Lattice Stars Quilt

My Stars....how fast the week went.

I was busy quilting though. I got my Lattice Stars quilt top done.
This is a beautiful scrap quilt and I just love it. All those little squares and half square triangles finish at 2". Took AGES to put together, but the results were worth it.
I have included a close up of the block so you can see just how I put it together.
I used everything in this quilt top....there are even quite a few Christmas prints and you just don't see them very easily once all those little units are joined together.
Don't you just love how the secondary pattern that appears once the blocks are assembled looks like Lattice?

Everything came from my stash. I also got the backing pieced and the binding made and it's all hanging together in my quilt closet ready to be quilted. The quilt measures 64"x76"...a good size for a throw quilt.

This makes #4  on my 30 Quilt Challenge I have given myself to complete by March, 2015.

 A close up of one of the blocks. All 2" squares and HST units. There are some moldy, oldy scraps in this quilt. I love that I have used them up and they will live on in this quilt. I even used some yellow scraps left from making myself a blouse when I was 24....I'm....UM.....older now. :)

Another block just for a different view. Opps, looks like I got two of the same fabrics close together.....but you can't notice it in the finished quilt. I just noticed it now in this close up picture!

I am very, very happy with the way this quilt has turned out. I can't wait to get it quilted.

But quilting it will have to wait!

They say the universe hates a void and will fill it as quickly as possible.
Well wouldn't you know it....I no sooner had this quilt off the design wall when another bunch of blocks just jumped right up there!!!!
I had no other choice but to start petting them and adding a few strips of fabric here and there.....and low and behold, there is another quilt top taking shape.
Wait until you see this one.....I think I'll keep the mystery to myself a while longer though.

Quilty Hugs to everyone.....I hope you are all busting stash along with me.
Wanda

I'm on a Roll!!!

Last night I finished piecing my Asian One Block Wonder quilt top....oh boy, was I tired. My back hurt, my feet hurt. I even felt the muscles in my abdomen from all that rotary cutting.



This is an in progress, design figuring out photo....I was about half way done the quilt. I had planned to do mitered corners on the border....but I didn't have enough fabric and I didn't like the way the miter looked with the different prints coming together at the corners.

So I chopped them off, fussy cut some little vases from the one print I used, framed them with more of the pink inner border fabric and added them in the corners. 

I'm really happy with the way the borders ended up.

This is "Part" of the finished quilt top hanging on my design wall. The thing is HUGE!!! 96" x 100".
I couldn't get the entire quilt in the picture, as my quilt studio isn't big enough for me to stand that far back. So you can see about 2/3 of the quilt top. It is hanging right up near the ceiling and then hung on the floor another six inches.

 I don't know if I love it yet or not. My sister thinks it is the most beautiful quilt I've ever made....and I've made a TON of quilts over the years.
I think once I have quilted it I will fall back in love with it.

Here is a close up of the corners.

I do like how the little kaleidoscope blocks dance around the inner border.

Another shot of the opposite corner.

So I was really tired by the time I got the last border on...it was 7:30 pm and I thought I can't quit yet, I still have  daylight left and can't go to bed yet.

Maybe I'll just piece the binding and get that rolled up ready to put on the quilt once it is quilted. 

Well I finished the binding in no time flat. The binding is an Asian print black with green. It will look really nice and pull the black from the inner blocks out to frame the quilt.

I had the bolt of fabric I wanted to use for the backing sitting under my ironing board.....Maybe I could just rip off the three lengths that I was going to have to piece  together and have them sitting there ready for me to sew together in the morning when I am rested.

Well before I knew it I had the backing all sew together......now that's what I call "mindless" sewing.....I didn't even realize I was sitting there sewing it together until I was all done. LOL

So the quilt top, backing and binding are now hanging all together on a clothes hanger in my quilt closet.

So far on my 30 quilt challenge I have completed 3 "quilt packages".....everything prepared and ready to go on my new long arm machine when I get it.

