Two Sew Alongs and More!

I am hoping everyone that has been impacted by the latest Polar Vortex are doing okay. Here in Alaska we are used to those types of temperatures and are set up for it, heater plugs in our vehicles and etc.  We had a brisk -20* here this morning. Please stay safe and warm!

 Lori of Humble Quilts blog had a post about Debbie's Quilt Shop in Paradise, CA requesting quilt blocks with houses  to help local quilters recover from the California Camp Fire. You can read it HERE. Lori provides a pattern for the blocks too. I completed four blocks and sent them off. I hope this project will help the survivors of this horrific fire.

I am sewing up Tiny Tuesday blocks for Angela of So Scrappy blog's RSC19 Sampler project.. You read can about this project HERE. There is a new 4 1/2" (finished) block every Tuesday which you make in the RSC color of the month. There is a setting diagram. The blocks either have a straight set or diagonal set. I am still debating my setting fabric, thinking about using black. I don't want to wait too long and a have gazillion blocks to sew into their setting pieces. So far I have been making two of each block.

This is the setting diagram.

The first sew along I am joining in is Barbara Brackman"s Hospital Sketches. You can read more about  this sew along HERE and get the first block HERE. 

I purchased these two bundles of Kaffe Fassett fabrics on sale some time ago and I am going outside my comfort zone and am doing the applique with these. I have always admired his bold and amazing use of color and the quilts that Kim McLean has made using his fabrics. We will see how this goes!

Barbara Brackman's first block.

I am also joining in on Lori's Spencer Museum sew along. You can read more about that HERE. I am using traditional fabrics for this one. You can purchase the pattern HERE.

Spencer Museum Quilt

Fabrics for Spencer Museum quilt.

I started laying out my applique pieces yesterday. Since there is no lay out sheet for this pattern I cut some of the pieces out of paper to get the positioning correct. I haven't decided on fabric for these pieces, but want to get started stitching.

Lori is also having a string piecing sew along. They have already had the first link up party. You can read about the sew along  HERE and see the Linky Party HERE. I has taken a while to decide on a pattern. I have decided to do this Gwen Marston/Freddy Moran quilt. Their basket blocks finish at 14",  I will be making the baskets smaller, I want to make a lot more blocks than are in this quilt. I have SO many stings to use up!

Beautiful Baskets By Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran

The pattern is in this book.

I will also continue working on my Pineapple Crazy blocks as I sew up my strings.

Okay, so if you are wondering what happened with the Wedding Quilt of my last post, my printer is just not doing the job for printing the photos. So instead of buying a different printer I am going to order photos printed on fabric from Fotos On Fabric. HERE is a link to their site.

Sorry for the long post! Happy Quilting, Rebecca

Wedding Quilt

(A quick note: as I write this post we are having a bit of cold weather, it is about -38* at 8 pm Saturday evening. It is suppose to stay with us for a few more days.)

I mentioned in my last post that I fell in a 'quilting slump' in the Fall of 2018. This is the reason. I
came home from the wedding with this stack of blocks below.

I have 32 signature blocks.

Now, what to do with them??? I had no real plan or pattern. I had also decided to add some blocks with  photos, so that started some experimenting with different ways to print photos on fabric. That meant, ordering products, waiting for them to get here, trying them out, ordering different products, waiting for those, and trying them out. I finally decided that Bubble Jet Set worked the best. During this time I  made no progress on anything but some hand quilting on my Cranberry Album quilt. I just felt I could not start on anything else until I had a plan for this quilt settled in my mind.

Some of the settings I tried. ( I will spare you the photos of all of them.)

Getting closer to something I like here.

I sewed a few test blocks with extra blocks I had. The blocks finish at 7 1/2" square, the sashing and cornerstones are 1 1/2".

So now to finish printing the photos I want to use and then I can start sewing this top together. I am not sure of the finished size yet, but I don't think it will be a bed size, maybe a throw size.

Happy Quilting! Rebecca

Happy New Year!

As the new year commences I thought I would take a look back at 2018. Three significant things happened.

Our youngest son married his long time sweetheart!

We welcomed our fourth great-grandchild, Brantlee.

And my granddaughter's little family left Alaska for her husband's home state of Minnesota. We will sure miss them!

On the quilting front I guess I got more accomplished than I thought. I kind of fell into a slump in the Fall of the year.

I did get four baby quilts completed.

Two entries for our local fair.

Two items for our guild's silent Auction at the fair.

Two projects completed for my sister. I repaired her childhood doll our Mother made her. You can read more about that HERE.

And she asked if I could make her an apron to wear while house cleaning. Something with plenty of pockets to hold cleaning items supplies. She sent me a drawing with measurements and I took it from there. I ended up making it out of denim fabric. 

Completed apron for my sister.

I did finish my Diamond Tile top, this was an informal sew along with Bonnie Hunter, you can read more about it HERE and HERE

I also finally made a decision on my Tumbler top. I had added a four tumbler deep border around the top, but was unhappy with it. I decided to trim it down to a two tumbler deep border. I am very happy with it and it is now layered and basted and ready to quilt.

I also completed two Funky Flannel quilts. These are my DH's favorite quilts!

Funky Flannel Quilt #1 for our bed.

Funky Flannel Quilt #2 for our truck.

And I did make a little progress on hand quilting my Cranberry Album quilt, I am pretty slow, but making steady progress once I picked back up this winter.

It is really hard to get a photo showing the texture of the quilting.

Like everyone I am thinking about this new year and what it will hold. I am seriously thinking about my quilting plans. I need to take an honest look at my projects that are in the works and new ones I would like to work on. 

I am wishing all my fellow bloggers a happy and blessed New Year!!