RV Quilting: 2016

Friday, December 16, 2016

2017 Planning Party

Can you believe its that time of year already? I sure can't. The time is flying by at the speed of light, and speaking of spead, I'll be linking up with Yvonne over at Quilting Jetgirl for her 2017 Planning Party. I participated last year and did okay with my 2016 plans. Several items on my goal list were completed, some are still works in progress, and a few got dropped by the wayside.

I looked over last years list and have moved a few things to my 2017 list and added a few more. So, without anymore delay (drumroll please), here is my list of 2017 quilty goals:

Meadow Mystery Quilt - this is ongoing and will finish up in April 2017. I plan getting it quilted before we leave the summer. We'll be campground managers for another year at Cape Perpetua on the Oregon coast.
2017 Stash Bee - I'm in Hive 5 and so excited to be a part of this group. I plan on making the requested block each moth and getting it mail off on time.
Mighty Lucky Quilting Club - I've joined this club for 2017 and also very excited to be participating. I plan on staying on top of this each month.
Make 3 Quilts of Valor quilts during the year.
Make 1 baby quilt to donate.
Make 1 English paper pieced La Passacaglia rosette each month.
Make 1 redwork block each month.
Design and make a quilt to enter into a quilt show. This is a scary one.
Complete my project for the Alison Glass Challenge Linky Party which will end January 31, 2017.
Pins and Needles Quilt and Needle Art Show - Be successful as our local quilt guild's quilt show intake coordinator. This is my first year in this position and it is going to keep me very busy during the months of January and through the show which is from February 17th through February 19th.

That's it. Do you think I've taken on too much for 2017? I probably have, but I like a challenge and to think BIG.

Friday, December 2, 2016

Christmas Stockings and Meadow Mystery Quilt

Once again it has been several weeks since my last post. Not because I haven't been busy, just that there hasn't been much to report. The majority of that time was spent cross-stitching on the Christmas stocking for my granddaughter-in-law, Callie. The first picture is her stocking and the second picture is from my last post. For those of you who have never done any cross-stitching, the green glove on the left took almost four hours to stitch. It is a long and slow process, especially when you have a lot of color changes.

Here is a picture of the stocking for my granddaughter, Dakotah. I had finished the cross-stitching on it before our summer travels, but just made it into a stocking this week.

They both went into the mail yesterday and are scheduled to arrive at my daughter's on Monday.

Yesterday the December instructions were posted for the Meadow Mystery quilt and I got those all stitched up. I can't believe how on top of this I've been the last couple of months. It is never too late to get in on the fun for this mystery quilt. Just pop over to Cheryl's blog, Meadow Mist Designs, HERE for all the instructions.

Living in an RV full-time doesn't give you many places to take pictures when it is cold and very, very windy outside, so I must apologize for the lousy picture taken in the bathroom.

On the personal side of life, my husband left for Alaska on November 12th and will be returning on December 15th. He is up there to help his daughter out with her three teenagers as she is going through a divorce. I think he was ready to come back home after the first week there.

During November, I participated in a 30 day minimalist challenge. On November 1st, I got rid of one item, November 2nd, I got rid of two items on so on. You get the picture I'm sure. All-in-all I cleared out 465 items from our tiny RV home. It was a great challenge and it felt good to get rid of all the things I haven't used in years, including a lot of smaller clothes that I'd never fit into again. It would be a good challenge for January for those of you who tend to hold on to stuff.

Next up, I'm going to look at my goals for 2016 and see what I can actually accomplish before the end of this year. Stay tuned and happy stitching.

Linking up with Finish it up Friday.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Cross-Stitch, Quilt Binding, and Mystery Quilt

I guess I've been pretty busy the last week and a half. I won't bore you with all that I was up too.

