Scrappy Spools

 For something completely different than yesterday's post, I give you Scrappy Spools. I finished this one a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to post until now. This was a fun quilt to make!

It started out in January with these piles of scraps. Aren't they pretty?

 

While prepping for a guild workshop that required (48) 4.5" squares, I could have pulled from my stash of charms, but I was feeling inspired to use those scraps. Hooray for string piecing!

 

Christine Bagley taught the class in April and helped us embrace the Y-seam.

 Piecing is my happy place!

The top was done in June, but quilting had to wait while higher priorities were completed.

I wanted to use a thicker, visible thread for quilting, so I pulled out my collection of YLI Machine Quilting thread. 

 

I started stitching each thread color on a spool of that color, and it loops and swirls around from there.

 

Each color ends up near the ruler border, in a twisted, tangled mess. Just like real life! I left the ends dangling, which really confused my friend who was hanging it at the quilt show last week. She thought I had forgotten to trim the threads when I finished quilting. Nope, that was a design choice! There's a peak at the multi-color ruler binding below.

The week before the show, I had piles of quilts all over my house. Different quilts were going to different shows, almost at the same time. Crazy town.

 

Here it is hanging at the Ninigret Quilters show. 

 

Scrappy Spools

51" X 62"

January - October 2015

Class with Christine Bagley

WIP Wednesday

 How has it been three weeks since the my last post? Summer fun has kept me away from the blog, but not my sewing machine. I was able to complete two quilt tops recently.

My Farmer's Engineer's Wife top is done! It's great to have friends working on the same pattern to push me along. (Hi, Sharon & Donna!) Sharon started quilting this week, so the pressure is on!

The spools top is done, too. I might quilt this one first since it's a lot smaller and I can just have fun with it.

I'm finishing up another Quilt of Valor this week. Tonight, I'm burying threads while I watch TV.  More quilting and binding tomorrow or Friday.

WIP Wednesday

 It's been a very quilty couple of weeks. I've been obsessively stitching every chance I get. Quilting mojo has been high! I wish I knew why or how to keep up the momentum. I'm taking a necessary break, but I hope I can get back to that high level soon.

Last Wednesday I finished a Quilt of Valor that has been waiting for years to be finished. It will be gifted soon to a very deserving WWII veteran.

 

The next finish was my One Block Wonder, AKA the geranium Jekyll and Hyde quilt. Read more about it here, including its two sided binding.

 

I had collected our guild's donated blocks for Diana's Golden Needle. When I saw that we were just a few short of having enough for a full top, I stitched up enough blocks from donated strips. Not being able to stop there, I stitched them up into a top. I'll mail it off to her after I show it to the guild next week.

I got a call that I didn't have to go in to work on Monday. I should have used that bonus time to clean the house. Instead, I took out these spool blocks and finished the top. I took a class a few months ago and picked up some tips for easily piecing Y-seams. The pattern is similar to Debbie Mumm's spools at this link. Our blocks are slightly smaller and pieced with Y-seams. I can't wait to start quilting this one with a rainbow spectrum of thread colors.

My poor machines were probably ready for a break! Lately I've been doing all my piecing on the Featherweight and all the quilting on the Bernina. It's a nice division of labor.

WIP Wednesday

 Hello, everyone! I'm still here, just not sewing very much these days. My part-time job is going well. I don't know how people find time to quilt after working full-time. This job thing is really cramping my quilty style!

I needed to buckle down last weekend and make progress on this Stacked Squares graduation quilt for a friend. I picked up a fresh box of safety pins yesterday at my LQS that will be closing soon. (I could cry!) All my old pins are tired up in another basted quilt. It was quicker to buy new pins than to finish that other quilt. Anyway, the batting is in the dryer to relax the folds, then I'll be ready to baste this one.

By the way, by cousin received his blue Stacked Squares. His latest prognosis is quite good and he's hoping to attend a family reunion in August. Thank God!

 

There's another deadline looming on a project I haven't even started to cut out yet. It's something I've never made before (a liturgical stole), so I'm procrastinating. I'm running out of time, though.

 

I've been slowly making progress on the scrappy spool blocks. I've been piecing them as leaders and enders. 

 

I've completed 27 of the 48 blocks and my mitered corners are improving.

Wednesday will always be a day off for me, so we'll meet here for weekly updates!

Summer Scrappy Mug Mat Swap

 My Summer Scrappy Mug Rug Swap is ready to ship.

My partner had a few spool blocks in her mosaic, so I went looking for a pattern. I found a Carol Doak design for mini spools and drafted it myself.

Partner also had some selvages in her mosaic, so I used some on the back. I wrote on some blank sections of selvages as the label.

Remember when I tore out the hot pink quilting? This time, I used some light green, purple and yellow. It's better, but I'm still not 100% happy with it.  I am not ripping it out again! It is supposed to look like the thread is coming off the spools.

It was a fun project, and I hope my partner likes it!

 

And now, because I'm addicted to swaps, I'm off to purchase some low volume fabric for this swap...

Sign ups started today and are limited to 56 participants, so head over there now if you are interested!