QAYG

QAYG - I remember the first time I ever saw these letters.  I was browsing through blog sites and came across "The Quilting Edge" blog and there was a tutorial for QAYG.

I scooted over to the tute (www.thequiltingedge.com) and therein began my love affair with the more modern day Quilt As You Go technique.

I have used this method many times and have made some changes to suit my way of working.

The first QAYG that I did was this little Rainbow Ticker Tape Quilt which I re-named Lady Aubergine! for the block in the upper left corner.

Lady Aubergine!

This is the back of Lady Aubergine!

Still doing QAYG as often as I can.  I will be teaching a class in this at AQS QuiltWeek Chattanooga on September 16, 2015  

-sandi

WEEKLY UPDATE

I have no new quilty pictures to share this week.  I have put new sleeves on four previously made projects that will be going as part of an exhibit later this summer for the AQS Quilt Week in Chattanooga. 

In addition, I am trying to complete three more projects for a different exhibit as part of that same week.

I have also been busy cutting fabrics for projects for my small group round robin and workshops.

My next quilting retreat is coming up this month too.

Still plugging along with "the list" that I put up at the first of the week.  Did a little more quilting on my QAYG Improv project.

 These blocks are waiting for more attention, too!

Hoping to get more finished for pictures next week!!  Want to see more sunshine this week!

                               -sandi
 

LADY AUBERGINE QAYG

This is Lady Aubergine and I named this quilt after her.  Isn't she awesome?

Well, I certainly put this off long enough.  Sometimes, I think I would be better off if I could not read so well.  Each time I read someone's blog about Quilt As You Go technique I was sure they were leaving out something.  I finally decided to jump in and try it this weekend.  It is important to credit  http://thequiltingedge.blogspot.com for her wonderful tutorial. 

I had these cute ticker tape blocks made and they were just begging for QAYG.  They are raw edge applique in the rainbow solids.  I used Kona cottons and dug through my stash to find all of the little pieces to make each block.  I first wrote about these on April 1 along with other WIPs that I wanted to finish at Retreats this year.  I have not made as much progress in that realm as I would have liked.  I kept doing new things. 

 

The quilting on each block is straight line -- well mostly straight line.  I took the "organic" approach and let them wander a little bit.

 

After all of these were made, I decided to lay them out.  I changed my mind several times and chose to ignore some of the predictable ways to group them.

 

They are grouped to please me.

 

Now to join them together to make the quilt.

 

I cut my front sashing strips at 4.5" and folded them in half and pressed.  The stripe fabric is the backing sashing and it is cut at 2.5" and the batting strips are cut at 1.5". 

The first step was attaching the front sashing and the back sashing at the same time.

 

 

Then I used glue for basting the back sashing to sew it to the other side of the adjoining block.

 

 

As you can see with the block on the right, the two sashings are now in place.

 

 

The back sashing shows the batting sticking out and that the sashing has been quilted.

 

Everything has been quilted and it is ready for the binding.

I chose to put no outside borders on this piece.

 

 

Lil Bit is comparing the color of her tennis ball with one of the blocks on the quilt.

 

 

 Here is the back of the quilt and you can better see the quilting and I used this fun stripey fabric for sashing on the back.

 

A shot of the whole back of the quilt.  I like the funky look of that stripe fabric.

 

 

Love having this on my swing and it goes perfectly with my new gift pillow of the dragonfly that my sister gave me.

Why don't you come over and join me for a spell?  We could have  a glass of wine and sit and visit on my porch!!

 

Credit:  Rachel at http://www.stitchedincolor.com/ for the idea of the Rainbow blocks.

 

 

 

-sandi 

 

 

 

CHILLING OUT ON A LILY PAD!

Over here at the Frogpond Studio we do this frequently.  I will spend my weekend getting last minute details taken care of to head to Grand Oak Retreat for four glorious days of eating, sleeping, and stitching with fifteen wonderful gals next week.

I am taking a few of my WIPs with me.

Easy Street designed by Bonnie Hunter.

My ticker tape project.  Love these colors.

STILL working on Farmer's Market.  Maybe this will be the week it gets finished.

I have another project or two I will toss in "just in case" I run out of something to do.


                                    -sandi





 

WIPs TO FOCUS ON

 

ALL OF MY UFOs AND WIPs ARE FINISHED!!

 

Gotcha!  April Fool's!?!?!

 

Now for the truth of the matter.

 

 

Every year I take time to re-assess my WIPs list.  It is quite a long list.  I simply re-arrange the order of the list and continue to do new projects.  Since I will be going away on four retreats this year, I have chosen to focus on some of my specific
WIPs with the idea that they will get finished.  I do not know which is the better way to approach this:  Do I start with the most current and work my way back to the oldest one?  OR Should I go back to the oldest one and work my way forward?

 

After looking at the list of the seven projects that I chose to focus on, I have decided to start with the most recent and work in that direction.

 

In November/December 2012 I started Bonnie Hunter's latest Mystery Quilt called "Easy Street".  This year I knew that I would not have much time to devote to it as it was happening so I decided to do some of each step.  For me that was not the best idea.  It has taken me more time to sort out what number of components are lacking.  In the future I will know that is not a good style for me.

Here is a sample of some of the units I have done.

 

 

 

 

Another Bonnie Hunter project that is still sitting in its little box is "Virginia Bound".  This one was started at a Workshop I attended in Pelham, Alabama when Bonnie came 2 years ago.  In reading her blog and checking her calendar I discovered that she would be coming to a "town near me" and I contacted the sponsoring guild and was able to get the last slot.  That was a really fun day.  It was great to meet Bonnie and to see her style of teaching a Workshop.

I have about half of the blocks done for this quilt that uses strings.

 

 

 

 

 

My landscape quilt and my kaleidoscope quilt are both small pieces and only need to be quilted and bound.  This should not take very much time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A third Bonnie Hunter pattern that I have going is the Lady of  Lake Erie pattern that appeared in Quiltmaker Magazine.  A few years ago I made a picture of the produce section at my local grocery store because it inspired me to think of a quilt pattern to use these colors. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I have chosen to use the Lady of  Lake Erie pattern and am naming this project "Farmer's Market".  I have about a third of the blocks completed and the rest are cut and waiting.

 

 

 

The topic for our projects for this month in my Art Quilt Guild is collage.  I have a fish collage that I started over five years ago.  It needs to have the thread embellishing done and it will be complete.

The first retreat is early in April and my guild meeting is at the end of the month.  This really could get finished.  Of course, that means I will be changing the order again of when to do these WIPs.  But isn't that what life is about?  Being flexible and willing to make changes?

 

 

 

 

 

And, of course, I don't want to forget about my Ticker Tape quilt. 

 

Now I am motivated to get started.  I wonder how many of these I will get finished at the first retreat in April????

 



 

 

-sandi