They just keep comin'!

Three more finishes! I can hardly believe it! (Yes, the sewing has been a bit frenetic around here lately.)
Summer Stars is bound, and I realized I had never shared a good photo of the log cabin mini when it was bound. (It had been in a group "finished" shot earlier, but it was pretty covered by other little quilts.) Plus, the 9-patch leader/ender demanded completion.

Finish #15:  I have wanted to have this one finished for a long time now, but had been at a loss as to how to quilt it. I think my best solution for situations like that is to start the ditch stitching and let the inspiration flow as I handle the quilt.

Finish #14: (I know, it is out of order) Love the little log cabins. This is now at home on the mini ladder in my living room.

Finish #16: This little 9-patch was made from the leftover logs, chopped into squares. The photo on the right gives you a size perspective.

Of the quilts in my recently basted batch, I have only ditch stitched this quilt and marked most of it for FMQing.

I didn't plan to get this bunch done as quickly as the previous ones--too much else going on. Besides, I'm getting tired of figuring out how to quilt everything. There is only one more I'm sure of, and then I may stall a while.

After all of this "dark & dirty" stuff, I had an urge to do something Spring-ish, so I grabbed a bag I keep stuffed with some of the more pastel repros, and I went to work with the scraps, making 2" baskets. This was the result.  Oh, I just realized that this makes Finish #17!! (I'm a little slow on the uptake.)

Didn't turn out quite how I had hoped--I think I should have used narrower sashing. This sashing finishes at 1/2" and the quilt is just over 8" square. That is too much sashing for such a small quilt. Those are pretty small feathers, too, but not the smallest I have ever stitched.

Love those grandkids!

But even if I am not enamored with it, I think it still looks sweet in its new home for Spring. I am calling it "Easter Baskets". Real original, huh? : )

And while the pastel scraps were handy, I made a few more ornaments to hang on my Shaker peg rack for the season. All of the pastel ones I have made before have been gifted away. These still need their stuffing and fluffing, but that won't take long.

With all of the finishes I've had this year I've been hanging little quilts in new places and tucking them in previously empty corners. Maybe one of these days I will do a post of where all of these quilts are ending up.
But first I need to convince my friend Gayle to share her little quilts and rugs all over her home--it is so much cooler than mine! (Are you getting the message, Gayle?)
And now I think it is time I woke up "the beast"! : )
Until next time,
Janet O.

P.S. Thanks, Mary, for this lovely batik that surprised me in the mail! One of these days you will learn to love batiks and you will be sorry you sent them to me. *LOL*

Mission (almost) accomplished!

This will make fifteen little finishes just this year, once it is bound. That pile of little flimsies is getting tamed, slowly, but surely! This was Temecula's Summer Stars SAL, in a different setting than they used.

The number 15 doesn't include the wool mat and 2 pincushions I have squeezed in, too. Oh, it feels so good to see the pile of little flimsies down to almost nothing! (We won't talk about all of the bed-size ones hanging in the closet, okay?) Most of these were pieced between one and three years ago and have been languishing ever since!

This is only the second time I have tried curved cross-hatching on anything other than a practice sandwich. 

I love the look, but it is a bit fiddly to do.

You have to measure and mark the guidelines in each triangle.

Then you sew each individual arc going one direction, using a curved ruler as guide. Next you reverse and make the arcs coming from the other direction to create the cross-hatching.

All the while I have my straight edge ruler handy for all of the backtrack in the ditch you have to do when creating this design.

The curved rulers I use are from Jamie Wallen. He has videos on this same page that show how to do the curved cross-hatch in squares and triangles. Very helpful.

After finishing the cross-hatching, I couldn't find a design for the outer border that fit the dimensions and also matched the density on the cross-hatching.

I finally took a stencil, masked off one side of it, and tried staggering the pattern on a practice sandwich to see if it would fill in the way I hoped.
(I like to make my stencils work for me. I try to see them as more than just the obvious design.)

Then I marked the design in that overlapped way all around the quilt and stitched it in.

From this close-up you can also see that the sashing around the stars is a navy blue with a print in it. The outer dark border is solid navy. I ran out of the print and it was old enough I couldn't find more. I even had to piece it in a couple of places to sash the stars.
                                                                                                                



Now that same fabric has been reprinted as part of "Jo's Favorites", so I will be able to use it for the binding. The color is very true.

Here are the before and after shots of the latest batch, minus the batik mini. It is already gifted, but I have replaced it with the log cabin mini, which was a new start and finish this year.

The next batch of little quilts got basted Friday. Five of these are from past SALs (see why I am avoiding them?). I won't be getting these quilted as quickly--at least I don't think so.  I know how I will be quilting a couple of them. On the ones that currently elude me, I just start with the ditch stitching and hope that inspiration strikes before I finish that step.

I only have 6 more little flimsies left in the pile, and another 5 or 6 minis in the works. I want to do better in the future at not making as many starts until I catch up on more finishes. I know not everyone needs that, but when I have a mountain of unfinished business hanging over me it becomes oppressive to me. This doesn't mean I will not have UFOs anymore--not by a long shot!! But I don't like it when it gets too far out of hand!

