Another out the door!

     I received a quilt referral from a woman at church who has a niece undergoing treatment for aplastic anemia and a bone marrow transplant who is 22. Yikes. She is very scared and having a hard time with treatments. They basically kill everything off inside you, then add the bone marrow. Has to be a horrifying experience. I sent some photos of what I had, and the woman picked one. I washed and made the bag and kit up for her and she delivered it. I understand the young woman is pretty ill and no progress yet.
    This was the quilt and package.

    This was the quilt package. I actually had an extra block from the quilt to make the pocket on the bag. I sewed it on the premade tote bag with the classic Bernina 830 Record in the background as it is my only machine with a freearm.
    Originally, I made the quilt inspired by one I saw in a show. It did not turn out how I was thinking, but it is pretty. I was going for a floating effect. I have a hard time using black fabric. I used different black prints here, but it is still too harsh and did not give the floating floral effect I wanted.

Quilting detail

The floral 4 patch finally quilted

      This quilt has been a long time coming. It started inspired by a quilt I saw at a quilt show years ago. When I finished piecing it, it did not match what I saw in my mind. I was looking for some floating feeling from the floral 4 patches. I found a great border, but it still sat. Finally, I forced myself to quilt it. It was a lot of work as it is a big quilt and there was a lot of quilting.
     It is finished, but it still does not live up to what I had seen in my head. I think the black, even though I used black on black prints, ruins it. I usually never use black in painting or quilting.
     I think someone will like it. I was glad I could get the quilting done finally.

Some completions

      I love to sew. Sew quilts. I hate to write, it is like giving blood. I have all kinds of photos taken, labelled and ready to post, but it is tough for me to do.
     So, let me start with two quilt finishes. They are comfort quilts and not claimed yet. The first has blocks of 30s fabric that were given to me about half done.  I thought about putting them on point and adding lots of neutrals- cream, white and then a muted periwinkle blue. I wanted it longer, so I added the white strip top and bottom. The strip has specks of the same blue as the border so I thought it was perfect. Fun to quilt. I also have a stack of larger square 30s fabric blocks that I have not figured out into a layout yet.

Back, a soft older style floral

The larger 30s blocks, hmm, what to do?

     The second qult was a 4 patch quilt block swap from my guild. I did two sets and we had 20 participants. However, the unfinished size was not adhered to by all, so I had to cut down a lot blocks and make more of my own to get enough for the quilt. I stayed the on point track and used a lot of neutrals to pull all the varied colors of the 4 patches together. I was aiming for a quilt that a man would like as I am out of those. Blue stripe binding. I tried to keep the quilting masculine and not floral scrolly.

I even love the back!

Grinding through the units

     The four patch HST floral quilt that I showed a block of previously has lots of component units- a 4 patch all floral, a 4 patch floral/background combo, HSTs with black and background, HSTs with black and inside light print. A lot of small unit assembly. 
     I am almost done, but for a few 4 patches and pressing some HSTs. The HST black/backgrund squares still have to be assembled into a flying goose shape. It feels like I am going in slo mo. 
     So here are the parts laid out on the pressing mat, and they fit very easily into a small box. Even though this will be a comfort quilt size, all the time and cutting used seem at odds with how little space the units take up in the box.

All in box

Bursting with starts

     After finishing the three tops at the retreat, I started new ones. One of them will be a vet quilt- Red White Blue scraps- a string quilt I discovered in an older quilt book I got at a library discard sale. I am using the papers from Missouri Star- they are thin, strong, and don't wrinkle. I have 24 of the 36 string blocks I need. Kind of a cool quilt.

Here is the book I got the idea from and some sewn blocks.

One of the four zig zags needed

      Another quilt, Katie's quilt from MSQC, was started. I have all 16 patches and 4 patches done. I need the white rectangles and triangles cut and sewn yet.

The last start is one I need my head examined for. I fell in love with the quilt, Harvest Dawn, at a store and foolishly bought the pattern. It is a Judy Niemeyer one and I already have Sea Urchin that is stalled. It seemed like it was a shorter and easier one and in the heat of the fabric moment, I bit. I have all the pieces in the right bags and now have to paper piece them. I can't even tell you how long I took to piece these 4. I will just have to take one bag at a time forgetting what has to be done and chip away at it, regardless how long it takes.

Disappearing 4 patch sample block

     Sometimes I just need to make something new without thinking about what it will become. I saw this cool 4 patch disappearing 4 patch or teresa down under and had to try it. I started with 5" blocks. Here are my finished sample blocks. I think a whole quilt out of these would be terrific.

On the wall and another year begins!

     Today marks the beginning of another year for me. I don't know whether to cry or laugh. I will just be thankful for another day. So many ideas, so many quilts, it is overwhelming. Life just gets busier. 
     Thank you to everyone who is a follower and reader. You are my birthday present!
     So what is on the wall? I have been using 2.5" squares of kid prints for leader/enders and slowly putting Fading Charms together, so here is where I am now. Long way to go.

Center and two sides done

     Also, Sarah Craig of Confessons of a Fabric Addict blog, has been doing a Sweet Sixteen series. See side button. I looked through my squares and found 3 mini charm packs that I got free from the Fat Quarter Shop in Houston and sewed them into 16 patches. I will put this together with some denim squares. I will set these blocks slightly off center with gray background. I am figuring it out on graph paper.

Three of the 8 blocks

With denim added

     I have tried to improve my techniques and organization bit by bit. I finally learned how to pin going from left to right. This enables me to use my guides attached to the machine bed, to remove pins with my left hand and put them in the pincushion without letting go of feeding the fabric with my right, and the pins stay in the fabric much better especially like when two opposite borders are pinned at the same time. Maybe every one else knew this, but not me.

Border pinned at top and also at side makes sure the short side does not shift while the long side is sewn. I put the pin through twice on these long pieces.

Another side

Pin put in left to right as seam would be sewn.
The pin heads do not lie outside the fabric.

     I have put a plastic crate I used to use for markers in my graphic design days next to my machine and put every tool back into it instead of laying it on the table, having it fall or get covered up. I have the iron set right behind me with an ironing pad. Makes sewing small stuff so much easier and pleasant.

Crate to right, leader-ender squares to right.

Itty Bitty Four Patch Sanity, need 9 Patch

     I signed up for a class in April for a quilt called 99 Bottles in a book by Joan Ford. It is very scrappy, which I love and the quilt I saw at the quilt shop was done in batiks and white. It is a bit insane because the blocks are 9 patches that use 1" pieces. Now, I know I want to challenge myself, but I do not think I can cut 2" blocks into 1" and sew 9 patches. 
     While I am unsure where I gathered the idea in my internet quilt travels, I thought of a way to make 4 patches using the 2" squares that I cut out and save. While 2" is still small, it is not insane. 
     However, I still need to figure out how to do these for 9 patches, because I will lose it sewing 1" squares. So if you know, please comment!
     I started with a white 2" square and a batik 2" square and sewed seams on opposite two sides, using chain piecing.

     Next, after setting the seams, I cut them in half.

     Then, I pressed them open.

    I layered them, nesting the seams, with opposite colors (white next to color). The photo does not show them perfectly matched, because I am trying to show the nesting placement. The edges were matched up.

     Then the opposite 2 edges were sewn, chain pieced.

     After setting the seams, they were cut in half.

 

    Finally, they were pressed open. Voila! One inch pieces making a 2" 4 patch. These can be done using any size double what you want the square to be. 
    Now, if I can figure out a way to do 9 patches....