Progress on Lil' Orphan Scrappy

Quilt retreat was a huge success, and I am happy that I took that brave first step in starting Lil' Orphan Scrappy. I believe I bought the pattern in 2020. I put the quilt on my goals list for 2021, pulled a bunch of fabrics for it, and ultimately, did nothing with it. I believe the first mention of it on the blog is here, and the reference is woefully brief I regret to say.

Mostly undaunted by my inactivity on Lil' Orphan Scrappy, I put it on the 2022 goals list, and finally, I have found myself brave enough to start it. It was as if I'd psyched myself out of it by overthinking my fabric choices and fear of facing such a multi-block effort. This quilt has 70 stars which measure 6.5 inches. And those stars are then turned into economy blocks with surrounds of triangles.

I used this picture in a previous post, but it is the best one readily available which shows the pattern. Lynn Wilder of Sew'n Wild Oaks is the designer, and I have followed her blog of the same name for years. I watched her make the original Lil' Orphan Scrappy way back in the mid-twenty-teens - maybe 2015? - and absolutely loved the variety of her blocks and the use of the scrappy fabrics.

I determined that progress on Lil' Orphan Scrappy would be my main effort at our retreat this week. I now have 40 stars made, parts cut for many more, and would like to think that I could get the remaining 30 stars made in a week. 

Earlier I mentioned that I had been overthinking the fabrics to be used in this quilt. On my goals list for this year, in addition to wanting to make this pattern, I also wanted to use my supply of various William Morris fabrics somehow. I had an "ah-ha" moment several weeks back in which I thought to pair this pattern with these fabrics. 

I am quite glad for the decision. I am loving how these stars look. Here are a few select ones to get an idea of the variety this quilt will contain.

Making the stars is the current and ongoing task. After all 70 are constructed, I will then go back through my fabrics to select the fabrics for the outer triangles - those are to be a precise mix of light and dark fabrics with the end result having the darker triangles helping to form a border on the quilt. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Making Plans

In recent posts, I have alluded to all the ideas I am having for new quilts to make. There seems to be no end to the possibilities, and as long as I can continue using up fabric in my stash, I see nothing wrong with starting all these new projects.

Sitting atop my list are two in particular that I have set nearby for relatively immediate attention. First, let's talk about a 2-color Double Irish Chain made with solids. It so happens that I have a healthy stash of white and cream from which to pull. That takes care of the background.

For the color, I've been wanting to make a blue and white quilt, so I turned to some sale fabric I bought about three years ago. This color is Regatta, a Kona solid; I have 3 yards of it and seeing this combination come together in the classic Double Irish Chain will be a true delight.

Sharon is making one, too, also blue and white, and has already begun hers. We are using the Eleanor Burns pattern from - what - 30 years ago? One of the very first quilts I ever made used this pattern, and Sharon was actually able to find her pattern from all those many years ago. It was meant to be, right?

The second quilt waiting in the wings is Lil' Orphan Scrappy from Sew'n Wild Oaks. My cyber friend Lynn Wilder is the designer. I have admired this quilt for years - I remember when she was making it and showing her progress on her blog. I finally decided it was time to take action last year some time when I bought the pattern. Since then, I have been setting aside fat quarters and perhaps I will "git to gittin'" on this beauty come summer time.

But first, I've got some things to finish, so I must restrain myself. First, the T-shirt commission is my most urgent finish. It needs quilting and binding. Then, I need to finish some of the WIPs I seem to have accumulated lately: the red and white stars, the blue Kaffe Fassett stars, maybe quilt one or two of the Spring Dreams Sew Along quilts, too. The 4-patch scrappy quilt needs more blocks, and there's always Lake Effect.

Whew! I never seem to run out of projects. And isn't that a good thing?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Esty Shopping

I tell myself all the time to quit buying fabric, books and supplies - I have enough!! -  yet I still see such pretty new stuff and it is so very hard to resist.

Another thing that is hard to resist is a sale.

Well, I succumbed to an Etsy sale over the July 4th holiday from a shop run by Lynn Wilder of Sewn'WildOaks blog.

Years ago - and I do mean years! - I watched a quilting show on HGTV hosted by Alex Anderson. Lynn was a guest in at least one episode, probably more. I remember watching her talk about her book Patchwork Math. At last, I have my own copy.

Lynn produces so many finely detailed quilts, and she always has perfect points and crisp lines; I figure I can learn a few things from her. This old dog is going to study and learn some new tricks, I hope!

In addition, I picked out two patterns that I have long admired. Lynn is so talented with her designs and her fabric choices and colorways are strikingly beautiful. I now have two quilts to add to my goals list: Lil' Orphan Scrappy and Country Charmer.

Now, I don't buy a lot of stuff on Etsy, and the few things I have ordered have all been of good quality, with fast service and top-notch customer service.

I believe Lynn takes all that to an entirely new level. If you study that picture above, you will notice that a lot of extra "stuff" came along with my patterns. Bonus Goodies!!

In addition to my order - 1 book and 2 patterns - I got 2 greeting cards with the patterns of my two pattern orders on the front AND a sheet of address labels with a variety of quilty pictures on each label. Sweet!

So, thank you, Lynn, for the fast service and the bonus goodies. You were a gem way back when you were a guest on television and continue to be a gem yet today. I love doing business with folks who love what they do and exude that enjoyment to their customers.

You should definitely check out Lynn's blog, and I recommend doing some shopping on her Etsy site. I believe the sale is over, but you can always load up a shopping cart, right?

Happy Quilting, Friends!