Black Windmill in the Wild

Tootsie on the Black Windmill
Tootsie on the Black Windmill

My dog-sister, Tootsie, was caught on camera sitting on my stepdad’s Windmill quilt. She is a piece of work!

My mom thought that I would be angry seeing the dog on the quilt. I wasn’t. I knew that the dog wouldn’t have been on the quilt for long as one of the Parental Units would have shooed her off.

Black Windmill Finished

Black Windmill Complete
Black Windmill Complete

I finished the Black Windmill on Monday night. It is a Christmas gift, so I took it straight to the Post Office Tuesday morning and these are the only two photos I took. DH was kind enough to be my quilt holder.

In this version of the windmill quilt, the windmills are much more hidden some of them can be seen, but most the variation in colors hides the others. As mentioned, I kept sewing until I used up all of the pieces. I want to be done with this pattern, though it is possible that I will make another one at some point in the future. We’ll see. For now, I am done with the pattern.

Black Windmill back - finished
Black Windmill back – finished

Black Windmill Top & Back

Black Windmill Top Finished
Black Windmill Top Finished

I finished the top, back and binding for the Black Windmill over the weekend. This baby is ready to go to the longarmer. I need to decide if I will take this quilt and Red Scribbles or if I will wait and put together another quilt before I made the trip? I’d like this one back at the beginning of October so the sooner the better my chances are. On the other hand, making the trip seems like a really long adventure. It is totally my perception. The length of the trip (15 miles???) hasn’t changed.

Black Windmill Back Finished
Black Windmill Back Finished

In terms of the back, I used a big leafy Philip Jacobs print and some older prints I unearthed when I looked through my backing fabrics a few weeks ago. The back doesn’t exactly match the front, but I thought the front was a little dark and wanted the back to be lighter. Also, I wanted to use up fabric.

The two middle half yards on the right are Mary Ellen Hopkins prints from the Dark Ages. They are awesome prints that I had been saving for something special. My stepdad’s quilt  seems like a good opportunity to use them.

Grumpy Fish print
Grumpy Fish print

One of them, however, has fish on it and the fish look super grumpy! I didn’t notice that before I sewed the back and I hope my stepdad doesn’t take issue with them. In a way the grumpiness is kind of funny.

Black Windmill – All the Blocks

Black Windmill - all the blocks
Black Windmill – all the blocks

I worked over the weekend on getting the rest of the blocks made so I could start to sew the piece together.

I admit that some of the greys used as foreground (not-black) are too close in tone to the blacks to be true backgrounds. I am going to leave them to add to the mystery of the pattern, if there is a such a thing.

More Black Windmill

Black Windmill on the wall
Black Windmill on the wall

I put all the blocks I had made on the wall. I had a few leftover foreground fabrics, so I had to cut some black backgrounds to complete those. 

Now I am mostly in the process of moving the blocks around to create a pleasing arrangement.I am trying to make sure the backgrounds and foregrounds are mixed up. That is not always that easy. As soon as I have the arrangement I want, I will start sewing and that should be a quick process.

Black Windmill on the wall annotated
Black Windmill on the wall annotated

I decided that I would add an extra row of blocks in order to complete the Windmill shape. You can see what I mean by looking at the cross I added to the second photo. If you compare that block in the first photo to the block next to it, you will see that without the extra row, some of the windmill shapes are cut off. I want them to all be complete.

I am pretty pleased with my progress, but have more work to do.

Windmill templates
Windmill templates

On a related note, I went through my various rulers the other day and organized them. One thing I found was the missing Windmill template. Sigh. Let me know if you want to make a quilt like this. All offers for the template will be seriously considered!

Another Windmill on the Wall

Black Windmill going up on the wall
Black Windmill going up on the wall

I haven’t worked on this piece since July, because Red Scribbles was on the wall and red thread (for the applique’) was in the machine. Now grey thread is back in the machine and I am putting the piece up on the design wall.

I am thinking of calling this Black Windmill. I don’t really like the name that much, but there are more than cool colors in the foreground, so Cool Windmill n.2 doesn’t work either. It is looking good, though I have a lot of rearranging work to do before I can start piecing.

Finished: Warm Windmill n.2

Warm Windmill n.2 -Finished
Warm Windmill n.2 -Finished

I finished the third Windmill quilt over the weekend. I received three quilts back two weeks ago and I have slowly been working the bindings. Since we have been working on jigsaw puzzles int he evening, I haven’t had as much hand stitching time, so it took me longer than I anticipated.

I sent a photo to my mom and she is excited to receive it even though it is over 100 degrees at her house.

Last Windmill?

Black Windmill
Black Windmill

I have been working Windmill units for my next Windmill quilt. I kind of hope this is the last one, but it is an easy pattern, so there is a possibility that I will make another.

This one is using black as the background. I wanted to do something different. After FOTY 2018, I might be more interested in using black again.I am also using a few dark blues and some browns. I may not keep them in. It depends on how they look once I get the piece on the design wall. Right now I am just sewing pairs together.

I am going to give this one to my stepdad. It will match, sort of, Warm Windmill #2, which I am giving to my mom.

