Inspirational Quote Crazy Quilt

 When I was showing the additions I was making to the Inspirational Quote Crazy Quilt, lots of my blog friends said they would like to see the quilt in person. The photographs just don't show the size of the additions, how they work with the other motifs that are around it, or where in the quilt the motifs are.

I started a YouTube channel so I could show you the quilt in video form to help with some of that. It doesn't replace seeing the quilt in person, but it is closer than the photographs.

I hope this video helps you see the quilt better in its full glory.

2021: Week 36 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

I really like using my blog to document my thought process of a quilt, to see why I start the quilts I start and how they wind up the way they are finished as compared to what I was envisioning when I started.

I got the American Patchwork and Quilting magazine (Issue 172) in the mail a couple / few weeks ago and have been admiring the Golden Glow quilt. I loved the beautiful cheddar, and the simplicity of the quilt. It looks like something that would be fast and easy to make.

When I looked at the pattern, it looks like they make blocks to put together the quilt. I got the bright idea that it would be easier to strip piece it more like a Trip Around the World, although not exactly since I still wanted to use rectangles in the quilt. Looking at the pattern again now, it is a clever piecing method and they did strip piece, so probably either way would be just as fast. Since I am making the postage stamp blocks, I just don't want to make blocks this time.

Although I bought a bunch of white and cream fabric the last time I purchased fabric, I am hoarding  them since I had been out for a while and they were precious. I decided that I could use the black. With these big blocks, I thought a lap quilt would be better than a smaller quilt, and I needed to find fabric that had enough yardage for a lap quilt. Most of my stash is fat quarter or quarter yards since that is what I buy when I don't have a plan for the fabric and I like variety, but my recent purchases which were bought online or for pick up have more yardages.

 

So this quilt morphed into a nice simple two color quilt to a more complicated color scheme.  As I sewed the strips together, I started to doubt whether they would work together, but after I sub-cut them and laid them out, I can see that I will like the quilt.

I can see that I cut the floral fabric too small, but that will work just fine for a smaller lap quilt - it will provide more room for more diagonal rows going across it.

This color scheme makes me think of a tuxedo with a bright floral vest, even though there is more orange than black in the quilt. I will call it Tuxedo Vest for now since I have to name the quilt for the blog label.

And because starting just one quilt is not enough, I have started yet another one. This is using the pieces that are leftover from the postage stamp quilt. I have to cut two strips of the constant fabric and don't need the entire length of the second strip so I can use it here. Also some scraps are wide enough for the postage stamp quilt but don't have the one and a half inch length I need for the stamp so I am adding them here. I am sewing them together as I go so I don't try to use them in the postage stamp quilt.

I haven't decided exactly how to use these, but I am thinking I will just sew them together to make (maybe different widths of ) blocks and sew the blocks together with all the fabric going in the same direction. 

I will call this Dots and Dashes since the pieces are either very big or very small. This will be a long term project. I've made other quilts this way. Well, they are unfinished so I should say I have made other quilt blocks this way.

2021:  Week 36 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

I spent a lot of time sewing this week, I have been cutting postage stamps and sewing them together.I started two new quilts.

I also sewed down the binding to the Quote quilt. I will hand stitch it to the back after I add a label and hanging sleeve.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 226 out of 248 days

Success rate  = 91%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

 

2021: Week 35 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

 

 

It's been a hot, rainy week, which means there has been lots of stitching.

2021:  Week 35 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

This week, I have been cutting postage stamps and sewing them together. I wrote a bunch of blog posts, one of which showed you a postage stamp block. I've made good progress on two additional blocks.

I also joined the binding strips and pressed them for the Quote quilt.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 219 out of 241 days

Success rate  = 91%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

2021: Week 34 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

 

There are two times in each of my quilt's life that I unconditionally love it. Both of these times feel like the quilt is emerging from a cocoon or coming home after a makeover.

The first time is when the backing and batting is trimmed away, making the quilt straight. As you know, the batting and backing is usually larger than the quilt top to allow for shrinkage, and they just hang out from underneath the quilt top, making the quilt uglier than it really is. When they are trimmed away, the quilt looks better than it ever did, and I love it unconditionally for the transformation.

The second time, since I know you are wondering, is when I finish the binding. When I bind the quilt, the back is facing me, so when it is finished and I turn it over, I am seeing the quilt again after a makeover in its finished stage, looking better than ever, with the edges all wrapped.

After that, I can look at it more objectively to see what I did that was successful and what could use improvement. But at those two moments, it is loved unconditionally.

2021:  Week 34 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

This week, I made the Fish and Bubbles quilt I showed you in my last post. As you can guess, I also trimmed the Quote Quilt.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 212 out of 234 days

Success rate  = 91%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

Design Wall Monday

Productive Quilting Week

 

 

Kate is doing a photography challenge with her family, and I am tagging along by following their prompts. This week's prompt was Black and White. I decided I would take a photo from my August folder and change it to black and white. I couldn't choose one so I have two black and white photos in this post.

