RSC14 - Pink!

Last year for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I chose to work on 3 different projects designed by Bonnie Hunter:  Wild Child, Bowdacious!, and 4-Patch Revisited.  Remember my Wild Child?  It was the only project from RSC13 that got completed at the end of the year because once the blocks were done, all I had to do was sew them together and add a couple of borders.  Actually, it got completed as my January UFO first thing this year!

Remember my Bowdacious!?  I'm still working on it, but...it should be done next month (I hope)!  At the end of RSC13, Bowdacious! was a big pile of bowtie units. Since then, they've been made into sashed blocks with cornerstones, then, sashings and cornerstones were added between blocks, bordered twice and the backing and binding have been made.  It's loaded on the longarm all ready to be quilted, so hopefully I'll be able to share that with you soon!

Adventures with Leaders & Enders by Bonnie K. Hunter

Which brings us to 4-Patches Revisited.  At the end of RSC13, this project was approximately 500 color coordinated 4-patches.  This year, for RSC14, I'm committing to finishing up this project, but really I'm committing to adding the triangles to put all of these 4-patches on-point!

RSC14 - January (blue 4-patches on-point)

RSC14 - February (pink 4-patches on-point)

Believe it or not, this project is proving to be quite challenging for me.  I think it's that the instructions for this one leave a lot of personal leeway.  When adding triangles to put the 4-patches on-point, Bonnie's instructions say to trim down to a size that is our own "personal measurement."  Yikes!  This means, from here on, there will be no exact measurements to follow in constructing the top of the quilt and I'll need to do the remainder of the math myself...yuck!  Oh well...since I didn't read through the whole pattern to begin with, that's my own fault...lesson learned...and I'll trudge on :)

Linking up to RSC14.

February UFOs are DONE!

This month's UFO project began with these heart blocks (I tell you all about them in this post at the beginning of the month):

Those blocks became these four tops by mid-month (and I tell you more about that process here):

And now, finally, all of those individual heart blocks have found their homes in these 4 baby quilts that are set to be donated to 4 little newborns at Ft. Leonard Wood hospital!  Here they are...all finished:

Pink & yellow hearts is backed and bound with the same floral as in the sashings.  I quilted it with a simple freehand meander.

Blue hearts have a large gingham backing in blue and the same floral binding as the quilt above (which is repeated from the border cornerstones).  It is also quilted with a freehand meander.

Green & purple hearts also have a large gingham backing and binding (this time in purple).  I played around with freehand quilting a bit on this one by echoing the heart shapes inside of them and puddling in the neutral backgrounds.  I added a little curly doodled line in the sashings.  This was my first attempt at all three techniques and I'm pretty happy with the results, though far from perfect.  Then I wussed out and meandered the borders...((insert embarrassed grin here)).

Finally, the leftover hearts got pieced together with these patterned blocks to create a vintagey feeling quilt.  I am really happy with the color result after adding a backing and binding in the same fabric as is in the borders.  I wanted to practice a few more quilting techniques on these blocks, too, but in the interest of time, I resorted back to that same freehand meander.  I don't think the babies (or their parents) are gonna mind too much, but these donation quilts are a great place to practice new techniques!

Okay, so that's that...February UFO, check!  They are ready to go to MO with me in March!

Linking up to A Lovely Year of Finishes, Let's Make Baby Quilts, Sew Darn Crafty, and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?  Wheeeew...FUN!!!!

Mid-Month UFO Check In

This month, I chose to work on those "vintage" hearts that have been sitting around in a baggie in my cabinet for YEARS.  I wrote about them in this post a couple of weeks ago.  I'm no longer really attached to these blocks (thank goodness), so I've decided that they were going to get worked up into a couple of charity quilts...or three...or FOUR!

I started by sorting the block colors and designs.  These pink and yellow hearts seemed to just want to play together, so they went together with a small floral lattice with purple cornerstones.  The backing and probably the binding will be the same floral as the lattice.

Next came the sagey seafoam green family of blocks.  The pink sashing fabric has tiny little purple flowers and seafoamy leaves, so it seemed to work.  This one will be backed and bound (probably) with that purple check.

