Progress but Nothing Finished

I've made progress on several different quilting projects this week but have no finishes.  Here's what I've been up to.

Never underestimate the amount of time it takes to cut 143 3½" blocks!

I cut a few on Thursday so I wouldn't be starting something on a Friday.  Today I imagined spending half an hour or so to have them done.  Well, maybe if I'd had a die cutter, but with a rotary cutter it took longer.  Maybe four times longer--or at least it seemed that way.  At first I thought, "What was I thinking choosing a setting with alternate blocks?!"  By the time I finished I was thinking, "Gosh, I'm glad I have a rotary cutter instead of having to cut these with scissors and a cardboard template."  Above is just a small section.

I thought maybe I could sew them as 9-patch blocks, alternating 9-patch and plain squares on the corners, without a layout, just as I picked them up from the pile.

Then I realized that if three greens or browns or oranges were clustered together, I might not be happy.  So I'll choose where I want them to go, then either sew 9-patches or sew them together in rows.

Scrappy Ohio Stars have also seen some progress. 

I don't think I will need them but since the pieces were already cut I decided to finish them.  I really don't like making blocks and then cutting them to size but it seemed prudent for these small blocks this time.

I cut and stitched three more blocks for the Blue and Lights (plus browns) sampler.

And here they are with all the other blocks.  The new ones are the bottom three on the left column. These may make sense only if you know I chose blocks that had either a square or an on-point square in the center surrounded by a square in the opposite orientation.

And about my One Monthly Goal of finishing the hand quilting on Everyday Patchwork.  My rotary cutter needed a new blade.  Not a problem, I have a pack or two on hand.  Have you ever noticed that the new blades seem to have oil or grease on them?  I didn't want that on the fabric I was cutting so I scrunched up a tissue and pulled it across the blade.  I've done it before, no problem, but this time I somehow let my hand move back into the blade.  It's not a big or a deep cut but it's enough of a cut that my index finger is now sporting two band-aids, one on top of the other, because it was bleeding so much.  I'm not sure I'll be able to hand quilt with those band-aids on.  I may need to edit my OMG for April.

My older daughter and her husband and their five children were here last week for a few days.  Gosh, it was busy but oh so fun to have them here.  And I forgot to take photos!

I've been terrible lately about making notes of quilts I've started and progress on the ones I started earlier.  I just realized how much I rely on this blog (and digital photos with dates) to keep track of when I started a quilt and the progress  I made.  Of course, I love posting and reading your comments, too!  In fact, I think that's the best part of blogging.

I"m linking this post to
  > Finished (or not) Friday at Alycia Quilts
  > Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework (on Sunday)
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Thanks for visiting and reading and, if you do, for leaving a comment.
--Nancy.

Dreaming of Possibilities in 2025

I might see these in my dreams but I'm not promising myself progress on any or all of them.  Since what these need is so clear cut (except for Bramble Blooms), it makes sense I should be able to do something to move them forward to become finish tops or quilts.  But then there is life....

These are quilts I might possibly work on/play with in 2025, in no particular order.

Blue (+ brown) and lights blocks

My idea with these blocks was centers with a square set straight or on point surrounded by a square set the other way, etc.  But no stars.  I chose blues and lights but when Lizzy of Gone to the Beach sent an antique brown block, I decided to incorporate several more brown blocks.  The blocks will finish at 12" and I intend to use fabric in the pink/coral range for sashing and border.  Four across will make a quilt about 65-67 inches wide.  The challenge will be the length.  Five blocks down will finish between 81-83 inches.  Add one more block to the length and it will finish at about 93 inches which is perhaps a little too long.  I intend to make square-in-square cornerstones. The patterns for all of these blocks came from Judy Hopkins's book, 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks.from where I learned that the same pattern may have different names depending on the color arrangement.  Anyway, I need to make either three or seven more blocks.

Bramble Blooms

Dear, dear Bramble Blooms.  What a failure I made of my first effort.  I unstitched all but the center and a narrow border I'd added.  My fabrics are still in stacks and I hope to get back to this soon.

rose fabric squares

I've cut about half the number of squares I need for the quilt.  My intention was a one-patch but other ideas keep popping into my head.  What about a few subtle stars?  What about applique?  What about a border around each block?  What about . . . ?  I have a length of toile with children in old-fashioned clothing, playing old-fashioned games, also with beautiful bouquets of roses which might work for the back. 

