January Blues

There have been times

when I have found January

a long deary month.

But as I've gotten older,

January, like every month,

seem to go by too fast.

So here it is the end of the month

and time to share 

 my monthly mini challenge

organized by Wendy, the Constant Quilter.

January Blues

23" x 27"

Like most new projects,

it starts with looking through the stash

for just the right fabrics,

shades of blues  and 

blue and white shirtings.

Then some hst's trimmed with

the Bloc-Loc ruler.

Sometimes this 6" block is call Anvil.

I made half the blocks with

a light background 

and the other half with a dark background

and set them side by side.

This simple design

is pleasing to look at on a blue January morning

casting shadows across the snow.

The cold winter weather

has a different outlook

when fabrics and colors

come together

to chase away the January Blues.

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Strings are the Thing for 2019

There are many of us who

have gotten all tangled up with strings.

Is  2019 

the year of the string quilts?

String quilts are not a new technique or idea.

Quilter have been making this style for a long time,

using up colorful strips of fabrics in a variety of widths,

on different size and shape foundations,

and either random or planned.

Talk about making a quilt uniquely yours.

I admit, I have been excited about

starting my 2019 string quilt.

There are some great resources 

available if you are interested in learning more.
Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville has a new book, String Frenzy,
as well as, Diane Knotts of Buttlerfly Threads Quilting
and her new book
Scrap Quilts Secrets.

And I'm super excited because a
copy of Diane's lovely book is heading my way!

Also Moda has a string-along going and
so does Lori at Humble Quilts.

But here are few things that  I've learned
since starting my blocks.

1.  Deciding what foundation to use is important.

Which one you choose does make a difference.

Try it first.

I opted to go with the muslin foundation.
Too lazy to tear away the paper
and the fabric foundation has a nice feel.

And besides, I have about 10 yards
 of muslin laying around from before
the turn of the century.


2.  String quilts are like potato chips...addictive!
Once I started sewing blocks
 I've hardly been able to stop.

My goal is 100  eight inch blocks.
I'm already up to 65!

This is fast,
easy sewing,

no matching,
no planning other than the fact
that I'm placing a neutral across the middle.

Trim the block

and you're done!

3.  Empty bobbins

This kind of sewing makes it easy to
empty all those  bobbins filled with different colored threads.

Why not use up some spools of threads
you're not in love with anymore.

4.  DO NOT WEAR BLACK PANTS
WHEN SEWING!

You'll have more string stuck on you
than on the blocks you make.

5.  A Stash buster?

Well, I'm not sure if I've actually
used up many different fabrics, but
I have cut a lot of strips.

It definitely  makes a mess pulling out
lots of old favorites and not so favorite pieces.

****
Have you become a part of
the string revival thing?
If not, it might be time to start!

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Prep Time

Doesn't it seems like there are times

when getting anything prepped in order

to sew takes forever.

 This woman has such a cheerful attitude prepping a meal.

Oh, to be just like her this year!

School is back in session so I 'm back

on duty watching these two sweetie.

I spent all last week (happily) prepping

three different projects so when I

do have some free time, I can get to the fun part quickly.

****

For years I've been tossing 1.5" and 1.25"

strips into this wire basket.

The basket overflowth!

My new leader and ender project for 2019

is going to be log cabin blocks.

In order to feel like I'm using my sewing time efficiently,

I precut a bunch of 

logs and laid them out

on two flannel boards.

One for the lights.

And one for the darks.

These precut logs will make it easy when I'm

 starting and stopping on other things.

Slowly the pile of blocks will grow.

****

String piecing is the 2019 thing.

I found a piece of fabric that had been intended 

for something else, that is never going to happen,

so it became the palette for my string along.

Lots of colors means lots of fabrics

and lots of string.

I really haven't kept many strips,

other than that basket for log cabin block,

so it required looking through my bins to

find tons of fabrics for tons of strings

and start cutting.

Oh, what fun it is.

****

If you caught up with my last blog,

you know I plan to try and do another

year of monthly mini quilts.

This is a  no pressure challenge,

but I did some prepping

 to get a head start on my January quilt.

I received a Quilters Select 6" square ruler from 

The Quilt Show for renewing my membership.

Had to give it a try.

It's a great ruler with a wonderful nonslip coating 

on the back.  I was impressed.

Pulled some fabrics that

seemed appropriate for January here in Colorado.

"The winter time blues."

The first week of January has come and gone,

but I hope we're all off and running.

Ready, Set, Go!

Until Next Time-

Kyle

December's Mini Challenge

It was a wonderful holiday season.

and the new year has officially begun.

Like many others,
I've started my list for 2019.
Both with new starts and the usual projects to finish,
but intentionally I've left plenty of
open spaces for the ideas that might find their
way to my sewing room
during the year.

****
I'm finally able to share my last quilt for 2018.
My December mini,
 part of my
year long challenge with Wendy, Barbara,
Janet, Randy, and Pat.

What a delightful challenge.
throughout the year.

"Christmas Hope"
31" x 31"

I had been in the mood for some applique, but
nothing fussy or too small.

It's hard to tell,
but there are 4 different fabrics for the background.
This is a 27 inch antique applique block that
was machine appliqued

using matching Invisfil thread and
a variable overlock stitch reversed.
It was quick and easy, especially with such large pieces
that had been prepped using the  freezer paper
and starch method.
This method closely mimics hand applique.

I wasn't going to add a border,
but then it seemed to need a simple sawtooth frame.

It didn't take long to
machine quilt it with a simple grid.

with a few little extras on the applique pieces.

Red and green was perfect
for the holiday season
and looked great displayed.

How do you like it
set on point?

It changes the look of the block.

Are you ready to join in the fun for 2019?

Check out Wendy's blog for the rules.
Wait!
There are no rule!

What will you make for January?

Until Next Time-

Kyle