NEW YEAR'S QUILT RESOLUTIONS

Time to think about a plan for my quilting year.

My favorite quilt from 2017

  I really need to NOT spend so much time quilting in 2018.

1.  There is so much more around here that needs attention ---- the photo organization, for instance.  This has been an ongoing project for years with 1000s+++ of family photos dating back to the 1800s through the present. 

 2.  Out of my three quilt closets, two of them are a mess ---- need to get in there and see what I find!

3.  There are more pockets in our house that are in need of downsizing and decluttering ---- boring, but needed work.

  All that being said, I'm not giving up quilting time altogether.  As always, my goal is to use up more of my scraps/stash.  Along the way, the scraps/stash will need an infusion of new fabric; so I plan to buy a few new fat quarters every couple of months.  I have more ideas for quilts that are burning to escape my brain.  Below, is my Christmas gift to myself --- fat quarters, charm packs, and a piece of yardage all ready for a 2018 project.

  I plan to continue posting on my lifestyle blog, Salmagundi; and on this, my quilting blog, Q-Bits  ---- although maybe not as often.

My most-viewed quilt in 2017

That's my plan --- it's pretty loose and, of course, open to change.

Happy New Quilt Year!

I'm joining the following:
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
Ems Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday

SOME CHRISTMAS SEWING

Not much time for sewing this month --- too much decorating, shopping, entertaining, and enjoying the season of the birth of our Savior.  
But I did manage a little bit of Christmas sewing ----

my version of the log cabin cross.

I drafted the pattern to accommodate paper piecing and 1/2 inch logs.

The stats:

Paper pieced, machine quilted, 11" x 16", 2017.

Right now, I'm tangled up in grocery lists and menus; but working to remember the reason we are celebrating this joyous holiday.


Merry Christmas! 

I'm joining the following:
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Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
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Ems Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
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Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday
Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday

LESS THAN (<) or GREATER THAN (>)

I've always loved math.  Therefore, a quilt interpreting a math symbol has been on my quilty bucket list for a long time (in my brain for at least 20 years).  Time to do it!

All math came easy for me except these very simple symbols --- less than (<) or greater than (>).  For some reason, my grade-school mind just couldn't keep them straight.  I guess back in the day, they hadn't developed the 'open alligator mouth' concept ("I'm a hungry alligator, I will eat the one that is greater!")

By the time I was in high school, I had grasped the concept of the point of the symbol always points to the smaller.

But, when senility sets in, I can now just look at this quilt -----

P.S.:    I showed the quilt to my son (the PhD., math wizard, and high school math teacher) and to my husband (the engineer).  I think they were underwhelmed.  Unfortunately, my brain is full of strange quilt ideas.

I'm joining the following:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday
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Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
Ems Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday
My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup

A DIFFERENT QUILTMAKING JOURNEY

After a lifetime of quiltmaking -----  Yes, I was 11 when I made this lovely little thing ---

--- I am now at the point of quilting only to satisfy my own creative urges.  I no longer have to make quilts to satisfy student's expectations.  Or, adhere to editor's needs such as specific colors/fabrics and is it patternable?, etc.  My kids all have a quilt, or if they need another one; they can come to my house and take one from the stacks of class samples and quilts made for publication.  

I've made quilts for donation, charity, raffle quilts, worked on group quilts;  and I have made quilts as presents for special people ----- all while considering other people's expectations.

So now at the age of 78, I find myself able to quilt with a freedom I've previously not experienced in my quilt journey.  Unless I choose to, my quilts are not made according to some one else's needs or wants.

And, I've discovered that a quilt doesn't have to be special or spectacular to have worth. 

Just the process of creating a quilt has become more important to me than the finished product.

My husband stopped by my quilting room the other day and asked, "What are you making?"  I said, "I don't know."  "What's the name of that pattern?"  I answered, "I don't know.  It's two different traditional blocks, and I'm combining them to hopefully produce a secondary pattern."

  I loved the idea that I didn't know where I was headed ---- I just knew I was enthralled with playing with my fabric scraps, doing the math, and soaking up the repetitive serenity of the sewing process.

This little quilt definitely falls in the category of NON-spectacular, but I experienced such joy and satisfaction in it's creation.    There are some advantages to old age!

THE STATS ----
23" x 23"; Machine pieced, machine quilted; 28 3" courthouse steps blocks combined with 21 3" hourglass blocks (so I named it "Steps in Time"); 2017.

I'm joining the following:
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What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday
My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday

FLOWER BASKETS

I can now cross off baskets from my quilt bucket list.  I had made a regular-pieced basket quilt for my second book in 2004; but I always wanted to try a paper-pieced pattern.  I satisfied that urge with just 12 blocks.  This little quilt measures 24" square.

It is machine quilted --- I'm still practicing on that; but, hopefully improving.

