March Goals

 Now that the sew along is officially launched, which was the official order of business in yesterday's post, I will take today's post to do the usual first-of-the-month housekeeping - outlining potential projects for the month ahead.

First up for me is to quilt this quilt for a bride-to-be. The wedding is later this month, so I mustn't delay. Our youngest is her maid of honor; the girls have been friends since before they started school. DH and I regularly get together with the bride's parents for cards or for going out to dinner. Even through the quarantine, they have been in our tight circle. Mother of the bride Dorothy selected this quilt from my closet, thinking it closely matched her daughter's color choices. I will share more complete pics as I work through the quilting and binding.

I will also be keeping a close eye on the Spring Dreams Sew Along that I'm doing with Sharon and Dee. I referenced the sew along in the intro, and you can click back to yesterday's post for full details. I made and finished the quilt top for the sew along, and I have a second quilt in the beginning stages to sew on while we work through the next couple of months. Here's a sneak peak at it. 

Beyond those two projects, I intend to put at least 2 more quilts on the long arm for quilting, maybe three. That will be some huge accomplishment, won't it? I find that the more of these I do, the less intimidated I am. It helps when the machine is running smoothly, too.

I have two quilts waiting in the wings. First is the Falling Stars quilt, a 2-star quilt I'm fashioning to imitate a picture and - the best part - made with those luscious Kaffe Fassett blues. Mmmm, good. Second, is another duplication quilt; I saw a picture of a red and white stars quilt that caught my fancy, so I fashioned some blocks to replicate it. For each quilt, I have made at least two blocks, so I just need to get back to them, get my assembly lines established, and then crank out the stars. Here's a look at the early blocks for each quilt.

Exciting stuff, right? I am really looking forward to working on these this month.

Another idea has been niggling at me - making an Irish chain quilt in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Wouldn't that be a fun little adventure?

Now, some new things have crossed through my information sources in recent days. First, did you know that March is National Quilting Month (NQM)? I did not. Who in the world comes up with these things? Well, whatever. I think it is only fitting that we should recognize this official designation in some way.

Of course, the sew along is one way. I hope any readers out there in bloggy-land will feel free to join in. 

Another way to get involved is to hop on board the month-long event called Sew the Scrap Out of March hosted by Meg at Tea and Brie on Instagram. I have as a goal to continue efforts at taming the scrap situation around here, so maybe I will dive in and play along. Actually, she attempted to run this challenge last March, but, you know, pandemic alarm sorta' blew up her plans and everyone else's. Here's a look at the number 1 scrap quilt I'd like to get back to working on.

A second NQM Instagram event I discovered is one called IG Quilt Fest. Hosted by Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative Side. She has a different topic scheduled each day for the entire month. Looks like some fun, and there are prizes from sponsors Fat Quarter Shop, Aurifil Thread, Riley Blake Designs, Moda, and Olfa. 

Celebrating quilting. I try to celebrate that every day, but it's nice to have a reason to bring out the party hats and noise makers!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Scrappy Business

Gah! I have totally been occupied elsewhere this week. I have just completed what I consider to be my most labor-intense week of the semester - the grading of rough drafts. The assignment is the biggest/hardest of the semester. Whew! I devote an unbelievable amount of time on each essay providing very specific feedback. All is done online - no red pens! I psych myself out about it, then procrastinate a bit, but I eventually finished them off. And so,

WHEW!

Time to return to fun stuff - blog posting, stitching, quilting, and related activities. *smile*

I have been wanting to share a fun month-long challenge I learned about through an account I follow on Instagram. March is National Quilting Month, so many shops, designers, and 'influencers' (catch-word of the day!) sponsor fun activities. One that appealed to me is being sponsored by Tea and Brie; it's called Sew the Scrap Out of March  - Hey, I can do that! Happily!

 

Back in January, I began the daunting task of taming my mounting scrap accumulation. Forty years' worth of scraps that I have saved from the trashcan are taking up valuable space in my sewing room. My start has been small, but a small step is better than no step at all, and I do find that I am eager to continue - a very good sign.

This challenge will motivate met to stay the course! Yay! And, if you click here to view my 2020 goals, I direct your attention to item # 18. Yes, scrap-busting is a major focus for me. 

I am still cutting scraps into squares - three sizes: 2.5 inches, 2 inches, and 1 inch. And as I cut, I sometimes get the urge to try one idea or another, so I don't get burned out with only cutting squares. That earlier post shows a couple of little bits of experimenting.

I am currently focusing on the 2-inch squares. I turn them into 4-patch blocks, and then create a square-in-a-square block which measures 6.5 inches (unfinished). I will provide my cutting dimensions so that you can make some, too, if you like.

Start with a 4-patch made with 2-inch squares. That 4-patch should measure 3.5 inches. Out of the neutral fabric, cut two squares 3.25-inches; cut once diagonally. Attach to the 4-patch. Trim to measure 4.75 inches. Yes, I cut a bit on the large side and trim to size.

The outer fabric (red, in my case) is made from two 4-inch squares, cut once diagonally. Attach them and trim to 6.5 inches. Press and voila! A gorgeous block from the scrap pile! Yay!

I have used just about all of the first red (scrap-busting!), and have moved on to a second red for my outer triangles. While I work on these, I wonder about how I will eventually set them together. Will I need to reverse the colors? Setting those together will give me a secondary design of an hourglass block. I was also thinking about plain setting blocks. I have also considered doing a vertical strippy design. It will just depend on what strikes me when I have enough blocks made to move on to the next step.

Until then, it's a mystery. And I don't mind that at all.

Hope you have fun with your scraps this month! It will be fun to see how much headway I make with mine. You can find me on Instagram (@jaynehonnold) to see my progress and to check out the hashtags for other creative ideas for scrap-busting.

Happy Quilting, Friends!