Since the last post, I've finished two more quilt tops for Loving Stitches:
Name: "Biscotti" Author: Heidi Cook Source: Villa Rosa Design Card. Copyright 2022
This is a modified Rail Fence quilt pattern. These strips were in a box in the church closet, so all I had to do was figure out the puzzle and put it together.
I've also made progress on the yarn scrap project:
"Kittens in a Row"
This is an adaptation of Happy Yellow House's "Criss Cross" pattern found here.
The 12-inch square pattern is called "Pinwheel." It is by Dayna Audirsch. Unfortunately, it is no longer available online (I downloaded it in 2009).
I've even had time for a couple of painting parties:
This is the second year I've had the privilege of leading a class with the WINGS (Women In God's Service) group at Lakewood Church of Christ
Miss Betsey stopped by to paint with me this weekend.
Name: Rotation Author: Sandra Clemons Source: McCalls Quick Quilts Dec/Jan 2016 Also found here.
The first 2024 meeting of Loving Stitches found me working from home. Mid January dove Colorado into dangerously frigid temperatures, and getting out--even to quilt--was not a wise move. I texted back and forth with the ladies at the church who braved the elements and kept them abreast of my progress. A few days before the meeting I finished all the squares for this quilt, so I spent most of Saturday assembling the top. This pattern was difficult and taught me new skills, but I am so proud of how it turned out. At some point, I may consider making this one again with a different color scheme.
Pattern information unknown.
The rest of the weekend was spent finishing up this quilt and the pillowcases that went with both. This was a kit cut and put together by Miss Pam, so piecing it was simple. I've also improved on my pillowcase making skills.
Months ago, I purchased this triangle ruler. I'd seen something like this used in a YouTube video. Though it wasn't the exact same ruler, I thought that they pretty much worked the same way.
They don't.
The half square triangles I made had to be cut three different times to be close to correct. Ok, so this doesn't simplify anything. First off, the printed instructions that came with the ruler were insanely confusing. I scoured the internet to find some intelligible directions. I found this on YouTube:
My first attempt with the adapted instructions.
OK. Before I go into this, hear me out. I'm well aware that as a novice quilter, my ignorance may be hurting my technique. In other words, I may just be too dumb to use this tool correctly. With that being said, though the instructor's directions were much clearer than those that came with the ruler, when I followed her, I ended up with a rectangle that was 4 x 3.5 inches. So, I ended up having to cut the square again to get the right measurements, plus the placement of the diagonal seam wasn't quite right. I tried moving the ruler to the 3.5 inch mark. That seemed to work much better.
Yes, some of the placement is still a bit cattywampus, however, adapting the directions simplified the process tremendously. I just need more practice. This is a scrap project, so I'll work on it as I finish other projects.
Speaking of scraps: I have a box full of unused partial skeins of yarn from previous projects. My goal this year is to use up those scraps before starting any new large projects. This preemie blanket is the first large project I've finished out of that stash.
When we left off with my lest mess, I chronicled my stepping back into quilting by joining a coworker's quilting group at her church. I also went into detail about our after Christmas quilting retreat on my sister blog (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).
After taking a break from the sewing machine to make a few cards and start a couple of new projects (more on that in a minute), I picked up my current quilting project this week. This quilt top requires 30 12-inch squares. As of today, I've completed 22. Loving Stitches meets again this Saturday, so my goal is to complete all the squares, curate the layout, and take a picture so I can put the top together during the meeting. We'll see how it goes.
During my break, I also started a couple of paintings. One is nearly finished, but the other has just been prepped. I'm excited about both, but one in particular reminds me of a great moment from last year. I'll give you two hints: Bob Ross and the Denver Zoo!
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