Positively 2023--post 1

Collection of light and dark leaf fabrics and a background fabric

Goal number six on my June list was to participate in Preeti's Positively 2023 quilt along (QAL). For the last two years, I've watched from the sidelines; but, this year, I hopped in to play too. You can check out the introduction to the QAL here. 

Background batik and "extra" blocks

I had a batik background fabric in my stash that has been hanging around for years. It was enough for the background of the leaves. I pulled another neutral batik fabric to become sashing and borders. Then, I raided my strip precuts for green strips. I pulled chunks and fat quarters.

A batik fabric in the process of becoming "leaves"

I cut the background pieces. I cut green strips for my leaves as well as a dark purple for my stems. Preeti used brown for her stems.

I selected a couple fabrics for the flowers. At that point, I hadn't decided if I wanted to make the version with only leaves or if I wanted to make the version with leaves and flowers. In the end, I decided a leaf quilt was more masculine than a quilt with flowers. I decided I could always stitch the second version of the pattern later. 

I stitched strips together. Then, I cut "wedges" from the strip sets. Some wedges are bonus blocks which will become another project at a later date! Preeti's bonus blocks worked into a 48 inch square quilt.

Some of the leaf wedges

Piecing leaf blocks didn't take long. However, since I used fat quarters and scraps instead of a jelly roll or strips for the leaves, I needed to piece the fat quarter strips to get the strips long enough. It took some extra time; but, it was worth the effort to use what I had!

Some of the leaf blocks

Goal number four on my July list was to make progress on the sew along. I finished piecing the strip sets and cutting wedges. I began making the leaf block units which were two spacer fabrics and two leaf blocks with a stem sewn between the each leaf/spacer.

Blocks taking shape on the design wall

Watching the rows grow on the design wall was fun. Eventually, I had pieced four rows of leaves. If I were to make this pattern again, I might cut the 16 background strips a quarter inch wider or 4 3/4 inches because my blocks were a little shy of six inches.

Rows of pieced blocks

I cut the sashing and borders from my second batik background fabric. I needed to do a little easing of the borders. My finished top measured 56 inches by 88 inches. I'm only a couple weeks behind Preeti's time table! However, this is the closest to it that I will come to being on schedule! I do like the top! The various leaf fabrics create great interest for my eye. 

Next month, I'll figure out the backing and binding for the project. Last Friday evening, I pulled a couple options for the backing. Of course, neither piece is large enough so I'll need to piece the backing. 

Completed top

This project is on hold until I free up my basting pins. I need to finish quilting my Lone Star quilt and quilt my granddaughter's churn dash block top that I pin basted last month. Maybe I'll get back to quilting these leaves during the winter. I do plan to support Merciful quilts I'm linking to Cynthia and Oh Scrap/Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework.

Tomorrow is the last day of July. . .I suppose I had better be thinking about what my goal are for August! 

Winner Winner. . .Thank you Preeti--post 1

The package

Last week, I received an e-mail from Preeti of Sew Preeti Sew that I was one winner to receive forty, five inch leftover squares from her Bourbon Street Bash quilt. I loved the bright batiks and the almost look of a solid of these Island Batik fabrics. Bourbon Street Bash is one happy quilt!

When she notified me, I did a happy dance that was long enough that I actually had a few minutes of exercise credited on my Apple Watch! Then her prize package arrived in the mail. I got to touch and pet each and every square. There was a lot of drooling involved!!!

Stack of five inch squares and the note

These luscious fabrics will be available in the stores in May. Each square has a friend so there is a pair of each fabric.

Seventeen fabrics are from the Celebrate line by Kathy Engle. Preeti added three fabrics from her stash of Island Batiks Foundation line that went with the Celebrate fabrics. 

Gertie, who has been relatively silent since being rear ended in my car accident last September, has been whispering in my ear. She has pointed out a background fabric from my stash. She has even nudged me toward some design or pattern options. (Gertie is my inner squirrel!)

I'm thinking about the options. I can't wait to start!!! Thank you so much, Preeti!

The luscious five inch squares

On another note, Preeti will be co-hosting her third Positively sew along. It will begin at the end of May. Bernie, from Needle and Foot, is her co-host. Finished quilts are Mercyful Quilts which benefit the Palliative care unit of Mercy Hospital.

Preeti provides the pattern free of charge. You need about 4 1/2 yards of background fabric, thirty 2.5 inch strips of focus fabrics, 4 yards of backing fabric and a half yard of binding fabric. It is recommended to choose gender neutral colors so avoid a color like pink. It is also recommended to avoid dense quilting so it is a cuddly quilt.

