Scrap Attack, 1/31/18

FINISH GEESE MIGRATION QUILT

My Scrap Attack goals this year are not really about scraps themselves.  They  are eleven UFO finishes and one scrap project.  I will draw a project each month from the following list:

1. Rail Fence Star
2. Balloons
3. Houses
4. Sizzle Strips
5. Improv blocks
6. X Block
7. Gentrification
8. Spinning Curves
9. Stars Large and Small
10. Beth's Quilt
11. Trim all scraps
12. Geese Migration

For this January finish I drew my Geese Migration top.  I waited until this last week of the month to work on it, in order to concentrate my  efforts on one project.   Becuase this was a Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2017 project, I finished the top last November.  

This  is a Project Linus quilt, as are most of my quilts.  So I usually use a fleece backing instead of three layers. It also is more cuddly and a whole lot cheaper.  I can buy fleece crib size blankets for about $3 each on sale.  Right now I have about ten of them on hand, because my dear daughter gave me several for Christmas.  

The top is about 45 inches square.  I considered using a wider black outer border, but for some unexplained reason I use the 1-1/2 inch strips instead.  I have no recollection at all of doing this.  A senior moment, I guess.

Today I have gotten the top quilted except for the binding.  I have not chosen any fabric for that yet.  Does that make it officially a finish?  I guess not, but at this late date my shoulders are shouting, "Enough!"  

So here is my Scrap Attack January project, which WILL get done by the end of this week.  Isn't the backing fleece just perfect!  

I've never participated in a goal quilt-along before and it has worked so well for me.  Guess all those late night college papers drummed deadlines into my head. That was back in the old days of whiteout. 

Meanwhile, you can see all the cheerful happenings today at

Scrap Attack at Sarah's blog at

http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/

This weekend 

I will also be linking up with

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

AHIQ Jan 2018

NEW CHALLENGE

I'm excited about the latest AHIQ challenge.  I sort of, no actually did fall off the wagon on the last challenge.  I could not find a way to include lettering that would make me happy with the result.  

This top was as far as I went.  To me it represents the idea of gentrification of neighborhoods, when old homes are refurbished or replaced and the real estate prices jump way up.  Then the existing families  may find themselves unable to afford the higher rents and are forced to move out.

However, since this was not a large quilt, more likely a wall hanging or child's quilt, I didn't feel a politically charged label was appropriate.  So it will end up being about wonky houses and improv blocks.

When I  saw the latest challenge of varied scale I remembered a few orphan blocks.  I dug them out and found a good number of blocks in different sizes with the same colors.

So these are what I'm going o work with for a start.

I've never done a quilt project in red, white and blue, so I might as well begin now.  

Thank you, Kaja and Ann,  for making Ad Hoc Improv Quilts a place where we can get encouragement to do what inspires us.  

Please have a look at Ad Hoc Improv Quilts doings at  Kaya's blog,  Sew Slowly, or Ann's blog, Fret Not Yourself. 

RSC18 week 4

STARS AND STRIPS

I love the Sawtooth Star block because of the variations, especially using a central focus fabric.  The first one I made last year was a  random color choice, not a Rainbow Scrap Challenge selection.

When I was deciding what blocks to use for RSC18, I chose this block.  For my January light blue blocks I made the first one by adding pink to complement the Kaffe Fassett fabric, one of my favorites. Matching the blue would have been impossible, at last with my limited stash.

My second block used this lovely fussy-cut medallion.  I apparently was not quite fussy enough, but was determined to use it.  

This week it occurred to me that I have never made any strip pieced blocks. Then I saw Kat's call for these blocks for Covered In Love, http://katandcatquilts.blogspot.com/.

I do have miles of strips taking up space and found some ugly fabric to use for the foundation, another way to shrink my  stash.  (This is my year of no fabric purchases.)  

Here are the three strip blocks I made in no time at all, and I cut up several other 10-1/2 inch backing pieces.  

I don't know why it never occurred to me to make these blocks years ago, but better late than never. My stash is already thanking me. 

My Scrap Attack choice for this month is my Geese Migration quilt and I started Quilting it today.  So I will have that finish to show you next week.

I'm linking up with

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

and

katandcatquilts.blogspot.comCovered In Love

RSC 18 week 2

2017 FAVORITES

Having seen so many year end reviews by my quilting friends, I went through my own pics to choose my five top favorites.   This includes only totally finished quilts, which leaves out some of my most popular ones, still in the works.  

Of course, this post allows me to delay showing my latest projects, which amount to very little at the moment.  If I really get going I may be able to fill in the last two Saturdays this month.  I'm doing the Scrap Attack, which is a fun way for me to have workable monthly goals.  I've never done anything about goal setting before, so I expect to make a good dent in my UFOs.

Number five is my first Ad Hoc Improv Quilt challenge piece.  This was using Chinese coins in an improv way.  I added extra components, including a rising sun and orange bits of light representing sprouting seeds.  A number of the strips were pieced horizontally also, to break up the straight lines in the dark earth.  I call it Seeds of Hope.

In fourth place I chose a Color Works pattern, using a collection of fat eighths which were getting dusty.  I called it Type Face because of its colorful variety of typewriter keys of all sizes.  I sent the top to Kat for her Covered In Love charity.  She had it quilted by her generous friends in Texas, and the chaplain of the hospital where she works presented it to a grieving family.  

Number three is what started out as a crayon quilt.  I pieced all the rows but didn't get around to making the points.  So it was easier to make a rainbow, another Project Linus piece.  

My choice for second place is the set of 16-patch blocks from RSC16.  Yes another Rainbow.  In my stash I found a bright banana print and added corner 9-patches to make it a good size.  I backed it with  a monkey print fleece.  I hated giving it up, but some child is enjoying it now.

My number one for 2017 was a super easy choice, my Summer quilt for my own bed.  I had collected a group of Kaffe Fassett precuts and used them to make large blocks.  I had it longarmed by a member of my guild, Monona Quilters.  I'm so happy with it, and it has turned out to be warm enough to use year round.  

Looking back, it was a good year for my quilting output.  I really enjoy doing charity quilts now that my family has been supplied.  I loved seeing so many truly special quilts that so many of you have made.  It's like an ongoing quilt show each week.  I know that 2018 is going to be an even better year for all of us.  

I'll be waiting to see what everyone has done at

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

and

katandcatquilts.blogspot.comCovered In Love

RSC18 week 1

A FLYING START

This year I'm taking part in Scrap Attack and drawing a project to work on each month.  My 12 projects are all UFOs to be finished.  Here's my pot and the January pick.

My Geese Migration flimsy is up for completion by the end of the month, a flying start for 2018.

Before I get to that I need to finish my Waterfront Neighborhood project.  I'm piecing three rows of houses and trees, plus two rows of sailboats.  The houses are from a Rainbow Scrap Challenge, not sure which year, and the boats are a couple of years old.  The little trees were the most difficult to piece and were made to extend the rows to 40 inches.  

Row quilts are one of my favorite Project Linus quilts.  I usually make them about 45x60.  Then I back each with a colorful fleece blanket which can be found for about 3-5 dollars on sale.  For Christmas my daughter surprised me with six more of them.  

We are still frozen solid for the third week now, as so many of you are.  If it warms up enough we could get some snow.  At least it's not as bad as the high tide of slush in Boston.  I pray that all of you dear quilter friends will have a blessed and Happy New Year.  Go LIGHT BLUE!

Please check out the quilt goodies at

Rainbow Scrap Challenge at

   soscrappy  and

Oh, Scrap! at 

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework