Tag: Project-Quilt

Posts about the piecing, applique’ of quilts. Don’t use for completed quilts or non-quilt projects.

Finished: Scrap Dash

Scrap Dash finished
Scrap Dash finished

As I mentioned when I talked about Gelato the other day, Scrap Dash has been languishing alongside Gelato while I worked on La Pass. I got it back at the same time I got Gelato back.

I don’t get to count the yardage in my 2022 spreadsheet, because I already counted it last year when I got it back from Colleen. I know I should have waited, but I have no self control.

Scrap Dash finished (back)
Scrap Dash finished (back)

This will be a gift for one of my SILs. She doesn’t know yet, but I’ll tell her soon. There is a method to the madness of the back of the quilt. The bluer print fabrics on each side of the fish are shells. There is a small piece of red-violet sea urchin fabric at the bottom making this is an ocean themed back. Except for the batik and the tone-on-tone blue, all of the back fabrics are from the Kaffe Fassett Collective. SIL swims quite a bit so I thought having this type of themed back would be entertaining.

I decided I want to make this quilt again, so I am back to cutting super tiny pieces. Of course, I can use the leftovers I didn’t use from this version.

Finished: Gelato

Gelato finished
Gelato finished

After months of not sewing down the binding, Gelato is finally done. Catching up with La Pass really propelled my quiltmaking forward. I was able to finish a bunch of projects that need a bit of hand sewing and I got to work on the Half Hexie Star project.

I got this quilt back in the middle of last year, then I got a job and the giant puzzle and La Pass and my schedule went to hell in a handbasket. I enjoy stitching down the binding. It is very satisfying.

Gelato finished (back)
Gelato finished (back)

Now it is finished. Hooray! DH held it up for me so I could take some photographs. Writing about it here really makes it done in my mind.

I originally made this quilt for my niece, thus the Chrysanthemum back. I think I will give it to a friend who has recently had his leg amputated below the knee. He had an accident about 10 years ago. After multiple surgeries and infections, he decided (and is at peace with) on this course. He will appreciate the front and the thought, I think and won’t mind the flowers. We’ll see.

 

Busy Quilt

LFL's Busy Quilt - front
LFL’s Busy Quilt – front

Lindsay sent me a picture of the ‘Busy Quilt’ she made for her toddler (my baby friend). What a great idea! It’s a really good idea for a baby gift if you want to make a gift for later – or you don’t get around to the gift until the baby is one.

It also reminded me of the Fidget Quilts that BAM made for people with Alzheimer’s. Lindsay’s, of course, is much more vibrant. The Tula Pink fabrics make the piece visually interesting.

There are also some differences. In the middle, there are clips to move around that section. This is something to watch out for when making it for a patient or a toddler. Nobody wants the recipient to choke. I am sure Lindsay knows Baby A well enough to put the clips on when she is old enough.

The bottom middle has woven yarn or string with beads and buttons to move over the yarn. There are also laces, which make me think of the Dressy Bessy-update pattern I bought. I never made it for my niece. Now, perhaps, I should make it for Baby A?

LFL's Busy Quilt - front excite
LFL’s Busy Quilt – front excite

Lindsay also used mesh to good effect. The bobbles are a great choice as are the Curiouser and Curiouser faces.

I am so fortunate to have such talented friends.

Starting Gelato

Gelato Jelly Roll
Gelato Jelly Roll

A long time ago, in this galaxy, Friend Julie gave me a jelly roll. I don’t usually like jelly rolls, but I like this one.

One reason I like it is that the serrated edge isn’t deeply serrated, so the width is actually pretty close to 2.5 inches. Also, the strips seem to be pretty much cut on grain.

Molly's Jelly Roll Top - June 2021
Molly’s Jelly Roll Top – June 2021

At Sew Day, Molly was working on a jelly roll quilt. She also didn’t want to cut up the jelly roll into squares so she was using the strips almost as is. She made a cut in the middle where the color really started to change and inserted a KFC fabric.

Molly’s quilt got stuck in my mind and I couldn’t get it or the jelly roll in my workroom off my mind. I tried to stay focused on Scrap Dash, but the jelly roll kept creeping in.

One good thing about Sew Day is that I get to be inspired by projects on which other people are working. It is also a good thing about the guild.

Gelato Start - June 2021
Gelato Start – June 2021

Almost as soon as Scrap Dash was ready to be quilted, I opened the Jelly Roll and started putting strips on the wall. I want to add the background to the outside of the strips.

I didn’t realize the fabrics were ombre! This makes the project much more interesting. Just putting them on the wall is exciting.

Gelato Jelly Roll Open
Gelato Jelly Roll Open

I am starting out keeping the strips in order. I may move them around later after I see what I have. I am also planning to use the Art Gallery fabric I used as a background for Scrap Dash as a background for this quilt.

Finished: X Quilt

Finished: X Quilt
Finished: X Quilt

I finally finished the binding on the X Quilt!!I feel like I usually get the quilt bindings done faster. This one felt like it took forever.

Fortunately, I had a deadline and I got the quilt done before the deadline. I watched some Midsommer Murders with my Mom and was able to sew while I watched.

