I have named this quilt, Teal Stacked Coins. This is my original design.
I started this quilt on retreat in October 2019. Originally I had thought I would alternate the string pieced units with solid units the same size as the string pieced rectangles. I had to abandon this idea after sewing a couple of columns together and realizing that I had too much bulk in the seam intersections to get the quilt to lay flat. I ended up playing with the layout on the design wall and ended up going with alternate blocks that were half the size of the string pieced rectangles and I added a plain sashing strip between the rows to remove those bulky seam intersections.
The string pieced units were pieced onto used Color Catcher sheets. The Color Catchers remain in the quilt. I have made many quilts from these 4″ x 9″ string brick units but I think this one is my favorite because of the Kona teal background.
The quilt was quilted on my long arm using the Swirls pattern with an 80-20 Hobbs batting that gives the quilt a bit of loft that helps define the quilting and makes it perfect for cuddling in front of the TV. This is a large lap size quilt–my husband is holding the quilt for the photo and it generously covers his 6’2″ frame.
I started working on these star blocks during the last retreat (in October 2019). I finally finished the blocks and got them all arranged onto the design wall on the first day of retreat and then on the second day of retreat I managed to get everything sewn together into a finished flimsy.
I must admit, I was a bit frustrated coming into the room on Saturday morning after I spent time Friday arranging the blocks, only to find that my design wall had come loose from the wall and everything was in a heap on the floor. I had to start all over with the layout on Saturday morning. It was a good thing I wasn’t married to that layout. I put the design wall back up on the wall and started arranging blocks again. My layout isn’t planned; but rather my typical random placement.
This is a large lap – approximately 66″ x 76″.
The fabrics used were from two fat quarter stacks of Jinny Beyer fabrics – 50 fabrics in total. Each star is made from a different fabric. I only needed 46 different fabrics to execute my plan which left me with 4 star blocks leftover that I will make into either a pillow or a table runner.
The pattern is from Atkinson Designs and is called Stash Stars. The blocks are very cleverly pieced with no danger of ever cutting off a point as the points float and do not go out to the edge of the block.
This was the second project that I worked on during retreat. This is my Snowflake quilt. This is the quilt that I was making for our guild’s Winter Challenge. I was very ambitious to think I would finish it at retreat and have it ready for the February guild meeting. This one might have to wait until the next retreat.
I tried to piece the blues randomly but you can see where I have too many dark blocks together. The fabrics are different but from a distance they read too similar in value. I will have to do some frogging and replacing with different blue squares to fix that look.
The quilt pattern is called Snowflake and is by Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft.
The Winter Challenge “rules” were:
Winter Challenge
You are making a quilt creation for yourself.
Requirements…..not rules….
1. Make a winter improv/modern quilt (your choice of inspiration)
2. Minimum size 16″ by 16″
Maximum size – No limit
3. Make it in your 5%, something you would love to receive.
4. Finnish and show by the Feb 13 guild meeting. If you are not available for the Feb meeting posting on the Facebook page is good.
5. Participation is encouraged as your creation will tie into our next swap plans for the spring, to be announced at the Feb meeting.
This is my latest finished flimsy. These blocks were pieced on a broadcloth (not 100% cotton) foundation. I piece blocks until I have enough for a project or two and then decide on the layout.
A fabric foundation makes the blocks heavier. In order to reduce the final weight of the quilt, I decided to add some unpieced fabric to the design. Once the blocks were pieced into squares, I placed a light grey Kona solid square on top of them and drew a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner across the block. Then I sewed 1/4″ from the drawn line on both sides of the line. By cutting on the line after stitching, I ended up with two string pieced half square triangles. (Say that a few times quickly!)
I played with layouts and after searching the internet for inspiration, I came up with this layout. The Quilted Twins blog is a great source of inspiration and free patterns. I ended up with a layout inspired by the quilt that Becky designed called, Stringles. I have inverted my “mountains” and I have not included the half triangle bits on the end of the rows or at the bottom of the quilt. I think my “mountains” look more like they are floating on the grey background.
Mountain Strings finishes as a flimsy at 59.5″ x 65″ which makes a nice lap size quilt.
After spending most of December long arm quilting for others, I was looking for a fun project that would be quick to finish–a reward project. This project is a quilt that can be cut out and put together easily in a weekend.
The print in the center of this quilt was in my stash for some time. The go-with fabrics were purchased during a Boxing Week sale after Christmas last year. It was time to assemble them into the intended quilt.
This pattern is called, “Prairie Window” and is by Anne Wiens of Sweetgrass Creative Designs.
This post is dedicated to Linda who listens to everything I say and remembers all of it–even all the little boring details! When we were chatting on line tonight, Linda asked if I had posted a picture of my pansy table runner yet. I replied that I hadn’t. I mentioned that I was behind on so many of my posts. Linda suggested I talk about the pansy series of projects that I finished, and the connection to pansies in my family. So Linda, here it goes! *VBG*
Back in May 2008, my aunt, my mother, and I took a girls’ only road trip to Oregon to visit a part of the country that we had a family connection to–somewhere my mother had visited previously with her father. See the post here:
We did some fabric shopping at Joann’s in Roseburg, Oregon. I fell in love with a fabric collection by Debbie Mumm that featured pansies. Pansies are a flower that links the women in my family. Pansies were a favorite flower of my grandmother, my aunt, my mother, and myself. My grandmother painted pansy pictures for each of us and I always think first of my grandmother when I see pansies.
I recently finished four projects from the pansy fabrics.
The first piece was a table topper that was gifted to my aunt for Christmas this past year. The second piece in the pansy series was a Disappearing Nine Patch that was gifted to my Mother this past Christmas. The final two pieces in the series were a lap quilt and table runner for myself.
I am so finished with winter and I am so ready for spring. Rather than put the table runner away until the weather improves and spring actually arrives, I decided to put it out now. It may not be spring outside, but I can make it feel a little like spring inside.
The road trip I mentioned above was where I first met two of the FABs in person–Cher and Pam. So in honor of this meeting, the backing fabric for all of these pieces is purple. After all, purple IS the FAB colour!
These four pieces bring together a lot of symbolism–pansies for the women in my family and the two FAB sisters I met in Oregon that have become such an important part of my extended family, purple to celebrate all five of the FABs which includes those that live in WI and AL, and a wonderful memory of a girls only road trip.
