En Provence Part 5 & UFO Challenge

It was a nice Christmas with family and friends.  I delivered the T-shirt quilt and he was thrilled.  It was fun to watch him tell his family stories behind several of the T-shirts.  My nephew was excited to get his graduation quilt.  When I delivered the "past due" ornaments, one nephew remarked it was for the year he was born.  I'm glad he now has a complete set.

I did not start Part 5 for En Provence until this morning . . . and I'm done.  Thanks to Bonnie for giving us a small assignment this close to Christmas.  Check the progress of the world-wide group at her website:  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2016/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-5.html

We only had to make 64 half-square triangles.  Still haven't used the green or yellow??

I was reading a post from Pat Sloan regarding a 2017 UFO Challenge from allpeoplequilt.com.  It sounds like a lot of fun and since I now have a stack of "requested" tops to finish, the timing is perfect.  During our Christmas Eve celebration, I laid out unfinished quilts and even kits then had individuals go back and select one they would like to have - sometime!  I made no promises as to when it would get done, but I'm hoping this will be an incentive to actually work on them. The quilts were all sizes - queen to 24 x 24.  I'd post a list but it may take 5 years or more.  http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/how-to-quilt/finishing/2017-ufo-challenge

2017 UFO Challenge

I have friends coming for our third annual New Year's retreat.  Four full days of quilting!!  Great way to end one year and start the next.

Thanks for checking in.

Opportunity Quilt 2017

I belong to four quilt guilds in my area.  After living by a bell and school calendar for 37 years of teaching, I'm having fun doing what I want.  I like each guild for different reasons.  One guild is about 45 minutes away, so I don't want to be on the board.  I've organized their challenge for a few years, but this year the president asked me to organize the Opportunity Quilt for 2017.  There were offers to help in any way, but I ended up just making and quilting it myself.  Three of us selected fabrics.  We had nothing in mind when we went shopping, just the thought that we wanted something bright.

When asked I knew immediately what pattern I wanted to use.  "Irish Mist" from Six Halves Make a Whole Lot More by The Quilt Branch.  This is the pattern I quilted for a friend earlier this year.  The top went together nicely, but I kept stalling on the quilting.  I wanted to do something different, but in the end I did feathers similar to what I had done on my friends quilt.

I used the back side of a fabric for the corners on bottom left star.
I couldn't find a "light" that worked here.   I know quilters are OK
with this, but I wasn't sure for an opportunity quilt.

The drawing will be December 2017.

Thanks for checking in.

Finish and get it out of the house

"Finish" was my theme for the past few weeks.  If I get some of my many projects finished, I can get stuff out of my house.  Since I finished my ornaments one week early (yea!) I had time to do extra sewing.

1.  I finished the T-shirt quilt I said I would do after I retired.  I retired 5 1/2 years ago!  It's done and will be delivered Christmas.  That gets two boxes out of the studio.

This is my second T-shirt quilt - many years apart.
This time I made all the shirt pieces measure the same.
You'll notice a couple of the blocks are pieced,
yet still the same size.

2.  When neices and nephews graduate from high school I make them a quilt.  One nephew served in the Navy immediately after HS so I got his quilt partially finished, then put it away because he couldn't carry it around with him.  I did show it to him before he left to serve.  I would find it every once in a while but just put it back in the box.  I found it a couple of days ago while looking for something else and decided it needed to be finished.  He graduated in 2004.  The quilt was completed, even bound, I just wanted to add special quilting in the light sections.  When I looked at what I had done previously, I realized I've come a long way in my quilting!  I needed to finish feathers in two corners, but the style back then was very different from my current style.  It's done and he gets it Christmas.

sorry, not a good photo.  Too much black and cream.
You can see the music fabrics in the photo below.
My nephew was part of the drum line.

The quilted notes are the school fight song.  When I took this photo I noticed
I forgot to include the b flat symbol.  Oops, I'll have to go back and fix that.

3.  30 years ago I did not finish two ornaments.  I would find them every few years, but they just went back in the box.  I know the date because it was on the back with their names.  All the cross stitch was done, I just never put the front and back together.  Who knows why???  They are now done and will be delivered Christmas Eve.

One of the ornaments goes to the nephew with the quilt above.

4.  I did do some new sewing.  I had a pattern to make grocery bags - in CA you have to take a bag or they charge 10 cents each for what they provide - but they are not very cost effective since each requires 1.75 yards of fabric and 2+ yards of fusible.  But they are so cute I couldn't resist since I had time.  Using fabric from my stash I was able to make 11 in time to present to the ladies at Christmas.  (Last year they all got fabric sachets filled with dried roses and lavender.)

There's a lot of yardage here, but my stash doesn't look any smaller.

Thanks for checking in.
Merry Christmas!

Busy weekend keeping up with projects & En Provence #4

I have been working many hours trying to get some holiday projects done.  I'm extremely proud to say I have my ornaments completed and wrapped!  I finished Saturday afternoon - exactly one week before I hand them out to the family.  I think this is the earliest I've ever had them completed in the 35 years I've been doing this.  (This does not count the years I purchased ornaments while traveling.)

30 Santas.  A friend called this my basket of goodies.

I think the difference is two fold:
1.  I'm in a get it finished and out of the house state of mind and
2.  I've been listening to audio books while in the studio.  Not serious books,  Light reading that doesn't require a lot of focus.

I worked on the t-shirt quilt for a friend.  The binding is ready to attach.  I just need to make the label.  This will get a quilt and a box out of the studio.  Yea!  Photo to follow.

I finished clue 4 in the Bonnie Hunter En Provence Mystery.  I used the quarter inch foot with a guide and it seemed to help with accuracy for the tri-rec blocks.  I have to keep switching it out because the guide gets in the way for other piecing (going over lots of seams).

80 Tri-rec units.  We still haven't used our green or yellow (aqua for me)

Check Bonnie's site to see what others are doing:
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2016/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-4.html

Thanks for checking in.

En Provence Part 3

Yea to me . . .  I'm all caught up with En Provence, this year's Bonnie Hunter mystery.

Not a lot to see yet.

221 "neutral" 4-patches

100 tri-rec pieces

168 purple 4-patches

Check the progress of other participants in the mystery at this link:
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2016/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-3.html

Friday I used my Silhouette Cameo cutter to cut all the pieces for this year's family Christmas ornaments.  Since that put me a little ahead of schedule, I worked on my mystery pieces.  It feels good to have them finished by Sunday!  Now, full steam ahead for fusing Santas.

Thanks for checking in.

En Provence Clue 2 Bonnie Hunter Mystery 2016

I've started clue two, even though I have not completed the first clue.  I'm working it in between other projects trying to keep up with my holiday projects.

It's fun to see what others are doing - check here:
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2016/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-2.html

I have 40 of the 100 tri-rec units.  Four-patch units have not changed since last week.

You can't see all my fabrics.  I'm using light and dark purple/violet, green, aqua, and red-orange as my constant.  My neutrals are white with black.  I picked the colors using a piece of fabric I like.  That fabric may not end up on the front of the quilt.

Thanks for checking in.

Quiltopia BOM Quiltin' cousins

I decided to participate in the BOM from a local shop this year.  Recently the owner announced she is closing so I needed to get it done in case there were any problems.  Yea!  The top is finished!!  Approximate size 60 x 60 inches.

I have a prioritized list of what needs to be done in what order.  This was #1.  Now, on to #2 on the list.

Thanks for checking in.

challenge entry

My guild challenge this year was the "Paint Chip" challenge.  In this challenge you are given a random paint chip sample and must use those colors in a quilt.  We were allowed to add one additional color. Since I was in charge I felt I should have an entry.

Of course, I didn't get around to starting mine until last week and it's due Dec. 14.  I figured a table runner would be quick and easy.  NOT.  Since my colors reminded me of ocean colors, I wanted to use Storm at Sea designs.  Then I put the blocks on point.  Now it's too big!  It would need to be a large table!!  I'll get it quilted and it will be ready in time.

My paint chip.  I added gray.

The quilt will finish about 30 x 56 inches.
The background is light with gray swirls.

 Thanks for checking in.