Design Wall Monday~May 6

Some projects become UFO's because you have made a mistake that you don't want to correct. At least in my experience. I have been working on a scrap quilt, made from my own stash of scraps (which I thoughtfully keep pre-cut in to specific sizes) and also remember my friends have been giving me free scraps because they don't want to be bothered to cut strips and squares from their left overs.  This scrap quilt was supposed to be fun and easy. No planning on colors, just make nine patches out of my 3 inch blocks and alternate with snowballs. Easy, peasy and pleasing to me.

But! The snowballs. Cripes! We all know you just add squares and fold and cut those into triangles and then (of course) take those little triangles and made them into half square triangles. We don't want anything to go to waste. They are easy blocks. Unless you use the wrong sized square. I promise I did two practice blocks and they were fine with my taking my 3 1/2 inch squares and neatly trimming those to 3 1/8 inch squares (I mean, who precuts anything to 3 1/8"?). Yesterday when I went to put all the finished blocks together the points on the snowballs did not line up properly with the seams on the nine patchs. Eeeaghghhhaa!

Trust me. I am not a perfectionist, at all! This will be a donation quilt, but still, EVERYONE would notice that the points don't match....by a lot! I was tempted to take the blocks off the wall and donate them, to two individual groups/people. Snowball balls to one group and nine patches too another group. Who would know that there were originally enough blocks for a whole quilt but that the quilter was not a math whiz?  Nor smart enough to use references available on the 'net? Instead, I decided to find a solution. Now. Not make it a UFO for later. My solution? Mark snowball blocks with a deeper seam, match those marks appropriately on the nine patches, pin and sew. My thinking was that people would be less likely to notice that the outside nine patches were slightly more of a rectangle than a square than they would notice the points didn't match.  So I marched forward with the mantra of "mark, match, sew, examine, trim" and although it is not completely pieced I think my solution worked. I certainly do have points that don't match but it is much better. What do you think?

As always, making a mistake helped me learn new things. First, an 1/8 of inch difference on the ruler looks pretty small, but when you are used to sewing 1/4" seams and then go to 3/8" seams, the difference looks huge! Secondly, these wider seams are easier to press open. I don't usually press open but I thought I would try this and hopefully find that pressing open would make for a flatter quilt. As it turns out, I didn't like the larger "shadowing" that showed through on my Kona white so after the first two rows, the shortest in an on point setting, I decided to sew at 3/8', trim to 1/4" and press to the sides. Still out of errors come opportunities for new experiences.

I hope you are having success with your projects! Visit Judys page for other Design Wall Monday inspiration. http://www.patchworktimes.com/

Enjoy!
Toni

Design Wall Monday~4-29

I did not write a post last week. I didn't have any finishes. Okay! I had a doll quilt finish that I wasn't thrilled with. The colors weren't as cohesive as I had wished and the machine quilting was crummy.

So here we are. The last few days of the month and even tho' I've not been very organized this last month. It doesn't mean I can't do better in May. I love new beginnings! Whether it is the first of the week "Monday. Hmmm, I better get my eating back under control" or the first of the year "This is the year I lose that weight and exercise more" or the first of a month "Let's make a list of things I want to get done this month." They are all a chance to restart, or a reboot. So that is where I am. Yesterday I made a list of the things I wanted to get done in May.

1)Get the Row Along Borders decided on cut and attached

2)Get the Ziggy String Quilt layered, quilted and bound

3)Get Joels Quilt repair finished and delivered

4)Finish the last 12 Pineapple blocks. Decide on, and add, the corner fabric

5)Finish the Hexie Doll Quilt

6)Requilt the Trips Doll Quilt (I have already removed the quilting)

7)Finish piecing the Scrappy Row Improv Quilt. I only have an orange row left to do.

Yesterday I worked on four of those seven projects. This list looks long but it is totally doable as most are finishes.

Then I added more items. Only one a quilty item, which was, make a donation lap/personal quilt with scrappy nine patches and snowballs. Hey! I had to have something new! I finished eight of those yesterday.

And I continued to add. We always have high expectations when we get a chance to startover! With the idea of "15 Minutes of Play", I also am going to practice FMQ fifteen minutes each day, either actual quilting practice or drawing on the white board, And each week I am going to choose a song for the ukulele and practice that same song over and over again for fifteen minutes each day. I want to basically have it commited to memory. This first week I'm going to work on "You and I" in the style of Ingrid Michaelson.. AND I'm still thinking about what I should do for exercise. I'm going to look at some of my pin's on Pinterest and choose a fifteen minute routine for this week. Wish me luck! Even adding these last three items, the sum total of minutes is still less than the time it used to take me to drive to work. Awwww! Retirement!

