Finished: 9s and 6s

One last finish will round out the old year for me.  Yesterday, we had a busy day planned with furniture moving, medical appointments, grocery shopping, and more, but some unexpected ice and flurries turned our roads into sheets of glass, so I spent the day at home instead.  Spunky and I enjoyed a marathon of Pride and Prejudice while we took turns holding Miss G and I stitched down the binding to Spunky's teacher quilt.

I call the blocks 9s and 6s as, when I started them two years ago, I didn't see a name for them anywhere.  Bonnie Hunter has since called them Carolina Chains, but I like 9s and 6s better.

These blocks were part of the 2013 and 2014 Rainbow Scrap Challenges and used my brown, orange, yellow, and red 2" scraps.  I had plans for a thin white border and a final row of blocks at one point, but having a baby and wanting to gift this quilt during the Christmas season encouraged me to reconsider.  I quilted it simply through the diagonal rows (except for the one block I found turned after I'd already basted the top!) and bound it in one Vicki Welsh's fabulous gradients.  I have a box just for my Vicki Welsh fabrics, and that box is a happy place.  The quilt finished at approximately 47" x 56".  I think it will be a nice couch size, and I certainly hope Spunky's teacher loves it!

A few of my reds (ones I had already washed, of all things) ran, but a second run through the washer seemed to take care of the worst of it.  The above picture shows before the second washing, so much of the background looks pink.  I remember now why I don't have lots of red fabrics!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

January Goals

December was a good month for goals.  I even found myself at a bit of a loss over break as to what to sew since I was able to finish all my goals and didn't really want to start my 2015 goals before I knew scrappy color for January,

I wanted to...

1. Work on my scraps, so I

... Finished my 9s and 6s quilt

... Finished Collaboration, the Assistant's quilt

... Cut all the pieces for a queen-sized Carrie Nation quilt

... Trimmed down all my loose scraps (twice, in fact)

... And cut/laid out the pieces for this year's donation quilt

2.  I finished a stocking for Miss G, not in time for St. Nick to fill it, but in plenty of time for Santa.

3.  I finished my Tell it to the Stars top.  The backing, batting, and binding strips are all cut and ready to go.

4.  Long ago and far away, I had great plans for hooded towels for all my children.  Over time, however, my mother-in-law has provided several for each of the kids, so it seemed silly to add more to the overflowing towel collection.  However, JoJo likes to take the fun towels, leaving Bear Cub out in the cold, so I made Bear Cub his very own turtle.  I probably won't make more, as the construction was tedious (and we have enough!).

January, as the start of a new year, has lofty goals already in place.

1.  Baste Tell it to the Stars and begin hand quilting.

2.  Make two of the vests needed for our annual Easter clothes.  Eek!  I need clothes for 7 this year.

3.  Use some of my chevron pieces to make a baby boy quilt.

4.  Scraps: Omigoshish, triangles, 16 patches, Carrie Nation, donation quilt, and bricks, all depending on the color.

5.  The long suffering hexagon quilt.  I think I'll try to add one snowflake to the top a month until spring arrives and summer gets crazy.

6.  Make or pull from my store four hats for donation.

Now I think I should go sew!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

December Block Count

I don't think I'll eke out any more blocks today, so I'm wrapping up my 350 block count for 2014.

I added...

17 more 1.5" 16 patches,, for a total of 90

16 "blocks" for the collaboration quilt with my daughter

For a total of 33 new blocks and 794 for the year!  I'm pretty surprised at how much I sewed this fall, but Miss G has turned to be just as easygoing as JoJo was as a baby.  (Don't tell her I told you, but Miss G slept 7 1/2 hours straight last night!  My babies never do that.)

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Scrappy Wrap Up

Not much here...

I finally finished a hooded towel for Bear Cub.  It ended up being a blue turtle since the only new towels I had were blue or pink or white, and I only had a hand towel for the blue.  He was very happy to open it on Christmas morning even though, on seeing the roll, he knew exactly what it was.

The 9s and 6s top is basted, and I began quilting Friday afternoon.  Much of my normal sewing time has been sucked up by the Assistant's recently acquired Monopoly obsession.  I have (reluctantly) thrashed her twice.  She wouldn't end the game when I offered, so I had to thoroughly wipe her off the board.  I felt bad, but I helped her frequently along the way, and she won't learn the game if we don't play "for real."

My finishes for 2014 have been pretty satisfying, even if I did feel a bit of pressure to finish some of them early, due to the arrival of Miss G in October.  Fortunately, she's a placid baby and let's me sew.