The Sew Along ends September 3. You will e-mail Preeti that you've finished your quilt. She will e-mail you the address where you send it. 

Are you in? I am! It will be the first time that I've participated. Although, I might not finish by the time the Sew Along ends, I will finish it. (I still have some rough days from that car accident.)

If you have more questions, check out Preeti's blog post. I'm linking to Cynthia at Oh Scrap/Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework as these are scraps ready to be made into a project!

Star Patch post 1

Fabrics for the project

I was reading a post in Amber's blog last October. I liked the pattern she shared. Her post was about stitching the pattern during a quilt along that she was hosting. The project started October 29 and ended December 22. I decided to join in on the fun. I bought the pattern and registered for the quilt along.

While I waited for the pattern to arrive, I started perusing my overflowing fabric stash. For several years, I have fondled a tray of two inch squares that would work as the colorful squares in the nine patches. I spied a piece of yellow/gold check fabric, which came from Martha's stash, that would work for the center star. I had a bag of cream scraps to use as background. The gold fabric made me think of fall. I thought a fall quilt would be nice to have. Other participants may be making a Christmas quilt.

Miss J sorting the colors

The assignment for the first week was to cut the pieces for the project. Not having to cut 320 two inch colorful squares was awesome! (There is still at least that many squares left in the tray though!) My squares, for the most part are dark rather than bright. I hope that the dark will make a good sparkle behind the star!

Miss J helped me sort the best squares for the project. I watched her decide if a square was blue or black or pink and then followed her logic. She is good at making a decision. She is also good about keeping her decisions consistent!

Project pieces cut and ready for stitching 

Cutting the 240 background two inch squares took some time; but, I used up a bunch of the cream scraps that were crammed in the drawer! I did sort through fat quarters to find one that I could cut a few five inch squares.  I also had to scrounge to find some other cream background fabrics to cut 80 five inch squares and some other parts to the quilt.

I like scrappy quilts; but, I'm not all that confident about my fabric choices. As we stitch through the project, I'll see how well my scrap choices work!

15 nine patches--goal for the second week

For this quilt along, we post to Instagram. I'm not much into social media. I rarely post more than a happy birthday on Facebook; I've tweeted once and I didn't have an Instagram account. I wanted to see the other people's progresses so I opened an Instagram account.  Let's see how that goes!

For the second week, we were tasked with stitching 15 nine patches. Stitching 15 nine patches of 60 was a doable assignment. I stitched slowly, pressed carefully and in not too long a time, the blocks were complete.

Flying geese ready to become star legs

The third, fourth and fifth weeks had the same stitching assignment. Since my project was
organized, I'd spend a few minutes stitching blocks each day until I'd stitched the assignment for that week.

Week six, we were tasked with making the checkerboard for the center of the star and the flying geese blocks that make the star legs. Amber's technique for the geese is to cut a square, draw a diagonal line corner to corner, stitch on the line and trim a quarter inch from the stitching line.

What is nice about this technique is that having four edges helps to keep the orientation of the sewing line truly on the diagonal. I found it helpful to baste the stitching line at the intersection of the nine patches to be sure that I didn't cut off any nine patch corners.

Finished Star Patch top

The downside to her technique is that there are two huge half square triangles remaining. I stitched it, sewed four together and made two large pinwheel blocks which I plan to use on the back of the quilt.

The other change I made was to use the technique of spinning the intersections on the nine patches so the seams alternate being pressed to the dark and to the light. The blocks are flat.

Arranging the leftover chunks

Week seven, I constructed the top. I did need to clip a few seams so I could press away from the nine patch blocks. It wasn't difficult to press. I didn't allow myself much "thought" time in arranging the nine patches or the darker cream plain blocks. I did get to "unsew" a couple of sections because I had stitched the section incorrectly. I will trim the edge after I stabilize it. I like how it turned out so much that I may make another! I rarely make a second of any quilt pattern.

Week eight I constructed the back. I like pieced backs. Piecing the back is a way to use some or most of the left over fabrics. Sometimes, I like the back better than the front!

Pieced back

Amber provided a tutorial for incorporating the extra nine patches that we pieced. I wanted to use the huge HSTs that remained after making the flying geese blocks in week six. She pieced her blocks in one long row; I pieced mine five in one row and four in another. If I had made more nine patches, I would have used them!

I needed to break into my stash for a chunk of fabric so that I could piece a 65" x 65". back. I used about a yard and a half and I also made the sleeve.

Now to layer it, baste it and quilt it! Perhaps, I will get a start on the quilting in this quarter!