Design Wall Monday

     Good morning everyone. It has been a pretty good week here. I got the back done for  Missing Monkeys quilt. It is 96" by 110" so it is too unwieldy to take a photo of inside, and it is wet outside, so you will have to wait or it to come back from Regina to see it. I will do real "quilt portraits" then. I have to admit, once I get these monsters pressed and folded neatly, I hate to unfold them. I did meet with her to discuss quilting patterns and thread colors for my finished quilts, which is always fun. She always has such great suggestions. I always think they look so much more "real" after they are quilted.

     What is on my design wall now? I have been working on 2 things. I am using them for leaders and enders for each other.

     I have all of my solid blocks completed; and all of the setting triangles sewn to the "on point" blocks. I still have to sew strips to most of the straight set blocks. Will I get this quilt sewn together this week? It's possible. After all, there are only 12 (huge) blocks.





      

     I also got 2 hexagons made! I am excited about this, because my goal was one per week, so I am off to a better than expected start. God bless long. dark winter evenings, Netflix, and Quilt Cam with Bonnie Hunter.

     To make these, I sew the triangles together in rows. Then I sew the rows together; but I DO NOT sew the center seam.

     It is nice that these are symmetrical. I just sew on one side at a time. That way, when I get confused about the order of the triangles, I just used the other side as a guide, and then I can figure it out much faster.

    Eventually, I plan to sew them together in straight rows; just like I would assemble a One Block Wonder-with no "Y" seams.

       So, that is what I have been doing this week. Now I am going to go to patchworktimes.com to check out what others have posted on Design Wall Monday. It is always interesting! Thanks for stopping by!

Things in Progress From Retreat

     I wanted to tell you about about some other things I worked on at retreat, but didn't finish. In preparing for retreat, I finished all of my solid units. At retreat I got 4 more blocks finished.

     I can't wait to see what these will look like with their setting triangles added. I am planning on shades of red for those.

     When I came home, I laid out the last 2 blocks.










     Next, is a quilt I have been itching to work on for ages. I have been mesmerized by seeing  beautiful hexie quilts in progress; but I don't seem to be very good at finding time, or patience to hand stitch. While I was piecing a One Block Wonder, I thought it would be fun to use the same construction to make a quilt that would use a similar motif to the hexie quilts, but be machine pieced. You could use the fact that the "hexies" will have to be divided into equilateral triangles as a design element. I immediately got on my EQ and came up with several sketches and motifs. I think I will be having fun with this concept for a while.

     They will all be the same size once they are sewn. The big ones just have not been sewn together yet.

     I would love to plan to make one of these a week, but regular plans like that don't usually work for me; so we will just have to see what happens. Right now, I am really enjoying working on these.













     That is what I have been up to. Thanks for stopping by!

Blocks for Galapagos ll

     I have continued to work on the lap quilt I wrote about last post. For now I am calling it Galapagos ll since it is the same pattern as a quilt I named Galapagos, but that may need to change eventually, since that doesn't seem like an appropriate name for a quilt of these colors. 

     I have made all of my pinwheels and put them up o the design wall. The blocks are ready to be sewn together. I would love to get the center put together in time to go shopping for border fabric during after Thanksgiving sales, but I don't know if I will have that kind of time in the next couple of days.

     I tried taking a photo of all the blocks on my design wall, but I had a bit of trouble getting the colors to come out right, and I don't really have time to play with it right now. With the lights on, it is coming out too yellow, and of course, without the light it may be a bit dark. I will probably get a better photo of it when it is all in one piece; and I can take it outside. Part of the problem is also where it is on the design wall. In future, I need to remember to use that end of the design wall last. It is furthest from the window, and natural light, and it is closest to the loom, which I am accustomed to looking around, but it is really difficult to take a good photo without taking it at a weird angle. That said, here it is. These are the 2 best photos I can manage for now.

 

     I have also gotten all of my solid units sewn together, pressed, and ready to put into large blocks of 4 by 4, and 5 by 5 units. I need 3 more of each to have enough to finish the quilt.