There was "Collaboration," arranged and pieced into rows by the Assistant, then finished by me.  And before that was the row quilt for Bear Cub Q, backed with airplanes.  I finished a scrappy baby quilt I cut several years ago.  The Rainbow Scrap Sampler had a few hiccups of my own making, but the blocks were beautifully chosen by Angie.  The first Carrie Nation (of what is apparently becoming a series for me, as there are two more in the works!)  I think the only other scrappy finish (not that this wasn't enough, but I've been sorting through blog archives and enjoying the look back over the year) was a baby quilt for Miss G.  The Assistant and I hand-pieced the front out of scraps.  Spunky laid out some abandoned rainbow blocks for a beautiful backing!

Next year's quilts will include a queen-sized Carrie Nation (already cut!) as well as a donation quilt for my altar society guild (laid out in the above link).  I'm also trying to exhaust a bag of triangle scraps this year, so a quilt out of these bits is in the works.  I think, when I have time, I'll also work more on my Omigosh-ish bits.  They're so patiently waiting!  I'm making 16-patches that finish at 4".  There will need to be plenty of these to make a great quilt!  There will be a few zigzag quilts.  I'm sure there are other things...

I will be trying to use more stash this year, as the boxes are full and there's a stack waiting on the counter to find homes.  Since I don't really want to add more boxes, it's time to use some fabric up!  Of course, backings for all the planned rainbow scrap challenge quilts will make a dent, and I think I'm going to suck it up and not by fabric (except for my birthday) for a bit.

Be sure to check out all the other lovely finishes and plans for the old and new years!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: odds and ends

I finished a stocking this week.  Whew!  I thought perhaps I had taken on a task beyond my ability, but while it is not as elegant as I might wish, it's none so bad.

I also finished the binding on the Assistant's quilt, washed it, and have it ready to gift after Christmas.    I blogged about it earlier in the week.

The cutting for the Carrie Nation quilt is complete, unless I end up missing a square here or there.  I guess it's time to start stitching!  The box is neatly packed, full to the brim, so I'm going to hide it before JoJo takes it upon himself to mix up the thousands of squares.

More 16-patches are in process as leaders and enders (and to keep me from getting bored).  I have a dozen or so done, and have maybe 6 more to do.

three more rows are waiting near the sewing machine

Finally, I've been pegging away at my 9s and 6s.  The top is in two large pieces and three rows left to join (brown).  I really love the way they're coming together.  I wasn't sure the color transition would flow nicely, and before blocks are joined it's always hard for me to tell.

This may be another block I'm not done with, although I'm not sure what color scheme I'd like to try next.  Once again, it's obvious that even my scrappy ends up organized by color.  Maybe the "neutral space" could be a color rather than cream/white.  Maybe I'll make another in blue or green.  Hmmm.  Any suggestions?

Be sure to check out the other scrappy rainbow quilts that are coming together this week!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Tell it to the Stars: a Top!

I added extra wide borders since my husband has become a blanket hog in the cold of winter (sometimes I even give him his own blankets).  My batting is already cut and the backing ready too, since I bought extra wide backing to save myself the hassle of piecing it.  I even (gasp) have the binding cut so that I can return the extra fabric to the stash.

I love this quilt!  I'm very excited to ponder quilting plans.  (This mystery was designed by Judy Laquidara.)

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Finished: Collaboration

I think I'll call this quilt "Collaboration," since it was the brain child and labor of both the Assistant and myself.

 Ugh.  I thought I captured a square picture, but my perch was obviously not quite high enough.  This finished at a lovely snuggly size for the Assistant's afternoon teacher, whose favorite colors are purple and red.  I'm glad to have used up the bulk of my remaining black and white stash.  I think I have two fat quarters left that may get stripped down and added to the scrap boxes.

 I used this lovely ombre for the backing.  I originally purchased this fabric for a skirt, but when it arrived, I realized it wouldn't do at all.  It's perfect as a backing, however, so I am happy!

The Assistant is very happy with the outcome of her teacher's quilt, and so am I!

And I'll leave you with a parting pic of Miss G with helpful Bear Cub and Spunky in the background.   Miss G got shots on Wednesday, so she's a bit grumpy.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

a Finish: Miss G's Stocking!

Yay!  I finished this fabulous stocking for Miss G this week.  My applique and embroidery both leave something to be desired, but it is so cute!

The pattern is from Prairie Moon Quilts.  She releases a new one every year.  My goal is to make at least one a year and give one to each of my family members eventually.  Mine is next (turquoise and brown)!  By the time I'm done with a few of these, my skills should have improved.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Cutting, Quilting, Cutting

Miles and miles of cutting happened this week.  At least, that's how it feels.  In order to know I have set aside enough scraps for a queen-sized rainbow Carrie Nation quilt, I've been cutting all my squares in advance.  Then, as Miss G becomes more mobile, (don't worry, it's not happening yet... Although I've caught her rolling over a few times), I won't need to fret about the rotary cutter and her exploring fingers.  Also, I don't want to sew and sew, only to discover I'm short when I'm ready to assembly blocks.  Just in case you're wondering, I need 1248 white squares in both 1.5" and 2.5".  I've cut all the colored squares but am still short several hundred white squares in each size.

