I finally got the sashings and cornerstones on the blocks to finish the top for a quilt. I used a lovely gray batik. It does make the bright colors of the scrappy blocks pop.
Finished top
…and there is more!
While I was cleaning and organizing my sewing room, I found a box of scraps. This box was given to me by a substitute teacher that frequented the building I taught in. I have had these scraps for a while…since sometime before March 2020 (when Covid lockdowns began).
Scrap box…medium clear box
All of these scraps are around 2 inches…some are a little smaller. They are perfect to trim to 1 1/2 inch squares or triangles to make 1 1/2 inch half square triangles.
Accuquilt dies to trim scrapsLots of pieces…more to come4 1/2 inch star
I now have enough little pieces to string piece bonus blocks between all of my other projects! 😁
Have you unearthed any projects recently? I would love to hear from you!
I am participating in several quilt alongs this year. I will share some pictures and information for all of them here over the next few weeks and months. I am using a notebook and calendar to keep track of my progress in each one.
My notebook is getting full!
This week marks the beginning of the Bountiful Quilt Along for 2023. Fabric suggestions and a coloring page can be found here. New blocks are posted on the first Friday of every month from March until August. This Quilt Along is posted to collect charitable donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Fat Quarter Shop posts the patterns. There is also a YouTube tutorial available. At the end of the sew along, there is a quilt auction of donated Bountiful Quilts…made by Pat Sloan, Corey Yoder of Coriander Quilts, etc. A cross-stitch pattern is also available on the The Fat Quarter Shop site, but I am not interested.
The first block pattern can be downloaded here. This pattern makes two 24.5″ square blocks. It does take a while to assemble the many parts and pieces (98 pieces to be exact). They are large pieces that assemble easily. The directions are well written.
I watched 2 episodes of Midsomer Murders on Prime as I sewed up my blocks. I am using up scrap or fabric that I have on hand for this quilt. I did find a very interesting basket weave fabric. The first pink border looks like a color right out of the 1980’s…it might be…I bought it at a yardsale mixed in with some other scrap fabric. The star in the center of the basket also looks like it crawled on of the 80’s.
Here is a picture of my block(s):
First block 🥰
The center basket star is cute:
Star on basket
This makes a very cute quilt. Won’t you join in the fun?
This week I have been organizing my stash of fabric. I have been collecting for 30+ years…just waiting until I could retire and play! Mwahahaha! The time for leisure is here!
Here are my before pictures:
Fabric is in pilesI moved a bunch of containers of fabric and projects to the dining room to sort and straighten.Notice the middle pile is 3 totes high.
Here are areas that I improved:
The dress form is looking over the room.
What did I find when I took a good, deep dive into things that I have stashed away?
Labeled and organized binsMore organized binsMy childhood dresser now has organized fabric.Schematic 24 organized drawers!Quilts and more quilts….
Well…5 queen size quilt tops that were out of sight, out of mind, plus a table runner, a wall hanging that is pinned together but needs assembly, and 2 sets of blocks that have been kitted up for assembly.
Looks like I am going to be busy for a little while! I will not be bored, now that I am “retired”…and working harder than ever!
What have you been working on recently? Have you found any hidden treasure?
Recently, my sister sent me a family quilt to repair. Restore really isn’t the correct word. It can not be brought back to its original form with the pieces that are left.
It was most likely made by our great grandmother, Mettie Marie Cole McCullough. She lived most of her life in the rural farming village of Pine Glen, Pennsylvania. She was a farmer’s wife and mother of 10. Her quilts were utilitarian…the original weighted quilts.
This quilt was at my grandmother’s house.
utilitarian weighted quilt
This quilt is constructed from anything and everything that was at hand. It has wool patchwork. Straight seams were not important in construction. Warmth was the goal. Sashings are tan denim or duck, wool, and flannel. It is tied with green yarn. The batting is a badly deteriorated wool blanket. The backing looks like piece goods. It was seamed together in the middle of the back. The dark blue backing fabric is severely dry rotted. The binding is a rolled around portion of the backing. There is no label of any kind.
Back and batting
I need to do more documentation as I work on this quilt. I do have wool and denim fabrics in appropriate colors available. Some of the patches are in poor condition…falling apart at the seams or other holes.
Complete block
This quilt should be an interesting project. I think I will try to have it refashioned into a useable quilt as a Christmas present for my sister this year.
Have you ever tackled a project like this? Please share your projects and your thoughts on mine.
