From Failure to Success!

Last year about this time, I took all these blocks and put them away in a shoebox in the closet!
Beware this a photo laden lengthy post!

 I was so disappointed that the blocks were wonky and not the 8.5" that the pattern required. I had cut into a jelly roll that I had purchased in 2007 at Gruber's Quilt Shop in Waite Park, Minnesota while attending my nephew's wedding. I hoarded it, waiting for the the perfect project. One of my quilt groups decided to do a huge presentation of Quilts of Valor for local veterans. We had 3 quilters with long arm machines and they offered to quilt them for free! So I was excited to be a part of that!
Then the problems!  First I ran out of the solid gold from my stash due to the directions from the pattern not being clear. So I substituted the gold star fabric and my design wall came in handy as I rearranged the blocks for color distribution and then cut each one individually so I would use the correct gold in the corners to make a star that was all the same color on all four points. At least when I took them off the wall, I was smart enough to mark each and every one with a Row and Column id and I put the little sticky near the top.

Then the beginning of July,  APQ UFO Challenge 2018 chose #7 as the project to work on!  You guessed it, #7 is "redo QOV blocks". See my post here for the 'rest of the story' !

So I began!  First I looked for gold toned fabric. Finally settled on this one from Joann's. It is a batik, but I figured that too would help with keeping the diagonal more true!

I decided to cut the rectangles a little bit longer and 1/2 an inch wider so I would have some room to make adjustments.

I painstakingly "unpicked" all the gold triangles!  Being careful not to distort them. I have an Alpaca wool mat. I love that thing!  Then I spray starched each corner...one at a time!  I did not spray starch on the paca mat. I used my old pressing mat to the right of my machine.

Here is Row 1 Column A block with one old corner 9(upper left) and one new corner (lower right)

 As  dug deeper in the box, some block had the corners cut!

 Most looked like this!

 And some had not been prepared at all!  I really did get "stopped", didn't I?

Can you see this one is skimpy by almost 1/4 inch!!!!  I did some wiggling and squared ones like this as best I could. A couple of blocks I even took the seams out and resewed!

Three rows back on my design wall, starting on the fourth from the bottom!

The first four rows are sewn together. I decided to do it in 2 pieces because my design wall is little. Row 5 is up there but not sewn together!  Then I took down the first 4 rows, folded it accordian style so the 4th row was visible and to the farthest left on my wall. Then I could build the last 3 rows and make sure they were all correct!  I did not get a photo of that...I was on a roll!

Yesterday , July 30th it is done!I used the gold in the stars to make a 2'5" border per the pattern. I like the floating effect. I am going to bind it with the gold too. I bought extra not sure of how much I needed and there is enough to bind it!

 Some close up of the spinning stars and

the border!
It finishes 61 X 61, so it will be OK for a QOV if we do another presentation!
Phew!  I made it!  Thanks Julie for your encouragement!  I wouldn't have been able to move forward with out your post photos and your kind words.

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

July OMG Finish

I have completed the border on En Provence. I have measured it, noted the width and length and hung it up.  Backing is required: 4 and 3/8 yards according to my Quilt Calculator. I have enough of the Fushia from the star points to do the binding. Posts and photos of this quilt top are getting a bit redundant!  I apologize!  Not everyone reads my posts everyday, so if you've seen this one previously, just click out and read another quilter's post!  Thanks to all who comment though!  It makes my day!

Of course it was windy the morning this photo was taken!  Mostly always windy in Wyoming! I was hoping to get the little pot of petunias in the shot!  They are red, white and purple!  Doing well this year!

I have some strange neutrals, but my stash is dwindling. That is OK......!

So July is complete! I'm linking to the One Monthly Goal - July Finish Post at  Elm Street Quilts.

Now to decide what will be my goal for August!


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

July RSC18 is Red!!

My sewing has been varied the last week. I did manage to complete the 6.5 slab blocks I need for my RSC18 quilt in the first week of July.  So last week I finished a couple of R,W and B star blocks for CiL.(Covered in Love) at Kat and Cat Quilts.   I hope to send 8 blocks by the end of August!

