Design Wall Monday - February 26, 2018

I will be watching basketball all this week, as I am a big basketball fan, and it's the week of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament.  Games Wednesday through Sunday.......and then the NCAA tournament is coming up after that.  Yeah!!

I feel I haven't much to show you in my quilt room, but I did work on two projects.  The Valentine quilt is partially sewn together, and I am making progress on it every day.  Here is the portion that is still on the design wall:

And here is the part that is now all in one piece - out on the carpeting in the next room:

Little by little, inch by inch, the final seams are getting finished.  I am also working on Lisa Bongean's Triangle Gatherings.  (see my last week's post for more information about both of these projects).   Here are four blocks laid out, ready to sew into 16 patches.  The half-square triangles in the picture are 1.5 by 1.5 inches before sewing them together.  The blocks finish at 4 inches square.

Now I have 60 of the blocks made, and about 30 to go.  When I started, I had half-square triangles left over from another project, but I've used up most of them.  So now I am using my shoebox of 2 in X 2 in cut squares to make more triangles.  I pick out 8 neutral and 8 dark or medium squares to make a Triangle Gathering block.  When I put two squares together, and sew down the middle, on each side of the center diagonal line, and cut them apart, it makes two half-square triangles that can be trimmed to 1.5 by 1.5 inches.  It's a very peaceful project, and I enjoy making these squares in between sewing the long connecting seams on the Valentine quilt.  

What are you working on this week?  

My instruction for the Design Wall Monday link-up are the same each week:  Please link back to this particular post somewhere within your blog post.  I appreciate it so much when you do.

When you set up the ink, use this web address:

http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/2018/design-wall-monday-february-26-2018.html

And not the generic address of http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com

Thanks!  Can't wait to see what you are sewing.

An InLinkz Link-up

Design Wall Monday - February 19, 2018

The Valentine Quilt is moving along.  Here it is on the design wall:










What needs to be done next is sew larger parts together, and I am doing it a little each day, as it isn't my favorite part of quilting - lots of pinning of seams involved.

So I took a break from seams and worked on the Lisa Bongean's "Triangle Gatherings" blocks.  I talked about this project (Here) and  (Here) .  It was free on her website for a while, but is now taken down, as she said she is going to do a book about them.  I have about 50 finished blocks, and I think she quit at 98.  Here is an example of one of the small blocks:

Each block is made of 16 half-square triangles, and each of the 98 blocks are different.  I am making them to finish at 4 inches by 4 inches.  I haven't decided on what kind of quilt I will make from them - just making the little blocks for now.  

It was a tragic week here in America, with the shooting at the school in Florida, and in times like these, quilting comforts my broken heart.   I am looking forward to seeing what you are working on, as it comforts me also to see your work.

As usual, my instructions are the same, please link back to this particular post somewhere within your blog post.  I appreciate it so much when you do.

When you set up the link, use this web address:

http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/2018/2/design-wall-monday-february-19-2018.html

What have you been working on?

An InLinkz Link-up

Design Wall Monday - February 12, 2018

Valentine's Day is this week!  Here are a few of my valentine decorations that are out this month:  Two small heart pillows in my tiny pillow collection on top of a doll sized dresser, in the entry hall:

My small heart doll quilt made a few years ago:

It is hanging in the dining room, and I love changing out the little quilts each month on this wall.

The large postage stamp quilt is finished down to the lettering on the bottom, and I tweaked the pattern a bit this week.  Original graph paper design:

And the revised final version, which I worked on this week:

I had a goal of getting all the piecing finished by Valentine's Day, and I might still make it in two more days.  Here is my progress so far:

On the graph paper, I divided the wording into 18 sections, and sewing the squares together in one direction and then the other direction meant that I was dividing the project into 36 tasks.  I have 22 tasks completed, and 14 more to go.  For example, the "en" of Valentine is sewed together column to column, and has yet to be sewn row to row.  Hope this makes sense.  I took the top part off the design wall, as the incomplete part was getting too low to the ground to make it comfortable to work on.

I really enjoy seeing what you all are working on!  As usual, my instructions are the same, please link back to this particular post somewhere within your blog post.  It's the least you can do for me, and I appreciate you so much.

When you set up the link, use this web address:

http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/2018/02/design-wall-monday-february-12-2018.html

What is on your design wall? 

An InLinkz Link-up

Design Wall Monday - February 5, 2018

It's almost February!  There are some cute free Valentine's Day quilt patterns on the internet, and I thought I'd show some links, if you'd like to make one.  Also, I made a bed sized Toile fabric/red heart quilt last year, and I will post the free directions for that one here.....later this month.  Here's a close-up picture of my Valentine quilt:

And where it is today, on the back side of the couch:

First is a small heart quilt, with the words "Be Mine" embroidered on one heart:
Click (Here) to see it.  Thanks to Cheri for sharing on her blog.  It is made of 30 easy heart blocks, and I am guessing it is about 36 inches square, but I'm not sure. 

Another small quilt is (Here)  This pattern is on a website called Craft Buds.  It's mug rug size, and is made with a pieced single heart.

And one that's on my long "list-in-my-head-of-quilts-to-make", from the Temecula Quilt Company.  (Here)  It's 24 inches x 24 inches.  The Temecula Quilt Company has great patterns, and I always enjoy going to their blog.

When each holiday approaches, I say it's my favorite.  But they all really are.  Just like each one of my eight grandchildren is my favorite one!  Each February, I put all of the Valentine cards on the mantle and bookcases in the living room.  Hubby thinks its great, because he says, I guess this means I don't have to shop for a card this year - but he usually does.  I tell him to just shop in the living room, and re-give it to me!  We've been married 54 years and I've saved cards from each of us, and some from grandchildren, not every year apparently, because there are not 108 of them.   It is lovely to read them again, as I put them out.  It gives me great pleasure as an old lady.  Here's three pictures showing all of the cards.

 

What's on your design wall this Monday?  I can't wait to see your progress, even if it's small progress.  We will get these quilts finished!

Please remember to link back to this particular post within your post.  This means the link back should be:

http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/2018/02/design-wall-monday-february-5-2018.html

and not just to my generic site:  smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com

Note just for those of you who do have my blog button somewhere on your blog (often on another page):  That's nice, but it doesn't help us link back quickly to this page to see the next design wall.  It is so easy to include a link back within your post.  Thanks!   

An InLinkz Link-up