Summer Summary

I don't know what has happened to this summer?  It definitely flew by and even though I did some fun quilty things, there wasn't time to capture it on my blog.  I will do my best to catch up.  People ask me why I blog and the answer is simple-- I like the journal aspect and love to look back on what I have done over the years.  So- let's get this good stuff recorded for posterity.  If you are a Princess Bride fan (like me!!), you can't hear that word without thinking of this.  =P

The biggest, most awesome quilty thing I did this summer was travel to Oregon and attend the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.  It was so! much! fun!  This show was a bucket list item for me and it was totally worth it!  And while there, I got to meet a longtime FB friend in person.

My little cousin, Sarah got married and she totally loved the quilt I made for her. ❤

I started up a new block of the month at Blue Bar Quilts.  It's called 'Chocolatier' and the pattern is by Anne Marie Chany.  I've got a few blocks done, but I'm a bit behind.  That's how summer goes!

I made two mini quilts for the Mad City Quilt Guild's booth at Quilt Expo.  The them was 'G is for...'.  I had fun with this, because I could use 2 plays on my last name (and this blog!!). =)

The last thing I have to share is a short re-cap of 2019 Quilt Expo.  As usual, it was a great time!  They are changing the name of the show next year.  It will be the 15th year and the organizers wanted to emphasize our state in the name, so it will be 'The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show'.  

I entered Scrap Happy Sampler and received lots of kind words from everyone.

Maybe I have one more thing to share... my garden didn't have the greatest season (many reasons), but I did grow some beautiful sunflowers! Enjoy!

xoxo,

Kristin

Linking up with: Oh Scrap! and Let's Bee Sewcial

2019 Lutherdale Gala Quilt Assembly Weekend

Every spring for the last few years, I've met with several friends at Lutherdale and we've assembled the 'Gala Quilt'.  The blocks are sewing by attendees of the spring luncheon and they mail them back to camp for us to assemble them.  The quilt will be auctioned off in August.  We had a fantastic weekend 2 weeks ago.  The weather was quite nice and we accomplished a lot-- Many hands make light work!

This year's quilt is based on a Bonnie Hunter pattern.  (there are a few adjustments made to it).  The brights are all scrap donations and the grey/white/black-ish was purchased fabric.  It turned out great!

Once it is time to add borders to the quilts, not everyone can sew, so I bring 'bonus' projects.  This is the 'January Quilters' Quilt' for 2019. I have been coordinating a group quilt with my fellow January retreaters for a few years now and we took advantage of this weekend to finish up the center.  It will possibly have a few more borders (grey + black).  I love the sparkle that all the variety of colors bring to it!

At the last minute, while pack to go to camp, I perused a few simple patterns I owned and grabbed a bunch of stash that I thought would work.  Of course I brought a ton of stuff for the wekend, but there is nothing worse than regretting you didn't have something you needed.  We were able to throw this child sized quilt together in next to no time.  I *LOVE* working with helpers on quilts like this.  One person was cutting, one sewing, one pressing and before you know it-- BOOM!  A top!  Some of these pinks have been in my stash for quite a while and I'm happy to give them a purpose (and to make room for new, fresh fabric!)

Prior to going to Lutherdale, I did a super quick trip to my parent's for a bit of longarming.  The main goal was to quilt my mountain quilt (separate post on that later....).  I did squeak out quilting up a small panel that I bordered over the winter.  I will donate this to Lutherdale's auction and I'm calling it 'Seaside Friends'.  The quilting is 'doodly' and whimsical and hopefully will make some child very happy!

xoxo,

Kristin

Linking up with: Oh Scrap! and Let's Bee Sewcial

Finish! Hashtag Quilt

Sharing finishes is my favorite thing to do! And this finish is no different. This is a quilt I made as a wedding present for my cousin, Riley. He's getting married late this summer. I wanted a pattern that had a bit of a masculine feel, but didn't read "manly!". A friend had made this quilt and I thought it would work out well. The pattern is 'Hashtag' by Whimsicals. I started it at my 'Super Most Awesome Retreat' in March and worked on it diligently the entire time. There are 2 blocks and you make about 10 million strip sets. I used the Stripology ruler and that was a lifesaver!  It really made the cutting and subcutting a breeze.

Here is a closeup of the quilting:

The lighter blue/splotchy fabric was our guild's challenge fabric.  I finished the quilt by the deadline, but wasn't able to make the meeting to enter it in the drawing for prizes.  =(  Total bummer!

The background fabric I bought for this project, but the rest is fabric from my stash--woot!

I quilted it on my mom's new-to-us longarm and used a loopy style pantograph.  The backing is minkee and I lurrrrve how it feels.  I hope that Riley and his bride love it, too!

xoxo,
Kristin

Linking up with Whoop-Whoop (my first time ever!)

Spring 2019 catch up

So much has been going on sewing-wise, but I haven't found the time to blog about it.  Life seems to be a bit of a blur right about now.  And then, the further behind I've gotten in updates, the more daunting the task has become to catch up.  I'll try to dive right in and journal about some of what I've been doing for the past few months....

