I took the Undercover Maker Mat on the CQFA Retreat. I got to try it out. That was why I made it.
I thought the front pockets worked pretty well. I can see where a pincushion might be handy, but I don’t plan to transfer my pins from pincushion to pincushion every time I use the mat.
I think the pockets would be more in use depending on the different projects I might be working on. I might use the larger selvage pocket on the left for a 6.5 inch ruler as needed. For what I did at the retreat having my snips and seam ripper handy was fine.
I had a couple of issues. First, you can see that the snips sleeve is in the pocket. Without the snips sleeve, my snips kept getting caught on the inside of the pocket. I added the snip sleeve because I didn’t want to cut the mat. Perhaps I should have used oilcloth for the inside of the pockets?
I didn’t notice it at the retreat, but I did notice it at the Jen Carlton Bailly class. I couldn’t get the legs of my Sew Steady table level when using the mat. I may want to make another mat that is larger so the Sew Steady doesn’t have to try and deal with different heights (mat/table).
None of this is fatal or a problem with the pattern.
I took Ends n.7 and the Green Strips Donation quilts over to Tim’s house the other day so he could quilt them. He has a bunch of quilts to quilt and said that a number of them need backs and batting.
This irritates me because I know that Tim does a lot of quilting for the guild. The least that people can do is get the quilt ready for quilting. Still, the top is done and who knows what happened? Someone could have just managed to get the top done before s/he had to deal with some tragedy. Also, it gives me the opportunity to participate in a group project.
This is a fun and cheerful quilt. I brought it home in order to make a back so that Tim can quilt it. I kind of think it needs a border. The texture of the blocks, however, makes me want to do some piecing rather than just sew a plain border on to it. I have a number of other donation projects in process, so I have to decide if I want to add to the list with more piecing or just get this one done.
I don’t know what this will be – block or quilt. I started it because I had some leftovers from the Green Strip donation quilt.
I thought I would just make a block, hand it over to Peggy and see what she could do with it. Somehow, it is has grown into this. It is about 22 x 22 inches now and I might as well just keep on using those green scraps to make it into a top. Another 10 inches on each side will not be difficult. I might even have enough scraps.
I am almost done with another row of small strips for the right side, which will add about 4 inches to it. I grab strips or pieces out of the green bin, sew them together into some kind of strip and attach it when it is long enough. I had some plainer strips leftover from the back of the Green Strip donation quilt and have been adding those as well.
There are a lot of small pieces so I am worried about the quilting (which I won’t be doing!) I am trying to reduce bulk by pressing all the seams open, which is a big pain.
If nothing else, this is a great way to get rid of scraps. It isn’t doing anything for my collection of donation blocks, however. Tim saw the photo I posted and said that it was much more interesting than the regular postage stamp blocks the guild normally makes. Perhaps I am just branching out and using some different inspiration to create beauty for others in need? I haven’t examined my inspiration much beyond wanting to use up scraps.
No, my birthday is not in February, but I didn’t have a chance to show off my gifts until now. I am not trying to make anyone jealous.
It was a pretty big quilty birthday, which is not always the case. I got a new cutting mat. I have smaller cutting mats that go with me when I travel or participate in Sew Day. The mat I use in my workroom, however, is the one I got when I started making quilts more than 30 years ago! It was time for an upgrade and I am using and loving the new one. It does make a difference.
I received some new Tula dots. I’ll have to figure out something fabulous to make with them.
Charm square project tote
I also got a number of new project totes, which is great! I really like putting my projects in totes and keeping everything together. This little tote (right) fits charm squares. Not sure how I will use it, but will figure something out.
I haven’t tried everything out, but am slowly working my way through all the new stuff. I am so fortunate to have such great friends. It was so nice get things related to my passion.
I was feeling a little discouraged by my City Sampler Progress. I felt like I spent last weekend sewing and sewing and sewing and not getting anywhere. Then, all of a sudden, the whole left side is together!
That side has 36 blocks, so I am not yet halfway through, but I do feel like it is significant progress. I also don’t feel as discouraged. I have hope that I will be able to get this top together.
I am thinking of putting the border on that side before sewing the side to anything else. I think it will be easier than wrestling the quilt when it is finished.
Green Strips quilt top and back – finished 1/16/2019
In Process
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 try not to put away projects, because that will ensure I never work on them
City Sampler – blocks all made and on the design wall. I have started to sash the blocks with the intention of putting the top together. I have to, due to some seam allowance issues, will have to adjust some of the blocks in some way – either ripping and resewing, adding a piece or two to the block, or with sashing. I am dealing with the problems as they come up in the piecing process. The big challenge is finding the fabric so I can replace pieces where necessary.
