Friday, December 31, 2010

2011 UFO Challenge!

Judy over at Patchwork Times is having a 2011 UFO Challenge, and since I have a (gigantic) number of those (see the sidebar), I thought I'd join in -- see if I can whittle down any of my stack. The idea is to do one (or two) per month so we feel focused and not overwhelmed by our UFOs. Well, at least that's my reason for joining. So here's my list!
1. January -- This is Amanda Jean's nine-patch quilt-along from 2009 -- round 2. I did finish round 1 last year. It's half quilted. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift this year. A little late, so I have to finish it in the first week or so.
Also in January I would like to bind this quilt. I'm not showing you the whole thing, but I would like to point out that it is all quilted and already on my bed. So, yeah, it needs some binding.
2. February -- Elizabeth Hartman's Paintbox quilt-along. I did a LOT of QALs this last year and need to finish them up -- to make room for the other ones I won't be able to stop myself from starting in 2011. :) Know thyself, people. Old Red Barn Co very first QAL -- probably a 2009 quilt also. Just needs binding. I obviously do not like making binding.
3. March -- Pinwheel Sampler from P.S. I Quilt. Rachel finished hers, and she even had a baby this year. What's my excuse?
Also for March I need to bind this quilt. I believe I started it 6 or 7 years ago. It was before we moved into this house, and that was 5 1/2 years ago.
4: April -- ORB QAL #4. This one was so involved and intricate. I finally trimmed all the string squares last week. I'm going to skip the circle cutting so I can finish it sometime before I die. I love the intricate ones, but they sit around too long around here. Not enough stamina I guess.
Also for April I need to bind this one. It's from Cathy's Charmed Whirligig QAL.
5. May -- Also from before we bought this house. This one is from Hopskotch Quilting by Peggy Waltman. (I was trying to link her website, but it must be gone now.) I got a little overambitious about the quilting -- as if the piecing wasn't enough, right?
Also for May I need to finish Amanda Jean's Star QAL. I may have started this in 2008 when I first started blogging. Maybe not till 2009.
6. June -- I bought a half-yard pack of Nicey Jane @ the Dallas Quilt Show earlier this year. This is such an easy pattern -- brick road-ish. WHAT is the deal with me? I get all these quilts to be in rows, and then I just don't want to sew the rows together. Okay. No more self-reproach. That's why I'm doing this -- to overcome my quilting weaknesses. ;)
Also for June is this lovely stacked coins quilt from 2009. I decided it would be gorgeous with some organic line quilting. Now, I'm not wrong about that, but I think the gorgeous factor would be upped if I finished it. Yeah, I'm sure.
7. July -- I made this modified bento box patterned after one that Ashley made. I made the quilt top so fast, and now it has sat around for about a year. I absolutely love it, so I'm hoping to finish and use it. Only one for July, because I was starting to get overwhelmed as I was making this list.
8. August -- I call this The Beautiful Briny (Bedknobs and Broomsticks). I saw one that Nettie made, and I just fell in love with it. Too many girly ones around here, and I have 5 boys. They need it, because they're tired of all the pink flowery quilts.
9. September -- Denim Stars -- also started before we bought the house -- actually to flimsy stage before then. I like it, but I'm a little daunted by the denim. Just gotta finish it.
10. October -- Because of all the applique, this one has taken me a while. I finished the applique earlier this year and then had to set it aside. This is also one that I started way before we moved into the house. The hard part's done, right?
11. November -- This one is just from a bunch of pink scraps from a friend who helped me get into quilting so much. She let me go through her HUGE stash and pick what I wanted. It was a great help at the time -- she did that for me a lot. I didn't have money for fabric then, but I truly loved quilting. Anyway, I made it SO HUGE. It's still pretty big, but I did take a bunch of squares off of it at one point. I made 2 baby quilts with what I removed.
12. December -- I love Judy Martin's quilts. She has such an interesting way of looking at blocks and using colors. I adapted a smaller version of this quilt to make a twin size. I absolutely love it. I made the top in 2 months of working on nothing else for 2 hours a day while my little ones napped. This was also before we bought the house. I think it was maybe 7 or 8 years ago. I didn't have a machine that could quilt until two years ago, so I wasn't able to finish as many of my quilt tops as quickly as I wanted to. Some I just let sit until I could machine quilt them. This one just kept getting pushed to the bottom of the pile, but I LOVE it.
I do hope to finish other quilts throughout the year besides these, but this would be an AMAZING start to chopping down my list. Thanks, Judy, for getting us focused!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Marcus' Quilt

Elizabeth's pattern again. I made this in a different colorway before. Love it! It makes a fast baby quilt that is so striking. This time I didn't chop any of the squares in half though. It went so fast. My 7-year-old son was helping me. It's for his friend's new baby brother.
Riley Blake's Wheels fabric line and some aqua solid. I think it's Kona, but I'm not sure of the exact name. I used the same quilting as in the last one -- straight-stitch zig-zag. I love the wavy look it gives.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Another Mod Sampler Quilt

Here's another quilt from my quilting group when we made Elizabeth Hartman's Mod Sampler Quilt as a group. Kim loves a black background and variegated thread. She always makes such bright, cheery quilts. She inspires me to try new things. One of these days, I am going to make a quilt with a black background, and it will be completely because of her.
Love the orphan butterflies on the back, Kim!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Hooray for (Other People's) Scraps!

I suppose you've all heard about Jodi's Scrap-Along? If not, go check it out. She is helping us use our lovely scraps in fun and beautiful ways. Also, she has lots of bloggy friends who are willing to help us have more scraps. Who doesn't want more scraps, right? Especially those of other people! Well, so I won one of the giveaways -- from Sherri at A Quilting Life. I even bookmarked her, because her stuff is so beautiful! Look at all the gorgeous things she sent me!
A little Paula Prass Flight of Fancy. Some Denyse Schmidt. Some Verna, some Whimsy (sigh!), and some Spring Fever!
And a whole bunch of other gorgeous nibblets -- There's some Bliss, Dream On, Amy Butler, Lila Tueller, and I must confess I don't know what all else. But so gorgeous -- every single piece.
THANKS, SHERRI! I love them!
(Now, don't think that just because I won that I'm going to stop entering the scrap giveaways. Seriously -- no one thought that, did they? I'm hoping I win a bunch more. Yeah, I'm greedy like that, but only for fabric.)

Friday, October 1, 2010

Some mod sampler quilts that I did not make.

Remember this quilt and this one? Well, the pattern is Elizabeth Hartman's, and I fell in love with it immediately. So did my quilt group. After seeing my first one, they had to make their own versions. Here are two of the finished products.
You just can NOT go wrong with sock monkeys. I think this was Susan's third or fourth finished quilt, two more in progress. First time with free motion, though, I think. Great job, Susan!
Somebody else doing her own thing on the back. This was her first machine-quilted quilt. Well, let's be honest. I think this was her first quilt ever. Way to go, Tiffany! I am just so proud of all my quilting friends. They have come quite a long way from the very beginnings of our group 4 years ago. Hopefully I will have more of their work to show you in the near future!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Get in line!

Two quilts quilted and ready to be bound. Binding not made. I believe I've mentioned how I don't love to bind, right? Not even sure what to bind that bottom plaid one in -- maybe a solid navy blue. That's what I'm binding the top one with.
These quilts are all pinned and ready to be quilted. The top 4 are in some partial state of having been quilted. The very top one is one I am handquilting, so I quit on that one. It's probably 85% quilted. The next three are all being machine quilted, but I got a little ambitious with the quilting, and I got tired of working on them. I don't have Amanda Jean's stamina (or work ethic!).
My husband went on a Scout campout a couple weekends ago, and I got those bottom four basted in that one night. Yeah, I was up pretty late. I need him to go again so I can quilt them now! October's campout will save me. ;)

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Rainbow Sherbet

The center panel of this quilt was made using a Block of the Moment from Judy Martin's website -- the block is long gone, btw. I pieced this top probably 6 years ago. I know. I know. WHAT is my problem?!
Anyway, I decided it wasn't big enough on its own, so I added some borders. I first found the orangey-peachy stripe at a vendor shop at the Dallas Quilt Show several years ago, and I built the whole quilt off of that. Some fabrics are just scraps, and some were bought expressly for this quilt. Now it's pinned and ready to quilt! Of course, the line is long. We'll see if it's next or not.
I'm not exactly sure how big it is. I'll give dimensions when it's finished. I'm thinking 60+ inches square.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Block of the Month

When I first started my quilting group, we did a quick baby quilt. Our second project was a block of the month to learn how to make different blocks and to use different piecing techniques. This was my result. I just used up whatever patriotic scraps I had lying around. The denim blue border was white muslin that I dyed. Anyway, not it is in a good home. I donated it to my church for a raffle we had the other night. One more down, seventy to go.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Out of my comfort zone

I first saw this on Dana's blog. She first saw it on Amy's blog. Amy said not to get too hung up on the fabric. She said if you like it, you should use it. I love Amy's quilts. Both of them. I love Dana's. I do not love mine. I like each piece of fabric I used. Just not sure I like them together. I'm normally a very ordered, planned, two-to-three color quilter. This quilt is crazy to me. I tried to group the colors together. My husband does not like it at all.
My 15-year-old daughter LOVES it. So I guess it can be hers. I finished the top several months ago, but I needed some distance from it. It went together quickly, but I just needed to not look at it for a while.
Maybe from this distance -- yep, it's a little better. And maybe once I get it quilted, I will like it more. In the meantime, I need to decide what to put on the back! I guess with a quilt like this, anything goes!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sometimes the math goes rogue.

This was supposed to be a baby quilt, people. Each block was supposed to be 12 inches finished. In planning the center pinwheel, it made it to be 8 inches. It should have been 4. So now the blocks are 23 inches. Rogue math. What are ya gonna do? And I really wanted them on point. Well, actually, I don't want the blocks on point, but I wanted the pinwheels themselves to be on point. Why, oh, why did I add the triangles to each corner then?
I am a math whiz. Seriously. I don't mean that sarcastically. Math was one of my best subjects in school. What happened here, then? I. Do. Not. Know. Sometimes the math goes rogue. That's all I can come up with.
So now what? Too much white? Colored sashing between each block? Pull off the corners and return the blocks to their 8 inch state? Brightly colored border? Anyone? Bueller? Seriously, give me your opinion. They're just sitting here waiting for someone to make a decision. That someone could be you.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Almost . . .

Where have I been, you might ask. Where haven't I been? I have been on vacation for a month and then back at work putting out fires. Vacation was good. Work -- well, it's work. BUT, while I was on vacation, I was able to work on Amanda Jean's quilt-along. She's done with her top. I'm almost done with mine. I'm not good at keeping up with quilt-alongs (gasp!), but I am close on this one. Very proud.
It's with Fig Tree Quilts' Whimsy line. LOVE it!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

In which I make some actual progress . . .

For some reason, blogger won't allow me to move my pictures around once I've uploaded them, so this post has the pictures backwards from how I intended them. Phooey. I'm too lazy to delete and reload them. Do you see my lovely pedicure again? It's three weeks old -- from my brother's wedding. A few chips, but better than usual. Ach! I just looked at it again, and it doesn't even look like a French manicure -- just regular toes. But, I digress.
Amanda Jean just posted her applique, and it made me feel gutsy enough to show mine. You see how she inspires me constantly. This is one I have been working on FOREVER -- although that is true of many of my quilts. Let's just say, though, that I started it before we bought our house five years ago. It could be more like 7 or 8 years old (the quilt -- not the house).
Very traditional pattern and colors -- still needs borders. I found the pattern in a magazine and liked it. Now I feel like it's too matchy-matchy. The blue background was supposed to be one solid piece, but I decided to patch it. I love it that way! I love when the backgrounds are scrappy. Anyway, I still like (but don't love) it. This was before I moved to more modern fabrics and styles. I do like so many of the traditional quilts still, though.
And this is the top for Cathy's Charmed Whirligig quilt-along. It had just been awaiting borders, and I finished them yesterday. Obviously I still have to make the back, quilt it, and bind it, but I am making progress on my goal of 13 -- albeit minor progress. Look, I do what I can. 30 hours a week in my husband's office is cramping my style (not to mention the seven kids). =) Here's hoping I can get in more quilting time on vacation.

