Friday, August 18, 2017

Now All In ONE Post

May I present 100 Blocks for Modern Quilters, done in 100 days.

In no particular order....

















There are probably some repeats in this last picture, and maybe some of the others, since 9 x 12 is 108 and there were only 100 blocks, although I remember making at least two duplicates in different color ways...
How's that for a run on sentence!






On the design wall, prior to webbing.

It was a blast doing these.

Louise, on the island, reminiscing about the last 100 Days










"Preppy the Whale"

UPDATE!!!
This post was originally written right after the completion of the "100 Blocks in 100 Days 2017" Instagram challenge. I think I was so caught up in the intensity of that challenge that I felt the need to get going on another one.

I have rethought that enthusiasm!

"Preppy the Whale" will get done, just not right now as an on going challenge.
That is reserved for the Tula Pink Butterfly Sew a Long and the Gypsy Wife Sew Along.
Each of those are in progress and each of those will get their own blog posts in the future.

Now on to the post originally scheduled to be seen by everyone on August 18, almost two weeks ago. 
Enjoy!


Another new project has come to the front of the planning page tonight.

"Preppy the Whale" by Elizabeth Hartman is being set up as a personal challenge and sew along.


Will you join me?

I have recently been sewing creatures from Elizabeth Hartman's "Awesome Ocean" pattern.


(The latest photo of my progress...)

The animals are fun to do.

Now that I have finished one whale 


and recently unearthed the Preppy the Whale pattern, I think I have another, new sew along begging to be started.

Digging around in the stash, I found this 75 piece grouping of ten inch squares of Denyse Schmidt solids from Free Spirit that I had purchased awhile ago.


Then in the same area, I found this zip-loc baggie filled with yardage of a blue that will be perfect for the background.  This fabric has always reminded me of seaweed for some reason or other.  Must be my imagination though.


(It is actually much bluer than this picture shows it to be.  Bad lighting tonight.)

And voila!

A new project is born..

Let's see how we do!

Louise, on the island, in the rain, planning again!

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Having just (about since today is day 95) finished the 100 Blocks in 100 Days challenge, successfully, I feel ready to think about another on-going project.

Another challenge.

For awhile, I have been looking at "The 4" x 5" Quilt-Block Anthology, 182 Blocks for Reproduction Fabrics" by Carol Hopkins and Linda M. Koenig. This is a new publication from Martingale that only came out this spring.


And then it hit me this afternoon, during deck time, of course, that the school year around here is 180 days. Add in a few teacher prep days and you've got yourself a ready made time frame.

So now the question becomes...

Old time reproduction...
"Seasonal Little Gatherings" from Primitive Gatherings and Moda
A bundle from a few years back that never found its own project...


Or "Union Blues" by Barbara Brackman for Moda


Or new release, sort of old reproduction looking, fabrics from Laundry Basket Quilts, called "Silver Linings in Color"


Or kick it up a notch, to modern, Alison Glass and friends type of fabrics.


Or maybe Denyse Schmidt...


What's your vote? 

I've got a few days still to decide.

Louise, on the deck, on the island, trying to decide


Random Thoughts on a Wednesday

UPDATE!!
I did not publish this when I wrote it at the beginning of August after the guild meeting. I think I was too embarrassed. I am over it now. So this blog post is being published at the end of August.
Mind you though, nothing has changed in terms of my stash. I am just over the embarrassed part.

Here is the original post.

I went to my guild meeting last night and the lecture was about color.

We were asked to look at our stash and decide a couple of things about it.
But I never heard any more since all I could hear in my head was....

"Does she know how big my stash is? 
Does she actually think I can do this with my stash? 
I will get buried if I pile up all of that fabric!"

I think I need a multi-step program!

Let me illustrate...

Fabrics pulled for a table topper designed by someone in EQ.


Fabrics pulled for Doug Leko quilt from his book "Scrap It Up"


Future bindings in future quilts.  I have been getting into striped bindings lately - at least the thought of them, since you have to actually finish a quilt to put on the binding.


Fabrics pulled for "Long Time Gone" by Jen Kingwell, and being used, I might add, although I only have two blocks done for the quilt and the Instagram challenge is long over.


On the table...to deal with this morning/today/tonight....


From left to right, fabrics for either a "Fanfare" quilt, pattern by Deb Tucker or ..., Easter egg fabric for a Tablerunner or table topper that needs to be done ASAP, four blocks for a table runner that needs to be done for tomorrow night's meeting, (at least the top), and....


Block 95 which needs to be photographed and posted, my orange Octavian block from Elizabeth Hartman's pattern "Awesome Ocean", and...


Pastel Scrappy Trips, which are blocks from a personal challenge going along with "My Tea and Brie"'s summer challenge using Bonnie Hunter's scrappy trips pattern.

Seen enough? I know I have, and I know my ADHD is showing today!

And back to the original question.. 

Does she have any idea how big my stash really is???

Louise, on the island mucking around in the stash












Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Binding on the deck

It is a pleasant evening for August first. 
A nice evening to do some quilt binding on the deck.


I am on the third side of the quilt, with the longest side yet to come.


Can you see the egret hiding across the cove to the left of the white dock, next to the tree trunk ( not really next to it. It just looks that way because of the perspective).


We also watch the jets and planes go by. This one is at 39,000 feet and heading to Germany, or so the flight tracking app is telling me.


The sun has set and still we sit.
Soon it will be too dark to sew but I will wait until the bugs start to get to me. 
No candles tonight!

Ah, this is the life. I am thankful I can enjoy it!

Louise, on the island, on the deck, enjoying life, thankfully!