WIP Wednesday - 2/29/2012

I feel like I made some progress on my WIPs this week. I finished Muriel's cocorico bee block for February. Her theme was Pippi Longstocking. This was my take on that. I hope she likes it.

I finished 2 hangings. First the mama and her nest mini quilt. I just love this one so much.

It could be my favorite.

Then this hanging I showed you this week.

I'm still working on Granny Squares. I'm cutting up some softer colors to make twin size Granny Square quilts for my girls. Heavily influenced by these and these. Using mostly pink, aqua and red.

Like this block I made for Monica and Lori.

and the one for the hand pieced quilt-a-long. 

Finished these 2 tops. I already showed you but see I made a cute picture on picnik with them. So I had to show you again :)

I forgot to add this one to my  big WIP list a few weeks ago. I think because I have been actively working on it and it just slipped my mind. I'm in the hand quilting stage right now. These are my first hand pieced blocks and the top is all hand pieced too. I am so proud of this little quilt.

So here are my stats this week:
1 completed bee block
2 completed mini quilts
2 completed tops
and that feels really good...

Linking up today with 

A Finish

I finished this little hanging over the weekend. I get to check one off of my list!!!

It's stretched and my stitches are imperfect and I'm sure it has some strange measurements but I love it so much!!!

I think I'll add one more line of stitcing around the border now that I see the picture. Another one for my quilt wall.
Hope you had a great weekend!



☆☆☆Edited to add that I entered this in Jennifer's Modern Mini Challenge at Ellison Lane Quilts.

Linking up with Canoe Ridge Creations for {Sew} Modern Monday!





and Sew Darn Crafty!





and on Tuesday linking up with Fabric Tuesday @ Quilt Story!

Hope Valley Flying Geese Pinwheel and Bliss Stars Quilt Tops

I put 2 tops together in the last few days. They are small tops but I am happy that I am working on my WIP pile. I finished my Hope Valley Flying Geese Pinwheel quilt top.

I had to make 2 more blocks and I had run out of Kona Bone. So I picked some up a few months ago. It is just off in color a bit from the batch I used before. That was a few years ago though, so I guess that's the reason.

I am really pleased with the way this one is turning out. It's a lot brighter than I had originally thought it would be and  I love that. (it's windy today!)

I also got my Bliss Stars put together. I can't say that I am in love with this one. I don't care for the secondary pattern the stars make.

I should have added sashing. I'm hoping that some nice big colorful quilting stitches using embroidery floss will fill in that negative space.

My new strategy for not starting so many new projects is to get my current WIP list taken care of and to use my notebooks to keep track and draw out all of the new things I want to start (there are so many), instead of just jumping right on something new. Later, if I go back and still want to start what I drew up then I'll go for it. I'm hoping this will help me to prioritize so that I don't end up with so many WIPs and projects. I'll have to exercise some restraint. No fun and I'm not very good at it. I'll try :)

Hand Pieced Quilt-A-Long Block # 5 Granny Square

(I apologize for the poor picture quality it's a dark and dreary day here today!)

It's probably no big surprise that I chose a Granny Square for our block this week. They are simple and fun to sew. After the Bear's Paw block last week I think this will be a nice change.

You will need 25 ~ 1 7/8 inch squares. 

You can layout the block any way you like. I chose to use 3 colors and a white background.  

Here is Jolene's wonderful tutorial for more info and color inspiration. 

I sew my blocks into rows like this (on point). Then when I sew my rows together I just alternate the pressing directions. First row to the left, second row to the right etc...

Once sewn together you will trim your square up to 6.5 inches. Leaving 1/4 inch from your points to the edge of the block. This method does have waste but I didn't want to fiddle with set in triangles this week. 

Here are all of the blocks together so far. I really love all of them together. 

If you haven't joined us over at the flickr group yet! Come on over. You can start anytime! and all are welcome :) 

Here is a list of the blocks so far... 

Block #1 Churn Dash

Block #2 Jacob's Ladder

Block #3 Ohio Star

Block #4 Bear Paw

Have a great weekend!

WIP Wednesday 2/22/12

This week's WIP list is short. I think that's a good thing because of the mental spanking I put on myself after I listed all of my WIPs the last time I linked up with WIP Wednesday. I thank all of you who commented and let me know I am not alone in having that many WIPs. I did work on a few of them. But I also started a new one. This one is not a big project but still a special one. After Anita won the Fat Quarter Shop giveaway. I visited her blog and saw these really great Bible covers she makes. I commented that I really liked them and she offered to make me one. How sweet is that?! I could not just accept one for nothing in exchange so I suggested a swap and that's how this little birdie quilt came about. 

It is supposed to be bright and cheery. I showed it to my sister in law and as soon as she saw it she said it was "bright and cheery". So mission accomplished!

I also worked on my Farmer's Wife blocks. I reworked #23 and made #'s24-26 too!

I scan my blocks so I can add them to an Excel grid. So you can really see ALL of the details. Like how my points aren't perfect and how I stretch my triangles. But don't pay any attention to those things okay? :)

#23 ~ Country Farm

#24 ~ Country Path

#25 ~ Cups & Saucers

#26 ~ Cut Glass Dish

I am so happy that I didn't give up on these. I am really enjoying making them again. And I really love how they look together.I also want to say that Sunni is having a series on Farmer's Wife blocks for those of us who may not want to take on the whole quilt. It will have projects that will include a fewer number of the blocks. It will be fun. I will be making a project for the series. It begins in March.

I am also still working on my hand pieced blocks. 

