A snow day........and some quilting.......

I was supposed to go to Chicago for an eye check up early yesterday morning but this is what we woke up to so I rescheduled my appointment.  It's just under 2 hours driving in there and it was too slick to consider going.  It continued snowing for a couple hours.

This is the ice pellet/snow mess on my driveway and also on the streets.  The footprints are the mailman's.

We still have leaves on the trees but about half of the leaves fell during the day.

This is the Redbud tree straight out from my kitchen window.  The snow made neat patterns following the branches with the leaves as a second layer.  You need to click on this one to enlarge it.

I decided I should quilt this little baby quilt on my snow day.

I just did meandering for the quilting design.

I used a dotted green fabric for the binding.

I used the same diagonal plaid as the border on the back.  It is approximately 36" square.

Rain started late last night and was changing to snow as the temperature dropped.  I wonder if any kids will go out trick or treating in this mess.

Small finish is better than no finish................

I finished the binding on the cool colorwash wallhanging last night.  It is 26" x 31.5".  This one is a mix of batik, African and printed quilting cottons including a few Kaffe prints.

This photo was taken at a slight angle so I need to get a better straight on shot today.

I just love the fabric that is on the back, from my mid 1990s stash.

I hope I can finish one more before the end of the month.  I'll have to see how motivated I am.........

Binding....................

I have the binding partially done on my cool colorwash

This is the fabric that I chose for the binding.  It could have been blue or purple and worked.  

The reason I chose blue was because it went better with the backing fabric.

Finally quilting............

I am lagging way behind on my finishing this year.  Last night I finally quilted this cool color colorwash wallhanging.

Now I need to trim it and choose a binding fabric.  Since this one has regular quilting cottons, batiks, African, and Kaffe Fassett fabrics I don't really have to put a batik binding on it. It is so much easier to hand stitch regular quilting cottons than batiks. 

2 quilt tops............

Here is the finished 48 block pink and green 16 patch with scenery fabric inserts.  I have staystitched the edge so there will be no popped seams or strectching of the edges.  It is approximately 48" x 64".

I decided I should sew the baby quilt top also using all of the really pastel pink and green blocks.   It is 36.5" square.

This is probably the best true color photo.  Hanging on the chair are the 2 backing fabrics.  Now that I added rows to the larger one I will have to piece the backing.

Yesterday morning I decided to play with my African fabric scraps since I created a few more of them when cutting for the colorwash.  I have starts of 10 blocks here which will go with these when finished.  I will have to make at least 4 more blocks for the project I have in mind.

Blocks added...........

I added 13 blocks to the original layout so I had to move blocks around a bit to look balanced.  I don't like it quite as well now but it is a better size.  I sewed it last night but haven't pressed it yet so I didn't take another photo.  It will be about 48" x 64" now.

I picked another bouquet of the newest zinnia blooms yesterday afternoon because there was a frost warning for last night.

While I was out and about yesterday I saw some trees that have turned color. 

There are a lot of varieties of burning bushes and my son and I both had a variety that were pretty much killed by the polar vortex last winter.  We cut our 4 bushes way back and will see if there is any growth next year or if they need to be dug out.  These along a parking lot look fine so they must be a more hardy variety.

Look what I found...........

I was cleaning off my sewing cabinet to prepare for machine quilting a colorwash and I found 12 more blocks that weren't sewn yet.  I already designed 2 quilts from the blocks so now they will go back up on the wall so I can add these in.

There are 12 blocks here and I had 2 leftover from designing so I should be able to add a row to the width and the length of the larger of the 2 quilts.  Check out this post for the 2 designed quilts.

Last night I added a border to the African colorwash.  I like the way it looks like it is mounted on the front of the animal print fabric.  It is now 28" x 34".  The border fabric is a Stonehenge print.  I think the binding will be a very dark brown.

Sewn!.............

I put the photo of this African colorwash on Instagram and someone asked what size squares I used (2.5").  After I answered her someone else then commented they thought it was a big bed quilt.  I decided the photo with a yardstick for perspective was necessary on Instagram and also here on my blog.  Then when someone wanders onto my blog in the future they can see immediately that it isn't a queen size quilt.  I am contemplating adding a border to this one and I will probably work on it on Friday.

African colorwash.........

I had so many ideas of things I wanted to do yesterday after my broadcast and I didn't do any of them.  The weather changes affect me and I was wiped out.  Last night was my 3 hour TV time so I worked on perfecting the African colorwash so I can get it off the design wall.  I like it so I am ready to sew it.

Camera-check, microphone-check.............

My Mondays for 6 weeks are spent getting ready for Tuesday's live broadcast in my Colorwash 360 class.  My camera sets atop my computer, the microphone beside it and the backdrop......well that isn't complete yet. I worked on an African colorwash most of the day.  I need to gather some more things before this afternoon.


I also took my pink and green 16 patch blocks off the design walls in the basement to prepare for sewing on Friday when my friends come over.

Decisions made............

I decided that I would separate the brighter blocks from the pastel ones and then added the scenery fabric with the bright blocks.  I'll probably use the pansy fabric for the back.  It was on the right side in the photo yesterday.  This one will end up about 40" x 56" and will be a sharing quilt, probably for a cancer patient.

The pastel blocks will be a baby quilt with this green diagonal plaid for the back.  I think I might have enough of it to put a small border on the top since it is only going to be 32" square.  There were 2 blocks left over which will go into my orphan block box.

I have spent parts of 3 days cutting the white and black batik fabrics into strips the right size to run through my die cutter with the half hexagon die.  There are 44 fabrics so far.  I will only add more if I need to.  I used 208 half hexagons in my last 2 quilts and they came out 58" x 80".

Well that was fun............

Anytime I can did through my stash is a fun day!  This is what I came up with for possibilities for 8" fill in blocks with the 16 patch blocks.  

The big pieces of floral fabric on the left and the right are in the 16 patch blocks and I have enough of both of them for serious backing fabric.  

The lower fabric on the left is a green print and might be too plain (click on photo for a larger view).  

I only have enough of the scenery one on the bottom right for about 8 blocks.  The 2 large florals?  I just don't know.  More play time ahead.

Friends and blocks.............

My 2 friends came over to sew yesterday and Sue got the final seams in her One Block Wonder which is made from 6 cut up panels with a 7th one left whole.  Several other friends saw this in pieces on one of my design walls so now they can see it complete.

I finished slicing the stratas of pink and green and last night sewed about 20 blocks.  This is one of each combination.  Some fabrics are used twice but they have a different partner the second time.

I wanted to see if I want to use all of the blocks together or break them into 2 groups for 2 small quilts so I have 35 on the wall here (40" x 56").  There are 56 blocks altogether.  I'm still going to look through my floral fabrics and see if there is a good one to use as plain (not pieced) alternate blocks.

Black and white.........

I purchased a new batik, black on a white background.  The gray design is the black showing through from another layer.  I want to use a fairly large shape to show off the design better and think maybe my half hexagon die would be a good choice.

My older black and white batiks are on a shelf but I know there are more in a box a few shelves lower.  A lot of them are larger designs too.

Have you seen this quilt that Victoria Findlay Wolfe made?  It is in her "Modern Quilt Magic" book published by C&T.  It is basically a curved piece making a braid instead of a straight piece.  She has an acrylic template available to use with a rotary cutter.  I decided I had to have the template and I will start cutting pieces for it soon.  It reminds me of angel wings.

I mowed the grass yesterday afternoon. Some of our trees are just turning color now so it will be awhile before the leaves are all down.  Last year we had rain so often at the end of the season that I never got a chance to mow over the leaves that fell.

Bake and press..............

I put my 20 completed blocks up on the design wall so I could feel like I'm actually working on this quilt.

I got all of the rest of the stratas pressed and now I have a count, 36 more blocks for a total of 56.  That would make a quilt 56" x 64" which isn't long enough, or it can be a baby quilt and a lap quilt.  I will look through my pink and green floral fabrics and see if I have anything to make alternate blocks from as another idea for a larger quilt.

