Scout Patrol Flag

It will be noon in a few minutes of writing this, and I have to say that it has been a morning that has been craptastic.  If I could just spend the rest of my day in my jammies and ignoring the rest of the world while eating cookies.... I would.  But that's life, we keep moving on and forward otherwise you'll get stuck in the mire.

One nice little thing that I finished up (my part) was freemotion sewing some fused fabric onto Darrin's Patrol Flag for scouts.  His patrol has been working towards reaching Honor Patrol (not sure Daniel or Darrin's patrols have met all the requirements in the past), and getting the flag done was one requirement.  I supplied fabrics and Steam-a-Seam and Darrin went by a drawing in figuring out cutting and placement.  Tonight the scouts will do whatever to their ducks and stick them on the flag where they want.  I'll have to go back over the ducks with a stitch though as I found that the pre-sticky felt is not permanent and comes up easily (even more easily than S-a-S).  I am really glad I had this win in the freemotion today... I needed that!


The patrol name the boys chose?  Exploding Duckies! haha!  That's a tween boy for you!  Although I wonder if anyone suggested farting duckies?  Maybe that isn't scoutlike :)

Scrappy Trips Update

After sewing the fabrics together, I was reminded of Fruit Stripe Gum... I think I should rename this quilt Fruit Stripe Trips

Here are four settings I am considering.  I am thinking I like the last one best, but originally I was thinking of an around-the-world setting. 



I feel like a broken record in regards to photos, but the colors here are close but muted to reality.  The first one was with my iPhone because my camera died after the 3rd pic. 

So is 48" square an odd baby quilt size?  Well, I think I will just sew it up (again, likely the last photo setting) and call it good.

Has anyone else emailed Lori to sign up for the 2019 Doll Quilt Swap?  Raising my hand again for this year!

A New Quilt Start: Cheddarback BOM

I haven't been in a sewing mood for the past couple of weeks following finishing up the outer space quilt.  However, in the last week I came across a new free block of the month (as long as you are current in the month) by Gay Bomers at Sentimental Stitches called Cheddarback Quilt.  She is drafting the patterns from a quilt she acquired--and I am trying to find out the story about it, but have been unsuccessful so far.  It has a great range of 1800's fabrics and some different block patterns in it.  There is one block that will be changed, but otherwise it is a mix of challenging and easy.  Check it out, save the patterns as the first of the month rolls around.  It is a 14 month BOM.



Block 5 in that bottom right corner? That was interesting.. there are only 8 pieces in that block, but it took some thinking. I ended up using freezer paper paper piecing to put it together, and my Y seam worked out perfectly, and my musical note background is all going in the same direction :)   The small blocks are 5" finished, and for the most part they are pretty close--sashing will save me, especially for block 5.

I decided to use my Dear Jane fabrics I had collected and saved, better in a quilt than a box.

Also, I think I have a starting mix of fabrics for my Gypsy Wife quilt.  I pulled some fat quarters that I've had sitting around from past Quilty Box months.  I should be able to pull more as it goes on.


This photo was taken with my Ott Light on, so it's a little blown out.  They are slightly more subdued and muted.

I still need to finish up the Scrappy Trips blocks, but with quilters adhd, I started something new instead :)

First (almost) Finish of 2019

A few days ago I decided to get quilting on UFO #50.  I had been waiting on the backing fabric to arrive, so when it finally did, I got it together and then the next day got quilting.  I believe this one was started in 1998 and the top was finished around the same time, no pattern that I recall, I just wanted to make a space themed quilt for Justin because he liked space stuff back then.  He never saw the quilt when I was working on it, but I told him about it a year or so ago and he urged me on to finish it :)   Today it's all quilted up, and now I just need a few days to sew down the binding and then send it off to him.


One border was very wavy, but I didn't take it apart to fix that.  I left it alone and just worked with it.  Overall, I think it will be fine and should relax even more in the wash--but it will always have a slight wave.


The charcoal grey, solid blue, and red fabrics all have a glitter finish.  This was back when I loved the sparkly fabrics.  I didn't check my stash to see if I have any of those left, I seem to recall that I also bought a solid green from the same line that was also sparkly.  The hand of those fabrics are pretty stiff.  I hope they soften up after a washing.

And now that my wall is all back together again, here's my Starlit Skies, 24 blocks worth.  This is the halfway point!  There will be a sashing (I think 3") with a star cornerstone (unless I change that part in the pattern).


I'll probably put these back into my project box, I don't anticipate finishing these up very quickly.  I would like to get busy on the new scrappy trips off to the right though.

At least I have been doing some sewing, it's nice to have that desire again.  I think the next quilt I get busy on will be the millennial charm quilt.  I already have a simple idea in mind for the quilting.

Prepper Alert!

Thanks to Judy and Julie and their efficiency recently with prepping quilts, I decided on Saturday to get a bunch of quilts prepped for quilting.  I had to go into my reserve stash of pins for basting, I've used so many!  One day I will try out basting spray, but I think I need a demonstration on it and how to do larger quilts with it first.  Because I baste quilts using my design wall, I am trying to get as many as possible prepped because it's kind of a pain to have to remove things off of it in order to baste.  I am waiting on another order for yardage, so I won't get totally settled back onto my design wall again until after that arrives.

From top to bottom in the stack:
2018 Stitch Happens (50% quilted)
2019 Spool Block cat masterpiece quilt
UFO 62. Y2k Charm Quilt
UFO 68. QM Bitty Blocks (this will be the last finish from 2015 started quilts!)

2016 Always The Season
2018 Good Fortune
2017 Jigsaw Quilt/Jelly Roll Challenge

Overflowing box of tops...


In my box, I have identified at least two more that I want to get basted and prepared for quilting:

UFO 50. Outer space: top, kid bed sized (started this one for Justin when he was about 12... he's now 32! He told me I should finish it... I plan to send it down to him as a surprise)

UFO 66. 2016 Evergreen State BOM2016 (a Pacific Fabrics BOM).

I have also updated my UFO list (adding.... sigh).  I wondered if maybe I should renumber my ufo's, but I decided against it.  Maybe I should just have a running total that I update instead.  In trying to locate my Y2k Charm quilt, I couldn't believe I didn't already have it listed with the UFOs.  That one is 19 years old at this point.

I have to say that I am feeling good that the finish bug has hit me.

Grandmother's Flower Garden, Row 6 Complete!

I have been working over the last three days to finish sewing my sixth row of flowers, I really wanted to finish before the sun went down to get some good light.  It was pretty close, but still with dusk on the cusp, I had to lighten up the photo a bit.



I think it's been a year since I completed row 5.  Apparently this is more of a slow cooker project than I anticipated. The good news is that since that last row, I did complete all the grey pieces I need for this quilt--at least for what I am currently planning.



Last night I had an idea about adding a ring of colorful fabrics and then one more ring of grey. It would help to add to the quilt for length as it really isn't the size I like for even a lap quilt yet. Considering this quilt project has gone through a lot of good times and bad (started 2001), it has been a good therapy aid over the years. Maybe one day it will be a finished quilt, but right now it is a great calming device.

Spool block aka plus/times/ aka Japanese X and more

In typical fashion, I had my Plus/Times blocks laid out and ready to be put into the quilt... and then I got confused about which sections I was putting together!  UGH!! I did not notice until it was together, and I am NOT ripping.  The first two blocks of the 2nd and 3rd rows are in the wrong places, and I would MUCH rather had it that way, but I am not completely sold on this version of the block idea so I am going to quilt it up and call it good.  It's all basted and ready to go. I used up the rest of the masterpiece cats fabric for the back, and whoever ends up with this quilt after me when hopefully understand what I was trying to do by seeing the backing fabric.

For the border, I sewed up the strips left of the charm pack without worrying about a standard width.  I kind of like how that turned out.  I have one long and wider string strip leftover for another project.  I plan the bind this quilt in black (which I am now almost out of... time to order a new bolt of Kona!).



Speaking of backing fabric, fabric.com takes FOREVER to receive.  Every so often I will browse the cheapest sale fabric there and buy yards for backing.  I'd really like to get Madame Rouge and Good Fortune basted for quilting, but the fabric isn't due to arrive until the 31st (I ordered about two weeks ago).  Did you know that amazon.com now owns fabric.com?  This is a fun fact I had only recently learned a few months ago.  I guess it doesn't arrive at Prime timelines :)



Here is a new quilt I am considering as a baby quilt for one of my older son's friends who's expecting.  I am not positive if I am going to like this version of Scrappy Trips around the world, but we'll see.  I only had enough of the green and pink solid to make 16 blocks instead of the 20 that I wanted originally.  I think a square baby quilt would be ok (they are 12" blocks).  But again, we'll see how the fabrics play.  It may end up just becoming a donation quilt, but who knows. I have other fabrics in this collection (Pop Garden by Heather Bailey)  so I might end up liking it.  It kind of reminds me of the 60's right now.