Still making Granny Squares and my other WIPs. I've decided I'm okay with it :)

Hand Pieced Quilt-A-Long Block #4 Bear Paw

This week's block is Bear Paw. For this 6 inch block you will need:

  ☆☆☆☆ Edited to add corrected measurements☆☆☆☆
4 - 2 1/4 inch squares (print)
1 - 1 1/4 inch square (print)
8 - 2 inch squares (print for half square triangles)HST (or can use 2 - 4 inch square and make 8 triangles from each, see picture above) or 1 7/8 in. with no trimming after sewn together.
8 - 2 inch squares (background for half square triangles)HST (or can use 2 - 4 inch square and make 8 triangles from each, see picture above) or 1 7/8 in. with no trimming after sewn together.

☆☆☆☆ Half Square Triangles will need to be trimmed down 1/8 of an inch on all sides if using 2 inch squares. This has come to my attention after sewing some of them together.  ☆☆☆☆

4 - 1 3/8 inch squares (background for corners)
4 - 1 1/4  x 3 1/8 inch rectangles (background)
 Mark all of your 1/4 inch seam lines on wrong side of fabric.

First I sew all my HST units together. Then make 4 units like this (the paws).

Then sew two paws together connecting them with a 1 x 3 1/8 inch rectangle in the center of the two blocks.Sew 2 of these units together.

Next sew the center row together.

Lastly sew all of your rows together to make the Bear Paw block. Which I have not done yet, because I am quilting along with you :)

Here is a picture of my blocks so far. I have really enjoyed seeing your blocks coming together in our flickr group. If you have not done so yet, come on over and join us!

Here are the links to all of the previous blocks.

Block #1 Churn Dash
Block #2 Jacob's Ladder
Block #3 Ohio Star

Have a wonderful weekend! Happy stitching!!!


 ☆☆☆☆ Edited to add corrected measurements☆☆☆☆

Spending Time with Granny....

.....that's what I'll be doing this weekend :)

Hand Pieced Quilt-A-Long Block #3 Ohio Star

This week I chose another favorite traditional quilt block, Ohio Star. When I first began quilting this was the first block I would think of when I thought "quilt".

To begin cut :
1 - 3 1/4 x 6 1/2 inch strip from your background fabric
1 - 3 1/4 x 6 1/2 inch strip from your print (star points)
1 - 2 1/2 x 10 inch strip from background fabric
1 - 2 1/2 inch square from print (center)

Mark a 1/4 in. seam line on all of the edges of your pieces. For the 3 1/4 X 6 1/2 in. strips also mark a line down the middle of the strip at 3 1/4 in. Mark 1/4 in. seam lines on each side of this center cutting line. Then on each square mark an X from corner to corner for your diagonal cutting line. Mark a 1/4 in. seam line on each side of all of your diagonal cut lines. On the 2 1/2 x 10 in. strip mark 2 1/2 in. cutting lines along the strip and mark 1/4 in. seam lines on both side of these cutting lines.

Cut apart pieces on cutting lines. There should now be 1 print square, 4 background squares, 8 background quarter square triangles (QST) and 8 print quarter square triangles (QST).

Take 1 background QST and 1 print QST and sew them together to make 8 of these.

Put 2 of your QST units together to make a square like this unit. Make 4 of these.

Lay out your square like this. I sew horizontal rows. Then sew my rows together. Press gently. Enjoy!

I love seeing your blocks! They have all been great and so different! If you haven't yet, come join our little flickr group! You can start any time and all are welcome :)

Block #1 Churn Dash
Block #2 Jacob's Ladder

WIP Wednesday...WIP Denial

I often feel I have nothing to share for WIP Wednesday but how can that be? I sew a lot. How can I have nothing to share? I have something called WIP denial. It's a condition (disorder?) where you know you have WIPs, you see the WIPs, you deny the WIPs, you start new WIPs. Oh, it's a real sickness I tell ya. I have it. BAD. I thought this would be the perfect time to REALLY list my WIPs. I know there are many. I  ignore most of them. I think a WIP list is in order. This could get ugly (and thready and wrinkly)!

Behind door number one we have quilt tops! I usually quilt my quilts right away. What's changed? I don't know, but now I have a pile. One from Old Red Barn Co. quilt along...from 2009. Bad me!

Now let's move onto baskets and the like. In this basket we have the long forsaken  solids quilt. See, wrinkled, threads all over the place. Neglected, and I like this one too. Why have I not worked on this? I don't know.

Next basket. Bliss stars. Love them. Left them. Why? I don't know. Repetitive chain sewing maybe? 

In the same basket are my Hope Valley  Flying Geese Pinwheels from 2009. I did, actually, start working on these again last week, making 10 more pinwheels. I really want to finish this one!

I also have these Twister blocks from that basket too. Don't know what's going to happen with these yet. 

Farmer's wife blocks...ongoing...slow....love them though!

My cocorico bee block for Melinda. Her theme was Vintage Christmas. I love this one. Just needs some button knobs and it's ready to go to its new home :)

Quilt along blocks...Swoon and the Hand Pieced blocks.

Granny Squares...fun..loving them. 

Blocks for Crazy Mom Quilts 36 patch quilt along. These are fun and I will finish this one!

....and hand sewing projects. 4 right now. Hexies, diamonds, petals and a patchwork embroidery. I found my whole bag of Whimsy (fig tree) that I lost last year. I had no idea what happened to it. I found it while getting out Christmas decorations this year. Seams it got put in the attic with all of the decorations when they were put away last year. So I'm working on something with that too.

So this was a long post! If you weren't sickened by my lack of finishes and you stayed to read this far. I thank you! 

Is this a lot? normal? Do I have quilting ADD? hmm...