Teal Stars

On the long list of projects for 2025, numbers 6, 7 & 8 were to make quilts for granddaughter Joanna. She's a teal girl and I have started the first quilt. For lack of a better name, I'm calling it Teal Stars.

I made the first star just to see what it was going to look like. Now I need to sew three more stars. They're ready to sew, hopefully next week I'll be able to show you all four stars or maybe, perhaps, the finished center section of the quilt.

Teal is one color I don't have very much of in my stash so I went to Calico Point and bought some. I did have one fabric from my stash, the dark outside diamond. I made sure the new fabrics played well with that fabric.  

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, UFO Time, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Blue Churndash Wallhanging

Way back in 2016 I pieced a blue churndash quilt which now hangs from a rafter in my home. I had pieced too many blocks so I sewed those blocks into a small wallhanging intending to quilt it someday then donate it to the relief sale. I just never got that accomplished, too many other quilts in the hand quilting queue.

In early November last fall, an older lady from my church asked if anyone would have anything she could hand quilt then donate to the relief sale, yes I do!

I marked the quilt, made a backing and batting and took it to church to give to her. Irene quilted it in 2 weeks!

I have since finished this little 42" square wallhanging by attaching a label, sleeve and the binding. She's ready for the 2025 Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale in September. Hopefully there will be at least two people who want her so the bidding will go high.

Irene was the hand quilter, I embroidered the label, turned and hand stitched the binding and hand stitched the sleeve to the back. I ran her through the cold water delicate cycle in the washer to remove the blue marking pen. I was surprised by how much she scrunched up. 

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

This 'N That

Elaine came one afternoon, the week between Christmas and New Year's. She has the applique finished for the center of the relief sale quilt (Rhapsody in Blue) we're collaborating on. We don't have a pattern for this quilt, we're just making it up as we go. 

We trimmed the center and added a 2" border, then it measured 36.5". We added a double row of 9 patches, both types. I had sewn the 9 patches last autumn sometime, maybe in October?

We laid out a single side and I sewed them together. The border looked good so Elaine left to run errands while I kept sewing. 

Three hours later the center looked like this.

This isn't the greatest picture but you get the idea. Does the center applique look familiar? Elaine contacted Nancy Rink and received permission for us to use the center applique from Lady Jane in this quilt. We did decide to change the center circle in the bottom center flower, that fabric is too dark, you don't see the circle!

As of now the center measures 54.25". The project went home with Elaine so she can add another applique border, this time a improvisation of the Lady Jane applique.

Rhapsody in Blue is #5 on my long list of projects for this year.

While I'm piecing blocks for other projects, I also sew 4 patches, leader/ender fashion. I try to clean up scraps after each project and cut various sizes of blocks. Right now I'm sewing to diminish the 2" square box. You already know how to make 4 patches so I won't bore you with details. This box contains twosies.

These 4 patches were sewn while I was piecing Peter Rabbit.

I know, poor picture 😕.

I did sew some of the 4 patches into larger blocks several months ago, now I'm piecing 4 patches again so there is more variety. Eventually there will be enough blocks to piece a large quilt. These blocks are 8 across by 10 down and will measure 12" by 15" finished.

In 2024 I sewed bindings on 59 comforters. It's a new year so it's time to start a new tally. I've sewed bindings on 3 comforters last week. They are all very pretty.

First is a bowtie quilt. The squares finish at 3". 

I don't know the name of this pattern but it's a fun design made with bright fabrics. The squares in this comforter finish at 5".

Who doesn't love a scrappy trip around the world? These squares also finish at 5".

These comforters were delivered to the MCC resource center where they will be distributed to the many places that need them.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Elegant Garden, Block 10

Block 10 of Elegant Garden appliqued so much faster than block 9, there weren't as many pieces.

I need to prep the blocks in row 3 which is the center row of Elegant Garden. There are 4 appliqued blocks in this row, the center block is pieced. I'll wait to piece that block until all the other blocks are finished. There are a total of 25 blocks in this quilt. The blocks are supposed to finish at 9".

Before starting the applique process, I decided to use civil war fabrics for this quilt. When I opened up the tub, I found a variety of fat quarters for background fabrics. I cut them the size I wanted to use then finished the edges so I wouldn't have to deal with fraying. Then I arranged them on the design wall, this is the order in which I'm appliqueing the blocks and the order the blocks will be sewn together. The empty place is for the center pieced block.

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

Peter Rabbit Quilt, Book Adventures

The Book Adventures (Peter Rabbit is my name for the quilt) kit was the next project to be sewn in 2025. I purchased the kit at Caroline's during my birthday outing, Donna did too. (Blogger decided this first paragraph needed to be center for some reason.)

This quilt sewed together fast. The directions are well written and my quilt ended up the same size as the pattern, 60" by 67" which doesn't always happen.

At Caroline's I also purchased a store kit to make a compassion quilt. That kit was pieced in October. Do you see a trend happening with my birthday shopping? Yes, I ended up buying three kits altogether, two at Carolines's and one at Lolly's.

Now all three kits have been pieced. One is completely finished while the compassion quilt and Peter will be machine quilted by me next summer along with several other small quilts.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Patchwork & Quilts

Elegant Garden, Block 9

Block 9 of Elegant Garden is finished.

I am slow at appliqueing small pieces of applique. How small? I took a picture of a dime beside the corner flower.

Years ago I purchased Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles, both the large and small sizes. This is what I'm using to make these perfect circles.

 For the small circles that don't have applique on top, I'm using this product. I purchased it at a local fabric store. You can search for it online.

There is adhesive on the back side. I mark the circle on the sheet, cut it out then heat set it onto the backside of the fabric. I cut the circle out of the fabric leaving 'turn under'. I always finger press the 'turn under' fabric. This helps with a smooth applique.

For the larger circles I trace the circles onto freezer paper, cut it out then iron onto the backside of the fabric. I also finger press the 'turn under' along the freezer paper but I remove the freezer paper before the applique is completely attached. 

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

Four Patch Around the World

The first project of 2025 is Four Patch Around the World. Four Patch Around the World is listed as #13 on my extensive list of 2025 projects.  

Of course I changed the pattern and made it larger and symmetrical. Around the World measures 96" square right now and has been delivered to Calico Point for quilting.

You can see the trips in the center of the quilt. It was cold outside and this was a hurry up picture. I'll take a better picture when the quilt returns home, probably in March.

I also used fabrics left from Tula Hexies for more variety. The print fabrics are from a Free Spirit jelly roll I purchased the last time I visited Deanna in Utah. Jelly rolls are nice but you have two fabric strips each exactly same then repeated in several color ways.  The Tula fabrics blended well and added more variety.

Four Patch Around the World is the pattern I purchased when I visited MSQC in November. The two white jelly rolls were entirely used. I needed to cut more strips from the bolt of white Kona I keep on hand.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Elegant Garden, Partial Block 9

Last week was a busy week at my home and block 9 of Elegant Garden has many small pieces to be appliqued so I don't have a finished block to show you today.

It's amazing what a little color can do for a block!

You can easily see the markings on the background fabric of all the work to be done yet. See those tiny circles in the corners? Those are applique while the stem and leaves are embroidered.

Hopefully next Sunday I'll show you a finished block!

Elegant Garden is an older quilt designed by Edyta Sitar. 

This Christmas cactus was covered in buds when I brought it from outside in early October, it started blooming the end of October. I was surprised to see it so full when I came home from Phoenix in December! I don't know whether it will keep blooming through all of January or not but I'm very pleased to see them. My amaryllis are letting me down this year, their growth is extremely slow. At this rate they won't bloom until next May!

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

Projects Planned for 2025, '26 & Probably '27!

I'm starting off the New Year with a list of quilts I hope to accomplish this year. The projects won't be made in the order they are listed.

First are the older projects that were listed in 2024 and carried over into 2025 - 

1. Fire Island Hosta Queen, designed by QuiltWorx - Poor Fire Island Hosta, she didn't even make it out of the project bag! A start definitely needs to happen this year.

This isn't a kit, I selected my own fabrics but they are similar to the cover picture.