I started the blocks from the Sampler Spree block in September 2022. I finished all but 1 block on January 4, 2023. (That unmade block needed templates…uh, no…never.) Here is the final tracking sheet:
Tracking sheet helped move this project forward.
Here are the final blocks:
And the last few:
I love that little star!
I am planning to use the layout in the book to assemble the top. I am going to sort the blocks a little differently though.
Recently I started watching Pat Sloan on her YouTube channel every morning. It is a nice relaxing way to start my day. I participated in the Snapdragon quilt along. Well, I made the blocks anyway. They are currently on my design wall.
Snapdragon quilt blocks
Finishing the top is a job for next week…or maybe a little later in the month.
What do you have on your design wall? What project are you working on next?
After my last post evaluating the goals from 2022, I have decided on the goals for this year. I am continuing to use my little green book. I am expanding my sewing days into a tiny calendar with specific tasks that are completed listed on the dates. That way I can feel like I am accomplishing more. I am also using a 3 ring notebook to keep track of sew alongs, reorganizing challenges, etc.
Time to finish up some tops that I have made for people that I love. I printed off a “list” organizer for just this purpose…maybe that will help. This step always seems like work to me.
Goal: Turn a quilt top into a finished product every month…or at least 12 for the year.
On the machine…
Goal 2: Blog more
Last year I had a goal of 2 blogs a week. Sadly, I did not meet this goal. I would like to write more patterns. I think my blog will help me do just that. By setting this goal so low, I will feel that I have accomplished great things if I write more!
Goal: Publish 1 blog articles a week.
Goal 3: Sew for my own happiness
Last block from book
I am keeping the same goal. I did not meet the goal last year, but I was working from January until the end of May, plus cleaning my classroom out getting ready to retire. I think that I can easily meet this goal this year.
Here are my revised list of tasks that I count as sewing:
hand sewing (applique, binding, English paper-piecing)
machine sewing (quilting, piecing)
hand embroidery
machine embroidery
writing patterns
reading patterns and/or quilting related books
ironing/ pressing
cleaning/ organizing my sewing area/room
cutting fabric (Accuquilt or other)
sorting fabric (scraps or other)
Goal: Complete a sewing activity from the above list at least 80% of the days in the year…that is 292 days.
Goal 4: Read to self
I met this goal easily last year. I am not ready to increase it just yet, but I think I can meet it again!
Goal: Read at least one book a month…or 12 books in the year.
Goal 5: Read Aloud
I am keeping this goal. We are currently reading Love and War by John Jakes. This book should keep us busy for quite a while. This is the second book in the series. We usually only read a chapter or two during a read aloud session…15 to 30 minutes a day.
Goal: Read to each other at least 2 days a week.
Accountability
I am going to continue to use my little green book. It is numbered and set up. I also have a small calendar from the dollar tree and a notebook. Writing information down keeps me accountable.
So what do you want to accomplish this year? What habits help you maintain some calm in your life? I love to hear your thoughts!
I set 5 goals for this year…and I did manage to keep track for most of the year. If you would like to read my original post, it is here: Jumping on the Resolution Bandwagon. After our spring break in April up to the end of May, my head exploded as my husband and I were preparing for retirement for both of us. I had 32 years worth of elementary teacher crap that I had been using, keeping and hoarding that I had to share with others. I found a home for all of my treasures…not just in a trash can. The people who accepted my gifts may have trashed them, but I don’t care. I left my classroom vacant and ready for the next teacher. Here is my synopsis of my 2022 goals:
Goal 1: Quilt top finishes
I love making tops. I have made more of these this year! Somehow the quilting seems like work. I know that I could outsource this part, but as a new retiree, I can’t afford to do that. This goal should have been easy to meet. I started out so well…then nothing.
An example of a new top…made with 6 inch blocks…256 blocks to be exact!
Goal: Turn a quilt top into a finished product every month.
Summary: I finished a quilt in January 2022. One quilt for the whole year finished. That is 8%. I can do better than this!
Goal 2: Blog more
In 2021, I wrote 5 blog articles.
Goal: Publish 2 blog articles a week.
Summary: I wrote 37 articles. If I count weeks that I published twice a week, I met 27% of my goal. I did a better job writing, but need to rework this goal.
Goal 3: Sew more for my own sanity
Goal: Complete a sewing activity from the list at least 80% of the days in the year…that is 292 days.
