

Tay 28 months; Aesa 14 months