BLOCKHEAD 5: Keeping on Track

Keeping track of my monthly goals was challenging, even if I precut a few blocks on Saturdays and pieced them during the week. Other times, I needed more time for sewing, which put me behind on my overall planning. It's Okay. 

Since January 2024, I have set a pace that will benefit from perfecting my piecing with more precision and pressing open the seams flat, giving them a sharp look. Also, even with my best efforts, many projects I may not be able to complete them this year. Working on more than one top per month is a new challenge, as I used to work on ONE quilt at a time. It's not dull. 

Here is a good example how my week is when I worked on different projects.

Purchasing Fabric

I am always looking for sales, and I've to make sure the fabrics I buy are in a light tone and warm colour, for there is a lack of it from my stash.

Christmas Tree

I'm using the Janome 7700 with the walking foot to make long horizontal lines across the quilt.

Black Tie Affair

I precut all the squares in the white/black and black fabric. Most of the fabric is pieces left from previous projects or fabric purchased years ago.

Blockhead 5

For this project, I mainly used my stash and a bit of newer print. Each block takes about one hour, and it's no wonder I'm behind.

Patterns & Sewing

I couldn't pass up the patterns' discount at $3 a piece at Fabricville. I cannot wait to make a new dress with my new Juki serger.

Planning Sheets

I numbered each project with its name and check-marked them when done.

And just for fun, I recorded my block completion on this sheet.

Let's there be Light!

I asked my husband to remove those two ridiculous light bulbs sticking out and install a better lighting fixture that projects better lighting in the small sewing room. As you can see from the quilt on my design wall, I hung a light above my working station, but the rest of the room was dimmed in shadow. It's so much better now!

Another successful month completed with many...many...many more blocks to sew.

Let's Go Quilt!

Shine Together~part 2

As I mentioned last week, one top finished: Shine Together. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. 

How did this happen? Well, first, I spent hours selecting the fabrics for each block. Then, I precut all the pieces and labelled them, thinking it would make things easier along the road because there are nine other projects that will start apart from this one.

Second, even with the schedule pinned on a board in front of my cutting table and all the projects laid out by order from 1 to 10 in the planner, I forgot Shine Together was to be worked on monthly, not in three months! Oh well, the quilt is done, and I have no regrets.

More Blocks!

Each block from the quilt's center took approximately thirty minutes to piece. Because each block differed in construction, I sewed one at a time instead of chain-piecing.

 Oupsy-Doopsy

This part of the free pattern got me thinking. After sewing six strips together, I couldn't get the 12 1/2" half square I needed. The seams were fine, but the length and width still fell short, about 1/8". It's way too close to my liking if you want to square it afterward to a perfect 12 1/2".

So, instead of redoing the two blocks all over again, I trimmed a big 1/2" away from the diagonal seam, then ripped off a few pieces and sewed them back together. It was just needed at the tip of the block. With the right sides together, I sew both half-triangles and squares. Both of the blocks were fine after that little fixing.

Design Wall

As you see, you cannot tell that the yellow/white triangles are fixed. And, of course, after I completed all the blocks, I couldn't resist and finished the top.

                                The colour are so vibrant and youthful, it makes my heart happy.

Put Away

All the fabric from Shine Together was put away in their original bins. The smaller pieces were cut into squares and stored in their proper containers. I've also found a backing for this quilt. Make the label and binding, too.

Planning Ahead

Hum, I'm thinking of planning ahead what free-motioned designs for this top. Or practice Angela Walter's design for this one as there are many large blocks with empty space.

Resource

Here is a construction of a few blocks and the fabric selection for this project. 

https://quilter4him.blogspot.com/2024/02/shine-together-quilt-sal.html

Lost Blocks

With Spring arriving earlier this season, we've been busy dismantling the winter shelters and storing the winter gear in our shed. We're also transplanting the young plants into bigger pots for growth and transferring them from the basement racks into a solarium deck right from our living room. It's a lot of work.

 On top of this business, I've kept on track with the online woman inductive Bible study. If that wasn't enough, our dog needs a freshening in his training. Oh, and I love reading too! So what happened when I went rear-crazy-sewing to catch up? This is what happened: I quilted Lost Blocks, and completed my first top!

 Labeling a Quilt

There are beautiful ways to make a label, and I've kept it simple: the name of the quilt, the name of the designer who pieced it, and the city/year. Sometimes, I want to make the label more fancy, but giving it a simple record of its basic information is enough for now.

Simple Quilting

                                       A simple overall wavy design, using the Cutie Frame

I found a large piece of fabric stored with other fabric types for the backing because it wasn't 'quilting fabric.' I would never have considered using it if the quilting fabric wasn't that costly. It's cotton fabric, and it quilted perfectly.

Lost Block Quilt

• My daughter sewed the four blocks in the quilt's center while she was homeschooled. 

• The two larger blue/green blocks are half triangles sewn together to make those large blocks. They were initially four triangle corners from a previous project.

• The three Ohio Star are extra blocks from a previous project.

• The block in the far right corner is an orphan block.

• The checkerboard was sewed with leftover precut squares.

• The Churn Dash blocks are the only new addition.

• And the flora print is from the Thrift store.

As you see, it's a scrappy quilt and it looks great.  Now, see what you've in your bins to make one great scrappy quilt.

Let's Go Quilt!

RBD Block Challenge 2024

 In March, I pieced a few blocks from the RBD Block Challenge 2024, using the same Christmas bundle of fabric I used from a previous project. Starting so many projects in January 2024 delayed a few of them, which benefited me. Instead of getting anxious from being weeks behind, I settled for a peaceful solution. I prepared the blocks on a Saturday and sewed them during the week.

Never fret over a new project, thinking it's too late to work on it. If you
want to make it, taking the time to take joy in the making is worth it. Reevaluated  projects that can be postponed or excluded from your bucket list. 

Quilting so be pure fun!

 Assembly of Blocks:

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

block 4

Block 5

Block 6

Block 7

Coloring

Sometimes, you can use the most basic tool, like a quadrille paper sheet, to draw your block pattern. This way, you can colour each section to visualize the overall finish block.  Even if I've the EQ8, and could draw these blocks in my program and then colour them, it takes me three times as long as I'm slower and not great with the EQ8 drawing-block. Doing it on a quadrille paper sheet took only a few minutes and voila! 

Love the old ways of doing simple things:)

Power of a Design Wall

 Design walls are another great tool for visualizing your progress. The one here is two pieces of white flannel sewed together. On another wall, I've taped the four corners of a picnic cover table, exposing the back of it. Its fuzzy backing works well to adhere to the block and is affordable..

Flannel Design Wall

What are Your Progress?

In a small journal, I recorded the month as a main page, the date in a column, the project's name in the next column, and how long I worked on it: most designer information, the complete pattern, and the rest written in a binder. The journal gives me an overall picture of my monthly and yearly achievements. 

Now, Let's go Quilt!

RESOURCE

Riley Blake Design: https://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/2024-rbd-block-challenge