January Block Count

I’m going to try to remember to link up to Prairie Moon Quilts each month, as she’s the inspiring source of the 350 Block Challenge.  Of course, I might just be overly optimistic because the baby is asleep while I type.

January is the beginning of a new year, so the totals begin again at 0.  Fortunately, I had new projects to begin and plenty of new blocks!

12 courtyard steps
121 Garden Party Chain blocks
for a total of 133 blocks for 2020!

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

January UFO Summary

January is rarely a good month for finishes, so I am totally content with the fact that I have more projects on my list than when I began.

1. Pillow
2. Scrappy DWR
3. ABC appliqué
4. King sized 16 patch
5. Hand pieced hexagons
6. Garden Mosaic
7. Irish Chain
8. Placemats

9. Courtyard Steps

January 1: 8 projects

Started: 1

Finished: 0

January 31: 9 projects

I started a new scrappy project for 2020, making courtyard steps out of ombré scraps.  The placemats are currently in my sister’s hands, so they’ll come back eventually and I’ll knock them out in no time!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Stash Report Week #4

No finishes, but I did spin the thread of the first empty spool for the year this week.

In my hand quilting endeavors, I managed 7/7 days, for 23/25 days for the year.  For a week full of sickness, minor surgery, and more sickness, I’m pretty chuffed with my numbers.  I’ve already looked at what’s left to quilt, and if I stay on track, I will have the chains quilt before the end of March, which means the quilting frame can get put away!

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

Garden Paths

I must make this brief, as the baby has a fever of 102 and needs Mommy.  We did swell avoiding illness through the fall, but now we’ve been hit with multiple different things.  None of them are influenza so far, but a sick baby is a pathetic, sad thing!

This week, before BJ came down with the fever, I was able to whip out more of my chain blocks.  All that are left are 20 setting triangles, so I feel pretty good about progress.  I’m using a shades pack from Vicki Welsh, so my chains will go light to dark and back again.  This took a bit of planning for the sides, but I think I’ve got it!

My Garden Mosaic blocks remain my leader ender, so the wall is filling up with foursies.  I’m looking forward to choosing a layout once they’re all done.  I have no idea how many I have, so it will be a surprise for all of us!

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

P.S. Be sure to visit all the other green projects this weekend!

Stash Report Week #3 and 15 Minutes

Ah, a quiet week is a good week for the stash report.  I didn’t buy anything, receive anything, or finish anything.

On the “15 Minutes” front, I managed hand quilting 6/7 days again.  That brings my year to 16/18.  Today, I’ve already quilted, so maybe I’ll get 100% for week 4!  I have two littles scheduled for surgery Tuesday, so I’m not quite sure what we’re facing.  I can work at it here and there.

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

Chain, Chain, Chain...

Ah, it’s so nice when I actually accomplish goals!  This week, despite multiple hiccups (sick mama, sick baby, sick kids, insurance being broken, you know, the usual), I finished half my chain blocks for Garden Party!  My goal is to finish the other chain blocks today, as I’m only two seams away on each block.  Next week, we’ll see what I can do about the half blocks for the edges.

My current leader ender is assembling the remaining Garden Mosaic blocks into fours.  Once I have them all in fours, I’ll figure out whether I’m making a baby quilt or a teacher quilt.   Since I used all the light/medium blocks for a teacher quilt at Christmas, this once will be significantly darker.  I like it.  There are more than I expected, which is always a pleasant problem!

I intended to post earlier, but BJ was up half the night with congestion and discomfort, so I took a morning nap and then finished a puzzle with the Assistant first. It’s going to be a slow, but good, day.

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

P.S.  I hope to spend some time visiting the other Rainbow Scrap Challenge bloggers later!

Stash Report Week #2 and 15 Minutes a Day

Monday I completed another circle around the sun, so I received a lovely yard of fabric from my younger sister.  She picks the most beautiful pieces for me!

IN this year: 1 yard
OUT this year: 18 yards
YTD Total: 17 yards OUT

And I managed to hand quilt every day this week, so I’m at 10/11 days of the year!

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

Log Cabin Adjustments

It’s been a good but slow sewing week.

I am a little disappointed at how slow my sewing is going, but once I get into a groove, I think the pace will pick up.  I did shift from a log cabin block to courtyard steps.  It seemed to be a better fit for the scraps once I dug in.  Three of the four sets of green scraps are done.  Fortunately, other months will be easier as there aren’t so many sets of scraps in the other colors!