We went down to Las Vegas to spend an extra long weekend with the family, but before going I had made the binding for four Quilts of Valor quilts and got all of the binding sewn on all of them. Three of those got the binding finished up by hand stitching the binding on the back. The last one I took with me and finished it while in Vegas. I didn't take picture of them as three of them were of quilts others had made and the one I had made I had posted the picture on an early blog post. Those were all done in three days. I didn't want to look at another binding job for awhile, that's for sure.

One of the reasons we were in Vegas for so long was because I went to the Las Vegas Modern Quilt guild monthly meeting which is on the last Wednesday of the month. I love that group.

I did get more done on the snowman Christmas stocking. The first picture is where I was the last time I posted and the second is of where I am now.

Then

Now

It looks like I've done a lot, but there is SO much more to do to have it finished.

I worked on a few half inch hexies while in Vegas and here is a picture of them. Not too many, but every bit helps.

I had some happy mail this week too, The Quilter's Planner. I purchased this last year and loved it. It's bigger than my usual planner, but it is GREAT! If you are interested it is by Stephanie Palmer of Latenight Quilter fame. Click HERE for more information.

Yesterday the November clue was posted for the Meadow Mystery Quilt and I actually got it all completed with only one oops.

Looks a bit like Halloween

Oops

I have signed up for the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club. It sounds like it will push me a little further out of my box which seems to be a theme going on in my quilting life. Here is a blurb from their website: "The Mighty Lucky Quilting Club is the first monthly subscription club of its kind that focuses on challenging you with design concepts in the quilt making process. It's like a gym membership for quilters! From playing with improvisation and negative space to finding inspiration and creating your own compositions …and everything in between...you’ll be challenged each month with a new skill to try, with pages of instructions, examples, and inspiration from one of your favorite quilters." It does come with a small fee of $5 per month or $50 for the year. Click HERE if you want to learn more about the club.

And, I also signed up for Stash Bee HERE. It sounds like it will be fun and another challenge.

What I've let go by the wayside: I haven't worked on the Splendid Sampler blocks since leaving for our summer travels and may not complete them. What will I do with the blocks I've made? I may make them into some awesome mug rugs and give them to family members for Christmas.

I'm taking part in a minimalist 30 day challenge during November. Each day I get rid of something that I don't use anymore by either throwing it in the dumpster, giving it away to someone that will be able to use it or donate it. For November 1st I got rid of one thing. On the 2nd, I got rid of two things, etc. Today I'm giving four new dry erase markers to my daughter-in-law who uses them for their business. My hubby thought they were permanent markers when he bought them a couple years ago. Yep, they've been taking up space that long so this challenge is helping me let go of a lot of things, mostly clothes I think I'll fit into someday, but never will, and scrapbooking items since I no longer scrapbook.

Oh, and to top things off, I had a root canal on tooth 30 and a crown put on it.

I guess it's time to say goodbye until next time. I'm linking up with Finish it up Friday.

Happy stitching,
Jennifer

Sunday, October 23, 2016

A Basket, a Leaf, and a Snowman

Can you believe that this is the second post in a week. I know I can't since I had a real dry posting season recently.

Yesterday, I made a one hour fabric basket which took me a bit more than an hour to make, but then I took a break to meet up with our Quilts of Valor coordinator to give her the quilt I had made the binding for and sewn on and got three more quilts needing binding from her. Oh, and I also took a lunch break while making the basket. I'll take my basket to the Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild (LVMQG) meeting on Wednesday night for this month's swap. I've seen a lot of pictures on their Facebook page of the many baskets being made and I want them all. The tutorial for the basket is free on Craftsy which you can find it HERE.

The lottery block for this month at LVMQG is a Maple Leaf and it is so fun to create. The guild provided us with a quick and easy tutorial by Stacey at SLO Studio and you can snag it HERE. Trust me, you will want to make a lot of these blocks which can be arranged many ways to create a quilt, wall hanging, table runner, or mug rug. The possibilities are endless.

I've also made some progress on the Christmas stocking for my new granddaughter-in-law. If you check out my post from Friday HERE, you'll see that I've gotten the broom finished, except for the backstitching. I hope to get the mouse on top of the broom stitched today.

