Back to OBW..............

When my 2 friends were here Friday I put the first 51 One Block Wonder blocks up on a design wall, grouped with similar ones together.  It looks like a DNA photo right now.

Last night I popped a movie into the DVD player and sewed the halves of the last 29 blocks.  I have 5 triangles at the right, one missing and I'm still looking for it.  I need half blocks to fill in the edges so I can make at least a half block from the pieces.

I spent 35 minutes making trips with armloads of branches to the end of the driveway for our first 2019 free brush pick up on Monday.  I had lots of branches that fell all winter and I had them all piled in one area of my backyard.  It was cold yesterday but supposed to be colder today, maybe reaching 40 for a high so I wanted to get it done.

The last date to sign up for my online Colorwash 360 class is next Sunday, April 7.  For more about the class, go to yesterday's post.

The time is now..........

Why am I still teaching at 78 years old?

I love to see students learn and grow. 

When my daughter Vicki and I were producing the Colorwash 360 online class last year we knew we wanted to add 40 days of live interaction with me, so I could give personal help to the students. 

Then we had to decide how we would do it.

All it took was a little research, a broadcasting app, a microphone, headphones and a camera and here I am interacting with my students from across the world, and answering their questions live. And no, I don’t have a tech team here to help me set it up each time, I do it myself.

It turned out that my studio made the perfect room to broadcast from with great lighting and a design wall right behind me.

Vicki and I were both a bit nervous not only about being filmed live but also concerned that the video broadcast might fail or some other technical problem would arise that we couldn’t fix.

We ended the first live session, everything worked and when we talked afterwards, realized we both had so much fun doing it. 

I don’t like to plan too far ahead, I take one day at a time. I’ve had multiple health scares over the past seven years and unexpected surgeries the last two summers so we didn’t know if the Live Sessions would be part of our class this Spring. 

We’re happy to announce that because my health has held up and we had so much fun, we are offering the 40 Day Live workshop again beginning on April 8. 

If any of you are on the fence, if you should take my Colorwash class, I’d say, just do it. You’ll realize that it’s much more than just making a Colorwash Wallhanging. You’re learning how to handle color in a simplified process that can be applied to all of your work. You’ll also get a sneak peek into how I’m able to make so many quilts.

The fun thing with an online course is that it’s available when you have time to work on it and even the Live sessions are taped, so you’re able to watch them again, or if you miss one you can watch it later.

Colorwash 360 is Open Now for Enrollment until Sunday April 7th. Click HERE to learn more about it.

The 40 Day Workshop (a Bonus to this session of the course) begins on Monday April 8. You may be wondering, what is the 40 day workshop?  For 40 days (April 8 - May 17)  we’ll all work on our Colorwash projects at the same pace learning as you go, and end with a completed quilt top that is a piece of fine art. And if you’re more experienced you may get to the point of quilting and finishing in that timeframe.

So far we have students enrolled from Australia and New Zealand and all across the US. I really hope you’ll consider joining too. 

We are offering International shipping of kits this time. Supplies are limited.

If you are considering the class and would like the personal connection, now is the time to sign up. I’d love to help simplify color for you so you can make many great works.

Busy day.............

I had errands to run and many last minute things to do related to the launch of the sales of my Colorwash 360 online class.  Add in some more time with out of state family and it was a busy day.

The email has been sent to subscribers of my newsletter so they have first chance at the online class and limited quantity colorwash kits. (check junk/spam folder if you don't see it). The public will be able to access the site very soon.  I will be giving a link for it.

No sewing happened yesterday but I did lots of cutting for kits and packaging them.  My 2 friends are coming over today so there will laughter and conversation and generally relaxing good times.

Sample blocks...........

I made 2 sample blocks awhile back trying out the 4" triangle in a square die.  They can be used for star points but I saw this layout in a quilt magazine years ago and thought it looked like a wonky flower.  It is on my "want to do" list.

The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment this week, email going out very soon.  If you haven't previously signed up for early access on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up. (If you are signed up and don't get an email soon, check your junk/spam folder.  I find a lot of good things going there lately.)

Go HERE to view students' work from my October 2018 online Colorwash360class.  They did an amazing job on their projects.      I updated Julie's photo and added one more student photo yesterday.

Slowly but surely...............

I make a little progress most days on the red OBW blocks.  I had other things that needed to be done yesterday and then I had to get out the vacuum cleaner for the kitchen floor......it was in serious need of vacuuming and I tend to ignore it most days.

Family from out of state are in town so I needed to mix a batch of Kringlas for their visit this morning.

It was finally sunny and not too cold yesterday and supposed to be even warmer today and tomorrow before the snow flurries on Saturday morning.  We are so sick of cold weather here.

The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment later this week.  If you haven't previously signed up for early access on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

Go HERE to view students' work from my October 2018 online Colorwash360class.  They did an amazing job on their projects.

Re-purposed group of stash........

Several years ago this group of fabric was put in light to dark order for a Trip Around the World quilt.  I have decided I will now choose pairs of fabric and cut them for quilt blocks.  I think there will be 2 blocks of each combination.  Stay tuned......I hope to start cutting soon.