I kind of goofed off today....but not really. I spent the day sitting at my machine making 4 patches and Half Square Triangle units. Not for any specific quilt I have in mind. Just didn't feel like thinking too hard today about anything. 

The way I look at it....progress is progress.

I think I'll get in a few more hours at the machine tonight working on my stack of pre-cut squares.

Happy Quilting,

Wanda

I Wonder How This One Block Wonder Will Turn Out????

I had never made a One Block Wonder Quilt. I don't have the book, but had seen lots of pictures of quilts and thought I could figure it out on my own.
I really loved this fabric when I bought it, and later realized it was not the best choice for this quilt. I fell out of love with it and it ended up on the UFO pile.

Time to move it along. Maybe I will fall back in love with it!!!!
Here is the stage that I got stalled at when it ended up in the UFO pile. I hung this up on the design wall the other day.

 This is what I plan to use for the wide outer borders.

 These are the fabrics (all from the same fabric line) that I used for the kaleidoscope blocks. It is called "Asian Influences  Studio Design by Wilmington Gardens".

If you have ever made one of these quilts or a Stack & Whack, you know that you have a strip of your stacked identical fabric repeat left over at the end of cutting your "block kits". 

Well I had lots left and I just cut them down into smaller block kits...some measuring 3" and some 2-1/2". They ended up really cute and I wanted to use them up.

I decided to incorporate them into my borders. I spend almost 12 hours working on them yesterday.

 The sections are all joined to each other and up on my design wall.

I really wanted to introduce some light blue into this quilt to liven it up some....but alas.....my stash revealed a severe lack of light blue fabrics!!!

I decided on the green. I thought I had enough to do this border, but last night I ran out. 

My motto is there are no mistakes.....just design opportunities!

Today I will be exploring those design opportunities......stay watching to see what I come up with.

Happy Quilting,

Wanda

Happy Crumbs!

Don't you just love it when a quilt project goes so quickly and everything just seems to work out perfectly.....it's Serendipity!!!

Happy Crumbs measures 48" x 60"....the perfect size for a toddler's cuddle quilt.

I just finished piecing the backing for Happy Crumbs....the little bonus quilt I worked on while making my Ripple Wave.




I had a few of the crumb blocks left over and as I like to use up everything I can when making a quilt, decided to incorporate them into the backing.

I dug into my stash and found that multi-color, tie dyed looking fabric and I think it is just perfect. Of course I didn't have enough to make the backing, so I went digging again....came up with the muddy lime green and added that. Still not big enough.

I went digging again and found a piece of fabric I had hand dyed about 10 years ago and decided it had lived in my stash long enough! I cut the backing length wise and added a strip.

Measured again and it still was not quite big enough so I added another little strip of the muddy lime green to the top.
Happy Crumbs will be bound with the purple border fabric.....the binding is already made and I used every last inch of that fabric.

Here is a photo of the quilt top and pieced backing hanging beside each other on my design wall. My quilting studio is not very big so I stood out in the hallway to take this photo....that's why is seems to be on such an angle.

Quilt Top, Pieced Backing, Binding are all together on a clothes hanger in my quilt closet....waiting to be quilted.

I have given myself a Personal Challenge!!!!

I am challenging myself to complete 30 quilt projects by March, 2015.

(to the ready to be quilted stage, as I want to quilt them on my new long arm when I get it).

I will work only from stash, unless I need background fabrics or bindings.

I know I have enough stash to complete 30 projects....in fact I have about half that many UFO's!

I already have quilt #3 up on the design wall ready to work on tomorrow. 

It is a One Block Wonder  project that I liked the fabrics when I bought them, but once I got the blocks made....not so much. I got bored and put it away.

Well it is now getting completed!!!!

I'll post a picture of that another day.

Happy Quilting everyone.

Wanda

What's on My Design Wall?

I am having such a great week....getting lots of quilting time in!

I finished piecing my Ripple Wave quilt. I did run into a wee, small snafu ...my pieced outside border didn't quite fit...I had to ease it in. That darned narrow inner border threw things off by about 1/2".

