UFO: Blockheads 2 Attempt

An effort was made, but I have come to the decision that this version of Blockheads 2 has reached its finish. With only 24 of the 52 blocks completed, this is all the farther I am going. 

Several factors played into this decision. And I really cannot say that one was any more significant than another. The whole thing just felt off.

First, I am not liking that blocks are all these different sizes. I was willing to give it a chance, but there is just way too much going on here for me - far too busy! I can handle a lot of color and movement in a quilt, but this just screams chaos to me.

Next, I tried using an old fabric pack of fat quarters that I had; while it is historically accurate fabric, which I generally like, it was exceedingly busy and somewhat garish. Coupling this fabric and a bunch of busy blocks -  well, that's bad news in my eyes. 

Lastly, I was simply not enjoying the process of making this quilt. Usually, I am excited to see the outcome. Not once was I eager to see this as a finished quilt. I suppose because I wasn't thrilled with either the fabric or the haphazard blocks, it goes without saying that the construction process would be a chore. I did a fair amount of grumbling and complaining to the girls at retreat. Sorry, ladies!!

Why put myself through any more agony? Just say it's done. Move on.

So that is what I'm doing. It will be a nice lap quilt or wall hanging, if needed. 

I will sew these 24 blocks together using the layout shown in the picture as my guide; I may move around a few of the smaller blocks, but this is the basic idea of what will result. I want to get this off my sewing table and move on to something I can be more excited about!

I guess I have learned some lessons here. 

Hope you are having a wonderful Friday!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Final Report From Retreat

I am approaching the expiration date on the content of today's post. Yes, this material comes from the old business department. The retreat ended last Friday; today we wrap it up.

Jan continued to outdo herself with yet another finished top. In addition, she made backings and bindings for them! What an overachiever! Click here to see her earlier retreat efforts - and everyone else's.

 

Yet another 3-yard quilt.

Flower panels; Jan created this pattern.

 Susan finished her first bunny quilt and proceeded right to work on a second one for her granddaughter. 

Her previous bunny quilt had only 9 blocks.

Terry made a lot of parts of quilts. She brought some labor-intense projects, and made good progress on them, but unlike Jan and Susan, had no finishes. Here are examples of the type of progress she made.

All the pieced blocks are made; all the applique blocks are made. The trouble is that the applique blocks are not large enough. Terry is in the "figure something out" stage, trying to salvage the efforts.
 

This basket quilt will be stunning; I believe the issue she ran into was running out of one of the fabrics.

 I don't have a picture of the pattern for this next quilt, but the borders for it are two rows of HSTs - gah! Can you imagine how daunting it would be to know all these have to be made!?

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how pretty these two fabrics look together!? So perfect. Using triangle papers, Terry made quick and accurate work of these. She went from one row to 4 rows in relatively short order. Although, I am fairly sure that for her it didn't feel like short order!

And these are just for the inner border; remember, there is an outer border of triangles, too. Whew; that's a lot of repetitious sewing, but it will look so fabulous when finished.

As for me, well, like Terry, I did not have any finishes, either. I took the 2018 tub labeled "Blockheads 2." When doing a sampler quilt, the work is full of short bursts of work as the quilter must go block by block. To add to the slow progress, I did a fair amount of "correcting" along the way.

Case in point, the block above was supposed to finish at 12" but mine was a full inch short. Good grief. What had I messed up?

Well, nothing, as it turned out. I just needed to add another tiny row around the block to complete it. Duh.

Another case in point, I completely reworked this large 24" block. Its first incarnation had neutral fabric for the large corner blocks.

After seeing all the smaller blocks alongside this, it was clear that it was too colorless. Now, take a look at this block with some added pizzazz.

Trust me, this works soooo much better! I will have a picture for you of all my blocks in an upcoming post. Someday maybe, there will be a finished quilt top. That is the hope, at least.

I had such good intentions when I started this sew-along *five!* years ago; I always do. The brief history is that I soon realized that my FQ pack would never be adequate for all the blocks, so I spent a good while trying to figure out how to proceed. Eventually, I did find additional era-appropriate fabric to add to the collection, but by that time I had moved on to a gazillion newer projects. The early effort has been collecting dust ever since.

The original FQ pack.

