The heat is gone from the PNW.

The heat of the past few weeks was very good for sewing time.  Thank goodness we have central a/c and my basement sewing studio is nice and cool and the 'bunker' where my home quilting system (B-line) lives, is almost cold as that is where the furnace is located and the cold air blows through it to get circulated around the house.
So, quite a few quilt tops are pieced and a few of my July tops that I had intended to quilt in that month got finished this month.  And still three days left!  Who knows what might get accomplished in the last hours of the month.  Not saying that I work best under pressure.... but.... things do get finished!

Some of my tops that got quilted are also bound and labelled and ready to delivery to their destinations.  But am hanging onto them so I can overwhelm members of my local guild with my productivity over the summer plus some of them will be samples for a quick class I am teaching on using 10" squares (cake plates).

This is a QOV made from 16 patches.  I took a bunch of strips, all ready for piecing to my Wednesday Diva quilting group and they all took some plus used some of their own fabrics to make blocks.  I assembled the blocks, layered, quilted and bound the quilt and it is done! Great way to use up some of those fat quarters that you just don't know why you bought them or what to do with them.

This is the second quilt made from a kit purchased from Hamel's last year.  There was a jelly roll plus a set of cake plates and I made the quilt posted earlier, Sugar Almonds, using the jelly roll.  This is a pattern called Good Company by Villa Rosa and is a great way to cut up and then stitch your pieces back together.  The kit included yardage so that enabled me to add a border to get it to a good size for QOV.  Finished! 

Another 16 patch quilt.  This was part of my Wednesday Diva group's challenge to jump into our ancient floral fabrics and use them up.  Of course, I haven't seen my stack of florals diminish in any way but am happy to use some of them up.  We have decided that we are tired of making 16 patch blocks so for now, this is the last one until maybe next year.  This will be donated to our local hospice.They want bright and cheery and this fits that perfectly!

Of course, Missouri Star seems to come up with a video of an idea or technique just as I decide that I have enough ideas.  This one is called Floating squares and when I saw the video, I knew I had some charm packs of solids in pastel colours that would work perfectly for this.  Wasn't excited when I was making it, thought it was sort of bland but in the end, when it was quilted and bound, am very pleased with the final quilt.  Not too sure where this will be donated.  Too small for hospice and not really quite large or masculine enough for QOV (yes, I do send quilts for women soldiers but they are in the minority it seems and the need is not as great as quilts for men is). 

And I have been piecing new quilt tops... new ideas.  My sewing themed blocks are done and I added to them from my stash but of course, where is the picture?  You will have to wait until I get it quilted.  It is one for me and I will be using bamboo batting so see how I like it.

This is the jolly bar quilt from Fat Quarter Shop using a free pattern called Tweed which is really a big, fat rail fence!  I mentioned it in my last post but couldn't find the pictures.  Funny how they magically get deleted?

My roses quilt from a cake plate... stack of 10" squares will be an example for the guild class in November of one of the ideas for using this size of pre-cut.  This got a border added to it to make it large enough for a floral hospice quilt and is waiting patiently for the next step.  I need a magic quilting fairy to come while I am sleeping and 'poof!!"... all my quilt tops will be finished.  In my dreams....

This is the darn Missouri Star again with one of their videos. Magic Hourglass.  I just happened to have 3 sets of matching charm packs and after seeing their inspiration, dug them out.  This top needs pressing and I have since added a few borders (which is funny because I haven't added borders to quilts since becoming a little more 'modern') to make it large enough to be useful.  The good thing about adding borders is that it does use up more of those darn florals that are multiplying while I sleep!

And tumblers!  I have two quilt tops for preemie quilts pieced and the third is on the design wall and am hoping to get that done before the end of the month.  Actually, am hoping to layer and quilt these before Sept 1st.  I started playing with tumblers as leaders and enders last year and have made one or two of these (can't remember but at least one) and still had a stack of them calling my name.  Will make nice girlie preemie quilts and will get them gone from my sewing studio and be perfect for cuddling a baby born  before their due date. 

One more quilt to quilt... sigh... I say that a lot these days. 

Mid August...

I really was trying to post every week but somehow, it doesn't happen.
But, lots of piecing, quilting and binding happening.  I thought with the Olympics I would have bindings finished but they are too intense to watch and can't take my eyes off to look down at my hand sewing.

Three preemies are finished from the Yellow Brick road leftover blocks that my Wednesday Quilting Divas made earlier this summer. These will go to the local NICU at our hospital.

A plus block got quilted and bound.

And the rest of what I have right now are pieced tops waiting for quilting but my new theory is that a pieced quilt top waiting for quilting is better than fabric in your stash waiting to be cut and pieced.  So taking the pressure off myself to get these quilted.  One day....
I have a Honey Bouquet quilt top by Villa Rosa patterns.  This used 10" squares.

And another top that used  and made absolutely no dint in my florals.

This is a Downton Abbey quilt that I brought home blocks from Mesa, made a few more but still not sure this is large enough for a donation quilt.

I have a quilt top made from jolly bars which is the description that Fat Quarter shop gives to their 5" x 10" rectangles.  The pattern is free and called Tweed.  Still not overly impressed with this one but maybe the quilting will give it more interest. But can't find the picture so you will have to wait.

However, with the leftover jolly bars, I started a new top and like this one much better.  And the great thing about it was that I cut into a lot of my 'leftovers' and added to the top so it is quite scrappy.

This roses themed cake plate was turned into these blocks and ready to be put together.

And a cute bundle of 5" squares and a jelly roll of a fabric called Mary Jane's sewing room is going to become these bright blocks.

I have a Diva Hospice 16 patch floral waiting to be bound.  And another 10" cake plate project on the pile. So, hopefully, I will get more binding done and more finishes to show you by the end of the month!