2013 NewFO Challenge - March update

I will begin at least one new project each month this year but I don't need to finish anything! 

This is the best challenge ever! I wrote about the 2013 NewFO Challenge at Cat Patches here. You can see what everyone else is doing here.

My March starts:
1. I started and finished School Colors, a quilt for a local student who is having some health issues.  

School Colors

2. At Lucky 2B Quilting Quilt Camp, I began a Buggy Barn table runner. This is my first Buggy Barn project. Although I'm unsure if I like the Buggy Barn technique, the finished quilt will be fine! This is an early photo. I just finished quilting it so all it needs is the binding which will be done in April.

Buggy Barn Christmas Stocking table runner.

Progress on earlier 2013 projects
1. I finished the Batik Lonestar quilt.

Finished Batik Lonestar.

2. I have all 9 blocks of Spring Bouquet machine appliquéd. The checkered inner border is finished. I am currently appliquéing the 4 border pieces and wondering how to quilt this!

Four checkered border pieces and one of four wide borders.

3. Here is the March block of the 5th Anniversary BOM Quilt at Lucky2BQuilting. 

Looks like this need a good pressing!

Cute Easter Carrots

Have you seen the Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial for Cute Easter Carrots? I decided that I had to try to make a couple.

Aren't they cute with my Easter Chick? The carrots were super easy and fast to make!

After I made the carrots, I really didn't know what to do with them so I decided to make a treasure hunt for the two grandchildren that will be here on Easter. I used to do treasure hunts for my nieces and nephews at our Easter gatherings and everyone enjoyed them. 

I wrote a little story about the carrots and the bunny that lost them.

At the end of the story, our two grandsons can go on a hunt to find the lost carrots. I'm sure they'll enjoy the hunt more than the carrots! 

After the treasure hunt, exactly what should I do with my two stuffed carrots?

My first lace knitting

I found this yarn when I was cleaning a closet. I have no idea where or when I bought it! Ray was impressed that I had a stash of yarn - me too!

The yarn is Rowan Tapestry - 70% wool and 30% soy. I found two skeins from the same dye lot.

I used the Painted Lace Scarf pattern which is free on ravelry.com.  

I loved knitting the yarn and the scarf is super soft. Next time I might use lace needles though - it would be a little easier to knit.

International Quilt Day

It is International Quilt Day! So I will be celebrating! Instead of just one day, I think I'll celebrate all weekend! Maybe all week!

First, an introduction: My name is Jeanne and I live in northwestern Illinois. I love to quilt. I also enjoy knitting, traveling, hiking, reading and spending time with my family and friends. I am a retired educator - I taught Computer Science at a nearby college for many years. Now my husband and I are Loving Retirement!

My sewing background: My mom taught me to sew when I was 4 years old - a long time ago! I made most of my clothes when I was growing up. I sewed for a designer for a short period of time - I was teaching at the time and found that if I sewed for her, I didn't have time to sew for me so I ended that little job after a few months. After our boys were born, I sewed most of their clothes. Then I learned to hand quilt in 1987.  I was hooked immediately and have never looked back!

I love all quilts. I prefer bright colors but will work with any colors. I love traditional designs and modern designs. I enjoy making my own designs. I am constantly inspired and just don't have enough time to make everything I want to make! In 2012 I began free motion quilting on my domestic machine so I could finish more quilts.

So what am I doing today/this weekend? I am working on Spring Bouquet by Edyta Sitar. An appliquéd quilt is on my bucket list as is an Edyta Sitar quilt so this is perfect. 

The middle nine blocks are machine appliquéd. 

Middle 9 blocks done! Just need to be trimmed to correct size.

Now I am appliquéing the four border blocks. 

Work on one of the four borders.

 I am also making the checkered inner border. 

This is a photo of the pattern.

The pattern says to cut 1 1/4" squares - 264 light colored and 264 colored. That sounds like work! Here is my tutorial to make it much easier!

Head on over the SewCalGal and see what everyone else is doing during this virtual sew-cial on International Quilt Day.

Checkered Border Tutorial

A checkered border may look like you need to cut a few hundred tiny squares and sew them together but there is an easier way!

My border is using 1 1/4" squares in lights and darks.

Photo of pattern picture

I am using the background fabric for my light squares and a charm pack for my dark or colored squares. I am cutting 1 1/4" strips from the background scraps (you may cut them wider and trim after sewing) Then I'm cutting each strip to a length of about 5 1/4" (the approximate length of my charm squares). You could use strips the width of the fabric for both the light and the colored squares. I'm using charm squares to get a wide variety of color.

charm squares and background fabric strips

Sew one strip to each charm square right sides together, matching the long side of the light strip to one side of the charm square. Use 1/4" seams throughout. Press the seams toward the dark which will be the charm square. 

Strip sewn to charm square. Seam pressed toward charm square.

Now trim each piece. Both the background strip and the charm square strip should be 1" from seam. Also be sure the ends are even.