 

Warm Windmill n.2 Ready for Quilting

Warm Windmill n.2 ready for quilting
Warm Windmill n.2 ready for quilting

I had to get the Warm Windmill n.2 off the design wall by the end of the weekend. I sewed a little each day at lunchtime last week and also a little after work. I finished sewing the whole piece together on Saturday, including sewing around the outside edge.

I pulled fabrics for the back on Saturday evening, but didn’t do any sewing. After sleeping on it, I remembered to look at my back fabrics and found the leftovers of a#politicalwifery dress that formed the backbone of the back.

Warm Windmill n.2 back ready for quilting
Warm Windmill n.2 back ready for quilting

This is quilt #2 that is ready for Colleen.

I am going to make some bags and more face masks and some smaller projects while I work on a new design wall.

Warm Windmill n.2 Sewn

Warm Windmill n.2 - blocks sewn
Warm Windmill n.2 – blocks sewn

Well, at least the blocks are sewn together.

 I am working hard at making this a top not because I want a product, but because I need to free up the design wall. I am still being careful about the colors.

I spent several lunch hours and time after work sewing to get this done. From what you see in the photo, I need to finish sewing all the blocks together.

I found a GREAT binding fabric by chance and am excited about that.

Warm Windmill n.2

Warm Windmill n.2 test
Warm Windmill n.2 test

I am starting the Windmill. for my mom.

The photo shows a test to see what I think of that square dot as a background. I was afraid it would overwhelm the blade fabrics. I think it looks ok.

Warm Windmill n.2 -layout
Warm Windmill n.2 -layout

I have done some piecing and am pleased with the look. The image below shows the quilt laid out on my design wall before I started to piece. I can’t believe how many batiks there are! That is all Friend Julie. She has an amazing collection of batiks!

Starting Another Windmill

Windmill blades + background
Windmill blades + background

As you know from a previous post, I had about a million leftover Windmill blades. I put them back in the box after finishing both Windmill quilts, not sure what I would do with them. Apparently. Mom was broadly hinting that she wanted Warm Windmill. Unfortunately, she was too subtle and I had already promised it to someone else. Finally, she just asked me straight out to make her one. I agreed, but couldn’t start it until I finished Frolic! As I said before, I have known she wanted one for awhile and it was in my plan to make it for her. I am pleased to make something for her as she is such a good Mom.

Testing the Windmill Background
Testing the Windmill Background

After finishing Frolic!, I needed an easy project. There are other quilts I need to make but these Windmills are  quick and easy and relatively mindless, but not boring. Since Mom wants a Windmill quilt, this is the one to go under the needle next. It will be my palate cleanser before I start on something else. I am already thinking about what is next. I need to reel those thoughts in and focus on making this quilt fabulous.

Finished: Cool Windmill

Cool Windmill Finished
Cool Windmill Finished

I was reminded when I wrote the 26 Projects post yesterday that I forgot to post the finished Cool Windmill quilt.

Right now it’s kind of all Frolic! all the time so I am happy I didn’t post this earlier so you guys get a break from Frolic!.

This will head off to a friend’s house once Shelter-in-Place is over, though if I have to go out, I might drop it off and do a sort of ding-dong-ditch. I would tell her and possible stand off the porch and ‘yell’ at her when she opens the door. We’ll see how long I want it hanging around. We have another month of Shelter-in-Place.

Cool Windmill back (finished)
Cool Windmill back (finished)

The back is ok. I don’t know why I chose so much green, perhaps to get rid of it.

DH was kind enough to hold the quilt up for me so I could photograph it. Click on the photos to enlarge them as they look better.

Mom has requested one of these, but in warm colors. That will be a good way to get rid of some of the patches and it was a fun and easy quilt to make. I look forward to that.

Finished: Warm Windmill

Finished: Warm Windmill
Finished: Warm Windmill

The Warm Windmill is finished. I think I already added it to my spreadsheet, so no additional fabric usage. I am pleased with the way it came out.

I need to figure out if I am going to keep it until I can show it at a guild meeting. I am getting a pileup of quilts around the house, so I am inclined to send it along to its new home. We’ll see.

Finished: Warm Windmill (back)
Finished: Warm Windmill (back)

Warm and Cool

I wanted to show these two quilts together since they will not go to live at the same house when they are finished. I took them both to my longarmer the other week and they will be done soon since, for once, she doesn’t have a huge backlog. I need to get Frolic! going so I can take that quilt to be quilted when I go to pick these up. I talked recently about the progress I am making on it, but I still feel like I am not making enough.

Leftover Windmill Blades
Leftover Windmill Blades

That could be because of the number of Windmill blades I have left. I don’t feel like I finished a project despite the fact that I have two quilts – a warm version and a cool version.

For each quilt (shown above), I used 256 blades from my bin. I also added background blades, so each quilt consisted of 512 blades. The only blades I really care about are the non-background blades, because those are the ones I have stashed. I used 512 of those blades total. I think I might have that many left.I am not sure what I have left in terms of blades. Do I have enough to make another pretty Cool version? Or will I need to think of another color arrangement?

I have more Windmill quilts to make, though not today.