2. Blueberry pie - The blue outer borders have been added but this quilt has to wait to be quilted. The applique border looks a little puckery. This will quilt out just fine when it is pulled tight in the quilting frame.

Quilting will definitely not happen in 2025, I'm planning on putting another quilt into the quilting frame this fall.

3. Elegant Garden - finish applique blocks and sew the flimsy together. Elegant Garden is an older applique pattern designed by Edyta Sitar. Elegant was not on my list for 2024 but was started when the blueberry pie applique was finished.

4. Garden Party - Thirty-six blocks have been pieced. The plan is that this will be the only project I work on at the April retreat this spring, I'm hoping to have all the posey blocks pieced by the end of the retreat. The alternate blocks will be red chain blocks which should go fast since they will be strip pieced. Garden Party is found in the Addicted to Scraps book written by Bonnie Hunter.

And the new projects planned are . . .

5. Relief Sale quilt - Elaine and I are collaborating together and making a blue & light gray 9-patch quilt similar to the one the guild made back in 2019. Elaine is doing the applique while I am piecing the 9 patches then sewing them and the applique sections together. The goal is to have the flimsy appliqued, pieced and ready to put into the hand quilting frame this fall. I've decided the name of this quilt is Rhapsody in Blue but I haven't told Elaine yet. 

6, 7, 8. Make 3 quilts for granddaughter Joanna. Log Cabin Heart, Stars & Log Cabin, & the 2024 BOM quilt from A Quilting Life by Sherri McConnell. Three quilts is very ambitious, I'm aiming for at least one quilt but three would be fantastic. All three will be out of teal fabrics. I also reserve the privilege of changing my mind about which patterns to make.

9. Make at least 1 of the bagged projects I have kitted. Two would be even better but I'll be satisfied with one.

10. Red & White Gatherings - a challenge with Lynn. We both bought this book several years ago when we saw one of the quilts on display at the Quilt Store @ the Essenhaus complex. We each need to make one quilt from the book, our own choice. 

The quilt has to be based on one of the patterns from the book but we can change it to suit our taste. I already know Lynn will be adding applique to her quilt because she always adds applique.

I'm planning to make a version of this feathered star quilt and I'm going to actually make it with red fabric, but a blue version would really awesome!

11. Possibly another blue & white quilt might happen, I have some blue embroidered blocks that needs to be made into a quilt.

12. Then there are the purple/lavender embroidered blocks that also need to be made into a quilt.

13. Around the World Four Patch - made with the two white jelly rolls I bought at MSQC in November combined with a Free Spirit Daydreamer design roll I purchased in Utah several years ago. (The Daydreamer link was one of many places to find the design roll.) Of course I'm making the quilt larger than the pattern calls for. I'll probably add fabrics left from the Tula Hexies quilt.

14. There are several small flimsies to be machine quilted by me. Should they be counted as 14, 15 & 16?

15. Hand quilt a crib quilt made in Amish style. Amish style doesn't have much piecing, it's the quilting that brings it to life. Not all Amish quilts have black which is a good thing, I can no longer see black thread on black fabric!

16. And, as if all those projects aren't enough to keep me busy, I signed up for the 2025 Designer Mystery BOM through Fat Quarter Shop that starts in June 2025!

17. Book Adventures - While celebrating my birthday last summer, I purchased the Book Adventures kit at Carolines. I thought this was going to be a little crib quilt but it's 60" by 67"! I want to have this pieced and quilted before my next July birthday. This way I'll have all those squirrel quilts that I bought on my 2024 birthday outing finished!  

If I have time (😉?), it would be fun to get out my Weird Scrappy Log Cabin blocks (also known as Quilt Vortex) and make more of them. If you do check out the link to my post written in November 2022, the link for the Call Me Crazy pattern no longer works, try this link instead.

After organizing and writing about all these projects, I've decided this is much more than a one year plan, this is definitely a two year, probably a three year plan! Maybe I can actually accomplish these goals if I keep all of the squirrels out of the sewing studio.

Linking to 2025 Quilt Planning Party, Wednesday Wait Loss, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts