progress on May OMG

Pieced.  Ironed.  Batting roughly cut and spray-basted.

Planning to quilt it this weekend and trim to 15" square.

May OMG - Rainbow Road pillow

I am taking another class with Rachel of Stitched in Color - Curves.  One of our projects is an improv rainbow road.   Instead of a table runner, I am going to make a 15" ish square pillow.

I bought some yummy solids from Gotham Quilts and after a moment of hesitation, chopped the yardage into a wide strip. 

Then I sliced it into smaller chunks:

I was distracted by the selvage - can I make an itty-bitty garland out of them?

I am going back to play now.  :)   Thanks to our OMG host, Patty of Elm Street Quilts.

BBQAL - purple duvet

I made a duvet cover.  This is the huge-est thing I have ever made!

One only pic because my neighbor wanted to know what I was doing...  :P

See April OMG - done for a close-up ish photo.  Taking photos is not one of my talents.

Reflecting on the process, I wish that I had stuck with my original idea of multi-colored squares.  This is not super exciting/appealing to my sense of color/design, but I did get some practice with appliqueing the squares on, and with long seams, so it was overall a good experience.  I like the back of it, with the big swath of flowers.  I've got more of that print and I would like to make a Diabolical Jane someday!  :)

Linking up with Rachel, our host for the BBQAL.

April OMG - Done

I'm not super excited about the different sized 4-patches anymore, but I wanted to finish this all the way.   I can take it apart later, once I've made another cover.  :P  I decided that I really do want one that is all colors with squares everywhere.  And it makes me laugh that I like the back of this (with the Elda print) more than the front.

I found the center, ironed a crease, the placed the squares, holding them in place with Roxanne's glue because I do not like being poked by pins.

It wasn't too tough to stitch around the edges:

I was interested with how different it felt to have the edge to the left of the presser foot, as opposed to the right side where I usually have it.  I think sewing can be done in any direction, is I right?  Or is I left?  ((from the BFG))

Sewing straight is tough, especially in a long line.  I did not cut my pieces all to the same length, so the bottom edge was uneven...   I am choosing to see this as a learning opportunity.  :P

I think I need to find something smaller/QAYG style because this was a LOT of fabric to move around, and there wasn't even any batting!  I'm not ready to quilt a big big quilt on my home machine.  Yet. 

Linking back to our host, Patty of Elm Street Quilts.

Quilt Show

This weekend is the MPQG's 40th Quilt Show.

I just barley got my quilts done before they were due on Thursday.  I need to work on realistic amount of time that it takes to do each step...  Still, despite the stress, I am glad that I persevered and got two throw quilts done: Plan V and my daughter Toria's quilt.

I finally got her to finish designing it on Sunday so I could piece it, and then didn't get to sit down to quilt it until Wednesday, so the binding was stitched on at 3 a.m. on Thursday.  Silly me!  But it is done and we can use the scraps to make a pillow without any rushing to meet a deadline.

Distractions

Linking up with Meredithe and Anne for 6and6in2018. 

I am working bit by bit on hand-quilting "Plan V" for the quilt show, which is in less than 2 weeks...  Stay focused, Becky!

my 2nd-old-6

I soothe my stress (aka distract myself) with the plain garter-stitch of my first-new-6:

I've also been playing with ombre in my 2nd-new-6:

I bought a "My Small World" kit and began practicing applique with scraps from my BBQAL:

I love purple!

(March) + April OMG - BBQAL

Change in plans: I was one of the lucky winners of 3 yards of wide-back at the beginning of the month (thanks, Rachel of Stitched in Color!) and I really liked this shade, so I changed my plan a bit...   I wanted the backing to be the top, so I decided to stick with just purple squares.  The other colors will become something else, someday.

Sheree, my pretty kitty, and pretty fabrics! Bottom bit is the wide-backing.

Sunny, the big fat cat, on Elda from Mostly Manor by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.

Also, I found out my comforter is not a square.  It is slightly rectangular.  Very glad I gave myself some wiggle room:

fuzzy fuzzy maths

Another important thing that happened this month: I bought a Sizzix Pro and several dies.  I am not a big fan of cutting precise things...  Did you know that 6" squares do not play well with others?  My previously cut squares were not compatible with my new dies for 4.5" or 2.5" squares...  Hmmm.  Time to improvise.

My very first try with the machine, I had to say out-loud "You are not emotionally attached to this fabric - it is a scrap.  You do not even like nautical things like whales..."   :P

Here is my first attempt with purple fabric:

Scary that it leaves marks, but it is supposed to.

little squares and left over bits

Not too bad, eh?

So, I made some four-patches and tried this layout:

sun is behind a cloud

And that layout:

sun came out

I was not super excited about either, so I let it simmer for a few more days.

Decided to take it apart and make more four-patches.  I made a medium sized one with 4.5 and 8.5" squares.  The fabric below was some of the first I bought, back in 2000 ish, when I was 16 years old and could not even afford a skinny quarter.  :P  I think I bought only 1/8 of a yard.

Not my current style, but it is purple.  :)

Then I made a giant four-patch with the original 6"squares in a four-patch paired with 11.5" squares.  I took out the all-polka dot one, so now I have these 3 blocks:

68" ish long!

I missed posting to the March OMG link up.  :(

But I met my (changed) goal and it is still March in my time zone - I'm happy with my progress.

This post will also count as goal setting for April: I am going to applique the squares and put in the zipper and ties I removed from my old duvet.  Linking to Patty at Elm Street Quilts and Rachel's BBQAL.