RSC15 week 31

FOUND IN MY STASH

I was happy to learn that indigo is the color for August.  I collect antique quilts and am interested in learning about natural dyes used in the past.  Barbara Brackman's excellent posts about old colors has been a great education for me.  I recommend checking out her blog, Civil War Quilts. (Sorry, I have not yet been able to link up with others on my posts.)  

  After hunting through my stash I found this group of indigo batiks. I like the playfulness of some, which will go well with my balloon blocks.

I think I'm becoming a real quilter.   All of a sudden I have three WIPs.  The photo below shows the first step in making blocks for a D9P.  It is a surprise for a friend, who truly deserves the comfort of a quilt.  I had some charm packs on hand and found out that these contain her favorite colors.

I am also helping another friend to design her own table runner, using a nice packet of Bali Snaps in her favorite colors.  I also have one Project Linus flimsy which needs to be backed and quilted.  So I am trying to put in some daily time on these projects, and I'm now looking forward to that each day.  One more thing is dreaming up a plan for a girl quilt using Cyndy's giveaway fat quarters.

   Thanks to all of you for your hints, help and encouragement.  You are such a great bunch!

I link up here at RSC15 and at Sew Cute Tuesday.  

Sew Cute Tuesday, July 28

MY FIRST BABY GIRL QUILT

This quilt was originally intended to be a Project Linus quilt.  My good friend found out she was going to be a new grandma and wanted me to make her one just like it.  I told her I could never duplicate it, being a jelly roll random mix.  So I surprised her by finishing it in time for the birth of her darling granddaughter last Christmas.
   I tried out the 3 Dudes pattern to give it lots of movement and was very happy with the color mix. I backed it with a fleece kids' blanket in pink with cupcakes and other sweets in the same colors.

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 My next project is another girl quilt for Project Linus, which just needs to be backed and quilted.  Having this Sew Cute Tuesday spot to share my projects keeps me going.

RSC15 week 30

A RED LETTER MONTH

This month has been momentous for me in my quilting journey.  In addition to doing my red balloon blocks, I finished my granddaughter's quilt in time for her 14th birthday on the 17th.  It was the only bed sized quilt I have done since my first quilt for my daughter, Sarah's mom, when she was 14.  That was before precuts, rotary strip cutting and mats.  I must have been crazy, or just innocent, to have done that first one.

  This rainbow zigzag quilt was Sarah's choice, to match her room painted in rainbow colors and Beatles themes.   She made various choices along the way, even to the diagonal quilting done on my home machine.  

   On Monday she came to our Monona Quilters group and talked about her room.  She said that the quilt itself is the brightest thing in there.  She even took it with her to curl up beside her mom that evening.

For my red contribution to RSC15 I finished these red balloon blocks and have started on a couple of other projects.  One is a disappearing nine patch using charm squares, but softer colors.  The other is using the group of fat quarters I won in Cyndy's giveaway, lovely modern patterns which will take me in a new direction. 

I enjoy linking with RSC15 and Sew Cute Tuesday each week, a and hope you will go see them.

Sew Cute Tuesday

BIG FINISH

I actually met my goal of making a quilt for my granddaughter for her 14th birthday on the 17th.  She helped plan this rainbow zigzag quilt for her bedroom painted in rainbow colors and featuring the Beatles.  With help from kind friends and my Monona Quilters group, it was finished last Thursday.  The back is brilliant yellow and bound in lime green. I machine quilted it in 8-inch diagonal squares on my home machine.  So glad it is done in only two months.  The only previous bed quilt I made was for Sarah's mother when she was also 14, my first quilt made the hard way, before pre-cuts, rotary cutters and mats.   This was a breeze compared to a generation ago!

I link up here at Sew Cute Tuesday and at RSC15 with Angela, both great places.

RSC15 week 29

Red month is here, so finally I can show my IPAD CARRYING BAG.    I made it about a year ago from a decorator fabric swatches giveaway at our quilt group.  I have a hard time holding heavy things, like the iPad case you can buy.  This is much lighter and can be used as a regular purse.  Each piece is made from a different sample, and each is lined to prevent fraying.  Notice the leopard lurking inside the pocket. I can carry my phone, keys, etc without scratching the iPad screen. Also it is reversible.

This bag serves me well.  I did not use a pattern, just made it to fit the iPad.  I love it, but am not inclined to make any more bags for now.

 I still have not gotten the balloon blocks done, but I DID FINISH Sarah's birthday quilt.  Hooray!  Just in time for her birthday.  

Sew Cute Tuesday

ZIGZAG RAINBOW

I am finally at the end of my granddaughter's birthday quilt, a zigzag rainbow.  She will be 14 tomorrow, loves the Beatles and has painted her room in rainbow colors.  I let her choose the design from a similar one on Pinterest.  The backing is the brightest Kona yellow I could find and the binding is lime green.  

This photo of the flimsy was taken at our Monona Quilters group, who then pinned it for me.  It is the biggest one I have ever made and I am thrilled with it, and so is Sarah.

I enjoy linking up here and on RSC15 with Angela.  

Piggy Bank Challenge

Val is hosting this Piggy Bank Challenge again this year.  I learned of it from Cynthia at 

http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/.  

My bank is a jeweled one made for me by my granddaughter Sarah last year.  I plan to save money for some traveling here in WI, to the Milwaukee Art Museum on Lake Michigan or to Wisconsin Dells for a boat ride through the cliffs along the river.  I have been here seven years and it is overdue.

Thank you, Val, for this chance to save for a goal along with many other great quilters.

RSC15 week 28

PROGRESS REPORT

Here is a recap of my RSC15 balloon blocks, which have not got the red yet.

The red blocks will have to wait until next week because I have been working hard for my deadline of the 17th for Sarah's 14th birthday.  My quilt group helped by pinning it at our Monday meeting.  As you can see below, I am in the middle of quilting the zigzag rainbow 72 x 90 quilt, using my Huskystar with a 6-inch throat opening. 

Sarah has been helping with the design and chose the yellow back, Kona canary, which we both love.  She also suggested diagonal quilting, which has turned out to be the easiest choice with my machine.  I only have to squeeze the diagonal corner through on the longest runs.  The close ups show the 10-inch spaced quilting lines.  I used Warm and White batting after good advice.  I have to use large pins in order to get them open easily.  

It took only two hours to get half done and it went very smoothly with only one false start to rip out.  So I am very happy with my progress up to now.

RSC15 week 27

 ON TOP OF THE RAINBOW

It's been a busy quilting week for me. It's also been beautiful weather, not yet in the 80's. Happily I am on schedule to have the zigzag rainbow quilt pinned at our group meeting on Monday.  So here is part of the red streak for July.  It has been a lot of fun matching up the various fabrics and some colors are not as easy as others, red being one, because it doesn't have a very wide range from light to dark.

 

Below is the top third of the rainbow so far.  I'm so happy that I promised this to Sarah, my granddaughter, for her birthday on the 17th.  The charity quilts are very gratifying to make, but then I say goodbye to them.  This will be around for many years, I hope.

I link up with Angela at Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and with Alyce at Sew Cute Tuesday.