Here is my list of activities:
hand sewing (applique, binding, English paper-piecing)
machine sewing (quilting, piecing)
hand embroidery
machine embroidery
writing patterns
ironing/ pressing
cleaning/ organizing my sewing room
cutting fabric
sorting fabric (I have been collecting fabric for retirementl and I am a scrapaholic.)
reading something related to quilting
Summary: I completed some “sewing” on 220 days this year. Remember that I temporarily lost my mind for 6 weeks while preparing for retirement. I met 60.2 % of my goal for the year. I was working from January until the end of May while I worked towards this goal. I think I can increase the amount of time sewing based on the list of tasks.
Goal 4: Read to self
My library still looks like this picture…maybe worse. I have added new books. Some from school, more from my wonderful mother-in-law.
Goal: Read at least one book a month.
Books, books, and more books…I need a librarian miracle to organize this mess.
Summary: My goal was 12 books this past year. I read 16! That is more books than I have read to myself in any given year in the last decade. I have been reading a lot my entire life…articles, aloud to children, to teach reading to children, etc., just not entire books or novels. I met this goal 133%! I do have to admit that I read extras on some months and part of a book one month and finished it the next. Life does not always operate by the calendar!
Summary: Out of 52 weeks, we read aloud twice at least 40 weeks. That is 77% of the weeks this year. I don’t know what happened during the retirement preparation weeks. We did read some, maybe. The even better news is that 56% of the weeks we actually read 3 or more times.
This is one of my favorite activities. It is one of the best ways to “unplug” that I know about. Going for a walk is another way. It would be great to combine the two, but the seating is not always good when you are out and about.
Rainbow Scrap 2022
I have started the rainbow scrap challenge for the last 4 years. Yes, I said 4 years. Because I was working, and traveling, and life sometimes ran me down, especially during shut downs, etc., I never made it more than 2 or 3 months.
This year I completed the color challenges for January, February, and March. I chose fabrics for April…but we know that life interfered. In retrospect, I completed more this year, but still fell short of my goal. I used the crazy quilt 6 inch block from Accuquilt. I made 10 of each color.
Red example block
Accountability
I used this great blank book to keep track.
I calculated and tabulated. Now it has 2023 added!
Have you evaluated your goals from 2022? Are you revamping those goals for 2023? I will be back with my new goals, slightly modified and updated, soon!
I am still working on the 100 blocks from the Sampler Spree book. Only 18 more blocks to go!
Here are the 35 blocks that I created during the month of October. I was incredibly productive. We were at the cabin in Michigan on Long Lake. I made most of these blocks while my DH watched football. I am loving retirement!
Here is my tracking sheet. There are fewer and fewer plain white numbers left that have not been made. I am a little late getting started on November blocks…only one so far.
I had a serious brain glitch when I put this block together. The picture on the right is the correct assembly for the Buoy block. I incorrectly 1) added the corners and 2) assembled the block on the left. I think it looks like a butterfly or a beacon. I am embracing my stupidity and counting it as a bonus block!
I REALLY like the shape of this block. I think I will translate it into a larger size and make another scrap quilt. I am drawn to weathervane and quatrefoil shapes.
I also like these blocks. Who knows…maybe they will show up in some future scrap quilts, too.
This one has that four pointed shape that I am drawn to, but it doesn’t actually have the points. It was not an accident…they are not part of the block. This block would be fantastic for a fussy cut center.
Time to get back to making on this blustery last day of November! I have enjoyed making these blocks, but I am ready to be finished!
What are you making today?
Later,
Lorrie
If you would like to review the first installments, here are some links to follow:
Here is the fourth installment of Splendid Quilt sampler blocks! This time I started with off-white solid scraps and a small piece of tan with taupe print. These were squares and chunks…not worth measuring.
Here is my tracking sheet. I got 10 blocks out of the background pieces. There may be more coming, but there were only 10 blocks that had a background and 1 other color of fabric. These block numbers are highlighted in blue. Please be tolerant of my sideways picture. I could not get it to load with the correct orientation! Aarrrgh!
Here are the 10 blocks. Some of these had 1″x 1″ pieces! That is a challenge, even for me…the lover of small pieces of fabric!
I did add a piece of black to the lightening bolt block. I wanted to use up that piece of purple paisley swirl, but did not have quite enough. I like the way it turned out with the extra color added.
I am to 48 out of 100 blocks! That is 48 percent of the blocks are made. Time to go plan which blocks to make next!
What are you planning to do today? (Nothing too devious, I hope!) Have a great day!
