Bow-Tie Blocks, Sorting Fabric and Quilting

 I did it!  100 more Bow Tie Blocks.  They aren't all orange but there is no repeat fabrics.  Woohoo!

Just 400 blocks left to make and squeeze into this bin. Back in my 20s, I managed to wriggle my size 10 bum into a size 8 jean—no stretchy fabric needed. So, I'm fairly confident I can tackle this challenge.  HA!

Last weekend, I loaded the Twinkler quilt onto the frame, and that's when the saga began. Basting the top edge turned into an epic three-hour battle of fixing one machine problem and causing another.  Shredded threads, broken needles and parts falling off. But victory was mine. By the end, the thought of quilting was about as appealing as a root canal.

There was gray and brown fabrics to be sorted for the Bow-Tie Blocks.  The scrap bins for both colors are lacking enough prints.  The decision was made to pull fabrics from the larger fabric stash to keep to the rule of no repeat prints.  I also had to pull from other colors.  My grays are now gray, black and whatever else I could find.  But there are 100 more prints and that's all that matters.

A 5-inch square is enough for one block.  So, I cut the small squares, and the larger fabric was placed back into the larger fabric stash.

   It might be a mistake, only time will tell but I decided to use cream prints along with my browns.  I'll make a couple test blocks with the cream fabrics before cutting all of them.  If the test blocks are to pale against the white background fabric, I'll pull more fabric from other colors to replace them.

It's hard to believe, but after digging in my stash for hours and cutting little squares, I'm tired of petting and playing with fabric. Mark that on the calendar!  So, today I'll start quilting the Twinkler quilt and when my back needs a break, I'll plop my bum in a chair while I iron the fabrics in one of these bins.  

A Week Of Quilting

 Hi Quilty Friends!  This past week I was busier than a bee in a honeysuckle patch. Flitting about from one quilting project to another.  So, let's do a quick recap of a weeks worth of quilting, starting with a quilt finish.  Mr. Podunk's hunting/camping quilt.  

Since there is nothing fancy or pretty about a flannel and jean quilt, I opted to use up some serger thread for the simple straight-line quilting.

Hunting deer is a fall and winter sport, so this quilt needs to be warm.  Wool batting would be ideal but I'm allergic to wool clothing and assume wool batting would also be an irritant.  So, I added two layers of polycotton batting and a flannel backing from Joann Fabrics.

 

  Finishing at 90x95, it's large enough to be double it up for warmth or he could wrap up in it like a burrito.  Even if it isn't warm he should sleep like a baby under it because it weighs almost 10 pounds.  I think that could be considered a weighted blanket.

  

In between wrestling with Big Ben and normal chores I managed to press the orange fabric scraps for the Bow-Tie quilt.  Some of the oranges are yellow, it's the best I could do without repeating prints.

Over the last few weeks I've been trying to treat my sewing room like the rest of the house.  Clean it as you go that way it's never messy.  For some reason this rule has never applied in here, and I'd get overwhelmed by the mess and clutter.  So, when my back needed a break from standing at the frame and quilting, I took this as an opportunity to work on decluttering my workspace.  These cute little tins beside the sewing table hold bonus HST's to be squared up and triangle cutoffs needing to be made into HST's.

The rule for working with these is I can only use what is in the tins.  The rule is keeps me focused and not going down a rabbit hole of searching for fabrics and possibly making another mess to be cleaned.

The planned worked!  The 30 minutes of playtime gave my back the much needed break and I have a few more HST's to add to the ever-growing HST stash.

The Twinkler quilt blocks were also used as a back rest project.  I sat on the floor to layout the blocks with sashing strips.

By the end of the week and by the time the quilt came off the frame I had made good progress on the quilt top.  I'll keep piecing the top a little at a time as my back needs a break.  The plan for the week is to start cutting the orange Bow-Tie blocks.  This will take a few hours, and my back can only handle about an hour of standing over the cutting table before needing a break.

The last thing little chore I worked into the mix was working on the stash cabinets.  I want to put all my fabrics in the clear plastic Brightroom bins from Target.  The plan is a little at a time.  This week I bought for more bins for the yellow fabrics on the shelf.

The bins were quickly stuffed full of yellow FQ's, half yards and one yard cuts.  Anything larger will go into a larger bin sometime in the future.  The plan is to eventually get rid of the current cabinets and replace them with shelves or cabinets with clear doors so I can see the pretty fabrics without fear of dust.  Been there, done that years ago when I had my stash on shelves unprotected. 

Well, it's time to get moving, there's fabric waiting to be petted and loved!

Green Bow-Tie Blocks Finished

I spent half an hour gazing at the green Bow-Tie block pictures for this blog post, completely smitten, and all I could muster up was, "I adore these!"   In the wise words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

So, again I'll share the link to the quilt block pattern I used to make these blocks.  You can find it here. 

Maybe as you scroll you can play a little game of "I spy a fabric I have in my stash too!"

