Lindsay was kind enough to give me a scrap of fabric so I could finish Month 18 without having to buy more fabric.
I inserted that skinny diamond and the two pentagons into the empty space you saw in the post last week. That is one thing I love about EPP! You don’t always have to put the pieces together in order.
La Passacaglia Month 18 – finished
The finished rosette is a partial rosette.I have enough fabrics to finish the blue and peony ring. I think the woven design would look good finished.
I am still mulling over the edging of this quilt. One of the options is to finish all the rosettes so the edge is more round. I really don’t want to cut off the edges of the piecing I have done, but may end up doing that.
I had some bits of made fabric in my pink scrap drawer and they were getting in the way of me making new donation blocks. I decided to make another journal cover. The project also served as a palate cleanser after I finished another project.
This version isn’t as long as the tutorial demands. Basically, I was lazy and it works fine as is. There won’t be as much security if I were to put things in the cover, but this is a journal from 2009 and I don’t think I will be taking it off the shelves that often.
Another Pink Journal cover – back
I took the opportunity to look through it. I saw a lot of studies for the Creative Prompt project. Those made me smile. I liked doing those drawings. It was a great thing to do while I waited for the YM.
This one includes some fun fabrics.
I am out of practice making them so there was quite a bit of ripping at the assembly stage. The inside doesn’t look that great, but it doesn’t matter.
I am making another Hackney with some of the Carrie Bloomston fabric. While I was in the North Coast, I saw a ByAnnie zipper in the color called Twilight**. It’s a dark greeny blue, but more blue than green (maybe).
Hackney Color Choices
I thought it would go well with the Carrie Bloomston fabric, but when I got it home, I wasn’t so sure. The background of the fabric is less blue than charcoal, though the zipper doesn’t not go. I liked the contrasting zipper for the Hand Bone Hackney. This one isn’t exactly contrasting, though, and I might just look like I made a bad choice.
What do you think?
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All the quilts I received back from Colleen have slowed me down on La Pass. I am continuing to work on Month 18 and am almost finished with it.
I really wanted to do the weaving motif (?) and I forgot I wanted to do that until I had finished cutting all the fabric. Month 18 was my last chance, so I went for broke. I wish Pink Door had done different layouts like the spikes (in M16).
La Pass M18 in process
I also kept changing fabrics, so I had to sew as much as I could, then go back and cut and baste more fabrics, then sew again. I also cut a few things wrong.
I have been making a plethora of Minikins patterns lately, so I updated the Minikins page. I definitely have favorites and Minikins Season 2 isn’t a favorite. I have only made one project from that season. I have one on my mental to do list, but it remains there.
Media
Sara of Sew Sweetness posted a video of the top 10 items you need for intermediate bagmaking. This follows the “Beginner Bagmaking Toolkit”
I got some great thank you notes at Collage in Portland. They are from Seltzer, which is a great name even though it makes no sense for stationery.
A friend went to Denver and visited Gallerie Quilt. She bought a quilt there. I looked at the website and was shocked at the prices. I can’t believe anyone can make any money at those prices. I would be reluctant to encourage them to sell quilts at those prices. It depresses the market for everyone else.
Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies
My friend Carrie told me about a shop called Mashe Modern. It has an interesting selection of bagmaking supplies and quilt fabric. They already have Tula’s Everglow!
Projects, Classes, Patterns & Tutorials
Tula has a fabulous version of the EPPic case on her FB page. It uses Everglow and I love the look. It reminds me of my childhood bedroom. The EPPic case is by ChasingTigers on Etsy. I saw that they have a bundle of two bag patterns with multiple sizes.
I promised myself not to buy more bag patterns, but occasionally I get tempted. This Zip & Grip bag is awesome. This bag is by Sew Yours LLC. I am reluctant to buy the pattern as I haven’t heard of this company and have no idea how well they test their patterns. I’ll think about it and see after I make a couple of patterns I have in the queue.
My friend Maureen is teaching at the Collage Lab Virtual Retreat in April. Sometimes making a mess is really fun. Even if you normally don’t create collages, save some junk mail and do it.
Well, the Valentine’s pillowcases didn’t happen on time. I went to Hancock’s of Paducah early in January and bought Valentine’s fabric – some really nice chocolate box fabric that was okay for college boys. It turns out that Hancock’s does not even, apparently, look at your order for two weeks. Soon after, when I was in Portland, I got an email saying that most of the fabric I ordered was out of stock, including the Valentine’s Day fabric.
By this time, it was about a week before February started, so I cancelled most of the order and tried to decide what to do. Finally, went to the Hart’s of Santa Cruz online shop. I found the chili pepper fabric, which is, at least, red. I received the package the next day. Still, I had a lot to do and some weekends out of town in February, so the pillowcases didn’t get made in time for celebrating. I sent them along this week with the St. Patrick’s Day pillowcases. They got some socks and chocolates for Valentine’s Day.
I don’t quilt much and I enjoy the collaborative effort of making a top and allowing someone else to quilt it. Thus, the quilts below are mostly tops, but I will include a finished quilt once someone else finishes it for the group.
In Process or To Make
The ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or are on the design wall waiting for me to stitch. I am continuing to try not to put away projects. I find putting a project away ensures I never work on them, because I just lose steam.
Quilts (machine work)
Who Am I? – I have made progress on this quilt. the applique’ is done. Now just borders, backing and sleeve.
Quilts (Handwork)
I decided that some of my quilts are in a different class because they are hand piecing or embroidery or beading. They take longer. Thus I created a new category and have moved some projects here.
Half Hexie Stars Project– I am reignited about this project after working on it at the November Sew Day. I have been working away steadily and can see the light at the end of the tunnel
La Passacaglia – I am now working on Month 18, the last month with rosettes. Next is finishing the quilt.
Most of my progress involves thinking or just cutting. I don’t have a bag in process at the moment.
Ultimate Project Organizer – another project from the Crafty Gemini Organizer Club, also on my list, but not yet started. I did pull the fabric, supplies and reviewed some finished photos that others posted, so I am one step closer.
Retreat Organizer – another project from the Crafty Gemini Organizer Club, also on my list, but not yet started. Recently, I saw one of these made up and I am not so nervous about it. I did pull the fabric, supplies and reviewed some finished photos that others posted, so I am one step closer.
Rose Petrillo bag – I found the pieces for this bag cut out, but not sewn.
Superbloom tote using Hindsight fabric – not started. I did pull the fabric, supplies and found a photo I plan to use as inspiration that others posted, so I am one step closer.
Still UFOs
I still have UFOs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled, it hasn’t been worked on in awhile or it is waiting its turn to be worked on. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.
I am annoyed that some of these are still WIPs. I just need to work on them!
Handbag Sampler – this is still the forgotten project. It should be on the UFO list. The blocks were teaching samples when I taught a sampler class some time before I started writing the quilt class sampler tutorials. I found one block recently, but otherwise I don’t actually know exactly where the blocks are hiding. I crawled up in the far reaches of my fabric closet to see if I could find them and they weren’t where I thought. I am sort of mystified as to where they could be. I haven’t even found a picture of all the blocks. WTH?
I know I finished pretty fast considering the quilts were returned to me not that long ago, but, yes, I finished the Lobster. It is now on my dining room buffet protecting the surface. It also brightens up the space.
I want to use it for the July timeframe, but I still have so few non-holiday tablerunners that I will use it for awhile and then switch it out for another. I guess I need to work on tablerunners for all the holidays like I made napkins for many holidays.
This quilt came back to the guild last week at the meeting. This is the quilt I made from the trimmings off the Orange You Glad blocks. I couldn’t find a post about it, though I am sure I must have taken photos when I finished it, though maybe not.
Anyway, I don’t know who quilted it, but they did a great job. Roz bound the edges and it looks great. I love a striped binding.
I made another Hackney. It is a gift for a friend. As you can, no doubt, see this one also uses the Timeless Treasures fabric that I used for the Skeleton Hackney.
Hand Bone Hackney bottom
I talked about this one in another post. I am really liking the pink zipper, of which you just get a slight glimpse. It is a fun addition to the somber skeleton fabric.
Every time I make one of these, I feel like getting a Switch and seeing if it would really fit in here. Stupid waste of money since I probably wouldn’t play with a Switch. Still, I am curious.
Hand Bone Hackney -interior
I used an older Joel Dewberry fabric for the inside and it is cheerful. I am making another one as a gift and I am going to change the mesh pocket for something different. Maybe a vinyl pocket?
I think the mesh pocket looks ok and I did a good job. There is something about having the zipper where it is that bugs me.
Hand Bone Hackney – handle
I added a handle, because I think it makes the bag more useful. I haven’t quite figured out the placement and I think this one is a little too tight. It was a little hard to get my hand around it. I also sewed through the lining as well and that caused some challenges for later steps in the process. Since the handle isn’t part of the pattern and I have to add it before the whole thing is put together, I think I am doing ok. I’ll do better next time.
This is another quilt that I had returned to me for finishing. This has been a long time in coming. The start of the project was in 2015! I know Rhonda, who was also in my group, was working on hers recently as well.
I probably won’t keep this one, but for the moment I don’t have a recipient. I’ll need to check my Niece-phews list and see if it would be appropriate for anyone on it. I have an idea, but would need to make another for a sibling.
BAMQG IRR back
I remember my excitement at using the Queen Street fabric in this quilt. I think the solid turquoise dominates more that Queen Street, though the Philip Jacobs shell fabric is no slouch either.
Queen Street really shines on the back. You can see all the prints, but they aren’t highlighted by piecing.
PP4 was the third quilt I got back from Colleen. The basics of this series are discussed in a post from 2012.
The idea I had for quilting was similar to Fabric of the Year 2019. I really liked the connected little circles. Colleen added some diagonal wavy lines in this one, which weren’t exactly what I was thinking but look ok. This quilt is so old that I really don’t care that much. Sad to say, but this is one reason I don’t like UFOs.
PP4 back – quilted
I made the back specifically for this quilt. It wasn’t a UFO. It was a completely new piece of the quilt and I really like it. I think it really goes with the Night theme.
Because our family is growing, I thought I might need more Thanksgiving napkins for Thanksgiving. I bought some new embroidery designs for my SIL, though I think they were too big.
The turkey on the platter is, I think, a test embroidery. I am pretty sure we didn’t use that one before. I didn’t buy white napkins either. I think the design is amusing now.
Fortunately, I didn’t need them in November, so this project could be shoved off until her Christmas projects were done. I went over during Craft Night the other night and started work.
SIL #2 sat me down in front of her computer and I selected colors for some of the designs. She is pretty well organized and had recorded the thread colors. I was able to select from that group so the napkins will all, pretty much, match.
Pumpkin on blue napkin
She always has to reduce the number of colors, because she doesn’t like to switch threads once the machine has started. I think her machine can handle 6 threads at a time. I always forget to look at the number of colors and inevitably buy a design with 25 colors!
I really like that pumpkin motif and I worked to make it really pretty. I think it looks great on the blue napkin.
Blue pumpkin on mauve napkin
I started changing colors so they didn’t have the issues that bugged me. There were some black threads that looked too dark to me. It may be that the shading was removed, because of the limited colors. Regardless, I am thinking about greys and, maybe, even some browns to soften up the hard blacks.
On the mauve (dusty rose??) napkin, the blue really shows up. I used that blue thread, which I really like, only on this one. It would have been lost on the blue.
Choosing embroidery threads is hard work. I’ll go back when we have Craft Night again and choose some more.
Like the Lobster, the Orange You Glad has returned. The quilting is done and I have to sew down the binding.
I was glad to have a few months break, especially over the holidays where I had little time to stitch anyway. Now I am close to finishing the La Pass rosettes and will have more time to sew down bindings and sew on sleeves.
Orange You Glad quilted- detail
One of the things I like about this quilting is motif depicting rays that Colleen did around each of the circles. Simple, but effective.
She did a great job avoiding the raw edges. I always warn her, but you never know. So far, on all of these Bullseyes, I haven’t had any folded edges. That makes me very happy.
Orange You Glad quilted- detail
In the center of the circles is a simple spiral. She would have done something better, but I couldn’t think of anything.
There is enough quilting to keep the thing flat as a pancake, which is my preference.
Orange You Glad back quilted
Finally, the back looks good. I know I was sick of the quilt when I made the back, but the large pieces are really effective. I like seeing those big flower prints in all their glory.
All in all, I was very pleased with the price. Four quilts, a tablerunner and two pieces of foam were very economical.