I took the photo in a hotel room. The best position was laying it on one of the beds. I was pleased that the quilt fit, with an overhang, on a queen sized bed.

Scrap Dash Borders

Scrap Dash - end of May 2021
Scrap Dash – end of May 2021

I spent most of Saturday working on Scrap Dash, though I also worked on the Yellow Strip Donation quilt as leaders and enders. I continue to be pleased with how the piece is progressing.

I cut a bunch of pieces for the borders during the previous week. I had sewed some of them together in snatches of time also during the week. On Saturday, I stitched many more together. I also started placing them in their spot on the wall. I now have sections of 3 sides of the borders sewn to some other piece.

I didn’t want to sew the entire border strip together then sew it to the quilt top as one piecing. I am chunking all the pieces and I am glad, because I have to fiddle with some of the border pieces to get them to fit. I am not sure why as my 1/4″ looks good and the pieces are cut accurately.

I have started, in a small way to sew the chunks together. I am not seeing much shrinkage yet as that depends on quite a bit of sewing the chunks together.

Scrap Dash Again

Scrap Dash - Mid-May 2021
Scrap Dash – Mid-May 2021

I spent a lot of time on Saturday working on Scrap Dash. I am pleased with my progress and feel like I can see a glimmer of the end of the project. I am still far away from it, but I see a glimmer.

I am getting more of the border on the wall and will soon start to sew it together. I need space so I can get the rest of the right hand column up, too.

Hooray for progress!

Scrap Dash Excitement

Scrap Dash, May 8, 2021
Scrap Dash, May 8, 2021

I really made good progress over the weekend. I figured out what I need to do to finish this quilt, e.g. how big it is going to be. I also cut more of the 1.5×2.5 inch rectangles. I need a lot of them, so more cutting is coming.

I am at the point where I really want to start sewing blocks together, but I am trying to restrain myself. As I moved the blocks around to make more space on the left, I moved blocks to different positions in order to make them stand out more. Sewing will also give me more space on my design wall, so restraint or no I might need to sew to gain the space I need to finish putting all the pieces on the design wall. I suspect I will never have a large enough design wall.

While you might think the cutting is the hardest part, the actual hardest part is getting each fabric in the quilt to shine. Obviously, each one can’t stand out when the viewer looks at the whole thing, but I want each fabric to stand out when someone looks at it up close. I don’t want fabrics to blend together.

A Little Scrap Dash Progress

Scrap Dash - early May 2021
Scrap Dash – early May 2021

I made a little progress on Scrap Dash over the weekend in between parts of the UCAB and Triple Zip Pouch. I am still using it as leaders and enders, so I can’t help but make some progress. There was a lot of machine foot switching while I worked on the Ultimate Carry All Bag.

What I really need to do is figure out where the edges are in this quilt. I am not sure if I will add rows and columns or what. Once I figure that out, I will be able to work towards finishing it. Somehow this quilt reminds me of the Corner Store quilt.

Putting the Rings Together

Sewing the Rings together
Sewing the Rings together

I have started to put the quilt together. This one I have to put together in rows despite preferring the chunking method as I am not as familiar with the construction.

I did have a little trouble cutting the edge pieces, but I think it will work out.

I am leaving the corners round. Why not? I think it will look nice. It will also be very easy to bind.

More Scrap Dash

Scrap Dash Progress - mid-April 2021
Scrap Dash Progress – mid-April 2021

While I was making progress on the Rings quilt, I was also making progress on Scrap Dash. As I said before, I am using the Scrap Dash blocks as leaders and enders for the Rings quilt. I get more done, which is great.

I started in the middle, because I couldn’t really reach the top row without a stool. You can see that the middle has shrunk up quite a bit.

I plan to put another column of blocks along the right hand side. The quilt is supposed to have the Churn Dash blocks around the whole exterior of the quilt and I plan to follow that advice.

Scrap Dash Progress - mid-April 2021 (detail)
Scrap Dash Progress – mid-April 2021 (detail)

I think the section where I have sewn the blocks looks nice. I like how the 1.5×2.5 strips create a path through the quilt.

More New Rings

Put a Ring On it Block 7
Put a Ring On it Block 7

While I didn’t achieve my goal of having all the Put a Ring on It rings done before the weekend, I did make more rings.

One problem was cutting. I didn’t have all the arcs cut, but that was a good thing to do while I listened to the meeting.  I made good progress at cutting and have about half a block left to cut to finish 9 blocks.

Put a Ring On it Block 8
Put a Ring On it Block 8

As a result of cutting during the meeting, I was able to make good progress Saturday after the meeting and Sunday.

I am, however, running out of design wall space. Scrap Dash is taking up almost every inch of space on my large design wall and my random and various other projects are taking up a lot of space on my small design wall. Now, the leftover significant portion of space is filled with Put a Ring on It rings.

Put a Ring On it Block 6
Put a Ring On it Block 6

One issue I am having is that I keep thinking how I want to change this project and what I don’t know about the tools to do it. I think I would like skinnier arcs better. I know that means smaller cornerstones, but what else does it mean? Would I have to change the size of the center? Probably.