FOTY 2017 – pieces cut. Off the design wall. I am counting and resorting the pieces while I work on the City Sampler
English Paper Piecing Project– half hexies – I work on this generally at night in front of the TV, so I made slow but steady progress. I am still thinking of my friend Faye whenever I work on it. She says that I have to think of this as my slow project.
Serendipity Lady Quilt: I was kind of surprised that I made progress. As mentioned in a previous post, I finished satin stitching the pieces on this project and am ready to baste it for quilting.
Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.
Handbag Sampler – this is the forgotten project. The blocks were teaching samples when I taught a sampler class the time before I started writing the quilt class sampler tutorials. I found one block recently, but otherwise I actually don’t know exactly where the blocks are hiding. I have an idea and still have to crawl up in the far reaches of my fabric closet soon and see if I can find them. I haven’t even found a picture of all the blocks. Sad.
Lobster – I still have more stitching to do and then I need to quilt it.
Pies and Points from 2016 Victoria Findlay Wolfe class. Julie and I had a playdate towards the beginning of April. I brought this piece with me so I could cut more elements (Julie has a Sizzix). I lost my excitement about this piece and will have to get it back. I had to move this to the WIPs area.
Pointillist Palette #4: Fourth is a series of 6 quilts; needs tiny square patches sewn together. No progress.
Under the Sea: class project; The stitching has made the design much more appealing. I am also happier with the colors. I have worked on it regularly during Craft Night and am nearing the end of the embellishment. I keep saying that and, then, just add a bit more.
Black and Red quilt – This came about because of two other projects. I made a whole bunch of bias tape as part of my failed attempt at doing the Mighty Lucky Club a few years ago. Another part of the inspiration came from my class with Tina of Little Blue Cottage fame. This was going to be for a nephew, but I think it will be for one of my SILs and BILs. I have rectangles cut and some bias tape ready. My next step is to sew the bias tape to the rectangles like pickup sticks. I don’t have any photos of this, so you’ll have to use your imagination.
Who Am I? – This piece is up on my design and I keep meaning to work on it, but I haven’t. I am not sure why, but I don’t want it to end up like the Self-Portrait.
Small Projects in Process
Most of my progress involves thinking or just cutting.
4-Zip Organizer – part of Crafty Gemini Organizer Club. It is on my list, but I haven’t actually started
Chubby Charmer with Good Fortune charm pack – gift; not started.
Classmates Bag n.2 – I cut out all the pieces (except maybe the vinyl), but haven’t sewn. I have to get this done by the beginning of March as it is for a friend.
BAMaQG IRR –I have been working on this lately and am making progress. It is slow since it is hand quilting. I might add some more machine quilting to the project to move it along.
The MetroScape top is also finished and at the quilter
Theoretically, the Tarts Come to Tea is in the quilting process, though I haven’t worked on it in a while. Mom said she is really looking forward to me finishing it, which might be the incentive I need to get back to work on it.
Binding
nothing now
Hunting and Gathering
30 Something: I continue to cut 1.5 inch squares. I am pretty sure I have the 800 I need, but I am not ready to sew them together yet, so whenever I have a chance to cut more I cut more. It will give me choice when the time comes. I looked at whether I could start piecing this, but I found I need to cut some other sizes. I got those sizes on the cutting sheet and have a cut a few. I need over 600 of a size something like 1.75×3.75. I need some more accessories boxes to organize these new pieces. I’ll have to think up a new name for this quilt, too, since I am not using 1930s fabrics.
Blue Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch blue rectangles. It has to end sometime. I wasn’t sure I was ready to put this together, but I think I might be. I might do a couple of gradation quilts in a row just to get the practice.
FOTY 2018: I have started cutting 2.5 inch squares for the 2018 version.
Pink Gradation Quilt: cutting 2.5 inch x 4.5 inch pink rectangles
Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered. I might have to cut some more background fabrics. I probably have enough fabrics and just need to decide to start.
Windmill quilt: Still hunting and gathering. I am supposed to be cutting a variety of greys for the background, which required the purchase of a new template. Cutting is very therapeutic, so I should try and do it when I have a few minutes.
Other
Gross usage is just over 10.40 yards YTD. My net is at about -.60 yards. I got 10 yards of fabric for my birthday and it is early in the year. Stay tuned.
I took some time over the weekend to work on the City Sampler. It is slow going, but I am making progress.
Because of the seam allowance issues and the fact that the blocks are tiny, it is taking me time to sew the whole thing together. I know it is not a race and I have to keep telling myself that.