The blue hearts seemed like a no brainer.  I love a gingham and this tiny blue one was just too cute with the blocks...then I ran out...so I added in a bit of that small floral from the first quilt in the four corners.  This one will be backed with the larger blue check, but I haven't decided on a binding...blue, perhaps?

And then there were the leftover blocks...that just got sewn together with three different patterned blocks and bordered in a purple/green/gold diamond print.  The cornerstones are from the same line of fabric in more of a fleur de lis print.  The backing will be the fleur de lis stripe and this one doesn't have a designated binding yet either.  If there's still enough of the backing to cut off, I'll probably make the binding from that.

So...a pile of blocks, four baby/crib sized quilts to donate to the newborns of soldiers at Ft. Leonard Wood.  It's so nice for the new parents, especially for those that are stationed so far from home when their babies are born.

Now, off to get them quilted so that I can take them to MO with me in March!
Linking up to A Lovely Year of Finishes and Let's Make Baby Quilts, and Sew Darn Crafty.

More Mug Rugs

The mug rugs that started it all:

These were made for me last fall by my friend, Delilah.  I loved them.  They're just so cute!  Her's measure 6x9", a bit too big for a little yellow mailer.

To recap, here's my first attempts at making a mug rug (there are 2 more just like this, but my mother-in-law packed them in her bag and took them home with her; I guess she liked them):

You can read more about those here if you want, but I sent those 2 off to a couple of bloggy buddies...and then I made a couple more (well, because I wanted one and I thought since my mother-in-law took one for herself, then I should send one to my mom):

The one I'm keeping measures the same size as Delilah's...so I'll have a nice stackable set, the ones that got sent off measured more like 5x8"ish.  And here is my set all together:

Aren't they just the cutest?  Another fun project to use up those scraps...though it doesn't even make a noticable dent in anything!!!

Design Wall Monday

My Bowdacious! top is all finished, borders and all.  Now it's just laying over the LA frame waiting for a backing and quilting.

This top has been complete since Tuesday (just after last week's Design Wall post).  This week, I would like to order a few new pantographs for quilting, but I can't decide which ones to choose.  Any suggestions?  What are your favorite go-to pantos?

Bowdacious! is obviously just sitting around percolating now.  See, even the binding is ready...just needs a new panto!  I only have the 2 pantos that originally came with my Millie, so I'm open to any and all suggestions!!!

Linking up with Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday and What a Hoot! for BOMs Away.

Valentine's Mug Rugs

Here's my first attempt at a mug rug:

Pink/red hearts machine appliqued (dryer sheet turn method) on muslin, bordered with a scrappy "made fabric."  Straight 1/2" quilting on the pieced section.  Approximately 5 1/2 x 8 1/2" finished.

And...they fit in a yellow mailer, so these will go as thank you gifts to a couple of bloggy friends.  Hope they like them since they are my first attempts at machine applique!  And...they use PINK SCRAPS, so...

Today I'm linking up to SoScrappy RSC14, Kim's Big Quilting Adventure Scrap Basket Sunday, and Sew Many Ways Sew Darn Crafty.

Design Wall Monday

Bowdacious! is on my design wall, all layed out the way it needs to be stitched together.

The first two rows have been assembled as of the end of the Super Bowl last night.  More to do today :)

Linking up with Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday and What a Hoot! for BOMs Away.

February UFO Goal

This month I would like to tackle my Hearts quilt project.  You see I have these Heart blocks...

They could all go together, some are even the same fabric pattern in a variety of colors...

Some aren't, but they are all some type of floral pattern...

So, what to do with them?  Well, that's the problem.  I've never had any plan for them, therefore, they've been sitting in a ziploc baggie in the cabinet for years.  Now, their number is up and these UFO blocks are going to get pieced into something!  But what?  

Likely, I'll donate them as a baby quilt or 2 or 3, or maybe a quilt for a veteran's surviving spouse.  Oh the possibilities....  Either way, these will be something by the end of the month!

Linking up with A Lovely Year of Finishes for this UFO goal setting day.  I forgot to post my goal for January, but I did get my January UFO finished (Wild Child) as well as an additional 2 (Lazy Sunday and 4-Patches & HSTs)!  Oh well, linked up to ALYoF or not, they got done!  Done, done!