SECOND LETTER

 Here is my some of my process of making the next letter in this project.  As in the first letter, I'm using the original freezer paper pattern.  I divided this letter up into parts and made the individual parts and then sewed them all together.  Here I show just my process for just one part.

I take the pattern of the part I'm making from tracing paper and use tailor's chalk to mark the sewing lines onto the fabrics.

Then add a 1/4" seam allowance and cut the pieces out.

I pin the beginning corners together to line them up exactly.

I use an awl to keep the edges of the fabrics lined up.

With this method I can get pretty close to the pattern.

Then I cut the curve on the opposite side.

This curve wasn't laying flat.  I pressed it to show how it should have lined up, then re-sew in the crease. This will make it flat.

I pin the pattern and then trim. Starting with oversized pieces allows for some adjustments before trimming.

I didn't get the curve sewn perfectly on the line.  However it isn't that important in this project.  What is important is that the black is the correct width where it will line up with the section next to it so the line will look like one continuous line.

All of this oversized parts sewn together that now need to be trimmed.

I pressed the original freezer paper pattern onto it, lining up the important lines.

Then I trimmed a 1/4" seam allowance on the two sides.  I'll still leave the top and bottom until the whole piece is together.

FINISH #8 FOR THE YEAR

 Here's another little quilt I made from a charm pack called "Once Upon a Time".

I quilted a pantograph on it, made some binding and sewed it on and now it's finished.

Finish #8 Once Upon a Time, 32" by 40" with a white flannel backing.

MADE A BAD CHOICE

I got out a charm pack, Roses and Arrows, and picked a  fabric for the other half of the half square triangles.  I cut the squares and marked the sewing lines on the backs of them. 

 I thought it best to cut a few and see how they'd look before sewing them all together.  

Good thing I did.  I did not think they were a good match after all.  So I took them apart and looked for a better match.  I settled on a light grey, Kona Lighthouse, and started over.

NEXT DALEK BLOCK DONE

I finished the block I started yesterday.  That makes three completed blocks.

After, I started making tracing paper overlays to help with making sure things are the right size and in the right place.

MAKING BINDING

 I made the binding for Peach Fuzz using Kona Salmon.  

PLAYCATION 2024 BEGINS

 I'm excited to be able to watch Cheryl Arkison's new Playcation live this year.  I watched the 2022 version after the fact and really enjoyed it.

This year's will be on Tuesdays, live on Instagram, as Cheryl shows us a new improv block weekly.

I'm using an African print and Kona solids to start.

Here is the first block, a Rainbow:

ON MY OWN

 It's Saturday and there's nothing happening on the interwebs.  I'm sewing alone today.   But, I got a lot done.  I spent the morning making more 4-patches and actually having fun.  I wanted some dark and dark combos so I could see how the 'background' would look.  I made some and put them up.  I need more darks for variety.  And, probably more color.

Then, after lunch, I made some more blocks from Cheryl Arkison's Playcation 2022.  Here are numbers 13, 14 and 15.

MORE TEAL

 I trimmed up a few of the parts for my project and then they didn't fit right anymore.  It was very frustrating.  I was conflicted about what to do about it.  Should I add something in there? - then it would be wider and I really didn't want that.  Should I just sew them together as is?  - then it wouldn't be square anymore and I'd have to cut something off.  I decided to let it stew for a while.

Today, I went back up to the studio after staying away for a few days.

I looked at the project and decided to try putting some more teal in the gap.

What do you think?

FINISHES FOR FRIDAY

 It was a busy Finish It Friday today.  I loaded the Loretto quilt onto Eric the longarm and started to quilt it before our 11am get-together.  Then since it was going so well, I continued to do the quilting during the meeting.  I eventually got around to sewing the binding on the Intertwine quilt and I got the quilting finished on Loretto and even trimmed it.  I got the fabric for Loretto's binding cut, but that was as far as I got.  We shut it down at 3pm.    Another productive day.

Loretto

Intertwine!

INTERTWINE QUILTED

 I had loaded Intertwine onto the longarm yesterday and set up a pantograph program.  I had a few problems and didn't get much done.  In fact, after picking out some bad starts, I gave up and decided to come back to the top later.   I was very frustrated.  

Today, after I couldn't unlink two rows, and it refused to quilt the top row of the two.  I discarded the whole program.  I just had the one row up and moved it on the computer to line it up with each previous row.  It was tedious, but I got the quilting done.  

