Putting it in writing

I finally remembered to link up with my friend Shannan of Fiber of All Sorts for her monthly goal setting party.  I need to get things checked off my list and fast.  Quilt tops are piling up and gift giving season is fast approaching.  

Quilt my Feathers quilt top

Make two Messenger Bags (which have been cut out since June)

Work on my Herringbone QAYG, I have worked on this off and on all summer

Make 2 divided baskets for gifts

Boom.  There are many other things that will be fit into the cracks of this sewing month, bee blocks, zip pouches, a few projects started but not ready for the finishing list.  

Now let's start this finishing party

Keep Calm and Quilt On

Mary

Feathers Quilt

I've been working on this paper pieced quilt off and on this year.  There was a Feathers QAL that started in December 2013, I think I did start mine in January 2014.  I have learned that I am rarely able to keep up with QALs.  Other things come up, the QAL is not the only thing I'm working on, so I end up just coming back to it later.  

It's later now.  

Some of my blocks completed in March 2014

Here is a link to more photos when I worked on this in March and April Feathers blogpost

In June I gave a little lecture to my Modern Quilt Guild on paper piecing, and I wanted to have this top done to show.  It was not to be, I lacked 4 of the blocks before the lecture started, and I just didn't have it in me to finish the night before.  

The last J Block

Last week I was completing a paper pieced bee block, and I always change my needle after paper piecing, piercing all that paper must make it dull.  It seemed a waste to use that needle on just one paper pieced block, taking the plunge at 10 pm,  I cranked out the last few Feathers blocks.

A 3 a.m. finish, but all the blocks were competed.

Next was deciding layout, I wanted to veer off the path of the pattern because I had a focal fabric I wanted to use somewhere in the quilt.

Erin Michael Lush Uptown Paint by Number - sky

Trying different layouts

I sewed some of my feather rows together, eliminating some of the sashing.

Stopping here to decide on border placement

I knew I wanted to add a border, but I didn't want to frame the quilt top.  Making the quilt larger, without taking away from the pattern and also drawing attention to the focal fabric.  I had limited amount of the print, and of course not to be found anywhere, so I had to be careful what I cut up and where I placed the print.  

I added a small feather along the bottom border

Framing the print with a solid helped separate it from the print

Now to quilt

Here is what it looked like when I took off all the paper

This pattern is by Alison Glass, Feathers 

This is a well written pattern with cutting measurements for each piece, tips included in her pattern, a good start for a beginner.  

I have added a Facebook page, you can like my page and I am posting photos of what I'm working on more often than I am blogging.  Hope to see you there!  

Keep Calm, and Quilt On!

Mary

Fields

I started this quilt over a year ago as part of a challenge.

I had an assortment of Kona solids, prints, Shot Cottons, linen, and Oakshott cottons

I wanted an improv pieced quilt and I played with my layout for a month

Progress photos 

Improv is not for everyone, some don't like lack of guidelines, planning, or straight seams.  It doesn't have to be that way, you can add your own guidelines - making blocks that are 12 1/2" or keeping all seams going in one direction.  For this quilt I did a lot of sewing, then cutting, then sewing back together to get an effect I was happy with.

Eventually this quilt top began to remind me of the fields we see flying.  While not too high in the  sky, when you look down the land is a pattern of fields and forests.  Until you get to a city - but that will have to be a different quilt.

The forested areas look boxed in by the pattern of fields from the air, and there are a myriad of colors represented in the forest areas as well as the field strips.

After starting the quilting on this top,  I was put off by the tedious quilting pattern I had chosen, I was matchstick quilting before I knew that was what it was called! Other projects and deadlines were calling me, so I put this one away.

Earlier in the week I pulled this out and decided to finish the quilting so I could submit the quilt for consideration in an exhibit.  I had kept all the threads I had pulled for quilting together as well as the extra fabrics.  The miracle was that I knew where the quilt was, I knew where the threads were, and I knew where the fabrics were.

I pulled out new threads to add to the pile, not all threads were used, but some threads matched fabrics perfectly

So I quilted and quilted and quilted (remembering why I had put this away) for 3 days, changing color threads, going back when I came across an area I had missed.  There are a million starts and stops, and a million threads to trim up.  

Binding from left over fabrics

Now it's done and its submitted.  Whether or not it is chosen for the exhibit, I took the step of entering.  It's scary having your work, something you are passionate about, spent time and energy making, judged by others as worthy or not. 

Fields

61" x 40"

Kona Solids, linen, Shot Cottons, Oakshott cottons, cotton prints

Cotton/Wool 50/50 Matilda Batting

Aurifil, Superior, and King Tut threads

Keep Calm and Quilt On!

Mary

Finish in '14

Let's see if I can get some of my finished tops quilted and out the door in 2014.  I'll keep a tally on a sidebar and and add as they get done.  These are finished tops and blocks that are ready to be made into tops that I'm challenging myself to complete.  I'm going to put the ones I want finished in a basket and keep it handy, to work on as I can.  To be honest, I'm a great starter, not such a great finisher.  

This is for a new family member, he's about 7 months old now.

This is not a traditional styled baby quilt with brights and child prints, but colors I am drawn to for their warmth; browns and beiges.  Nature colors in the fall and winter, I find them to be just as pretty as spring and summer colors.  

The added blue cools down the tans and browns.  I am in love with the postage stamp block that I used for this quilt.

I finished this top back in Sept 2013, but I made most of the blocks at the end of 2012 and some in 2013.  I just had to add a few in Sept and add the border.  Next time I'll go a bit bigger, this is about 52" x 52"

I quilted a grid style through the blocks, keeping it simple, and went around the border a few times with quilting lines to frame the quilt.  

This gets shipped off tomorrow for the little mischief maker.  

Finish in '14!

Keep Calm and Quilt On

Mary