 

2021:  Week 33 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

 

 

I added more motifs to the Quote quilt. I have finished quilting all of the blocks, and just need to do an inspection to see if there is more quilting needed on the border. I will start preparing the binding today.

I am planning my mini quilt of the month, using some fabric from my fabric trash can. I am also trying to hold off starting anything else until the Quote Quilt is finished.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 205 out of 227 days

Success rate  = 90%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

 

More Additions to the Quote Quilt

 

I wrote my first post on this blog on August 13, 2008, which makes today the thirteenth anniversary of my blog. This blog is an extension to another blog which is no longer available to the public. Even though I was not new to blogging, I made a low key entrance to this blog by posting as if I had been posting here all along.

I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging and have no plans on stopping. There are so many benefits to the blog.

 

• It provides a historical record of my quilting.
• It gives me motivation to keep making so I can show you what I made.
• It gives me a way to meet people with similar interests, even people who are in other parts of the world I would never have met otherwise.

I am almost done quilting the quote quilt. I couldn't resist adding some more things to the perimeter of the quilt. This fabric is from the Button Season. You may notice that the blocks are actually square in a square, then set on point. It would have been easier to have squares and quarter square blocks but I was originally going to add more triangles to make economy blocks, but that would have made the quilt way too big.

This piece is from Amalfi Coast. I still have brown blocks to work with.

 

I know I originally said your story is your power, but I am feeling generous, and you can have an unlimited number of powers.

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Friday Fun

Design Wall Monday

Time Tracking the Quote Quilt

I am working on quilting the Quote Quilt, but I had more blue spaces than I had ideas of how to quilt them, so I found more fabric motifs to add. The hand applique doubles as quilting stitches. I've done that with machine applique before and not with hand applique, but it works just as well. This bright orange also helps make the bright orange t-shirt motif more at home.

This fabric comes from a blouse my daughter and I were trying to sew a long time ago. We never did figure out how to do it with the interfacing, etc., and we both lost the motivation to figure it out since we were busy with work and school.

I've been wanting to add President Obama since I added Justice Ginsberg, but didn't want to  make the quilt political. But he does fit with the historical theme of the quilt, and I was tickled to find a quote that combines genealogy and quilting. "For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness." I'll be adding (blue) color to his hair before attaching to the quilt.

 I got this idea from another blog post, but I forget where I got it. The idea is to use a job costing app to track the hours of quilting. I thought it would be great to keep track of my 15 minutes to quilt. It will also answer the question people have about "how long does it really take to make a quilt?" Although I am deep into the quote quilt,  it is good to start  now to get in the practice of tracking hours.

You can set up different "jobs" to include different quilts, and also for other habits you are trying to keep, like exercise.

 You just have to tell the app when you start and when you stop the "job". You can also set a price for the job. I thought about putting $1 so it would be a 1 for 1, but then I decided I should get paid for all my years of experience.  I am charging myself $20 -- family discount. I am making so much fake money.

 The key is to remember to start the clock when you start working, and I have already missed two days of tracking. There is some work that is hard to track - "I am going upstairs, I might as well press this since I will be near the ironing board." There is also some that require a slight change of mindset "I might as well applique while watching this show." Instead of thinking of the show as the main thing, I can just think of it as watching the show while I am working on the quilt.

 

 

This is my contribution to the photography challenge Kate is having with her family. The theme of the week was "leaf."

Another Week of Stitching

2021:  Week 32 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

 

 

I spent my week quilting the quote quilt. It was mostly stitching near the ditch around the quotes, and some of the big motifs.

 

My report is spaced out again this week so I can include my photos. Some of these may look familiar because they are the same settings, but they are new photos taken this week. 

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 198 out of 220 days

Success rate  = 90%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

 

2021: Week 28 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

 

My work has slowed down substantially this week and ongoing so I have had more time for quilting. I worked on all three of my current projects. 

Here is the ABC block of the month quilt designed by Julie Porter. I am using fusible applique even though I enjoyed using needle turn applique on Life of Plenty. I have a lot of quilts on my list I want to finish.  I still need to add the embroidery and will secure the applique with the quilting. And make the other blocks that have already been released.

I added some blue strips to the red and white quilt to see how they would look. Uggh,

I also added more quilting to the Quote Quilt. I lied to you (and myself) when I told you I was half way done. With all the embellishments, I can't go in a predictable ways, like rows and my estimate was way off. I don't think I am yet at half way even though I added more.