I hope you are having a productive spring day! It's a beaut here today; sunshine and afternoon high in the 70s - perfection!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Blog Feature and Blockheads 4

I have added a page called 'Long Arm Finishes' that I hope you will find enjoyable. It seemed a good idea for me to keep track of what I've quilted to see how I've progressed.  If you read me from a laptop or similar device, the list of pages is in the right margin. If you read me from a mobile device, you will find a ribbon under the header with the word 'Home' and a drop-down arrow. Click that arrow to see all the pages; the new one will be close to the top. The two pictures below illustrate what I mean. To prepare the list, I located the reveal post for each quilted quilt so that I could provide a link. I am so pleased to see that I have done 34 quilts on the Tin Lizzie! Granted, several of those were small, but they still count, right?

           

Next I want to mention that Moda Blockheads is beginning their 4th quilt today. Every Wednesday through the summer months - about half as long as previous Blockheads Sew Alongs - a block will be revealed with instructions and all the participating designers will share their versions online. Here's a link to Moda and details on the newest Blockheads.

Because I am a Blockheads Flunk Out, I am NOT going to join in on #4. No way. However, I do think I will use this as an excuse to return to my Blockheads 1, 2, or 3 - all UFOs - and set to getting at least one of them off the to-do list. And, I will probably print out all the BH4 block patterns, just in case I would ever want them - they are free, so why not?

Let's take a peek at some of my efforts on the aforementioned UFOs.  For Blockheads 1, I believe I have only made one block. After I revisit my project bin, I will know for sure. This is the block - it's from 2017.

 

In 2018, Blockheads 2 came along, and since I had such resounding success with BH1, I decided to do TWO versions of BH2! What on earth was I thinking?! *smh*

Here are pictures representing the two versions. I like them both, but this round of Blockheads had blocks of all different sizes which threw me and I stopped. I knew I'd never have enough fabric for those big blocks.

 

 

 In January of 2020, Blockheads 3 began. Like the crazy quilter that I am, I joined in with all the excitement and good intentions that this time I'd do it; I'd stick with it and finish! Hmmpffff. This post details some of my poor decision making with regard to Blockheads. I won't need to go digging to see what I did on BH1 - I find out from reading this that I went back to it during BH3 and tried catching up.

I JUST HAD A LIGHT BULB MOMENT: It is no wonder I have such a messy sewing room - all these projects - samplers - all the fabrics - all the patterns - no wonder I can't stay ahead of the clutter. I set myself up for a mess. And then I compound it by doing more. Good grief.

Okay, that's about enough for today. I can't dwell on Blockheads any more right now. I am going to do one of two things today: either load a quilt onto the long arm machine, or add the border to Ocean Ripples, a Kaffe Fassett quilt I have been working on. 

Or maybe I will dabble on both. And, UFOs from all those earlier Blockheads will be on my mind.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Sixteen Blockheads

 In odd moments here and there, I have stitched blocks in the Moda Blockheads 3 sew along. It now seems I am farther along with the blocks with round 3 than I ever got with rounds 1 or 2. 

I was motivated to get a nice even number of blocks made so that I decent picture could be taken. Here are my 16 blocks laid out in no particular order. 

It is looking rather busy, in my opinion. I typically do not go for such a look. Those two blocks with the plain background are such restful blocks in the midst of the chaos. I need to use more of that plain background in future blocks so that there will be less going on. A bit more controlled, if you will.

Here are my most recently made blocks. I did these last week when I sewed over at Terry's. I cut them out in the morning, and sewed them after lunch. It's hard to believe a whole day's work results in just two blocks. That's the nature of the sew along sampler quilt, I suppose.

The basket block is #31 and is the most recent block in the series. I am still filling in a lot of gaps where I have skipped blocks. Block 29 was fun to make, however this 6-inch block has squares that finish at 3/4-inch. Yikes!

I find I am gradually turning back into a teacher lately. University classes begin a week from today and all (nearly) will be taught virtually. I am learning so much and have a long ways to go, but I am getting there. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

BH3 - Pennies From Heaven block

Edit: The true name of the block is Lucky Penny; it's # 23 of the 52 to be released.

One of the knocks against quilting is that we basically do a really ridiculous thing - we cut fabric into itty, bitty pieces, and then sew them back together again.

We really take it to an entirely new level of ridiculousness when we end up with small blocks. The block I just finished is a case in point.

This particular block calls for 64 of these small squares, and for my 6.5" block, they were to be cut at 7/8ths of an inch. Yeah. Sixty-four squares cut less than an inch. Is there any wonder why I dragged my feet on making this block?? I wish I'd thought to lay a dime down in this picture to show the true size of these squares; trust me, they are 7/8ths inch blocks. And I used 64 of them! *aacckkk*

So, each colored square is cut at 2" and the tiny neutral pieces were applied to each corner. I had an audio book going, took my time, and pinned to get as much lined up as possible. I am satisfied with this, even though some points miss their marks; no biggie.

This one 6.5-inch block has 80 pieces of fabric sewn together. Boggles one's mind, honestly. But I still love doing it. *grin*

And just like that, I now have 11 blocks done. Still a long way to go, but I don't have any super-pressing projects on the horizon, so I will try to stay on these steadily. I might just get 'em all caught up one of these days.

Hope you are having a fantastic Tuesday!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Another BH3 Block - #18 Alternate

Today we have recovered from our Sunday reunion. I had the kitchen cleaned up (except for the mopping) before 9am, the trash taken out, the floors vacuumed, and then I sat down. And sat a lot. I actually put my teacher hat on for most of the afternoon, checking  out alternative delivery methods. *yikes!*

After finally doing the mopping, I rewarded myself by going upstairs to see what I could sew. I was greeted by a block all ready to stitch together. A happy surprise! With all the preparation and excitement for the family gathering, I had totally forgotten that I had cut out a BH3 block. What fun to just sit down and sew.

 

I loved this sweet alternate block for #18 that designer Betsy Chutchian offered participants. Hers was in blue and cream (a dreamy combination!), however, in keeping with my fabric selection, I elected to use pink with the cream. 

This pink fabric is one that I recently bought to augment my very limited original fabric grouping. It seems very obvious to me that it is different, but I hope when all the blocks are pulled together, the pinks will look very natural together.

I think I have now made 10 blocks for BH3. Still a few more to do until I am caught up.

Hope you have had a wonderful Monday!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Returning To BH3

If you know what BH3 is in the title, then you may be gasping in disbelief. I am actually getting back into making the blocks for this online sew-along.

Block Heads 3 (BH3) is the sew-along sponsored by the fabric company Moda, and includes many of their top fabric designers. This is the third one they've done, and each is bigger that the last. This one will go on for 52 weeks, one block released each week.

The end result will be enough blocks for a sampler quilt (samplers have many different blocks rather than a few repeated blocks). When the new week's block is released, sewists will be given directions in varying sizes - 4", 6", 8", 12"  - and participants are free to make the blocks in their desired sizes.

Out of the 28 weeks of pattern releases, I have made 9 blocks, all in the 6" size. Clicking back here and here will fill in some gaps on my efforts in the early weeks of the sew-along - details like fabrics and such.

Why did I take such a long hiatus from this project, you ask?

Well, I have a two-fold answer. First, I did not have nearly enough fabric in the original pack to make 52 blocks; I solved that problem by shopping for suitable additional fabrics to stretch the collection.

Second, the designers began releasing blocks that just were not my style. I have always preferred traditional blocks, and some of these were quite modern. My solution: skip the ones that I don't want to include, and make up for the "gap" by increasing to 12" blocks for a few blocks. This will probably work out fine.

I know that 28 weeks down the road when the final block is released, I will have a few notions on how to proceed. It's the process, after all.

So, up top you see the block for week 28 - Broken Dishes. I saw several of these shared on FB and IG, and OMG!! They were gorgeous! It is definitely a traditional block, and since my fabric has a nostalgic, historic feel, I knew it would be a pretty block.

So off I went to the sewing machine; in no time I had 'er done. A perfect marriage of pattern and fabric.

I then decided to go back and make one of the blocks I had skipped. Get myself on a roll, maybe?

I landed on Block 10, Windmills It was super-simple; I made it yesterday afternoon while Sharon was here sewing.

I thought for a very brief moment about re-cutting those plaid rectangles to get the lines straight, but look at the next photo and note that in the whole scheme of the blocks, that will be imperceptible. I'm not touching it. *wink*

Well, I guess I am back in the game. I can get myself caught up in no time.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

More Blockheads

My classes have been a frustration for me lately, and I hope you won't mind if I moan about it for a bit. (If you want to skip the moan and get straight to the quilting, scroll down about 4 paragraphs.)

The switch from face-to-face teaching to "alternate delivery systems" has frustrated me to no end for the past two weeks.

And it's not the coronavirus I'm frustrated about, although that is certainly the cause. My frustration is more with myself for being so dense about technology that I am unable to complete tasks that should be quite simple. Whereas some people have a natural aptitude for figuring it out, I can do that to a point, and then I come up against something that completely stymies me. At that point, I have spent untold hours - yes, hours - trying to figure it out.

I have definitely spent more time on my classes in switching over than I would have had we been doing things the normal way. I have done it for so long, I was on auto-pilot.

