Quilt Reveal: Cheddar Cheese and Crackers

Once upon a time, on January 13, 2010 to be exact, I started the Cheddar Cheese and Crackers quilt. This is what I had to say at that time:

I know I was going to finish African Circles before starting a new quilt . . . .

I know I said I was going to make circle banner quilts, or finish some UFOs, or at least start on one of the quilts that are already kitted up and not started. . . .

But I also said that I was going to take advantage of little projects when they called to me. And Lori at Humble Quilts is making a doll quilt called Cheddar Cheese and Crackers. It's a doll quilt, how long can it take?

This post had me laughing out loud. Yes, I actually said that. I'm sure I said it tongue in cheek since I did know by then that quilts can take a long time. I'm pretty sure though that I didn't think it would would take six years.

The post also shows that I haven't changed at all, because so many quilts, in various stages of completion and ones that have never been started are still floating around in my head, as you can tell from my last two posts. 

Cheddar Cheese and Crackers is finished now.  Let's give it some love, shall we?

Each of the pieces in the checkerboard are one inch finished.  The light spaces have been hand quilted diagonally in both directions. Some of them have been made to practice making small stitches, others to practice consistent stitches, and the rest of them to just get 'er done.

I gave this reproduction quilt a modern take by using batik prints for the checkerboard.  There are a variety of different batik prints but they look pretty similar in this quilt.  The light background crackers and the cheddar fabrics honor the pattern's roots.

Each of the cheese slices have a different circular design hand quilted on it. My affinity for circles has deep roots.

I used a triangle for a label.  The quilt finishes at 22" x 22" It is a beautiful day outside so I was able to go outside without a coat (in February! It's 60 degrees!) for these photographs.

I called it a doll quilt in 2010, and I was thinking that it was really too big to be a doll quilt, but Amanda says it is just the right size for her. The wind posed this picture.

Linked to:
Let's Bee Social #110 
Wandering Camera February 2016
because I practiced my photography skills finding different places to show off this quilt. Throwback Thursday because this is an old quilt as well as a new quilt at the same time!

Sunday Circles

The cross hatching of all the background on Cheese and Crackers is finished.  There are 12 feature squares that I am quilting circles on, and six of those are done.  I only do one a day, but since there are more than six days left in the month, I should be able to get the quilting done by then, and maybe even the binding.  We'll see how my wrist holds up.

The daily work on Cheese and Crackers has kept me from doing daily work on Quilty 365 Circles. I have been making a few circles, but have fallen behind.  Today, I will be making more to catch up, so this project can finish in a year.  After all, the closer to the day the circle was due, the more similar the fabric / weather, mood situation. It's no pressure;  I'll make circles until I don't want to make any more.

Let me show you the circles I have made.

The bird is for our first real snowfall of the winter. I thought the blue reflected the coldness.

The polka dotted fabrics are leftovers from the Dog Gone Cute quilt.

During a walk, I saw two oranges in the snow by a trash can. I liked the contrast between the white and the orange and decided to recreate that.

The pink is just a tiny scrap I found on the sewing room floor and decided it was just the right size to use for a circle.

I was given a bunch of blue shirts and am trying to think of a quilt I can make with them.  In the meantime, I made the four circles from one of them.

And while I was at it, I made a leftover of two of the four circles into another block.

The snowman is leftover fabric from the Winter Scene quilt. We didn't get any snow during the storm but I have friends who did.

I do have some more circles prepped and will show them after they have been sewn down. To see more circles, just click on Quilty Project 365 in the labels below this post or in the sidebar. Or click the Quilty 365 button to see how other quilters are interpreting this circle a day project.

Next Item to Finish

The next item I have decided to work on is this quilt. It is already sandwiched and I've hand quilted about 3/4ths of it. I've even made the binding, so finishing it up shouldn't take too long.  Wanda says I have until the end of the month to get it done. 

It is Moldy Cheese and Crackers. I'm not going to show you the front now so there will be a little bit of suspense at the finish, but if you look back on my blog, I'm sure you will be able to see what it looks like.

I have decided I am not going to over-analyze which quilt I will work on next. Just grab the first one and get it done.  I like doing the ones that are already sandwiched though, because they will make a bigger impact in clearing the space and because I have run out of usable safety pins, and if I work on quilts that are using them, I will be able to finally get them back. I have plenty of safety pins, so I'm not buying any new ones!

