JOE WORKSHOP 7.0

 Here we are with the 7th Quilt Freedom Workshop.

Today we made Bowtie blocks.

We always end with a song.

WORKING ON IMPROV DAISY

 Our Brave Patch community is currently working on their Improv Daisy patterns.  So, I got mine out and started working on it again.

I had stopped because I was stumped on  how to proceed.  I got some advice and decided to just do one bit at a time and not worry about the whole thing.

That worked better for me and I was able to make some headway.  I've got the top left quarter sewn together.

CHRISTMAS RUNNER

 I saw a picture of this design as a pillow - one block - and thought that would make a really nice Christmas tablerunner for our front entry.  I had to draft the design and print the little 2-1/4" squares onto foundation papers.

It takes 64 squares for each block - and it took me a couple of days to get this far with one block, 18" x 18".  I need three to make a tablerunner.  I stopped, I have other things I should be doing instead.  Oh, well.

I discovered, after I had made all of these little blocks, that the printer had copied some of the pages at different sizes.  I don't understand that, at all.

LITTLE STARS

 Making little stars...

Only nine more to go...

NEW PROJECT

 I've started on a new project - a Tula Pink quilt called Opening Night using her new line of fabrics, Line Work.  It's a lot of black and whites and some additions to her True Colors blending fabrics.

I cut out all of the colored fabric being used to make a bunch of little, 4", stars.

Then I cut out the background pieces.

And sewed them all together in the '8 at a time' method of making HST squares.

Now each one needs to be cut apart and the seam pressed open.

I got one set done - that's enough for today.

FLOATING STAIRS TOP

 I worked on my project from the Floating Stairs workshop most of the day and got it all put together.  I made some serious mistakes where the seams don't line up like they should.  But, I think for a first time it's not too bad.   The important thing is that I learned a lot about how to do it and what not to do.  I definitely need more practice at curves and y-seams.

I got all of the background attached to the 'drunkards path' squares, then we went out to lunch at Coastline Burgers.  Well, actually, we ordered online, picked it up and took our lunch to the lookout at Hamilton Viewpoint Park off California Avenue.

I got one seam where everything came together right.  Yea!

Back in the studio after lunch, I attended a Brave Patch meeting where I foundation pieced a lot of the scraps from this project while listening.  Afterwards I sewed everything together on the top.  It's done.  

The background is Kona Prussian Blue, the orange is Kona Nectarine.  The dark purple is Kona Geranium and the lighter one is Kona Petal.

BLACK FRIDAY SEWING DAY

 Not much happening on this Black Friday.  

I was sewing.  I worked on my Floating Stairs project from the workshop I took last weekend.

First I finished paper piecing the 'stairs'.

Then I worked on getting the background pieced into the middle - not as easy as she made it look! It's all one piece. I had to go back to the recording of the workshop and look for the part where she did this.  I took out my first attempt and tried it again with better results.  Not perfect, but better. 

I got the background sewn into all of the 'stair' parts, then started making the 'drunkard's path' squares.  Or should I say rectangles.

THANKSGIVING 2020

 We had a hybrid dinner of purchased turkey and mashed potatoes, while I made stuffing and a sweet potato casserole.  

We ate too much. We watched a movie and had a zoom meeting with Nicole and Victoria and Julia and Hailey.

We also counted the pumpkin pie as a substitute for a vegetable.  Works for me.

SEWING ON A HOLIDAY

 I spent the time between breakfast and an early dinner finishing putting rows on and putting the blocks up on the design wall.

LITTLE FISH

 The fish have been coming out from hiding lately.

I saw one of the little fishies hanging with 'The Behemoth'.  They seem to be getting used to each other.

You can see why I was a little concerned for the little ones.  Yikes.

STRATA FOR BREAKFAST

 I premade a strata with ham, eggs and cheese last night.  We cooked it up for breakfast this morning.

ADDING TRIANGLES

 Spent a good part of the day adding HST squares to each other.

Once the rows were made, I started adding them to the center squares.

TRIMMING HSTS

 Sew, cut apart, press seam open, trim.  Repeat 480 times.

That's how it goes for the expanded blocks made form a Quilt Freedom Workshop.

Oh, my aching neck and arm.

upper right is the picture of the original blocks I'm trying to replicate, but in different colors, of course.

I managed to get a lot of the trimming done while participating in zoom meetings.  Today was a Brave Patch meeting from 1pm to 3pm.

MORE PICTURES

 I didn't like the pictures we took yesterday of the Covid quilt - so we took more today.  And then I submitted them to Quiltcon At Home and Road2CA.

QUILT PHOTO TAKING

 Darrell helped me out by taking photos of quilts for me.  I wanted to get pictures of my Millennium Quilt - which I haven't seen in about 15 years.  It's been in a closet and doesn't smell very good.  But it looks good.  It never got much use.

Then he photographed the Covid quilt.

LONG DISTANCE WORKSHOP

I took a workshop, this morning, with PapperSaxSten, Jenny Haynes.  She was broadcasting from the UK and there were participants from all around the globe.  Some had to rise very very early, some were participating in their evenings.  I was lucky in that it started at 9am for me.

She was teaching us how to make her Floating Stairs quilt.  She discussed drafting the pattern, and different variations.  She showed us how to use freezer paper for paper piecing and talked about sewing curves.

It was a very informative class and I really appreciated her expertise and willingness to share.

I haven't started my project yet, but soon, I hope.