2017 Quilting Year in Review

2017 was a pretty good year for quilting. I made it to three quilt retreats and finished 24 quilts. I also have 18 quilt tops finished and 37 quilts cut up and ready to go for next year. If it wasn't for my longarm breaking, I probably would have had finished 52 quilts. With that, I think its time to look forward to 2018 and make some goals for the new year. They are pretty much the same as last year's with a couple of additions.

1. Get longarm fixed.
2. Finish 1 quilt a week (52 quilts).
3. Go to three quilt retreats.
4. Finish all UFOs
5. Take a longarm quilting class.
6. Organize quilt stash.
7. Make 4 Quilts of Valor.

It is going to be very challenging year and I'm looking forward to it!

Rainbow Bookcase Quilt Complete!

I didn't think I would complete another quilt this year but I did. I just picked it up at the quilters this afternoon and got to work on adding the binding. I ended up breaking a sewing machine in the process. Its a good excuse to buy a new machine. I was thinking about buying a new one anyway. The two machines that I have are cheap and I think it's time to upgrade for the amount of quilting that I do. It will be well worth it in the long run.

Harley Davdison Quilt Layout

It seems like every t-shirt quilt has it's unique challenges ranging from too few shirts to shirts of various sizes (kids small & adult large in the same quilt). What do you do when you have mostly black shirts and there a lot of them? I know the answer would normally be to add sashing. The quilt is already going to be a pretty good size quilt so that wasn't the answer, plus the person I am making this for doesn't want it. I finally came up with this layout, trying to alternate the really greyed out shirts with the darker ones and spreading the other colors around. I still have eleven blocks left over which I plan on adding to the back of the quilt. I hope to have this one done by the end of the year. We will see what happens!

Fretwork Quilt Top Complete

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving. I know I did. It is by far my favorite holiday. I ended up having 26 people in the house for the feast. After everyone left, I was able to drag out all of my quilting stuff and was able to finish scrap dive quilt top #31. I ran across this pattern on 
http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog/quilting-2/rainbow-quilts-for-scrap-lovers/
RIP Nancy, you were an inspiration to all of us quilters. This pattern comes from Judy Gauthier. It uses 5 1/2 inch and 4 1/2 inch squares. This was the first time I have ever done anything like this and it was actually kind of fun. Can't wait to start another project!

Orphan Block Quilt Top Complete!

This weekend I had planned on working on a t-shirt quilt but instead decided to work on this orphan block quilt. I had a few random pieces left over from making two other orphan block quilts out of my scrap dive fabric. I am amazed I was able to put another one together. This is the 30th quilt I have made out of the fabric I got from the scrap dive. I still have three quilts in progress. I may just make it to 35. We will see what happens!

Iowa State Quilt Complete!

It seems like it has been a while since I have finished a quilt since my longarm has been down. I ended up getting this one quilted by a friend of mine, just in time. It is a wedding gift for my niece. Hopefully they will like it!

Economy Block Quilt Top Complete!

How do you use up a bunch of ugly fabrics that don't go together? Put them in a quilt of course! I am nearing the end of my fabrics I got from the scrap dive at our quilt show last year. Needless to say, it is getting more challenging to figure out what to do with some of these fabrics. I ended up using the economy blocks after I cut up some fabrics for another economy block quilt. It worked out really well since I had a quite a few of the squares already cut up. This makes scrap dive quilt #29. Time to work on #30!

Scrappy Irish Chain Quilt Top Complete!

Today I managed to finish my scrappy Irish Chain quilt that I had been working on. I made one with white background fabric last year and have been wanting to make one with black background fabric ever since. I really like the look of these quilts and it is a great way to use up small scraps. Time to start another project!

Another Crumb Quilt Top Complete!

After a long day of quilting, I finally got something completed. I think this is the fourth crumb quilt that I have done, They are so addicting! I ended up using leftover quilt backing for the sashing. The red may be a little too bright but once I get it quilted and put the binding on, it should be fine. I am thinking of using black for the binding. We will see what happens! Bobo, my 17 year old cat, decided to photobomb the picture. I guess he likes the quilt!

Iowa State Quilt Top Complete!

It seems like I have been working on this quilt top for a while but that really isn't the case. Things have been really crazy lately and I haven't had as much time to quilt so it is taking me longer to finish tops than it normally does. I ran across this free pattern on the Film in the Fridge blog at http://filminthefridge.com/2010/10/20/rectangle-squared-a-quilt-block-tutorial/. I did modify the pattern slightly. I ended up making the squares 3.5 x 3.5 inches instead of 3.25 by 3.25 inches and the rectangles 3.5 x 7.5 inches instead of 3.25 x 7 inches. The reason why I did this is that if I had leftover squares or strips, I would have a better chance of using the 3.5 inch squares. This was also the first time I have done a border on a quilt. I think I did alright for the first time.

