Planning a Next Project

Inspired by one of Sharon's quilt at Adventures in Fiber I finally broke open a moire print jelly roll thinking I could easily find a 2.5 inch strip version of her quilt, one Bonnie Hunter calls Delectable Mountains. 

Sharon's quilt:

http://fiberadventures.com/2018/03/stem-cell-day/

Bonnie's quilt:

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/scrappy-mountain-majesties.html

Watch Teresa at Down Under make the block with two squares:

Unfortunately, any pattern that said it was jelly roll friendly was for a fee and I wasn't going to pay 10 dollars for a single pattern design and an E-version at that. I finally settled for a used Strip Tube Ruler booklet that came to under 10 dollars because I had some bonus points on Amazon, I already have the ruler, and because it had several different patterns and more than one size quilt for each pattern. One called State of Grace will be perfect for my bright and solid appearing moire print strips. Author's website for the book I found on Amazon:

Strip Clubbing

See the quilt State of Grace:

http://images.homespunhearth.com/fabric/shangri-la/sog.jpg

https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictures-f5/state-grace-quilted-t62967.html

Even though I found close up shots of State of Grace, I could not figure out how to use the Strip Tube Ruler to make cuts in a strip set. My brain just didn't see how to even arrange the strips into a set to cut and end up like the photos. Must be age or the dreary winter weather that is still plaguing us.

I have a layer cake of nearly solid crayon brights squares. I might try making a zig-zag or reflections version but with so many versions I have seen in my searches, a different layout might appeal to me when I actually arrange the blocks.  

Want to try a quick and easy project featuring just a few blocks?  See a table runner layout here:

http://scrapboxquilts.blogspot.ca/2012/02/february-is-delectable-mountains-month.html

Elm Street Quilts March OMG Link Up: A Good Month for Quilting

Spring is here but our weather is still mostly cold and rainy.  With only one day of sunshine that was not claimed with other commitments, I was able to start work on garden duty.  Otherwise, finishing up the quilts I started in February was an easy chore.  Both the sew and slice quilts for my Elm Street Quilts March OMG have been quilted, bound, and a label attached.

The quilt for my new grandson was made larger than the second one below because Jonah is already walking and I wanted him to have something that would fit on a toddler bed.  The whale on the label is from Embroidery Library.

This one is for a baby shower.  It was made from scraps and remnants from the one above.  The applique for the label is an Accuquilt design and while having the die for cutting the applique makes the embroidery go faster, it is not necessary.  Templates to cut out the animals with scissors are included.  I purchased this set from the designer's website on Etsy:  V Stitch Designs

The back took as long as the front to piece.

Faux piping binding attached with a serpentine stitch.

 My knitting has been neglected but I squeezed in a test knit for designer on Ravelry.  Her booties are adorable and usually more detailed but we were working on a re-write of an early pattern that will have more sizes and the option to knit all sizes in the round.  This pattern is simple but attractive.  I like knitting socks and had a stray skein of sock yarn that would only make one adult sock so I volunteered to make a size medium and yes, I knit both but not two at a time like I make my socks.

Elm Street Quilts March OMG: Two by Two

Two baby quilt tops are waiting for me to finish their backs and load them on Patience, the HandiQuilter 16.  Sometimes planning the back from remnants seems harder than the top.  Fortunately, for one quilt, I found some fabric that will just require one seam but the other will be made from scraps and remnants.  My Elm Street Quilts March OMG is to get both of these tops quilted.

Set these buttons free to mix and mingle!

One of the tangled chains of buttons in my mom's button tin.

I have inherited many button boxes in my life but none so mystifying as my mother's.  Either in a fit of frustration or a wild urge to tidy up the button tin, she sewed chains of buttons together.  True, they are grouped together with mates but once the thread is cut, there is the necessity of re-stringing the many buttons.  I am setting them free and will suffer the joy of my own madness hunting through the tin for matches.

Elm Street Quilts OMG Link-up: And Then There Were Two

Awhile back I made a quilt for a possible little girl joining our family.  After 3 times being in the top tier for a little girl, my son and daughter-in-law were selected as adoptive parents and are picking up a little boy next weekend.  My Elm Street Quilts OMG for February was to complete the quilt top.  The top is done as I first planned but it just seemed unfinished and now is waiting for more fabric to arrive to complete a second outer border.

Friday, I received an invitation for baby shower, now quilt top number two from the scraps is done and fabrics for the back and binding have been pulled from my stash. 

Other finishes for February include coordinating fat quarters aprons for my little sis and I to wear at our family's Easter Sunday dinner.

And a little notion holder for my sewing table known as a Button Boat by Lazy Girl Patterns.  I like to line my Clover Wonder Clips along the edge.  They are easy to grab and pinch open.

Elm Street Quilt February OMG: Another Baby Quilt

I had hopes of using EQ7 to give you all an idea of the sew and slice quilt I want to make for my next baby quilt.  Unfortunately, the program is not behaving.  Laying fabric on the living room floor is easier and viewing the results in photos has made the process of determining the fabrics and the order painless.  Why did I spend hours with EQ?

Sew and Slice Baby Quilt for February Elm Street Quilts OMG

The inspiration for this quilt was from one I saw on Pinterest:  Sew and Slice Quilt.  Since I don't have enough fabric for the inserted section, there will be a Dr. Seuss block added to expand it.  There will be sashing to frame like the sample.  My goal is to get this top done this month around a trip to see the grands this month.

Elm Street Quilts January Finish: Quilt Opening

Elm Street Quilts January Finish

The quilt was finished and off to the shower just in the nick of time. I am not a whiz with the binding method I chose but it is practical for baby quilts and the simple quilt needed a little extra color.

The label was the real road block.  One of my New Year's resolutions for the last few years since EQ Stitch came out as an add-on for EQ Quilt has been to learn to use it.  This year and this quilt became my mantra.

The program is really quite easy and there are instructional videos by the author of the EQ workbook on YouTube so I had no trouble selecting the lettering process and giving it a test run.  While I managed to produce a label with rather small lettering with serifs, I discovered that block lettering on a larger scale is probably the best use of the program along with appliques and simple shapes.

Discovering that I can't use computer fonts for the smaller lettering in a signature on a quilt label was a disappointment.  It seems that only expensive digitizing software handle this task and for just a quilt label, I will be satisfied with my ancient version of Embird editing software and the three fonts I purchased for lettering.

With lettering off the list, I still want to learn the other functions of EQ Stitch.  A cute applique would be fun to add to a quilt label.  Maybe next time.