     I got a delivery yesterday. I had sent away for a few more solids for the pillows for the person I made the large quilt for this summer. She wanted 2 pillows made from this same solid pattern. i have a meeting with her next Monday. I had many of the colors I needed, but I thought a few important ones were missing, and they will be handy to have since I have a couple of other solid quilts in my head Here is what came in the mail.

     And with that I am off to throw myself into the Thanksgiving holidays. I hope yours are happy, and safe, and filled with lots to be thankful for. I am sure thankful you stopped 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!

Finally Getting Back to Some Earlier Projects

       I have been having so much fun seeing all of the lovely quilts on The Blogger's Quilt Festival. What a brilliant idea. But, I have spent hours looking at the quilts, and I have only gotten to quilt #300. What is that-half way through!

   My customer was kind enough to send me a photograph of The Let's Polka quilt and pillows in place in her bedroom; and give me permission to use it in my blog.

     Since that project is finally completed and delivered, I have pulled out some projects from earlier in the year. I have been working on my solid quilt. I thought I was finished with these units, but when I was sewing them together I realized I needed about 82 more. There is more information about making these units in my January 22, March 28, April 2, and June 22, blog posts. Here is a photo of when I sewed some of the units into giant blocks at a summer retreat.

     I have also done some work on my Bird Cage Quilt. Boy, these blog posts would ramble on a lot less if I could only learn to work on one thing at a time! Not gonna happen though. I have been working on piecing some triangles.

     I am trying to decide if I want rectangles on all four corners of the quilt, or rectangles on opposing ends, and triangles on the other opposing ends. I won't decide until I get some equilateral triangles pieced, and put up on the design wall. This is going to be a pretty wild looking quilt either way.

     I had to take a temporary break from making pot holders. Remember this photo of the batting and backs cut? I thought this was more than I would ever use!

          
     They are all used! I had to wait until I could get to the store to get more of the ironing board cover fabric I was using for the backs. Tomorrow I will post some of the finished pot holders in my Etsy shop.

     That is what I have been up to. Thanks for stopping by!

Chattahoochee Evening Stars Show Quilt back, and More

     I am getting packed for the Chattahoochee Evening Star Guild show this weekend at the Lakewood 400 Antique Market. I will have a booth, selling patterns there. Come by for a visit if you are in the area.

     I also, finally took a photo of the quilt back for the Let's Polka Quilt. I wanted my customer to see it since one of the colors she chose was unavailable.

     I got all of my HSTs sewn, cut, and pressed yesterday, when my friend, Elenaor came to sew with me.

Now I have plenty of trimming to do to keep myself busy in my booth this weekend. You know I always have to be doing something.

Just as I was ready to pack up My Water Lilies for it's trip to the Georgia Quilt Show, I realized that I didn't put a label on it yet. So, of course, something had to be done about that.

     So that's what I have been up to this week, along with all of that other non quilting stuff that always seems to need attention. Thanks for stopping by!

Waiting for back fabric, a new project

    I found out today that one of my quilts will hang in the Georgia Quilt show.  

 
    I met with my client last week, and she chose colors to go on the back of the Let's Polka quilt. Now I am waiting for that fabric to get here before I can proceed.

     In the mean time, I have been working on more HSTs for the solid quilt. All of the squares are paired and marked.

     I also have been working on some pieced triangles for the Bird Cage Quilt.

     These will be mixed in with a couple of other types of equilateral triangles in groupings in the blank areas in some of the corners.







     I made these by cutting the central triangles. Then I added a long thin strip.

 

I trimmed the strip after it was sewn to the triangle. Ignore the piece of tape. It is on the ruler for an entirely different project. 

     I even let myself start a new project. I have been wanting to try his for a while. It is going to be similar to a trip around the world, but I want to try something a bit different. I have all of my strips cut.

 

    I have made myself a cheat sheet so I can  remember the order of the colors.

     I got one strip set sewn together to see what it looks like.

         But when you find yourself sewing strips of the same fabric to each other, it is time to give up and go to bed!

Thanks for stopping by!

Top Sewn Together, Pillows Finished

      The Let's Polka quilt top is sewn together. I took it's picture in the back yard yesterday. Good thing I took the picture yesterday; because it has rained most of today.