I hope you have a great week and I hope you take a look at something you would like to restart.

Enjoy!
Toni

Design Wall Monday~April 15

Sometimes you just have to make a decision or you never get started and therefore never finished. I have had a quilt to repair for well over a year now. I've asked for and received advice right here on this blog that helped me make some decisions, so I feel like I have a plan and know how to proceed except.....fabric. Darn fabric! This quilt is black and brights and I used poly back in those days. I am taking four blocks out to replace and of course, with the years, the colors have faded. No problem. I can deal with that. But I can't find any good quality (some may think that was impossible in the first place) polyester. I've searched Ebay, thrift stores, online and I've even gotten a sample from New York but I couldn't find a "nice" polyester in yellow. I found a "satisfactory" one in black but the yellow was impossible. So Friday I thought "Okay, I will use the black poly and the yellow cotton." Except then I didn't. I just couldn't. So today, I've decided I will use Kona cottons on both, those four blocks will just be heavier then the rest. Right after this post I am going to pre-wash them and get going....Unless I change my mind again. This shouldn't be this hard!

Secondly, last week, I showed a hexie doll quilt in process. That should have been done, except, I can't decide....should I applique some hexies in the border? Should I just quilt hexies shapes in the border? All over, or just at random? Or should I just forget hexies and something different. So here again, a decision has to be made before I move on. Arrrggghhhh!

I am used to making decisions. I was a Buyer and Purchasing Manager for thirty years. I made snap decisions all the time. But when it comes to this creative process, and let's be real, if I don't like my decision, I can undo it, pass it on, or just forget about it. I struggle. I spend much too much time deciding what to do.

I did make a decision on what design I was going to use for Rachel's, from Stitched In Color, Scrap Attack over on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/groups/1846806@N20/   Here is the beginning.

Actually I have all the stripped color blocks done (I think!) I just need to arrange them, (more decisions?) sew them together and get myself into town to buy a bolt of Kona white and finish cutting the white parts. It is not too late to join the Quilt Along. Entries for prizes can be any size and you have until the end of May to complete.

And I had a tiny finish. Sometimes you just have to get something done!

Enjoy!
Toni

Design Wall Monday~April 8

A short post. The day after my birthday! A day I ate waaaay too much.

Anyway, a finish

And a doll quilt in progress.

Enjoy!
Toni

Just A Quick Note

Just wanted to post a finish of a UFO. This baby quilt has been sitting since the early '90ies. Why? Well, it had a complicated border originally and I cut all the pieces, but didn't feel ready to tackle it. Then I lost the pieces and used some of the burgandy and blue in other projects. ANYWAY, I didn't want to donate it....my sis and I both worked on this quilt. Anyhoo, it's finished. I don't know why one block yellowed, I'm pretty sure it was all from the same bolt.

 

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter. I am on a fabric "diet" but still couldn't help but treat myself to these. I'm sure they are a lot better for me than chocolate and jelly beans!

 

Enjoy!  Toni

 

Design Wall Monday~March 25

My blog today will be short and sweet. Just like me!

I couldn't stand my sewing room. There were piles everywhere. You know how you pull out fabrics trying to make decisions and then don't put it away? I found I was having to move my stacks off the ironing board onto the cutting table and vice versa to accomplish anything. So I got busy. It's not perfect but certainly an improvement. Notice I added the cute piece to the top of the armoire. I wonder how long it will last?

Before:

After:

 

And yes, even tho' it doesn't show, there is no more fabric sitting on the dog crate!

 

I was productive after that and got three quilts basted and ready to quilt. Too bad I have to do my taxes today! But tomorrow, or later today if I'm lucky, I will start quilting those three. I have to, personal goal, get two done this month but would be thrilled if I could make it three!

And I love hexies! I only needed about sixty for this doll quilt I wanted to make. They were fun to do but I was rather nervous, I'm a worrier, about sewing them together. But here are the first five and I found them easy. Of course, I am not a perfectionist so someone else may not think I've done such a good job but they all look good to me!

 Now I'm worrying about taking the "paper" actually card stock, out. I wish I had read the blog that suggests punching a hole in the paper before using them to make them easier to remove. See? I'm already worrying about that!

Have a great day! Enjoy!
                              Toni

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