Back to the Bird Cage Quilt

     Well, the jelly roll quilt I wrote about in the last post is at the quilter's.

     So, I have gone back to projects I was concentrating before I had the powerful to try that out. I have been making the pieced triangles for the last panel of my bird cage quilt.











I am using half square triangles for leaders and enders these days.

I have also made 6 of these strip sets.
 

They will be the next round on this quilt:

    That's about all for now.Thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year!, Quilt Show Update

     Happy New Year Everyone! I am feeling remiss for not getting this post up earlier. I had hoped to get it posted early in the day, but had the opportunity to go to the movies with a friend this rainy New Years afternoon. We saw Lincoln.  Both my friend and I  thought it was wonderful. Now, New Years Day is almost over, but I hope yours was a nice, relaxing one.  I wanted to post the last couple of days, but time kept getting away from me. Partly it was not getting the right photos taken for what I wanted to illustrate.

     I have been working on getting our guilds quilt show organized, cutting rods for hanging, calling quilt shops for award sponsorships, etc. Our guild is a relatively small one, so, it is not going to be a large show, but now that I have seen some of quilts that are going to be in it; I think it will be a beautiful show, with lots of  wonderful quilts to look at.

     The show will be at Art Station at 5374 Manor Drive in Stone Mountain Georgia, 30086. Our opening is January 12 at 7pm. If you are in the area, I hope you will stop by. Like most quilt guilds, our guild has many great cooks, so I think there will be some yummy refreshments at the opening. It will also be a time for meeting those who made the quilts. But, if you can't make it that night, the show will be up through March 2. I am planning to have silent auctions, and demonstrations from time to time through out the show. I will post more about that here when I know more details about timing.

     Like most people, I have spent yesterday and today reflecting what I have gotten done this year, and what I want to put my efforts into next year. This is my blogs first year, and this time last year I didn't even have a blog! When I started, I hoped to post about twice a week. At the end of this year I have 74 posts, so I didn't quite make the twice a week goal, but I did get almost 3/4s of the way there. Not terrible, but maybe I can improve on that this year. I had no idea what to expect in for page views, but last night, when I came home after midnight, I had 3737. First, I was grateful that anybody was willing to look at my ramblings that many times, but It also struck my as a nice number to finish the year on, somehow. In 2013, I hope to organize my blog more, with maybe some tabs across the top, maybe a quilt gallery, and some tips, along with a list of patterns that are available on Etsy. As always, I am open to suggestion, but be patient with me. I am much less adept at dealing with technology than others, so this is a slow learning experience for me.

    Soon, I would like to post a list with photos of the quilts that I finished in 2012. I really spent a lot of time trying to market myself as a quilter this year, and this took some time away from my quilting. I keep wondering if I should try to write a book. So many of the other bloggers are also book authors. Perhaps I will be able to explore that a bit more in the coming year. It is either, find a way to earn a living with my quilting, or find some other way to earn a living! I think that Lyn is not going to want to weave rugs forever; so I will need to come up with something else to do eventually. I am trying to wait on doing a 2012 retrospective post, until I get the last 3 quilts of the year photographed. It was wet again outside today, and between wind, rain, other commitments, and bright sunshine throwing shadows on the quilts, I have not gotten it done yet. The quilts are going off to be hung in the show next Saturday, so if I don't have pics by then, I will just have to settle for whatever weather is going on. Then again, I guess I could take them while they are hanging in the show. There is nowhere inside my small house to take a good photo of a big quilt.

     When I uploaded the photos I did take, I realized that I really had done some quilting related things after all.

    I finished a Christmas tablecloth from some  fabric a friend had given me. It's too late to use it this year; but I will be ready for next year.

     A couple of weeks ago, I posted about trying to decide what to do about a quilt I am currently calling "My Bird Cages" quilt. You can see that post here. I decided to do equilateral triangles in both corners; so now I have to cut more triangles, so I cut the strips for that.

     In the first couple weeks of this blog, I wrote about a fabric that I was pinning to cut into a One Block Wonder. You can see that post here. The fabric is towards the end of the post. I did cut that fabric, and it has been sitting near the sewing machine all year. Occasionally, I used it for leaders and enders. I finally got the first seam on all of those blocks sewn, and most are pressed.

     I was a bit disappointed, because I didn't think I would have so many blocks that had so few colors in them. I still think that I can use the lines in the print to do something interesting with. That failing I could always add other fabrics as I did in this quilt.

Does this quilt look familiar? It is the quilt my header came from. Speaking of that, I am thinking that since my blog's 1st birthday is January 7th, it might be time for  a header photo change.


















     I have also been doing the same with this fabric.

 

 

     At one time, I thought I might combine the 2 fabrics in one quilt, but now I don't think so.

     Last, but definitely, not least-I have been working on this project since the summer when I traveled to Batavia, and Bearea. I had several large containers full of scraps. I brought a grocery bag full of scraps on each trip I went on. and sorted them into different categories in ziplock bags. I used some of the scraps when I made my pot holders, but I didn't even begin to put a dent in them. Finally, this week I finished sorting all of my scraps. And I mean ALL of them. I even went through all of my project boxes, decided if that was a project I ever wanted to get back to; and if not, I sorted all the scraps in the project boxes. I emptied 13 project boxes! In the process, I found a treasure trove of fabric that had been locked away with one project or another. I kept saying "oh, that's where that went, I didn't think I had used it all, but I never could find it. " I also sorted a bunch of fabric that friends had given me when they purged their own stashes. I am know in my friendship group as the person with the broadest taste in fabric, as I like both traditional fabrics, and more current styles. I found 9 extra blocks from one finished quilt, and 11 from another. I had no recollection that I even had so many leftovers!