Quilting along!

Look at me! I'm caught up to where Amanda Jean is. Well, sort of. I still have a few stacks of strips to cut, but I'm caught up with the sewing. I think I'll take this on vacation with me so I can keep up. I think Jill is quilting along too, so we can do it together. I will be in her neck of the woods for part of my vacation. Are you quilting along? And are you caught up?

Friday, June 25, 2010

Deconstructing a quilt . . .

Literally. Before picture.
I got this adorable vintage fabric at the Fort Worth Quilt Show a number of years ago. I loved it, didn't want to cut it up (always how I felt for a LONG time), so I found some fabrics in my stash that matched and made it into a quilt top -- never finished it. Never loved it either. Loved the fabric -- just not the quilt top. I really don't know why I felt like I had to slap something together with it. It has been too long since I made it to remember the psychology behind it.
Anyway, now it looks like this. I love the fabric. I don't want to feel like I wasted it on a quilt I do not love. So I have one fewer WIP. Not the traditional route, though.
So the lesson for today is don't be afraid to rip apart something you don't love. I don't mean in a mad frenzy. Keep yourself under control. But quilting is for you to love. Only do what works for you. Now I have to think of a better use for this fabric. But not yet. Because I am still at 72 WIPs, and that is nothing to sneeze at. Okay. Go make something!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Falling off the wagon . . . and jumping on the bandwagon.

I really shouldn't be starting any more projects . . . but I could no longer resist when I saw these. Hers are cuter than mine, but I'll keep working up to her standard. REALLY old fabrics, some of these. Some Simplicity and some Princess thing that Jill will know the name of. I made an entire quilt out of it, and this is what is left. Seriously long-term project. And now that I've confessed this to you all, I'll have to up my number. Again.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Leftover love

This quilt is for a dear friend (baby shower was Tuesday), and it is just made from all the leftovers from this quilt. Of course, the original isn't finished yet. And I had to take pics of this pre-wash and drying because I was running late. So late, in fact, that my dear husband had to deliver it to the baby shower after it was (mostly) dry. =/
It's kind of hard to see, but I did swirls in the whirligig that are all connected to each other -- swirl in, swirl out, go to the next one to swirl in, swirl out. I stippled the outer white border with a small stipple. It looked so fantastic once it was washed and dried -- so crinkly.
It was a Spring Magic by April Cornell jelly roll. After I made the coin quilt, there was just enough left over to make these little whirligigs. The finished block is 4 inches. Jelly rolls are great for that. Now, I think I've mentioned before how I manage to mess these whirligigs up. I made a previous one and cut some of the pieces upside down, going the wrong way, so I had to make more going in the correct direction (and the incorrect direction). I ended up putting the opposite ones around the border separated by white. That one is finally to quilt-top stage but not finished. Maybe you'll get to see it soon, but it's not in my QAL list, so maybe NOT. You can see in the above pic as well as the below pic how the whirligigs are going the opposite direction. In this one, since I didn't have any more of these fabrics -- these were the scraps -- I just decided that I would just put all the different ones in one row.
So you can see how the white space surrounding the opposite whirligigs does not create a whirligig shape. Whatever. That was my solution. I didn't point it out, and if the mama wants to give it back, so be it. = ) Because I love it. Some melon-colored Quilter's Only on the back, bound in a green print from Lila Tueller's Santorini. Because I didn't have any more Spring Magic. This was seriously all that was left. Kind of a nice feeling, actually. I used the whole jelly roll!