Homebody!!

This weekend I was half road warrior and half homebody.

I'll share the homebody today...which really means that I was in the Quilt Lab :)

Recently I've been trying to "clean" my quilt lab by making progress on the various WIPs sitting on my table tops.

The first project I decided to "clean" was Bonnie's Leader Ender project which has been in various bins next to my sewing machine to make it easier to stitch. A few weeks ago I had decided it was time to sew the scrappy rails to the B&W rails. These piles then sat on the ironing board.

That meant I could start the weekend by pressing them all according to Bonnie's diagram. Except, when I went to start sewing them together they wouldn't nest together so I was going to have to re-press them. As if ironing them all wasn't bad enough the first time, I had to do it a second time. Ugh.

I laid out my re-pressed blocks on the design wall to make sewing the rows easier. It did get to be quite a jumble with 3 projects on the wall being covered and revealed as I sewed the rows together.

Better paint those tootsies, huh?

Soon enough, all the blocks were together!! I figure this is about half the quilt. I left it on the floor to consider if it needed borders and at some point I thought it might be interesting to use a different fabric on each of the four sides. I'll make a final decision when I get all the blocks together. What I am fairly certain of is that I need to go back to the LQS I went to Saturday to get the B&W gingham for the binding. Why I couldn't have made that decision 24 hours earlier when I was at the store is beyond me...

The second project is a long term UFO that was started back when I lived in Miami. While I love the fabrics I think the knowledge I have gained in the meantime would have taught me to pick fabrics with more contrast. Oh well. Maybe the quilting will add some pizzaz and contrast.

I started this Hunters Star based on a magazine pattern but then I found Deb Tucker's Rapid Fire Hunter's Star Ruler. The blocks went together much faster but I would stitch a few blocks and then let the pile sit waiting to press the center seam open. Then the pile sat to be trimmed down with the ruler. Finally this weekend I said I just need to trim them all and get that pile off my table. Once trimmed, the blocks fit together spectacularly and I was able to stitch up all the blocks in the pile. Now I just need to make 33 more blocks to have this baby done! In the meantime it's back in it's drawer and off my cutting table.

Peonies are one of my favorites - how could I resist?!

Last but not least, I've been sucked in to Bonnie's Diamond Tile block! I made the cardinal block according to the magazine directions but then wanted to make a quilt using the "Blushing Peonies" charm pack and matching fabrics I had assembled.

A little math got me to what you see here, where I needed to decide if I wanted the black/background smaller so the tile points would touch or if I wanted the tiles to "float". After consulting the owner of the LQS I was in Saturday, we went with float and that meant I could kit up some of the fabrics sitting around. Being in a sewing groove, tho, I couldn't just let those pieces sit there and stitched as far as I could before it was time to make dinner last night.

The black/green bits in the front were sewn together yesterday and you can kinda see in the back that I have 5 or 6 centers sewn together already.

I really need to get the lawn mowed tonight, if the heat isn't too bad, so I'll get back to the Lab when it rains again on Thursday...

Wednesday Weather Report #1

I've finished the first rosette for my Hexie Temperature Quilt!!

There really was quite a swing in the temperatures: 80s-80s-50s-60s-70s-60s-60s.

I was debating this morning on how to orient the rosette on the background squares. It was a long debate with neither one really sticking out more than the other. I was actually thinking that maybe I could just alternate back and forth.

What do you think? I like the symmetry of having them all oriented the same but it's going to be a crazy quilt anyway so why not alternate the orientations??!!

And just because I keep forgetting... here's the hunter star mothership. I know I said 14 blocks on Monday but apparently I don't know how to count...oopsies.

Design Wall Monday - 5/22/17

Remember my plan to keep adding finished hunter star blocks to the mothership every week? I'm already off the rails with that plan and I should have known better...

First thing I did Friday night was sew together the 14 finished blocks. I had originally planned to make a 10x12 block quilt so I'm planning to make the quilt in two columns and then sew the halves together. I've got 2 rows of 6 blocks sewn together and then the final two blocks are sewn into a pair.

Unfortunately for you guys, I forgot to take a picture of the mothership. You'll have to trust me that it looks good!

Last week I asked my Dad if he had any scraps of half round trim. He says it doesn't really exist but asked what I wanted it for. Have you seen those muslin covered pieces of half round for raising up one seam to make it easier for pressing without goofing up the other seams? I wanted one to make it easier to press open the center seam of these blocks. I was going to let it drop if he didn't have half round but he offered to make me something. Essentially I now have this pile of blocks ready to have the center seam pressed open but I'm waiting for my pressing "stick". Not sure how long they will sit as dad is in outside/garden mode at the moment...

I've still got plenty more halves to sew together so that should keep me busy part of this week...

Other quilt lab projects from this weekend...

My guild hands out baggies to make blocks or strip sets at each meeting. We bring them back and then do something else with them at the next meeting. Eventually all the pieces are made into charity quilts. I had brought home 3 strip sets from our last meeting and used hunter star blocks as leader enders for putting these kits together. I'll stash them in my car so I don't forget to bring them to the next meeting.

