Five Rag Quilts in Eleven Days

I cannot believe the pile of t-shirts I received on the 20th of November have been transformed into five quilts already. In between all of the sewing and cutting, I hosted Thanksgiving as well. I do have to give credit to one of my quilting friends that did sew one of the quilts together on Thanksgiving day after all of the festivities were over. 

Memory quilts are both something I love and hate to do. The main reason why I love to do them is that I know it helps the family heal and provides them some comfort in a difficult time. The reason why I hate doing them is that I know that a family suffered a loss and I feel for them. In this case, two children lost their dad and I can't begin to fathom what they are going through. 

I just hope that when I make these quilts, I am making them the way they envision them. I make sure that I follow their instructions carefully (they didn't want one side of the shirt in the quilt) and get it right. I probably get annoying by calling and texting if I need clarification on something. I want to get it right. Once the shirts are cut, you can't undo it. 

I hope these quilts do provide some healing for the family. I am happy that they will have these quilts for years to come. 

I would love to take a break, but I have some other projects that I have been commissioned to do and I need to get those done as well. Those projects have been put off far too long and need to get done. I feel bad that I put these five ahead of them but I think they will understand. 

Time to get back to quilting!

Quilt Retreat Fun!

All I can say is wow, what a weekend! I went the Quilted Steeple up near Lone Rock, Iowa. It is a great place for a quilt retreat. There were fourteen of us and I think all of us had a great time. I ended up going up on Thursday and it was a good thing that I did. I managed to get three quilts done by the end of day one. Friday wasn't as productive since I made two different kinds of homemade soup that morning. On Saturday, I was able to get three more quilts done and started my second scrappy mountain majesties quilt. Sunday morning I was able to finish two more quilt projects for a grand total of eight quilts. That is the most I have ever finished at a quilt retreat. 

Bonnie Hunter Scrappy Mountain Majesties Quilt #1

My quilting friends often ask me how I get so much done at retreats. I try give them as many tips and suggestions as possible even though I am far from being an expert. This is what works for me, but figure out what works best for you.

1. Plan ahead. If you know that you are going to a retreat, figure out what you are going to work on well in advance. Get all of the fabric you may need. Try not to bring partial projects if you are missing fabric.
2. Make a list of the projects that you want to work on and prioritize. If you need to get a wedding quilt or graduation quilt that is coming up, get that one done first so you don't run out of time later on during the retreat.
3. Cut all of your projects up ahead of time. Make a test block if you can to make sure you have the right measurements. I have seen a lot of quilters cut their project up wrong because they were too busy socializing and not paying attention to what they were doing. I have also seen quilters cut things wrong because the rulers they are borrowing are different than what they are used to. 
4. I put all of my projects in Ziploc bags and label them. I also have the instructions in there if I need them. I sometimes have instructions saved on my phone or laptop. If so, I will indicate that on the label so I am not hunting for them later because I can't remember where they are.
5. Do research on the retreat itself if you have never been there before. Not all retreat centers are created equal. Some have limited table space, others have limited design wall space. Do research helps you know what tools to bring and what to leave behind. For example, at this one, there were plenty of irons. They also had really good chairs so I left mine behind. I also left my design walls (vinyl table cloths) behind since there is limited wall space. 
6. If the retreat center offers an extra day and you can afford it, do the extra day. It is amazing how much can be accomplished with an extra day of quilting. I know that this doesn't work for everyone if you cannot take off work or if you have health issues. Having the extra day also enables you to have all of your stuff ready for the next day when others are arriving. You are quilting away while everyone else is trying to get settled in.
7. Wind your bobbins ahead of time. I have a bunch of bobbins for my machine. This weekend I ended up going through twelve bobbins. It is nice to pop a new one in when one runs out. I hate wasting time in a middle of a project waiting for me to wind bobbins.
8. If you get stuck on a project or just get tired of it, don't be afraid to put it away and work on something else. This weekend I had to put my house quilt project away because I got tired of making houses. I went onto something else and came back to them the next day and finished the project.
9. Bring extra projects.  For this last retreat, I brought a total of twelve projects. I knew that I would never get that many done but what this does is gives me options on what to work on. Sometimes, I look at a project and I won't be in the mood to work on it at that moment. 
10. Don't forget to socialize and have fun. Walk around and see what others are working on. Take a break if you need to. Go shopping for more fabric if you have the opportunity. 

Bonnie Hunter Scrappy Mountain Majesties Quilt #2

Marmalade Squares II Quilt

Big Calico Kitty Quilt

Giant Star Quilt

House Quilt

Square Quilt 

Rocky Mountain Puzzle Quilt

Hopefully I can get to my next retreat in January. I will be cutting projects for it soon. No more quilting this weekend, but tomorrow I will get to work!

Happy Quilitng!

Getting Back to Quilting

I can't believe that it had been since May since I last posted. The past few months have been crazy to say the least. While I have gotten a few tops done, I am no where near I thought I would be with projects this year. This summer was dedicated to hosting a baseball player that played for a new collegiate team in Fort Dodge over the summer. It was great experience and I had a lot of fun going to the majority of the games. I also ended up as the unofficial team photographer and was able to practice my photography skills. I even bought a new camera in the process!

I have been busy at work as well. There is simply not enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to do. I was able to go to a quilt retreat a couple of weeks ago. I did manage to get three tops done that weekend. I cant wait to get them quilted. Oh yeah, my longarm is not playing nice again. When I get a chance, I am going to be shopping for a new one.

This year had been the year of buying sewing machines. I was able to get my hands on a featherweight. I am really excited about it. I also received a call from my aunt. She is going to give me my great grandmother's Franklin sewing machine. I am going to pick it up in a couple of weeks. I can't wait. She told me that she has never plugged it in and doesn't even know if it works. I am going to get it working regardless. I have also purchased some other random machines at thrift stores. It is kind of interesting to see all of the different brands. I plan on tinkering with them at some point. 

Hopefully in these last two months of the year I will be able to get back in the groove of quilting. For me, it's therapy. I need that time to create and play and get lost in the fabric! 

Happy Quilting!

Patriotic Big Wonky Stars Quilt Complete

Yesterday I was able to finish my Patriotic Big Wonky Stars Quilt, by Missouri Star Quilt Company. Once again, I had the top done for a while. My motivation for finishing it came from the fact that I wanted to use some of the leftover backing fabric for another Quilts of Valor project. I had get the backing and batting cut and ready for the long arm. Since it was all ready to go, I figured that I might as well get it done. 

While I like it the way it is, I should have added a border. I think with a border, it would have made it look even better. The next time I make one, I will add a border. It is a quick and easy project to do. 

Big Wonky Stars Quilt Tutorial

On a different note, I drove up to Humbolt to the variety store tonight. They have a great selection of quilt backing at decent price. Since I have so many projects piling up again, I wanted to get backing fabric for some of them I ended spending way too much money but I got everything I needed and then some!

I ended up buying 32 yards of quilt backing fabric. It should keep me busy for a while! 

Quilting on Memorial Day

Since today has been a wet and windy Memorial Day, I decided to stay indoors and quilt. I was able to finish another scrappy rag t shirt quilt that I will end up donating somewhere. I have one more that needs the rows sewn together. I am hoping to get that one done next week. I have no shortage of t shirt scraps. I have started the first of three t shirt quilts that I have been commissioned to make. Yay, more t-shirt scraps!

I know most sane people either throw the t shirt scraps away or use them as rags. I cant bring myself to do either if I can make a quilt out of them. I know someone will enjoy them! 

Scrappy Hourglass Quilt Complete

Have you ever been in a quilting slump? It seems like I have been all year even though I'm making progress on several quilts right now. I think started this quilt back in January. I worked on it at the quilt retreat in February and nearly had the top finished then. I set it aside several times since.

I made one just like it last year, except on that one, I used dark blue sashing. I am not usually a big fan of purple, but for this quilt, I really like it. Sometimes it's nice to branch out and use colors that you don't normally use!

I really hope that I can get a couple more projects done this long weekend. I also hope people take a moment and reflect on why we celebrate this holiday. It isn't all about barbeques and camping. 

Happy Quilting!

Flannel Baby Quilt Complete

Flannel baby quilt complete. It took me a total of two evenings to compete, one to sew the top together and one to quilt and bind it. The squares were given to me by a fellow quilter. The batting was leftover from other projects. The white flannel backing and binding was off of a bolt that I bought from JoAnn's during one of their Christmas specials. I am trying to use up the bolt since I've had it in my stash for a few years. Pretty much a free quilt!

Sorry about the cat butt. He wouldn't get out of the way!