    In the process, I devised my own scrap system, based on how I see myself using them. We will see if my system helps me make use of the scraps. I think all of that watching of Bonnie Hunter's quilt cam is having an effect on me. Here are the categories I used:

Large Triangles,

Small Triangles,

Medium Bits (2" square or larger)

Small Bits (smaller than 2" square, but not smaller that 1")

Large pieces (smaller than fat quarters, but, most likely, too large to used without cutting)

Solid Strips ( am planning a courthouse steps out of solids)

Larger than 2 1/2" strips

2 1/2" - 2 1/4" strips

2" - 1 3/4" strips

1 1/2" strips - separated by themselves because I use them a lot

smaller than 1 1/2" strips- these and the 2 bits categories, and the small triangles was what I used most often for the potholders

small sewn together pieces (leftover HSTs and the like)

Large sewn together pieces (whole leftover strip sets, large pieces of same)-these were also very useful for potholders

      Such a great starting fresh feeling. AND, it feels like I have a whole new collection of fabric!

     Well, well, so much for shorter, less rambling, more frequent blog posts. It's something to strive for in the coming year.

     By next time, I hope to have photographs in line, of all of the quilts I finished in 2012. I think there will be many more finishes in 2013, because I have so many quilts that have a large percentage already done.

     I hope you are ready to take charge in the coming year-what am I saying? Coming year? It's here!

     Thanks for stopping by!

Indian Summer?

     The weather here has been amazingly warm. I just couldn't stand the thought of being indoors. I found myself a picnic table in our community garden to doe my trimming outdoors. I keep thinking, how much longer before cold temperatures chase us indoors for months.

     So, while I was out there, used my phone to take photos of what I was doing, and earlier today I transferred those photos from my phone to my computer. I know you all are saying "Ya? So?" Well it was a big deal to me anyway. I had never done that before and I was tickled that it worked. And to those of you who are thinking "Why didn't she just write the blog post on her phone?" Maybe next time. One technological  breakthrough at a time. lol

     Anyway, I got all of the HSTs for the pillow covers trimmed.

       Today I paired each set up with a center and center bar. I plan to get as much sewing done on these as I can tonight.




           I also cut the some pieced triangles for my Bird Cage quilt.

     I used a plastic template.

 And a ruler.

     And cut out a triangle. I have plain triangles which will all be pointing up; and 4 different kinds of pieced triangles, which will all be pointing down.
 

     I couldn't wait to see part of them laid out together on the design wall to get an idea of how they will look.

      

     That's all for now.  This is my attempt at a shorter, more freequent, less rambling blog post. Thanks for stopping by.












    
   

Progress on Solid Blocks, Triangles, etc.

    As planned, I got my pot holders, posted on Etsy, and after procrastinating forever, I finally got my policies posted! At last! I wanted these things done before Thanksgiving.

     Yesterday, my friend, Eleanor came over for some quality sewing time. I worked on my solid block units. I got them all to this point.

     Only 2 seams left, ad I can start sewing them into the large blocks. I am planning to set these blocks, half straight, half on point, with different shades of red around them. I am anxious to see how this is going to look.
 

     After she left, I did a seam on several of the triangles for the bird cages quilt.

     Previously, I made several strip sets for another quilt, but they still needed pressing. So while the iron was hot, I pressed them.
 

     So that is what I have been up to lately, thanks for stopping by!

Change in Plans

     I have been working on putting the last row of triangles on my square-in-a-square blocks for my bird cages quilt.

     

 The second row is easier because, look how you can center the triangle on the block; lining up the point of the triangle with the corner of the square.
 
I got all of the sewing and pressing done; and  I was going to trim them today at an artist's Plen Aire held by an art guild I belong to. 

     But, we had 20mph winds today, so I just couldn't see myself sitting outside, and trimming blocks. I'd be chasing them all over the place!

     I will have 2 more opportunities to sit and trim this week. The 1st is tomorrow night. I have quilt guild;  We sit at tables; and tomorrow we are not even having a program-just a business meeting. The next will be Porterdale Stitching Club on Wednesday night. 

     I am really looking forward to putting these up on the design wall and showing them to you (and me). I really challenged myself with these to use many types of fabrics together. Traditional prints, contemporary prints, plaids, batiks, solids. Hope I get to post those photos soon.

     Also, a reminder to anyone who lives in the Atlanta area, I will have a booth of quilts at the Inman Park Festival next weekend, April 28 & 29. Come and see me if you are in the area!

 

Slow Progress

      I have all of the squares and triangles cut out for my square in a square blocks for my Bird Cages quilt.

      This is handy since tomorrow night is stitching club. They are all packed up and ready to go. Choosing which colors to sew together will be an easy project to accomplish while sitting and chatting with friends.

     All of my kaleidoscope blocks are sewn into rows. Soon as I get them pressed, I can sew to rows to each other, and that top will be done! I have run out of time tonight; so that will have to wait.