INTERTWINE DONE

 I finally got the top of Intertwine done while attending Brave Patch's Finish it Friday.  This was a free pattern from Kona featuring the new COTY 2023 'Crush' along with  'Torch' and 'Sangria'.  

It wouldn't have been long enough for a twin so I added another row of plain squares in the middle.  It is now 56" by 77".

MAKING TRIANGLES

 I'm working on my 'Small World' project.  I've decided to change to a version that is scrappy and less defined.  It is basically alternating  light and dark triangles.  So, for every 'pie' piece that is majority light I need to make one that is majority darks.  It's easiest to make two at a time, one of each.

I still need a name for this project.  Tara named her's "Small World".  This is her version of a light/dark version. But, mine will be scrappy

I don't want to call mine Small World.  But, maybe, name if after a small world.  I started thinking about moons in our system.  Then I recalled the book I read as a teen "Farmer In The Sky" by Robert Heinlein.  It was one of my favorites.  It's about a family that emigrates to a moon of Jupiter called Ganymede where they become farmers in an effort to terraform the small moon.  Here's the synopsis from Amazon:

The Earth is crowded and food is rationed, but a colony on Ganymede, one of the moons of Jupiter, offers an escape for teenager Bill Lermer and his family. Back on Earth, the move sounded like a grand adventure, but Bill soon realizes that life on the frontier is dangerous, and in an alien world with no safety nets, nature is cruelly unforgiving of even small mistakes.

So, I guess I'm naming this quilt Ganymede.

START A NEW PROJECT

 When in doubt, or bored, start a new project.

This is a free pattern from Robert Kaufman featuring their new Color of the Year (COTY) 2023, CRUSH and two more Kona Solids, Torch and Sangria.

I cut out all the parts and sewed half the blocks together.

STACK N CUT CURVES WORKSHOP

This weekend is the Stack-n-Cut Curves Workshop with Sherri Lynn Wood.  The guest speaker was supposed to be Irene Roderick, but she was not feeling well and couldn't attend.

Sherri showed us how to stack our shirt sleeves so we could get some mirror-imaged shapes.  Then she showed some methods for sewing curves.

I thought I understood, but when using prints it's more difficult.  And I had a difficult time with it.  I never did figure it out.  Maybe I should stick to solids that are two-sided.

My plan when I began was to use just my stack of greens and light greens, plaids and neutrals.  But I thought they looked a bit blah.  So I made another set with some fabrics with  brighter colors, one being Kona Pickle.  

I didn't think the two sets would work together, but they do.  

 

LORETTO PROJECT

 I saw a picture of a quilt that I really liked and wanted to make.  Of course, it's block based.  I really need a stress-less project right now.  This one isn't totally mindless, but its a lot easier than what I have been doing.

I had to draft the pattern, make a cut list and figure out the colors. I'm using Moda Bella 'Spice', 'Prune', 'Boysenberry' and Kona 'Ochre' and 'Peapod'.   I made two test blocks and discovered a math error (oh my!).  Luckily I hadn't cut out all of the parts yet.

So, today I cut up the fabrics and put the first little parts together.  There will be 30 blocks. 

Here we go!  (it always takes longer than I think it will, too)

I thought a bit about the name.  I thought the colors reminded me of Sante Fe, New Mexico.  But, I didn't want to name it Sante Fe, that would be too limiting.  But, I thought, maybe a name that comes from that area, but doesn't sound like that area.  I looked at the map and the only thing I really like was Loretto, from the Loretto Chapel.  We visited there last time we were in Sante Fe.  Amazing place.  

So, Loretto it is.

SOLSTICE SO FAR

 I finished sewing together the parts and pieces that I have of the Solstice Quilt.  I'm waiting on some more Kona Shitake to finish the background.

TOP FINISHED AND NAMED

I've been working on the Pieced Ribbons project since taking the workshop with Sarah Bond.  I put the last seam in it this afternoon.  The top is done and I finally named it - City Noise.

GOT MORE DONE

 Only because I spent the afternoon with my buddies on Brave Patch today did I get all this accomplished on the current Dancing With the Wall project from Coupeville.  Otherwise, I would have left the studio because of the heat.  But, I perservered and stayed up there sewing.

Look, I have very little left to do, besides sewing all of the 'blocks' together.

BACK AT IT

 Okay, I'm back working on the Dancing With the Wall project.

I'm concentrating on adding more of the darks.

ANOTHER GIFT

 As a small project to do between bigger projects I made another block for the Gifts collection of blocks.