But "done" is better than "perfect" in my books.....so I am happy with the way it is.

I have already pieced my scrappy binding from saved binding endings from other quilts over the past few years. I didn't take a picture of the binding.....you will have to wait to see that until after the quilt is quilted, which might be a little while as I will probably wait until I get my new longarm.

 I searched around in my stash and came across this Christmas fabric by Marcus Brothers. So this quilt is getting a Christmas-y backing. But wouldn't you know it! Not quite enough...so I went rooting again and found another piece of Christmas fabric that will work with it. I will get the backing pieced, then hang finished quilt top, backing and binding on a clothes hanger in my quilt closet, ready to go on the longarm machine when the time comes.

Now while piecing this Ripple Wave top I ran out of a "leader/ender" project.
As I had lots of "crumb blocks" or "poverty piecing" as I like to call it I decided to do something else with them.
I trimmed my block centers to 4-1/2" square. I did 48 blocks. 
I cut 1-1/2" strips from black fabric and sewed to 2 sides of 24 of the  blocks, trimmed them, then sewed strips to the remaining sides. Then I went digging in my stash for something to frame the remaining 24 blocks and came across this fun, bright green. 

 I was having so much fun with this little quilt that it kind of took over and was no longer a leader/ender project. LOL

 Isn't it just too cute???  The blocks are up on my design wall, ready to be sewn into rows. This will end up big enough for a cuddle quilt for a small child.
So here is another really cute idea for those "poverty pieced block" that are so fun to make with all our scraps.

While searching in my stash today looking for backing fabric I came across all these fabrics I had bought to do Stack & Whack quilts. Now I am addicted to Stack & Whack quilts!!!!! I can never get enough of making them. I love seeing how each block will turn out....every one is a mystery!

So quess what my quilter's brain is thinking about next???

Happy Quilting everyone.

Wanda

Ripple Progress

I know it's been a few days since my last post....I've been working hard on my Ripple Wave quilt. So I decided to do an update to show my progress.

I made the choice to do my quilt with 9 blocks...the quilt was just getting so big.
My sewing room is not very big....I couldn't get far enough away to get the entire quilt in the photo, so I did it in segments.

 So the Ripple Block finishes at 24"x 24". I used 9 blocks sewn in 3 rows of 3 blocks.

 I then added a narrow border in red using strips cut 1". I needed to go with a narrow border that will finish at 1/2" as if I had used a wider inner border then my star point blocks I wanted to use in my pieced border would not have fit. Keep that in mind.

 I have started sewing the HST blocks into strips for my border, but it is not attached to the quilt yet.

 I am really liking how this is turning out so far.

I have no ideas yet for the next border, but I know it will come to me once I reach that stage.

Happy Rippling!!!
Wanda

Georgia Bound

Hey that's a great name for my next quilt!!!!

As Martin Luther King once said....I Have A Dream.

Many people are confounded by my dream. At times I wonder where this dream came from and where it will lead me.

I want to move to Albany, Georgia and open a quilt shop. There! I said it for the entire world to see.

Now being a Canadian citizen I am allowed to visit USA for up to 6 months each year. The only way for me to move there and become a permanent resident that I have discovered is to obtain an investor's visa. God is going to have to work that one out for me. It's not my job to figure out the How. I'm just following my heart and believing God will work it all out.

About four years ago I traveled to Atlanta, GA the first time for a holiday. I fell in love with Georgia and since then I have not been able to stay away. I have gone back at least every 3 months....sometimes for a week or two, sometimes just for the weekend. When you are a flight attendant you get to do that....those amazing flight benefits that come along with the job.

Georgia had stolen my heart. I felt this was where I was meant to be. I love everything about Georgia!

Each time I have gone to Georgia I rented a car and drove around the state. There are some beautiful towns and cities in Georgia with such rich history.

