Inverted Star Quilt

The other day I was online looking for patterns for fabrics with big prints.  I came across Maple Island Quilts  (https://mapleislandquilts.com/gallery/bq-nation/) and decided to try setting my Inverted Star blocks ala Maple Island Quilt's BQ pattern.  I have 16 blocks done.  They are not sewn together yet, but you get the idea.

All of the star blocks are made from my scraps, and they are 12 1/2" square.  They took a lot of time to make because I wanted all the seams in the blocks to nest.  It was harder than you would think! I started this quilt in January of 2016.

 The white in the star blocks was given to me by a friend.  I had to buy more white for the setting squares, and I just chose a white that looked the closest to it. This quilt will be 72" x 72" when it is finally sewn together. I had to restrain myself from making 4 more inverted star blocks and making a bigger quilt.  Then I thought about making a piano key border from my scraps.  I still may make the border, but I realize that not every quilt needs to be queen sized.  I don't know who will get this one yet.

 Stash Report:
Used this week:  5.375 yards (Urban 9 Patch)
Used year to date: 108.625 yards
Added this week:  0 yards
Added year to date: 183.25 yards
Net Added yards: 74.625 yards

Linking up: http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2017/09/washi-dresses-4-5.html

Urban Nine Patch Top Done

I finished my Urban Nine Patch Top yesterday.

This quilt is 93" x 67" and will be a graduation gift for my niece.

I have mixed feelings about the border I added, but it is going to stay.  The colors in the border fabric are fine, but the style  of the print isn't the same as the Blueberry Park line I used in the center.  In any event, I'm not changing it.  I auditioned border fabric for several weeks and nothing else came close to being right.

Claire's Quilt

I finished a simple Swirly Girl's pattern today, Perfect Ten.  It calls for ten fat quarters plus border and accent fabric.  I used a Riley Blake line called Our World.  I changed the borders a little, adding an inner border and cornerstones, but the body of the quilt is straight from Perfect Ten.  This pattern is super easy with big pieces, no triangles, and clear directions.  Perfect Ten is a perfect beginner pattern. This quilt measures 61" x 74".

 This quilt will probably be a graduation gift for my son's friend who is studying International Relations.  There is no hurry to get this one longarmed because she won't graduate for another year and a half.  I had some extra fabric and made a pillow case to match the quilt.

Linking up: http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2017/09/marmalade-quilt-top.html

 Stash Report:
Used this week:  4.5 yards (Claire's quilt, pillowcase)
Used year to date: 103.25 yards
Added this week:  6.625 yards ( U9P border, binding, sashing Inverted Star)
Added year to date: 183.25 yards
Net Added yards: 80.00 yards

Urban Nine Patch

I spent most of Monday afternoon working on my Urban Nine Patch quilt.  This quilt uses Sew Kind of Wonderful's Quick Curve Ruler. For the most part, I liked using this ruler.  There is a lot of squaring up with the Urban Nine Patch block, though, so there is a lot of waste. Waste is OK with me if it makes for accurate blocks, but my blocks are not particularly accurate. I need more practice with this technique!

I used a Blueberry Park bundle for the blocks.  I added the aqua cornerstones because, without them, the quilt looked dead.  I am not used to working with so many pastel colors.  I have put this quilt away for a while but will probably end up buying more fabric for the border.

I've not sewn at all the past two days, but I've spent hours cutting scraps.  If I were only dealing with my scraps, I could probably keep up.  But I seem to be the scrap depository for several friends, and all of them gave me a bunch at once.  I do like making scrap quilts, but I'm running out of storage.  So it is time to make a scrap quilt!

Linking  up:  http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2017/09/emma-myrtle-market-bag.html


Used this week: 0
Used year to date: 98.75 yards
Added this week: 5.625 yards (backing, binding  and background)
Added year to date: 176.625 yards
Net Added yards: 77.875 yards

Cross Stitch Give Away

I have been doing some organizing in my sewing room this week and have found some cross stitch charts I don't need anymore.  Some of them I have already stitched. Some of them I know I will never get to.

If you want them, let me know by the end of the month, and I will send them to you.  If more than one person asks for them, I will randomly choose someone.  They will all go to one person to save on postage.

ICQC, Task 9

We are getting close to the end of the ribbon embroidery class, and I am using up my ribbon quickly.  It is so much more expensive than regular floss that I hate to buy more.  So I'm using up what I have.  My ribbon lady's dress is green because I have a lot of green silk ribbon.

Her dress is embellished with beads rather than the ribbon roses called for on the pattern.  To me the ribbon roses were way out of scale with the rest of the motif.  They were as big as her head!  Plus, I was afraid that stitching though the green dress would  leave a mark if I didn't like the roses and decided to pull them out.  Beads were a safer choice to me.

Linking up:  http://www.supermomnocape.com/vintage-embroidery-monday-stitchery-link-party-126/

Odds and Ends, Stash Report

I completed one more task in my ribbon embroidery class.

Have I mentioned that the way this class works is that you don't get the instructions for the next assignment until you have completed the previous tasks?  So you can't skip around and stitch the motifs you like the best, are the quickest or look like the most fun.  That is good for me because I know I would finish all those that appeal the most to me first and leave the rest, which I might never get to.  Sometimes this way feels a little like work, but I have learned a lot by doing each task in the correct order.  I am getting a little burned out on silk ribbon, but there are only a couple more steps to go.

I also wanted to get in this stash report before fabric I have on order comes in.  

Used this week: 0
Used year to date: 98.75 yards
Added this week: 3.0 (white for Joe's quilt)
Added year to date: 171.0 yards
Net Added yards: 72.25 yards

In previous years, my goal was always to use more fabric than I bought.  Just by looking at these numbers, I can see that won't be happening this year.  But I am finishing more quilts than I ever have, and because of my new job, none of the money is coming out of our regular family budget.  I have 2 quilts at the longarmer now and expect one of them back this week.

As for quilting, I've been working on Urban Nine Patch, a pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful.  I am using a fat quarter bundle of Blueberry Park.  I have run out of my gray background fabric and have ordered more.  Right now I'm not crazy about the color balance in this quilt.  I am thinking about adding a little green or another color, but I'm not sure yet.