These are all scraps leftover from my Lepidoptera quilt, which was one of last year’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.  The number of blocks will fluctuate based on the scraps I have.  And, yes, they are large.  I’m sewing them until the white section is 11”, and whatever height it is will be the finished height.

I am currently cutting down my plans for RSC2020 (or putting them on hold?).  There are just too many unfinished projects hanging out on my cutting table and in my sewing area, including the remaining Garden Mosaic blocks and 16 patches. So... we shall see what happens the rest of January.

I did make progress on the chain blocks for Garden Party.  Lots of cutting coming!

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

P.S. Wondering what the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is?  Check it out here!

Finished Quilt: Lepidoptera

I finished this smashing quilt on January 1, but I’ve had trouble getting a pleasing picture.  I know what will happen if I wait too long; I’ll never write the post!

Once our winter storm departs, I will get a picture that doesn’t have the night filter!

Here goes...

The pattern is Lepidoptera by Elizabeth Hartman.  It took me a bit to wrap my mind around a construction method that wasn’t up and down after each seam, but I made it in the end.  Of course, I made a few... pattern deviations, cutting a few butterflies with light and dark reversed, and one butterfly with a wing part rotated 180 degrees.

The butterflies are cut from a half-yard stack of Ombré Confetti (the original line) by V and Co.  The center butterfly required two colors and even so, not much was left!  The background is a glow in the dark Fairy Frost by Michael Miller.

I made this as part of my participation in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in 2019.  This was helpful as I didn’t get overwhelmed making all the butterflies in a row, but I also didn’t have a chance to just give up.

The backing is a lovely gray blue butterfly batik.  I quilted with white thread in loops and butterflies and bound it in white.

I’ll be tucking it away for my oldest to take to college,

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

Stash Report Week #1 and 15 Minutes a Day

I finished binding a quilt, and as I don’t count any yardage until the project is totally done, I get to count it all this week.  Of course I’ve found a few new-to-me lines of fabric, but I aim to finish a few things before I buy anything!  I have plenty of fabric for plenty of projects without shopping.

IN this week: 0 yards
OUT this week: 18 yards
YTD Total: 18 yards OUT

I also plan to report each Sunday how I did with hand quilting roughly 15 minutes a day (preferably half a block).  I slacked off Saturday, but since my goal is 6/7 days a week, that’s not bad.

Quilting this week: 3/4 days
Quilting this year: 3/4 days

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

Preparing the Garden

This week, I gleefully finished Lepidoptera (but the photo will have to wait.  That requires daylight, cooperative quilt holders, and warmer temperatures!).  After such a splendid finish, I had a difficult time settling to work for the new year.  I have ideas, but the rhythm of them may take a few months to develop.

I will be making a full-sized Garden Party (pattern by Bonnie Hunter).  I have plenty of scraps to sort for the posies, but I have plans to use some delicious hand dyes by Vicki Welsh (shades!) for the chains.  The strip sets are cut, sewn, and pressed, so I think I’ll cut them today.

One of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge plans for this year is to use the remaining metallic ombré strips from Lepidoptera in wonky log cabins.  The sizes are all over the place, so a “regular” block won’t work.  I just hope I can translate my mental image accurately to fabric!

I’m still sewing together Garden Mosaic blocks for a baby quilt, so I don’t think I’ll do anything with new ones until I’m more settled.

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

P.S. Be sure to visit all the other bloggers.  I suspect inspiration will be everywhere this week!

2020 Quilting Goals

In 2019, I had a list of goals for scrappy sewing.  All the quilts were finished except for the 16-patch quilt, which will be done in 2020 after I decided to make more blocks.  I also wanted to use 30 yards more than I purchased, which also happened.

This year, the goals run along similar lines:
1.  Use 40 yards more than I purchase.

2. In a continuation of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (because it is so fun to play along!), I have a brick and square quilt, a scrappy lob cabin, and Garden Party.  I may make more Garden Mosaic blocks, but I’m not committing to it yet.

3.  Other quilts on my “future quilts” list includes... a wool prayer cloth for my sister, a temperature quilt, a pink 16-patch, a weighted blanket, a bee fabric quilt, two placemats, maybe a baby blanket, and maybe some Easter skirts and vests.  Several maybes.  I’m good with that!

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