Design Wall Monday - February 26, 2024

Good Morning Quilters!

This was a productive week for me, as I put together another UFO!  The Jacob’s Ladder blocks that were exchanged with the Churn Dashers of Tidewater Virginia group are now a completed quilt top.  I blogged about them in January, as I was making the last few blocks.  It was my goal to get them put together in February.  January post about them:   (Here)

Here is a picture of the top on the couch:

And when it was on the design wall:

When I participate in an exchange, I usually make a few extra blocks in case some of the blocks I receive don’t fit in for some reason.  There were four that I didn’t use this time.  What do you do with extra “orphan” blocks?  Maybe I will sew them individually on dish towels for gifts.   

Here are the four not used:

They are orphans because there was not enough contrast in two of them, one was too dark and one because it was the only yellow block in the whole batch.  

And a picture of all the blocks on the design wall before I replaced the four.  It is an interesting block, using only a four patch and a half-square triangle.  The blocks together form more interesting patterns.

So for January and February, I am pleased with having two completed quilt tops, ready to send to a long arm quilter.  Hmmmmm, I shall have to search the UFO boxes to see if there is one I can complete in March.  I hope so.

What are you working on?  Please join in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party and show us.  I look forward to reading your blogs.  Thanks so much for participating.  I appreciate you.

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Design Wall Monday - January 1, 2024

 Happy New Year!

We get to start a new year, all fresh and unblemished.  The last month of any year lately causes me to plan and plot how to get more of my UFOs completed.   I’ve also done some sorting and thinning out of some of my stash.  It’s always exciting to look at all the projects I want to get completed.  I love them all.

Here is the current design wall picture.  Several friends are all working on a version of an old hourglass block quilt.  My version has hourglass blocks, but also I’m using a lot of hsts that were from an exchange I was in a few years ago.  Here is the center of hourglass blocks and part of the next ring of hsts.  After adding 8 more rows at the bottom, I plan on another border of indigo, and then hour glass blocks all around the outside.  We shall see.  This is one of those quilts that evolves and tells me what it wants.  

All the blocks finish at 2 inches square.  I also made two more blocks for the Jacob’s Ladder quilt that I plan to assemble in February.  I have 10 more blocks to make before then.  These blocks finish at 6 inches square.

It will be fun to get these Jacob’s Ladder blocks up on the design wall.  What’s on your design wall?  What plans do you have for 2024?  Please join in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us,  Thanks to all of you who participate.  

  

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Design Wall Monday - December 18, 2023

 This week was semi-productive in my quilt studio.  I put some things away, and got some more things out.  hehe. I found some old hourglass blocks that I will cut to 2.5 inches unfinished size to use in the Hourglass Quilt that I’m making.  Here is a picture of three of them, untrimmed:

This crumpled, hand stitched, partially completed quilt top has many issues, and this will be a good use of what I can salvage from it.  I am resewing all seams on the machine.

Here is a picture of my design wall, showing a beginning of my version of the Challenge Hourglass Quilt.  I am using 10 rows of hsts on all sides of the center hourglass blocks.  I will then put another small indigo border around the hsts before continuing on with an outside portion of hourglasses.  I will be able to get lots of hourglasses from the old partial quilt top.  Win,win.

Also, four more Jacob’s Ladder blocks were made.  Pictured here:

Christmas is coming, and I am preparing at my own pace.  As I age, I am much less stressed about getting everything finished on time.  Christmas will come whether I am ready for it or not, right?  And as an older person in our family gatherings, the gatherings are usually in one of our kids homes, not in ours.  Changes happen every year, but celebration of the birth of Jesus is the constant center of the holiday.  And of course, the most important part.

Yesterday we went to see a children’s Christmas program, and it was so special.  Image a group of children singing carols loudly and enthusiastically and acting out the Christmas story.  Priceless.  

Thanks for faithfully joining our Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  You are loved and appreciated.  Clink on the link below and share your blog post.  

Merry Christmas!

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Design Wall Monday - December 11, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

Since I’ve been sick with a bad cold for over a week, I’ve done little quilting,  However, I did do a little planning on what I want to work on to start the new year.  The number of UFOs here must be dealt with, and 2024 will start with a good push against them.  I know, it is only mid-December and I have no Christmas decorations up yet, but the thoughts of starting the new year with some pleasant beginnings cheered me up.  I didn’t feel like doing too much.  I am feeling better each day, and have decided to resume living.  lol

So here are my 2024 plans::  

I have this UFO that is very near completion, and I want to get it all done.  It  is called “Two Step” and is on the cover of a book by Barbara Brackman.

I have most of the blocks made, but in a different size than the pattern, and my block count is 200 of each of the two contrasting blocks.   The pattern blocks finish at 3.5 inches, and mine are a little bigger.  I think they finish at 5 inches square.  After I got the UFO unboxed and looked at it, there were only about 17 blocks in pieces.  I sewed them all into blocks last week, so the only thing left to do in 2024 is sew all the blocks together.  

A second UFO that I looked at was a Jacob’s Ladder block exchange quilt pattern.  The blocks I have are from an exchange with The Churn Dashers of Tidewater Virginia, and the quilt is shown in American Patchwork & Quilting, December, 2019.

With the exchange, I had 96 blocks, and the quilt has 120 blocks.  So I only need to make 24 more blocks……12 slanted to the right and 12 slanted toward the left.  I am making one of each whenever I can to get all the blocks completed by February, 2024, so I can sew the whole top together then.  I made 2 last week while I was sick, and I am making 2 more today.  Here is a picture of the current two of them laid out with the sample block next to them:

The two blocks use the same components, but hsts are turned differently.  I have to lay a sample block out with the one I am sewing together,  just to be sure I have the parts turned the correct way.

What are you working on, or planning for next year?  I am planning on getting the  Christmas tree up and decorated before we meet again next Monday.  Please stay healthy and take care of yourself - this cold was a doozie!  And thanks for joining in our Design Walk Monday Linky Party!  You are a blessing.

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Design Wall Monday - August 15, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

I am in a great mood today.  Yesterday I sat down at the sewing machine and made some quilt blocks.  It felt so good to be there.   And I hadn’t forgotten how either!  I made four Jacob’s Ladder blocks.  The Churn Dashers of Tidewater Virginia are exchanging these blocks at our coming fall meeting.  We are making a Block A and a Block B….with the “ladder” leaning to the left for Block A,  and the “ladder” leaning to the right for Block B.

The blocks make an interesting design when combined into a quilt.  The pattern for this project is in the American Patchwork & Quilting magazine, December 2019 issue. Here is a picture of the quilt in the magazine article:

For everything there is a season, and last week we took a long last boat ride around the lake.  Isn’t the sky just beautiful?  Penny and I always like to ride up in the front, with the wind in our faces.

Penny and “The Captain” while we were waiting to take the boat out of the water.  We towed it up to Traverse City to the dealership where we bought it, and they are selling it for us.

What have you been doing this week?  Please join in our Design Wall Mondays Linky Party and let us see your projects.  I enjoyed visiting many of your blogs on Saturday,  and I am looking forward to reading updates later today.  Thanks for participating. Join by linking up below.  Thanks!

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