Stash Reduction

I've been using up my stash -- or rather, using up a little bit of my stash. I've also managed to add to it in a big way. Who would've known that when I don't have the energy to sew, I also don't feel like buying fabric. The opposite also happens. As soon as I start thinking about a new project, I want to see what fun fabric collections are new in stores or will soon be in stores.

So I recently splurged on ten Moda layer cake packs. After all, it was "buy nine and get one free". Who could resist? Certainly not me! I really like the flexibility of the 10-inch square. Cut it into strips, squares, or a combination. So it's ironic that two of the quilt tops I've been working on recently were each made from jelly rolls of 2-1/2-inch strips. Here's the first one -- quilt top is finished:

Fabric used: Hello Luscious by Basic Grey -- a jelly roll and some yardage (the light background and the aqua fabric for the triangles)
Design: Based on Thimble Blossom's Rise and Shine quilt (although I made it a bit smaller)

The EQ7 version

And here's the real version (in need of a good pressing!):

I originally intended to finish this and give it to my almost seven-month-old grand niece Pyper. That was until her mother told me they decided to decorate her nursery (in their new home, having just moved back to Utah from Del Rio, TX) in browns, reds and tans. So, now on to plan B. Maybe it will go to baby Rowan, born Dec. 26th instead?

The next top isn't done yet, but I've done all of the cutting so it will be a quick process to sew it up. (Several co-workers and I are escaping to my brother's ranch, where I have a cabin, and we're having a quilting weekend in mid-June. I'm thinking this is one of the projects I'll work on there -- that is, unless I finish it sooner.)

Fabric used: Hometown by Sweetwater -- a jelly roll and some yardage for backing, background, and borders
Design: Daisy Chains by Fig Tree Quilts

I took a class from Joanna Figueroa a couple years ago and this was the project. I couldn't get into the project at the time, but now I'm eager to finish it. Here's how I put it together in Electric Quilt. I only have the light-blue blocks completed, so not much to share in person yet. I'm thinking this will go to my grand nephew Malcolm. He just turned 6 months old. I figure I have until the first birthday to deliver the baby quilt. so I've got lots of time still. (I know that still leaves Thom and Jack, twin boys born last May 10 to my nephew and his wife. I likely won't have their quilts done by their first birthday -- although I did get them designed and have picked out the fabrics. Just a matter of time.)

The EQ7 version

So many quilts -- so little time.

Folk Art Mexican Rose

EDITED TO ADD: The three winners have been selected and have been notified. Thanks to all who stopped by and especially to those who commented!

I'd like to welcome you to Bountiful Heirlooms, my humble (and sometimes neglected) quilting and stitching blog (more quilting than stitching lately). Today's my day for the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 9 Blog Tour. And it's your chance to win one of three copies of this fabulous special issue -- one from Quiltmaker or one of two from me! You just need to make a comment before Sunday, May 4 at midnight mountain time.

I'm thrilled to be included among such talented designers. Plus, every interaction I have with the staff at Quiltmaker magazine is always a pleasure. Congratulations to Quiltmaker for another terrific issue!

So, let me start with my block.

This block was inspired by a hand-carved chest I bought in Guadalajara, Mexico. I chose warm colors that also reminded me of the summer I lived in Mexico.

But when I decided to make the block into a table runner, I selected fabrics from my stash -- scraps, actually, from a quilt that went into my book Triple-Play Scrap Quilting. (You can see that quilt in the header for my blog -- third quilt from the right.)

Here's the table runner (44 inches by 16 inches) as it appeared in the Quiltmaker gallery:

I made the table runner in about two hours. It took longer to quilt it than to sew the top -- but I'm sure you'll agree that in this case the quilting definitely makes the quilt!

Although I quilted the borders and sashing with straight lines, it's the fabulous free-motion quilting done by Vicki Hoth, education coordinator for Handi Quilter and my co-worker, that really makes this table runner shine!

Vicki quilted the table runner on an HQ24 Fusion longarm machine. It has enough throat space that the entire table runner fit and there was no need to even roll it. I quilted some plumb lines through the batting and backing, squared up the table runner with the plumb lines, and basted it down along all four edges. Then Vicki worked her magic!