What's on my agenda for the next couple of days? I hope to make a few more Maple Leaf blocks for Wednesday's block lottery, bind three of the Quilts of Valor quilts, and, of course, more cross-stitching.

We'll be headed for Las Vegas Wednesday and won't come back home until Sunday. Saturday I hope to attend the Sew Yeah Quilting Club at Sew Yeah Quilting, a new quilt shop which is amazing. If you are ever in Las Vegas be sure to check them, you will not regret it.

I'm linking up today with Slow Sunday Stitching and Let's Bee Social.

Happy stitching,

Friday, October 21, 2016

Projects, Projects, and More Projects

It has been a busy time for me and my energy has been somewhat nonexistent on top of all the project deadlines.

I participated in a Teal Mini Swap in September which was an amazing swap. Each participate paid a small fee and the proceeds went to support ovarian cancer research. I will definitely be participating in this again next year. A total of $4,000 was donated from our swap.

Here is the mug rug, key fob and some yummy teas I received from my swap partner.

This is the wall hanging mini that I sent to my partner. The fabric at the top of the zig-zag was an eight inch square sent to each of the participants and was to be used in either a mug rug or a mini wall hanging.

I had never tried matchstick quilting before, but did on this. Not sure I'll try it again unless I can go from edge to edge with it as it was not fun burying all those threads.

Last week I was busy trying to piece a top for our local Quilts of Valor group. They will be gifting several on November 12th.

Lola was diligently watching over my progress which was slow.

Here is a picture of the finished top which has been turned over to our coordinator who will pass it on to a long armer for quilting.

I also bound another quilt on Wednesday and have another one I'll be binding today. The tops are pieced by one person, quilted by another, and then give to another one to bind. A label will be put on them and washed with a Color Catcher before they are given to a veteran.

For those that have been following my blog for awhile know that when we left on our summer travels, the cross-stitch stocking I was working on did not make the trip with us so I am now trying desperately to get it finished for a Christmas gift. The first picture is the progress I had made before our trip and the second one is where I'm at now. There are four pages to the pattern and I'm currently on page two. As you can imagine, there is a lot more to be done in the next several weeks.

This past week I also completed the October instructions for the Meadow Mystery Quilt by Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs. I'm loving how it is coming together. Many thanks Cheryl for putting out instructions monthly rather than weekly. Here are the full and half hourglass units that I've made.

These are the many things that have kept me busy lately. This weekend I'll be working on some lottery blocks for the Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild meeting on the 26th as well as a one hour bag for a swap at the guild meeting. Oh, I also need to get busy on another top for Quilts of Valor's February ceremony. I won't be as rushed with this one, but want to get it done. I have a couple ideas for the top, but haven't made a definite decision yet.

I'll be linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finish it up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Happy stitching,

Friday, October 7, 2016

Snowflake Shimmer Finish

This is going to be a quick post so I can link up with Yvonne over at Quilting Jetgirl who created this wonderful pattern and ran the Snowflake Shimmer QAL. It was wonderful. If you don't follow Yvonne, you need to as she is a fantastic quilter, designer, and hosts a lot of great quilting events.

I wasn't able to get any batting until this past Monday as I didn't want to buy the batting that our local Walmart carries. Then I spent two days trying to figure out how I could spray baste the layers instead of pin basting. Never could get that figured out and wasted way too much time thinking about it. So I set up my two long plastic tables in the 5th wheel and went to work pin basting.

It took moving it three times to get it all basted, but it worked. Thank goodness. I didn't really have time to think about how I was going to quilt it, but then it came to me.

On all the white squares I need my modern version of a snowflake. In the large light purple stars, I used my walking foot and did three trips around them and then some straight across lines in the middle of them. The background was just a lot of loop-da-loops. I had thought about doing something similar to strings of pearls only doing snowflakes, but I really didn't have the time of that, so I didn't. Maybe another day.

