I received another Happy Box. If I haven’t said it before these boxes do make me happy.
One of the things I like is the reusable silverware set. I’ll bring that to work, so I don’t have to keep using one time use silverware. I also like the skincare care and makeup products Natalie includes. I would never know these things exist, so it is great to be able to try them out.
The Happy Box subscription is sold out for now, but you can be notified it it becomes available again. Consider getting one of your own. The Happy Box Mixer is still available which gives you the opportunity to try out the program. No affiliation!
After some false starts with basting, I have made some progress on the first part of Month 11.
The lacy looking bits in the middle ring are what gave me some trouble. I cut pentagons using the flower motifs from parts of the Alice fabrics, but I didn’t like the alternating look. I saw that someone else did all of the white and yellow motifs, so I did that as well.
There isn’t a lot of contrast in this block, which is fine with me. I think I avoided the bee look (black and yellow) pretty well despite the black and yellow in the this block. It doesn’t scream bees at me.
Tula doesn’t use a lot of yellow in her work, so I know Pink Door had a hard time with the yellow rosettes.
I may not have mentioned that I ripped out all of the Big Stitch quilting on this project. I am preparing it to go to Colleen.
To do so, I had to find some fabric for the binding. I wanted the main turquoise used for the background. I couldn’t find it anywhere.
BAMQG IRR Corner with possible binding
I did find a slightly darker solid turquoise that I think will frame the piece better than the same color. I know the differentiation is hard to see, but I think you can see that the slight difference looks good for the binding.
I still haven’t done anything with the bits and bobs included by the others who worked on it.
Some weeks ago, I cut a few pieces of the Andalusian Pouch out of a fat quarter of Anna Maria Horner’s Meadow Bossy Poppy. I got the fabric from one of the Quilty boxes.
I was cutting something else out and decided just to use up the fabric. Of course, that was a boondoggle as I didn’t have quite enough to finish cutting out the exterior of the pouch so I ended up buying more.
Andalusian Pouch start
Over the weekend, I decided to make that pouch for a friend and I got to work finishing the cutting. If I hadn’t had to cut all of the pieces out, I would have finished the whole pouch. As it was I was just able to get a solid start.
I was able to get the pouch’s four sides sewn together as well as the side zipper installed.
I had some trouble with keeping the zipper in place and really should have used some washaway tape**. I was just lazy.
Andalusian Pouch with side accents
This pouch, one of Minikins Season 3, has some trim on it, which I think would be better in cork or leather or something heavier. As it happens, I didn’t think to use the faux alligator I used on Mom’s UCAB, so I just used some of the True Colors I received the other day. I think it looks good, but I wouldn’t add the side accents again If I have carefully fussy cut some great fabrics, because the motifs get covered up.
I hope I don’t jinx myself, but this is going together really well and I would consider making it again.
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
The other day I showed you how to finish the bullseye blocks in preparation for the next circle. I didn’t have all of the photos, but I do now. Until I can write a real, complete tutorial you’ll have to look at both posts and integrate them. I know you can!
This tutorial assumes that you have cut your backgrounds and appliqued your circles to those backgrounds.
Supplies (same as previous post)
Bullseye blocks
Inspira duckbill applique’ scissors
Applique’ scissors** – I have two pair. One is by Gingher, which I have had since the dawn of time. These are maybe 10 inches, but probably 8 inches. The other is a much smaller pair (6?) I bought last year at Cottage Quilting in Medford. The brand is Inspira and they are shown on the Husqvarna/Viking website. I thought they were super cute and I had never seen a pair this size before. N.B. after using them for this project, I really like the Inspira duckbills. The holes are really small, so if you have large hands, they may be uncomfortable.
As mentioned above, previous steps can be found in the previous post.
…Your goal is to be able to cut a circle out of the background fabric without harming the front circle.
Bullseye: Cut parallel to the line of stitching
Second, cut a slit. You will need to continue pinching the background layer of fabric away from the front circle. The slit should be cut straight down, parallel to the line of stitching. If it is angled, you will see it right away in the V shaped cut that results. It’s no big deal, but try to keep it straight so it is parallel to the sewing line and makes a neater cut.
Now, continue on to step three in the previous post.
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I always look forward to the Fair and make a point of entering.
I wasn’t well enough to go to the Fair last weekend with the family, but they were kind enough to send me photos of my wins as they walked the exhibits. I was SHOCKED to get two wins in the made-by-one-quilted-by-another category. That category is almost impossible to win in since there are so many entries. I am thrilled!
FOTY 2019 Win
Frolic! Fair Win
Fabric of the Year 2019 and Frolic! both won. Isn’t that purple ribbon pretty? I’ll have to see the details if I get to go to the Fair or when I get everything back.
Since I am working on a Bullseye project, I thought it would be a good opportunity to write some tutorials about the process. At the moment, this will not be a full set of step by step tutorials. You’ll have to use the skills you have gained from my Quilt Class tutorials to extrapolate the rest of the process.
This tutorial assumes that you have cut your backgrounds and appliqued your circles to those backgrounds.
Supplies
Bullseye blocks
Inspira duckbill applique’ scissors
Applique’ scissors** – I have two pair. One is by Gingher, which I have had since the dawn of time. These are maybe 10 inches, but probably 8 inches. The other is a much smaller pair (6″) I bought last year at Cottage Quilting in Medford. The brand is Inspira and they are shown on the Husqvarna/Viking website. I thought they were super cute and I had never seen a pair this size before.
First, take one block and lay it face down on your cutting mat.
The picture shows the sewing line (arrow is pointing to it; you may need to enlarge the photo). Use the sewing line as a cutting guide. If you want, you can draw in an erasable line to follow for cutting. You don’t need to do that, though. Just eyeball one quarter to a half inch.
Bullseye: Pinch fabric layers away from each other
Pinch the background fabric layers away from the front/circle fabric layer. Your fingers should be about half an inch away from the seam line, as the photo shows.
This is usually a two handed process and you will need to feel around to make sure both layers are well away from each other.
Your goal is to be able to cut a circle out of the background fabric without harming the front circle.
Second, cut a slit. (no photo) You will need to continue pinching the background layer of fabric away from the front circle. The slit should be cut straight down. If it is angled, you will see it right away. It’s no big deal, but try to keep it straight so it is parallel to the sewing line.
Third, let the fabric layers go back together, e.g. they are not pinched anymore, but, again, laying flat on the cutting mat.
Bullseye blocks: Enlarge the slit
Fourth, carefully stick the duckbill tip of your applique’ scissors into the slit and start cutting away the background layer. Cut one quarter to a half inch away from the seam line.
Be careful to only cut the background layer. The duckbill part of the scissors should help keep you from cutting the foreground. This doesn’t mean you don’t have to be vigilant. You do!
If I sound like a militant dictator, it is because I have cut through the fronts of appliques and had to do them over.
Be vigilant.
Bullseye: cutting out the background
Fifth, continue cutting carefully around the whole circle. I keep the circle out of the way of the scissors to try and preserve as much fabric as possible. I can cut some of the shapes I need for other projects from the leftovers.
This part of the process becomes easier once you have cut a large enough slit so the front circle fabric shows.
In the photo, left, you can see how the duckbill rests on the front/circle fabric.
Bullseye: background cut out
When you have cut the whole circle out, you will have a back view to the front fabric.
Repeat for all blocks.
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I usually don’t start my basting the second the BOM monthly package arrives. As much as I would love to drop everything and start cutting and sewing, I have stuff I need to be doing, such as work.
I also pre-wash all of my fabric, including the small pieces for this project. The point is that it takes me a little bit of time to get to basting. The good thing about the delay is that I get to see what other people think.
One thing that happens is that people start complaining about not having enough fabric. I have talked about my strategy before, which is to just buy more fabric if I don’t have enough. I always think it is me.
Skinny Triangles – La Pass M11
The complaining started even before my pretty pink package arrived, so when I got ready to baste, I knew I had to be careful. I also challenged myself to get all the pieces I needed out of the fabric given. I cut the skinny triangles one at a time, lining them up carefully next to each other. I didn’t have yards left over, but I ended up with enough to cut a few more skinny triangles.
My expectations are not that we get yards of extra fabric. I am happy to get just what I need. Who knows, though? I never participated in a BOM before. So far, I am satisfied.
I talked about Adrienne’s Bullseye blocks a little the other day. Once I put the whole thing on the design wall, I could take a look at what I had to work with. My first impression was that the piece was dark. Adrienne selected darker backgrounds than I did. Then Julie used some darker fabrics for circles.
These are not bad choices by any stretch, just different than what I selected.
Adrienne’s bullseye with 2d round circles
The first thing I did was cut a bunch of pinks. I wanted to lighten up the piece, but also didn’t want to slap pink on any old block. I cut circles from the fabrics and tried them out in different places.
The blocks are not in the place they will end up in the final quilt, so I matched the pinks to the circles that Julie cut. This helped me to work on the other blocks as well. As I chose each fabric for the second circle, there were fewer blocks to complete and the choices became clearer.
The picture on the left doesn’t show all of the second circles selected, because I am still in the process.
I put the blocks I with Friend Julie’s backgrounds on the design wall so I could look at at them. I took them off, cut out the back and put the block on the ironing board to be pressed.
Half the blocks are Friend Julie‘s backgrounds and half are Adrienne’s. The top four rows are Adrienne’s backgrounds and Julie’s circles. The bottom four rows are Julie’s background and my circles.
Adrienne’s blocks with Julie’s circles
I decided to look at them together as I moved Julie’s off the design wall. It turned out that I needed to put Adrienne’s blocks on the design wall to select the fabrics for the second round of circles.
I only had cut about 10 squares to make circles for Adrienne’s blocks. I thought I had cut all I needed, but I am glad I didn’t. I ended up looking at each block to decide what it needed.
Want to know how to make a binding for a curved corner? Check out the Sewn Handmade tutorial. Tutorial is a little bit of a stretch as it mostly just talks about cutting the corner. You will still need to make the binding and bias binding is best for curved corners.
