Wow, Almost the End of April!

I really do have good intentions to post on my blog.  I just need to be better at it on my phone and then I could manage it easier.  Getting the pictures to my computer takes effort.  Well, not really, it's just plugging in a cable...  

In my last post (two months ago!) I mentioned our house flooded.  Almost all the repair work has been completed (the bathroom still needs baseboard and the floor guy said it wasn't his job) and I spent my entire spring break working on the house putting things back together and cleaning EVERYTHING, absolutely everything in this big house from the construction dust.  "Someone" still needs to install my new laundry sink, but he has been busy farming.  The laundry sink was old and since it had to come out we chose to replace it with a nice stainless steel one.

I have gotten some quilting done.  These pictures are going to be in a random order.  

Wildest quilt top I have ever made - Kaffe fabric blocks from two swaps, assembled into one top.  The string blocks were sliced in half and I made the middle fit by adding black and white.

I used red and green Christmas low volume prints for this Chamomile Quilt.

Disappearing 4 patch

Another view at dusk with a bit of sunshine.

Brown Bag mystery 2020 Kaffe version.

Brown Bag Mystery 2020 - Batik version piano key border

Partially finished block of the month sample quilt

Easy Stripe Tablerunners

Quilts I made for a 16 year old girl (she went to the one room elementary I work at) and her mom.  The girl is undergoing treatment for her third bout of cancer.  I put two different fleeces on the backs so they could tell them apart.  All the blocks were made over the last couple of years as leader/enders.

Gnome is Where Your Garden Grows - shop sample top

This is a VERY old UFO, more than 15 years old.  I had the blocks done all this time.  Today I put them into a top and I have a backing ready to baste and quilt it.  I needed a gift for a college graduation and the young woman loves blue.  I am using a fun a nd funky backing with pink, her other favorite color!

Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

One Block Wonder Class Prep

This is my second post of the day with some actual finished quilts!

I will be teaching the One Block Wonder technique next week at Your Best Friend's Quilt Shop.  Our area has opened back up with social distancing.  Because of the response, and everyone needing space, I will be teaching the same class two days in a row.  I don't know what to expect, but I hope it goes well.  It's a hard quilt to make in class, but if everyone gets the idea of what to do and gets blocks cut and sewn together, they can  then assemble them at home.  I have been working on samples for it.  One is for the shop, but the other three are mine.  I have previous ones for examples at the class as well.

I fell in love with this Kaffe Fassett Collective fabric being a purple and flower fanatic!

Here is the quilt, completely finished.  I used a yellow from my stash for accent and binding.

Finished One Block Wonder

 This next is made from 7 panels from the quilt shop.  This is a display sample for the shop.  It was fun to make.

closeup

 I purchased the fabric for this one a couple years ago at a retreat sponsored by the quilt shop I am teaching at, along with a coordinating border print.  This one only had a 12" repeat so the quilt was very small and even with the border is about 45 X 60.  The fabric had windmills and red pickups and canning jars, very fun!  The plaid inner border is part of the border print.  It is quilted and bound.

 I purchased 7 patriotic panels a few years ago and now was time to make them into a one block wonder!  This one was hard to blend, but I think it turned out well.  It is quilted and bound.

Along with these projects I completed the blocks for this disappearing 4 patch quilt.  I had been using them as a leader/ender project.  I love the cute Me and My Sister Designs fabric.

This week I had a break and decided to work on something but I had no idea what.  None of my MANY, MANY projects looked interesting so I started something new.  The pattern is Buzz Cut out of the book 12 Pack Quilts featuring fat quarters.  I used Kaffe fabrics in my favorite colors.  I still need to assemble the blocks, but it was very fun to make. The blocks finish at 7.5". I added two additional rows to the pattern.

I have also done a lot of yard work and gardening and spent several days cleaning my sewing room.  So yes, even though I have been missing from blog land I have been busy!

Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

Quilting Spree

I have had a lot going on, but I did go to a quilt retreat recently.  I took my Grand Quilter and did some machine quilting.  The room is big with great acoustics and several people use Juki machines and machine quilt at quilt camp.  I made a small dent in my basted pile!  By noon Saturday I was ready for a new project and I had this tablerunner kit.  It was all laser cut but difficult to figure out piece placement. I worked for 8 solid hours on it (with a dinner break of course). It is all fused and thankfully another quilter had brought her applique pressing sheet!

 I ordered the kit from Shabby Fabrics.  It will be trimmed to have rounded corners and I have a packet of embellishments to add after it is quilted.  Quilting will be a challenge!

Here are some of the my projects I have recently quilted at retreat or home.

disappearing 4 patch

quilting closeup

disappearing 4 patch (twin to above quilt)

straight line quilting

These two disappearing 4 patch quilts are going to be gifted to two sisters.  

This simple one patch quilt was made from leftovers of another project.  It is the perfect size for a patient in a wheel chair.

fun flannel backing

I received these blocks in a guild UFO exchange.  There were more, but not made as well and this will also be a perfect care center patient quilt.

fun cat print backing

Laurel Burch panel.  This is all quilted in the ditch.  I am the world's worst quilt photographer.  My quilts really are straight!

This one is currently what I am quilting now!  I am about half way through the blocks.  It is set aside for now as I have been deep fall cleaning my house and we are hosting Thanksgiving for about 30 people and some will be staying a few days.

Retreat Projects

Last week I was at a quilt retreat hosted by Quilt Treasures.  I worked on 4 different projects.  I didn't have a lot of space, sharing a 6 foot table and no room to set up my little ironing table as I was on the inside so I sewed as many blocks together as I could.

Since I have been home I have assembled all the tops and added borders.

The first project I worked on was a batik throw quilt called Rip Tide.  I had purchased a kit, but exchanged out some of the fabrics.  This was a pattern by Karla Alexander where you stack up fabrics, slice them apart, move fabrics in your stacks and resew them.  It was fun and nothing to match up!  I loved that!

Rip Tide throw size

The next project I worked on was my 1930's Farmer's Wife.  I am a Farmer's wife, but samplers are not my favorite.  I also have the regular Farmer's Wife quilt in progress.  I am not sure what I was thinking!  Anyway I had 21 blocks done and there are 99 in the book.  I lost the CD with templates and I decided to do the lap size setting in the book and needed 32 blocks.  I went through and kitted up 11 blocks and got those sewn and I had precut the setting triangles.  I added a narrow border and I have a quilt top ready for quilting!

six inch block closeup  LOTS of pieces

Next I worked on a disappearing 4 patch.  I had a bunch of bright 10" squares and thought I would make a throw quilt for a gift.  I got all the blocks done, but couldn't lay them out at retreat.  After I assembled the quilt top at home, I HATED it!  It was too much, too intense, too something.  It was an 8 X 10 block setting.  I had decided on the alternating design, but I think I should have set it together like Ramona did.  I decided since it was too big for what I wanted, that if I split the quilt top in half it would work better and it does!  I added a border from fabric on hand and now I have two nice lap sized quilt tops!

disappearing 4 patches

The last project I worked on at retreat was a Scrappy Trip Around the World.  The pattern is found on Quiltville's site.  I had a bundle of Bonnie and Camille's Vintage Holiday fabric.  I just loved the pinks and aquas.  I added a few other fabrics and since I am not a true scrappy quilt lover, I made sure reds went through the center.  I am still contemplating a border or not.

Scrappy Trip Around the World

Scrappy trip closeup - sometimes matching fabrics came together!

School starts back up Monday.  I have worked this week and have open house tonight, but then have the rest of the week off.