2021:  Week 28 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

 

I worked on three quilts - the Quote Quilt, the red and white Op Art quilt and the ABC quilt.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 177 out of 192 days

Success rate  = 92%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

 

Quote Quilt Quilting Motifs

 

 I'm still quilting the Quote Quilt, and wanted to show you some of the quilting motifs I have added. I am trying to keep the quilting simple, but still try to add some texture and interest. I am doing this by echoing the existing shape, but sometimes I add simple shapes or a little bit extra.

This picture is upside down, but I think you will be able to get enough of an idea without standing on your head.

The watering can is is one of the stencil shapes. I managed to resist the urge to fill in or add anything extra to these shapes.

I stitched in the ditch, or somewhat nearby the ditch to surround the quotes. I wanted to make sure you could still read them so I tried to avoid stitching in the blocks.

I'm close to halfway on the quilt.

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Brag About Your Beauties

Second Half of the Year Begins

 

 

It's the second half of the year already! I recently took a class with Dayton Art Institute where you made a drawing to replicate the style of Julian Stamczak. You draw straight lines, then you overlay them with curvy lines, and you color them in a checkerboard style. My curtains with the curves formed by the mini blinds shadows remind me of that style. 

This is an index card reproduction. I think it would be great to try to replicate that in a small quilt. In this card, I made the diagonal lines after coloring so the checkerboard isn't right. I should have left it alone when it looked like the curtains. I messed up the checkerboard in the original drawing I did also.  The instructor did say that it would be best to mark the spaces before shading in pencil to make sure you have them right. You are also supposed to color inside the lines and not have stray marks outside.

The week started out really hot, but the weather has cooled off to be more seasonable.  I have air conditioning so I am not complaining. I feel for other parts of the world are having such trouble with their towns burning down and buildings collapsing.

2021:  Week 27 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

I spent another week of quilting the Quote Quilt, refilling the bobbin, and resisting the urge to start other quilts. I used up the stencil shapes on the top part of the quilt, so I am looking through my old books for other templates I can use for the quilt.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 170 out of 185 days

Success rate  = 92%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

Quilting the Quote Quilt

 

After the backing has been added to a crazy quilt, the next step is to simply tack it to secure the layers.

This sounds great in theory. After all the work of adding so many embellishments, you may be done with it and just want to finish it off so you can show it off and/or move on to your next quilt.

 

However, for me, it is a big pivot to move from maximalist, everything goes, to minimalist tacking stitches. I am not anywhere near tired of the quilt.

2021:  Week 26 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

 

Besides, you can make the argument that it isn't really a crazy quilt. I think the fact that it doesn't fit the rules of crazy quilting makes it even more crazy. 

I put the free motion quilting foot on, and did some doodle stitching. Then I got out some stencils I got from a magazine subscription, and I quilted some motifs.  It is a light color thread so the effect is very subtle.

 

I spent the week quilting the Quote Quilt and resisting the urge to start other quilts.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 163 out of 178 days

Success rate  = 92%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch

Friday Photo Fun

 

Backing the Quote Quilt

Sometimes when making a quilt, it stalls, sometimes for no discernible reason. I prepared a backing for the quilt at the beginning of the year. The plan was to move forward and finish it. I had a sheet I could use for a backing, and since it showed the stitches from the quilt, I pressed a fusible interfacing to a big sheet to use as a backing. All I had to do was to join the front and the back together. But it stalled.

The fusible was a little bit stretchy, but since it was fused, it probably wouldn't stretch the quilt, but it added a soft layer to a quilt that already had a soft layer, and while I wanted the quilt to be comforting, I didn't want it to feel like a comforter. I knew from experience that the layer flattens very easily, so quilting it would probably be all it took to smash it down, but it would require dense quilting so the quilt stalled.

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I should listen to my hesitation and move on to a plan that will actually get the quilt to a finished mode.  I found some dark blue fabric that will hide the  stitches, which made me feel more motivation, but not enough to actually piece the fabric. The pieces were not wide enough to fit the width of the quilt so it would take some piecing to put the backing together.

 

I decided to take a quick look to see if I could find a wider fabric and found this angel fabric. There is a sticker on the fabric so I must have gotten it at a really good price at a sale, because I don't normally buy this kind of fabric. I have no idea how to use it. But it is perfect as the back of this quilt. It adds to the comforting factor, and there is enough to cover the width of the quilt when used horizontally. I also found another dark blue fabric that will fill in the rest of the length of the quilt and looks like it will be big enough to use as a binding as well.

I was watching a Zoom session from a library in California about making portraits on fabric for Juneteenth and decided to do some stitching. I added a motif from the backing fabric to the front of the quilt to tie it together.

2021:  Week 25 of 15 Minutes to Stitch

I spent the week working on the quote quilt. I sewed the backing fabric so it is now ready to be sandwiched. I also added some embellishments by hand and some embroidery stitches by machine. I continue to hope to sandwich it soon.

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 156 out of 171 days

Success rate  = 91%

 

Linked with:

15 Minutes to Stitch