Blogger's BOM #5 & (I've) Got the blues

As mentioned in my previous post, I've done Blogger's BOM #5. If you don't know by now, Blogger's BOM is hosted by Jackie over at Canton Village Quilt Works.

Block #5 is designed by John Adams over at Quilt Dad.

Quite a cool block, isn't it? A great way to use up 1.5 inch strips.
The February block will be designed by Amy Smart - Diary of a Quilter.

I was a bit surprised by the cutting instruction though, but didn't notice until after I had made the first block. (I make two blocks of each, for a bigger quilt). The background fabric pieces is said to be cut 4x6 inches, but according to me that is waste of fabric. It's OK when only one block is made that way, but imagine the waste making a queen or king size quilt! When making the second block, I cut the pieces 3.5 x 6 inches, which is still a bit too much. As you can see, still 1/2 inch too much, so I believe 3 1/4 x 6 inches is sufficient. No offense to the designer, I was just thinking BIG! :) Fabric is expensive, so I believe we all want to save where it is possible, don't we?

  

I wonder if I'm pre-senile??!! I had already forgotten about these blocks, which I sewed in the beginning of January! The fabrics I've used are swatches from the box I received last year - remember my friend Johnny and the old lady? :) The fabric line is 'Just wing it' by MoMo for Moda. The plan is to make a baby quilt, but even if I've added white tone-on-tone, I don't have enough even for a small baby quilt... and you know what that means?! SIGH! :) Yes, made a purchase today! :)

What's going on in your head when you are quilting? If you are like me; all sorts of thoughts, new ideas etc. I came up with the idea to do a bedroom makeover! Our bedroom is old fashioned pink with a darker shade on the focal wall. I loved it when it was freshly painted, but now - after almost 5 years - I'm a bit tired of it! :) I got the idea to repaint the walls, the bed and bedside tables and... here it comes; quilted curtains and bed spread in blues and white!

I have been into repainting, restoring and all that for many years, so I know it is a lot of work, but this is something I really love to do. It's too hot and humid for painting this time of the year though, so I'll have to concentrate on quilting... :)

Here's the beginning of either the bed spread or curtains... I've made only four blocks so far.

 Navy blue is not really my color,  but this is the color I started with. I'll use blues from my scraps so each block won't have the same blues, they will vary from light to darker blues. I know what I already have of blues won't be enough, so I have already sinned! I had to purchase some fat quarters from Hancocks of Paducah! :)   

I hope I won't be tempted to start yet another project!!! I think these - in addition to the UFO's - should keep me more than busy the coming months! :)

Stash cutting, new project and UFO progress

Yesterday I was going to sew Blogger's BOM #5 - and so I did (that will be the next post). It was a hot day - +31C / 87F - no venture out for me in that scorching sun. It's quite comfortable inside, even if we don't have A/C.
I have some Nancy Halvorsen fabrics and had a bag full of 'Love is' fabrics; most of them are half yards, smaller pieces and the cute panel. I got a brand new Olfa cutting mat a couple of days back, changed the rotary cutter blade - it was a real pleasure to cut! Cut! Cut! Just like a knife in room temperated butter! :)
I put aside some 1.5 inch strips for the BOM and began cutting. I manage to cut all the fabrics into 2.5 inch strips! Not very good at calculating, but by adding white or cream tone-on-tone to those strips, I think it will be a good size quilt.

Before I started cutting, I played a little bit with the fabrics. This is going to be a drawstring bag - at least that is the idea! I got stuck, because I don't have the right color quilting thread. You may remember I never have the right color - lol! :) The yellow/blue/green fabric is backing for the Colorado Star quilt. It's a good quality quilt cover I got from an old lady. I'm quite sure she hasn't used it more than a couple of times, it looks like new.

The colors on this photo are a bit too dark... hopefully a better photo when finished.

Progress on the Colorado Star quilt; one top is layered and pinned, ready to be thread basted before quilting. And YES, I don't have quilting thread for this one either - lol! It's on its way from the US!

The plan was to thread baste the Colorado Star quilt, but.... I got too lazy... As I mention above; I already have backing for one of the CS quilt, but not for the second one and the table topper... Perhaps I'll purchase the needed yards from this fabric line - I shall see... Seems like I'm into blues nowadays! :) I'm working on another new project too - always and forever hopelessly in love with what I'm doing! :)) I'm going to take pics for the next post...    

 

Colorado Star - progress / Swap / Featured

It feels like I'm on slow motion when it comes to quilting... Must be the heat and humidity these days... 

Perhaps I'm not that slow after all; it's just me who feels like that...

Earlier this month I was busy cutting 2 inches and 2.5 inches squares for the Postage Stamp Quilt 2012 - Charm Swap & Challenge. A few days back I connected with my swap partners in the US and Australia and I hope to get the charms in the mail today.

I had a little 'stocktaking' of my UFO's earlier. It took me awhile to decide on which UFO to 'attack'. The Colorado Star quilt is my oldest UFO - from April 2009. Not that bad - huh?! :)

Can't remember how many blocks I had already done, but it was not enough for two couch covers. 16 blocks are required for one couch cover. Yes, not more than 16! The blocks are 18 inches squares (sewn into quilt), that's why not more are needed. 

When I had enough blocks - 32 - I discovered four of them were not the right size; they are almost 1/2 inch smaller than the other blocks I had made earlier so they can't be used for the covers! :( Don't know what happened at that time, but I've surely scamp (?) the work and not paid proper attention to the 1/4" seam allowance! Excuse! Excuse! I was a newbie at that time! :)) I can still use those blocks; I'm going to make a table topper to match the couch covers.

I've been featured - again! :) Well, not me, but a bag I made from a pattern in the Australian Homespun Quilting magazine. Take a look here - top right - Dec 2011 issue.  I'm sorry I don't know how to enlarge it... If I had had the magazine here I could have scanned it, but here the magazines are in the shelves 3-4 months after publishing date in Australia. I guess the magazines are sent by ship since it takes that long... You can read more about the bag here.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention I've made a Friendship bag for a swap. I can't show it now, because it is a secret swap.

I've been cooking too, which you can read about here and here.