Butterfly Trails - Finished Flimsy

This photo was taken of the daisies in our yard.  I don't have much time for a flower garden but I love flowers.  These daisies are perfect--perennial and low maintenance.  They keep coming back year after year, despite my neglect!

This weekend is a long weekend in most provinces in Canada.  Monday is BC Day here in British Columbia. I used one of my annual leave days from work and made it an extra long weekend--4 days.  That extra day proved to be a very productive day.  I finished this quilt to a flimsy.  Today, I will be loading it on the long arm and I will start the quilting.  The colouring in the photo is off--it looks blue, but it is really purple.

This is a close up of the blocks. 

This quilt is called Butterfly Trails from Terry Atkinson's book, Time Out Quilts. This quilt is lap size--finishing at 63" x 77". I love Terry's quilt sizing. So many patterns say they are lap size but they are really no bigger than something that would cover your legs if you were sitting down. Terry's quilt sizing is generous--when Terry says lap size, you know you will have something you can cover up with when you are having a nap on the couch with enough quilt to wrap generously around your feet.

Fall Rail Fence - Finished Flimsy

This quilt was inspired by a quilt in the January 1999 issue of Traditional Quilter called, Christmas Village.  I started making my quilt just after the magazine was issued so I can easily date this UFO! 

The quilt in the magazine had the same 3" rail fence blocks as the center of my quilt.  The differences in the two quilts are in the border treatments.  Christmas Village had a border comprised of paper-pieced house and tree blocks that were supposed to look like streets in a village.  By the time I had the center of this quilt put together I was starting to second guess whether or not I wanted to paper piece the village blocks for my quilt.  I decided that a quilt top that has aged on the shelf for 13 years needs to be finished--paper pieced border or not!  I added a simple gold inner border and a wide sunflower outer border to finish off my version. 

This quilt is now 69.5" x 87" and was loaded on the long arm Sunday night.  I made a pass Sunday night and will take a pass now and then as I have time.  Before I know it, this one will be quilted and ready for binding.



Bryce - Finished Flimsy

In September 2011, my husband and I took a holiday that involved visiting many of the National Parks in Utah.  Our favorite park was Bryce Canyon. 

This is my Bryce Canyon inspired quilt.  The pattern is Fire Escape by Terry Atkinson of Atkinson Designs. This quilt top is lap size--approximately 60" x 72"

I picked out the batiks a week ago at my LQS and last Friday I spent the morning washing and drying the fabrics.  I started to cut the strips later in the day--only intending to do the cutting--kit the quilt so that when I was ready later to sew, everything would be ready.  Once I started working with the fabrics, I couldn't stop.  I finally called it a night just after midnight Friday night with about 2/3 of the sewing done.  I was able to do a bit of stitching Saturday between errands and a family potluck dinner with the last seam stitched Sunday night.  This was a true weekend quilt project. 

I am now in search for the perfect backing fabric.  My husband got pretty good at spotting lizards and geckos in the parks we visited on this vacation so I would like to find a backing fabric that features these sorts of creatures.

These are some of the pictures I took during our visit to Bryce:

Few places are as spectacular as the natural beauty of Bryce!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tonight I finished another flimsy.  Three finishes in one weekend is a record for me.

After finishing Popsicle Sticks on Friday night and Got Stripes? on Saturday night, I was ready for a reward project today.  It is nice to be able to decide on a project and make it entirely from your stash.

This top was made from a panel that I had in my stash for quite some time.  I used Kari Nichols' pattern Sidelights.  Because my panel was not the size that Kari had in her pattern, I had to make some adjustments to the pattern.  This panel was not perfectly square which added to the challenges of putting together this quilt top.

This quilt top finishes at 47" x 54".

Got Stripes? - Finished Flimsy

I finished "Got Stripes?" to the flimsy stage last night.  It took most of yesterday to get the two borders on.  It always amazes me how long it takes to measure, cut, and attach borders to the perimeter of a large quilt.  I usually underestimate the time I need for this task.

This one is technically queen size, but I think it would fit a king size bed too as I made the outer border wider than the pattern said. I took the border fabric I had on hand and figured out how many pieces I needed, did the math, and made the border the corresponding width. The only piece of fabric left was the piece that was trimmed off in the beginning when I was squaring up the fabric--every other last bit was used! I love no leftovers!  

Finished size:  100.5" x  117.5".

This is a Terry Atkinson design.  The pattern can be found in the book, "Time Out Quilts".

This one has been added to the growing, "to be quilted" pile.

Popsicle Sticks - Finished Flimsy

Popsicle Sticks is a finished flimsy as of last night.

This is a big quilt - King size - finishing at 112" x 112".  This quilt looks larger than it is when it is draped over my bed as my bed is only a Queen size.

The pattern is a Terry Atkinson Design.

Winter Prairie Window

After spending most of December long arm quilting for others, I was looking for a fun project that would be quick to finish--a reward project.  This project is a quilt that can be cut out and put together easily in a weekend.

The print in the center of this quilt was in my stash for some time.  The go-with fabrics were purchased during a Boxing Week sale after Christmas last year.  It was time to assemble them into the intended quilt.



This pattern is called, "Prairie Window" and is by Anne Wiens of Sweetgrass Creative Designs.

http://quiltwoman.com/prairie-window-quilt-pattern.aspx

This quilt is lap size and finishes at 56" x 68".

Button Up - Merry Christmas

Linda thought it was time for a reward project on Saturday.  You can always count on me to join in on a fun, quick project.  Linda and I seem to specialize in taking turns leading each other astray.  LOL

http://catsnqlts2.blogspot.com/2011/11/moving-on-to-reward-project.html

http://catsnqlts2.blogspot.com/2011/11/finished-to-flimsy-already.html

So Saturday's project was Merry Christmas, a cute pattern included in the Button Up Collection from Joined at the Hip (BU #21).  The Button Up quilt series is a group of seasonally inspired 28" x 48" quilts that button onto a quilted foundation for easy decorating with the change in seasons. 

http://www.joinedatthehip.com/buttonups.html

Although this is my first Button Up, Linda has completed several already.  I need to button hole stitch around my star and then this will be ready for quilting.  The pattern calls for some paper key tag disks available from stationery supply stores to be made into ornaments and to be stitched on the branches, but I think I will see if I can find some suitable buttons instead.

Minnesota Hot Dish - Finished Flimsy

This is my queen sized version of Terry Atkinson's Minnesota Hot Dish.  This quilt is now finished to the flimsy stage and has moved to the waiting-to-be-quilted pile.

This is a copy of the pattern jacket.  I believe this pattern is now out of print.  Atkinson Design patterns are great--never disappoint--no surprises--always end up looking like the pattern!  I know it seems funny to say that.  Shouldn't quilts end up looking like the pattern if you follow the pattern instructions?  Although this is what we expect when we purchase a pattern, many designers do not take the time to thoroughly test their pattern designs with real quilters and you end up frustrated at some point in the construction process.  

Fire Escape

Sometimes you need a project that provides instant gratification on a finish to jump start the creative process.  I also wanted to make use of my existing stash. 

I have been saving a group of Debbie Mumm fabrics for years--at least 10 years--waiting for just the right pattern to come along.   

Terry Atkinson's pattern,  Fire Escape was just the ticket to showcase my stack of Debbie Mumm aqua and red fabrics.  This pattern uses only 5 - 1 yard cuts of fabric plus one contrasting fabric for the lap size (60" x 72") quilt.

This one is now a finished flimsy and moves to the "to be quilted pile".  Let's hope it doesn't spend another 10 years on that pile!

Third FAB Birthday PAR-TAY of 2011

Saturday we celebrated Linda's birthday.  Linda is the 3rd FAB to celebrate her birthday this year.  Linda's "actual" birthday is August 10th but finding a date that 5 busy people can get together on line always proves to be a challenge.  It almost always has to be a Saturday if we want to sew, and we WANTED TO SEW!  So a date was picked--August 13 and everyone agreed to be there.

Instead of exchanging challenge projects this year, we have elected to honor the birthday girl and surprise her with something handmade. Gifts were made and mailed to Linda in advance of her party.  Saturday morning, the party kicked off with Linda taking opening each of her parcels--in the order they were received.  You can take a closer look at all the loot received by Linda by visiting her blog here:  http://catsnqlts2.blogspot.com/

Linda is a lover of 30's reproduction fabrics so I knew whatever I made, it had to be made from 30's fabrics.   I decided to make some things for Linda that I use a lot myself. 

The first thing I made was a mug organizer/pinafore.  I have one of these organizers attached to a mug on my sewing desk that is jammed full of all those little items you can't sew without that are easy to loose in a mass of fabric when you are sewing like, a seam ripper, ruler, marking pens, pencil, wooden iron, etc.  The pattern was from a kit that I received during a local quilt shop hop some years ago.

The second item I made was a bag for Linda to take her mug to class or guild with her.  Our guild charges a quarter for a Styrofoam coffee cup if you forget to bring your own ceramic mug with you to guild as we are trying to promote the green option.  I thought Linda's guild might have a similar practice.  I told Linda that my mug gets washed when I get home from the guild meeting and it is put right back into its bag along with my name badge so I am ready for the next meeting--just grab my bag and go.  I think Linda is going to adopt this process as well.  The outside of the bag has a number of pockets--designed to hold a spoon, tea bag, sugar packet, etc.  The pattern for the mug tote is from an Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine some years ago. 
  

The pattern that Linda picked for us each to work on after the gift opening was first featured in the Winter 2010 issue of Quilts & More.  The pattern was called Line Art in that magazine, with a picture here:  http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines/quiltsandmore/color-options-winter-2010_ss10.html
Allpeoplequilt.com has featured a second colourway called, Skinny Strips, with a picture here:  http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/throws-wall-hangings/skinny-strips_1.html.

In true challenge fashion, I was having difficulty trying to decide on what "collection" of strips to use to make my version of this quilt. All I knew for sure was that I wanted to use existing stash--no additional purchases.  I cycled through ideas including something patriotic--just red and white, something Hawaiian--using some of my Hawaiian-themed fabrics purchased in Hawaii, and something chicken related--using some of my extensive collection of chicken/rooster fabrics.  I finally decided on a fall-themed version on Saturday morning.  Nothing like leaving the decision to the last minute!  Because I was late in making the decision on which fabrics to use, I was not 100% ready to start sewing when everyone else was ready to sew.  Some of my strips were pulled from my totes of pre-cut strips.  I did have to cut a few more background pieces and a few more reds, yellows, and browns to complement the strips I already had cut.

Once your strips are cut, this pattern is definitely doable in a weekend.  I was able to finish my version of Line Art, aka Skinny Strips Sunday night to the flimsy stage.  Here it is:

It was another great day sewing with the FABs.  The chatter/conversation that takes place while we sew probably keeps us from performing at peak production since we need to take time out from pushing the fabric through the machine to type-talk, but it is worth it.  Another great day enjoyed by all.   

Cacti BQ Quilt Flimsy

I have had my BQ Cacti quilt finished to the flimsy stage for some time now--I just forgot to post it here.

I went with a border from the same fabric as the background.  Once quilted, I will be binding with the stripe.

I love this pattern and I can see myself making more of these quilts in the future.

Colour Catcher String Quilt

First, these are some pictures of our backyard.  My plant pots are visible from my kitchen window.

I think of this area as my little sanctuary.

We have been enjoying the feathered visitors to our yard as well.

This weekend was a long weekend for me (I was off from work Friday to Monday).  While North and South played on the laptop, I sewed.  It seamed appropriate that I was watching North and South--a made-for-TV miniseries about the Civil War during the July 4th (American Independence Day) long weekend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_and_South_(TV_miniseries)

The center of these blocks are colour catcher string blocks.  I pieced my string blocks on used colour catcher foundations.  http://www.shoutitout.com/preserve-colors.aspx 

My friend, started to call this quilt a "conversation quilt".  The strings are from many of the scraps and bits leftover from previous quilt projects.  Since each piece has a story to tell, the name conversation quilt was born.

I used all I had of the two black/white fabrics that I purchased last weekend to make this quilt.  The quilt is plenty long enough, but it should be a little wider to better fit our bed.  A couple of my friends and I were discussing border options on-line.  Since this is a conversation quilt, we decided that the quilt would tell us what it needed for borders.  We listened, and with the assistance of a friend, I have secured more of the two black and white fabrics.  Once the fabrics are received in the mail, I will be making this quilt top two blocks wider.  Even though I almost always add at least one border to my quilts, this quilt definitely was not in need of a border. 

I used quite a few of the colour catcher string blocks that I had on hand and I still have more left.  I will be on the lookout for more quilting ideas to use up the remainder of the blocks so stay tuned for more colour catcher string quilts!

Bridge Creek Blossoms

Bridge Creek Blossoms is now a finished flimsy!

I was determined to get this top assembled before taking anything down off the design wall. I knew if took the blocks down and put them away, this top would never move out of the UFO stage. This top is huge--finishing at 98 in x 112 in.

Getting the whole top in a picture proved impossible.

This is a closeup of the border fabric. I bought this fabric several years ago because of the Canadian flags. I wanted to make a patriotic quilt, and at that time, it was next to impossible to find fabric with a Canadian flag on it.

Designer: Atkinson Designs - http://www.atkinsondesigns.com/patterns/

This is today's finish--my reward project. After finishing the Snowman Courthouse Steps flimsy (see Jan 23's post), I decided I had earned a reward.

I have been looking at patterns on Quilt Woman.com's site for some time and this morning I ordered 5 of their downloadable patterns. Within 27 minutes of receiving my order, the patterns were in my e-mail inbox. Yes, you have to print them out on your own printer, but you don't have to pay for international shipping and you don't have to wait for weeks for the post office to deliver them to your snailmail mailbox.

This quilt pattern is called Trophy Case and was designed by Barb Sackel. The Valentine fabric featured in this wall quilt was purchased during my first visit to Fabric Depot in May 2008 when I was in Portland, OR. Since this pattern suits a print that you don't want to cut into small pieces and we are in the month of February, a Valentine project seemed in order. I was able to shop my stash for all the go-withs which made it even better. I went from ordering the pattern to finishing the flimsy within one day without leaving the house!

Snowman Courthouse Steps Flimsy

My old, old, old UFO, Snowmen Courthouse Steps is finally a flimsy!

This top has finished at 72" x 100.5".

This finish marks my first finish for 2011 and my first UFO finish towards 11'n'11.