WEEKLY UPDATE

This has been a very busy week for me and not much quilting time.  I did finish my Cascade scarf.

I made another little scarf using a wash away stabilizer but I did not get a picture before I gave it away.  That is a funny story.  We were having dinner out and the waitress kept commenting on how much she liked my scarf.  Finally, I decided I would just give it to her because I "can make another one" whenever I want, right??
She was thrilled that I just gave it to her-- just like that.  It made me feel good, too.

I did get another Improv block up on the design wall.  I haven't sewn it together yet.

I made this center medallion piece for a round robin I am starting with a couple of my friends.

Next week, I will be going to A Mountain Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge for three days so I won't get much sewing done --  well, I plan to put bindings on a couple pieces while I am there.

                               -sandi

WEEKLY UPDATE

This has been a very busy week.  We have had a day or two of snow and that always creates a great deal of excitement since snowfall is not routine for us in southeast Tennessee.  Well, at least a lot of snow isn't.  We had about 8 inches this time.

I become more energetic in the sewing room when it snows.  It is like a "free hall pass" to do all the sewing I can possibly cram in.

I made three more of my low volume improv blocks.  They are pieced but not quilted yet.  This makes six of the nine needed for my guest room bed.  I wanted to complete four of these blocks according to my Proposal blog.  I still have a week and a half to go.

This week I will concentrate on getting them quilted.

 

This is  a new improv piece using batiks.  This is part of my Tree Series  quilts.  It is not an optical illusion, the blocks are off center of each other!  On purpose!!

This is the third piece of quilting that I worked on.  This is my kaleidoscope and it is quilted and part of the binding is finished.  This is a completion from my Proposal Blog post.

The Pineapple Block workshop has been postponed due to bad weather.  May not get it in during February.

One other thing I worked on this week was my scarf using the Cascade Pluscious yarn from my friend, Laura Valdez.  I am loving it.  This is about one-fourth the finished length. 

And, of course, no post is complete without LilBit.  She nagged Papa all morning to hold her up so she could see out the window to watch the children sledding on the hill behind our house.

I already have two new designs sketched in my notebook and I must get started on a T-shirt quilt for my grandson!!  Lots to do.


                                                  -sandi

 

 

WEEKLY UPDATE

My weekly update for projects includes finishing two Improv blocks and getting them quilted together for my QAYG project.  There are seven more to go.

 

I pieced the top for this quilt in 2012 and have just had it quilted by Gayle Grier at A Quilter's Playhouse.  I love that it has no borders.

 

The red fabric I used for the back of the Friendship Star was so interesting to me.  I just loved it!!  I used leftovers to do my back and to write my label.

This was not one of the projects on the  Proposals post, but it just surfaced and I was able to finish it.

I also started working on a scarf with the wonderful Cascade yarn that my friend, Laura, sent to me.

Okay, that is one week's worth of work.  Hope this next week brings me more time to work on my projects.

                                   -sandi

 

 

PROPOSALS

I am going to write a post unlike any I have written before.  I have shown some of my WIPs and UFOs in the past, but the twist here is that I am going to get specific about completions.

This month I want to finish at least 4 more of my QAYG Improv blocks for my grey/yellow/black guest bedroom decor.  I also want to get at least one pair of pillowslips finished for this room.

I have two wall hangings that are ready to quilt.  The first block that I show is from a class I took with Bonnie Hunter in 2012.  I have several of these blocks finished and I have decided to use them in a small piece as a wall hanging instead of trying to make more blocks to have a bed quilt.

This is my Kaleidoscope and I have decided to finish it at the size it is now instead of adding borders to it.

Another workshop that I will be attending will be on making pineapple blocks.  I plan to make enough of these to have a wall hanging.  I want to take this project to completion this month.

These are the only things I am committing to do this month.  If I find I have extra time then I will do some others.

My completions for January included getting my husband's quilt quilted and bound; and completing two of my QAYG Improv blocks.

                                          -sandi

IMPROV QUILT UPDATE

Last week I showed you my finished pieced blocks - well, the first two.  This week I have finally finished quilting each of them.

I love the straight line quilting I did.  I tried to do something a little different in each of the different fabric components. 

I tried some curves in the dark gray and I love those.  Makes me think of a river.

I also did some pebbles.  Hmmm, not sure I like these.  I know I will not pick them out, but may not do anymore of these.  Free motion quilting is not relaxing for me and it will require a lot more practice time than I want to give to it.

Speaking of practice:  I am calling this entire project a "practice piece" even though I intend to use it in public on my guest bed.  I am not planning to do any ripping out if something doesn't quite "hit the mark".  I learned the term "organic" when I went to Quilt Con - the first Modern Quilt Conference - in Austin, TX last year.  The term refers to doing "straight-line quilting" mostly in a straight line.  The "mostly" part is what I like.  So my quilting is very organic.

I also chose to do some larger areas with contrasting thread.  It creates a little "sunshine and shadow" effect, I think.

In other areas, I linked together a few components that I could quilt together and make an interesting quilting design.

I guess my very favorite style of quilting in straight lines is what is called matchstick quilting.  These lines are very close together.  Again, this is very "organic". 

 

 

I am having a lot of fun with this project.  This is the first two blocks of nine.  I think the size of these  blocks (27" x 30") will give me the size I need for my guest room bed.

I need to make another block, then I can "connect" my blocks for the first row.

 

 

Each time I get something finished, I will post.  So stay tuned . . .

                                                        -sandi