Finish Along Quarter 2: The Hopeful List

And the list making has begun!  It's time that we link up with Miss Katy and state out our goals for the next quarter.  I have been working from a relatively small project list lately, which has suited me incredibly well.  I love that I can see progress in each project, that I know what I should be doing the next time I can sit and sew AND that I have an actual hope of finishing these quilts before the quarter is out.  Stars all around.

1. Swoon

To not bore you with the same Swoon photo of my 9 finished blocks
on the line, I mixed it up a bit.  I just don't have a photo of my finished Swoon top.
It's so HUGE!

My swoon top is finished including sashing between the blocks and two additional borders to bring it up to size for our guest bed.  I have chosen the main backing fabric, but need to piece the back together.  This is going to be long armed (no way I'm quilting a 96x96 inch quilt in my machine!) in Cork and returned to me for binding.  That's the plan, anyway.

2. Twinkle Twinkle

This quilt is (lobby) layered and I am currently hand quilting in each of the stars.  Through the quarter I will need to finish hand quilting it, bind and wash.  Here's hoping my quilting will hold it together!

3. Medallion

I don't have a name for this quilt yet.  I guess that's on the Q2 to-do list as well!  My medallion needs this border to be finished (have 2 sides done, 2 to go with 4 corner stones) a small, thin "bonus" border to correct a few size issues (clearly a theme, there) and then one final 6.5 inch border to be added.  I have the backing sorted, so it needs to be layered, hand quilted and bound.  I know its quite a lofty list for myself, but I am so in love with this quilt I just may pull it off.

4. Spoolin' Around

Now here I have a quilt name (from Miss Anna) but not a quilt top.  I have piles and piles of spool blocks that have arrived from my bee buddies, so the top needs to be assembled, quilted and bound.  This is VERY lofty, but I can't be in the run for Katy's winnings if I don't list it here!

Katy, once again you're brilliant for having organized us.  I am hopeful this quarter, so let's get stitching!

I Can't Get Enough...Aurifil

I have spools on the brain.  I spend my lunches at work searching Google Image for spool quilt blocks.  I have collected a little list of Chorme bookmarks for spool quilts I dig and made a mini spool mini quilt.  I even tried a few (semi-successful) spools myself, but they were not for me.  It's still not enough.

But when I found this tutorial, my search was over.  I fell in love with those little Aurifil spool blocks and have not looked back since.  I am hoping to ask my Modern Irish Bee buddies to make blocks like these next month, so I wanted to give them a little test run.  

There are super easy to follow instructions for three block sizes (small, medium, large), so I quickly cranked out 4 of each spool. I dug through my trusty basket and pulled out semi-monochromatic fabrics for the thread colors and then red and orange solids for the spools/spindle.  I would love to include Aurifil grey and green spindle/spools in the final quilt.  I'm working on that right now. 

Anyway, you know how it is with these trial runs. It takes nearly as long to dig out the fabric and cut as it does to piece, so why not make 4 in the time it would take me to make 1?  I dove in.  

I think the medium sized spools are my favorite.  They're large enough to show off a print (5.5 x 7.5" unfinished), but small enough to be pretty darned cute.  I went for grey, navy (above), pink (below) and DS yellow.  Each one of them made my heart flutter.  I know their base and spindle look a little over exaggerated, but mentally just cut off 0.25 inches of each in the seam and they're right back in (super cute) proportion.

I also made 4 large spools (10 x 14.5" unfinished). in red (below), orange (below again), yellow and aqua.  It's funny.  In real life my favorites are the red and orange spool, but they didn't photograph as well as the aqua one.  So it goes.

 I found the smallest spools (4.5 x 4" unfinished) to be the most difficult to pull fabrics for. It was nearly impossible to use anything with a print they're so tiny.  I do love them in combination with the other spools, though.  I think they're going to look super.

This little corner of my design wall makes me want to stop everything I'm doing and make more!  I will resist, though.  Just have to wait a few more days and then I can strike out as Miss February in our bee.  The shortest month, but these are so quick and easy I don't think the ladies will complain.  

Mini Spools Mini Quilt: Finished!

Some time before Christmas I told you about my mini spools mini quilt...but then I forgot to show you the finished quilt!  Silly me.

Here she is in all her glory:

This was made with charms from a Scrumptious charm pack, Kona white and blue Architextures for the spools. The quilting was done in diagonal stripes, about 1/2 inch apart from one another.  Finally, to bind I used lime Bias Stripe from the Scrumptious line.

On the back is the majority of a Sweet Aqua FQ.  I like how the aqua coordinates with the lime binding.

Now, this isn't the mini that I mentioned in my FAL list earlier this week.  That one will be just for me!  This cutie will be heading off to a friend as a thank you gift.  Safe trip, my friend.