Everyday Patchwork

The quilting is in progress.  I just need to make progress--stitch and get it done.

scrappy stars in mostly the red range

I'm using these 6" stars as leader/enders, except when I'm not.  Cutting takes time....  Still debating layout and size.  Rows with sashing?  Alternate plain squares?  On point or straight set?

little 9-patch in autumn colors

This is also a leader/ender and, again, cutting takes time.  I have plenty of scraps to cut.  Layout and size yet to be determined.

100 Day Stitch Book
I don't have a photo for this because I haven't decided whether to participate or not. Ann Wood Homemade hosts the 100 Day Stitch Book sew-along in which we cut fabric pages, stitch on them for 15 minutes every day for a week (or five days), then move to the next page.  Most of the finished books are not just stitches but have layers of fabric stitched in place. The appealing things about this are the aspect of play and that turned fabric edges are not necessary.

Will I have time? (It begins on Friday, January 17 and ends in April.)  Will I have the energy or the focus or the concentration?  I certainly have plenty of fabric for this.

I was looking online about vertigo and someone asked why he or she was so tired.  The responder said the brain is working harder than usual to try to keep the person balanced.  I translate that as, I wouldn't be so tired if I stayed in bed all day.  However, that would absolutely not be good for me or my muscles, and I think both the doctor and physical therapist would agree.  But it's sure tempting some days....

Another possible time limitation will be trying to sort and clear out some of the things in our home.  Changes will be coming but I'm not sure when.  We have too much stuff!

Yesterday it snowed.  It was cold and beautiful.

Today, well, this afternoon, it's much colder even though we have clear skies and sun.  I sometimes think how bored I would be if every day were the same, always summer or always winter.  I love living in a temperate climate.  How about you?  Do you love the climate where you live?


Wishing you a good day!
--Nancy.

Like a Kid Out of School for the Summer

Yesterday I looked forward to today as if I were a kid let out of school for the summer.  I realized that the quilt I was so diligently trying to finish by the end of May--BowTies--was done and the only other active quilt in progress was hand quilting Flowers.  My life was wide open to possibilities.  Today, however, I'm feeling at a loss.  I have to make a decision about what's next (because I can't just sit and do nothing, can I?).

There are several possibilities.

Roses at the Garden Market?  These blocks have been tugging at me.  Each green square will finish at 4½". These have been on my mind for a few months.  I started them in 2015 and they've been waiting since 2017.  I can't work on them quite yet because the kitties are here until next Wednesday and I need to lay all 180 of the squares on the floor to sort the arrangement.  Then I'll decide on sashing/or not between blocks.  I'm torn between red and white/natural striped sashing and grey or some other color between blocks, or maybe a group of nine blocks side-by-side and sashing around those....  Or...?

Baskets of Plenty are still waiting, too.

These are sewn into a top but they will get unstitched.  These bright, lively flowers deserve better than the static, monochromatic sashing they have now.  What was I thinking?!  But unstitching is a sit-down task similar to quilting.  Maybe these would be better when I finish quilting Flowers.

The blue and light sampler blocks have been finished for a few years.  Finished unless I need to make more.

These need sashing and a border.  What color, what fabric?  I have 20 blue 12" blocks and am thinking about adding several brown ones--maybe.  I'm also thinking about 4" sashing, but I'm not sure.  And I'm still not sure about 4 x 5 blocks or 4 x 6 blocks or 5 x 6 or 7 blocks.  All of these blocks have a diamond or a square in the center, surrounded by the opposite.  It's interesting to me how much weight some of these carry.  I also find it interesting how the same arrangement of parts can look so different depending on the tone or shade of the fabric.

I have some little 3½" spool blocks I should do something with.  I like spools, sort of....

These are made of more modern fabrics in mostly bright colors.  It would be a simple, quick finish, I suppose.  But I can never decide what to do with little quilts.... 

Sweet Land of Liberty is in the wings but I'm not ready to pull that out just now.

