Blue Lagoon

Quilt retreat last week gave me the perfect opportunity to start a jelly roll quilt that's been on my list for several months. Blue Lagoon is a pattern in a book called Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam Lintott and Nicky Lintott.

I used a Minick and Simpson jelly roll (New Lexington, I think it's called; please correct me if wrong!) and a neutral that paired nicely with it. The construction was super simple and I nearly had the whole top stitched while at retreat.

The pattern in the book does not call for an outer border, however I have so much fabric in the stash, and this just seemed like a simple way to make use of it and get a larger quilt, too. The border fabric has been in the stash for years.

The strips were paired up and then matched with another pair, then cut into 2.5" units to make 4-patches. So easy - no thinking required. Stitch a 2.5" x 4.5" strip of neutral between them and you have the makings of rows. Sashing rows are even simpler - 2.5" squares and 4.5" strips.

Gracie approves, even though she has her disapproving face on. I think she was annoyed that I disturbed her nap to take the pictures.

Next up for me is to add borders to my 9-patch exchange quilt.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Lake Effect: Approaching the Applique Phase

Lake Effect - early on I referred to it as the 10-year-project, but I have really progressed on it so far this calendar year, and I find myself nearing the point that starting the applique sections is on my mind. I expect to finish faster than 10 years. *grin*

To do any applique, I needed to print off the pattern to the correct size. After many frustrating attempts on my home printer, I finally took my digital pattern (by Minick and Simpson and purchased from Fat Quarter Shop) to school and sought assistance from the copier experts. I needed to use 11"x17" paper, and we did it up right - color!

In the upper corner of the first picture, you see my stack of hexies - evidence that I really am making steady progress. Once I get the center section of hexies sewn together I will be able to stitch them to the center applique panel. Suddenly making that panel becomes a priority.

The hexies are sewn together in sections as shown above. I will soon have those 4 parts for the center done.

Making that simple (?) little center panel will test my mettle. I have long held a reluctance to do applique, and this pattern sorta' forces the issue, doesn't it? It seems harmless enough at 11"x 15", but then I begin trying to figure how in the world to make those skinny stems on the branches, and how to get those berries to be round (as opposed to lopsided and wonky). I will stew about it, I'm sure.

My initial effort was to make a big shape, a simple shape - one that had few deep curves or narrow bits. Say hello to this happy cardinal. Not bad for a first effort. Next I will try some leaves. I've had to put the whole business aside lately, but I will return to it.

Have you wonderful readers any applique advice for me? Is there a secret trick you use to deal with the narrow bits or the deep curves? Do you use freezer paper? Do you go with raw-edge? Needle turn? Right now, I am going the freezer paper route, but I leave myself open to changing my mind. I will gladly learn from anyone with tips and pointers.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sharon's Progress

On Monday, Sharon was here to sew. It'd been ages since we last got together. I went on a vacation, and then she had bronchitis - so maybe 3 weeks! Wow.

Inspired by the quilt on the cover of this Minick and Simpson book, Sharon is making her very own blue and white Triple Irish Chain. It is going to be a beauty.

All of the checkerboard blocks are made and Sharon was diligently working away on the setting blocks most of Monday afternoon. I felt we were accomplishing a lot. Great productivity out of the quilting room! Yay!

 Here is a gorgeous stack of blue and white checkerboards. I am drooling over this quilt, and while it has never been on my "to-do list," I may need one for myself.

I can't wait to show you how it all comes together!Oh the anticipation!!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Slow Stitching on Lake Effect

A week ago I was in a bit of a quandary about the reds I was planning to use in Lake Effect. My concern was that mine were too intense for the quilt, as it is supposed to have (to me) a very calming waterfall-like feel. I posed the question here on the blog and received some very interesting and much-appreciated responses and suggestions.

One comment was that I hadn't shown a really clear picture of my reds; see below for that. I like that leafy one because I can see leaves floating on a pond or a lake. The other just, well, because.

A different commenter suggested that I take a look at them interspersed with the rest to see how it would look. The picture below does this, and I don't mind it too much, honestly. I will have to use that darker red very, very sparingly, but it will be okay in small doses. I do not think I will be displeased after the fact, and wish I'd used something else.

I have an additional solution, though. After thinking I would add another icy blue to my mix of hexies, and use far fewer of my reds, I remembered that I had a Snowfall Charm Pack - only one - and what on earth else would I do with just one charm pack?!!? (Laurie Simpson used her Snowfall line to make the original quilt.)

