What a Difference a Week Makes!?!

Is your head spinning over every thing that has happened over the past week?

WOW, WOW, WOW!!!

A week ago, we were being "urged" to take precautions here in the USA and now we are being "ordered" to take precautions.  Today, I am suppose to be on the Platte River in Nebraska enjoying a "bucket list" birding experience but I'm home doing laundry, figuring out what to fix for supper, and puttering in my sewing studio.  Thank goodness I have a lifetime supply (really, maybe a couple lifetimes) of stuff!!

I finished and washed this little quilt to donate to a local veterans facility (though that may be delayed at this point).

I machine quilted this funky piece of scrappy patchwork I showed you last week. I am so surprised at the response it got on Instagram -- really, it's just leftovers?  

And I didn't even like it while it was happening.

I decided to finish it into a pillow cover and while I love the finished look of a piped edge, I hate the actual task of adding piping to anything.  It would be whimsical to use ball fringe -- but a bit too funky for me.  So as I was poking through the trimmings stash looking for inspiration (without leaving the house), this wide rick-rack caught my eye -- insert that in the edge seam???  

No, too much like adding piping. 

But (light bulb moment), what if I stitched it to the patchwork like a border.  

Perhaps it will distract the discerning eye from an easy (but common) knife-edge finish.

Yep!!  

That works!!

(Make a note if you also hate inserting stuff to make a pillow cover more whatever.) 

One pillow down!!

In January, I set a goal of "eliminating" 10 UFO's.  I "only" got to 7 in January but I have been continuing to reach for that goal.  I decided to finish this color exercise sample from an old teaching workshop into a large floor pillow.  So while the motivation from finishing one pillow was high, I set to machine quilting this piece.  It took two evenings, nothing fancy, a simple grid with fuchsia thread!! 

There was even a nice big piece of black and purple corduroy in the stash for the backing!

Ta-da -- UFO #9 eliminated!! 

But as if often the case, almost as soon as I eliminate one UFO, another appears to take it's place.

When I pulled out my "drunkard's path" teaching box to use a template to curve the corners of the pillow cover, this little block was lurking inside.

The greens were part of a 2 1/2" square charm pack.  I must have been bored and stuck with no sewing machine when vending with a friend at a quilt show because it's hand pieced.

Cute block -- the rest of the charm pack was there, too -- maybe I could make a few more of the blocks?!?

It took less than a minute to squelch that impulse because there wasn't enough of anything to do much except create a bigger UFO.  

MUST NOT DO THAT!!!

 I put the rest of the charm squares into my 2 1/2" squares scrap basket and decided to make the block into a potholder.

Well, this morning when I decided to stitch some of the leftover squares together to make a potholder back, this little block happened -- I may be intimidated by "improvisational" piecing but I am a master of "spontaneous" piecing.

It occurred to me that someone else might find this little block useful.

It uses sixteen (16) 2 1/2" squares.

Nine laid out in a 9-patch grid.

Six squares cut in half - 1 1/4" by 2 1/2" for the "sashing". 

One square cut into fourths -- 1 1/4" squares for the "cornerstones". 

All laid out and ready to stitch together!

And here's the back of the first block I made to show you how I pressed it.

Then while I was eating lunch, I sketched the block out in EQ7.  It finishes at about 8 1/2".  I also set it into a simple layout with sashing (cut 2 1/2" wide) for a small quilt that will finish about 32" by 42".

Since I always have a stash of 2 1/2" squares that need using up, I think I'll piece more of these blocks in bright colors for an easy, pleasing quilt to donate or give away.

No hurry -- just a quick little block to piece now and then until I have a dozen.

(Did I just create another UFO or is this a WIP?)

Those two blocks are still destined for potholders for my impromptu gift stash!!

Let me know if this block inspires you to use up some scraps!

Staying inspired and cheerful is the thing that is going to get each of us through this weird and scary time, isn't it?

Using up more stash for now, Mary

Linking up today with NTT, Needle and Thread Thursday HERE.

and with Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop HERE

and TGIFF, Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday HERE!

Working Quietly

 Greetings from the snow globe that is currently Northeast Ohio!

We haven't had much snow this winter (embarrassing when one lives in the "snow belt of Ohio",

but yesterday we were delighted with a few inches of soft wet snow that clung to everything. No matter where I went or who I talked with yesterday, everyone was exclaiming about how lovely our world looked frosted from top to bottom!

Delightful!!

As for me, I've been quietly absorbed in several projects -- not much finished, but progress just the same.  Those little 8-pointed stars I share in my last post have evolved into this bright cheery child's quilt!

I know strong colors aren't the current baby decor fashion but I hope this quilt will be a cheerful blessing to a new baby and their family someday soon.

One of the little laments that often is evoked by my scrappy use of fabric is "I don't understand how you do that" meaning how I can set two pieces of fabric side-by-side that don't match, that don't look pretty together, that in fact may look harsh together.  So today, I thought I'd share my simple piecing strategy with you.

In my last post, I shared my scrappy pull from the yellow stash.  In the end I cut squares from nine prints.  

There are only four of the cute farm print (the last precious bits of it).  The other prints were selected because the shade of yellow blended with the farm print's yellow or they had a bit of red in the print or they just looked "right", i.e. the daisies!

Here they are sorted and stacked on my sewing table ready for piecing!

I started with the farm print and stitched it with four different yellows.

Then I worked down through each stack, one at a time - pairing each square with a square from every one of the other stacks until all the stacks were used up. 

No judgement made about matching or pretty or anything - just pick two up and sew together!

I didn't press the pairs at this point.

The next step is to sew the pairs together into groups of four squares -- only rule is not to repeat any print in each group of four! 

Still not pressing!

As I clipped the bands of four apart (chain piecing, of course), I laid each one open on the sewing table.  That way, as I joined the groups of four into groups of eight squares I could make sure two squares of the same print weren't too close to each other. 

Then groups of eight together and now I press the seams of the entire band in one direction.

As always, I'm anxious to see how it looks so up on the design wall they go.

I didn't do any math before cutting the squares so needed to cut more as the plan evolved.

Here's a trick I use when my math is a bit sloppy or non-existent!

I use a rectangle for the ends of the bands! 

Once the bands are stitched onto the quilt top, I can trim the ends and they "fit" perfectly.  

Honestly, no one has ever chided me for those corners not being perfect squares.

And I likely wouldn't care if they did because I have a finished quilt top!!

Do they??? 

I have shared this auditioning tip to eliminate frustration many times during my teaching career but it is always worth repeating.  

Stop auditioning one fabric at a time!

Lay up all the options you are considering at the same time.

Leave the room, go do something else for a few minutes and when you come back, pay attention to your first reactions when you look at the design wall.

Usually, my intuition tells me immediately what doesn't work and I can remove those.

Depending on how many options you have found in your stash, this process may have to be repeated until by process of elimination you arrive at the "best option available". 

"Best" and "available" are important words because they help me use up what I already own and they have helped me "stumble" onto new ideas and expand my flexibility.

In other words, it's a strategy that contributes greatly to my productivity because I don't have to stop and wait until I find the "perfect" fabric!!

Once I elongated the top with more bands of yellow squares and red sashing, I was ready to finish it up with cheery red print borders.

It ended up at 40" by 51".

One more UFO successfully managed!!

I'm hoping to be able to share photos next week of my huge English paper piecing Dodecagon quilt.  I'm currently working on it for a bit every day assembling the five large sections and it's so gorgeous.  My other project this week is the quilting of this twin size Sandstone quilt top (one of my patterns on Etsy) for one of my charity quilt group's projects.   It's slow going because of the size but a few lines every day will get me there by the end of February!

Now I'm off to spend the afternoon with this crew so their Dad and Mom can have a little Valentine's break!  Aren't they getting big?!?  And they are starting to move around!!

Oh boy!!

Have a pleasant weekend!

Mary

By the way, that quilt is not as crooked as it looks -- apparently, I don't hold my camera very level or straight or something?!? 

Promise, I'm working on that!

Linking up with TGIFF today -- click here for a sweet little Valentine idea!!