The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment later this week.  If you haven't previously signed up for early access on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

This is one of my pieces that I finished in 2017.  Go HERE to view students' work from my October 2018 online Colorwash360class.  They did an amazing job on their projects.

Very little sewing...........

I didn't sew much yesterday.  Some of the blocks for this OBW are interesting, others not so much.  I have a lot more to sew before I will be at the designing part.

The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment early this week.  If you haven't previously signed up for early access on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

This is one of my pieces that I finished in 2018.  Go HERE to view students' work from my October online Colorwash360 class.  They did an amazing job on their projects.

Sewn together...............

I turned a couple blocks in different directions and then sewed the solid color crazy pieced top together.  It is small, only 29.5" x 43.25".  I am contemplating whether I want to add a border or not.  It will just live on a design wall for a few days so I can keep glancing at it.

Since it is getting close to the end of the month I need to finish something.  I sewed a backing together so I have one ready to load on my long arm.  First though I have to move all of the stuff that I moved to the longarm table when my art quilters were coming.  I think that is what lots of us do, shift things from one place to another and then back again.

The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment next week.  If you haven't previously signed up for early access on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

Setting triangles................

I have 2 photos for you.  In this one you can see the colors I cut for the setting and corner triangles.  This is not what it looks like in person.  I need to turn some of the blocks in a different direction so the darkest strip in the block isn't touching a setting triangle.  I cut 4 of the fabrics into setting triangles and one fabric for all 4 corners triangles.

This photo from the doorway shows it more true in color and value.  All of the triangles are a similar value where in the photo above some seem a lot lighter than others.

I'm really happy with the idea from Chris using several of the colors instead of just one.

For everyone asking me to show the fabrics that I am making my One Block Wonders from.......I mentioned on the first day I showed some blocks that I cut the fabric before taking a photo and there is only a 3" strip of each left.  I did show the black background fabric 10 days ago when my friend who had some of the fabric took a photo and sent it to me.  I haven't been able to even find a picture of the red fabric anywhere on the internet so far.

The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment next week.  If you haven't previously signed up on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

10 more red OBW blocks............

Thanks everyone that gave me suggestions yesterday for my setting triangles.  I think I will take the suggestion by Chris of making the triangles from all of the colors.  At least I will try it and if it doesn't please me I can probably decide which one fabric works best seeing them in triangular shape.  I'm only working at half speed the last couple days because I have a head cold.  I haven't had one for a year and a half and I'm not a very good patient.  I got the blocks for the OBW pieced but didn't feel like turning on the iron to press them and all of the setting triangle fabrics.  Hopefully today I'll have a little more energy.

The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment next week.  If you haven't previously signed up on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

Time to make a decision........

I need these blocks off the design wall so I brought up several solid color pieces and pinned them to the wall to audition for the setting triangles.  The very top is a dark blue slightly toward turquoise.  On the left is darkest gray, a purple and next lighter gray.  On the bottom is my favorite of the purples.  On the right side are 2 more shades of purple.

The reason I like this bottom purple is that it has the most red in it and it seems to belong more than the colder purples although the one on the center left in the photo above isn't bad either.

This is the darkest gray which is good too.

This is the next lighter gray but I think it is a different gray than any that are in the crazy pieced blocks.

So.....the decision is between the 2 grays and the bottom purple or the left purple.  Any opinions?







The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment next week.  If you haven't previously signed up on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

A few more blocks..........

I got a few more blocks for the red One Block Wonder sewn last night.  I still have about 50 more blocks to sew.  Some will be mostly just plain red with very little design to them.  It is more fun to make the ones that have a surprise design to them.

Some more blocks...........

It was so good to see my art quilter friends again yesterday.  We had cancelled 3 times this year already because of weather.  I didn't have a lot of energy left last night but I did sew 10 more OBW blocks, 8 shown here.


The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment next week.  If you haven't previously signed up on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

The next OBW..........

I took a few breaks from cleaning and straightening the basement and started sewing the red One Block Wonder blocks.  I pinned the half blocks together for easier designing on the wall later.

My art quilters group should be here today.  Our group is getting smaller.  Otis, age 87 passed away in December.  You might remember I showed him with his Trip Around the World quilt here.

Spring is officially here -- the robins were all over my backyard flipping up piles of leaves looking for a meal.  It is still a little cool but we should be above normal temperatures the last half of this week.  That is only mid to high 50s though, no heat wave.

In the UFO box............

As I was cleaning the basement this past week I moved the UFOs box several times.  I finally had to look through it and came across these blocks I made last year when I was preparing to teach a workshop on crazy piecing.  I had 8 blocks and kept thinking I needed to make either one more or four more blocks to make a small quilt.  Yesterday I remembered that 8 blocks will do an on point setting.  Now I just have to decide what the setting triangles will be and I should be able to finish it soon.


The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment next week.  If you haven't previously signed up on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

Some small sewing...............

I took my scraps from cutting this quilt and made crazy pieced squares and bordered them with another of the Keiko Goke prints.  My plan was to make mug rugs but when I laid all 4 blocks on the sewing cabinet I thought they might make a nice wall hanging or table mat with narrow sashing between blocks.  The blocks are 9.5" square.

Then I folded under one of the wider strips on each block and thought maybe this was better proportion if I use them for mug rugs.  They would be 8.5" x 9.5".

Here are all of the rest of the blocks.  The smaller ones are 4.5" square.

I'm back to cleaning up the basement because I think the weather is finally cooperating so my art quilters group can come on Monday.


The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment next week.  If you haven't previously signed up on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

And then the fun begins............

Now the One Block Wonder quilt top is all sewn and the edge staystitched so no seams will pop and there should be minimal stretching of the edges which are partially bias.

Now I want to decide what side is up.  This is the position in which I designed it.

This is turned 90 degrees to the right.

This is turned 180 degrees or upside down to the way I designed it.

And here is the 4th position with one more turn to the right.

It ended up 35.5" x 53" so in a horizontal position it would be 1 inch less than the width of a double bed and would be a nice wallhanging above the headboard (or take the place of a headboard).

Today my 2 friends are coming over to sew. I will start organizing my batiks for colorwash.  The second offering of my online Colorwash360 class will be open for enrollment next week.  If you haven't previously signed up on my mailing list and would like info on the class go HERE to sign up.

Just one more seam.........

I'm so close to the finish of this OBW quilt top but it got too late last night to do that last seam.  I'll do that today and then the staystitching around the edges.  I had 3 half blocks left over and I had to take 2 apart to have enough pieces to fill in the ends of rows for a straight edge on top and bottom.

Here is one of the photos that Blogger wouldn't let me load for yesterday's post.

And here is the other photo taken Tuesday, my old faithful pale pink Christmas cactus on its second blooming.

Still plugging away...........

Blogger wasn't playing nice last night and wouldn't let me load the rest of my photos.  Here is another of the successful centers.  There were quite a few that are a little off but there is so much going on in all of the blocks that I don't think it will be too noticeable.  I have 8 columns sewn with 3 to go.

Last night as I sewed on this and struggled to press the long seams open with lots of bias edges and I wondered why not sew with a larger than 1/4" seam allowance and then it would be easier to press.  Since I have another OBW cut out I think I'll sew with my regular presser foot that is more like 5/16".  As long as I stay with the same allowance all through the project it should work fine.

Not fun pressing...........

The fun of the OBW is playing with the layout of each block and then going to the design wall when the half blocks are sewn.  Since all seams are pressed open in this quilt it just isn't fun to complete; so much time at the ironing board.  I have the first 4 columns sewn together and the top portion of the next 7 columns.  All of the rest is loose half blocks on the wall.  I think it is going to come out about 34" x 53".  That is my best guess from measuring the portion that is already sewn.

The only thing that keeps me going is the lovely designs in the centers of the blocks.

It is always a surprise when the seams are all sewn.

This one was really a surprise how the green center thing joined up with the purple stripes.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I forgot to take a photo of the fabric before I cut the blocks and all I had left was a 3" strip of the fabric which I showed on that post.  Luckily one of my 2 sewing friends had some of the same fabric and was kind enough to take a photo of her piece for me last night.  The selvage says Stack-n-Whack™ Seasonal Magic by Bethany Reynolds

On the design wall.........

I have all of the half blocks of this OBW on the design wall except 3 that I probably won't use.  That is assuming I don't change the number of rows.  I had this on the wall by 2 p.m. and I bet I moved pieces at least 15 times through the afternoon and into the evening.  I think it is ready to sew.

A finished quilt top.........

The pineapple log cabin top is sewn together.  It is 70.5" x 91".  There are 37 pieces in each block and 63 blocks = 2331 pieces.  I have enough pieces leftover to make at least 12 light blocks and some dark blocks.

For perspective, here is it is on my double design wall which is 84" tall and 96" wide.

I'm a little off my track of trying to make smaller quilts with this one.  I am SO glad this is sewn together.

Yesterday was cold and rainy so I got a lot of sewing done.  I have 55 blocks sewn in their halves and pressed ready for designing for this One Block Wonder.

Fun mail..............

I was the winner in a giveaway on Instagram by Brenda.  If you don't read her blog here is a link.  She posts often and makes lots of interesting things.  This is a needle book which I have never had the pleasure of owning before.

There are pockets front and back for needles and scissors.  I'm always misplacing the package of needles so they are safe here now.  There are 4 pages inside for needles and pins.

I hate it when my needles get buried down inside of a pincushion so now I have a place for them and I'll always know where they are.

The other package was from my friend Beth who lived in Africa for awhile and got this zebra fabric and porcupine quill while she was there. The quill can be used to help steer fabric toward the needle at the machine.  I'm so happy she shared them with me.

Look who was wandering through the back yard again.  I hadn't seen a 'possum in my yard for several years and now it has been here twice in a week.