Quilt Retreat Weekend!

This weekend I headed to Jefferson, IA to a great quilt retreat. Even though there were only 16 of us, there were lots of wonderful quilts being made and a ton of laughs all around. This was the second year in a row that I have been to this particular retreat, so it was nice to know what to expect this time around. 

I managed to get five quilt tops made. I ended up making two Quilts of Valor and three scrappy quilts. I do quite a bit of time cutting and prepping ahead of time so that by the time the retreat gets here, I am sewing rows together. 

It is kind of sad to think that this is my last quilt retreat of 2017. I would like to get one more in before the end of the year but I will have to see what happens! 

Rainbow Bookcase Quilt Top Complete!

All I can say is that this thing is big. I had to move my sectional by putting the pieces on end in the corner of the living room so I had enough floor space to work on it. I can't wait until this quilt is completely finished. Time to get the backing and batting out and get it ready to be put on the longarm! I may do a tutorial on this quilt eventually.

In addition to working on this quilt, I have been busy getting several other quilt projects ready for a quilt retreat that I'm going to in a couple of weeks. I have plenty of projects all ready to go and it should be productive weekend. I have a couple of Quilts of Valor quilts that I am excited to work on. I also want to try and finish all of my quilts from the scrap dive last year. I have five to bring to the retreat. If I complete those, I will have a total of 30 scrap dive quilts. We will see what happens!

Rainbow Bookcase Quilt Started!

I finally started this rainbow bookcase quilt that I was commissioned to do for a friend of mine. I have only made one other bookcase quilt before, so I'm excited to do another one. That one was made using random scraps. My biggest concern is having enough yellow and orange fabrics for this one, but so far, so good! Luckily, I have quite a stash so it's just a matter of finding the fabric that I am looking for. I know I need to get more organized and hopefully this fall I will be able to work on it. There just isn't enough hours in the day!

Jar Quilt Top Complete

Tonight I finished my second jar quilt top. I ended up using a dark green background fabric. I think it really shows off the jars. These fabrics are from the scrap dive from last October. It is amazing how many quilts I have made from those scraps!

Simple Scrappy Squares Quilt Top Complete

This quilt began as something totally different. I cut up a bunch of 6 1/2 inch squares for a quilt that I was going to make. As I started that project, I realized I didn't like where it was going, so I decided not to do it. Only problem with that was I had a bunch of 6 1/2 inch squares. I also had a bunch of 2 1/2 inch squares to use up as well. The only thing I had to cut up was the sashing. Talk about an easy quilt to make, especially when most of the cutting was already done ahead of time.

1930's Churn Dash Quilt Top Complete!

So what do you do when you are in a hotel room for five days due to work? You quilt of course! This past week I brought some of my quilting projects with me and managed to get this quilt top done. This is my first attempt at a 1930's quilt. I probably should have made it bigger but it is hard to lay it out in a hotel room. I was pretty much confined to the bed to lay the blocks out since there wasn't much floor space available. I may add a border but haven't decided yet. I need to get some of these quilts finished up. They are starting to pile up on me! I think I have seven or eight quilt tops ready to quilt. Time to breakout the longarm!

Crumb Quilt Top Complete

Happy 4th! This quilt has been a work in progress since around April. I started by making 4 1/2 inch crumb blocks and then sewed four of them together to make an 8 1/2 inch block. I used 3 1/2 inch scrappy cornerstones and 3 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch navy blue sashing. I hope to get it completed by the end of the month. I love making these and have another one started already. I am keeping a pile of crumbs by the sewing machine and using them as leaders and enders. It is any easy way to make another quilt while working on other quilts.

Simple Square Quilt Top Complete

I needed a break from half square triangles, so I decided to work on something easy. It was nice to just sew since I had the majority of the 2 1/2 inch squares already cut up. I did have to cut up some of the light colored squares, but even then, I had 2 1/2 inch strips already cut up to make it quick and easy. Time to move onto another project!

Chicago Cubs Quilt Complete!

It always seems like I finish projects at the last minute, including this one. I finished this quilt for a gift that I plan on giving at a wedding this weekend. Hopefully the bride and groom will like it. If they don't, I know a few other Cubs fans that would be thrilled to have it!

For this quilt, I used 6 1/2 inch squares and it ended up being about twin size. The groom is a big guy and I wanted to make sure it was big enough for him to cover up with it while on the couch. I have some leftover fabric that I may use to make a quilt for their son. I just haven't figured out what pattern I want to use yet.