     I have a meeting with my client tomorrow so she can see it and choose a color for the back, and a color for the binding.

   








   She also wanted 2 pillow shams. I made 7 pillow tops for her to choose from.

     I sure hope she likes them!

      When I was in Batavia, one of the neighboring vendors suggested that I should approach a distribution company with my patterns.  In preparation for that I am redoing most of the covers. Some of them have my previous P. O. Box on them. Most of them needed to have my Etsy and blog address added to them.

     Speaking of Etsy, I was approached on Etsy to do the Briar Patch Arts Festival in Eatonton, GA, on October 27. Since I have always wanted to do a show in that area; I decided to try it. 

     My friendship group met tonight. I got to work a bit on my Solid quilt, and my Birdcage quilt. I haven't yet photographed what I did tonight, but I will in time for the next post.

     Thanks for stopping by!

Here's What I Got Done at Retreat

      I got all of my solid blocks sewn and pressed.

      I got this many pressed, when I realized I pressed them wrong. Augh!

 
     First, I was pressing them like the block on the left; very neat and satisfying, but not soon enough; I realized that wouldn't be so good when I sewed them to each other. I realized that if I pressed one center seam towards the center, and the second seam away from the center, like the block on the right; I could twist alternate blocks when I sew them to each other so that seam fits together and there is less bulk. Why does it take me so long to figure these things out??? I couldn't bear to correct them all at once, so I fixed a handful of them, and sewed the first 2 seams of the square in a square blocks for my Bird Cage quilt for an hour or so, then fixed another handful. Eventually, I fixed all of the solid blocks, and got the 1st 2 seams on my Bird Cages quilt done too.

     I keep all of the pieces for 1 block pinned together as I sew the different seams. This helps keep me organized.

     Got a few rows added to my Ellipses quilt.

     I am just 2 rows shy of being half way done!

     I know I said that I wasn't going to bring my kaleidoscope quilt with me, but then I thought I hardly ever get to finish a quilt at retreat; so I shouldn't pass up the chance!

      So this is my first quilt top finish of 2012. I wanted to get one done per month, so I'm not doing too well so far, but maybe I will catch up as time goes on.

     I have many pictures of quilts made by the other retreat participants, but I will save those for the next post.

Getting Ready for another Retreat-YIPPEE!

     First point: Now that all of my major weaving deadlines are behind me, I hope to be able to make this blog a bit more interesting. How? Well for one thing, I am pretty sure it will be easier to write about making quilts while I am actually making some quilts!

     

      Would you believe it? I am getting ready for another retreat! I love this  time of year. It is a bit decedent that I go to one retreat in February, then another in April, then, yet another in June! I feel a bit guilty about all of this retreating, but only a bit. I justify it by saying that the concentrated sewing time is good for me; and so is the exhilaration you get from being among other quilters, and all of their creativity!  Also, and this is not a minor point; I will see friends that I don't get to see very often.

     So my plan for this retreat is to work on 1) The Bird Cage Quilt.

 

2) The Ellipse quilt.

And 3) The Solid quilt.

     Of course you never know what you will be inspired to work on until you get there, but a girl has got to have a plan; am I right? Why not the kaleidoscope quilt? Because I only have 2 big seams left on the kaleidoscope quilt, and it is finished! So I won't bother carrying it to retreat with me, I will just finish it next week.

     I have been trying to get the above solid quilt blocks as close to finished as I could get them. First I was using them as a leader/ender(Hats off to Bonnie Hunter) while I was working on sewing together my kaleidoscope quilt; and got quite a pile started.

Then I really concentrated on getting the rest sewed.

     Then, they all had to be pressed, so this is where I stand now.

     Just 2 seams to go, and those blocks will be finished; so I will be able to take them to retreat and experiment with different ways of laying them out on the design wall. I have an idea, but I won't be able to show you until I get some of them made.

      Also, this:

 

was not enough triangles, so I am cutting more. I wanted to get the whole units made in time to go to retreat but....

let's face it. That's just not going to happen, so I am just trying to get all of the pieces cut and paired; and I will sew them at retreat.