Last year I found Albany, GA.
It is a small city and very laid back. County life in the city.
This is one of my favorite places to visit in Albany....Radium Springs Park.

I would stay in a hotel room each time I went to Albany, but as I stay in hotels all the time with my job I felt I would like someplace "homey".
 God just decided it was time I guess and he dropped this little cottage in my lap. I even have chickens in my yard and the roosters start crowing early in the morning....I love it!
So now I have a second home in Albany, GA and I spend as much time there as I can. I haven't made many friends there yet but I know I will. I found a great church to attend and when I am in Canada I watch the live stream of the Sunday services online.

But there is no Quilt Shop there!!!!! At least I have been unable to find one. I know there are quilters in the area though as the big box store (not mentioning any names here LOL) has a huge quilting section.

And so I dream.....I can see it all in my mind's eye.....my customers, students, myself quilting on my new longarm quilting machine. Special events, quiltathons, mystery quilts, a room just for making charity quilts that anyone can come any day they want and work on the quilts, involvement in my community. I know quilting can impact lives and that is part of my dream.

I want to make a difference. I want my Quilt Shop to be a place of community, sharing, love, friendships formed, bridges built, lives changed.
And so I dream and wait....I know it is going to happen one day soon.
Would you please all hold my dream with me?

I am preparing though....I have decided that I will need about 30 shop samples and my mind is planning all those quilts. I enjoy designing quilts, so I want most of them to be my own design.
So watch for many more quilts on this blog as I start my shop inventory.

Now I'm off to work on "Ripple Wave" which is coming along nicely. I am loving it.

Happy Rippling,
Wanda

Ripple Wave #2

Wow, I am really liking this Ripple Wave!
What a great variation on crumb blocks.

I have the block figured out. I just played with placement until I came up with an arrangement I liked. I love the pinwheel center and the star points that have appeared. I don't know if this is a traditional block with a name or not...I haven't done a search yet. If you know of the name please let me know.

The block will finish at 24" x 24". 
My quilt will have 16 blocks, so it will end up measuring 96" x 96" without borders. I plan to add borders to mine though, so keep watching. This quilt is going together really fast once the Ripple HST blocks are done. I have 5 blocks sewn together already....11 more to go!!

I placed the block against yellow fabric just so it would show up, as the block didn't show well against my white design wall.

So for each Ripple Star Block you will need:

Four (4) White Background squares- 6-1/2" x 6-1/2"

Twelve (12) Ripple HST squares - 6-1/2" x 6-1/2"

For all 16 blocks for my quilt I will be using:

64 White Background squares- 6-1/2" x 6-1/2"

192 Ripple HST squares - 6-1/2" x 6-1/2"

HAPPY RIPPLING!!!

Wanda

Ripple Wave #1

I hope you get out your basket of scraps and start your Ripple along with me.

I can't give you yardage estimates for this quilt....all I can tell you is you will use lots of scraps and left over strips. It doesn't matter the size or shape, everything will work. Your strips do not have to be cut straight either.

You will also need background fabric. I am using a bolt of white cotton I already have. You could also use a mixture of white backgrounds....it just isn't going to matter with this Ripple. I am estimating you will need approximately 8 yards/meters of background, depending how big you make your quilt.

I have no preconceived plans where this is going....but that is the nature of a Ripple! It starts with one tiny pebble and ripples out from there into infinity.

I often like mindless sewing where I can just sit and quilt while my mind wanders and works out the problems of the day.
I also try to always have something beside my machine to just pick up and put through the machine when I end one row of stitching so that I don't have to cut my threads....saves time, thread and before you know it you have another pile of finished blocks.
Some people call these "leader/enders". I call them my "turtles"....slow & steady wins the race.

Here is what I am starting with....leftovers from other projects, endings of strip sets, scraps, scraps, scraps!!!
Some people call these "Crumb Blocks" as they are made from the crumbs of other projects.

I've decided to rename my block. The "Ripple Block"....was else could it be called?

I just start sewing the units to a random strip.