Don't you love the trapunto-like dimension the quilting created? And we didn't even use a double batting -- only a single 80/20 white batting.

Time for some tips for how I did this block.

I typically use Kim Diehl's freezer-paper method for machine applique. But I was in a bit of a hurry and decided to use Mistyfuse. Mistyfuse is different from other fusibles in that it doesn't have backing paper. So, instead of tracing a pattern to the paper, adhering it to the fabric, and then cutting out the design, with Mistyfuse there's no paper to on which to trace your design first. You simply adhere the fusible to the fabric and then cut out the shapes.

I had ordered a custom die from AccuQuilt to further simplify cutting the pieces. It didn't cost much more than buying one of their standard dies, and it ensured accuracy with every piece I cut (not to mention being fast)!

After I received the die, I traced over the cutting lines with a Sharpie to make it easier to see where the fabric would be cut. Since the price was the same regardless of how many pieces were on the die, I added a couple extra circles in smaller sizes for future use.

Next step was to fuse the Mistyfuse to the back of each of the fabrics. Note that the photos of the fusing and cutting process show fabrics from my test block -- not the fabrics I used in my finished table runner blocks. I used the Goddess Sheets recommended by Mistyfuse for pressing.

Above are two of the pieces I used in my test block. Just need to add another Goddess Sheet on top and press away.

After all of the fabrics had Mistyfuse on the back, it was just a matter of layering the fabrics over the cutting lines on the die and running it through my AccuQuilt Go! Baby. I cut through two layers of fabric backed with the Mistyfuse at a time, although I probably could have layered more.

And here's the finished result -- perfectly cut pieces ready to fuse to the background.

I layered the pieces on the background fabric, carefully topped with a Goddess Sheet, and ironed them in place.

Then I used monofilament thread on top and a light neutral thread in the bobbin (probably should've used white -- duh!) and used a tiny blanket stitch to secure the fused pieces.

I was quite surprised that the fused fabric was able to take the quilting so well and create the fabulous trapunto look.

I can safely say that I'll be using Mistyfuse again in the future. Plus, I have a feeling there are other custom dies from AccuQuilt in my future as well!

Now, be sure to leave a comment by midnight on Sunday, May 4 for your opportunity to win a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 9. But if you're not one of the lucky winners, this fabulous issue is available to purchase on May 6.

And thanks for visiting!

 

Latest Finishes

Or near finishes. One top isn't quilted yet -- but I did complete the wedding quilt for Jackson and Brianna before(!) the wedding in 3-1/2 weeks. And, yes, this IS the first quilt I did on my HQ¹⁸ Avanté. Finishing quilts before the wedding or before the baby is born doesn't happen very often -- what with five babies born in the last 12 months to nieces and nephews.

 

 

Emily and Jaren's wedding quilt hopefully will be done before their first anniversary in July! I figure if brides have up to a year to send thank-you notes, I have up to a year to deliver the wedding quilt. I have picked out the fabric and the design, so it's practically done.

I must say that it feels so good to be back in my sewing room (if it were bigger I would call it a studio). After five months of having no energy due to thyroid issues (Hashimoto's thyroiditis, to be exact) and extremely low vitamin D levels, and 5 weeks of adjusting to thyroid medications following a thyroidectomy, it is wonderful to feel normal again. To have the energy to sew for a couple hours in the evenings after a full day of work. To spend all day on a Saturday working on quilts -- rotary cutting, sewing, pressing, etc. etc. etc.

A couple weekends ago this was where I focused my creative energy:

 

I was looking through an old issue of Quilt Sampler magazine and I saw this quilt. It mentioned a kit was available at Waterwheel House Quilt Shop. Would the kit still be available this long after the magazine came out? Hallelujah! I didn't have to go searching for the Kaffe Fassett striped fabrics -- but could simply buy a kit. It was a cinch to sew up. After all, what's easier than a log cabin block. And the courthouse steps variation is the easiest of them all.

This was going to be Emily and Jaren's quilt -- but I fell in love with it myself and can't bear to part with it.

I'm going to quilt this one myself as well. I was auditioning thread colors using the collection of thread in the Handi Quilter studio. I found a mossy green and a muted aqua that both work really well. Who would've thunk it? So I ordered a Kaffe shot solid fabric in a moss green for the backing. I'm thinking the moss green thread will be best, but we'll see how it works with the backing.

I learned in a lecture a few weeks ago by Suzanne Hyland about how to choose quilting designs for a quilt that if the quilt is busy like this one is, it's not worth the time and effort to do a lot of fancy, custom quilting because it will simply not show up. Plus, I intend this as a utility quilt to keep me cozy while watching TV, etc. in the winter. It WILL be used. So I'll be able to get away with a simple all-over design -- probably a meandering stipple in my case.

As I said before, it feels good to have quilting and creative energy again!

Get Ready for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 9

Not an April Fool's joke! I have another block in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks. This time in volume 9.

I'll be participating in the blog tour. My assigned day is May 1.

Be sure to join in the blog tour the week of April 28 through May 2 because all of the bloggers -- including  me -- will be giving away a copy of the magazine.

 

Born on the Fourth of July Quilt

Proof positive that I'm quilting Jackson and Brianna's wedding quilt

I took the leap and loaded Jackson's quilt onto the studio frame and began quilting it with the HQ¹⁸ Avanté. Now I know that I'm showing that I'm a beginning machine quilter by quilting it with loops and stars, but it is an Americana quilt after all.

I'm using rulers to quilt piano keys in the striped borders. That actually takes longer than the free-motion loops and stars in the center. 

Hmmm, I wonder which of my many quilt tops  will have the honor of becoming the second quilt I machine quilt myself?

Latest Quilt Top Finish

Yes, very simple. Even somewhat modern. Not my typical quilt style. But it was fun to make.

The image above is from Electric Quilt, but the finished top looks just like this. I imported jpgs of the Zen Chic fabrics (from Comma line) into Electric Quilt. The blocks were simple to make -- but it was a pain to match up the points between the rows.

I think it will be a great boy's baby quilt.


 

Time for another wedding quilt

One of my nephews got engaged a few weeks ago, and he and his fiancee have set the date: May 24. So that leaves just under three months to finish a quilt for them.

Luckily I have had a quilt top intended for him for several years, so it just needs to be quilted. Since he was born on the fourth of July, their quilt has an Americana feel. I believe it was a design by either Liz Porter or Marianne Fons. (It's been so long that I don't remember.)

The backing is a cream and blue toile that has an Americana theme as well.

So now the question is: will I quilt it or hire out the quilting? After all, I have a Handi Quilter HQ18 Avante that was "loaned" to me as a result of my employment with HQ. After 2-1/2 more years of employment, it will be mine-all-mine!

But I've  been shy to actually do a real quilt on it -- although I've practiced on orphan blocks. I think I'm just too exposed to fabulous quilting and I know my skills aren't anywhere near what I see on a daily basis.

I'll  be a student in next week's intermediate retreat being offered by the HQ studio educators, so I'm hoping I'll gain the confidence to quilt this myself. Fingers are crossed!

Learning to Live Without a Thyroid

Who would have thought that something as small in one's body would disrupt my life for several months??

Last fall I noticed that my hair was thinning, I was cold all of the time, and I had zero energy. (Hence no blogging and no quilting or stitching!)

I was already on a low dose of thyroid medication but knew there was something more going on. So a trip to the endocrinologist, lab work, and an ultrasound of my thyroid uncovered couple things.

My blood work uncovered extremely low vitamin D levels -- 7.8 (where 30 is the minimum they should be). So I began high doses of vitamin D -- which after about 6 weeks finally gave me enough energy to get through the day.

And, yes, the ultra sound showed that I had an enlarged thyroid with nodules. Could this possibly be the cause of my chronic cough that has progressively gotten worse over the past 7 or 8 years? At first it looked like the cough was solved. But gradually over the month or so since the surgery, I've started coughing again.  Not as much, but it's still there. ARGH! Hope I didn't go through this for nothing.

The decision was made and a month ago the thyroid came out. Surgery was pretty uneventful. But side effects of general anesthesia kept me from working full time for a couple weeks.

Now I'm adjusting to living without a thyroid -- I think I'm on the right dose of meds except I still  want to go to bed a 8:30 or 9:00 PM.

I finally got into my sewing room last Saturday and sewed one block. Hopefully tomorrow I'll  be a bit more productive with my rotary cutter and sewing machine.

Deseret Beehive Block Featured in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 8

Welcome blog hoppers!

I'm so happy it's finally my day on the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 8 blog hop! And even more excited to share my block with you. And to give you the opportunity to win a copy of Volume 8 from Quiltmaker Magazine! And guess what? I'm also giving away two additional copies myself!

Edited to add:  I randomly picked the three winners -- Jacklyn Grimm of WI, Sherry Book of IA, and Donna Cutting of Saskatchewan, Canada.  Congratulations! And thanks to all for stopping by and commenting!

Ta da! Here it is -- my beehive block named Deseret (which means honeybee). The instructions in Quiltmaker give you details for traditionally piecing the block with "sew and  flip" corners. Easy peasy!

The beehive is the state symbol here in Utah and I have always been fascinated with its shape and significance. When Brigham Young and the pioneers first arrived in the SLC valley in 1847, they chose the beehive as their symbol because they would have to be industrious and busy bees in order to make the desert "blossom as a rose".

I began collecting beehive memorabilia back in the 80s -- such as ceramic honey pots, folk art with beehives, you name it! Back then it was hard to find beehive tchotchkes, but soon you could find beehive stuff everywhere. (Did I start a trend? Probably not.) It wasn't long until I was receiving beehive-themed birthday and Christmas gifts. So now I have quite the collection. I even spotted a cloissoné beehive ornament while visiting Beijing, China a couple years ago. Yep, I bought it.

Well, back to quilting. Wanna see how I set this block into a quilt? Here's the first quilt I made featuring this block -- totally from scraps and stash. It finishes 48-1/2 inches square. This one was quilted by Catherine Timmons (Cat's Attic Quilting in Bountiful, UT) with a simple overall stipple.

I knew that not everyone gravitates toward dark and medium traditional fabrics like I do, so I also made the quilt using fabrics from a couple collections by Fig Tree. It's a bit less scrappy and I planned the placement of the fabrics in the setting blocks a little more precisely. I love how it turned out, even if beehives aren't supposed to be light green! This version was quilted by Sue Baddley using a digital design.

One thing you need to know about the beehive blocks in the quilts above. Unlike the instructions in the magazine, I didn't add a background strip along the bottom of the block. Instead I doubled the size of the background strip at the top of the block. I felt like it "floated" within the chain blocks more evenly

Here's one last variation -- but I increased the beehive block from 12 inches to 30 inches and created a medallion quilt -- complete with honeycomb hexagons and embroidered honeybees. This quilt finishes 68.5 inches square.

I think that the gold/tan and black jewel box blocks in the pieced border look like a bit like the iconic honeybee.This quilt was custom machine quilted by Jen Alexander. Here's a close-up of the quilting and the honeybee embroidery.

Be sure to follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour through Nov. 15 at The Quiltmaker Blog Quilty Pleasures for inspiration, ideas, and giveaways galore! (I'm giving away a copy of my book Triple-Play Scrap Quilting, along with a color-themed 10-inch square pack of fabrics as part of Quiltmaker's prizes.)

TO WIN ONE OF THREE COPIES OF QUILTMAKER'S 100 BLOCKS VOLUME 8 (one from Quiltmaker or one of two I'm giving away): Simply leave a comment below! Deadline for entries is Nov. 16th at midnight. I'll do the random drawing on Nov. 17th and will notify the winner by e-mail. If you're the lucky winner I'll be asking for your mailing address so Quiltmaker can send you your copy of the special issue.

I invite you to become a follower on my Bountiful Heirlooms Facebook page so you are notified when a new blog post goes live.

Good luck everyone -- and thanks for visiting.

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 8 is coming soon! And along with the eighth volume of this popular special issue is the equally popular blog tour.

And guess what? I have a block in Volume 8 and will be part  of the blog tour fun! My day is Thursday, November 14.  I can't wait to share with you my block, as well as example of how it works in a few different quilts.

I will be able to give away a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume  8 to someone who comments on my blog post that day. Of course, it will be a random drawing.

I  have also donated a signed copy of my book and a color-themed set of 10-inch squares that could be used for one of several quilts in my book.

Be sure to visit the many quilters and sponsors who will be part of the blog tour that starts Nov. 11 and continues through Nov. 15.