Well, I have done it again--another lengthy post. My apologies. 
Until next time, when I hope I don't have so much to say!
Janet O.

Down in the Ditch

I believe I have stated before that I take ditch stitching very seriously on my mini quilts. Well, that is what has pretty well consumed my sewing time since my last post. Here is the evidence.

Only just beginning the ditch stitching on the little log cabins. Then I have some cable designs I am thinking will go well down the furrows.

I was going to try to do this entire basket quilt with straight line quilting, but after doing all of the ditch stitching, and the basket weave and handles, I was sick of straight line quilting on this piece. I will set it aside for now.

The cross-hatching I had planned in the setting triangles may just be too much straight line for one little quilt. I may put feathers in them to juxtapose some curves onto all of the angles here.

This was a little Pam Buda SAL (Orphans and Scraps) a year or two ago. She made hers as a mini runner, but I wanted a little square. The blocks finish at 4". The 9-patch cornerstones are 1 1/2".

This was all ditch stitched, except the border. Often on minis I feel like too much fancy quilting can detract from the piecing, so I usually keep it pretty simple.

Here we have one of those Temecula SAL quilts that I tended to do in excess. I think I made three of these. The other two were gifted long ago and this one has yet to be finished. This SAL was called Summer Stars.  I wasn't enamored with the layout Temecula used, so I exchanged it for a layout they had used on similar sized blocks in another SAL called Blessing Baskets (I made 4 of that one).

Ditch stitching all finished here. This will probably get curved cross-hatching in the setting triangles, and I haven't decided yet on the outer border.

This is not a small quilt--it is a holiday table topper for the breakfast nook table. I pieced it from scraps I got in a scrap bin at a LQS years ago. I wanted to try a freehand holly design, and never could get up the courage. I finally went for it (after ditch stitching the borders).

This is the result. Better than I had hoped. As I stitched, I felt like the design was going down very unevenly, but it doesn't look as unbalanced as I feared.

 Had a sweet surprise in the mail yesterday from Pat (Amity Quilter blog). I had commented on a fabric she had used in a quilt and I was interested in it. She sent me some and I already know where it will go. See all of those HSTs a friend gifted me? This will be a perfect border fabric for a quilt from these pieces. I will throw in a little more darker blue with the triangles to tie it all together, but the orange-y coral and browns work great! Can't wait to get a chance to work on this. The quilt has been dancing in my brain for a while now.
Thanks, Pat!

Until next time, I am doing my best to stay away from SALs!! They really suck me in, as you can tell above.  : )
Janet O.

P.S. The Beast is in hibernation right now, but I really need to wake him up and finish him. It is so peaceful in the sewing room when he is asleep.

I just couldn't help myself!

I was getting out my CW scraps to make the most recent Temecula Summer Star and I was struck once again by how many 1" strips I had in this basket. I was puzzling over what I would ever do with them all when I remembered a little quilt that had been for sale on the Temecula blog earlier this year when they were cleaning out some samples. I loved it, but couldn't buy it and just saved the photo for future reference. This was the future. This is what I made.

The blocks finish at 3".

This is the photo from Temecula's blog that inspired it. I added an inner border. Haven't decided yet what color to use for binding.

I got carried away making the tiny "rail" blocks and so there is another little quilt in the works with a slightly different layout. After assembling the top above, and cutting the leftovers for the second quilt that I will show in the near future, I had lots of 1" squares. So they all went into this. It is only 8" square--and those little pieces finish at 1/2".

I did eventually get around to the Temecula Summer Star I first set out to make. Here are all six so far.

And finally, Flurry is all to put together! It is a very festive little thing. LuAnn's giveaway was so generous, and I made my wall hanging just a little smaller, so I have enough fabric that someone could make another one this same size. If there are any takers just say so in your comment and I will draw from those names in a few days and send you the leftover charm squares, red/white/green Kona solids and the border fabric, compliments of LuAnn. It really whips up fast and it is so cute!

I still need to get the latest Barrister's Sow-Along blocks made, and finish quilting the donation quilt. I am over half finished with it. I'm getting used to the whole process of working that queen size quilt through the machine. I'm really enjoying the quilting.

Thanks to those who have inquired as to how to donate to the fundraiser my daughter is doing. Click here to go to the "Ben's Story" page on DD#2's  blog. Scroll down just a bit and the link should be on the right side. Every little bit helps to find a cure for this debilitating seizure disorder!

Now that the Olympics will be over the house will be so much quieter. It has been fun to have that to "watch" while sewing. Seems there is always a little letdown when it is all over. I'll have to find something fun to sew. : )
Until next time
Janet O.

Sewing along with Temecula Quilt Co.

The Blessings Baskets Sew-Along by Temecula Quilt Co. a few months ago (starting with their March 1, 2012 post) really captured my fancy--evidenced by the fact that I ended up starting 4 sets of baskets. If you wonder if there was method behind that madness you can read about it here (but I can save you the trouble and tell you it was just pure madness--no method involved). I have posted flimsies #1 and #2 as I have finished them, #2 having just been in my last post.
So here is flimsy #3.

You never do this, do you? Certainly not, I'm sure. If you don't know what I am talking about, look closely at the baskets. : )

After repairing that boo-boo and finishing flimsy #3, I went on to #4. The borders are not sewn on yet. It took most of my available sewing time just auditioning fabrics for the borders from my meager 30s stash (there must be a better term than that for the little shoebox size container that holds the entire collection). I think I will name this one "Color Blind Test". I just can't look at it without thinking of those things in the old encyclopedias.

So now, all four of them together. Ta-da!

And speaking of Temecula Sew-Alongs, these baskets are the very same size as the little Summer Stars for their current sew-along. There will be 8 stars total, I believe, but you could use five of them in the same setting as these baskets. They are interchangeable. Isn't that fun? I'm already getting ideas. Someone stop me, please.

Here are the little stars they have posted so far. 

I know this is a short post for me, but I will need to be back soon to post my project for July's FMQ Challenge. But first I need to do it. : )

Until then, 

Janet O.

Post #100 Giveaway (and some show-and-tell)

As promised, there will be a giveaway involved. (There are so many in blogland right now, surely you should be able to win something!)
But first, show-and-tell. I finally got my "Random Roses" block #7 to come together. It was a relief because I like the pattern and I didn't want to have to sub something else.

In my last post I was whining about using the paper templates to make these blocks. Well, my sweet friend, Teresa, from Quilt and a Prayer blog, is loaning me her acrylic templates to finish cutting my blocks. What a generous gesture, and one I greatly appreciate. I know this will save me a great deal of frustration with the last 5 blocks. Did I mention that she lives in TN and I'm in UT?

Another dear blogging friend has also been more than generous, but I will save that for another time, if I have her okay to share it with you.

Lately I have really been a sucker for mini quilt QALs--Temecula's 12 Days of Christmas, Lori's Pink Lemonade, Temecula's Blessings Baskets (begins with the March 1st post), and Cheri's Puss in the Corner. So why not join in on the Temecula Summer Stars (starts with the July 6th post)? I told myself "no" when I first saw it. But when I was putting away the scraps from my version of Cheri's Puss in the Corner, I realized that the leftover triangles would be the perfect size for the stars if I just cut them in half. After all, how hard can it be to make one 4" star each Friday through August? These are the stars so far--only two. It would be so easy to catch up if you haven't started yet (misery loves company).

Each week's star will have a different little center, so I have all of the "star" parts cut for the eight blocks (I'm guessing there are eight because that is how many Fridays there are through July and August) using my CW scrap basket, and I will just have to cut the center each week and sew it up. I've even thought of using the flying geese units of the stars as leader/enders through the week and then I'll really be ready.

I am trying to get geared up to actually do my first full-size quilt on Gidget. I know, I am such a wimp. Most of you would have churned out a dozen quilts by now. I have done several minis and table runners and a couple of baby quilts, but have yet to venture further. So I sit down and play for a few minutes whenever I get a chance and I really do enjoy it, I just lack the courage to face a "real" quilt. This was from my brief play session last night after most of my side of the world was in bed.  Just doodling. I even did another piece with feathers, but I won't amuse you with that one.

Okay, let's get down to business. This 100th post giveaway is a collection of items that reflect me, I think, and I wanted to share them with you loyal and very patient followers. In the upper left corner you see a gift bag of my handcrafted soap. This bag contains 1 bar each of three scents: mint blend, cinnamon/orange, and peppermint/pine. in the center top position is a charm pack of Sandy Gervais' new Christmas line, "Merry Medley". I think it would make a great Christmas mini or runner. I don't buy a lot of whimsical fabrics, but when I find myself attracted to one, almost without fail I discover it is designed by Sandy. I just like her style. 

On the right is a little patriotic pin cushion I made using a tutorial you can find here. I love all things patriotic. And finally, the little 7" square sampler that I made and hand quilted using the scraps leftover from the mini I made from the cuttings of Kathie Holland's cheddar, red, and green 9-patch set on point (you can see it in her April 28, 2012 post). That is always such a mouthful to explain, but once this little quilt goes to its new home I won't have to explain it anymore. I do have fun creating something out of trimmings from other projects. I was visiting my Mom today and she showed me the little jar where she is tossing the bonus triangles from her current project--saving them for me. She thinks I'm crazy, but she's willing to oblige me.

Well, there you have it. If you are interested in entering please leave a comment on this post. You can enter no matter where you live. I will select the winner on Monday the 23rd, 9 p.m. MDT. 

Thanks to all of you that put up with my long, rambling posts, and tolerate my sometimes late-night induced silliness. I have learned so much from you during my 1+ year of blogging and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know some really nice people. You have touched me in many ways. This is my little token of thanks.

Until next time,

Janet O.