Below, I have laid out my reds on top of the Snowfall fabrics, and while the one of mine is pink-red, I still think in very limited use it will be fine in this quilt. I am going to use the Snowfall charm pack to make some more hexies which I will blend into my current collection. Hopefully, it will result in a happy little merge.

I had a bit of time to sew at Terry's on Friday; rather than tote my machine, I just worked on some more hexies. I added some beeswax to my sewing kit (thanks, Terry!) and hopefully this will cut down on the tangling and knotting I was experiencing. That gets to be a drag (pun intended) after the umpteenth time.

Hope you are having a great Sunday! I am linking up with Slow Sunday Stitching!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Nearing a UFO Finish

At last, it looks like I am going to be able to finish that June UFO that has been nagging me. After much gnashing of teeth and brain-draining effort, I think I am ready to put this into its final step - the last border.

My previous update on this medallion quilt dealt with how to arrange those 4-patch blocks around the quilt. In the picture below you see the dark squares arranged to surround the center. A characteristic of medallion quilts is to keep surrounding the center motif; believe me, I have studied a lot of them over the last several months. Some are quite involved - very finely detailed in many surrounding borders. I opted for a much simplified version, and even still, I have been at time flummoxed about making it all fit together.

Next will be to add corner triangles and then I do believe I am ready to put a non-pieced, final border on this and call it a finished flimsy. I have expended far too much effort at bringing this to completion and I am ready to move on. You  know, it's done when I say it's done, right? *grin*

The current dimension is roughly 56.5" square. I will add a wide floral border cut at 8.5", so that's another 17 inches to add. Ideally, then, if my calculations are correct, I will have a finished flimsy coming in at 73.5 inches square.

The photo above shows the border I will use. I have yardage of 3 fabrics - a red, a neutral and this floral. The floral gives it a lot of zing, I think. The red or neutral will become the backing. Below is a closer look at the border alongside the quilt.

The three yardage fabrics to choose from.

And just look at all the bits that are going to be left over. Gracious! I will have to revisit my Minick and Simpson collection someday, for surely there is another quilt in here somewhere! I've got plenty to work with.

Linking up today with Monday Making. 

Happy Monday, and Happy Quilting, Friends!

Random Pincushion

I see the most adorable pincushions in my Instagram feed, and I just can't help myself - I have to make one right now!

It's insane, I know. It's like I have no control.

So, Monday, when I should have been preparing for class and doing many other things, I did this, instead.

You know I've been working on that July UFO made entirely with a variety of Minick and Simpson fabric collections. Those scraps are definitely being saved, and some of them ended up becoming this pincushion. It measures about 4" square. 

This makes the fifth random pincushion now, and really, I do not need them! (Links to pinnie #1, #s 2 and 3, and  #4.) The fun is that they finish so quickly - you actually have a finished product in your hand in about an hour. That is very gratifying. Also, you use what normally would be wasted - trashcan material. There was a time when I threw away the cut-away corners of my flying geese units. No more! Look what can become of them.

The back of this pincushion is pretty, too. I have a stack of HSTs that may or may not be used in the medallion project, so I just grabbed one to use for my back.

Yesterday, Sharon was here to sew and we accomplished so much! I will try to get back to posting more regularly, as blog topics are piling up here! Hope you have a great Wednesday!

I am linking today with Let's Bee Social. You have got to see the gorgeous table runner she has just made. I may have to make one, as well. It sure is pretty. I've also just discovered Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrications. I am linking; let me know what you think!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Two New Patterns

Try as I might to eliminate new pattern purchases, sometimes I run across a true beauty that simply MUST be purchased. I have stopped taking magazines and buying them in the stores. I rarely buy new quilt books. I figure that most quilts are just new takes on old patterns, so I tell myself I just need to be "inventive" and come up with my own beauties.

That said, yesterday, I bought two PDF patterns. I just couldn't resist. Downloading patterns this way has it's benefits - but also its drawbacks.

One benefit is not filling a bookshelf or a 3-ring binder with yet another quilt pattern. The drawback, for me anyway, is how to store the PDF files on my various devices. If I save them in a number of different locations, then I hope I will be able to locate them when I want to. So there's another benefit.

You probably don't care about any of that; you just want to see the patterns that tempted me so, right??

