Finish #7 for December 2025...............

This quilt was made from a couple trays of plaid squares that were cut several years ago.  I made 16 patch blocks and then went to the design wall for the layout.  It is 39" x 47".  It has Hobbs 80/20 batting in it and was quilted on my Pfaff.

I had this cute farm print fabric that is on the back in my stash.  The binding is a yarn dyed woven stripe.

I think the binding looks good with the fabrics on both sides of the quilt.

I had a dishcloth near a finish so I worked on it last night.  I ran out of the yarn with 7 stitches left.  I tied on the white yarn in the corner to finish the last 3 rows.  I'm down to 12 dishcloths now after gifting several for Christmas.

 

A very good day......................

My son came over yesterday morning to fix my 8 ft. burned out lights at the bottom of the basement stairs.  He removed the ballast and then rewired it and now it takes the skinny LED 8 foot bulbs.  He ended up staying another  2 hours helping with other things I can't do.  I didn't eat lunch until 2:30 and didn't get around the the quilting on this plaid baby quilt until evening.  The quilting is finished but I didn't want to go down to the basement to do the trimming or choose binding late at night.

The on point squares created by the quilting are 2 5/8" so this is plenty of quilting without doing ditch quilting along the seams.

I think I'll look for a stripe for the binding.  I'm not sure I have enough of any of the yarn dyed woven stripes so it may end up being a printed stripe.

Today's prediction 57 degrees and rain, tomorrow's prediction, 22 degrees.  It sounds like a week in the high 20s and low 30s with a possibility of snow mid-week.

Quilt top #3 for August...................

The plaid and stripe quilt top is 40" x 48".  I ended up with 43 squares left over from the 2 trays of squares I showed on Monday.  These are all shirt weight yarn dyed wovens, not the heavier ones we sold in the 1990s called homespun.

I chose backings for the batik table runners.  This one will also be the binding on all three of the table runners.

This fabric will be the backing for the 2 table runners that are similar.

Yesterday was errand day, delivering some things to the local thrift shop and grocery shopping.  It's so nice to have temperatures in the 70s and low 80s and it looks like it will continue for 10 days.  Low 60s at night is a real treat with windows open.  They are even talking about 40s at night next week.

 

The rest of the blocks...............

I ended up making 30 blocks instead of 25 and this is the first 6 that were completed.

I kept matching fabrics and decided that 40" x 48" is still a good baby size quilt.

I decided on this layout of the blocks...until I was ready to sew.  Then I changed blocks 3 and 4 in column 1 with each other.  I sewed it together last night and will take its photo after pressing.

This is the fabric I thought about using on the back.

It's finally starting to cool off a little but the humidity hasn't dropped enough.  By Sunday it is supposed to go down to a wonderful level.

 

More blocks and a book.....................

Some blocks were sewn in the morning and some in the evening.  All together 12 more got pieced.  It's easier to photograph them in groups of 6.

There will be a lot of color in this little baby quilt.  I was thinking ahead to what I will use for backing and my thought now is to not use a plaid on the back.  I have a couple cute prints that I can decide between.

I got Kaffe Fassett's newest book in the mail yesterday.  If you have any of his previous books and liked a certain quilt but didn't care for the color, you may like this book better.  He has 3 versions of each quilt.  It is an interesting concept because it may make you like a quilt because of the color range.  I don't have a  favorite yet but I like the medallion quilt on the cover.

There was 1" of rain in the gauge when I checked yesterday morning.  Areas around us got a lot more but I'm happy with what we got.

 

Playing with plaid................

 My original idea was 16 patches with the plaid 2.5" squares but first I had to try another idea.  I was thinking dark Xs across the blocks.  It didn't do anything for me so I abandoned this idea.

Next I started pairing 2 values for 16 patch blocks to see how many I could make from the trays of squares.  I ended up with 26.  Since the blocks are going to be 8", 25 would make a quilt 40" square, perfect for a baby quilt.  If I did alternate blocks of either 4 patches or 8" squares I could double the yield but it would only make a quilt 48" x 64".  I think I would prefer another baby boy quilt.