String Theory Quilt Complete!

String Theory Quilt

Today I finally finished my string theory quilt. This pattern is from the April 2017 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. It is called String Theory by Sharon Tucker. Her design called for red and cheddar rectangles. I used dark blue and light blue rectangles instead. I wanted to use some fabric that I already had on hand, so that is what I went with. I had this top completed since March, so it's nice to finally have it done. Time to move onto the next project!

Another Scrappy Quilt Complete!

I started this quilt back in April when a friend of mine gave me a grocery bag full of 1 1/2 inch strips.  I found this pattern in The Quilter magazine from August/September 2012 that I acquired somehow. The pattern is called Hearts and Scraps by Michelle Crawford. I didn't applique the hearts on the border. The original pattern was a great deal smaller as well, probably a wall hanging. This ended up being a throw size quilt. Time to move onto the next project!

Scrappy Quilt Top Complete

It has been a while since I have posted. It seems like I haven't been able to get anything accomplished lately since I've been so busy. This scrappy quilt has been a work in progress since late April. I haven't figured out a name for it yet. It contains 1280 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch strips and 640 2 1/2 inch half square triangles. After this project I think I am going to take a break from half square triangles. I did get my longarm back so maybe I will get caught up on finishing all of the quilt tops that have been piling up instead!

Quilt Retreat Fun!

This weekend was so much fun and productive! I joined several friends up at the Quilted Steeple near Lone Rock, IA for four days of quilting fun. There were a lot of laughs and even some tears shed from laughing too hard. Hopefully I can get back up there for another retreat soon!

We arrived Thursday and was able to finish up a Quilts of Valor quilt. I like how it turned out. Now I need to find some backing fabric for it.

On Thursday and Friday, I worked on my Moda Be My Neighbor Quilt. This was a free pattern that I found on Bear Creek Quilting Company's website. I had a lot of fun with this one. I still need to do some applique to it to finish the top. That will be a challenge since I have never done applique before.

The final project that I finished was a Chicago Cubs quilt that I plan on giving as a wedding gift in June. Hopefully the bride and groom will like it!

I worked on a few other projects and made some good progress on those. I was also given some more scraps. I can't wait to get started on some more projects with them! Hopefully my longarm will be fixed soon so I can get some of these tops quilted. They are starting to pile up again!

Happy Quilting!

Military Uniform Quilt Complete

It seems like it's been forever since I last finished a quilt, so I am very happy to finally get one finished even with my longarm still out of commission. A good friend and fellow quilter graciously quilted it for me. She did a great job on it. She chose an eagle and star pattern which goes perfectly with this quilt. This one will be displayed in my office. Can't wait to get hung up!

Quilt Retreat Preparations

Chicago Cubs Quilt Layout

With an upcoming quilt retreat quickly approaching, I have been staying busy by cutting projects up for the retreat. For me, it is better to cut everything up prior to going. I can focus better on measurements at home and have less of a chance of messing up. I have seen quite a few mistakes happen at retreats because of people too busy chatting and not paying attention to what they are cutting. The mistakes can be costly.

One of the projects I plan to bring with me to the retreat is a Chicago Cubs quilt. It is going to be a gift in a couple of months, so I thought it would be a good one to take with me. This is one of the few attempts I have made using coordinating fabric. I would rather be scrap quilting, but I need to branch out and work on other skills. Besides, not everyone is a fan of scrap quilts.

So far, I am right on track with getting my quilt projects ready for the retreat. I still have a couple of projects to go, but I don't think I will have any issues getting them done. In fact, I may be able to get a quilt top done before I even go.

Military Uniform Quilt Top Complete!

Military Uniform Quilt Top

I spent much of the weekend working on an Air Force quilt made out of old uniforms. I've been wanting to do one for quite a while now, so it was nice to finally get going on it. There are a couple of things I learned on this quilt. The hunter's star quilt block may not be the best block for a quilt like this due to the fact that there was quite a bit of bulk due to the thickness of the uniform, even with pressing the seams open, I do like the the look of the blocks so maybe it isn't the end of the world. I also learned that if you are going to be commissioned to make a quilt out of military uniforms, you will need quite a few to make a decent size quilt. Overall, I am pretty happy with the way this has turned out. My longarm is still down so I will just add this to the pile of tops I have started.

String Theory Quilt Top Complete!