I've been chipping away at some of my eternal projects.  These are things that don't necessarily have a fully flushed out plan, but are a way to use up scraps and keep me entertained with something different in between bigger projects.

Diamond Log Cabin

I've finished up all the center blocks and decided to make the next ring more orange than yellow.  I have about 6 of them in progress.  I think each block has 18? pieces.  They are tedious for sure!

Wild and Goosey

Also tedious!  I swear I have more than this completed, but I don't seem to have a picture.

Scrappy Log Cabins

These are fun!  I'm taking bigger strips and sewing wonky style.  The scrap pile really doesn't seem to shrink, despite my best efforts.  I think I'll keep making these until I have at least a twin sized quilt.  Each block will finish 12"

Corduroy Totes

I was given 5 yards of red corduroy and 5 yards of black--that's a LOT of corduroy!! Several years ago made a version of a little J. Crew tote bag I had for years and thought that would be a good use for this fabric. With one width of fabric cut, I can make 3 bags. There is enough fabric to make 30 bags!!! That is a lofty goal and I will likely get bored with making these before too long. Lutherdale is having a 'Tiny Treasures' tent at their auction and all items are $25 or less. I thought this might be a good thing to sell there? They did turn out super cute, if I do say so myself! =)

Zippy Pouches

The last thing I'll share today are a few zippy pouches I whipped together a few weeks ago.  The last one is from a hunk of leftover corduroy.

I'll share more about my quilty progress in separate posts.  I have lots of good stuff, including finishes!!

xoxo,
Kristin

ps
Linking up with: Oh Scrap! and Let's Bee Sewcial

Milestones!

Lots of sewing has been happening recently, but not a lot of blogging.  I've been the little train that could and have been chugging along on many of my WIPs.  And I've actually finished binding some of my quilts that have been hanging on for too long--Imagine that!  I don't have 'final' photos yet, because the weather has been rather brutal lately and it is not conducive to outdoor photos.  Lots and lots of snow and wind and ice and subzero temperatures. Fannie is loving the snow, I'm ready for warmer weather!!  Hopefully I will be able to share these finishes soon.

On to my milestones-- I've finished 2 tops recently and that feels great!!  First up is my Scrap Happy Sampler.

This top is a doozy!  And those borders....wow.  I'm very pleased with how the quilt turned out, but I'm also very pleased to be done with it!!  😋  Next up: quilting, binding and displaying at Blue Bar Quilts!  Wooot! It will be cool to see my quilt hanging in the gallery area with the quilts from my sew-a-long group. 

Quilt top finish #2: Alpine Mountains.  This is a wedding gift and has a deadline of June-- I'm on track!!  This turned out great-- the picture isn't doing it justice.  It is all batiks and they a lend depth and richness that you don't get from traditional fabrics. I'm really looking forward to quilting this up and having a completed quilt. I think when the weather is nice and I do a photo shoot outdoors, it will really shine.

With 2 finishes, that means I can start 2 new projects, right?? =)  I am participating in the Chocolatier Block of the Month and it starts in 2 weeks.  There is another wedding late summer and I want to make a quilt for that.  I'm hoping to get started on it at my Super Most Awesome Retreat next week (wouldn't it be lovely to piece an entire top at retreat?!?!).  And I am going to make 2 more Norway Flag quilts.  I've been cutting 10 billion red and blue squares in anticipation of those.  So/Sew much going on!! 

xoxo,

Kristin

ps

Linking up with: Oh Scrap! and Let's Bee Sewcial

Lutherdale Retreat 2019

I just got back from my annual 5 day sew-fest at Lutherdale.  I don't know what it is, but every year, the time elapses faster and faster.  In the blink of an eye, our retreat was over and it was time to pack up and go home.  I accomplished quite a bit, but of course, I would like to have done even more. Isn't that always the case?

The main project I worked on was starting a new quilt -->I don't have an official name for it yet. Winter Mountains? Steep Mountains? Rugged Mountains? Climb Every Mountain? Alpine Mountains? It is a wedding present for my mountain climbing cousin that has been living in New Zealand for a few years, but is moving back to the US this year.  The blocks are designed by Kristy from Quiet Play.  The layout I am using will be based on something shared on a FB group by @CamilleSews (on Instagram).  I hoped to piece the entire top (ambitous, I know!) during retreat.  The reality was-- those trees are a lot of work!! There are 25 pieces in the small tree and close to that many in the larger one.  It's been taking approximately 2 hours per tree!! Yikes!  I did complete all of the mountain blocks (15) and 1.5 of the 5 pair of trees.  In the last week, I've finished the second pair of trees and completed another pair.  Only 2 more pairs of trees to go!  Woot!  I can't wait to see this come together into a top.

The other main project I worked on was facilitating a group quilt to donate to Lutherdale.  Again-- my inspiration came from something shared on FB.  We cut bright scraps into 2" squares using my Go Baby! cutter.  It's turning out LOVELY!! The sashing will be a light grey and I'll add some more blocks to this throughout the year and have it finished up for next January's retreat.  What to name this?  It's kind of sparkly, jewel-like.  It's scrappy.  It's rainbow.  Hmmmm "Rainbow Sparkly Whatnot"?  Naming quilts is hard! 

The last project I have to share is a simple panel that I added 3 borders to.  This is something I will quilt up with fun doodles and donate to Lutherdale's August auction. I think I'll name it "Seaside Friends"

While at 'Quilt Camp', Mother Nature brought us a fantastic snow storm.  Using a quilting ruler, we measured 8" of snow!  Winter this year has been a bit dodgy and what little snow we have had has melted.  I'm happy to have a layer of white to make winter feel like winter.  The subzero temperatures we are experiencing right now...that's another story!!

I'm already counting down the days until next year's retreat!

xoxo,

Kristin

Linking up with Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday and Let's Bee Sewcial

Finish-A-Long Q1 2019 - My Goals

It's time to set some goals and finish projects up!  The end of last year was a bit of a whirlwind and I didn't get to sew nearly as much as I would like.  Perhaps the first few months of 2019 will make up for it? 

Let me see if I can complete some unfinished projects.  Here is my list.  Many items I've been recycling, so it would be fantastic for this to be their final appearance on my goals list.


1- On Ringo Lake
I've had this quilted and partially bound for ages. Other projects have taken precedence, but this needs to get done. Would you believe that I have this on my bed at retreat with a partial binding and clover clips in it? Would you also believe that this isn't the first time I've done that??!!?? =P

2- Midnight Star
This top has been done for a while, but I haven't had a chance to quilt it. There isn't a specific place this is going, so it has been aging.

3- Legendary

I did manage to quilt this top up a few months ago in a swooshy panto.  It needs to have a binding attached and to do the hand stitching.  I can do this!! Yes, I can!!  (positive thinking)

4- Black Diamond String

This quilt is quilted, but needs a binding. It is going to the August Lutherdale auction and I would LOVE to have it all done sooner rather than later.

5- Scrap Happy Sampler

This is my TOP priority. Blue Bar Quilts has offered to hang the quilts from our class in their gallery in March. I have 2 borders attached. Need to finish them and quilt and bind.

I have other things that need finishing (ahem-- incomplete bindings on charity quilts....), but I'm going to stop here and get my entry in to Finish-A-Long just under the wire.

Here are the hostesses of this year's event:

• Sandra - Studio Sew of Course
• Marci - Marci Girl Designs
• Leanne - She Can Quilt
• Izzy - Dizzy Quilts
• Ella - Throw a Wench in the Works
• Karen - Capitola Quilter
• Lynne - Tinking Along
• Sarah G - Sarah Goer Quilts
• Sarah Z - Cedar Fork Stitches
• Julie - That’s Sew Julie
• Nicole - Handwrought Quilts

I'm looking forward to another great year!


xoxo.
Kristin

Hello 2019!!

Happy New Year!

Winter is in full swing in Madison as of New Year's Eve.  We had a pretty good snow storm for most of yesterday afternoon and evening.  It coated the trees with a beautiful heavy, wet snow.

I wish I could be in my sewing room and enjoy the calm outside the windows, but alas, today is my holiday to work. I can at least fit some blogging in during my downtime!

Recently, I've picked back up something I started 1 year ago.  I'm calling it Black X-String --> for now.  This is the 'group project' I'm leading with my Lutherdale January Quilters.  We meet for 5 days every January and work on our own projects.  Two years ago, I thought-- why don't we do something together that we can donate to their August Auction?  Lutherdale gives so much to us, why not give back?  This pattern has always intrigued me, so I roped in all my fellow sewists to help out.  We had about 50 (?) blocks at the end of retreat.  I've sewn about another 15-ish.  The plan is to make it 8 x 10 and have it quilted before this year's retreat... in 15 days!!  Can I do it?  I sure hope so!

Also under my needle this week is my Scrap Happy Sampler.  I wanted to finish the top by today and I got mighty close.  I worked on it at Late Night Sew Night at Blue Bar Quilts and finished my troublesome spinny square block.  It now fits into the spot to which it belongs.  It needed 4 extra rings, so I'm calling this block "So Extra".  

The borders are ready to go on.  I did one at Late Night and decided this would be easier to do with my set in table.  Less wrestling and more support under the weight of the top.  I'm so close!! Can't wait!

And now for the big winner of my first ever give away......drum roll please....AMY!  Amy is a friend from Mad Mod Quilt Guild and a co-hostess with the mostest of Late Night Sew Night.  I did a bit of 'promoting' of my blog at this month's get together.  Here is the grand prize:

And look at my cool new letter board thingy!  What fun! Santa brought it  (and by Santa, I mean I picked it up at TJ Maxx while shopping)  😜

One last thing to share before signing off... I made another pincushion with Amanda Jean/Crazy Mom Quilt's pattern.  She is 'retiring' from her blog and the pattern writing business.  Her style really inspired me and I made all kinds of projects based off her patterns and tutorials.  I will miss her beautiful creations.  

xoxo,

Kristin

ps

Linking up with: Oh Scrap! and Let's Bee Sewcial