Swirl in the Waves

I had great BIG plans to quilt the wave quilt, but I think they were too big for my current FMQ skills. Of course we all get better as we go and trying something new stretches your knowledge, but this was just not coming together the way that I pictured in my mind.

So, I looked around at other quilts and saw a lot of beautiful quilts, but none that had the quilting, or at least the quilting level that I wanted to try, on this quilt. So, since I have been doing spirals lately I decided that a wave quilt could use some of them also.

 

It is still not the awesome-amazing quilting that I pictured in my mind, but I am really loving these swirls.

 

 

I am not far from having this quilt finished. I will do some thread shopping this weekend to get two colors to finish the quilting. Then it is binding, washing, and gifting.



Slash Sash and Basting a Wave

I finished cutting all of the squares for the Batik Slash quilt and started piecing the blocks.

I started cutting the squares way back when I started this quilt and then pieced and cut the rest of them together recently. I realize, now that I am over half way through piecing the blocks, that I cut them differently or perhaps it is the change in sewing machines sewing a different quarter inch. Either way I am not sure how I did it, but the two stacks of squares are different sizes. Which means that my blocks are different sizes.

I have not decided exactly how I will fix this, but I may put borders around the smaller ones to build them up to size. It will have to be small borders or maybe just on two sides. It will not be the design I was hoping for, but I think it will still be pretty.

I have also basted and started quilting the newest wave quilt.

 

I am very excited to quilt it. I hope to put circles or some pebbles in the sashing and perhaps the waves.

 



Currently, I am quilting straight line stich-in-the-ditch that echoes the waves, but I plan to start some FMQ soon.

 

 

Turtles and Waves

All this talk of snow, waves, and snow days made me want to finish the turtle wall hanging.

 

All I had left was to quilt the middle turtle, bury knots, and put a binding on it.

So, for the third snow day, I finished it up.

 

First I took a picture of the wave quilt in the morning with the beautiful blue sky.

 

The wind wasn't cooperating, and my husband was semi-complaining about the wind and the cold. So, I took another of the top on the snowy ground.

 

I have big plans to quilt this. I hope they work out.

 

Then I got to work on the turtle wall hanging.

 

I used a single fold binding for this quilt, since it is for decoration only. I have never used a single fold binding before, but it is quite easy and nice for a project like this. I looked around before I started and found that many cut a 1 1/2 inch binding. I cut it at 1 3/4 inches, because I was going to put it on by machine.

 

 

I buried a few knots around the turtle before quilting it so that the thread would not get in the way and then quilted the final few stiches.

 

 

 

Then I set to work burying the rest of the knots. It really did not take all that long, must be because it is kind of small.

 

 

Once I had it finished, I rushed outside to take pictures in the snow before it melted away.

 

 

It turned out very well, and I am very happy with it.

 

I really like the back. All of the thread meanderings look interesting.

 

I have not put a sleeve on it yet, but I will do that soon. Then it will be hung in its place of honor.

 

measurements: 17 /34"x 52"

New Wave

SNOW!

 

Schools are cancelled for another day, and I got my wave quilt top finished!

School was cancelled the first day because of the icy roads that morning which dried out by evening and yesterday it was cancelled with the thought that it would be bad again in the morning. It just rained until around one when the rain turned into sleet, sleet/snow mix, then snow.

With all of the snow and the roads being impassable school was cancelled again today.

 

Just before the roads got bad, I was able to take a few pictures on location.

 

My wonderful husband  was my quilt model. He kept asking if I had gotten my pictures because he wanted to get back in the car and get home before it got worse.

 

We made it home just as the roads got very bad.

 

 

 

Snow Day Wave

What to do during a snow day when schools are closed and you are snowed in? You start a new quilt.

 

 

I could not help myself. This stack of fabric was calling me to cut into it.

 

 

I planned to just leave the fabric ready once I got all of the pieces cut but,...

 

...who can resist sewing fabric that looks this pretty?

 

These are bright fabrics that just call out when it is grey winter weather.

 

These are lovely!

 

When I made this quilt the last time, I had a little trouble with lining up the strips so that there was enough fabric on each side before I cut then down. This time I cut them bigger. When I cut the strips the width of the fabric, I cut that into four pieces instead of measuring them perfectly. I know they will work great because they are a good inch or so bigger than needed. Since I will be cutting these to size once sewn I just cut them roughly.

 

When cutting the white border/background fabrics I cut the strips first. When I started to cut the outside background trapezoids, I did not have enough fabric to cut twelve at the full size. So, I cut them a little different so that I could get twelve more. I would have been able to cut ten out of the strip that I had and then cut two more out of the last bit of fabric, but I would have wasted some fabric. I suggest cutting the main fabrics first, then the cutting the number of outside background fabric, then the strips.

 

If you want to make this quilt, the instructions are here.

 

Batik Slash

As I said earlier, I am working on my tube batik quilt. I started working on them and then got tired of them again. That happens to everyone, right?

 

 

I am taking these tubes and cutting them into squares, so I am making progress. It is just slow. There is talk of snow, so maybe I will be snowed in with something to work on.

 

 

This is what I have cut so far and how much I have left.

 

Soon, I will have them all cut and pressed then I will finally be able to piece them together.

 

Currently, this is how I think I will piece them, but I have not decided. There are so many possibilities.

 

 

Maybe I will not get distracted with the fabric that I pulled for a baby quilt top.

Quilt Marathon

 

On Friday my friend asked to make a baby quilt. She needed it by Sunday afternoon for a baby shower. For some reason (probably because I secretly love her) I told her that I would do it. We discussed colors and patterns during the day while on break at work and as soon as I go home, I began to pull fabric from my stash.

Inspiration Fabric

I finally decided on a pattern Friday evening and made plans to go to my LQS and Joann's the next morning to get more fabric to match the stash, get backing fabric, and batting since I will be shopping for this project and all the batting that is here is spoken for.

I was able to do all of that and get home by noon. I was at both stores as soon as they opened, since they open an hour apart! Hopefully they see people line up outside like it is Black Friday on a normal basis. I may or may not have had my face pressed against the door/window.

As soon as I got home, I got to work pressing fabric, cutting strips, and finally sewing.

I quilted it in my favorite curves as soon as I had the top finished.

Then put the binding on it, and put it in the washer and dryer. I put the binding on by machine like I have been doing recently. It is fast and, I think, looks good.


The backing is a pink fabric that matches the pink in the quilt. I also used it for the binding since it looked so pretty


I buried the knots the next morning before taking the quilt to my friend.







I had not taken any finished pictures, so I asked her if she could be my quilt model. Her children love having their picture taken and all piled on top of her to take pictures. I took these with my not too stellar phone, so they are a little blurry at times but capture all the fun and excitement.

I know this picture is blurry, but I love it so much!

Aren't they so funny, cute, and a hoot to be around!

 

This quilt finished at 34"x 42" and was very happily received.