Recent Finishes 11/22/2010

I've finished several quilts in the past couple of months.  I've been so busy sewing that I haven't taken the time to post photos or to write as detailed as I usually do.

That being said, here are photos of the finished quilts.  I'll post more details about each of them in the near future.

Superman

For my son Robbie--a Superman fan for most of his 30 years

Features Superman themed print

Blocks:  Heroes and Rockets, Bed of Stars, Sky Rocket

63" x 75"

Original Design

Partly from stash

Completed mid-October

Superman fabric

Baby Q

For newborn daughter of co-worker Albert Q.

Fussy cut centers frame a chandelier-like motif

Modified Square in a Square blocks

54" square

Original Design

Completed early November

Close up of modified Square in a Square block

Center fussy cut

Road to Half Moon Bay, California

For my supervisor Lena R., who loves to explore the tidepools at Half Moon Bay, CA

Road to California blocks

Features large scale tidepool print

54" Square

Original Design
Completed mid-November

Tidepool fabric

Betty's Delight - Quilt Blocks Finished

Betty's Delight Block

Tonight I finished the blocks for It's Been a Delight, Betty.  Betty plays violin in the church orchestra, so I used music fabric in the block.

Blocks laid out on design wall

Four quadrants sewn together

I chose a setting that is quieter than the one I found at QuiltersCache.  I think it's more suitable to Betty's personality.

Next I'll add a narrow border of black, then a wide border of the pink tone-on-tone.  The back will be plain white.  I'll do a pillowcase finish and tie the quilt with embroidery floss in pink and white.

My goal is to finish the quilt in time for Betty's going-away party tomorrow night.  I'm home all day tomorrow, so I should be able to pull it off.

Betty's Delight Quilt

I'm working on a quick quilt for Betty, a fellow church orchestra member.  Betty has been playing violin in the orchestra for over 30 years.  She will be moving soon to Southern California with her daughter, son-in-law and family.  We're having a going-away party for her on Tuesday evening.  Of course, I need to make a quilt for her.

I found a block called Betty's Delight, which I'll be making in 12" finished blocks.  The blocks will be made with a white-and-black music-themed fabric as well as a pink tone-on-tone, and more of the pink will go in the border.  I've named the quilt It's Been a Delight, Betty.

I started sewing the blocks on Saturday and they are nearly done.  I'm on a sort of furlough from work this week, so I have all day today and tomorrow to finish the quilt.  I think I can pull it off.

Road to Half Moon Bay, California Quilt

I finished the Road to (Secret) quilt last night and gifted it this morning to my supervisor Lena R.  Lena loves to go to oceanside Half Moon Bay, CA and explore the tidepools.  About two years ago after hearing about a couple of Lena's trips to the tidepools, I decided to make a quilt for her.  The design would include Road to California blocks, a print that showed seashells and such, and the title Road to Half Moon Bay, California.

Lena's quilt features a large print that looks like tidepools; I used the print in the border and two good-sized leftover pieces on the back.  The quilt has 9 large Road to California blocks and some four-patch blocks in the border.

Lena was surprised to get the quilt, and she seems to really like it.  I'll post photos and details about the quilt, now known as Road to Half Moon Bay, California, in the next few days.

Enjoy your quilt, Lena!

Almost Finished

Last night I got Road to (Secret) quilted.  Tonight I should be able to get the binding attached, and it'll be a done deal.  My plan is to deliver the quilt tomorrow or Thursday.  Can't wait to see the surprise on the person's face!

Update 11/15/2010

I made some progress on Road to (secret), a quilt based on Road to California blocks.  While I was piecing together the quilt top, I started thinking about how I would handle the back, which would be pieced using leftover theme and solid fabrics.  Originally I had planned to divide the quilt top vertically for quilting in sections, but in the end I decided to split the quilt horizontally.  I think this plan will maximize the amount of theme fabric on the back.  The theme fabric will be oriented toward the center area of the quilt, surrounded by the same solid blue from the front.  After sewing together the back sections, it looks good and I really like how the large print is featured in two good-sized pieces.

Last night I got one of the two quilt sandwiches spray basted.  It was pretty late by the time I was ready to begin machine quilting, my machine is pretty loud when I quilt and I have common walls with neighbors in my condo.  So I set it aside to do tonight at an earlier time of the evening.  I hope to have the quilt fully quilted by bedtime tonight.

Sewing Quilt Top for Road to (Secret)

I woke up at 6:00 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep.  I am not a morning person, but I figured I'd might as well make good use of my time.  So I started sewing together the quilt top for Road to (Secret).  I got one quadrant sewn together, including theme fabric border pieces.  I'll have the rest sewn together shortly.  As usual I'll machine quilt in sections.  I've divided the quilt roughly in half vertically.  The sections are wider than I like to deal with, but I'll get through it.  I'm planning to do an enclosed seam to join the sections.

I'm without a car at the moment, have been for about a week.  I'm not sure how long that will last, but hopefully not too long.  People have been wonderfully generous about giving me rides.  I work in a large office, and two co-workers who live within a few blocks of me have been getting me to and from work.  My son and daughter-in-law took me to and from church on Sunday.  A fellow church orchestra member gave me a ride to/from rehearsal last night. 

Today I needed to go to Joann's for extra backing fabric and some thread for the Road quilt.  Fortunately I live near the mall where many buses are.  I missed a bus to take me the half mile to the mall area, so I walked.  Not a big deal.  Among my errands, I needed to go to two banks which were by the mall and across the street from one another, so that worked out.  I stopped at a nearby restaurant and had lunch, then went back across the street to wait for the bus that would take me to Joann's.  Things went pretty smoothly.  I did my research before I left home, so I knew which bus I needed, what time the bus stopped, etc.

All the public transportation I've done on vacations paid off in my own home town today.

Catching up 11/10/2010

I'm working on Road to (secret).  I've completed all of the half-square triangles and most of the four-patches.  Tonight I'll finish the last of the four-patches, then lay out the quilt top on the design wall.  I don't think I'll sew the Road to California blocks together in the usual fashion because I'm doing something different with the border, which I'll assemble as an extension of the quilt blocks. 

Here's my plan for the border:  I'm using a large-scale directional theme fabric and the 1.5 yard piece isn't long wide or long enough to cover a side.  So I'm planning to piece the border with sections of theme fabric, broken up with small blocks.  For example, for the top border I'm planning to cut a width of fabric, split it in the middle, and insert a solid colored square or a four-patch.  There should be some continuity between the left and right sides, almost like a tryptic.  It works in my head.  We'll see how it goes.

Update 11/2/2010

I plan to finish Baby Q tonight and deliver it tomorrow.  Tomorrow night I plan to continue working on Road to (secret).  I don't expect it to take too long to finish...hopefully sometime next week.

Catching Up 11/1/2010

This past week I made a Little Bo Peep costume for my granddaughter Reghan for Halloween.  The outfit didn't cost much, since I used fabric from stash and lace given to me by quilting friend Judy P.  I spent less than $10 on a zipper, spool of ribbon and elastic to make an outfit which included a dress, pantaloons, skirt and a bonnet.  Not bad!  Reghan looked really cute as Little Bo Peep.  Her baby sister Piper was darling as a lamb.

Last night I started working on Baby Q again.  It's a baby quilt in a square in a square pattern.  I pieced together the backing using leftover chandelier fabric and solid pink, both used on the quilt top.  I should be able to finish the quilt by Tuesday night at the latest.

Later this week I plan to get back to the Road to California quilt which I started on my quilting retreat.  I expect it to be a quick finish.  The next step is to create lots of four patches, then assemble the Road to California blocks.  I made the half square triangles on my retreat.

I haven't taken the time to upload photos of my son's Superman quilt yet.  I'm hoping to post about it this weekend.