In the quilting phase of my life, I made short work of quilting the Assistant's scrappy quilt.  Then I received the teachers' newsletter, in which they respectfully request no personal Christmast gifts.  What???  We've worked long and hard on the quilt, and the Assistant was pretty upset when I told her that her teachers requested no gifts.  I think we'll give them quilts anyhow, with a note that says they can donate them to a charity of their choice if they so choose.  Now I'm struggling to find time to stitch down the binding.  I'll get there, just slower than I wanted!

Then I cut some more.  Really, I worked on these scraps at the same time as the squares.  These triangles are leftovers from Scraps to Treasures challenges of years past.  I'm not sold on the final outer border, especially since I'll have to cut some scraps to make it work, but I'll live with it for a while before I decide.  I'll probably assemble this quilt a little faster than one color a month so the kiddos don't knock off all the triangles too many times!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

Katie Z.


 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Clean Up, Wrap Up, Start Up!

In cleaning up mode, I cut down all the scraps from backing, leftover bits I saved until a top was finished, and large scraps from a bag of saved fabric.  Most of these were easy rectangles or strips, so not hard to cut down.  The challenge with garment scraps is always the curves and angles!

 In the wrap up stage, I finished the Assistant's quilt top and even basted it.  Maybe (maybe) I'll get it quilted next week.  I wanted to skip the borders, but both the Assistant and DH thought it needed something.  I think if they were the ones who had to puzzle out borders from the scraps, they would have wanted to pass too, but it's done now!  The borders made the quilt almost too big for my backing (I have maybe an 1" to spare total between the two size), but I think I'll manage.

In the start up, I have been sorting scraps from my Scraps to Treasures fabrics of the past three years (I didn't participate this year, and now they've shut down the HGTV message boards, so I guess that's it for me!).  My current plan is to create a rainbow scrappy quilt that I can donate to my altar society guild for raising money to feed the needy.  Since the original Scraps to Treasures quilts were supposed to be donated to charity (and they were), I think it will be nice to use up the scraps for one more quilt.

As I start the quilt on my (now empty) design wall, I'll take a picture or two to share.

Be sure to stop by the Rainbow Scrap Challenge each Saturday for more goodies!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Tell it to the Stars: November

I'm relieved this assignment is finally over.  I apparently need to work on my cutting.  It's shoddy, and multiplied over all these triangles, it's a mess.  They tidied up okay with the pressing, but in the future, I need to focus on better cutting.  (I think I say that every time I cut a passel of triangles.

I do think the borders are going to look fabulous once they're all done, and I think (I think... I said this on the last big quilt) that I'm going to hand quilt it.  All that white calls for something, and it's winter, and maybe I can get the handstitching done in bits and pieces once all the kids are in bed.  It won't be done in a hurry, that's for certain!

This quilt was designed by Judy Laquidara.

December Goals

November goals wrap-up:

1. Tell it to the Stars step 11.  Success!  My border blocks are done but need to be sewn into rows.  I hope to do that today.

2. Finish the ABC quilt.  Success!

3.  Finish the ribbon weave baby quilt.  Success!

4. Finish Bear Cub Q's row quilt.  Success!

5. Scraps.  Success!  I made triangle blocks, bricks, 16-patches, Omigosh bits, and cut the beginnings of a scrappy Carrie Nation quilt.

6.  Finish Miss G's dress.  Success!

If I had time, I wanted to work on Miss G's placemat (done), a dress for the Assistant for a school rocket (done), and an animal towel for Bear Cub Q (cut, but not sewn).  I'm impressed, looking back, when over the month I've felt like I haven't done much.  That'll teach me!

For December, I'd like to:

1.  Get Tell it to the Stars to a top, and possibly baste it.

2. Scraps: make my 9s and 6s blocks into a top, finish the quilt for the Assistant's other teacher, cut all the pieces for a queen sized Carrie Nation quilt, tame the scraps created this month as well as those sorted out of a bag of saved scraps, and sort all the scraps left from my Scraps to Treasures quilt in preparation for a rainbow donation quilt.  Plenty to do here!

3.  Sew a stocking for Ginny from a Prairie Moon Quilts pattern.  I may forgoe this and try to have it finished for next year.  After all, she won't know if there's no stocking over the fireplace for her (and I can't hang it until I find another stocking holder!).

4.  Finish Bear Cub Q's turtle towel.  I'm dragging my feet on this, but I really should just buckle down and do it.  It won't be half as bad as I dread, as these projects never are.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.