Craft Gossip has a post on 8 easy (HA!) ways to cut your fabric straight.
Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies
My guild hosted Carolina Oneto Tapia to speak about colors. Amy included links to various value finding tools on the web.
Julie mentioned shopping at the French Seam. Great name, don’t you think? I like the clean, fresh look of their website. I noticed they have the Painter’s Palette solids. That fact is worth keeping track of. In their notions section, they have labels for bags and quilts not personalized, but similar to clothing labels except with funny sayings.
Mosaics! Fascinating article from the New York Times about a town built on top of a Crusader era city and the mosaics people there are finding.
Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness has posted a video on printing PDF patterns. This is useful whether you make Sew Sweetness bags or not (though you should)
Other Artists
Friend Julie put out her May Cornucopia the other day. Go see the crazy clown/merry-go-round photo, if nothing else. She has some great links and not all are sewing or quiltmaking
I spent Saturday getting down to Orange You Glad business. I had started the applique’, but needed to get it done as I wanted to send the package to Adrienne on Tuesday. I had some other packages to mail and wanted to make one trip.
These are Julie’s backgrounds and my fabrics for the circles. I am pleased with how they look.
I had made a little bit of headway on my fabric usage, but my Tiny Beast and True Colors order arrived and now I am back in the red. Bags take time, but don’t use a lot of fabric. I should be up to almost 50 yards used right now. Oh well.
Yellow Improv Donation Top & Back – finished February 2022
In Process or To Make
The ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or are on the design wall waiting for me to stitch. I am continuing to try not to put away projects. I find putting a project away ensures I never work on them, because I just lose steam.
Quilts
The circle quilt is on the design wall waiting for what comes next
Small Projects to Make or in Process
Most of my progress involves thinking or just cutting.
One Hour Basket for my stuff that tends to accumulate on the dining room table. I may switch to one of the Minikins projects or a Catch All Caddy for this purpose.
One Hour Basket for DH’s stuff that tends to accumulate on the dining room table. I may switch the pattern to one of the Minikins projects for this purpose.
Retreat Organizer – another project from the Crafty Gemini Organizer Club, also on my list, but not yet started. Recently, I saw one of these made up and I am not so nervous about it
Rose Petrillo bag – I found the pieces for this bag cut out, but not sewn.
Superbloom tote using Hindsight fabric – not started
Ultimate Project Organizer – another project from the Crafty Gemini Organizer Club, also on my list, but not yet started
Westchester shirt – this is a Crafty Gemini pattern. I bought the fabric at PIQF in 2018. I have the pattern pieces cut out and ready to sew. I was held up by the supply list which wanted a Jersey needle. SIL #2 and Mary C said that a regular knit needle was fine. We may start a garment sewing group in the guild. I could use the support.
Handwork
I decided that some of my projects are in a different class because they are hand piecing or embroidery or beading. They take longer. Thus I created a new category and have moved some projects here.
English Paper Piecing Project– half hexies – I worked on this project while I was waiting for La Pass Month 10 to arrive.
La Passacaglia – I am up to date on this project and waiting for Month 10 to arrive.
Ready for Quilting
BAMQG IRR
In the Quilting Process
BAMQG Improv Round Robin – The quilt is ready to be sent to Colleen. I like the look of Big Stitch, but I have enough handwork and wasn’t enjoying working on it. I am kind of shocked at how much I got done. I do feel some regret at ripping out the completed stitches.
The Tarts come to Tea – no recent progress,but I did pull it out to take a look at what I had done. I was thinking that I could rip out the stitching, but I have done a lot and the stitching is pretty good. I didn’t rip anything out and will get busy on at it again at some point.
In the Finishing Process
Nothing at the moment
Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.
I am annoyed that some of these are still WIPs. I just need to work on them!
Handbag Sampler – this is still the forgotten project. It should be on the UFO list. The blocks were teaching samples when I taught a sampler class some time before I started writing the quilt class sampler tutorials. I found one block recently, but otherwise I don’t actually know exactly where the blocks are hiding. I crawled up in the far reaches of my fabric closet to see if I could find them and they weren’t where I thought. I am sort of mystified as to where they could be. I haven’t even found a picture of all the blocks. WTH?
Lobster – I still want to make this into a tablerunner for the buffet. I think that will be a good and fun use of the piece even if the colors aren’t quite right for the dining room.
Pies and Points from 2016 Victoria Findlay Wolfe class. The last time I worked on it was when Julie and I had a playdate in April 2018. I brought this piece with me so I could cut more elements (Julie has a Sizzix). I lost my excitement about this piece shortly thereafter, but I am ready to work on it as soon as I get my design walls back up.
Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. No progress.
Serendipity Lady – I am still planning to take this piece to be framed. It might need a bit of quilting first.
Who Am I? – This piece is still languishing. Perhaps having a larger design wall will help me regain momentum. The amount of satin stitching I was facing was a problem until I thought of BIAS TAPE. I am going to make the words with bias tape, perhaps different widths, then I won’t have to satin stitch everything. Red Scribbles and Friend Julie helped me come up with this solution. Now I just have to do it!
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
