What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

No change in the numbers.

I haven’t spent much time in the sewing room this week.  Work got really busy, which I expect will continue through the year.  The evenings are short on week nights. 

That means quilting on Tropics proceeds slowly.  All the white strips are quilted.

The checked sections are also quilted but it doesn’t show up very well, even in person.  The plan going forward is to squeeze it in when I can.

Fabric Added: 17.875

Fabric Used:  10.625 yards

Net Fabric Added:  7.25 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.

Every week is a different adventure in the sewing room.  This week I started quilting this project.

I’ve changed what I call it three times.  The most recent name is Tropics.  I’m quilting a different design in each section.  It will either look really cool or be a hot mess.

I also stumbled across a church rummage sale this week.  I paid $1 for a ziploc bag with all of this in it.

The patterns will go on the free table.  I wanted the floss, needles and hoop and didn’t realize the ...

No fabric in this week.

I spent last weekend at retreat, sewing the days away.  I managed to finish a top for the Guild’s charity.  The pattern is Cloud Nine by Villa Rosa designs.

It went together fast considering I had nothing cut when I got there.  Some of the fabrics were mine, some came from the charity table, and my sister gave me the background fabric when she retired from teaching.

I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to quilt it or take it back to Guild for someone there to quilt.

I also worked on ...

No fabric in this week.

I finished the yoga pants for fabric out.  I tried taking a picture with me wearing them, but that is harder than you think.

I am at a quilting retreat with my Guild this weekend, hopefully sewing up a bunch of fabric that I can report next week.  I just need to stay out of the quilt shops and away from free/sale tables.

Fabric Added: 17.875

Fabric Used:  8.625 yards

Net Fabric Added:  9.25 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.  I went to the AQS Show in Columbus, Ohio yesterday, but all I bought was a ruler.

So many amazing quilts at the show.  I would be hard to pick a favorite.  I hope more people attended during the week than were there yesterday.  I’d hate to see shows like this disappear.

What’s happening in my sewing room is far less artistic.  I cut out the yoga pants and found elastic at Hobby Lobby.  My serger is threaded and ready to sew.

The goal this week is to sew them.

Fabric Added: 17 ...

No fabric in this week.

I finished Mosaic (the paint chip challenge) for .75 yards out.  The paint chip is at the top right corner of the photo.  I dyed the background fabric years ago.

Each square is a different design using various surface design techniques and materials, including:

Embroidery with DMC floss and pearl cotton

Paintstiks over rubbing plates

Crayons over rubbing plates

Oil pastels over rubbing plates

Stamping

Stenciling

Some stencils I created myself.  I used various materials to stamp, along with commercial stamps.  I quilted the grid using a decorative stitch on my machine.

The project turned ...

No change in the numbers.

Life got in the way this week, and I didn’t finish Mosaic.  I did finish quilting it though.

I’ve also worked on Christmas Cottage.  It’s tiny – maybe 2.5 x 3 inches here. The fabric is 18 count.

The goal this week is to finish Mosaic for the Guild meeting Saturday.  I also want to start the pants.  I washed the fabric, but I still need to buy elastic.

Fabric Added: 17.875

Fabric Used:  6.625 yards

Net Fabric Added:  11.25 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.  Maybe next week.

Because it goes better for me, I’ve switched to working on fewer projects at once.  The paint chip challenge, which I’ve named Mosaic, is the new focus.  I finished adding designs to all the squares.

I’ve also pulled batting and backing fabric.  I have a general idea of how I want to quilt it.  The goal is to get it done before the Guild meeting on the 19th.

Fabric Added: 17.875

Fabric Used:  6.625 yards

Net Fabric Added:  11.25 yards

How did you do this week ...

No change in the numbers.

This week I worked on Christmas Cottage and the paint chip challenge.  The paint chip challenge is my focus piece.  It’s time to finish it and move on to another project.

Neither piece changed much in the last week.  Instead, it’s back to the haul from the sale last weekend.

Top row:  Sulky variegated embroidery thread (two spools each color), Christmas pattern books (embroidery & cross stitch), and a Heaven and Earth Designs pattern.  That one is so large I doubt I’ll live long enough to finish it.  I may try stitching a ...

No fabric out this week.

We went to a crafter’s garage sale yesterday that a local quilt shop hosts every August.  I bought mostly stitching items, but some fabric came home with me.  If anyone is interested in the stitching haul, let me know in the comments and I will post it.

The large blue piece is fleece to make new yoga pants.  I can’t find pants I like in the stores.

The other pieces are from a quilt kit.  Imagine my surprise when I unpackaged it at home and discovered there was no picture of the finished ...

No change in the numbers.

I think I touched everything I have in progress this week.  I sewed the next sashing block and added to the row on Moondance.

I added crayon over rubbing plate and paint to the Paint Chip Challenge.  I think I added five blocks.  I’d really like this quilt done and out of the way. 

I also spent a lot of time on Fairy Tales, another project I’m ready to finish.  In hindsight, this project would have been easier if I used Pattern Keeper or something similar.  Live and learn.

Fabric Added: 13.625 ...

No fabric in this week.  I’m counting out the fabric I passed for the swap a few months ago.  If it ever makes it back to me, it will come as a finished quilt.

I had the urge to piece this week and pulled out an old UFO.  The pattern is Moondance by Beth Ferrier.  At the time, it was a free block of the month.  Now it’s part of a book.

I decided years ago that I wanted the background fabrics in the stairstep sashing blocks to match the background in the adjacent blocks.  It took me ...

No change in the numbers.

I feel like I misplaced July.  I’m not sure what happened to it.

We were all under the weather this past week.  Nothing happened in the sewing room, although I did work on the stitch project I started when we were on vacation.

It’s a Bucilla kit I bought last summer at a crafter’s garage sale.  I chose it for vacation because it’s small with blocks of stitching.

I got a good start on it.  The fabric is 18 count aida.

I look forward to getting back in the sewing room ...

No fabric out this week.

I bought a half yard of fabric on vacation, because you can’t go to Alaska and not buy fabric.

I haven’t worked on any quilts since we returned home.  It’s been a bit of a struggle to get back to a normal routine.

Fabric Added: 13.625

Fabric Used:  6.5 yards

Net Fabric Added:  7.125 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.

We’ve been on vacation with no time at home this week.  If I bought anything on our travels I will add it next week.

Fabric Added: 13.125

Fabric Used:  6.5 yards

Net Fabric Added:  6.625 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.

Work continues on the Paint Chip Challenge.  I’ve completed three more squares.

I decided to jump around a bit and see how that goes. 

Fabric Added: 13.125

Fabric Used:  6.5 yards

Net Fabric Added:  6.625 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.

I finished two more squares of the Paint Chip Challenge, paint stik and oil pastel over rubbing plates.

Both squares will fade a little when I heat set them.

With all the painting and stitching, I haven’t had time with my sewing machine lately.  I miss it and may need to shift to a different project later this month.  Summers are so short and incredibly busy.  It’s hard to fit everything in. 

Fabric Added: 13.125

Fabric Used:  6.5 yards

Net Fabric Added:  6.625 yards

How did you do this week ...

No change in the numbers.

I spent some time on the paint chip challenge this week.  I added embroidery to block 4 and stamped with the larger bubble wrap in block 5.  The bubble wrap was older and the bubbles had deflated a bit.  That resulted in great texture. 

I created a freezer paper stencil for block 7.  I wanted thicker stripes and a stencil big enough to cover the whole square.

In addition to having fun, I’m learning a lot revisiting so many surface design techniques.  I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it.

Fabric Added: 13.125 ...

No change in the numbers.  I only wish I had enough sewing time to finish something.

I worked some on the Paint Chip Challenge this week.  Block 2 is oil pastel over a rubbing plate.  Block 3 is stamped.

I skipped blocks 4 and 5 because I wanted to continue with painted blocks.  Block 6 is stenciled.

I will go back and pick up blocks 4 and 5 this week.

Fabric Added: 13.125

Fabric Used:  6.5 yards

Net Fabric Added:  6.625 yards

How did you do this week?

No change in the numbers.

The runner I call Harlequin is now basted.

The blocks came from a class I took in 2017 on improvisational curved piecing.  This is the third quilt from the blocks made in that class.

A lot of the fabrics are my hand dyes.  I didn’t have enough of the blue or green for the border.  I got lucky and found the blue solid at my Guild’s fabric sale.

I could do simple quilting and finish it quickly, but decided to play around with the quilting on this one.  Except for the black and ...