This screen shot of Lake Effect by Minick and Simpson does not do justice to just how pretty those fabrics are. You may recall that I have been attempting to imitate this quilt since April or May - go have a look at this fabric-buying post (scroll down quite a ways), and then this template basting post. I thought I ought to be able to replicate Lake Effect without purchasing the pattern. Well, I have decided that while I could do the elongated hexies with little trouble, I would definitely need help with those appliqued inner sections. And, gee whiz, it was only $15. So I bought it last evening from Fat Quarter Shop. Sent instantly to  my phone - what could be easier??

 Now for the second pattern...in the past several months, I have become quite a fan of Instagram. I try to use it exclusively for quilt-related pictures, therefore it serves as a different form of Pinterest, but I get to control (for the most part) who I follow and what I see. Aside from ads which must be scrolled past, I really love it. One of the things I am seeing quite a lot of lately are pretty little star blocks to go into a Camille Roskelley /Thimble Blossoms pattern called Scrappy Stars. The blocks finish at 4.5 inches, and they look so scrumptious - especially the ones that Carrie Nelson is making -  I decided I simply MUST make some, too. And even though this is a very traditional star, getting it to that exact size might be a challenge, so for less than $5, I bought this, too.

What am I thinking?!?! Ahhh, well, I know. I can plan out 40 quilts before finishing one, but who do I have to be accountable to?? No one but myself. And I am good with it. *grin*

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Further Considerations for Flag Day Farm Medallion

The mental work I am doing on this quilt is most definitely taxing my brain. If only I could figure out a way to photograph all this mental work! The actual sitting-down-at-the-machine-and-sewing work is easy after all this thinking business.

More coffee, please!

So, my first post mentioned that because I really like stars and churn dashes, that I would probably make one row of each. Well, that idea has been tossed. I am interested in finishing this quilt top this month, not next year! Both stars and churns take a good bit of piecing, and I just don't want to devote that kind of time to finishing this UFO.

Here is my solution for the stars. Once I determined that my panel would be on point, I found a way in which I could get by with just 4 stars - one in each corner triangle around the panel. I went to Thimbleberries for a star pattern I knew I could make fast - the star I've made a gazillion of - from the pattern Christmas Confetti.

I took all the parts down and lined the design wall with a yard of the blue floral - this is what I will cut into triangles for the corners. I sewed together one strip of flying geese  -  and I did have to use 11 to get them to fit on the side. (Earlier I thought 10 would be enough.) Then I placed a star in the corner. This will be how I will square up the quilt. 

In this second photo, I have added back another row of flying geese (not stitched together) and another star, just to see the effect. Then I cropped off the bottom in the general vicinity of the square portion that will result when all is done.

What comes next? I will sew together the rest of the flying geese strips. Then I have to return to some mental work. I don't know what my next row around will be. I will be sure to share when I know what I'm doing!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Progress on June UFO

The post from Friday about my current UFO explains some ideas I was considering for making this medallion quilt with my Flag Day Farm bandanna panel.  Today, I have pretty much tossed all of those ideas, and new ones are now taking shape.

Just to be able to accommodate any future changes of mind I might have, I have decided that I will not sew any of the various units to each other until I have the entire quilt top figured out. I will create the units - like those flying geese strips - and add them unit by unit to the design wall to see how everything works before stitching the top together.

I spent a lot of time perusing medallion quilts on Pinterest, and after seeing several that had the center panel on point, I felt quite compelled to turn mine, too. Would such a simple change provide me with a spark of inspiration? Yes! It was no time at all until I was adding flying geese and corner triangles. I will be coming up with corner blocks to finish the geese row; hourglass blocks, maybe?

This closer view provides a better shot of the flying geese units. Originally, I intended them to be red geese on tan background. Does it surprise you that I simply cut out the fabrics the exact opposite way? This aggravated me and caused me to grumble to myself for about 10 minutes, but since my Minick and Simpson fabrics are not that plentiful, I figured, make 'em the way I cut 'em! And they look fine, wouldn't you agree?

Having no idea how many geese I'd need, I used the no-waste method and ended up with 44 geese; it looks like 10 per side will suffice, so there'll be 4 leftovers. I used all of this red fabric, too, so I am glad it worked.

Stay tuned. folks. I have no idea how this will look when I finish. It's definitely a try-something-and-be-surprised quilt. You will be just as surprised by the end design as I.

I'm joining the fun at Monday Making hosted by Love Laugh Quilt. Come on along and check out the inspiration!

Happy Quilting, Friends!