Another car is headed west to my granddaughter's house to help with the 3 great grandkids so I baked frosted creams to send this time.  I need to cut them and get them boxed up now.

Studio 1 design walls............

The design walls in my main floor studio change weekly while I am doing live broadcasts with my Colorwash 360 class.  This wall is my backdrop during the session.  Now I need to start thinking about what will be hanging there next week.

My internet provider sent emails a week or so ago about the new upgraded speed they are giving us for the same price.  After 5:15 last night my internet slowed to a crawl at least 4 times and was totally off twice.  This is with booster pods plugged in to have better service in the rooms far from the router.  I'm more than a little disgusted.

More stratas...........

In an effort to clean off  my sewing machine cabinet last night I finished sewing all of the pink and green stratas.  The cabinet is my station to do my live broadcasts for my Colorwash 360 class so I needed a clean spot for this afternoon.

Yesterday was a fun day with my art quilters.  I hadn't seen them for 2 months and now it will be 2 more months until they come again because of everyone's schedules.

First 6 blocks.............

By last night I was so tired all I could work on was the pink and green 16 patch blocks while I watched 2 shows on TV.  I have 14 blocks sewn, 6 different varieties as shown.  I have more different ones yet to sew.  

The art quilters will be here this chilly morning.  I think this is the last night I will have to cover the tomato plants for frost for this week.

Baking and cleaning.........

Cherrywood Scrap bags for Crazies

I finished baking the goodies for my granddaughter who just had her baby 9 days ago.  Someone is making the drive west to her town so I sent the goodies along.  I finished cleaning the basement for my art quilters group who are coming tomorrow.  

The photo is several of the Scrap bags for Crazies that Cherrywood Fabrics sells.  I worked for an aunt of the founder of Cherrywood and I started buying the packs when they first offered them many years ago so I have a great selection of colors.  As much as I would like to do some modern quilt design what I really want to do all triangles.  I just have to make a decision whether there will be more than one size and then I can spend a week cutting them.

Yummy!..........

My 2 friends came over to sew yesterday and I got a variety of things done including basting one small wallhanging.  After they left I started my baking needed this weekend.  One batch of dough needed to be refrigerated for a few hours so I made the pumpkin muffins next.  It makes 27-30 muffins so I can share with the whole family.

I went out and covered my tomato plants because of frost warnings.  There is another warning Sunday night.  I brought in 2 pots full of big Coleus plants.  I realize it is getting near the middle of October but I'm really not ready for the frost or freeze.

Ready for 24 blocks...........

A friend came over yesterday to use my design walls and after a few hours we decided the blocks were arranged nicely and ready to sew.

I pressed my stratas for the pink and green 16 patch and sliced them into pieces for 24 blocks.  Then I cut another 50 squares for my postage stamp blocks.  I think I have enough cut for 4 blocks now.

The cold front is supposed to come through today and we might get a frost or freeze Saturday night.  Then all next week in the 50s.  Fall is really here but I'll look forward to the Indian Summer after that and then maybe I'll get my yard work done.

Cutting little squares...........

 A few people have asked if I got tired of working on my postage stamp blocks.  The truth is I needed to cut some more 1.5" print squares, 32 for each block and that takes a lot of time.  I have repeated some fabrics as many as 5 times through the 40+ blocks I have already made but I needed some new variety.  I have solid color squares cut for 10 more blocks so that is 320 squares I need just for those.  And then there are the next 20 or so blocks that I will need another 640+ squares.  A lot of my scraps are large prints not suitable for these tiny squares so I'm even pulling yardage and cutting off of it.  So to sum it up this takes a lot of time so I'm still making blocks, and having fun with it, but it is a slow process.

Did anyone else buy this fun fabric that was printed in 1999?

You might have guessed it was an Alexander Henry print since they always had unusual fabric.  Enjoy these close up shots of the print.