Next Project

Now that I have finished the Celebrate quilt, I am free to work on another one.  I am trying very hard not to start a new project, and stay focused on completing some old ones.  I have many projects in the works, and several kits that are ready to start.  There are several quiltalongs and other available projects that are distracting me, but I think I will be able to finish some current projects without starting anything new.

I don't have a leader and ender project ready, and there are a couple of projects that sound interesting to me - the warm/cool quilt, and the leggo quilt.  Both would work great, but it does feel like I would be starting a new project. I have fabric that would work wonderfully for the cool part of the warm/cool quilt, but they are designated for another quilt.  I'll have to think about whether I want to repurpose them, since that would also involve finding some warm fabrics as well. I might just go with the leggo quilt to start, since I can use up the leftover scraps.

I think for now, I will work on quilts that don't require the sewing machine.  I am handquilting the moldy crackers quilt.  (yes this is an old picture, there has been more progress made during the year).  This way I can have projects move forward, and after a while, I will start cutting the strips for the leggo quilt.

The other issue I have is to take my time and not rush through the current quilts so I can get on to new ones.It is so much fun to start a new project!

2010 Recap

Even though I wasn't working two jobs, like I did last year, the first half of the year kept me very busy at work, to a point where my mother was helping me with lunches and cleaning.  In the summer, we hosted a Japanese student. Then things slowed down and I was able to finish some quilts. I also reviewed several books for some companies who were willing to send me complimentary copies of their books in exchange for the review. I also did a great deal of genealogy research.

This year I decided to show not just the finishes, but quilty things I have worked on. It makes the recap look better because there is more stuff on it, and it also gives you a better idea of what I have been doing in 2010. Here they are, in no particular order.

The snowflake coasters were my latest little project. I am keeping these for myself. I also turned a couple into ornaments for the tree.

I made these tissue holders as holiday gifts.

This vase was a project that was abandoned before this year, but finished in October 2010.

Four of five quilts I made for the Quilts for Kids charity. The fifth one looked like the red black and white one, with panda bears on it, and was done in 2009. This charity took a great deal of my time in 2010, but apparently I did have enough time to have other finishes as well.

This is the very first oil painting I made. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to paint with my family. I have it sitting on the book, so you can see the inspiration on the right. The color of the water was actually mostly from the turpentine that we were using to clean our brushes.

The pirate map is an unfinished project for 2010. Our Japanese guest helped with some of the motifs.


The little flag wall hanging was started and finished in 2010. It was simple to make, but I am particularly proud of it because of the quote quilted on it.



This is a sample block I made for a big idea I had. The idea will work, once I get started on it. I tried to finish this block into a project, but it didn't work well. I am hoping that like the vase, I will manage to finish it at a later date.



Since joining Kathleen Tracy's small quilt yahoo group, I have been tempted many times with these little quilts. They are really fun to make. In this one, I limited myself to one small scrap box, to give myself the challenge that people in olden days would have had.  I particularly liked using scraps for this one, and remembering where each one came from.

The African Circles quilt was my first project I started and finished in 2010. It was my goal to finish everything I started this year. It hasn't completely come true, but I have made great strides. And I gave myself permission to simply play - like with the red and white kaleidoscope block and the blue and white blocks below. They were never part of a project, and a great start to an orphan block quilt.

One of these blocks started out as a beginning of Kate's round robin. I still want to do the round robin, but the block, and the additional ones I made are now part of the orphan block collection. I will probably make a small quilt out of these.  I think it is amazing at how the same basic shape can look so completely different based on how it is put together.

The Cheddar Cheese and Crackers was started early in the year, and is a work in progress. It is a pattern by Lori from Humble Quilts. It is being hand quilted. The cheddar fabric isn't playing nicely and isn't laying flat, so it has me worried, but hopefully I will be able to quilt it into submission. It has taught me that I am not capable of hand quilting a big project though!

This is my last finish for 2010. I like this one the best of all the quilts I worked on this year.

The Simply Squares quilt was an impulse quilt made from newly purchased fabric. The top is made.  I was going to try to finish this one for 2010 as well, but I think my quilts look quite impressive for the year, so I won't stress myself out trying to finish it this year.

Quilting Continues

I finished quilting the first of three Quilt for Kids I have remaining. I'm going to take the backing and pull it to the front to bind.  This is the first time I've done this, so wish me luck!

I ran out of thread - both the bobbin and the spool at the same time!  It was also a good time to clean the machine.  I had to switch colors, but I don't think the color difference (light green, beige) is that obvious.

The photo is of my Moldy Cheese quilt.  The pattern is drafted by Lori and she called it Cheese and Crackers.  I changed it a lot, because I put in the little green squares without organizing them by colors, I took out the half blocks and added a row of checkerboard for a border.  I am hand quilting it.  I think I am going to quilt sunflowers in the cheddar, so even though the quilt is nicknamed Moldy Cheese, it might have a more pleasant formal name.

Quilting Content!

This is an old picture.  The half blocks have been replaced by another row of checkerboard for a while.

I know, it's been a while since I've picked up needle or thread.  First, I stored it all away to make it look to our guest that we know how to clean.  Then I was afraid to open up the treasure box, because I still had lots of cleaning and fixing up around the house to do.  As long as that box stays closed, the to-do list stays smaller.  The quilts stay as one line item, instead of each quilt getting its own line.  It is like that expand button on the computer - better to not hit that triangle so it looks like a small list.

I've been trying to catch up on my blog reading, which always makes me dream of new projects, which always reminds me of unfinished projects.  I want to make the Strawberry Fields Lori made way back in May, and its already month two of the stay at home round robin Kate has going on.  When I thought about pulling fabric for those, I felt guilty about all the stuff that has already been started. 

So yesterday, I finally relented, and opened up the treasure box, and my first reaction was uggh, really these are the things I have to finish.  It didn't seem like a treasure at all.  I apparently have been itching to do some hand stitching, so I have picked up the Moldy Crackers quilt and am now working on doing the hand quilting.  It is a start, a very slow start at that, but the treasure box has been opened, and hopefully that means that there will be more quilty content on my blog in the future.

Quiltathon 2 Update

I'm sure you were all waiting with baited breath to find out whether I was able to increase the number of quilts I worked on this past weekend compared to the weekend before. Let's see, let's count them.

1. Lizard Quilts for Kids - I added the other two inner borders
2. Spiderweb - I created a plan for finishing it, and got out the supplies I needed
3. Sports Quilts for Kids - I added the other two inner borders
4. Monkeys Quilts for Kids - I put the top together - need to add borders
5. Moldy Cheese and Crackers - I added the last border
6. Rail Fence - I used this as my Leaders and Enders
7. Optical Illusion - I didn't do anything on this quilt this week
8. Flag - when I was looking at the leftover strips from spiderweb sample, they looked awfully familiar. I decided to use them up to make a flag. I'm not really starting a new project - it was already started last week, I just didn't know it yet.
9. Album Quilt - stayed in the drawer
10. Jane Stickle Quilt - I pulled out fabric, but I didn't do anything else on it

I think overall, it means I did 7 this weekend, but since I did 7 last weekend too, I didn't add to the count.

because it was Mother's Day and we went to the Park of Roses and an Oriental grocery store.

Quilting Retreat

I decided to work on just in time inventory at work. I need to prepare packets for the supervisors, but if I work fast enough, I will be able to stay a step ahead of the supervisors, and have each packet ready when they are ready for it. This means I will be really busy tomorrow. It will be extra stress, because I am not used to cutting it that close. I hope my allergies give me a break.

But it also means that I can take the weekend off!

I didn't plan any of it, but it turned out to be a nice quilting retreat weekend. It rained, so I couldn't mow the lawn. And my mother has been providing regular meals, so I don't have to prepare lunches either!

I sat at the sewing machine, and sewed the rows together for the last Quilts for Kids. Since the iron is upstairs, I decided to set it aside, and figure out what else needed sewn. I added the two inner border sides on the other Quilts for Kids quilt. And then the same thing to the next one. Set those aside for pressing.

Then I started sewing strips for the sample of the optical illusion quilt. Maybe if I work it in, in between all the other quilts, the Quilt Police won't notice that I started yet another quilt. Set that aside for pressing.

I then worked on adding the revised borders for the Moldy Cheese and Crackers quilt. It isn't easy to do that one, since I already have that one sandwiched and part of it quilted, but I had already done the unsewing, so I just needed to add the borders. Each quilt wound up being a leader and ender. Is it possible to just sew assembly line? Yes it is, if you work on five quilts at a time.

I thought about making a Dear Jane block, but I thought you would have thought I have really gone off the deep end. That, and the fabric needs to be washed, and if I wash that, I would have to do the laundry!

It was good timing for the Cheese and Crackers quilt though, because it turns out that Lori is starting another quilt.

As I was pressing my parts and pieces, I also pressed the fabric for the Optical Illusion quilt. That makes 6 quilts I was working on, but I won't tell anyone if you won't.

First Medals Awarded!

2010 Quilting Games

I also started the competition for the 2010 Quilting Games. I am competing in all of the categories:

• Go back and Label a Quilt
• Work on a UFO
• Organize your Sewing Space
• Expand your Knowledge
• Try a New Technique
• Reach Out and Perform An Act of Quilty Kindness - comment on a blog or mail a postcard

Yesterday, I expanded my knowledge by trying to catch up on my blog reading. I have a huge list, and there are so many wonderful ideas out there. I did the short program for the Reach Out and Perform An Act of Quilty Kindness by trying to comment on the blogs I read - have to do more of that to win an medal.

I also participated in the Try a New Technique by trying to hand quilt my Moldy Crackers doll quilt, formerly known as Cheddar Cheese and Crackers. I have done some hand quilting on a muslin square that I made in a class (I made a pillow out of it), but I haven't ever done a real quilt. I kept debating between machine and hand quilting. I didn't do a good job of making it, so machine quilting would make it go away faster. Plus there are lots of seams and batik. But it is an old fashioned design, and I used my cheddar fabric. I finally decided it was something I could do while watching the Olympics. Only it isn't going so well, because my quilt top doesn't lay flat before the quilting, and I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to quilt out the problems. I think the problem is the border, so I am going to take it out, and hopefully will be able to continue the hand quilting.

I've also started cutting out some applique shapes - I'll be using a new technique of sewing down the edges using a straight stitch instead of a zig zag.



I have started competing in the Winter 2010 GeneaBloggers Games.

I will be competing in all of the competition categories:

• Go Back and Cite Your Sources
• Back Up Your Data
• Organize Your Research
• Expand Your Knowledge
• Write, Write, Write
• Reach Out & Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness

Yesterday, I performed Genealogical Acts of Kindness by indexing 100 names in the 1910 Military Census. I think that's enough for a Medal in these games. I practiced a lot for this, as I have more than 3,000 names indexed now. I also expanded my knowledge by doing that, because I didn't even know there was a separate military census. I also watched a couple of history shows on television about African American History and Moroccan cooking. I am going to award myself a Medal for that one as well. I will probably do more of both events, and maybe get a different Medal, but I don't have to if I don't have time.

Both of these Games are great motivation to do something! I also spent a lot of time outside shoveling snow off my steps and driveway. I am giving myself a Gold Medal for that. Whether it is a brand new category or the Organize category in both games, I think I've definitely earned it.

Progress

It's been a colder and snowier winter than usual. It's not bad when you take it day by day, but the statistics make it seem just simply unbearable. Another Winter Weather Advisory, a Winter Storm Warming, a Level One Snow Emergency, lots of school and business closings. It's interesting to watch those closings - learn a lot about what I would have been missing if they hadn't been closed.

I've been more leery of driving in it this year than I was last year, when I was working two full time jobs, and didn't have time to watch the news. In fact I drove during a Level Two snow emergency and didn't even know it until I got to work. I just did what I had to do.

This year, with just one full time job, my schedule is more flexible, so I can take snow days off. Unfortunately, my daughter still has to go to work, and that means I have to drive during snow days. It is a short trip, and I don't want her to get in the habit of calling snow days off, so I do what I have to do. If I worked where she does, I would have avoided driving, and just walked there.

This weekend, my friend came again to work some more on her quilt. She is down to quilting the last two corners, and then she will be able to do the label and binding. Then on to the next quilt for her. I was able to finish the Cheddar Cheese and Crackers top. I'll show it to you when it is finished quilting. Hopefully, I'll get to that today.

A snow day is supposed to be fun, but I need to be working on filing my taxes and completing the FAFSA (college financial aid) form, so it doesn't seem like so much fun. That and cleaning. And snow shoveling, again.

How Many?

I had hoped to have finished the top of the doll quilt I am making, because other quilts are crying out their names to me. I am planning on hand quilting this, so as soon as the top is pieced and sandwiched, I will be able to move on to a UFO. Almost everybody else has already finished theirs without issue.

I am apparently numerically challenged, despite my career choices, probably because I was trying to count how many there are of each block by looking at the picture of the finished quilt, and I probably did it too fast and haphazardly. I have finished the sixteen patches (most of them anyway), and the triangle setting blocks. I didn't account for the eight patch blocks, so I've got some more sewing to do. This is not a big deal, I am enjoying the process.

It's a big culture shock from doing a raw edge casual project with few pieces to doing a small quilt with so many pieces, where scant quarter inch sewing matters. I had to sew many of the seams again to get closer to the tip to make my points sharper.

In case I make this quilt again, (when I'm done with all the other quilts that are calling my name) I thought I would write down the count here so I don't go through this again.

The directions are on Lori's blog. She was so sweet to do all the measurements for us and give us the directions. Her directions aren't wrong; I just happen to be making mine "easier", by using the same green fabrics in each block. Let's not debate the difference between blue and green, ok? We do that enough at home. The picture makes these look a lot more blue than they do here.


There are twelve of these blocks. The cheddar is cut 3 3/8 inch squares. The squares are 1 1/2 inches. You need 2 light squares and 2 dark squares for each block, so 24 of each. The triangles are cut 1 7/8 inch square. There are 24 of the light and 24 of the dark squares, then cut on the diagonal. It is tempting to count how many pieces there are overall in this quilt, but I should wait until I am done with the quilt. More of the same size squares (not the cheddar) will be needed for the border. More of the cheddar fabric is also needed for the border, just not that size.

There are 13 of the 16 patch blocks. The squares are cut 1 1/2 inches and can be strip pieced.



They are simply alternated. See the picture at the top of this post. My daughter was on the computer and I was trying to lay it out from memory and put it on point. Don't do that. It is an interesting design choice though. When I did sew, I had to be careful, so the lights and the darks properly alternate. I found that if I made sure there was a dark square on the top right, every time, I was doing the rows right.

I kinda like the way the quilt looks without this border. It looks more finished this way. But I think it looks more old fashioned with the border, and am going to put it on. The border pieces are pretty much like half a block.



The cheddar are three 5 1/4 inch squares, cut twice on the diagonals to make quarters. There are 12 of the triangle setting blocks. 6 of them have the dark on the left and the light on the right, and the other 6 have the light on the left and the dark on the right.

There are 8 of the 8 patches. Simply half of the 16 patch blocks.

There are 4 of the 4 patches for the corners.

Yes, I do trim off the dog ears at some point.

Of course, if I stopped blogging about it, and simply made the quilt, I would have been done by now!

Edited to add:
I am submitting this post to Amy Lou's sew and tell. I haven't made any visible progress on this quilt since I wrote it.

I am glad I took the time to write all this though, because I was worried about running out of green fabric to add. With this post, I realized that each of my fabric scrap additions were greener and greener. I am hoping for something that looks like similar values. I was worried it would be too obvious that I didn't plan the colors very well. In the last addition, I was able to add something to the other side of the color range, something slightly bluer. I think I have enough fabric now for the whole quilt.

Cheddar Cheese and Crackers

I think it snowed 17 days in a row. But yesterday, the sun was out, and started to melt the snow off the street and roof. It is warmer and winter doesn't seem so bad here.

I've been watching the news about the earthquake in Haiti, and the aftermath. It brings to mind all the other disasters that have happened around the world. I really feel for the people in Haiti, and hope that help gets to them quickly. It takes a while to organize and coordinate relief efforts, and it always seems to take longer than it should to get help to the people who need it.

I've finished the first step of the Cheddar Cheese and Crackers quilt. I had counted how many pieces I needed for this block, and didn't think about the ones I would need for steps 2 and 3, so had to dig out some more of the Bali pop strips. I decided to move on to step 3, and go back and do step 2. Hopefully, everything will look coordinated with the different strips I used, but if it doesn't, it doesn't much matter.

Nothing like an earthquake to keep things in perspective.

Cheddar Cheese and Crackers

I know I was going to finish African Circles before starting a new quilt. I could sit down all day and finish sewing down the binding, but I would prefer to do it when I am sitting down to watch TV, leisurely. All that sitting around is not good for me, and I've never abandoned a quilt at the binding stage.

I know I said I was going to make circle banner quilts, or finish some UFOs, or at least start on one of the quilts that are already kitted up and not started. I might have to call the kitted quilts UFOs, just to get moving on them.

But I also said that I was going to take advantage of little projects when they called to me. And Lori at Humble Quilts is making a doll quilt called Cheddar Cheese and Crackers. It's a doll quilt, how long can it take? I'm not making it as scrappy as she is, but I think batik fabrics will add to the variety. Even though I am technically opposed to cutting up a jelly roll vertically, since it kind of ruins the point of buying precut fabric if you aren't going to use it's precut features, I figure since this takes just a few strips, it won't hurt to do it this time. It keeps me from rummaging through the stash for other fabric, which is always a good thing.