Here is the 2004 quilt --- I think I like it better.  It is machine pieced and hand quilted measuring 49" square, called "Bountiful Baskets".


On to the next quilt ------

I'm joining the following:
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Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
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Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday
Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday

LITTLE BASKETS

On to a new project -----

I've made several of these 4" paper-pieced baskets.  I think this is probably a traditional pattern, but I redrafted it to the size I wanted and changed a few lines along the way.

What's next?

I'm thinking maybe some appliqued flowers are in order!

Edited to add:  Skip the applique --- that didn't work!!

After that? 

I haven't decided on a quilt set yet, but then that is my usual mode of operation.  I design as I go, auditioning fabrics and letting the quilt tell me what it wants.  The blocks are telling me that this isn't quite right yet!!!!

How do you design quilts?

I'm joining the following:
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Ems Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday

FALLING LEAVES TABLE RUNNER

 I just finished this table runner for my next-door neighbor.  It was fun to make as she requested Fall colors -------

The runner is 13" x 36" and contains 38 different fabrics culled from my stash/scrap bins.

It is machine pieced, and machine quilted with random wavy lines.

 The yellow/gold glow in the center reminds me of the aspen trees in our beautiful Rocky Mountains during the autumn.

I'm joining the following:

My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday

Have a Daily Cup for Share your Cup Thursday

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday

Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday

What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making

Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday

Ems Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday

FALL ???????

Fall colors ---- time for a new project!

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Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social Wednesday

My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday

1930s REPRODUCTION SCRAPS

 Those of you that have read my quilting blog in the past know that I have a huge supply of scraps spanning several decades and 100+ quilts.  My ongoing goal is to use some of them up.  But, I think, I am failing big time ---- when I'm not looking, they seem to multiply!

Case in point ---- I pulled out this box of scraps from two quilts I made in 2001 and 2004 for books I was writing at the time. 

 Here is what the box looks like today after I finished another quilt using these fabrics.

I swear I didn't add a single fabric to the box ---- it's just a losing battle!

Here is the new table topper I made out of the 1930s repros.  Every fabric including the backing and binding came out of that box.

 It is a traditional half-log cabin pattern rotating the blocks.  I was disappointed that the yellow squares didn't show up better, so I diagonally machine quilted them to emphasize them --- it helps, I think.  It's also quilted down the center of each 1/2" log.

The 36 blocks are 3" each and paper-pieced.  The little quilt measures 21" square.

 And, an extra photo --- just because I'm enjoying our August garden!

My husband also grows a vegetable garden, and we are currently enjoying tomatoes, green beans, green peppers, and onions.  He's our resident gardener; I just quilt! 

I'm joining the following:
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Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday
Ems Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday

BETSEY'S BLOCK TABLE RUNNER

I was blessed with some sewing time last week so I finished this table runner.

I'm always intrigued with a quilt setting that appears to obliterate the seams of the block resulting in a secondary pattern.
This is the block I started with --- one of my favorite blocks -- "Betsey's Block".

By off-setting the blocks and alternating colors, a secondary zig-zag pattern appears. 

The blocks are 3" and the runner finished out at 16" x 25".  It was paper-pieced and machine quilted.

Time for a new project!  I'm thinking of pulling out the bin of 1930s reproduction scraps.

I'm joining the following:
My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
Busy Hands Quilts for Finished or not Friday
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday
Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday

A NEW PROJECT

A new project started ----- still working out of the scrap bins and making my favorite block again.  Read more about 'Betsey's Block' here.

This time I'm using an offset setting that produces a secondary pattern.

This will be a small table runner, so just a few more 'Betsey's Blocks' to make.

I'm joining the following:
Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making
Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday
Ems Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday
My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday
Busy Hands Quilts for Finished or Not Friday

CACTUS FLOWERS

When I began this project I was interested in seeing how the colors of coral, rust, and red interacted together.  This little quilt grew from that idea.

The 3-inch cactus flower blocks were paper pieced.  That is the only way I can achieve any kind of accuracy with tiny, bias edged pieces.  I dug in my stash/scrap bins for fabrics to make the blocks, but purchased the Barbara Brackman fabric for the sashing and the Di Ford fabric for the setting triangles.

It was fun using this striped, coral and red fabric for the setting triangles to form a quasi border.

 I'm happy with the design and fabric choices ---- but as usual, not too thrilled with my machine quilting!  The quilt finished out 24" square.

I'm ready to begin another project.

I'm joining the following:

Ems Scrapbag for Moving It Forward Monday

Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making

Cooking Up Quilts for Main Crush Monday

What a Hoot Quilts for BOMS Away Monday

My Quilt Infatuation for Needle & Thread Thursday

Busy Hands Quilts for Finished or Not Friday

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop Friday

Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday