Finally a New Year and a New Post

To say that the last days of 2018 were difficult would be a mild understatement. I am still recovering and likely will be for a while. My best friend and quilting buddy passed away unexpectedly on December 21st. There is one giant hole in my heart. We first got to know each other as work colleagues and then as friends and finally as quilting buddies.
So while I could not do anything that required focus I did stitch together a couple of quilt tops.

These Half Square Triangles have been lurking in the sewing room for sew long I can barely remember the original quilt they came from. The dark is a navy blue cotton and the prints are from drapery sample books that were given to our Scrapbag Quilters group. The samples were 100% cotton so I washed them and then used them. This quilt top is roughly 39" square. For my quilt guild this year I am doing a program I call Totally Triangular. Each month I am showing something different do to with those lovely waste/bonus triangles we all seem to have. Or at least some of us have. I am hoping to get back on track soon and to be posting more regularly. Piecefully, Joanne

Linking with Cynthia at Oh Scrap! (here) 

Oh Scrap! One of my favourite activities

I love playing with scraps. The rewards are endless and so are the scraps. I have been collecting some red, white and black with a tiny bit of grey scraps lately. they were small so I cut them into small bricks (1 1/2" x 2 1/2") and after I finished some must do sewing I started a new Simple Bricks top.

The little blocks currently stand at 4 1/2" square. This is a small grouping to show how I put them together. I like to pair them first and them put four together. Once I have that together I lay those out as blocks. It just makes fewer pieces to handle and when you join the pairs together it gives you an opportunity to try to ensure you do not have two pieces the same beside each other. Of course with any multi piece quilt top this isn't always possible but using these steps helps.

In the evenings I have been reading an Advance Readers Copy of a book that is being published in June. The title is The Verdun Affair. It is set in two time periods and two main geographic areas. The story begins just after World War One in Italy and continues in 1950 in Los Angeles. I am generally not a big fan of war stories but like The Alice Network this story presents something different. the author has included a list of many of the books he used as reference material for those wishing to explore this era further.

And the secret sewing continues but it is secret so no talk or photos. I am heading out later this week for a few days of sewing with some friends. It is always nice to spend time with like minded individuals.

Piecefully, Joanne

Linking up with Cynthia, for Oh, Scrap! at QuiltingisMoreFunThanHousework (here)
And further Linking up with Lorna at SewFreshQuilts (here)

I do enjoy a finished quilt

At our Guild retreat last fall one of our guild members was throwing out her "bonus" triangles. I couldn't have that. When I said sure I'll use those she was kind enough to start collecting them in a baggie so they did not go everywhere. And then at another quilting get together another friend did the same thing. So these are primarily the bonus triangles from two different quilting friends. So much fun to play with. I used two different fabrics for borders because I did not have enough of either one. As far as I am concerned they work together. This quilt will be going to Project Linus later this week.
Hubby has set a goal of our 50th anniversary for me to get the quilt tops in the house made into quilts. And to facilitate that he is pinning them ready for me to quilt them. He has done three this week and I am just finishing stitching the binding in place on number three. So need to get backing organized for a couple more for next week's pinning session. I do have a couple of years to work on this.
There are a couple of big events coming up in the next little while. Hands2Help sign up starts today. and the Modern Plus Quilts Blog Hop begins this week. More about both in the coming week.
Piecefully, Joanne

Linking up with Cynthia for Oh Scrap! at quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.ca

Using my scraps for pattern testing

This table topper made hardly a dint in the blues. The logs are cut much smaller than I normally cut for scrap storage. My normal cuts are 5", 2 1/2" and 1 1/2". I leave those in strips and box similar colours together. I had to use untrimmed chunks for this assignment. The pattern is called Log cabin Twist and this is just one of a few variations illustrated in the pattern.
Over this past month I have been trying to tidy up a little as the sewing room has managed to get out of control. I am inching closer to some level of organization. But it is an ongoing battle.
Piecefully, Joanne
Linking with Cynthia for Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More fun than Housework (here)

Oh Scrap! I am still at it

Who said Waste Triangles are garbage? Not I for sure. This small quilt is 29" square. Each Half Square Triangle finishes at 1 1/8". I was at two retreats last fall and at both of them friends were throwing away their Waste Triangles. I couldn't let that happen. So they would bring them to me in installments and one just stuffed her's in a baggie and dropped the baggie off. I had a lot of fun playing with them and trying to make them into something useful. with the borders on them they are now big enough for the small Project Linus quilts.
As to what else I have been doing. It is a lot of secret sewing. that phrase used to drive me nuts but I totally understand it now.
Piecefully, Joanne
Linking up with Cynthia at Quilting is More fun than Housework (here) and later in the week with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts (here)

Working towards some finishes

This top has been languishing for some time now. Small rails, 1 1/2" x 3 1/2". The centre's a constant blue with a few reds thrown in, the side rails were shirting samples our Scrapbag group was given. I tidied them up and did this as a Leader and Ender project. Hubby has 4 more quilts pinned and ready for me to quilt so my work is cut out for me.
Of course now that we are in December one does start to look ahead at the coming year. Not certain yet where it will take me but I am signed up for the Fat Quarter Shop's Block of the Month. This is a fund raiser for St. Jude's Hospital. And Jen of Patterns by Jen is doing a colour block of the month. Each month will be different block featuring the colour of the month. It will happen on her blog (here). Piecefully, Joanne
Linking with Cynthia at Oh Scrap! (here)

Hands to Help number 1

This is scrap quilt number one for this year's version of Hands to Help. Sarah of Confessions of a Fabric Addict (here) runs this challenge annually to encourage quilters from anywhere to make and donate a quilt or more to charity. There are three designated charities on her blog but if postage costs make them prohibitive then you are encouraged to donate closer to home. I am planning to make two of these quilts. The block is a 9 patch with each patch consisting of two parallel  2 1/2" x 4 1/2" bricks. I have found that making the separate blocks and then assembling them into the larger quilt is more manageable for me. It also allows me to mix up the fabrics for a somewhat more blended scrappy look. Grandson number two (in need of a hair cut) is holding this quilt top. Piecefully, Joanne

Linking with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
and Cynthia at Oh Scrap!

Playing with some black and white strings

I really love the impact you can get with Black and White. I have also noted that if I am somewhat organized with my scraps I can make headway in getting them used up. So this one was on the design floor yesterday to check for "sames" beside each other. I think we are good to go and the blocks are now bagged up and ready for my mini retreat after Easter. I have also discovered over the years that sewing at a retreat for me needs to be somewhat free of decision making. I get too distracted by all the goings on around me. So I have this one and a couple of others all organized to the point of sewing the blocks and then the rows.
Piecefully, Joanne

Linking up with Cynthia at Oh Scrap! (here)

A new idea for a scrap block, thank you stash bandit quilting

Once again playing in my scraps. this block is going to multiply into my Hands 2 Help charity quilt for 2017. I saw the original block on Diane Harris' Facebook page. She also has a new page called Stash Bandit quilting. Diane is a former/retired editor from Quiltmaker magazine. I "met" her when I started testing for the 100 blocks magazine. Looking after that publication was part of her job description. She has more ideas for the windmill block than I could possibly imagine. She had one similar to this shown yesterday and the minute I saw it I knew this one was for me. I have a container with blue/green/purple bricks that are 1 1/2" x 2 1/2", I shorted through the container and pulled out some very light bricks. I needed 4 per block. The rest of the block is scrappy and I was ready to roll.
I have been doing a lot of pattern testing over the last couple of months and most of that is secret sewing. I have also discovered Instagram and it is so good for my just do this now and it is done mentality. I need to sit down and write more. Piecefully, Joanne
Linking up with Cynthia at Oh Scrap! (here)

Scraps as therapy

This was a strong motivator for me to get back to my sewing machine and working. I had to be able to bend my knee enough to sit at the table. I am happy to say, I reached that point about two weeks ago and have been stitching ever since. Mind you it is in short bursts of time and then I need to move around a bit. Guess I need to build up my tolerance again.
I do not remember who gave me these scraps. Or most of them. I cut them all to 1 1/2" squares and added some from my scrap heap that I thought would work well with the core group. I stitched them together Leader and Ender style. First one I saw as light with one I saw as dark. Pressing all to the dark. Then those were joined into four patches and then sixteen patches. Once we were at that stage I let them talk to me from the design floor. I had 60 sixteen patches which would have made a really long skinny quilt. So I went with using 56 sixteen patches and kept four for corner blocks. One of my friends drove me to the local quilt shop and I picked out this border fabric. I will be happy to be able to drive myself places after tomorrow's check in with the surgeon.
I have done a lot of reading in the last few weeks but am anxious to get back to doing something more hands on. Piecefully, Joanne
Linking with Cynthia (here) for another session of Oh Scrap!

From time to time some things do get finished

These three little scrap quilts are ready to donate to the Scrapbag Quilters of Saugeen Shores. . The pieces for the small ones with the green borders came to me as scraps in baggies. They are finished doll quilt size now. The larger quilt is a nice lap size. It was all done as off white/cream with blues. Who knew there were so many blues.  I have four more tops done but do not see how they will get quilted in the next week and a half. The optimist would say it is always nice to have something to look forward to. I will take that rather than the pessimist pointing out they are not finished.
I have enough scrappy windmills completed to assemble another top. They are such addictive Leaders and Enders. I have also been doing some postage stamp squares as Leaders and Enders. They pile up quickly. I plan to link up with Cynthia's Oh Scrap! (here)on Sunday.
It is shaping up to be a busy week. I have a return visit to the hospital for my physio session, I teach a class for my Local Quilt shop, and have quilt guild Wednesday. That is in addition to the normal things that happen around here. Piecefully, Joanne

A finish is a finish no matter how small

In January the Scrapbag Quilters were working with flannel. I dug into my scraps and cut up quite a bit for the workday. When I got down to these little bits they were so pretty I couldn't bare to throw them out. So I cut some of my favourite 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" inch bricks and made my "go to" simple bricks block. This is what I had so this is what I used. The finished doll quilt is 16" by 20". We donate doll quilts to the toy drive at Christmas so I have one done already. I aim for about a dozen over the course of the year. Piecefully, Joanne
Linking with Cynthia at Oh Scrap! (here)

Orphan blocks ready for their forever home

A big round of thanks to both Cynthia and Kristel. Cynthia of Quilting is more fun than Housework fame organized an adoption event a few weeks ago. Regular followers of her blog and its Oh Scrap! linky party were offered the opportunity to give away one or more sets of orphan blocks to a new home for completion. Readers visited the blogs and left comments about why they would like to have/finish/complete/use the orphans. I left a couple of comments and was delighted to find out that one set of Kristel's orphan's were coming my way.I love the Bento box design and Kristel had a set of blocks that just needed assembly and quilting. As they say in quilt talk, done and done. This is all labelled, washed and ready to donate.
It was a bit windy when we took the picture so the boys each took a corner to hold it flatter. They are scheduled to be here every other week this summer so it remains to be seen what I will accomplish in between visits.
Linking up later today with Cynthia's Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework. (here)
Piecefully, Joanne

Oh Scrap! for the end of March

At the last Sunset Quilters Quilt Guild meeting one of my "regulars" handed me a bag of scraps. Inside were all these lovely triangle pieces. Stop me from myself. I pulled them out and set them beside the machine to sew together as leaders and enders. She had just cut the pieces off  so they were not all uniform in size nor did they have a smooth cut edge. I had been sewing some 1 1/2" squares together and making them into little four patchs to set in the middle square of a square in a square block and the light bulb went on. If I made little pinwheel blocks, squared them up to 2 1/2" then  I could do the same thing. So the sequence above shows the few remaining triangle pieces, a few HST's, One pinwheel block that has been squared to 2 1/2" and then a contrast set of triangles to make a final square in a square block. I will admit I did have the nerve to ask her if she had any strips left that I might be able to use for the outer triangles. I needed 2 2 1/2" squares for each block. She had a couple and I rummaged through my stash. I think I will end up with a nice little quilt out of this exercise.
I taught another class for the new quilt shop this week and took in a sample quilt for another class that will be happening in April. Probably just a little busier than I really need to be these days. Piecefully, Joanne
Linking up with Cynthia at quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com  on Oh Scrap! Sunday afternoon

Making the transition from blue to pink

This week's scrappy contribution is a variation on the Chinese Coins pattern. I had a pile of 2" pieces. They were not uniform in length so a standard Chinese Coins design was out of the question. So I did a "jelly roll race" or lasagna style effect with the pieces. I joined them end to end and folded back on itself three times until I had a long strip that was 8 rows wide. Then I took that strip and cut it into 6 equal sections and joined them together vertically . I had some of this border print with pink and blue flowers and the length of those pieces determined my final size. It feels good to make something from "nothing" The machine I use for machine quilting is going for its annual trip to the spa so I will be making tops for a while until she returns refreshed and ready to stitch some more. I am hoping to link up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (here) and Oh Scrap (here) later this weekend. At that time I will edit to add the appropriate links. Piecefully, Joanne

Turning Scraps into Quilts one Leader and Ender at a time

Pictured are 25 quilt blocks made from my Scrap Salad box. I thought the box was full but after making 25 blocks the box is still full. Perhaps is it just a little aerated now. I like to keep these beside my machine when I am doing some piecing and before you know it you have a block assembled. With this particular one I sew the two centre pieces together on the long side. Then add a piece across the top and  the bottom. Next step is to join pairs of scraps on the short side and then add them to the sides. These pieces are 1 1/2" by 2 1/2". this design however will work with 2 1/2" by 4 1/2" pieces, and 3 1/2" by 6 1/2" pieces. I forget the 2" by? size as I don't use 2" strips very often. Once you have a good collection of little blocks made join them together alternating the direction of the centre pairs. No seams to match. another win-win block and project. This pile is enough to make a lap quilt or a baby quilt. Piecefully, Joanne
Linking with A Quilting Chick for her Leader and Ender challenge and later this week with Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Oh Scrap!

Cynthia over at Quilting is more fun than Housework (here) is starting a new Linky party in January called Oh Scrap! The Linky party will happen Sunday afternoon. Readers are invited to share Scrap projects that are in the works or finished. Full details are posted on the blog today. She has created a button for the party and if I could figure out or remember how to post it on my side bar I would but here is the image she has created. While you are visiting her blog you may wish to check out her

Scrap Quilt series from this year. There have been some terrific posts. So plan to join the fun in 2015.

Piecefully, Joanne