Summer Stars At Fawn Lake, Clue 2

I finished trimming the quarter square triangles for Charlotte Hawk's latest mystery,  Summer Stars at Fawn Lake.  There are 96 of these little guys:

 I wasn't a fan of the construction method used because the edges are on the bias.  Most of mine measure 2 1/2"  as they are supposed to.  I am going to have to make the others work, but I can hide a lot of flaws in a quarter inch seam!

I'm also working on a bargello quilt and hope to have something interesting to show next week.  Right now it is just a bunch of 2 1/2 inch strips.

Inverted Star, Quilted and Bound

Inverted Star is done!  I put the last stitch in the binding Friday night.

This quilt has a lot of texture thanks to Debbie Cooper's longarming.  She suggested the wavy pantograph, which I love. 

The back is a wide-back, gray peppered cotton. It is very soft.

This quilt is 64" square.  

Stash Report:
Used this week: 4.125 (Inverted Star backing and binding)
Used year to date: 44.5 yards 
Added this week: 0
Added year to date: 67.875 yards
Net Added:  23.375 yards

Linking up:  http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2018/03/gingham-doll-quilt.html

Pi Quilt, Finished Top

I finished my Pi quilt top last night.

I am very happy with the way it turned out. The back will be the same white as the front, and the binding will be black.  On to the next graduation quilt!


Stash Report:
Used this week: 9.75 yards  (Pi quilt top and backing)
Used year to date: 40.375 yards 
Added this week: 0 yards
Added year to date: 67.875 yards

Net Added:  27.5 yards

Linking up:http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2018/02/small-projects.html

First Daffodil of 2018

For several years, I  have been keeping track of the date my first daffodil blooms.   This year, it was Sunday, 2/18/18.  This flower is not completely opened, but close enough.   This variety is called February Gold, and it is usually the first to bloom in my yard. 

2012                  before 2/1/12
2013                  2/21/13
2014                  3/10/14
2015                 3/13/15
2016                  2/4/16
2017                   2/19/17

If the weather cooperates and stays cool, I will have daffodils for 2 1/2 months.  If it gets too hot, they will be gone sooner.  

Jungle OBW Bound

I finished a quilt today!  Here is Jungle OBW:

I started this quilt almost five years ago, and it has been hanging in my closet waiting to be quilted ever since.  This quilt will be a gift for one of my brothers.  The longarming was done by Debbie Cooper of Finish My Quilt.  The backing is a wide back Peppered Cotton.  It is 74" x 78".

I am very happy with how it turned out, and I am thrilled to have it done at last!

Stash Report:
Used this week: 5.5 yards ( Jungle OBW backing and binding)
Used year to date: 30.625 yards 
Added this week: 8.5 yards (sale yardage and FQs)
Added year to date: 67.875 yards

Net Added:  37.25 yards

Linking up:  http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2018/02/abbys-sunset-quilt-complete.html

Paper Piecing Pi

My family is full of nerds.  My father, son and 5 of my siblings are engineers.  My nephew falls into the same category, and he graduates from high school in June.  When I saw these fabrics, I knew I had to use them in his graduation quilt.

I had the perfect fabrics, then began the search for the perfect pattern.  I found it in Meadow Mist's Pi Quilt.  The numbers are all paper pieced.   I chose to use the large 5" x 7"  numbers instead of the small ones she used.  I estimate that it took me 25 hours to complete the numbers. So many 3s, 6s, 8s and 9s made it challenging!

I still have to do the sashing and borders, but the numbers are done!


Stash Report:
Used this week: 1.5 yards (shop challenge fabric given away)
Used year to date: 25.125 yards 
Added this week: 23.125 yards (pillowcase, half-price fabric for Dan's quilt)
Added year to date: 59.375 yards
Net Added:  34.25 yards

The Shop Challenge

Before Christmas, the shop where I work decided to do a quilt challenge.  The owner chose this Amy Butler fabric which was not selling very well.

 All of the women who work there, made tens  6 1/2 inch blocks using this fabric. Then we traded with each other so each of us had a block made by everyone else.  Our challenge was to make something out of all of the blocks and have it finished by April 1.  Since I don't like the fabric at all, this was a big challenge for me.  My first thought was to make a giant scrap quilt and hide the blocks in it. But I didn't have enough time to make something complicated since I have two graduation quilts to make by May.  So I decided to put these blocks on the back of a quilt I had already made.

The challenge for me was to make a back that would be attractive to enough to hang in the shop and to have it relate  in size and color to one of my finish tops.  I chose this batik fish quilt for the top.  This is the quilt that convinced me I do not like hand applique.  All of the fish and bubbles were sewn on by hand.  The quilt is made mostly from scraps given to me by my friend Holly, and I think I finished it about 9 years ago.  This quilt is 62"x50".

The back with the challenge blocks was inspired by a Swirly Girls pattern, Viola.

The blank block will be filled in after it is quilted with Cathy's dimensional pinwheel block. 

 I will applique it into the space after it is longarmed.

Stash Report:
Used this week:  5.5 yards (fish quilt top and back)
Used year to date: 23.625 yards 
Added this week: 4.5 yards (batiks to finish quilt)
Added year to date: 36.25 yards
Net Added:  12.625 yards