Keep adding, keep adding...until that strip is used up. Don't think about color...as long as it fits I sew it on.

Here's mine with the strip pressed out. I always press my seams towards the strip. 

This is just like making a Log Cabin Block.

My sets pressed and trimmed apart.

Now just keep adding rows of strips around your center until you have "Ripple Blocks" that measure at least 7" square.

Here are some I have finished. Aren't they just so pretty? They don't need to be square, any old shape will work as long as it is at least 7" square.

The next step uses your white background fabric.
Cut a bunch of squares 7"x 7". I cut 60...I'll probably need more later.
You can't see it well in this photo, but I then drew a line with pencil from corner to corner diagonally. Yes...we are making Half Square Triangle units with your Ripples.

Lay your white square on top of your Ripple block...right sides together.
Now stitch a seam 1/4" on either side of that drawn pencil line.

Cut apart between lines of stitching on the pencil line as shown. Press seams towards white triangle. This reduces the bulk from all the seams in your Ripple Block.

Using a grid ruler that has a diagonal line on it, trim your pressed block to 6-1/2" square, lining up the diagonal line on your ruler with the diagonal seam of your block.

Here are the blocks I have finished so far hanging on my design wall.

My design wall is a piece of batting, so it is a little hard to see the units with the white background against the batting. 

That should keep you busy for a few hours. Make lots of these units.....I don't know how many yet....remember I am making this up as I go along.

I am starting with 60 blocks.....just seems like a good number to choose today.

So for 60 Half Square Triangle Ripple Blocks you will need 

30 white 7" x 7" squares

30 scrappy Ripple squares

Once you get a bunch of these blocks finished you can move onto the next step.

Cut a bunch of white background squares 6-1/2" x 6-1/2". 

Again I cut 60 of them.

I will post the next step tomorrow.

HAPPY RIPPLING!!!!!!

Wanda

My Beautiful Mother.

As promised here is another story.
It's about my Beautiful, Dear Mother.
She was a healthy, vibrant, active woman of 77 years of age.
In December, 2013 she was experiencing back pain. The doctor said it was her sciatic. She visited the chiropractor a few times but the pain only worsened.
One morning she woke unable to get out of bed and called an ambulance.
She was admitted with a compression fracture of her vertebrae.

Later tests revealed she had Stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her spine.
She underwent surgery January 11, 2014 to have titanium rods placed in her back to stabilize it. Three of her vertebrae where impacted by the cancer. That surgery was followed by 5 radiation treatments.

This photo was taken in early January just days before her spinal surgery.

The medical team didn't recommend any further surgery. By this time the cancer that started in her breast had spread to her spine, lungs, lymph's and liver.

Mom underwent 3 courses of chemotherapy pills. Tests revealed that treatment had not changed any of the tumors.

Recently she has had 2 rounds of chemotherapy by injection.

This photo was taken about a month ago. Mom has experienced significant weight loss. She is very weak and fatigued.

She is now living with my youngest sister. We fixed a room up for her with a hospital bed and she finds it very comfortable.

I made Mom that quilt for Christmas five years ago. It has been on her bed since. This is just one instance of a quilt bringing comfort. Now that same quilt gives her a sense of familiarity in her new home. My sister placed a dresser and night table in her room that matches the quilt perfectly. We had fun getting this room ready for Mom to come home from the hospital. Mom says she looks at the "Family is Love" on the wall every day and thanks God that she has so much love from her family.
That is a tiara on her pillow....we tease her that she has become a bit of a Princess since her illness. A tiara only seemed fitting. LOL

This photo of Mom, myself and my youngest sister Temple was taken just days before Mom came home from the hospital.

Mom's hair had started falling out from the chemotherapy, so yesterday while I was visiting I shaved her head and my sister made Mom a little head cap. 

She looks pretty happy with her cute little cap on.

I will update you on Mom's journey periodically. 

I love this woman so much!!!

She raised eight wonderful, strong children of whom I am the oldest. 

Three girls and five boys.

Wanda