Progress on Picnic Rollup

It was nose to the grindstone this week, with hardly any time for quilting let along blogging about quilting.  I have a feeling life is going to be like that for a while.

But I did make some progress on the project inspired by Thimble Blossom's pattern Picnic Rollup, that I've been calling Turquoise (but I need a better name).  An alternative way of constructing the blocks sang out to me so I'm not making it exactly per the pattern directions.  And my fabric selection is not the Bliss collection shown on the pattern front.

But no matter, it is coming along.  In fact, with 20-some blocks completed, I decided to lay it out on the design bed to see what it looks like.  I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with this one!

The blocks are laying on my design flannel, which is white and so handily mimics the Kona white I intend to use for sashing.  That floral fabric on the far left is what I intend to use for borders.  That's why I threw a little lime green into the blocks for contrast.  Here's another shot of the blocks.

The only decision now is how big to go.  I'm thinking 30 blocks, laid out five by six.  That will give me a quilt top of about 54" by 64" or about 60" by 70" after I add the borders.  Or maybe I should go a little bigger and make it long enough for a twin size bed.  I'll ponder it while I get back to the Bernina.

Bloggers Quilt Festival - Saturday Sampler

This time, I'm showing off Saturday Sampler.  Saturday Sampler is a sort of block-of-the-month program that my local quilt shop, Pennington Quilt Works, offers.  I actually missed out on this one, because I did not know about until late in the session, but I bought the pattern and did the program all by myself at home, using fabric from my stash.  The finished quilt goes very well in our family room.

You can see the whole quilt below.  Each block is a different design, though all finish at 12" square.  For this setting, I added a narrow border to each block to make them "float," then the sashing with the tiny nine-patch cornerstones.  You can't see it well in the photo but there is feather vine quilted in the green border.  The quilting was done by longarm quilter Karen Thompson, not by me.

To make this quilt, I pulled coordinating fabrics from my stash (mostly fat quarters and small pieces left from other projects), then made each block one at a time.  It was a lot of fun, plus very satisfying as I got that good feeling of accomplishment each time I finished another block. I've been meaning to start a similar project, using assorted 9 inch blocks and a different setting to finish it.  I think it will go on my project list for 2011.

To see more entries in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival, click on the button below and you will be taken to Amy's site where the list of the participants is located.

Inspiration in Blogland

Recently, I've seen a few particularly inspiring quilts out in blogland.  These projects are now on my quilting bucket list:

Joseph's Coat at Don't Look Now - if only it didn't look so daunting!
Basket Weave at Cluck Cluck Sew - another inspiring use of Bliss fabric.
Nearly Insane at Abyquilt - there is probably a very good reason why it has that name.
Spiderweb at Magnolia Bay Quilts and Stitchnbits - I want to make this in time for Halloween 2011.

So many quilts, so little time to quilt!

I Went Shopping

I made a flying visit to my LQS, Pennington Quilt Works, and found more fabric for my project of the moment, the Turquoise quilt top.  I'm thinking of this for the borders:

I selected some fat quarters to round out my supply, adding a few in lime green for contrast.

 

I won't be able to work on this much over the weekend.  I need a portable "to-go" project so it is back to hand quilting.

More Turquoise

I made a few more blocks. These blocks come together very easily.  If you can make a 9-patch block, you can make this.

Mr. Main Street happend by when I was doing some cutting and commented that the fabric seemed "very turuqoise."  Then he said, "So where is that quilt going to go when you finish it?" 

Silly man!  You don't have to have a destination in mind when you're making a quilt!

Test Block

I let myself be distracted from hand quilting this weekend and cut into my turquoise fabrics.

I got a fair amount of cutting done then made a test block.

While this Thimbleblossoms pattern, Picnic Rollup, was my inspiration, I am constructing my blocks a little differently from the pattern.  The pattern calls for a jelly roll and the instructions were probably designed to get the most out of your 40 strips.  But I am using fat quarters and scraps and found my piecing method works better for the fabric I have on hand. 

I plan to use solid white for the sashing but I need to get fabric for the borders, backing, and binding.  Oh goody, a trip to the quilt shop!

Filling The Void

I recently created room in my fabric storage closet by selling a no-longer-wanted kit and yardage on eBay.  Never fear, the resulting void will be filled!  Look at what my mail carrier left today:

Lots of Fig Tree loveliness in the form of Mill House Inn.  Julie of Jaybird Quilts was destashing and I gave into temptation.   Just couldn't pass up the bargain.  I'm not sure yet what I'll be using this for but there's a layer cake under there so I may use it to try out a pattern designed especially with layer cakes in mind.  If you have any pattern or design suggestions, please leave a comment.

Turquoise

The Pantone Color Institute®, the acknowledged international standard-setter for color, announced that turquoise is its color of the year for 2010, describing it as “an inviting, luminous hue.”  Turquoise is one of my favorite colors and I've been collecting fat quarters for a future quilt.  I think I've finally decided what to do with them.



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I have a beautiful picture in my mind; I hope the quilt turns out as well!

A Little Project

I took a break from my hand quilting project to sew up some towels.  They will be turned into the "joy joy" towels from Nancy Halvorsen's book Tidings.  I was so taken with this towel when I saw it last Friday at the Holiday Open House at my LQS.

I made six towels out of some heavier-than-quilting-weight cotton fabric.  It is a simple matter of just hemming the edges.  The applique will have to wait until another day.

Hand Quilting

I've been very busy lately - you might have guessed from the lack of posts.  Busy with work-work, busy with a fundraising event for my daughter's school, busy with family life.  On top of the busyness, we've had three straight days of rain and dreary weather does not make me feel energetic.  Even so, I've managed to get about half of the quilting done on Let It Snow.  I'm hand quilting this one, so it is slow going, but I do enjoy it so much and it can be a relaxing way to spend a half hour or so here and there throughout the week.  If I can keep at it, I should have this done in another couple of weeks.  

Change of Seasons

The temperature has taken a dive and the leaves are starting to fall - time to switch over to the fall quilts.  I put Autumn Medley up in my kitchen:

and this one on the bed:

It is Hidden Meadows, from Floral Bouquet Quilts by Sharon Evans Yenter (of In The Beginning).  It is similar in concept to the Yellow Brick Road quilt except the blocks are smaller (6").  The book has several good quilt designs that use florals and is a good resource is you have been wondering what to do with those large prints.

Time now to put my sandals away and get out a few sweaters!

Holiday Open House

I gave myself a little break from the-work-that-pays today and took myself off to my LQS for their Holiday Open House.  Pennington Quilt Works was showcasing their new holiday projects and gift ideas.  They do this every year and it is always a fun time to shop and try out a small (free) project.  I came home with a small candlemat I made in the store, learning a new-to-me technique that I think I will apply to make sets of placemats. 

Oh, I also have two new projects!  Both are out of books by Nancy Halvorsen of Art to Heart.  The first is a set of appliqued dish towels.  I'll be making the small "joy joy" towel shown in the center of the book cover.  I bought some toweling fabric (the beige and cream stripe) but you can also use readymade towels.

And I'm going to make the Merry Christmas banner shown in the upper left corner of picture below.  The store is selling a kit for this, which I bought, but they also have the "I Believe" book by Nancy Halvorsen with the pattern and directions available separately. 

I know, I know, I needed these projects like I need a hole in the head but hey, there was a third project that sorely tempted me yet I resisted.  So it could have been worse!

If you are in central NJ or Bucks County, PA, you might take yourself over to Pennington Quilt Works on Saturday.  I bet you'll have a good time and find something new to make.