Wednesday, July 26, 2017

What's Up Wednesday


Wednesday just always seems like a nice day to reflect.  Look back at what you've accomplished over the weekend and a look forward to what you need to do.  So I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect on what's been going on in my sewing room house space.

I have had a few local quilt shops express interest in selling Star Blossom in their stores.  One store is right in my home town.  Helen, owner of Helen's Hen House, gave me the above fabrics this past weekend to create a shop sample of the quilt for her store.  Win, Win!  I get to play with pretty fabric, she gets a quilted shop sample, and I might sale some patterns.  So this weekend, I spent a few hours in between a line of thunder storms stitching up a baby quilt version of Star Blossom.


I cannot wait to get this one basted up and quilted this week  I'm starting to think I can make this quilt with my eyes closed, it's so fast and easy.   If you would like to pick up a copy of Star Blossom you can find it in my Craftsy Store.

Next on my list was to finish the sashing blocks called Charlotte's Web for the Pat Sloan The Children's Library Quilt.  After all of them were complete, I started stitching together the first and second row of blocks (there are still 3 blocks to be released).  Since there is a giant poodle living on the shared design wall (not my poodle), I took my rows outside and pinned them to the out building wall for a closer look.


I'll be honest I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this one.  I love the sashing fabric with the little date stamps, but not sure how it's working in this quilt.  To be fair, there are three more blocks to go and borders to be added, so I'm not going to be too quick to judge it yet.  Just keep sewing, you don't know what you've got till it's done.

Since the previous weekend I made time to make to blocks for the dog quilt, I decided to sneak in two blocks for the Sugar Skull quilt.  One in red and one in white(ish).



After all this piecing, I realized it was time to quilt, even for just a teeny tiny bit.  I need to start exercising the quilting machines more.  I need to quilt up my recent small quilt finishes and I have a customer quilt to quilt...and by customer I mean David...oh I'll make him pay, wink wink.


I posted this picture to Instagram with the caption, "So many possibilities from just this squiggly line.  What will it become?"  So what did it become?

David and I have briefly discussed how he would like his quilt quilted and it looks like he's leaning toward a woodgrain look and swirls in different sections of the quilt.  So what better way to kick start my quilty fingers than by practicing both of these designs.  So the above squiggle became a maze of wood grain.


I do love swirls and I think I've improved over the years stitching them.  Still room to grow, but I'm happy with how these turned out.  I know they will look even better on the quilt because I will be using thread that matches the fabric so they will be a bit more camouflaged.  As for the woodgrain, this was my first time stitching it and the verdict?  Super easy.  Although, it does require a bit of thinking about where to travel next and should I add an "knot hole" yet?  But a quick pause at each point allows me to think about it before I travel to the next spot.

Since I didn't fill the whole fat quarter up with these designs, I moved on to trying Angela Walter's Paisley Feather and a swirl flower design.


Paisley Feather turned out much better than I thought it would.  Still have some filling up the middle of the curve issues to work out, but I'm turning cartwheels that it turned out that great.  You can watch Angela's video for this motif here.  The swirl feather is a design I want to quilt on something so badly.  These were not the best ones I've done in practice.  I started getting frustrated and you can see my little scribble of frustration in the middle of the three flowers.  That's when I knew, it was time to walk away and do something else.  Always know when to say when.

So moving on with my week, I know I have a few QAL blocks I should work on, and small quilts to start quilting.  Hopefully, I will be able to answer an age old question on Friday...


Did Momma Duck, indeed get her ducks in a row???

Tune in later this week to find out if Momma Duck is sitting pretty with her babies or has she pulled all her feathers tail feathers out.  


Today I'm linking up with Let's Bee Social and Midweek Makers.


13 comments:

Cheryl said...

Your quilting is beautiful!

Jen Shaffer said...

Pretty fabrics you got to 0lay with and the baby version is perfect.

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

The woodgrain quilting looks great. The key I've found with the swirl flowers is to make the inner part of the swirl small enough that the first petal flowers fill the inner space, and to make the petals rather large in proportion to the swirl, if that makes any sense - bounce them out and make them fluffy petals! Anyway, that's what I tell myself in my head when I start doing them. :)

Susan said...

Pretty fabrics in children's library quilt, though I'm feeling like you - not quite sure how this one is going to work out. It will be interesting to see how you finish it. Thanks for sharing all of your project today on Midweek Makers

Stitchin At Home said...

The paisley flower turned out great, I would be doing the happy dance too.

piecefulwendy said...

Every time I see you playing with quilt designs, I want to go sit down and try it. It never looks as good as yours - yet. I have practicing to do. I love that baby quilt! I need to add that to my list!

Puppilalla said...

What a productive weekend. The woodgrain looks more like flames to me but it is all down to the individual beholder right? Generally you are doing so many things that you make me dizzy =) =) =)

Janice Holton said...

Hey Tish! I think you're going to be quilting all of those motif's like a pro in no time. They already look super good. No wonder you are doing a happy dance! I really like those blocks in the Childrens Library quilt too. I think it's going to turn out just fine. Don't give up! OK, on to get some quilting done. I know you have tons of quilts hanging around just begging you to quilt them. :)

KaHolly said...

Such a fun read about your midweek reflections! You sure accomplish a ton! The shop sample of your quilt pattern came out so cute, and your quilting is superb! I'm eager for my Janome to be free so I can try Angela's paisley flower, too. I've got a few tops lined up, though, so it may be awhile. Wow, that woodgrain looks awesome. Your first time looks good enough to be my best! I've not had very good luck practicing that one! You took to it right away! Good for you! Enjoy the rest of your quilty week. I hope you accomplish everything on your list!

Vicki in MN said...

Congrats on the shops being interested in stocking your pattern. Looks like you had a good productive week;) I tend to go in streaks of tons of piecing, then tons of quilting.

maggie fellow said...

if she has teenagers the tail feathers are gone:)

Sue said...

Love your sugar skull blocks very cute! Maybe your Children's Library quilt just needs tweaking - an alternative setting perhaps? Look forward to seeing the finish anyway!

Emily said...

That's a lovely duck! I look forward to seeing her again and learning her fate.

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