Design Wall Monday - February 25, 2021

Update:  Oops, I put the 25th in the title when I wrote this late last night.  It is the 22nd, but I’ll leave the title alone as some have already linked to it.   Maybe I am in a hurry to get to spring.

Good Morning Quilters!

I felt like I made progress this week.  Here is another finished May Day Basket block:

I have another one ready to start, and shall work on it this afternoon.  I also made more Drunkards Path squares, enough for another block, and worked on sewing together some of the rows of the brown and white Wedding Ring quilt that was on the design wall.  No picture of the design wall as it looks as brown and white as it did last week.  lol 

The UFOs got restudied again, and I put some of them in the sewing room closet.  So now all the batting, backings, projects, etc. have been looked at, sorted, organized, and have a home.  They are either in the shelving in the basement, or in the sewing room closet.  I was surprised at how many small quilts I have that just need quilting and binding.  I may have a small quilt/doll quilt week soon, and get them finished.

One of the projects I started to put away called me to work on it.  It's a log cabin quilt.  Now, I live in a log cabin all summer.....you would think that I would have made a log cabin quilt!  But I have not.  What I had was a large box of scrap strips and some notes and two blocks made.  So this past week, I've had fun putting more blocks together.  I now have eight blocks, and here is a picture.  It looks like I was sewing dark strips where light ones should be on the center block, but it's all good.  I think about anything goes in a scrappy log cabin quilt.

So the log cabin project got sorted into two smaller bins of darks and one bin of lights.  For the present time, all three small bins are under the ironing board, right near my machine to remind me to make a block or two whenever they call me.  And making these blocks helps break up the brown and white sewing I've been doing lately.

March is coming soon, and then April.....and you know what happens in April? Spring!!!  March is usually a good quilting month for me, so I am enthused again to get more things finished.  How about you?

Please show us what is on your design wall (or design floor...or whatever) and tell us what you are making.  As usual, I ask please that you talk about Design Wall Mondays in your post and also provide a link back to my blog from somewhere within your post.  Thanks!

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Design Wall Monday - February 15, 2021

Happy Valentines Day everyone!  I hope you got more sewing done this last week than I did!  My design wall hasn’t changed for quite a while, and I am resolved to get things moving there before next Monday.  The two quilts that I seem bogged down on are both brown and neutral.  I think the lack of brighter colors on these two has something to do with my lack of progress on them.  But here’s a picture of the status quo:

I sewed convex/concave pieces (16 pair in each stack) for another three Drunkards Path Blocks:

The embroidery has progressed a little bit on one of the May Basket Blocks.  I am so excited to be thinking about sashing and or setting blocks.  Pink and yellow (30s solids) were both good suggestions for me.  

Remember this from last Monday:

Today:

  

This coming week I plan to look at all of my UFOs (which I was going to do at the start of 2021) but my energy wasn't there then.  Now it is back, and I'm feeling like I can do another list and purge some of the projects.  I love it when the spring cleaning urge hits me.

What are you working on this week?  Thanks for linking with Design Wall Monday every week.  You are all so talented, and it makes my week to look at all of your blogs, and read about what you are working on.  Please link back to this particular post from within your blog.  Also talk about Design Wall Monday so others can join us. 

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Design Wall Monday - February 8, 2021

 This post will be about several topics, as that is the way this week has gone:

(1) I have drawn one of your names for the extra book giveaway of "A Bouquet of Quilts" which is a book of quilts from the Japanese quilting magazine, "Quilts Japan".  The quilt I made from this book is below, "Buds in a Basket":

The name I drew is Andree G. Faubert and she is one of our faithful linkups.  Her blog is Quilting and Learning Combo and she always has something she has learned to report to us.  Congratulations Andree!  Please send me your snail mail address and I will send this quilt book to you.

(2) I have continued on the Drunkard's Path.....haha.....I mean I have continued to work on my Drunkard's Path blocks.  I decided to slow this project down and do a few blocks each week, as I am at the boring part of making the same small part of the block 16 times.....all in brown and cream.  I made 32 this week, enough for two blocks.