I got 6 blocks sewn but not pressed yet.  The rest of the blocks are darker because I sewed the light ones first while I had light thread on the machine.

Several storms rolled through late yesterday afternoon into the evening.  The rain sounded heavy at times so I'll check the rain gauge this morning and hope for over an inch of rain.

Photographer was tired............

I was so tired by the time I got to the photography so this Sunday only project is a little tilted.  I have sewn on side borders.  I had 3 leftover strips of triangle squares so I incorporated them in where they matched the orientation in the center blocks.

Then I thought maybe I need to add another border after the first one.  I think the strips need to brighter colors than these that were conveniently laying on my table Since I need to lengthen it more to get it to be a better rectangular shape, it means at least a 6" border on top and bottom.  That could be a combination of 1", 2" and 3" or two 3" or maybe two 3" and a 1" strip for a 7" border.  I was clearly too tired to make a decision so this will stay on the design wall for another day.  (After studying the photos on the computer screen I'm not sure it needs that second border.)

Meantime I'll trim the Gridlock quilt and get binding sewn on and get the striped X blocks pressed.

 

I goofed............

This is the inspiration antique quilt that is the basis for my Sunday only project.  I wasn't paying attention or didn't analyze this closely enough when I started making the strip sets.

I was just zipping along making strips facing both directions.  However all of the strips in the inspiration quilt are the one on the left, either in that position or flipped end for end.

In this photo the top row is all of the correct strips.  The row on the bottom has a mix creating some flying geese type secitons.

So...do I stay true to the inspiration quilt or just do my own thing?

 

Masks again.........

I'm going to blame my lack of energy yesterday on the weather: 45 degrees after high 80s just a few days before.  We gained another inch of rain so that was good.  I continued working on masks, this group for the guys.  Other than this a load of laundry is all I accomplished.

They are talking a possibility of frost overnight tonight.  I have too many plants to cover so I will have to take my chances that it doesn't happen.  I'll be watching the prediction tonight on the weather show and hope it is too warm to happen.

Two finished for December 2020

The Marcia Derse baby quilt is finished.  The blues are from lines dating back several years.  The white and black are from her line the Opposites (there was a positive and negative of each print). It ended up 35" x 47".

The backing and binding fabric is another from her Opposites line.  Binding is all by machine.

After I finished this one I did a load of laundry and went grocery shopping.

And then I tackled the binding on the big plaid zig zag quilt.  It took over an hour even doing it all by machine.

I wanted to use more of the plaid or stripe fabric for the binding and then I decided it would be a pain to cut the plaid straight so I went with a stripe.  It was the only stripe I had enough of.

I used Martha Negley's Tree Rings fabric for the back.  I thought the coloring was perfect.  This one ended up 69" x 88.5".

It's time for the weekly update on the waxed Amaryllis.  It has really grown a lot this past week and the bud is starting to open up.  I wonder what color it will be.  
   

Zig Zag day.............

 This quilt top has been on the design wall for a long time and it was finally its day to get quilted yesterday.  I put Martha Negley tree rings fabric on the back.

I did a big loose meander for a super soft quilt.

Then as long as the longarm machine was behaving itself I loaded another quilt.  I had intended to quilt this one on my straight stich machine with lots of parallel lines following the zig zag.  Then I decided I should get real, it's a baby quilt, I just needed to do some quicker quilting.

This one got a medium size meander with white thread in the white areas and blue thread in the blue areas.  White bobbin for the whole quilt since the backing is another of the black and white Marcia Derse prints.

I haven't trimmed either one yet. I just finished quilting at 10:30 p.m. 

More masks..............

 I gave away all of the masks I had in inventory so I need to make more.  I think this is the end of the really soft brushed blue denim and I am pairing it with Moda brushed fabrics.  I also got some new type of elastic with the bead for adjustment already on it.

I got 2 of them made last night.  I have some grayed red purple check and stripe in the brushed fabric that I think I will make for myself.

