I am multitasking and not doing too well at it. It is rather overwhelming and I need to focus on getting some projects quilted and bound and off my list of things to do.
This quilt was a mystery that I worked on earlier this year and done through Gyleen on Facebook. It is a group called Bricks, Cobblestones and Pebbles and this quilt is Odds, Ends and Leftovers. It was made using only scrap pieces of fabrics that I had on hand in my Arizona sewing room. It was fun to work on a mystery where everyone shares pictures of each step as they get them made and then we all started guessing as to how we would be using the various blocks. It was made medallion style so the center was made first, then the next round and added, and continued in that way. I liked seeing it grow each week until it reached the final size. Quilted and bound.
I loved making this batik quilt. It started with 10" squares and I had a package of fabric to use but knew that the final quilt would be too small for a Quilt of Valour so dug into my batiks on hand and cut more 10" squares so that the size would be more useable. It is quilted and bound. Cross another one off the list.
I have managed to get a few quilts quilted even though I am also piecing new projects at the same time because the B-line quilting system that I share with my good buddy has come to live in my basement for the summer. So instead of having to pop down to her house and set it up, quilt my project, and finish, all in one session, I can now load a quilt when I have time and then do a few rows of quilting when convenient. It will be great in the summer as my basement is cooler than the rest of the house. I am trying to have a quilt ready to go as I finish one but my multi tasking is falling apart at the moment.
I did quilt my half hexies using my walking foot so I could watch tv (Dancing with the Stars finale), while I was quilting. It is also now quilted and bound. That makes three finishes in the last week. That is a good thing! Don't want to think about how many more tops there are to go.
These are some tops that I just made. I bought a kit that I loved at the Quilting and Sewing show at the end of March from the Needle and I. And then, two weekends ago, I bought the same kit again at the Boundary Bay quilt show from the same merchant. I guess I really did love it. When I looked at the pattern, made from charm squares and strips, I realized that I could make three small quilts for the preemie ward, (Neonatal unit) at our local hospital. One is ready for quilting and the other two are on the design wall, waiting to be sewn together.
Since I took this picture earlier this afternoon, I have since layered the finished top and it is ready for quilting using the walking foot. Another project to work on while watching something good on TV.
If you look around my various quilting spaces, I have far too many projects in various stages of completion. This is child's quilt, pattern is Northern Exposure. The good thing about this quilt is that I bought it as a kit at the end of March and it is now layered and ready for quilting.
I have made a large number of St. Louis 16 patch blocks using up some of my aging purple stash. Doesn't seem to have made the fabric pile reduced by very much! But I think I have enough blocks made to put together a nice size Quilt of Valour and maybe I will make more blocks to use up more of the purple fabrics that I don't really want to put back into my fabric storage.
A pile of smaller quilts waiting to be layered and quilted.
I am working on yet another project that I saw the method for and it intrigued me. I watched the technique on Missouri Star U Tube and it is for their Chevron block/quilt.
You start off with 10" square of fabric plus a 10" square of background fabric. Layer them right sides together and draw a diagonal line in each direction. Stitch ¼" on either side of each line.
Slice your block in half in each direction as well as along the diagonal lines. If you press these blocks open, you will have 8 half square triangles.
Arrange your blocks in a chevron design and stitch them together in a four patch. You set one row of chevrons going up and the next row heading down. Simple but effective and I just happened to have a package of cake plates that were perfect for me to play with this method. So, one more darn project on the go!
I have one more quilt top ready for the next step but it needs pressing and I will do that before showing you how I played with batik charm squares, made four patches and turned them into an interesting and colourful block.
Whew. Way too many things happening and the list of quilts that need quilting is getting longer instead of shorter! But I will persevere!
