Quilt Reveal: One Tree

 

 

I was minding my own business, thinking about what fabric to use for the binding for the camel quilt that I didn't manage to finish last year. It is a small quilt and a thought occurred to me that I am so glad the Project Quilting challenge helped motivate me to finish a bunch of small quilts early last year. Then, I wondered about when they would start a new challenge. I looked up the blog and see that a challenge has already been announced! It is The First One. This was on Thursday, which means my time to complete it is even more limited than usual. But it should be an easy challenge since you can just use one of something. 

Before I could even decide whether I am willing to do the challenge with such limited time, I clicked on a YouTube video of Irene of Sugaridoo showing her WIPs. One of them was her One Two Tree quilt that was a part of a quilt-along that I wanted to join but was too busy at the time. The pattern is free if you click on the link. 

Did you notice the word One in the title? What if I just make one tree and use that as my challenge? It looks like a very simple tree and looks like it will be quick to make.

Zoey, cancel all my plans. I need an emergency quilt retreat!

Then I got the bright idea that I could use one color - all greens - to really use the "One "rule. Of course it makes it harder to match the fabric. No, just add a beige and a brown and it will be fine. I found two other greens that will be fine with it. The good thing about Project Quilting is that because the deadline is so short, the first decision has to be the one I run with. There is no time for indecision when I have to get the quilt made on time.

 This Debbie Mumm acorn fabric has been sitting in my stash for a long time. One year, when I was trying to reduce the amount of fabric I had, I thought about giving it up. There is something about the shade of green that didn't really seem to match any other fabric. So I decided to use it for this project. I had been thinking about reducing the size of the tree, but once I found this fabric, I figured I could use up more if I made it full size.

I didn't take any in progress photos so now you can see the finished quilt photos. If any of you are complaining that there is black in the acorn fabric and white, yellow and pink in the background fabric, don't be hating on the fabric designers. They didn't know I would want to make an all green quilt in 2023. Besides, since I usually buy fabric on clearance, they wouldn't cater to my needs even if they did know.

Here it is, my family tree.

 

The original pattern calls for paper piecing, but I used improv to make the corners of the tree. The video makes it look easy, but I decided I didn't have the patience to learn it in a day. It worked out well. I had to piece the batting. I quilted a grid on it, like one of the quilts Irene made. Even though I used a walking foot, it did form a couple little tucks. Since I was just making some organic lines, some of the lines look like I missed the ditch, but I wasn't aiming for the ditch.

I was able to use the acorn fabric for the back as well.

Usually, to join the binding, I tuck it into the other part of the binding and applique it. This time, I sewed it properly. So I don't have the lump I get in some of my quilts, no matter how small I try to make the overlap.

So I made a modern quilt using Debbie Mumm fabric. It is mighty tempting to add some embellishment, but I will resist.

 For its glamor shot, I tried to find a stuffed animal, but I don't have a squirrel. I do have this applique template, but now I am tempted to add a squirrel.

2023: 15 Minutes to Stitch Week 1

I am so happy that Kate is hosting the 15 Minutes to Stitch again this year. She made a beautiful button for it too. 

I have a strong finish to start off the year, working on the camel and the tree.

 

15 minute days this week --7 out of 7

15 minute days this year -- 7 out of 7 days

Success rate  = 100%

Edited to add: I couldn't resist.

It doesn't look as lumpy in real life as it does in the photo.

A Recap of My Quilting Life for the Year 2022

 

Image by Harisankar Sahoo from Pixabay.

In this post, I go over my posts during the year and give you a summary. of the quilts I made, and any big events. I make a yearly recap every year.  Like last year, I did not have any rules - I could start and finish as many quilts as I wanted without any guilt. The key was just to enjoy the journey. This lead to some fun finishes in 2022. Then I created a rule to finish more quilts than I started. Let's see how that affected my quilting.

January

 I started the year in problem solving mode. I wanted to find a better storage solution for me to keep my sewing space organized and bought two of these sets of drawers.

 I made Pink and Other Colors as a part of the weekly Project Quilting challenge. I made this in one week!

I made Flight in another weekly Project Quilt challenge.

Also in January, I worked on a UFO called Lansing Leaves. I finished the migrating geese borders by adding solid pieces and attached them to the center. I also pieced the backing with the scraps. Then I put it away. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

February 

 

In February, I made Orange 2-22-22 for another Project Quilting challenge. These challenges really help with my productivity. The fact that I could have a quilt finish on a fun date helped with the motivation too.

 

I also started the Aunt Daisy quilt. It is a traditional, full size bed quilt. It is fun to make these types of quilts, but although I have to be more productive to make the many pieces, there isn't a lot to show for it. I am calling it Jazzy Blues because of the colors I am using.

I made some postage stamp blocks. This is a long term leader / ender project.

March

 

In March, I picked up a different UFO, and tried to come up with different fixes. I finished quilting the body of Olympics Twist. I still need to finish quilting the borders. I also kept making blocks for the Postage Stamp and Jazzy Blues quilts.

 

April

 In April, work got really busy, to make up for the slow years and to accommodate different political decisions made by our customers. Zeus passed away during this crazy time.

May

 

Work continued to be busy in May with overtime, but I was able to devote a few minutes every day to finish Be YOUnique.

June

I didn't get much done in June, as work was even more busy than April and May. Why do two projects at a time when you can do four?

July

I spent my holiday weekend in the hospital getting my gall bladder removed.  I kept working on the Postage Stamp blocks and on the Jazzy Blues blocks.

August

In August, I finally had a small finish, USA, using the scraps from the Jazzy Blues blocks.

September

 I continued with making a Mini of the Month with Be a Peacock in a World of Ducks. The name is just to distinguish it from the other peacock quilt I made this year.

 

In September, I adopted a dog. I call her Zoey. She is very affectionate and energetic and requires a lot of training and attention so she has slowed down quilting progress.

October, November and December

Work got busy again, but without the overtime, I was able to make more Jazzy Blues blocks. I also played around with different layouts for this quilt. I also worked on moving the sewing room to another part of my house. 

 

I also spent a few minutes here and there continuing with my years-long Konmari project, where I touch everything in the house and decide whether I want to keep it. It's a big project because it is a big house but I've made lots of progress without burning out over the years by working on small areas at a time.

On the last week of the year, the lineup finished with Stand Tall.  I quilted the camel that is part of the same series, but alas, I did not have time to add the binding and embroidery on it.

Recap

 

So how did I do with my finish more than you start goal? Depends on how you do the math. Officially, I do not have more finishes than I have starts. I started seven quilts and finished seven. But I did make a lot of progress on the Jazzy Blues quilt - almost all of the blocks are made. I also made progress on three UFOs -  Olympics Twist, Postage Stamp, and  Lansing Leaves. I also quilted the camel quilt.

 

I am satisfied with the results. Having rigid rules would have meant that I shouldn't have started Jazzy Blues, knowing that it will be a big time commitment that will keep me from making other quilts. I enjoy it too much to follow that rigid rule.

 

I want to thank Wendy for her small quilt of the month challenge and Kate for 15 minutes to stitch challenge. They helped motivate me and gave me "permission: to enjoy myself and spend time quilting. I also want to thank all of my blog readers for coming and reading my ramblings. Your support means a lot to me.