I went out in the late afternoon yesterday and took a picture of my maple tree.  The top of it was turning red and orange last week and now it is all yellow like it usually is in the fall.  This tree is a volunteer that I let grow.  I remember first noticing it around 2010.  It is directly behind a Redbud tree so I can't really see much of it from my windows.  After I rake all of the Redbud leaves and other leaves from my neighbors then these will fall and I'll need to do a second raking.  With this beautiful week in the 60s I have to get started on this project.

Many rows later..............

 I think I said this quilt will be 72" x 90" so the seams are long.  I finished sewing the 14 seams in one direction and sewed one in the other direction before I gave up last night.  Of course I want to finish it this month so I have 10 more 90" seams to sew today.

My son stopped by yesterday and got my computer with the dead screen hooked up to my Smart TV with an HDMI cable.  My computer screen appeared so now we know the computer is fine, just the screen is bad.  I spent a couple hours transferring files to the cloud service and now I can see them on my other computer.  I hooked the HDMI cable back to the TV so I could watch it while I was sewing.  I ordered a short HDMI cable and will hook the computer up to the small TV in my guest bedroom.  Then I can take my time getting any more files I need off of it.

Assembly............

 I had my last live broadcast for the current Colorwash 360 online class yesterday.  I started cleaning off my cabinet so I could start assembling this plaid quilt that I showed on my design wall a few weeks ago.

As promised yesterday here is the close up of my little 12" colorwash.  I think I'm going to change one of the red squares in the top row before I finish it.  It is bugging me.

2/3 of seams sewn................

 I have sewn 13 cross seams, 6 to go so I am 2/3 of the way done.  I had a few sidetracks yesterday.

One of them was sewing 5 more masks.  Some had denim on one side and plaid flannel on the other, some had plaid flannel on one side and batik print on the other side.

Indoor garden season is starting.  I have buds on 8 plants.  This white one was my super bloomer last year.

A little design wall time.................

I needed a break from cutting so I got out the bag of 6" triangle squares and played at the design wall.  I made these blocks about 2 1/2 years ago and couldn't decide whether to group the like ones together or make it all random.  I'm not sure it is worth spending my time to try another layout while I'm busy with other things and I may just go ahead and sew it.  The blocks are made of all plaids and stripes.  It should end up about 72" x 90".

Finish #2 for March 2020.............

Binding is the same paisley as the back.  It is a Liberty fabric from a series that Kaffe did the coloration on a few years ago.  Kaffe Meets Plaid finished around 70" x 95".

The fabrics in the triangles are from the Kaffe Collective and date all the way back from the 1990s until August 2016 and plaids I have collected for 40+ years.  There are a couple Martha Negley fabrics in there too.  I am SO happy this one is a finished quilt.

Click on the photos for a closer look at the fabrics.

Triangle squares............

I sewed another 28 triangle pairs together last night to make a total of 168.

They are 6" finished squares.  My original intention was to make a zig zag quilt with them.  The only question was whether to have matching fabrics together or make it all random.  No decision at this point.

Today at noon EST everyone can access my mini pop-up shop  at exuberantcolor.com.  Link to the pop up shop is at the top right corner of the page.  The shop will close at midnight EST on Sunday May 13.

6 day pop-up shop..........

Tonight I will be back to my TV time sewing.  I have 140 triangle pairs already sewn and 36 more ready to sew.  Then I'll press all of them too.  

My 6 day mini pop-up shop starts today at noon EST.  Everyone on the subscriber list will get an email with a password for a 24 hour early access to the shop.  If you haven't signed up yet but want to here is a link.  There is also a sign up box on my right sidebar.  The password is case sensitive....if it is in all CAPS that is how you have to type it in.  On Wednesday at noon EST everyone can access the shop at exuberantcolor.com.  Link to the pop up shop is at the top right corner of the page.  The shop will close at midnight EST on Sunday May 13.

A few people mentioned they wished the photos were larger in the shop.  If you click on the product, a new page opens.  On that page is one larger photo with a few small photos under it.  Click on that large photo and it will go full screen and you can scroll through the photos with the arrow at the right edge of the screen.  To close that page there is an X in the upper right corner.  I hope you will all enjoy the new close up photos on several of the products.