I don’t know what this piece will be. I think I will make it into a block and hand it over to Peggy to see what she can do with it. It would be a good center medallion to a baby quilt. Others could make similar blocks and it could become a larger quilt. I still have a lot of green, so we will have to see.
In order to add a gift to Maureen’s bag, I made her a pincushion. Unlike the bag, the pincushion went together very smoothly. I had some of the pieces and parts from my last round of pincushion making on the cutting table. They weren’t crappy, just unused.
I picked out some other scraps from the unsorted pile on my cutting table and came up with a great selection. I am pleased with how it looks and don’t think it looks thrown together or disjointed at all.
Maureen’s pincushion-with clips
I saved time by not using selvages for the back. I just used a piece of the batik. As usual, I filled it with a combination of wool roving and Beanie Baby pellets.
Maureen is stepping down from her role as Supreme Leader of CQFA. I decided that we needed to give her a gift, so I organized the bag gift that I do at BAM.
Maureen’s Jane Market Tote
I got started on it kind of late, so the bag I made is a simple Jane Market Tote. I thought I had some African Fabric, which Maureen would have liked, but I have been cleaning out my fabric bins and that must have gone to a better home in a recent purge.
The project didn’t go super smoothly. I had to rip out the whole thing once I had sewn the outside and lining together and done the topstitching. Sigh. Somehow the linking was way too large and was sagging on the inside. I couldn’t live with it, so I ripped it all out. I had to trim the lining and then sew it all back together. It wasn’t terrible, but not ideal either. I think I must have turned the lining the wrong way when I boxed the corners. Hopefully, I will remember to check next time!
The members will bring notes and gifts with which to fill the bag.
The Green Strips donation top and back is finally finished and ready to take to BAM.
I made it from green scraps and a yard of Kona Cream that Amanda gave me. The scrap bin is right next to my sewing machine, so I can reach in an rummage without even getting up! It would be a bad thing except I have to get up to iron and cut, so I still get steps in.
The block was inspired by Alison, as I think I have mentioned, though she does hers on a foundation. That is probably a good idea, though I didn’t have a lot of problems with bias.
Green Strips donation back
I dragged down the green bin and pulled out some yardage I didn’t think I would use for the back.
I talked a little about the CQFA Retreat a few days ago, which discussed a lot of the projects on which I worked. A number of projects were worked on and finished.
Drawstring Gift Bag
Angela, of course, made the bag in which they placed my birthday gifts. I was not suspicious at all, because I didn’t think anyone besides Julie knew about my birthday. I crack myself up sometimes. 😉
Bron’s Elegant Wrap
Bron found a wonderful piece of fake fur at FabMo. It isn’t fur like a fur rug, but was like velour, but had longer hair. She made a shawl out of it and it looked elegant and fantastic.
A friend of hers is going to a wedding in St. Petersburg and will get to wear it. It is so wonderful that we told Bron to make sure she gets it back. I have to think of a place to wear it so I can borrow it. 😉
Julie with her apron
Julie with her apron-back
Julie’s first finish was an apron. She bought the pattern and fabric after seeing it at PIQF. She wrote about it on her blog. She did great fussy cutting on the pockets.
Lynette’s batik squares
Lynette worked on a batik quilt using squares. I love the sashing she worked on. I also think the lavender background was an innovative choice.
This is a good choice for a retreat project IMO, because it is something that takes a lot of time. It can just be worked on the entire weekend. It also doesn’t need a lot of attention to detail so the maker can pay attention to the banter around her as well. I know Lynette machine quilted one of her mom’s small quilts first.
Rhonda worked on a piece she started at Craft Napa and we all kibbitzed on that project. We also saw her finished Dropcloth Sampler squares. FANTASTIC!
Carolyn-Bron piece
Carolyn, one of our far flung members, sent Bron some squares. Bron brought them with her to make a quilt. She started out by redoing some of the squares in an Improv kind of way.
We all thought the fabrics were ‘very Carolyn’. Bron added a lot of the angles and worked to make the pieces around the same size. She got to about this stage when we had to pack up. Again there were lots of opinions about the blocks.
The quilting fairies were watching over Angela as she machine quilted a donation quilt for BAM. She ran over a safety pin without even noticing and there was no harm done to her, the quilt or her machine. WHEW!
Nancy worked on some embroidery for a class she is taking. Dolores worked on beading. Jen was putting together silk squares and was planning to applique’ some of her wool work on it.
I really like seeing everyone’s work and how they are working. Well worth the effort.