String Theory Quilt Top

Today I finishing my string theory quilt top up. Unfortunately, my longarm is still out of commission, otherwise I would have finished it completely. This pattern is from the April 2017 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. It is called String Theory by Sharon Tucker. Her design called for red and cheddar rectangles. I used dark blue and light blue rectangles instead. I wanted to use some fabric that I already had on hand, so that is what I went with. I was very surprised about how many scraps I used up on this little quilt. I may make another one of these sometime in the near future. I've been collecting selvages for a while now and I wonder how a selvage quilt would look in a pattern like this? There's only one way to find out!

Scrappy Irish Chain Complete!

Tonight didn't really go as planned but I still managed to finish my scrappy Irish chain quilt,  I had some issues with the longarm and will have to wait for technical support to get back to me. I tried to troubleshoot for an hour and never did figure out what was wrong. It's frustrating, but there isn't much I can do about it. I have a quilt all loaded up, ready to quilt. I was hoping to get it done tonight. I also cannot wait until it gets nice out so I take pictures outside again. My living room is not very picture friendly for quilt pictures. Time to figure out another project while I wait for my longarm to get fixed!

 

Crumb Quilt Complete!

Crumb Quilt

It has been another busy weekend of quilting to say the least. I finished this crumb quilt that I started last August or September. I ended up using scrap binding to finish the quilt to not only save time, but to use some more scraps up. I also quilted the scrappy Irish chain quilt this afternoon. I still have to put the binding on and I want to try to get that done either tonight or tomorrow night, The last project that I worked on this weekend was my project with the 1 1/2 strips. I just finished the top this morning. All together, it was a pretty good weekend, It's always nice to get things done!

Another Scrappy Quilt Started

What do you do when someone gives you a grocery bag full of 1 1/2 inch strips? Find a pattern that uses them of course! I found this pattern in The Quilter magazine from August/September 2012 that I acquired somehow. The pattern is called Hearts and Scraps by Michelle Crawford. I don't plan on appliqueing the hearts on the border and I may not even add it. I like to modify patterns to make them work for me. I'm sure that I'm not the only quilter that does this. I can't wait to see how this one is going to turn out!

Bob's Half Square Triangle Quilt

Bob's HST Quilt

This morning I finished up a quilt for my uncle who is in a nursing home. The first one I had made him was too big and heavy. I had a bunch of 8 1/2 inch squares already cut up, so I cut a few more and made HST's out of them. I started this Friday night and finished up the binding this morning. I used a piece of dark blue backing left over from another project. I ended up using a thin sheet for the batting. The binding was leftover from other quilt projects. Hopefully this will work better for him.

Crumb Quilt Top Complete!

Crumb Quilt Top

It is always nice to get a quilt top finished when you started it six months ago. I had this one sitting in a bin with only the rows left to sew together. I took it to the quilt retreat this past weekend and nearly had it done. I only had four rows left to sew together when I left the retreat on Sunday.

There are quite a few special fabrics in this quilt. There are even a few pieces of my old shirts in there along with scraps from many of my quilts I have completed. Looking at it brings back a lot of memories. I may have to hang onto this quilt!

Scrappy Irish Chain Quilt Top Complete!

Scrappy Irish Chain Quilt Top

It has been another busy week. I spent five days in Topeka, Kansas for some training and came back to Iowa only to be greeted by a nasty blizzard 70 miles from home. It was slow-going due to icy roads and near white out conditions, but I made it to my first quilt retreat of the year. I arrived Friday evening and most of the ladies were surprised to see me. To be honest, I just as surprised as them to make it when I did. I thought I would have to wait until Saturday to get there, but I was fortunate, and made it only an hour later than I originally expected.

The only project I managed to complete was my scrappy Irish chain quilt top. I am excited to get this top completed. I found this pattern on www.scrapendipitidy.com under tutorials. The only modification I did was to add an extra row on the bottom so that it was symmetrical. I would like to do another one with the black background eventually.

I did work on a crumb block quilt as well. I only have to finish sewing a few rows together to complete it. That will be good to get that one done since I started it about six months ago.

Overall, it was a really great retreat. There is nothing better than being around a bunch of ladies that love to quilt as much as I do. I have another quilt retreat in April to go to. I am really looking forward to that one as well!

Too Busy Quilting!

It has been a few weeks since I last posted anything, but I do have six quilts to show for my lack of posting. This past Tuesday, I did my first ever trunk show at my quilt guild meeting. I was asked to show my quilts that I made from the scrap dive at the quilt show back in October. So far, I have made a total of 15 quilts from the fabric I got. I expect to make at least five more before all is said and done. I will be going to a quilt retreat next weekend and hopefully I can take advantage of it! It will be the first quilt retreat of the year for me. 

Chunky Churn Dash Quilt (Bonnie Hunter pattern)

Moda Love Quilt Dark

Attic Stairs

Orphan Block Quilt

Crumb Quilt

Cat Quilt