New Bargello project

     I guess I am kind of hooked on making Bargellos (thanks to a Left-Handed Quilter). Somehow the finished product gives me a tingle or two. Jelly roll prices have skyrocketed, and I was looking for a suitable combination of colors/values and a price that did not make me faint. I found these Anna Maria Horner (thinking of you, Maureen) ones at Quilt in a Day and not a bad price. What is not to like about FreeSpirit fabrics?
     When I got them, I tried a variety of strip layouts to make them flow in value. These photos are of some of the later tries. It takes 4 sets of strips, 20 fabrics in a set, which 2 jelly rolls give. The pattern I will use is Fire and Ice from Fons and Porter (purchased, also has a free video). I have had no time to sew the strip sets yet.

Fire and Ice photo from pattern

Squirrel Backing

      Normally, squirrels race through here and get new quilts started off tangent. However, in cleaning off a counter, trying to get my new granddaugher's quilt moving along after a long stall, I found fabric from the Nine Patch Kit I made. I do not like the colors of the fabric and can't see saving and cutting scraps from it, so I thought maybe I could use it in a backing. Much later down the road, I found I made the whole back from leftovers from the Nine patch and left over strips trimming quilts off the longarm. It took much longer than I thought and poor Violet's quilt still languishes, but those darn squirrels won again.

The backing, I did add the deer strip as I had no squirrels

The quilt the backing is for

Zig zags and snowy days

     The blue green zig zags is done, bound, etc. I could not resist photographing outside in the snow. When Alycia, with her wonderful Colorado ranch landscape, shows her quilts outdoors, I always drool. I live in a tight little suburban lot which is not exactly photogenic for quilts, but due to the almost 20" of snow that fell on MLK day, I gave it a try.  I also know how to crop out.

Back detail

Back

     How's that, Alycia?

Moving Oh my Stars Along

      I won't even say how long I have had these Oh my Stars swap blocks in a bag. Suffice to say, I am embarrassed. I finally figured how to add to them and make them into a quilt. I started to cut the B&W prints and the solids to finish the blocks, but not finished cutting as Christmas stalled this plan.
     Here are my 4 sample blocks. Hopefully, I can get back on track and cut the rest of the pieces. I hope I have enough B&W prints and solid variety to make it work. I use a 3/12" WOF B&W strip and a 2 1/2" solid color strip for the geese using the EZ angle ruler and Companion Ruler.

The Pile

The Plan

Blue Green Batiks Layout

      First, I have to ask- are you having trouble replying to blogs you are subscribed to? Blogs that I have followed and commented on for years are not allowing me to click in the comment box. I have done an online search on this topic, but found nothing. Whether it is my phone, laptop or desktop, can't comment.

      Every once in a while, I find a layer cake that snags me because of great price for comfort quilts. This one was from Etsy. My mother can sew some straight seams and I prepped the stack of batiks with a white brush stroked layer cake on Daily Deal from Missouri Star. I spot glue the corners with washable Elmer's glue that I set with an iron and give my mother the stack. She hates pins. I tell her to sew off each side at the corners and then pivot down the next side with seams on all four sides. She sometimes does. She sort of pushes the fabric through like a speed demon to finish. When I get the stack back, I cut them on the diagonal twice and then use the Perfect Slotted Trimmer tool to make them all the same size. Then I open and press the HSTs. Only 2 trims instead of 4 sides, still time consuming, but worth it. Yes, the edges are all on the bias and I iron with Best Press to stabilize.
     Since I use this method for a lot of comfort quilts, I am always trying to come up with new ideas. I found my graph paper and sketched out a good sized quilt. I had to add a column on either side so the quilt will finish 60 x 72 (6" finished HSTs). It took 96 of the 160 HSTs, so I have some extra to contend with and use later.

     Here is the layout, ready to come off the wall, clipped for webbing which I will do at the quilt guild retreat in March.

Zig Zagged to a Finish- almost

      Another layer cake HST quilt. Layer cakes, on sale, provide a way for me to make a quilt with a big variety of complementary fabric which is great for comfort quilts. The white zig zag area made a great place for quilting and I tried to use a different leaf motif in each one. I used Glide Aquamarine on the top and DecoBob Dove gray in the bobbin.
     I still need to make and put the binding on for a final show plus show the back, but I wanted to do a group of blog posts so I don't fall so far behind. (Actually just finished it and photographed it in the snow, but they are on the camera still).

Pure Plaid Sunshine

      This quilt is pure sunshine on a dark winter day. It was made by Quiltdiva Julie and gifted to the comfort quilt work I do (Quilts4Comfort). I showed it earlier, but it is now completed and is just a happy, happy quilt. I hope I get a referral for it soon.
I am calling is Plaid Spring Sunshine.
     Quilted free-motion with Glide Celery on top and DecoBob Dove Gray in the bobbin. Plaid scrappy binding.

Last gasp of Christmas

      It is finished, the improv Christmas Trees wall hanging. I like it so much, I hung it up near my side door so I can love it each time I leave the house or go into the basement. It is ok it is out of season now, it makes me smile. I love the fabric I found on clearance at Joann's for the back. I never use glitter fabric, but this was fun.

All quilted

Bound

Detail

Back

     And also, a tablerunner that was made from cut off HSTs from the Christmas Tree quilt I made last year. I could not throw them out, so I sewed them into 4s and then arranged into a tablerunner that was gifted to an admiring friend.

All sewn

Quilted (on the Singer 301) in gold thread and bound

Back

Scrappy Trips layout emerges

      A couple of years ago, I cut the strips for Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trips. Somehow, I thought it would be a quick quilt. I kept the strips in the block bundles and from time to time, I sewed a couple of blocks. There are only 30 blocks (made 32), but it seemed an eternity to sew them. In fact, The Left-handed quilter showed how to make the Upstairs, Downstairs pattern (I have had trouble typing in her search bar) and I made two of those in the meantime. I like the controlled palette of jelly rolls, but they are hard to find just the right ones that will work.
     I was surprised at first when I put these on the wall as it seem jumbled, but after a day or so, it grew on me. I clipped them together for webbing and will take them to our guild March quilt retreat. 

Trees, ok, Christmas Trees

      Nobody probably wants to see Christmas trees, but I started a couple of days before Christmas on making these improv ones that I had been saving the pattern for a long time. I used 5" squares as I had a lot of those colors in my 5" boxes. They finish at 3 1/2 x 5.
     I was going to make just a table runner, but then the addictive and calming nature of sewing them was perfect for holiday stress and I kept going. I bought some clearance Christmas fabric at Joann's and it is ready to load on my longarm. I love evergreen trees. I paint them on my Christmas cards and never tire of them.

2021 cards

Choosing inner border

Choosing outer border

Got crazy and mitered outer border, now to quilt

Making lemonade

     Long ago, I bought a kit from Craftsy that had batik strips. The two sets of colors did not coordinate well to make the quilt pattern. I made the blocks and they sat until I could redirect them. After some time, I divided them and made two quilts. The gray and orange batik is finally quilted. It is 49 x 68. I used Glide Cleopatra on the top and Glide 60 gray in the bobbin. I used a print for the binding that surprisingly worked. Like the way it turned out. Ready to go out when I get a referral.

Words and Pictures

      I don't have trouble with pictures- making them, taking them, changing them- it is a process that I participate in with some competence and relish. It is words that are hard to write and polish to communicate well. I have been taking, editing and filing photos of work methodically and in a timely fashion. Words stick in my brain unwilling to be birthed into posts. Part of it is the stress of the times- I am tired of the fear mongering of something that is wedging friendships and families into never ending isolation.
     Last year, on Zoom, the people in my guild decided we shouldn't pay dues as expenses were minimal. For some, it is their only level of commitment in the year. If you don't have anything of yourself invested in something, it becomes stale and trivial.
     I came up with the idea of "dues quilts", submitting the minimum of one quilt that was given away in lieu of paying dues. It was a bit of a fight, but the guild agreed. I committed to receiving the photos via email, front and back, of the quilts. I made a spreadsheet of who submitted it, pieced it, and quilted it. I gave an entry for each of those categories. At year's end, I put a person's entries into a container to be pulled for prizes. Some people had multiple quilt entries, some had just piecing entries, etc. I made a slide show of all the quilts with the names. It took a while to edit, crop, and create the slide show (Google Slides). I saved the slide show in a pdf landscape format that I could show at our 1st guild meeting this year (in person) as there is no wifi at our meeting location. Monday night, I set up the presentation early dragging my laptop, cords, projector, 7 prize bags (quilting notions from a Joann's sale), quilts, and lists.
    Mostly, it went well, but it only takes one virulent complainer to evaporate the atmosphere.
   I quilted 2 of the quilts- one from an 81 yr. member who can piece, but no longer quilt. I quilted it with variegated thread on my Singer 301. Another top was from my dear friend who died suddenly in June 2020. Her unfinished top was at a sale held by her daughter and I vowed to finish it. It is a veteran quilt donation. Quilted on my longarm, Glide Cleopatra with Glide 60 grey in the bobbin.