Or, of course, I could start something new.  Now that's a fun idea!

Maybe a quilt with rose-printed fabrics?

I've been collecting them for a few years now and have some vintage pieces.   I don't have a specific pattern in mind, though....

I guess I could always clean up my sewing space.  (I'm too embarrassed to post photos.)

Or I could play, like kids out of school, or just be lazy for a week and sit and quilt and watch videos or listen to books on tape....  I think I'll decide tomorrow.

Do you ever feel like the kid out of school for the summer?  Do you have summer quilting plans?  Do your quilting habits change from season to season?

--Nancy.

Not Quite Twins

My only sewing this month has been this block. 
I think it came out pretty well.  It's a 12" block.

I based the block on this pattern and altered it somewhat,

  to recreate this antique block from Lizzy.

That brown frame around the diamond and two central squares fascinated me.  The finished block adds up to much more than its parts, composed of five squares, 20 half-square triangles, and 12 flying geese.  I don't know the block's name but it makes me think of stylized search lights.  After studying it a bit and looking through Judy Hopkins's book, 501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks, I realized that the block was based on an 8-unit grid, which made the recreation of the block so much simpler.  It was easy to calculate the size of the squares from the pattern.

When I finished the block I though, Oh, twins! 

But no, they're more like older sister and  younger sister.  Younger sister was made perhaps a hundred years ago and is smaller, finishing at about 11".

Lizzy's block was on top of my blue sampler blocks when I realized the center was the same format as most of the other blue blocks, with a square in the center, either on-point or horizontal, surrounded by a square or two in the opposite position.  Some of these blocks are also based on an 8-unit grid; others on a 6-unit grid.

I'm asking myself two questions at this point:
First, could I mix brown blocks with the blue ones?
Second, would I dare use an antique block in a quilt that will get washed and dried at least once in its life?  It's a well-made block with good, sturdy fabric, but . . . .

I have five more blue blocks already made.  And I'm currently thinking of sashing and borders in an old-style pink fabric.  (Or not.)  Hmmmm.  The blocks are too busy to use a fabric with a busy pattern.

I hope you've had a more productive January than I have!

--Nancy.

2020 in Review, a Year of Finishing, More or Less

I determined that 2020 would be a year of finishing quilts that I'd started and were still in progress.  I set my sights high with nine quilts in varying stages of progress to work on and, hopefully, finish.  Photos are below descriptions.  

Baskets of Plenty was first on that January, 2020 list.  I needed to remake two blocks and make one new one to have the nine I thought would make a good-sized quilt.  Those are finished and the blocks are sewn into sashing with borders on part of it, awaiting applique on the top and bottom borders.  So, from these blocks on the left to the still-unfinished top on the right.  Not a finish, but still, progress.  You can read all the posts about these baskets here.
 


The Blue and the Gray was the next quilt on my January list.  I had only the blocks and cornerstones finished so it still needed the sashing to become a top.  I'm thrilled to have put the last stitches in the binding in November.

Everyday Patchwork was next on the list.  Ohh, I love this quilt.  I had 30 blocks made at the beginning of the year.  I added 5 more for a total of 35, for a 5 x 7 block layout.  It also needed sashing, borders, and applique on the borders.  The top is awaiting batting, backing, and quilting.

Autumn Maples, I'm happy to say, is in the process of being quilted.  I'm hoping the quilting will bring to mind leaves swirling in the wind.

Red Circles on Green Squares needed many more squares, so I've been working on those now and then.  My enthusiasm wanes and it's easy to lay them aside when there is other handwork to do.  I need 192 and have finished 182.  Just 10 more to go.  The stack below is about a fifth or sixth of what I have now.  There's still lots to be done with this quilt.  I'll need to decide on sashing and cornerstones (or not) on the groups of 9 blocks, and then sashing between the 9-circle blocks.

Cheddarback is a finished top.  This was a sew-along so I couldn't choose my own pace to finish it.  It was about half finished at the beginning of the year.

Little Rubies is a finished quilt, the last stitches put in sometime in April or May.  I love it, I don't love it.  But it's finished!

Linda Brannock's Flowers and Quarter Cabins saw no progress at all.  Flowers will need some unstitching then restitching.  I tried to make it larger by adding more sashing.  It's not right so I'll make it the way Linda did and add borders. Quarter Cabins needs a few decisions about the next steps.  I didn't look at either quilt all year.  I know they'll wait patiently for me, though. 
















Two quilts that weren't on my January, 2020, list were these:

Blue and Lights.  When I realized I had three 12" blue and white blocks left over from Cheddarback I decided to just make more blocks.  Most of the year it seemed I was doing the back end work of finishing.  It was fun to make blocks to continue a quilt in progress.  Here are 15 of the 20 blocks I've made.  I'll have to decide on layout, sashing, cornerstones, and borders.

Ohio Winters Browns (from Lori's 50 Shades of Brown at Humble Quilts) was the other finish for the year.  It's hard to go a whole year without starting at least one thing new, and this was it for the year.  It's a little quilt -- the small squares finish at 1". 

So that's my year in quilt-making.  When I began this post I was feeling down-hearted, thinking I had accomplished nearly nothing.  It's been a good way to realize that all my small efforts have amounted to something, even if there were only a few complete finishes.

I hope you had a good and successful year, whatever you did, and I wish you all the best in 2021.

--Nancy.

The Last Five Blue and White/Light Blocks

The blocks for this quilt all have square-in-square or square-in-diamond (or vice versa) centers.  I posted 15 blocks two months.  I'm hoping a 4 x 5 block layout will make a nice sized quilt, which means I need 20 blocks.  These are, hopefully, the last five blocks.

Fox Paws

The block pattern is Fox Paws but I changed the color arrangement so it may have some other name now.

Twelve Triangles

Blythe's Best

Denali

When it comes right down to it, some blocks are just not worth the time, effort, and fabric.  I feel that way about this one.  This is not a block I would make again.

Summer Winds

The patterns for these blocks came from two Judy Hopkins books:  501 Rotary-cut Quilt Blocks and Around the Block with Judy Hopkins.  I love these books because each block pattern is given in five different sizes (but not always the same sizes from pattern to pattern).  She has several more block books.  Sadly, these two are the only ones available through our local library system.

I'm looking forward to laying these out to see how they look, and hope the blues play nicely together.   Sadly, my design floor is currently in use so it will be a while before I can do that. 

Ohio has had a long string of grey days, some rainy, and none sunny.  I'm looking forward to seeing the sun on Friday (if the weatherman's prediction is right). 

--Nancy.

Variations on a Theme

Nothing--absolutely nothing--is what I've wanted to do for the past week or two.  An aged friend told me a few years ago, "My get up and go got up and went."  I guess mine did, too.  Doing nothing is an uncommon feeling for me because I rarely just sit.  I'm nearly always thinking about what to do next or am doing something.  I pushed myself and kept going, knowing it wouldn't be good for me to do nothing for long.

While the autumn maples were on the floor quibbling about what border they wanted or whether they wanted a border at all, I took my time cutting and sewing blue blocks.  And now I have these.

Foxy Grandpa

Double X #4

An Original Design

Broken Dishes
(I think this must have another name.)

Duck and Ducklings

Eagle's Nest

Home Treasure

Snowy Owl

Square On Square

Temple Court

The Chinese Block Quilt

It's interesting that some blocks, even though created from the same shapes in the same arrangement, have different names depending on how the colors are arranged.  In the photo below, the top row, 2nd block is the same pattern as 2nd row, last block, but with color variations and different names.  On the bottom row, the 2nd and 3rd blocks are the same pattern but have different names.  

I chose these blocks because they all seemed, in some way, to be a variation on a theme:  a central square or on-point square surrounded by an on-point square or a straight set square.   Will they work together in a quilt?  Is blue enough to unify them.  Whether they do or not, whether blue does or not, they will be in one quilt together. 

These are the 15 blocks I've finished, in no particular arrangement.  I'll make at least five more blocks, then decide when to make more or not.  These have been no-pressure blocks.  No deadline, no particular intent other than to find similar blocks and make them with dominant blue fabrics.

I hope you're having a good day.  Thanks so much for visiting.

--Nancy.
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