I also spent some time trimming scraps for my temperature hexie quilt. It's silly how this one project has grabbed me so much. I can't wait to check the temp every day at 1pm so I can add the next hexie for the week. I'm really stunned with the variety of temperatures/colors I've been able to use this week. I've seen other temperature projects that are gradual color changes but mine is jumping all over the place. Again, I should have known better cuz this is Western NY and if you don't like the weather just give it 5 minutes and she'll change...

A lot of you will recall that Judy's Design Wall Monday was discontinued last week. I put out a call on my blog for new linky suggestions and received three, including a new DWM!! I'd still like to hear of more if you have a suggestion.

Today I'm linking to Design Wall Monday and Monday Makers.
On Wednesday, I'll link to Midweek Makers.

Design Wall Monday - 5/15/17

Janet - you better sit down again...!

Yesterday morning I was cranky. I hadn't slept well most of the weekend and I managed to twist my ankle Saturday - one week to the hour before my 5K this coming weekend - that meant I couldn't go for my much anticipated longer Sunday walk in an effort to let it rest.

The only solution I could come up with was to start a new quilt. LOL! I thought maybe it would be to start Bonnie's Mack Island blocks but all I managed was to iron the teal fabrics I've been collecting. I'm being gifted the square in square ruler on Tuesday so I put my freshly ironed fabrics to the side for the new ruler.

Then I thought of a block I had seen on Bonnie's blog. I searched for what felt like forever given our lousy cell service and finally found the block (4in9) but couldn't think of what I was going to make with the blocks. I tried doodling in EQ7 but I wasn't inspired. Can you tell I was getting crankier?

I finally pulled out a UFO - probably one of my oldest. I had started cutting pieces when I lived in Miami (Uh, I moved to NY in 2008) based on a magazine article before I found the Rapid Fire Hunter Star ruler by Deb Tucker.

When I had last worked on this project I wasn't sure if I would be able to use that huge stack of blue triangles that were cut from 5 1/8" squares instead of the 6" squares the ruler calls for. Well, in 5 minutes I had sewn a blue triangle to the diamond-trapezoid-diamond piece, sewn the new blue half-block to one of the many, many other completed green halves and measured it with the ruler. It would work perfectly!! I should have spent those 5 minutes years ago but now I'm on a roll.

There really is a lot of wasted fabric this way.
I'll need more blocks so I may cut the large triangles from 5.5" instead of 6" squares.

My next problem to solve is the layout: Original? or Chunky? Which do you prefer?

I like them both and would be happy with either...I'm almost to the point of closing my eyes and just picking one to get on with it. Instead, I'm going with popular opinion. Which ever layout has more votes by Friday will get my full attention this weekend...

This is the Original Hunter Star layout.
I think it's a bit muddled given the same value for both fabrics but it does show the star nicely.

This is what I'm calling the chunky version.
I think it shows the fabrics nicely in the "chunks" but the star is lost.

My plan is to pick a layout and start sewing them together this weekend. I hope to keep working on this quilt, by adding any new blocks to the mothership on a weekly basis. I don't often make 2-fabric quilts so it's new for me to put a quilt together as I go instead of waiting until all the blocks are done and then messing with color balance.

I won't tell you that in adding the label for this post I discovered the 'hunterStar' label already existed. I last posted this project in February 2013 and we had the same layout discussion. When posting your choice here on today's post, please add if it's different from your choice last time...I'd then love to know if you have any insight as to why you did or did not change your mind. Inquiring minds want to know...

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In case you are wondering, the ankle is better today, if not a little tweaky. I was able to get my 3 mile walk in this morning with no problems but my ankles crossed on the coffee table while eating huevos rancheros for breakfast was a whole 'nother story. I'm torn between sticking to my daily walks, uping the length to prepare for Saturday or cutting back to continue letting it rest...

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I published this post and clicked over to Patchwork Times to link up to Design Wall Monday, which, it appears, she is no longer going to host.

A. that means I have to come up with my own post names. Please say it ain't so!!
B. I'm looking for linky suggestions - what is your favorite linky party?

Design Wall Monday - 2/25/13

Sew...here is report #1 from Quilt Retreat which already feels like a lifetime ago, yet we are already planning next years. I knew I wanted to start one NewFO at retreat no matter what and this hunter star was going to be it.

I had bought the blue and green batiks back when I lived in Miami after finding a pattern in a magazine. I had barely started to cut out the bits way back but then it sat in a drawer for years until I found out about Deb Hunter's Rapid Fire Hunter Star on youtube and then found the ruler itself at a distant quilt store.

I have half of the 120 required blocks already done...just this last bit needs pressing open.
And the other 120 halves are half done.



I cut out 75% of the pieces I would need before retreat and was just a stitching machine...which has continued in short spurts since then.  There was a lot of cutting/trimming with this method but the strip piecing method was very frugal with my batiks and there is plenty of fabric left so I might be making this quilt a smidge better so it hangs over *my* mattress better.



Option #1 - traditional HS

 Anyway...my dilemma is layout. Side by side on the table I find the fabrics have a lot of contrast. I don't feel the same way once I have made the blocks. Which of the layouts do you like better?

Option #2 - large blocks of color

BTW - I've decided to just completely forget the forgotten February HeLP - We'll be back on March 17th. I hope y'all will be wearin' the green on that day...