Okay, end of moan. I really do want to learn all that cool technology, and would be a willing student. I have made progress and have done some neat-o things: used some new programs, participated in virtual meetings, had a personal video chat with someone from the campus labeled a "super-user." Talk about natural aptitude! Gracious! But he is a good teacher, patient and helpful.

Now on to sewing. I continue to focus on single blocks for sew-alongs that I'm doing. Blockheads 1 from back in 2017 were all 6-inch blocks, and all I did at the time was to print out all the weekly patterns. I decided when BH3 started that I would do the corresponding weekly block of BH1. Good plan, but I have been hit or miss as far as executing it

Here are two blocks I made this week. The fabrics are from a variety of lines by French General.

The week 5 block is a Lisa Bongean creation, and we know she loves tiny pieces. This was no exception. I starched the fabric before cutting and I'm sure that saved me lots of headaches. I still had to "unstitch" some bits - and it wasn't because of the pieces being tiny. It was my fault in not trimming each unit to the correct size. All 4 of those corner units should have been trimmed; I did not, and the result was sad, to say the least. I removed the corners, trimmed them to the proper size, reattached and now I am a much happier gal.

The week 8 block is from Betsy Chutchian. Still small pieces, but fewer of them. My seam ripper and I got friendly again, because I cut the two side rectangles a half-inch too short. I love this block, and would make a whole quilt of them. Basket quilts have always been pleasing to me, but - all those triangles!

I'm growing a bit antsy. All the sew-alongs I am attempting to do have me wishing for a "right now" project. I want to sew a whole quilt, not individual blocks for the next however-many-weeks. Sampler quilts are nice, but getting to the end takes awhile. I need to see some finishes!

 Now you know how I am weathering the coronavirus pandemic. We are staying relatively secluded; drive over to Frankfort to walk the bike path; take drives; watch The Great British Baking Show binge-fashion on Netflix. I'm listening to a book when I sew, but sewing gives over to teaching far more often than normal, so the both the book and the stitching take a back seat.

Ah, well, my troubles are miniscule by most standards. I hope everyone is staying safe and being smart about distancing!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Blockheads 3; Week 6 Block

Plodding right along with my numerous sew-alongs, on Friday and on Sunday I finished Magic, the name of Lisa Bongean's block for week 6 of Blockheads 3.

This block finishes just shy of the 6.5 inches it's supposed to be. It was totally intimidating to make such a small block with so many tiny half-square triangles. The designer recommended starching the fabric to eliminate nightmarish results, and I heeded that advice.

I made the center portion of this block on Friday when I attended Frankfort friend Terry's sewing day with the rest of the gang. I would say that every single part of it was 'unsewn' at least once. After one mistake would be fixed, then I would go straight into another mistake. Time and time again. I take total responsibility for the repeated mistakes. I thought I knew how to construct the center section, yet if I'd properly read the instructions I could have saved myself much aggravation. Oh well, live and learn.

As I faced the prospect of adding the outer border of HSTs, I planned ahead a bit - I made them larger than required, and trimmed them to size - 1.25 inches. Did you count? There are 24 of those tiny HSTs. Whew.

On Sunday evening, at last, I finished the block, and while it does measure slightly small, I don't expect that it will give me any trouble. Seam allowances can hide many irregularities, you know?

Here are my four finished blocks. I have the appliqued birdhouse block from week 4 in process; I am still undecided about adding the paper-pieced block from week 5. I will continue to think on it. I read that some participants are subbing in blocks from previous BH sew-alongs, and I very well may go that direction myself.

I do like how my blocks are looking; I sure hope I can continue to stay (relatively) caught up with this sew along through to the end.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Slow Stitching

It's been awhile since I shared my hand stitching, so today's post will fix that. I have been slow to finish the applique blocks of week 4 in Blockheads 1 and Blockheads 3. I prepped the blocks several weeks ago, worked on them sporadically, and finally today finished the BH1 block.

You mustn't inspect too closely. I certainly did not do my finest work here, that's for sure. But a finished block is better than no block at all, regardless of how finely executed the workmanship.

 

The block still needs to be trimmed down. Won't take but a sec to do that. Don't you love that it's so simple? Made for quick work.

Below are my first 4 blocks in BH1. I am using all my remnants of French General fabrics. I don't see how I can possibly go wrong with great fabrics like FG. Love them all!

I will link up with Kathy for her Sunday party, Slow Sunday Stitching. Hope you will pop over there to peruse the pretty contributions.

Have a great Sunday!
Happy Quilting, Friends!