June UFO finish - July Anniversary Quilt

I really didn't think I would get a finish in for June! I had practically given up and started to work on my July quilt when Pat Sloan issued a UFO challenge. With a fabric prize as the carrot:)

So I started with two blocks. Then two more the next day. And before I knew it I had a direction to go - finally! These cottage blocks have sat around since 2010. They are the signature blocks that I had my Sew Modern Bee mates make when I did my Liberated Churn Dash Quilt. I've been struggling to figure out how to set them for, well, years. Lately I've been seeing quilts made up of quarter log cabin blocks and really like the visual effect. Plus the idea of making a quilt bigger using partial blocks intrigues me.

                      

I kept going quickly and then I took a road trip. A trip to Sudbury, my closest big city down a major highway. A northern highway mind you, full of beautiful scenic views. This trip made me realize that adding tree blocks would add to the log cabin landscape I was building. I made a plan and changed it.

My husband was the recipient of my Liberated Churn Dash quilt. He set the palette - no orange, remember! This quilt is made up of the leftover fabrics from that quilt. And I'm making it to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary (which is why I was feeling pretty bad to set it aside for another year - and then really happy to work on it!) There was a lot of fabric leftover and I figured more blocks would make the quilt bigger AND use up the fabric. So I made some tree blocks using the fast flying geese method in two sizes.

 My hubs was consulted on size - he said couch size and definitely not a wall quilt - and then again once I had more of the quarter log cabin blocks made. He wanted to see a *whole* log cabin block so that's why I turned some to make a full block. And then I had to change up my designing process. I was going to make the quilt 4 blocks across and then 6 rows down and repeat the log, cottage, log, cottage blocks then cottage, log, cottage, log to get the design I wanted to emphasize.

 Adding more blocks to a row changed that.

 Adding the whole log cabin block changed that! 

Adding the trees changed that!

But you know what? All that change felt good - it felt good to make and think about and create with the blocks and fabric. Creating this quilt I felt the way I have wanted to feel making a quilt - in tune. In flow. In the moment. 

You can see the changes as the quilt grew. I was getting frustrated that I couldn't see each row at the same time. It seemed like I would have to make the quilt in two halves and I wasn't really sure that was going to work. Then I decided that I could just get out a flannel back tablecloth and make myself a bigger design wall! It is my house;) The large design wall has added so much to this process - it made it possible to be a process instead of a pattern. Does that make sense?

The quilt top is finished and I'm happy with it - really happy! The quilting will take some time as I'm not sure exactly how I want to go about it yet.  

The extra design wall is staying, for now. I plan to use it all summer and then see if I can live without it. 

Do you use a design wall?

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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Creating Joy Comforts

Thank you so much for the kind condolences on my cat's passing. I hope you will accept this public thanks as replying to each of you is just too hard right now. I have been able to use quilting to help comfort me through this week. A very healing opportunity, actually. I am making labels for the quilts we have on our beds using this cat applique from Kay Mackenzie's Easy Applique Blocks: 50 Designs in 5 Sizes. I'm not entirely sure of the words yet. . . I was thinking 

"Boo loved this quilt too!

Mogli Green 

Sept. 1994 - Feb. 2004"

Yes, my cat had a nickname as well as his own last name! My husband and I picked him out when he was 2 days old and before we were married. We thought he should have his own last name and dubbed him Mogli Green. The Mogli, although spelled differently, is from the boy in the Jungle Book. Somehow the nickname Boo just stuck

I have been doing other quilting too. Catching up on this UFO.

 

7 signature Cottage blocks made using Nanette's tutorial. These ones were completed by my Sew Modern Bee mates. 

Not all my partners made the block so I decided to make the rest to have enough to make a quilt with them.

Here are the 12 blocks together. My husband thinks they will make a nice twin quilt. He doesn't know that they aren't big enough as is! 

He likes quilts ON beds. 

I like quilts EVERYWHERE.

 This one will stew awhile while I decide what to do next.

 I've been thinking about 

stars in the cornerstones, 

log cabin blocks to make it bigger,

adding tree blocks. . . . 

Enjoy your Leap Day!

Sarah Vee

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Sew Modern Bee Blocks for Me

Another Liberated Churn Dash for my quilt.
I made this one - it finishes at 15 inches square. A couple of bee partners were unable to make their blocks for me. I have one more of this size to get ready.
This quilt will be queen size and a birthday present for my husband at the beginning of March.
Hopefully you will be seeing LOTS of progress photos of this one soon!




Here's another cottage signature block I made. It was optional for my partners to make this block, so I have a few of these ones to do:) These will go into a separate quilt, for me. No deadline for this one - although it could be a fun winter quilt.
{The cottage block is a tutorial from Nanette at Freda's Hive - see her Christmas cottage quilt here!}

Waiting for Jen's fabrics to arrive for the January block. You can see all of our blocks at our Sew Modern Bee flickr pool.




With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Monday's Cuttings

My design wall is waiting patiently for me. I've been busy cutting up all these fabrics for my Sew Modern quilting Bee.



November is my month. I'm asking my bee mates to make me 15.5 inch unfinished liberated churn dash blocks. In this photo you can see one with a larger 30.5 inch unfinished block. The plan is for me to make 5 big ones and surround them with sets of 4 smaller ones. I'm asking them to use their creativity to play with colour placement, strip size, direction, etc.




Then I'm asking for a cottage signature block. I'm including the white for the door for them to sign and asking them to be creative again and use up strips from the first block to make the cottages.



I just need to finish up my instructions,
buy big enough envelopes,
label
and MAIL!



Check out the other design walls through Judy's links.

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Weekend Block Making

Three more variable stars for the Block Lotto.
I can add up to four more to maximize my chances for winning:)





My second October string block.
Molly the Monkey is STILL wondering about her neck stuffing.
Maybe during football I can stitch her back together.





A cottage block using Nanette's tutorial.
I'm going to ask my Sew Modern Bee mates to make these for my signature blocks.



With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Houses for all Seasons

I made this house door hanging for my sister. It will fit down the linen closet door she is using in her new sewing space.

I made one house for each season using up some scraps. In this closer shot of the 'spring' house you might be able to see my free motion daisies in the sky. {click on the photo to take a closer look} I took the cue from the daisies in the fabric I used for the chimney. In the outer border I did two wiggly lines to frame the house blocks.

I used Nanette's cottage tutorial to make these blocks.

This month's Block Lotto block is houses too.

And Cherri House has a free house block out as well!


With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Making from Scraps

There are lots of ideas being blogged lately about using up scraps.
Here are a few of my methods.



My string blocks are made each week from fabrics I've been using that week. When I started I had to reach into my strip bin to find enough. But it lives right under the cutting table,

So my strips and storage is always close. {The bin is divided with a piece of cardboard to keep foundation scraps on one side. And I will admit to another small bin of scraps beneath the strips that still need to be sorted} The fusible batting lives in there for now because I really want to try Gudrun's tree she did{called Sweet Trimmings} during LAST Fall's Cross Country Christmas blog hop! I finally found some fusible batting when I checked out a little gift store while we were shopping for a new car!



My liberated Churn Dash was made on the spur of the moment. It was easy because my scraps were already sorted by colour.

Some of my scraps end up in reused strawberry containers that I've cut the lids off of and put in the top drawer of my storage unit. I sort them by colour and it's a great place for me to find that one piece I need to add to applique. In this case, I enjoyed the challenge of using the scraps I already had sorted to make a bright, fun block.


June's Block Lotto blocks have given me the chance to use up some odd size scraps. These are ones that won't make 2 1/2 inch squares or larger pieces.



I store lots of my scraps in different reused strawberry containers. These ones have waste triangles, 3 inch strips and Christmas scraps separated from various projects. The middle bottom one is where I found my scraps for the baskets.

At one point I even went through and measured scraps to make more of Nanette's cottage houses. I noted the number of pieces and the size required on the sides of the bins. I do have some bigger pieces I should spend some time cutting for this project. I think some cottages and liberated baskets would be happy together in a quilt:)


I have a larger freezer baggie pinned above my cutting table. I put my selvages in it as I work. Once it's full and I"ve played with some, I dump them into this bin. It's getting full so I will have to do some more selvage projects again. I'm thinking of pulling out the Christmas ones to make a stocking.

Lots of scraps in lots of places. Even if you try just one, it will make play time that much easier.

This is my latest scrap cuttings. I am cutting 2 1/2 inch squares in the hopes of making a watercolour quilt someday. I have always liked them and felt I would have to start collecting a whole different type of fabrics to make one. Wanda suggested to just start cutting from what I have - and I'm happy to say I think I will be able to make my very own SEW JOY Watercolour quilt one day! I'm finishing up another quilt so I can start to keep these cut blocks sorted by colour on the tray I'm using. Maybe for my 40th birthday {wow! am I really going to have one of those} in a few years I'll have enough. It's either that or a 'real' applique quilt.

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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