FAL 2014: First Quarter Goals

I am thrilled that the opening 2014 FAL linky is up and running over at The Littlest Thistle.  I could use a little help focusing and pressure inspiration to get myself back into the sewing room and creating again.  So, here are my (overly aspirational?) goals for the next 3 months:

1. Swoon 2013
I signed up for Sarah's QAL and was nearly on time getting my blocks finished...but then I lost steam finishing the sashing and getting the borders on.  So, I need to finish the top, quilt and bind this project.  I am excited to dig back in again!

2. Home Sweet Bone Cross Stitch
I have been diligently stitching each and every night.  Recently this is my primary project and I am loving it through and through.  I'd like to finish stitching, tie off the back and have it hanging over my desk before this quarter is finished.

3. Modern Irish Bee Quilt
This quilt was started over a year ago as part of the inaugural Modern Irish Bee.  My bee buddies were wonderful and I did receive each and every one of my blocks.  However, when I tried to make a few additional blocks to enlarge the quilt, I could not (for the life of me) get them to the appropriate final size.  Several I totally unpicked 3-4 times!  Anyway, I lost my love for the process and I put the blocks away.  I would love to pull them out, finish the top (add a border?), hand quilt (ahem!) and bind it.

4. Spools Mini Quilt

I made one of these minis to give away, but I'd love to have one myself to hang in my sewing room.  I have the pieces all cut and laid out, but not stitched together.  I need to piece, quilt and bind this cutie.

5. Donation Quilt

I would like to make a quilt to be sent to Mexico City.  I have a pattern in mind, but instead of using a fresh new charm pack I would like to dive into my stash for this project.  I have so many charms from the gazillion swaps I joined recently.  I have the top nearly done, so I need to quilt and bind this before we'll call it done.

That's my list and I will try my best to stick to it!  Thanks so much, Katy, for keeping us on the straight and narrow!  (HA!  Who would have thought it was you who would herd us in?)

Mini Spools Mini Quilt

I have been struggling with the idea of a spools quilt for a few weeks now.  I'm obsessed with the idea, but want to personalize it a bit.  After a few trial blocks that didn't float my boat, and a super chat with Helen I think I have a plan.  More on that later.

Still, to satisfy this spools itch I picked up one of these

and settled in on Friday night with these

There's enough in one charm pack to make several of these little quilts, so I cut enough to make one for myself and one as a gift for a special lady (to be revealed later).  By Saturday night I had a basted mini quilt.  I can't tell you how satisfying it is to have such rapid satisfaction from a little project.  You know yourself, don't you?

It's not perfect, but I do really like it.  I won't tell you mistakes I see, but I do feel better seeing them in the cover photo of the pattern, too.  Not everything has to be aligned, right?

Any way, by Sunday night I finished quilting and had the binding on.  Brilliant!  There were a few problems along the way, but I'll tell you all about that later.  You'll see the finished mini later this week once I have the binding finished off.

My glamorous assistant was with me on Friday night in the sewing room.  She started off all pert, cute and playful chewing on her bone under my ironing board.  

But quickly deteriorated into a snoozy pup.  She can't take the pace of making a quilt in a day.  Bless.

Testing Bee Blocks

I am totally jumping the gun here, but I couldn't control myself.  The Modern Irish Bee starts a second year all bright, shiny and fresh in January.  As soon as I picked February to be queen bee, my brain has been racing with all of the opportunities to try something new.

When trying to choose my block, I have been considering the bee setup.  We have a wide variety of skill levels, so something pretty straight forward would be best.  This is also a scrappy bee, so a block that lets me draw on the stashes of others seems greedy appropriate.

I stumbled upon the spool quilt along hosted by Laura of Adventures of a Quilting Diva.  Each month she posts a new spool tutorial, so there should be about seven available by the time my February month comes along.  That would let folks in my bee choose what they're most comfortable with AND gives me a wide variety of blocks in my quilt.  Love that.

To give it a test run, I pulled (widely) monochromatic, stripey FQs thinking most folks would have something like this in their stash.  I set out making four blocks from the spool quilt along: (left to right) block 4, block 1, block 3 and block 2.

I really dig the first and last block, but the second from the left is a bit bland.  Anyway, I think what I've learned is A) there's a wide enough variety in skills that folks could be entertained without being overwhelmed and B) that I like a darker spool color over the Ash in the second purple thread block.  I'm going to make another set of four this weekend and see where this goes as it gets larger.  I may really dig it as it gets more scrappy, but right now it's looking a little uncoordinated and boring simplistic.

This is also my first time using LV fabrics as a background.  I have to say (in 100% total honesty) I'm not sure I like them.  Folks who are gaga about LVs, can you tell me why this isn't wowing me?  Is there a secret I don't know like you shouldn't use LV in a large space or it should coordinate better with what's going on in your block?  Any insight, ladies?