This pattern uses the Quilt in a Day method of making 4 flying geese at once. And I love this ruler. I even use it to square up Flying Geese made in different ways. Sometimes I only have a thread or wo to trim, but they turn out perfect! The only drawback to this method is that you end up with 4 exactly the same. For this application, that is perfect. If your block was scrappy you could make 4 and them mix them, with one each from 4 other blocks.

I also mended a Target bag!  Red, you know!  I am such a penny pincer, that even when my take along shopping bags get a 3 corner tear from a sharp box edge, or the handle comes loose, or the seam comes apart, I mend it!  I did not get a photo of it under my needle, but here is a photo of it done!

I know, don't call the "looney wagon"!!!


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

ps: I'm linking up to So Scrappy Saturday!

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop cause I'm Not Quite Finished!

Summer is quickly coming to an end! I just learned the first day of school is August 21st.  ONE MONTH from tomorrow!

I don't have children or grandchildren who are school age, but our great grandson who lives here in our town starts kindergarten this year. It makes both Mr Busy and me feel OLD!

I have been working on my APQ Challenge for July!  I have a QOV that became a UFO last year after I had a great deal of trouble putting the blocks together. Now it should have been an easy quilt. Like a rail fence with a star detail at two corners.  See this post!.

I was surprised when I went to JoAnns that there was no gold fabric in the Patriotic section. So I looked, and looked and looked. Now, our JoAnns is a relatively small one. Not lots of fabric, no frame section, and maybe 3 employees that day. Sometimes there are only two working. I finally settled on a gold batick, yes it has "leaves" in it, but more subtle than the ones in my stash.

Next I had to decide how to do the corners. Cut a piece approximately 5 1/2 by 3 and lay it over the existing corner, sew it and then trim it. I pondered. I could not see that as a good outcome, with the bulk of the seam and the possibility for a larger more wonky star. So I started to "unsew" each triangle.

Painstakingly, I unpicked the first one. I have an Alpaca Pressing Mat and I love it!.  I pressed, then moved to my regular pressing mat, gave the cut edge a light spritz of Spray Starch, turned it over and pressed it again. It felt really stiff and stable. I added a rectangle of fabric, lined up the already cut line and sewed it on. Success!  I decided to do one corner at a time, to eliminate the possibility of distortion on the bias edge. When both corners are replaced, it is back to the cutting table and my 8 1/2 inch ruler and re trim the corners. There is some waste, but I will use those triangle is another project I have in my head!! That has been my task all week. I have 3 rows done and am starting on the 4th. Luckily I had marked each block with a small scrap of paper Col and Row, so they will go back in order. I did not want to have to rethink that!  I must have rearranged blocks for days last year before I was satisfied.

Here is the first one, Row 1 Column A with one new corner and one old corner, on my alpaca mat.

and the unpicking continued. It was a slow process, but I am happy with the results.

I am almost half way with the block re-do!

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

ps: I also finished reading Beartown by Fredrik Backman.  AWESOME!!!!  On recommendation from a friend in Texas, I picked up the sequel at the library yesterday, Us Against You!. I have a kindle book and an audio book that I need to finish, then I will start the sequel.

I'm linking this post at Confessions of A Fabric Addict . She is in the middle of her 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop, but I know she will get her Whoop Whoop Friday post up too.  I am glad Myra is back with Finished or Not Fridays! , so I will be linking up there too.

This week a little bit of somethin'

Last week, I posted about my many projects with nothing to show for it!  It least not in my mind! No completions, no tops quilted, no binding finished!  Nothin'

This week I have a little sumpun'!  I dumped my red pieces, then opened the tote of scraps that a friend gifted to me in April!

 I had to dig deep into this pile of yumminess, but I found enough scraps to make these 5 crumb slab blocks for RSC18. I only cut into my red pieces once. Then I took a piece that was in my stash for at least 15 years, and cut in up into 2.5 in strips for the 2.5" basket!  That felt good.

