New Things to Ponder

 

The kaleidoscope quilt top is done!

Don't look too close, a few of the points / intersection are off. But I spent so much time with Jack the Ripper last week that I just didn't have it in me to take apart more...okay, maybe I did fix a few. It is currently 45 inches square. I don't plan on adding any more borders. Now I have to figure out how I'm going to quilt it. I have some ideas but the big question is thread color. Should I use a monofilament thread (I hate quilting with it) or lots of color changes, maybe a gray in the center and a dark teal in the background? What do you think?

The quilt doesn't use a lot of fabric but it sure does waste a lot. This is the pile of left over scraps. I have several 10 inch plus strip set pieces leftover. Plus all the parts I took out and the pieces of background I cut wrong.

Any ideas on what to do? I don't want to throw it out. Not that I would, I don't throw out anything fabric related.

I've spent the last two nights cleaning up my 2021 scraps - the bin is almost empty. I need to find a good leader-ender project for my 5 inch squares and 2.5 x 5 inch rectangles. And my 2.5 inch strips...and my 2 inch strips...and my 5 inch strips...

Linking to Needle and Thread Thursday.

Still Thinking About It

 

 Well I made some progress on the Kaleidoscope quilt and then stalled out again, a couple of times. First I decided that I was going to make the background all one fabric. Second I decided I didn't like the roundness of the kaleidoscope so I unsewed and changed out a couple of the segments. This is the current status:

I really like this shape and the added touch of yellow on all the tips. But I still feel like it needs something else. Playing around I kinda sorta like both of these corner ideas.

And I kinda sorta don't like them. I'll probably stare at it for another week and hopefully figure out what's next.

Want to see my leader-ender project while I was putting the Kaleidoscope project together?

Rookie Vibe by Sandy Gervais is a quick, easy, and fun to make quilt. It could easily be made in a day.

I still need to machine applique the little bird but I wanted to show a close up so you could see the background fabric I used. The quilt is made with 6 fat quarters and a background fabric. I used what I thought were the ugly dull prefect fat quarters from the Prim bundle. I love how this little quilt turned out - not ugly or dull at all.

My First 2022 Finish

 

AND my second and third finishes.

First was the guild Mischief Makers Challenge, the little gingham quilt.

I dug out my Bernina and its wonderful walking foot and echo quilted. I love how this turned out. I don't think I can give it away....soooo...

My second finish:

From the scraps of the first. This mug rug was fun to make. Again I don't know if I can give it away. I have a few other red and white project ideas. I still have 4 weeks before the exchange. Hopefully by then I'll make something I'm willing to give away. ;o)

Third finish:

No, I am not showing the same quilt twice. This is 3 of 3 (horrible name, oh well). I finished it exactly like 2 of 3. Both quilts have already been donated.

I am getting close to deciding on a border for the Kool Kaleidoscope quilt. While I've been staring at it and staring at it I went back to my not very local quilt shop to get more fabric - none of the left overs were big enough for a border and at the time I still had no clue. 

I also started a new quilt. This should be quick. The pattern is from the Moda All-Stars Two, Four, Six, Eight Fat-Quarter Quilts book, it is Rookie Vibe by Sandy Gervais.

I'm using the left over fat quarters and scraps from the Lori Holt Prim bundle I purchased a few years ago.

It has been COLD here! Maybe not as cold as the east coast, but cold enough that if I can't find Bella in one of her usual haunts I know to start looking for a large lump under quilts.

Kool Kaleidoscope

 I've been in the mood to sew and got a bit done this past week. 

My Kool Kaleidoscope quilt is ready for borders but I have no idea how I want to finish it. 

I really like the very center, the outer portion is kinda funky - I didn't get enough of an angle on the fabric strips. I can't sew the center together until I make a border decision. I have a few ideas and will probably waste a bit of fabric auditioning ideas.  It is definitely the ultimate mystery and almost impossible to plan. I think, if I make another one, I'll use fewer fabrics and fewer colors. It is an interesting and fun process. Also surprisingly easy.

I picked up a guild community service quilt kit the last time I attended. The kit included already made blocks, border fabric and backing fabric. I finished the top yesterday and got the back made today.

I'll quilt it later this week.

Every other month the guild has a Mischief Makers Challenge - I always debate about participating but the last two have been fun. February's is to make something red and white, it has to be sewn, can be holiday related, no florals, and no pink. It will be a exchange, you take one and get a different one. I really debated about doing this one (also wasn't sure what to make) but decided to go ahead. 

I've been wanting to make a gingham or buffalo plaid quilt for a white. This will finish at 17 inches square. Really easy to make. Took about 3 hours this afternoon start to finish. I'll also quilt it later this week.

Hopefully the good sewing mood will continue cause I have lots to do and am serious thinking about chasing a squirrel ;o)

Hello 2022!

 I hope everyone had  a safe and sane New Year's Eve. We didn't get all of the snow that was predicted but we did get a bit. Today it has rained all day, another good day to sew.

Everyone is doing a recap of 2021, I'm going to also, but first let's recap last week. Did I get all my quilting done? HA! Not even close.

I did finish the rails quilt. 

This is a small quilt 37 x 48. I didn't quilt anything fancy. Stitched in the ditch around the blocks and machined sewed the front and back of the binding. I'll donate it in a couple of weeks.

Then I decided to quilt the green diamond, my second oldest quilt top. I just couldn't decide what to quilt so I started with in the ditch around the green diamonds. 

OMG!!

As I told Rose: Do not ever, never ever, avoid it like the plague, use high loft polyester batting. Quilting it is horrible! I fought it for two days and gave up. It also didn't help that my walking foot was doing more jumping and skipping than walking. :o( All the in the ditch is done. I'll probably free motion quilt a bit in the border, but not as much as I really should do. I'll get out the Bernina so I can use its walking foot to sew on the binding. I think I'll have to sew one side down before I trim it. That stuff also snags on everything. I'm taking it as a lesson learned and Bella will get a new bed.

She kept trying to claim it while I was attempting to quilt it. I just looked at the quilt again and maybe I'm being a little melodramatic. Maybe. I'll give the quilt another chance this week.

Next let's recap my 2021 UFO Challenge list...that I'm very happy with, of the 12 items listed 9 were either finished or significant progress was made. I turned my oldest 20 year old UFO into a quilt top! And quilted my oldest quilt top. Definitely a win.

I really liked participating in the UFO Challenge. It allowed me to not stress or even think about an old project until it's number came up. I've already made my 2022 UFO Challenge list and only found 11 UFOs so number 12 is "free month".  Hehehehe, guess which number came up first? Yup, 12. I swear I had my list made before they chose the number. That means I get to work on anything I want this month. Yippee!! I'll talk more on that in a minute.

The last recap is my UFOs/WIPs spreadsheet. I've been working on an annual spreadsheet of my UFOs/WIPs for a couple of years now and this is also helping me focus and manage my projects and their progress. I didn't think I accomplished much last year until I looked at the numbers.

Not the most readable screenshot but up at the top it says I started the year with 11 UFOs/WIPs and 16 tops that need to be quilted. 

It also says I ended the year with 11 UFOs/WIPs, 13 tops that need to be quilted, and drum roll please....36 completed projects! 18 of the 36 were donation quilts. Not all the projects were quilts, but if I sewed on it, I included it.

Now on to 2022. This month's UFO Challenge free month is the perfect start for the year. I have decided 2022 is going to be a guilt free year. With the exception of my monthly UFO Challenge projects I am going to work on whatever I want. I am not going to feel guilty about unused scraps or really old fabric/kits or making a donation quilt every month. I going to work on whatever I want and chase as many squirrels as I want. I'll still track everything on my spreadsheet, and if a project isn't finished it will probably end up on next years UFO Challenge list, but that is okay. I want to enjoy the time I'm spending quilting, not avoid it like a chore.

My first project for the year is Ricky Tims' Kool Kaleidoscope. I have my fabric cut and half the strip sets (Ricky calls them strata) are sewn.

He calls this the ultimate mystery quilt. I am so looking forward to seeing what mine will look like. 

Stay tuned, 2022 is gonna be fun.