February Finishes!

     February was a good month on the quilting front.  I finished 2 children's quilts that will go to my niece's two foster children.  These two sweet children have been in her home since just before Christmas full time.  She and her husband were a respite home initially, but this brother / sister duo were in a home with other very young children and needed more nurturing time.  

Criss Cross Applesauce  Backing 

Criss Cross Applesauce 

Bright Hearts  / Foreshadowing  

Bright Hearts - quilting detail 

     These were both tops done as mystery quilt test tops.  The one with hearts was half of the blocks originally made for the 2011 mystery. (another youth top was finished and gifted 2 years ago)  and the one with  the yellow and green crossed lines was started last March.   

     I love testing new patterns!  Especially mystery quilts.  It's fun to see if I can figure out where the designer is going.  This designer, Jessica Smith, of the Quilt and Needle always keeps me on my toes.  My mind does not think in the same brainwaves as hers, and she always surprises her mystery followers with a wonderful finished project.   My biggest problem, is that the tops get to the finished top stage, and if I don't have a specific recipient or home for them, they don't get quilted right away.  If you look at my "to do" list, it has several mystery quilts from the Q&N that need finishing.  I'm hoping this is the year. 

Sticks and Stones 

     This donation quilt is finished!   Last year, while going through some boxes of donated fabric with my quilting sisters in Corbett, (The Windy Hill Quilters),  I came across some partially cut and  sewn blocks, lots of them! 

Sticks and stones - detail 

      There were probably enough for 3 quilts worth .  The majority of the fabrics are from the 80's.. blue/ pink, plaid with hearts.. very outdated and country looking.    However, while  looking through the bag, I thought.. if I replace the  plaid center on these dark blue blocks  with a cream, they would go nicely with these other blocks. (There was a pattern in the bag, called "sticks and stones", but it had been copied from somewhere, with no reference to the designer.  A google search helped me find 3 more images of the same quilt, but again, no designer credit.   So... whoever designed this quilt, I'm sorry I can't give you credit.  
     This measures 60 x 72.  No one else  in the group was interested in working with the bag contents so it came home with me.   There will be more to come from that bag, but I will mix it with some more updated fabrics and use some of it in pieced backs.  

     I also finished 4 star blocks for a Quilt of Valor.  These blocks need to be mailed in the next few weeks to the person who will piece the completed blocks into a quilt for a well deserving veteran.

Quilt of Valor blocks 

      I also got four more tops finished that were in progress.   Campfire Cowboys  and Rodeo were made from some flannel in a tote of fabric I purchased at a garage sale in the fall of 2014.   I had some of the smaller plaids in my stash that  coordinated with the two large scale prints.  I used the pattern " Just Can't Cut It"  by All Washed Up, to allow the prints to be seen.  These both  measure out at a Twin size 75" x 87" . I still have some of the branding iron fabric to use for backing.  These will be  donation quilts when done, possibly to a homeless shelter,  or to an Indian Reservation that our small quilt group is sending quilts to this spring. 

Campfire Cowboys 

Rodeo 

     The other two Thomas the Tank Engine tops are ready for quilting now as well.  These are going to the new family homeless shelter with the three quilts I finished last month.  

Thomas the Tank Engine II 

Thomas the Tank Engine III

Stash busting news!
   
     See the black fabric with the bright hearts?  I purchased that fabric when my granddaughter was born on Valentine's day, 20 years ago!  She has always been a hot pink & zebra kind of girl, and this little print  and it's companion never made it into a quilt for her.... It is all gone now... only thing left are a few 2 1/2" squares that are in the scrap drawers.   In fact,  the binding on this quilt is about 1/2 and 1/2 of the two prints to make it all the way around. 

     The bright yellow print used as backing in the top photo, has been one of my favorite prints, and I'm down to less than 2 FQ.... It is such a fun print to put in children's quilts.  I'll miss it.  

     The checkered border has been in my stash for a long time as well, and it's time to move it along.  I got it for a great price,  there is enough for another large border, or to piece into a back somewhere.   

April Finish

Here is my April UFO progress!  Another finish!  I played with my new curved ruler set that I bought at our quilt show to get the curved cross hatching.  I definitely need to practice more.... but that's the story of my life.  For those of you who are just starting to follow, this was a bonus quilt from my "Roll Roll Cotton Boll" quilt that was Bonnie Hunter's 2010-2011 Mystery. 

I don't know where this quilt will go yet.... it's a small lap / crib size quilt.  

This little sunflower template seemed perfect for the alternate blocks.....

Diamonds in the sky....a lesson on color value....

     I love doing mystery quilts....if I count up how many I have done over the years, it is at least a dozen! 
      Last weekend, I participated in the Dec. Mystery celebrating the 3rd Anniversay of the Quilt and Needle.com   Jess Smith has once again found an interesting way to keep us in suspense while building components for a quilt in 3 size options.  The pattern will soon be available on Jess' website store. Way to go Jess!   I have been a pattern tester for Jess on some of her mysteries... she asks a few people to pre-stitch the week prior to the actual weekend, to help troubleshoot any difficulties.
      During the actual mystery weekend,  participants pay for the pattern, and she sends it to us via email in installments during the mystery.  Pictures get posted, and we all share ideas and thoughts on color choices,  stitching techniques etc.  on a forum thread just for that purpose. 
     I try to use as much of my stash as possible on mystery quilts....

     I had a 5+ yard piece of 57" wide autumn leaves in my stash that has been raising it's hand to ge used in a quilt.... I thought I could make it work...... it was going to be close. ... here are my fabric choices before I started cutting.... (The cutting chart called for 7 yards of 40"... I did the calculations.... should work....

        I had a tiny pile of the leaf fabric left after cutting.... (I'm making the 100 x 100 size).  I'll have to add an additional border for our king size bed with deep 14" mattress).  Yeah!  I cut all the pieces!  

        Instructions for the first trial step arrive, and before I even started stitching, we found a cutting error.... I needed 4 more of a component.... and guess what... it was my focal fabric!   EEK!!!  Now this doesn't normally throw me too far, (I mean afterall, my name is scraphappydenise)  But being a mystery, how do I go about it?  Jess told me I could substitute by adding a 5th color... she even went into her EQ and did a color change in the area we were talking about....ooh, it opened up a new design option, and she is excited to see what a 5th color will add, so I chose a cream that was similar to the background in the focal fabric, and off I go... happily sewing along.... 

       When we got to the part of laying the pieces out for the center medallion.... this is what I got..... I love the overall look, and the way the two golds overlap and play together... I love the little stars that appear around the green squares.... The general color scheme is beautiful.... BUT...I really do not like the cream!  It seems to be sreaming at me.  NOT the feeling I wanted.   Another color would be great!

       I work best sometimes at 11:00 pm,  so with DH snoozing in his chair a few feet away... I went to my scrap bin looking for strips I could lay over the cream to do some testing.... after a dozen or so options, I think I like this one the best.   I found a rust that I have enough of in my stash to fix this...

      The little stars still show at the green squares... The rust highlights the flow around the design.... I think I am going to be happy with the results.  When I chose my replacement fabric I SHOULD have stood back and looked at the overall value of my leaves, not simply chosen the background color..... Lesson learned.....  This beauty is now on the back burner.... until I'm off work for the holidays.... I have enough of my two gold fabrics and the green to recut those 16 squares.... It will be easier than unstitching and replacing... there is bias in those blocks... and they laid nice and flat the first time, but I don't want to give them a reason to fight me later.... I'll simply use the original blocks in a charity quilt in the future. 
     I had originally intended to show you some of the previous mysteries I have done, but this post is long enough, so another time....