I have been struggling with my slab/crumb blocks resembling log cabins, so I used a suggestion from a fellow blogger. She suggested the Mile a Minute method. I checked out several You Tube videos and soon developed a method that made sense in my head!  I think they look pretty good!

I also finished putting the final 4-patch border on my En Provence quilt top!  I learned sooooo much from doing this one. I had never used a Tri-Rec ruler before!  That was a game changer for me. Also, took Bonnie's suggestions about measuring the block, not the seam allowance to make sure the seam allowance is correct!  Another light bulb moment!  And those 4-patches went on without a hitch and fit perfectly!

  The wind was blowing!  Imagine that!

  from Google= (Wyoming is very windy, we all know that. According to NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Association) 50-60 MPH winds helps the Cowboy State hold the title of windiest state in the country. Wyoming easily produces annual wind speeds statewide of just under 13 MPH.Mar 29, 2017  )

So excited to select a backing and find an available long arm quilter to bring this one to completion!


I started to work on the QOV quilt debacle that ended up in the UFO box last year. I followed a pattern that left me with blocks that did not come out to the required 8.5 inches.  I am redoing the angled gold pieces on the corners to help with that. If you want the gory details about this particular challenge, read this post. 

I also repaired a pair of short for my great grandson!  He caught his behind on something sharp and literally ripped a slash in the seat of his pant!  I was able to find an almost match to the fabric in my stash and repaired it with that piece behind it and cut away the shreds. Then turned under the edges to create a sort of reverse applique look. It's not bad, and I'll keep them in my drawer for backup when he is here. 

I will link this post to Confessions of a Fabric Addict!   "Can I Get a Whoop Whoop!"

and to So Scrappy Saturday tomorrow after Angela post the Link up

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

I got Nothin' !!

All week, it seems I have run around in circles.   I made myself a list of things to do.

1. Download Jenny's Year in the Garden stitchery for July.  DONE
2. Post about July's OMG.    DONE
3. Check at Kat & Cat's blog for the new block for Covered in Love.  DONE
4. Download the printable July calendar from Connie at Freemotion by the River.  DONE
5. Read and decide if I will participate in Bonnie Hunter's Leaders and Enders project for the next year! DONE
6. Check out the challenge number for All People Quilt July selection! DONE
7. Pull some RED scraps!  DONE , TOO!


Results:
1. Started stitching January!

2. En Provence:

Ready for the final neutral 4 patch borders.

3. A bit of July's red color!

I'll make 7 more of these before the end of August to send to Covering In Love.  Very doable!

4. I have a homemade journal/planner. So these printables are way more fun than the plain Jane ones from a different site of the internet! Thanks, Connie!  I've attempted to hide the personal stuff!

5. I have decided to pass.  I am still working on Leaders and Enders Tumblers from 2015!

6. It's #7  My QOV that I must re-do.  See this post!

7.  Scraps are dumped!  These look more maroon here....I may have to invade my Christmas scraps!

But that is all I got done toward the RSC 2018 July color of the month!

Stay Busy and Stay Happy or at least Squirrely!

Oh, and I'll link this post at So Scrappy! 

 And I finished the audio book I was listening to. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.  It is listed as a YA book, but there is lots of language in it. Other than that warning, I recommend it. You might want to read the synopsis before deciding. It is a controversial topic. 

July OMG. Decisions! Decisions!

I was having a hard time deciding what my July goal should be. I have several things to finish and a few to get started.  I made a list.......and then it sort of sat and marinated!

 I finally settled on this:

Put the last 4-patch borders on En Provence!

This is the center done and there is a border of low volume four patches that needs to be added. It is not difficult, just time consuming. Lots of matching seams. 21 four patches on each side and 23 four patches at the top and bottom.  After that I need to find a backing and send it off to a longarm quilter. While it is gone I will made a binding. I think the pink, like in the star points, but I will decide after the backing is chosen.  Those last two steps for another months OMG, I think!  I'll check in at the end of July!

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Linking up at Elm Street Quilts OMG for July Challenge.  You can check out some other's One Monthly Goal.