Can You Sew Like the Wind?

I have heard this expression and it always draws pictures in my mind of a humming sewing machine singing peace and calm as things just go together with ease and speed. Add an interesting audio book to the mix and it is contentment with bliss. Ok,... so that is my feeble attempt at poetic expression, but I have been "sewing like the wind" this month and have 3 projects brought to the flimsy stage! Yes, that is three!

First was my Merry Mayhem New Year's Mystery from 2018 (?), case #140. I fell in love with this block and decided to make more than was required for her mystery quilt project. I had these pieces all cut and ready for constructing into blocks for a few years now.

There were a lot of flying geese in the making of this block. I wonder if there might be another way to construct it, but if you are not afraid of FG, then it shortcuts all those HSTs. 
 

I had some extra "pieces" so I incorporated them in the sashings. Don't you love when you get a secondary design doing this? 

So she is all sewn together and ready for the long arm quilter...if i don't decide to add a border that is. I kind of like that red print that has all the colors in the quilt top. Hmmm...

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Another UFO that is now ready for the long arm quilter is my On Ringo Lake. Ugh! This one has taken me so long to get off the design wall. Anyone who knows about Bonnie Hunter quilts, knows how much commitment they take.

While sewing the units together into blocks, I made an error and did not notice until almost 20 wear done. 

 

Those corner units should be turned around, but, okay. I like it this way!

But that meant I had to re-cut and re-sew all the sashing pieces. They were originally called for the peach color but that was too much so I opted for the mint green/blue. 

Steady on, a bit every day...its amazing how much you can get done in small time slots.

 But, Ah-Oh...because I switched out the corner units on the blocks, that threw off the setting triangle design. Now I had to re-design that, compute new templates and trust my math. 

Those required some hand sewing set-in seams. Okay, so far, so good. They all fit. Phew! I am loving this new design that I can call my own.

Then this is my least favorite part of quilt-making. Wrestling this quilt to sew on borders is hard on my OCD brain. All those loose threads drive me crazy but I look away and pretend everyone is playing nice behind there (seam allowances). Got to get this done and sandwiched into a quilt is my mantra!

And it is now ready! It is almost too big for the design wall. It is all folded nicely with the backing pressed and ready for the long arm quilter. Yippee!

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Then there is my Material Girls Friendship quilt blocks. It was number 8 on my UFO list and it is also now ready for the long arm quilter. I considered hand quilting this one. She is a manageable size.

I almost bowed out of this block swap but am now glad that I didn't. Our quilt group came up with this idea before Covid 19 hit and now I have these blocks to remember the fun Material Girls as we don't meet anymore. Hopefully that will change soon.

I am not a big fan of sampler blocks so I have been looking for different setting ideas that would give it some interest without spending too much time on it.

12 blocks would make it rectangular and I always prefer square quilts, so I made these wide center strips to take the place of another row of 16" blocks. 

Finishing with a Morse-code type border, I can say she is done. I have some yardage that will make a perfect backing. It is a gray toile type print with birds and branches. 

I chose the two colors, navy and gray for some reason off the top of my head. It has a contemporary feel to it now, and am happy with the finished result. So very anxious to get this one done too.

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It has been a productive month. I hope to keep the momentum up before spring hits the homestead. It gets busy here with outside chores and activities. Oh look! Another seed catalog was delivered in the mail today! 

I hope you are enjoying your progress in your sewing room. Stay warm and healthy!

Snow Days are Sew Days

We have been finally getting snow at my little piece of the rock. Yeah, I belong to that tribe that loves snow and snowy days. The wonder and the quiet of it all just amazes me. This was the view we awakened to this last January morning of 2022. Frozen fog as the sun just began to melt it off. I hope you carry this verse with you throughout this new week.

It has been a busy month in the sewing room. I have a finish to declare. It is my Patches in Blue quilt a-long with Edyta Sitar in 2018. (pictured before the big snowfall)

 

This quilt features a block from each project in her book. There were definitely some favorites in there and I would like to come back and revisit for another quilt-to-be. Besides, I haven't put a dent in my stash of blues.

 

 I love this feathered star block. I dressed it up a bit with a "snowflake" I made using 1/2" hexies. Do not attempt this if you cut your nails! Those little bits were hard to handle but so worth the effort I think. 

And of course I am a big fan of house blocks. And the baskets and birds warm my heart too. I made my own applique sticks instead of using Edyta's fusible appliques. I cut 3/4" bias strips, sewed 1/4 from one edge using a tiny running stitch. Then folded over and under another 1/4" to tack down with an applique invisible stitch. A bit more work, but I like the result.

I really liked the design of the top left block. It is titled, Frost and would make a lovely quilt using this block alone. 

 

And yes, those Blue Bell Flowers are a favorite too! I have that Lily pattern listed at the top of my Wish List. I added a few more hexie snowflakes to fill in some white space. 

I loved the border she suggested too. I forget how many HSTs were needed but it was in the hundreds. So...this was the perfect quilt to have finished this month of January.

I hope you are making progress with your projects and goals for the month and/or year.