Cut 1 inch from seam

Strip after cutting

Trim ends even

Sew a few of these trimmed pieces together. I sewed 8 of these pieces together (a total of 16 strips) because I thought that was easy to work with. You may want to use a different number. A rule I follow is the longer the strips, the less I sew together. So if my strips are the width of the fabric, I would only sew 4 - 6 together for a block.

Be sure to alternate dark strips and light strips

Block of 16 strips

Carefully press the seams to the darker fabric. 

Press seams towards the darker fabric

 Keep the finished piece straight. You may want to use Best Press (my preference) or a spray starch.

Use Best Press or starch

Now, going across the stripes, cut 1 1/4" strips. 

Carefully line up ruler

Strips cut

Assemble the border, alternating strips that have different fabrics. 

Layout strips for the checkered border

If you put two of the same strips together or it you use a small number of fabrics, this can still look random. Just turn some of the strips.

Same 2 strips next to each other! 

When you sew the pieces together for the border, the seams will nest nicely together if you pressed correctly.

School Colors Done!

I finished the quilt, School Colors, last night. I just wrote about it here.

Vertical

The quilt top is all cotton fabric from my stash; the back is black cotton flannel. It is about 60" X 70". I machine quilted the quilt with a walking foot, sewing down the middle of each strip.

Black flannel back

Horizontal

Orange is one of my favorite colors  and I really like this quilt. But I will give it to a very deserving young man; it will be delivered this week.

School Colors!

A few years ago, we mentioned in church that Ray was having surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon. A young man caught up with us as we left that day and offered to do anything he could to help me; he suggested yard work or any heavy house work. He ended up helping me - really helping me! - landscape part of our back yard!  He was so pleasant and eager to help. As I got to know him, I found out that is just who he is - one really great kid!

Now this young man is having some serious health issues. I've been trying to figure out something to do to help him and it finally occurred to me - I would make him a quilt! I decided to use his school colors. 

Wanting something quick, I decided to make the 1600 (jelly roll race) quilt. It would need to be a little larger though so I cut fabric equal to 56 1/2 strips, each 2 1/2" wide. I used fabric from my stash so some strips were actually half strips. Then I began sewing and sewing and sewing. 

Here is a photo of the pinning in progress.

I have just started the machine quilting. It will be finished one day soon.

First Hockey Tournament

This weekend Grandson Mack played in his first hockey tournament. He and his team played 3 full games. It was a tiring but fun weekend for everyone - with the travel each day, the time change, all that exercise, and a very cold ice rink today!

Every player in the tournament was awarded a medal. No scores were kept at this event so everyone was truly a winner.

Here is Mack with his coach (aka Daddy) and his medal. Can you tell that his medal is important?!

And here is little brother Griffy entertaining himself and me with funny faces.

Griffy told me he will be playing hockey next year so we'll have twice as much fun!

One more scarf

I just had to make one more scarf using Teryn Pierce's Seeded Reversible Cable Scarf pattern. 

This one is off-white  although the photo looks more like tan. I used gobi yarn - 40% Merino wool, 30%  Camel wool, and 30% Alpaca wool. It is soooo soft! 

 Here is a close up of the cables.

The blue one is a little shorter - it is made with Encore Chunky, 75% acrylic and 25% wool.

This new scarf isn't for me but I think a gobi one is in my future!

Give up quilting?

borrowed from www.pickledish.com

OK, I didn't give up quilting for lent, but if I did, knitting would definitely be my replacement.

Two Donation Baby Quilts Done!

Last fall I bought fabric for two baby quilts but eventually decided that it just was not 

what I really wanted. 

So I went shopping and made these quilts 

for the twin baby boys. 

That left two baby quilts that were started. 

Recently I finished them for donation quilts.

They are very similar but not the same. 

Each quilt is about 38" square and 

free-motion machine quilted.

We are supposed to get quite a 

snowstorm tonight 

so maybe the next day or two 

will see lots of quilting!

Batik Lonestar - done!

I finished the batik Lonestar that I started in February and wrote about here. I love the colors!

After I hung the quilt, Ray commented about how it really drew the colors from the painted wooden shingles near it. Doesn't everyone have painted wooden shingles?

I quilted the interior of the quilt in radiating stars using a walking foot.

I free motion quilted the border in Paisley.

Did I mention that I love this quilt?

A Knitted Scarf

Yesterday I met my friend, Nancy, for lunch and knitting. We try to do this about once a month. I really enjoy sharing this time together; it's fun and relaxing. 

We knit at a yarn shop that is convenient for both of us. The yarn shop KAL in February was Teryn Pierce's Seeded Reversible Cable Scarf. The free pattern is available on Ravelry.com. 

My blue Seeded Reversible Cable Scarf

I wasn't able to get yarn for the scarf until yesterday so I began the month's knit along a bit late. And I finished the scarf today! Here is a close up of the cable.

My first cables!

I love that there is no wrong side to the scarf. It was my first time with cables and all went well. I bought yarn for a second scarf before I left the shop yesterday - I already knew I liked this!