Time on my hands-Let's start Lady of Lake Erie.

I have time on my hands and a lot on my mind, so what a girl to do but sew?  I had planned to just gather my fabrics for my Lady of Lake Erie Quilt (which is in Quiltmaker Reader Favorites published Summer 2015). I can see why it was included in this issue. I loved it since I saw it.

It took me some time to translate Quiltmaker language into mine. They don't give unit sizes and I wanted to use Bonnie Hunter's Essential Triangle Tool to cut the fabric. I experimented with their instructions and looked at Bonnie's Essential Triangle Tool instructions to come up with the strip size. I made a few test block and I was off to the races.

One of my first blocks was a disappointment. I realized that I have to be careful with directional fabrics, as if I am cutting out two blocks at once, one will be reversed. I also realized that one of my neutral fabrics didn't work for the half square triangles.

Waves going in too many directions, boats got chopped up. Will probably discard.

I had to rethink some of my fabric choices. One of my neutrals quickly became a favorite. I loved the motion of the design and there are even fish tales. Too cute!

Cute neutral, love the fish tail

In some circumstances the reversals where not much a problem.

Since blocks are also turned on side. This reversal did not bother me.

Here I used a plain fabric for the half square triangles

I went through my stash trying various combinations.






Before I realized it I had 28 blocks completed.  I will need 100 for the queen size quilt. I will probably make at least two block from each fabric, perhaps four.

I like to kit up units and cut out another 20 blocks. Then I thought about how to keep them organized, especially as they probably would not be completed before I go to the hospital for my stem cell transplant. I decided to chain the pieces for each block together. That way I will have the pieces together for each block. Nothing can be misplaced. Unless I misplace the entire block.

string piecing the block pieces

I am not sure if I will sew more before Wednesday, but if I do the blocks are read to go. I just need to press the seams and sew them together. If not they are all set in a zip lock bag awaiting my return.

The finally diversion for the weekend was having my lovely granddaughter over. She started a tumbler quilt many months ago and decided she wanted to get it pieced before I went into the hospital. She did everything: picking fabrics, cutting pieces, sewing, etc. We plan to take it to the Loveland Quilt Workshop when I am able, so she can experience the quilting process. Here is her quilt.

Here she is working away, always with a smile.

Just having sew much fun!

I was not able to get time at the longarm machine this week, so I will have a stack of tops to quilt when my immune system allows me to get out and about. You can bet that Jana's will be one of the first.

Everyone take care, and have fun piecing. I'll be back around March first, God willing.

Joyful, Joyful Alliertare Revisited Complete

Last post I mentioned I was working on Allietare and had decided to make some design changes. Frankly I was just tired of piecing and could not face a few hundred half square triangles, so I replaced one pieced unit with a 3 1/2 inch square. I wasn't in the mood for setting triangles either so I decided to alternate the blocks rather than place them as Bonnie had in the pattern. I also made the quilt a square, rather than rectangle.  Oh, I was so bold....lol...and I am very happy with the way it turned out. And I am so happy she does not mind us making the modifications to suit our needs. I'm calling my quilt Allietare Revisited.

Close up of blocks.

The transition was not without problems. Because of how I pressed my blocks (toward the dark) some of the seams did not nest. This left me with a few less than perfect points. Despite that I am really happy with how it turned out.

I debated one or two borders but decided on one red, basically because it was what I had the most of.  I plan on using  black as a binding, and have a neutral with black backing. I am so very pleased with how this little gamble turned out. I plan to gift this quilt and am sure the recipient will be tickled with it.

Finished top-to be quilted

 

On another note, the doctors where successful in collecting stem cells for my stem cell transplant. I will be admitted on Feb 8th and be in the hospital two to three weeks.

I am hoping to get an appointment to quilt this week. Perhaps someone will no show or not need the entire day to quilt. Although I have three other quilts to be quilted this one is my priority and since I like to use simple quilt designs it should go pretty quick. If I can get it quilted and the binding machine sewn I can do the hand stitching as I recover. I am repeating myself, but this quilt is making me so happy. I think partly that is because I had the fabric but never got to start it because I was diagnosed with the Multiple Myeloma in 2015 right as the mystery started. It feels like a real accomplishment to have it done, and to get it quilted will be "better than sliced bread". It like this quilt and I have been on a journey together.

Although I will be out of commission for nearly a month I do have my fabric selected and set aside for my next project. Last post I showed some of my fabrics for Lady of Lake Erie. Here are a few new neutrals I purchased. I know I really did not NEED them. But I wanted the quilt fabrics to reflect Lake Erie and was delighted to find these fabrics.

Not sure about this one. It is kind of big, but might work in the border.

Don't you just love the nautical prints?

Here is another picture of the blues and the pattern.

May decide to leave out the grey.

It takes 100 blocks for the queen size of this quilt. I figured it will keep me busy and I can just do a block or two at a time as I recover. Even if I don't feel up to sewing when I get home I can cut or just pet my fabric till I feel better. 


Thanks for checking in and happy piecing.

En Provence completed. Time to revisit Allietare.

It's done!  All the piecing is done anyway. Obviously it still needs to be quilted. It may be a few months before that happens. For now it is safely tucked away in it's bin. I am looking at backings. I am considering a lavender. I also like the dark purple, but worry a little about fading.

There is one quilt in front of En Provence. Once that is quilted En Provence will be completed. I need to rent time at the LQS and they have a pretty full calendar.

This is not the best picture, but I am loving this quilt pattern. I especially like that border of four patches. I would have never thought of that myself.

I admire how many of those doing the quilt made modifications to the pattern to suit themselves. This is not something I've done in the past. Oh I've changed colors, but never really changed the pattern. I was please to see Bonnie Hunter post on her blog that she is okay with that and that she enjoys seeing the ways quilters have modified her design. I kept that in mind as I got back to piecing Allietare.

I've been working on Allietare along with En Provence. I have to admit I need a break from complicated piecing so, inspired by other quilters, I decided to make some changes.

First let me share about the battle of the greys. Bonnie used a constant for her grey and I have been auditioning these for some time.

Battle of the greys

I finally decided on the solid grey because it was...well....solid. I thought it would keep the blocks from looking too busy.

However along the way I got tired. I kept looking at the pattern for the second block and decided I did not want to do all those half square triangles( a few hundred) I decided to use a 3 1/2 inch square in it's place. I auditioned both greys again and this time decided to go with the floral. I chose it for several reasons. First when I tried the solid grey it did not look very joyful to me. It fact it looked bland. I think the floral adds some movement and color. (as Bonnie's block was grey and white with black). This is what I came up with.

I also decided I did not want to layout the blocks on an angle, and no setting triangles. I guess the best way to explain it is I'm trying to keep it simple.

This is the new layout. Not all the blocks are pieced, but you can get an idea of what this should look like.

Allietare Revisted

I like how the floral blocks work in the quilt. I think the gold ties into the yellow/gold of the other blocks. Did you notice that another four patch forms where the blocks come together. Purely by accident. I still have seven blocks to completed before I layout the quilt and sew the blocks together. I am thinking of a thin red border and then a little wider black border.

I'm in no rush, so I have no idea when it will be finished. At this point I'm going through what they call mobilization.  This is a process to help me get ready for harvesting my stem cells for transplantation. Last time it was a bust, so hopefully things will go better this time.

Just taking it a day at a time. Happy piecing everyone.

En Provence, Half Way There.

I have been taking it easy and trying to make as few mistakes as possible on this quilt. And when I make one I fix it. I am surely not the speediest, but I am getting there.

I want to thank whoever posted the idea of putting this quilt together in quarters. It really does make it easier to handle and there is a sense of accomplishment as each section comes together. I have completed half of the quilt and have the 3rd quarter together, with the exception of the borders.

Half finished except for outer border

I am saving the outside border until I have the entire quilt together. This is to be sure I have a nice balance in the neutrals. Many of the neutral blocks have a pearly lavender fabric and I want that to be distributed through out the quilt. Waiting till the end for the last border allows me to be sure that happens.

I have limited diversity in my greens, but I have fabric that has lots diversity in the design. This example illustrates what I mean.

One of my greens

As you can see when it's cut there are many options and from end to end it does not looks like the same fabric. I love this kind of fabric.  Although I had limited fabrics I am okay with how it turned out.

Using my greens

I also dug into my stash and found a few more neutrals to add. I had no idea I had this many neutrals, and I did not even touch the creamy neutrals. I loved the paw prints and the fur (second from top). I tried to use these with blocks that have cats.

new neutrals

Working with a quarter of the quilt really works with my process. I may have mentioned in the past, for the most part I don't do production sewing. I like to kit up sections and work through those, finishing one piece or section at a time. This is my 3rd quarter without the sashes. You know I even like this layout. Wouldn't they make neat old fashion Christmas ornaments?

3rd quarter of quilt

Next I kitted up the sashing units. I'll piece them together, attach them to the blocks, and then piece together the last four blocks together. Another quarter will be done.

sashing kits

Hopefully I'll have this all done before Bonnie's next link-up. I'm feeling pretty optimistic. My healthy and energy is holding up. I'm taking my time and doing pretty good; seams are nesting nicely and only a few pieces have been sewn upside down. I'm trying to do quality checks at each step so I can catch miss sews early, and correct them.

I'm am really enjoying this process and seeing what everyone else is doing. There are many interpretations of the quilts, as quilters added their own creativity to Bonnie's pattern. Check out the link to see everyone's posts. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2017/01/mystery-monday-link-up-part-6-7.html.

My plan, which I always pursue lightly, is to have the quilt together by the weekend. Next week I will work on the outer border, and order wide backing. I'm not sure what color or pattern I want to use. I guess I'll have to do some browsing to find just the right fabric.

Last step is to schedule some time with the long arm machine at Loveland Quilt Studio.
My brain is already steps ahead. Allietare is still a work in progress. I have also had my eye on Crisscross Applesauce and Lady of Lady Erie, two other of Bonnie's patterns. That should keep me busy for a while, and reduce my stash a little too.

EnProvence Part 4 and more

It's been a busy week, so I'm glad that the clue for Part 4 is easy. I am actually starting to enjoy these tri-rec rulers. I think I've got it, althought I still am not doing it assembly line like Bonnie does. I'm doing one unit at a time.  I'm not in a hurry and like to see each unit to completion before going on to the next. I love how the units are matching where the corners come together. And I am glad I went fairly scrappy for this one. I need to find a way to use this block in another quilt. I am thinking just add some gold and green and it would have a New Orleans flair.

Pretty Purples

I was able to finish all the units on the first day. This is a sample.

Sample of units.

Click on this link to see everyones progress: http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2016/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-4.html . Everyone is doing such amazing work.

In past posts I shared I am also working on Alliertare. I only finished five blocks last week. Another six are partially together. I had hoped to finish them today. Unfortunately my husband put some sealer on one of his woodworking projects. The entire back of the basement smells awful. No sewing today.

I decided to go ahead and kit up some of the secondary blocks for Alliertare. Bonnie calls this the Echoes of Pisa Block.

I need to cut the two inch squares for the corners of the red rectangles. I am loving the colors of this quilt. I've thought about making another in Christmas fabric once this and En Provence is completed.

The unit on the bottom right is what I am kitting up now. I am skipping the half square triangles unit on the left for  now. I probably won't get to them until after the first of the year.  I am guessing with this Friday's clue and Christmas there may not be time for much extra sewing.

The best news for last. The last bone marrow I had done showed no Myeloma. I am officially in remission. The last series of chemo has taken it's toll and it has only been since Monday that my counts are out of the critcal numbers and I am able to get out and socialize "with caution". This means Christmas plans with family are on. It will just be a small gathering,  less than a dozen. It will be so nice to have everyone together.

I still need a stem cell transplant, so things stay in remission. The counts are still not high enough to collect stem cells. The doctor feels optimistic after the first we will get there.   For now I am enjoying my blessings. Merry Christmas everyone. Can't wait to see what Bonnie has cooked up for us this coming Friday.                    

Lemons, Lemonade and En Provence-Step 2-

It's been a week of good and not so good, lemons and lemonade. First the doctor says my immune system, blood, platelets are too low to attempt a stem cell collection. If things work out and my numbers recover they may try to collect them around Christmas. The good news is I will be home for the holidays, with family and able to complete the current mystery. At the very least I will be able to get all the steps/lessons printed so I can continue to work on it until I can complete it. So much better than last year when I spent nearly three weeks in the hospital, including Christmas and New Years. No Mystery Quilt for 2015.

Fortunately to date the En Provence steps have been fairly easy to complete. As of this writing I only have 10 units to do on step II. There should be no problems getting them done, and I will have plenty of time during the week to work on Allietare.

I have never been a fan of the Tri-Rec ruler. That's because it's been a challenge to get it right. I've made progress with this tool since I first used it on Celtic Solstice.  This is the fourth project using it. I still have not achieved perfection. Who gets it right 100%? Not me.

What I do love is the magenta constant used in this unit.  I think adds a spark to this quilt and I am very curious to see how this unit will be used in the quilt. My magenta?  My selection is not exactly magenta, but it does work well with the fabrics in my stash. It's a Moda Grunge.  I have to admit that I absolutely love Moda Grunge.   You can't tell from the picture below, but some of the darker areas are actually purple. It should play well with the  purples in the quilt.

Moda grunge -my constant

I used some different neutrals in Step II, and left some of those from Step I out. I decided I wanted fabrics with a nature feel to them, so made the switch as shown below.

Step II

Once I finish this step I plan to spend the rest of the week working on Allietare.  I have made  kits for the Allietare stars.  These are the fabric selections.

So far I have only completed two blocks. I am hoping to do a block per day. Or at least one every other day. This first block is fairly simple. I think I need 30. They should go together without too much trouble.   However the next block is more involved and may take more time. For now it is keeping me busy between steps. If the En Provence steps become more difficult Allietare will take the back seat. After all the fabric sat in a bin for a year, another month or so won't matter. These are the two I have complete. I'm really loving the one with the floral center.

Did you every see something you didn't NEED, but just really HAD to have? That happened to me last week. I've been collecting Department 56 New England Village houses for decades. I have about a dozen, and most were purchased for sentimental reasons. For example, my maiden name is Bowman. They happened to have a Bowman's Fiddle Shop, and my granddad played a fiddle. My mom's name is Dorothy, so I purchased Dorothy's Skate House. My husband loves to work with wood, so I have Otter Creek Sawmill. He likes to fish, so we have the fish cannery. You get the idea.   This year part of the collection is on our living room mantel. This isn't a very good picture, but it gives you an idea. These are the city houses. I have another set up, country/seaside, on my mantel in our family room.

So when I was browsing Amazon and came across this quilt shop I HAD to purchase it. Isn't it adorable? Don't you just love those quilts hanging over the railings? It's installed in it's place (3rd from the right side on the mantel).

 Can't wait to see everyone's progress on Bonnie's link-up tonight. Happy piecing everyone. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2016/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-2.html

Calico Quilt Shop

En Provence- Part 1 Bonnie Hunter Mystery

Well we are off to a great start on the new Bonnie Hunter - Quiltville Mystery, En Provence. Here is the link. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/en-provence-mystery.html. You will find all the information you need to join the journey. Don't be intimidated, join in on the fun.

 Bonnie promised a beginning without the need for the specialty rulers. I had a suspicion that this step might be a four patch. I was right, which does not happen very often. Part one requires 221 four patches.  I had a neutral that is  pearl/lavender that I used in about half of my blocks. Here are some samples.

Samples of completed blocks

I realize that my four patches are fairly close in tone compared to some. I am going with what I have, but did eliminate some creams I initially pulled from my stash, as they where too close to my yellows. I think when sewn together there will be enough variety to add interest and depth, but nothing that will shout out "here I am". I still have 50 four patches to do and these are the fabrics I plan to use.

2 inch strips of neutrals

More neutrals

It's hard to tell from the picture but the fabric in front lower pictures is the lavender/pearl fabric. I don't know how this fabrics will play with the other fabrics in the quilt, but I am hoping that it works, especially if it is next to a purple or lavender in the quilt. I will just have to wait till we get to those colors to find out. I still have about a quarter yard left that I can use in other blocks if a neutral is needed.

I have the strips for my last 50 units cut. I only need to cut them into 2 inch units and sew them together to create the four patch. I have the rest of the week to finish, so I am pretty confident that I will complete this step.

Tomorrow is another day and another doctor appointment. I'll find out what the plan is to collect those elusive stem cells. I'm sure I'll be home to do the upcoming clue at least.

In the meantime I am on Christmas over drive. My cards are sent, most presents are bought and wrapped and I am making good progress toward getting the rest of the Christmas decorations done.

Christmas tree in great room.

The cat loves the tree, especially sleeping under it. He has not really bothered the tree or any ornaments, so far. A second smaller tree goes in the dining room today. It's amazing what you can get done when you are retired.

Coming next: Part II

Baby it's cold outside, so lets sew, sew, sew

What a difference. It was 78 a few days ago and 32 today, brrr. I can't say I am happy about this, but  I'm taking advantage and catching up on a few projects.

Since my last post I have completed the Paper Dolls top.  I guess I am just not that adventurous and decided to go with the simple border. I will use the wilder fabric as my backing.

Paper Dolls

This pattern was fun to make and actually goes together quickly. I think it would make a great Christmas quilt. Can't you just see the Paper Dolls decked out in their holiday attire?

The next project that is near completion is an old Bonnie Hunter leader/ender quilt top, called spools. I am not usually one to have UFO, but this got stuck away, and abandoned  a while ago. I came across it last week and decided to finish it. The rows still need to be sewn together. That is my project for today, plus the border. I have another row, but somehow the blocks are slightly larger, about a half inch. I may just leave those out. Once I decide about the larger blocks I will add a black border.

Border fabric

Spools

As you can see it is currently a square quilt.  I am seriously considering just adding a border and calling it a day. I think it would make a great wall hanging.

Lastly I am gathering my fabric for Bonnie Hunter's upcoming Mystery Quilt , En Provence. Here is the link. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/en-provence-mystery.html
I am using her colors this year: purple, lavender, yellow, green, magenta and neutrals.

Purples and a nice grunge for the magenta

Lavenders and yellows

Neutrals

Should this be a purple or lavender?

Can't forget the greens.

A few friends mention I have such a positive outlook. I am a glass half full person, but also a realist.  I have to agree that starting a big project like En Provence is a leap of faith. Last year I was so excited to do Bonnie's mystery. Life had other ideas and I spent the holiday's in the hospital. That quilt is still on my to do list and the fabric still in it's bin. As I looked through my fabric I realized I did not print out step one. I will purchase the on-line pattern, but I took that as a sign I should move forward, rather than play catch up with last year's mystery.

I decided to put En Provence at the head of my list. I love the colors. It should be such fun! I know I'll at least get the first few steps done. I'm still fighting my Multiple Myeloma. The stem cell transplant was delayed, as they could not collect enough of my stem cells to proceed. I've had a little rest, and hopefully we will be successful in collecting my stem cells and proceeding with the transplant before the end of the year. In the mean time I plan to sew, sew, sew. And if I end up in the hospital again this holiday, I will be sure to print ALL of the instructions before they are taken down.

So my next post, God willing, will be of En Provence.

A guy who knows how to relax!