Then the binding. This wasn't a large quilt, but it sure seemed like it this afternoon as I was furiously hand stitching the back side of the binding down.

Today was Miles' birthday and I spent the whole day either at the sewing machine or at the table hand stitching binding so not great photo shoots for this one. We did go out to a delicious steak dinner to celebrate his day.

I hope to get back to posting more often. Since we returned from our summer adventures, I have had no energy and felt that I've had jet lag, only it would be travel lag.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy stitching.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

2016 Cloud 9 New Block Blog Hop

Before I start, I want to apologize if this block has been created before. I have done several searches and have not found anything like it. If it has been done, please let me know and I'll give the creator of the block the credit they deserve.

Also, I want to thank the amazing women who put this blog hop together, Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl, Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs, and Stephanie @Late Night Quilter. This has been so much fun and has definitely pushed me out of my box, big time.

I call my block Churned up Dash or Ziggy and Zaggy. You'll see why a bit later.

I received my five fat quarters from Cloud 9 Fabrics when I got to my daughters house in August as we were traveling for the summer. I was thrilled with the colors and softness of their fabric. Thank you Cloud 9 Fabrics.

My first decision was all about the block. I picked a classic block, Churn Dash, and planned to cut it up to make it into a new block. I did several hours of searches to see if there was anything out there like it and didn't find anything so I went with my plan. I needed three of the five fabrics and my choices are below. As you can see, I chose a light, a medium, and a dark fabric.

I printed out my block pattern and then quartered it (ripped it as you can see by the ragged edges). I very scientifically wrote each of the colors on the appropriate pieces and the size the pieces needed to be.

Here are the sizes you need to cut to make this block which finishes at 12 1/2".

Dark fabric (Iris):               Two, 5"x5" squares
Medium fabric (Amazon)   One, 5"x5" square and four, 2 1/2"x5" rectangles
Light fabric (Sky):              Two, 5"x5" squares and four, 2 1/2"x5" rectangles

I started by marking and sewing the half-square triangles (HST). Probably everyone has made HSTs before, but just in case you haven't, they are fun to make and this is how I make mine. On the wrong side of the lighter fabric, mark a diagonal line from one top corner to the opposite bottom corner with your favorite marking device. I use a caulk marker which has always worked well from me.

Next, with right sides together, stitch 1/4 inch on each side of the marked line. I chain stitch whenever I can.

Cut the HSTs along the marked line and finger press the seam open and then iron press the seam. The reason I finger press before ironing is because it makes it much easier to press the seams open. I have recently begun pressing seams open, rather than to the side, as it really does make for much nice joins and worth the little bit of extra time it takes.

Trim the four HSTs to 4 1/2" square. Be sure this is done after you have pressed them.

I then sewed the rectangles. Four light (Sky) to four medium (Amazon). Finger press seams open and then iron press open.

Now the fun begins. I lay out the pieces as the block will be pieced together.

I start with the left top piece, join it to the middle top piece, and then join them to the right top piece. Do this same piecing with the middle pieces and the bottom pieces.

This is how they will look after those are all sewed together.

Now join the rows together as indicated.

Now for the ultimate fun, cutting the block into quarters. The middle piece of the block measures 4 1/2" square, so I need to cut 2 1/4" from the left side of this piece, very carefully, turn one quarter turn and cut again 2 1/4" from the left side of the piece.

Here are the four pieces arranged for my Churned Up Dash or Ziggy and Zaggy block.

I sew the top two pieces together then the bottom two together and then the top row to the bottom row. Tada, one finished block.

And here is what it would look like made into a quilt.

Another fun thing I did was try some different variations using the four block pieces and here are some of the results.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. It is the first one I have ever done and it was a lot of fun, although a bit nerve wracking at times. All the blocks created in this blog hop will be made into charity quilts.

Be sure to check out those in the blog hop from yesterday: