Big Block Quilts, Stash Report

I finished my Maple Island inspired quilt top today. I am really happy with the way it turned out!

This quilt is not my usual style at all.  I make a lot of scrappy quilts with little pieces and lots of different fabrics, but I am beginning to think I used to make a lot of scrap quilts because that is the kind of quilt I could afford to make.  Now that I have a little extra money, I have been able to venture out and buy fabrics for specific projects.

 I have recently made 3 quick quilt tops that aren't scrappy.  Here are the other two:

They were all fun to make, but I need to get back to my scrappy roots and use up some of my extra fabric soon.


 Stash Report:
Used this week: 3.0 yards  (Yellow Flower Top)
Used year to date:123.75  yards
Added this week:  0 yards
Added year to date: 202.5 yards
Net Added yards: 78.75 yards

Linking up:  http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2017/10/mostly-moody-quilt-top.html

https://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/2017/11/lets-bee-social-201.html

Design Wall, Challenge Fabric

We had some fabric in the clearance section of the quilt shop that was just not selling.  The fabric was very bright:  orange, red, yellow, green and pink.  The floral design was over sized with some flowers 10" across.  What would you do with fabric like this?  I would usually make a one block wonder quilt.  This time I wanted to try something faster, so I'm making a quilt inspired by Maple Island Quilts big block patterns.

So far, this is what I've got:

Yes, it is bright! And I don't know who will get it yet, but I am enjoying the challenge.

Linking up:  http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/2017/10/design-wall-monday-october-23-2017.html

https://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/2017/10/lets-bee-social-200.html

Inverted Star Top Done

It took me longer than I thought it would, but I got Inverted Star sewn together and off the design wall.  I am very happy with the way this one turned out:  so much more interesting that plain sashing and cornerstones! I have no recipient in mind for this one, so it is going into the closet with my other unfinished tops. This quilt is 72" x 72".

I have been cutting scraps for Charlotte Hawk's next mystery quilt.  I usually start by cutting from my bins of scraps, which are sorted by color.  This time I started with unsorted scraps and went on from there. That way I skip the sorting step.  It saves me a little time this way, and Charlotte's quilt tend to be very scrappy, not controlled scrappy like Bonnie Hunter's mysteries.  I am going to do a scrappy background for this one  too.  I have been cutting all week when I haven't been at work, and I'm still not done!  Fortunately, except for the cutting,  Charlotte's mystery starts after Bonnie's mystery is almost done.

 Stash Report:
Used this week:4.125 yards  (Inverted Star Top)
Used year to date:120.75  yards
Added this week:  6.25 yards (yellow flower top, Bram Bones top)
Added year to date: 202.5 yards
Net Added yards: 81.75 yards

Sew Together Bag and Stash Report

One of the perks of working at a quilt shop is that I get to take classes for free.  Saturday I took the Sew Together Bag class.  I could have probably figured out how to put this bag together using the included instructions and You Tube videos that are out there, but taking a class helped a lot.  I got most of it done in 4 hours.

 I have made a few bags before, but I don't like dealing with iron on interfacing, zippers, sewing though multiple layers ( I broke 2 needles on this Sew Together Bag) and all the binding that comes with making a bag. Making a bag feels like work to me, not fun.   I am much better at piecing quilts than making bags!

Linking up: http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2017/10/biased-quilt-top-complete.html
http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2017/10/all-decked-out.html

 Stash Report:
Used this week:  1.25 yards (Sew Together Bag)
Used year to date: 116.625 yards
Added this week:  11.0 yards ($4 backgrounds for scrap quilts)
Added year to date: 196.25 yards
Net Added yards: 79.625 yards

Rolling Waves Done and Stash Report

I have blogged about this quilt several times already, but now it is quilted, bound and ready to give to my sister.  If you follow my blog, you will know that I already have given several quilts to 'my sister', but I have four sisters, and this one doesn't have a quilt yet.

Rolling Waves is a free pattern you can find online.  The whole thing is made of nine patches.  If you are going to do multiple colors as I did, a design wall is helpful.  The pattern as written only has two colors.  

The last time I tried to photograph this quilt, it was dark outside, and the batik print didn't show up well.  Today it is lighter out, so you can see the swirls and different colors in the design.  I have been looking at other batik prints, thinking I might make another version of this quilt.  So far, I haven't found a batik I like quite as well as this one.  

My longarmer, Vicki Johnson of Threads That Bind Us, chose the quilting pattern.  It is a pantograph  with a big. loopy swirl that gives the quilt a lot of movement.  I'm very happy with the design she chose.  You can really see the pattern on the back.

So glad to have this quilt done!

 Stash Report:
Used this week:  6.75 (Rolling Wave backing/binding, coasters)
Used year to date: 115.375 yards
Added this week:  2 yards (black for Inverted Star, Sew Together Bag)
Added year to date: 185.25 yards
Net Added yards: 69.875 yards

Linking up: http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2017/10/home-again.html  
https://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/2017/10/lets-bee-social-198.html

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.