(3) The May Day Baskets quilt is nearing the end.  I accessed what blocks need to be made, and I am happy to report that there are only a few more.  There are six rows in the layout I am using, and I have all the blocks finished in three of the rows, and only a few is rows 4 and 5.  All of the sixth row needs to be embroidered.  Here is the original layout:

I like almost nothing from this picture (border is not happening....alternate blocks will be something else....green is not happening....)  But other than those things...I like it. haha  Let me know what you think would look good with these embroidered basket blocks.  Thanks!  Here is the next basket block I have just started.  As usual, the main flowers in this block are French knots.

(4)  Happy Valentines Day!  Two of my favorite quilts are out on display this month.  The toile one is usually on the back of the couch, and is a simple made-up pattern (a four patch makes the red heart):

and the red and white postage stamp one is usually on the railing by the front door.  I used a cross-stitch pattern (with permission) for most of the hearts.  Here it is on the design wall when I had just finished the quilt top:

I love Valentines Day!  As I have written here sometime before, I have saved most of the Valentines cards from my husband over the 57 years of our marriage, and I re-read them and put them out on the bookshelves in the living room.  I tell him to choose one to "re-gift" to me because cards are so outrageously expensive now.  I have saved the ones I gave him, so I re-gift one to him too.  We are blessed to be in love and having fun together during all these years.

Well, I guess that's it.  What has been happening on your design wall, or what have you been sewing, planning, or completing this week?  Please link up below and let us know.  Your blogs are all so interesting, and it makes my week to read and see what you are working on.  Please talk about Design Wall Monday in your blog, and also link back here from somewhere within your post.  Thanks!

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Design Wall Monday - February 1, 2021

It’s  February 1st.....and January went by so fast that I can’t believe it.  I haven’t even reviewed my  list of UFOs to see where I’m at with my goals of getting them all finished.  I do know I made good progress in 2020, and am continuing on in 2021.  So it’s all good.  

I did find the staff at my sister’s nursing home could add to her care the sitting  with Nancy M W F while she is at dialysis, so I am relieved of that duty.  I can still sit with her when I want to, but this allows us to go back home to Grand Rapids for some rest. We came home Friday and are catching up on our own lives.  

My friend Joan Brink and I each picked out a UFO of ours to work on together on  Monday nights and to spur each other on to their completion.  Both projects have LeMoyne stars which have set in seams.  My project is a kit I bought based on an 1830s quilt found in New Jersey.  I am getting it out today to see how far along I got before it got put in time out.  Here is the kit picture:

It’s one of the Howard Marcus moda Collection for a Cause quilts, “Warmth”.  If you have made this quilt let me know, as I might have questions.  I know I stopped working on it a long time ago.

On the Drunkard’s Path project, I did a “big picture” assessment, and cut as many pieces as I could from the fabric I had.  So It will be a 5 block by 5 block quilt that will measure 60” by 60” as each block will finish at 12” x 12”.  I spent my time last week tracing the templates and cutting fabric with scissors.  When life is stressful, I love to do the simple mundane things the old school way.  Very soothing to trace around a pattern with a pencil and cut fabric with scissors.  I have decided to put this project by the sewing machine and do a few every day.  

Each block has 16 convex/concave pieces.  The actual sewing of the two pieces has gone very smoothly after I added a step.  I used to crease each of the two pieces in the middle and put a pin there, and a pin at each end.  Well, I was fine with the first end, fine at the middle, but the two pieces didn’t always come together at the end......plus often the end pin came out.  Sooo, I now sew (tack about 4 stitches) the ending together before I start.   Plus now I really don’t have to put a pin at the beginning....and the middle pin where the fabrics are creased is the only pin to take out while I’m sewing......and the ending comes out right because it has to!  I just sew right over where I tacked it.  The trick is to sew slowly and try to ease the fabric pieces as I go.  It is an extra step, but much less aggravation as the ends of the convex and concave pieces are forced to meet.  And I like it when they bend to my will.  I am the master of the universe.  Or at least I am the master of these two little concave and convex pieces of fabric.

What are you the master of this week?  Your projects have been so inspiring lately.  I love to read all the blogs.  Thank you so much for joining in!  Please link up below and remember to provide a link back to this post.  I will be drawing a name next week to give one of you the extra book I have with the “Buds in Bloom” pattern in it.  

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