Big plans

Aside from my monthly mini, I don't usually like to have quilting projects with deadlines. This is my therapy--deadlines cause stress. Stress creates the need for therapy. It's a viscous cycle. But I have jumped in to a few projects this year that may leave me wondering, "What was I thinking?" 

For the first time I have joined in on Cecile's SAL at Patchwork Inspirations. I barely squeaked in before the sign-ups were closed. She has a fun SAL every year, with wonderful sponsors. There is always a theme with a rule or two--and a deadline. But you decide how to interpret the theme. This year the theme is CURVES, and you are to have at least 16 blocks with curves in your finished product. Though I don't often use curved seams, I do know how to do them, and I had an idea, so I jumped on the train. Introducing "COVID Curves".

I felt like the Devil's Puzzle layout could pass for a stylized version of the virus, and every piece of fabric in this wall hanging was from the leftovers of the 500+ masks I made last year. We have certainly had enough curves thrown our way in the past year and I wanted to memorialize the experience in this quilt. All of the curves are sewn, but I need to start stitching the blocks into rows. I believe this will end up being about 24" square, as each of the little blocks should finish at 3".

In all my nearly 10 years of blogging, I have never done a Barbara Brackman SAL, though I have thought about it, and have even gone so far as to make the first block a couple of times. But I cannot resist this one--Star blocks with different centers, and a Little Women theme. One block a month--not too late to join in. You will find the first pattern HERE.  I have decided to do two of each monthly block. You can choose between 12", 8", or 16". I am doing the 8".

I will be using a variety CW repros in pink and brown. I have been saving them up for years for a different pattern, but this just felt right.

This next project has no deadline, but I feel like it may be the craziest choice of all. In the June 2015 American Patchwork & Quilting magazine, Designer Pam Buda had a quilt that left me breathless. For one thing it uses the churn dash block (which I love), and for another it uses tiny pieces of scraps. I received a very healthy infusion of scraps recently (you know who you are) and I knew it was time to pull out the magazine and get going.

This is Every Little Bit, by Pam Buda. She talks about this quilt on her blog HERE. Each straight side of the churn dash block is formed from 8 tiny strips of fabric. They are foundation pieced, and this photo shows you how small they are.

The pattern calls for 42 blocks and you need four of these little foundations for each block. I want my quilt a bit bigger, so I am planning on adding a row of seven more--I'll need almost 200 of these little pieced foundations. If I made a block a week, I could have all the blocks finished by Christmas. But life doesn't usually cooperate, so I am just planning on this being a two or even three year project. But I don't want it to get buried in a closet.

I have my first two blocks completed. They will finish at 6". I used a different method for the center 4-patch in a square than the pattern indicated. I wanted to make the 4 patch barely float, so that I wouldn't always be worried about cutting off the points. Seems to be working.

I tried to provide a link to the digital copy of the magazine, in case you are crazy, too you are interested, but the page would never load for me. However, there are a few copies of the magazine available on Amazon.  

I don't know if I should admit that I have another pattern from a magazine that I hope to work on a little each month. I won't share it until I see if I actually start on it one day soon. And then, of course, there will still be the monthly minis. This may not seem like much to many of you who make more than this in any given year, but for me lately, this is a bunch!

In my last post I offered to share the last bags of my Christmas Gingerbread soaps. I thought I only had two, but I found a few more, so I drew five names. In the process I kept ending up with people whose profiles are not linked to their email, so I had to keep redrawing. Makes me sad because I don't think you even know you can't be contacted.

So Loris, Terry C., Nancy S., Ruth J. and  DebrafromMD will be receiving some gingerbread men that lather really well. Nancy, and Ruth, I have your addresses. Terry, you have moved since I had yours, and Loris I thought I had sent you something before, but I can't find your address in my file. Debra, I will need yours. If you ladies will get your addresses to me, I will get your soap sent out.

Tomorrow is Inauguration Day. I hope it is a peaceful one, and I have hope for a kinder, more inclusive, and more dignified term of office this time around.

Until next time,

Janet O.