The new green blocks have been added to the others in the storage box. Later this week, I will begin cutting the next set of 100 Bow-Tie blocks. 

More Bow-Tie Quilt Blocks

Hello Quilty Friends!  It's been a couple of weeks since I worked on the Bonnie Hunter Bow-Tie Blocks.   There's something oddly satisfying about making these little cuties.  So, what the heck, let's make a hundred more before putting the final touches on the Twinkler quilt top.

To keep the Twinkler quilt in the rotation and not forgotten I thought it would be a good idea to put it on display.  That way when the green Bow-tie blocks are finished I can easily jump back to working on the Twinkler quilt.  But there was a problem, I couldn't fit all 42 blocks on the design wall.

The issue was resolved in roughly 5 minutes by moving the sewing table. Now, I can access the entire design wall.   The 42 blocks barely fit on the wall and are not in the proper order. The block layout can wait.  I'm ready for Bow-Ties!  Whoo-hoo!  See you soon!  

Today's post is being link up over at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework!  Hop over to be inspired!

All The Twinkler Blocks Are Finished

Yippee!  All 42 Twinklers are finished! I'm itching to dive into quilting this one. I haven't quilted a quilt on the frame since the first week of July.  Throughout my quilting journey, the actual quilting has always been my least favorite part. Yet here I am, strangely thrilled to get stitching, it's an odd but pleasant twist!

In my hurry to finish these blocks, a couple of minor mistakes were made.

This was one time that I was glad to have a little scrap leftover from each jelly roll strip.  I'm mulling over the idea of incorporating the rest of them into the binding or perhaps the backing. As they say, only time tell.

  

  The mistake pieces will be trimmed down into HST's and added to the ever-growing HST's stash.

Today's plan is to once again trim down the last of the bonus HST's. I'm not looking forward to that process.  Imagine if there was a tiny gizmo that could trim HSTs at the push of a button and voilà, a perfectly trimmed HST in any size!  Think of all the extra time for, well, more quilting!  To think about the price tag on such a magical contraption...HAHA!  Way out of this thrifty gals budget!  But it's fun to dream! 

Before I end this post, I wanted to let you know why this quilt is taking so long to assemble.  It's my girl Khaleesi.  She's needed a lot of extra attention the past few weeks.  As of last week, the vet finally put her on topical and oral antibiotics plus a steroid.  The diaper is to stop her from licking her bum.  The vet is unsure what the problem is right now.  It's a process of elimination for the next few weeks.  The irritated bum could be caused by nervous licking, allergies or Perianal Fistula.  I'm praying the antibiotics and steroids work.  If they don't, it could be Perianal Fistula.  From what I've read it's an autoimmune disease that is difficult to treat and my vet can't do a test to be sure.  We would need to find a Veterinarian Dermatologist.  So right now I'm doing all I can to keep the bum clean and dry.  Which means no alone time when she outside and the diapers off.   The cone of shame was also suggested but I just can't do that to my girl.  Anyway, the big girl panties are so much cuter!

Shopping And Chatting

 Hi Quilty Friends!  Today, I'm dedicating the entire day to sewing. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!  

Yesterday didn't go as planned, I didn't sew a single stitch. I had to take the weekly homemade meal over to my dad's place. Since my mom passed away in 2017, he's been eating a lot of processed foods. So, I make sure to prepare him at least one homemade meal each week, typically something my mom would have made. I couldn't just leave the food and dash off, so we ended up spending some time reminiscing about the good old days and discussing current events. Time flies when you're enjoying good company.

Heading home, I swung by the Dollar General for a 'quick' grab of cleaning supplies. But in a town where everyone knows your name, there's no such thing as a quick stop. It's like an impromptu high school reunion in every aisle!

Oh well, socializing is a good thing. I see it as the world telling me to stop and smell the roses and take life as it comes. After chatting with an old high school acquaintance, I picked up the cleaning supplies and wandered around the store to see the new additions since my last visit months ago. I always leave the store with more than just the items on my list, and yesterday was no different.  A must have drying rack for the Studio.  I think this is just what I need for letting fabrics dry a bit after starching.

The assembly was quite easy. Currently, it's neatly stored next to my ironing station. I'll be putting it to the test when I begin pressing and starching the next set of Bow-Tie quilt fabrics. I'll update you on how this $10 rack preforms under pressure.

The rest of the day was spent using the cleaning supplies, walking the dog and cooking for Mr. Podunk.  Oh well, at least I got some stuff done and freed up today for doing anything I want.  The chances of me getting out of my jammies is pretty slim and I'm most definitely not leaving the house.

Mount Scrapmore

Hello Friends!  I'm happy to report that the scrap sorting is finished.  Well at least for now.  The chances of me needing to do this again are pretty good.  Playing with fabric is a chore that never gets old, unlike doing laundry or washing dishes, UGG.  

I found a few purple and orange fabrics to add to the scrappy Bow-Tie quilt.

The rolling cart has been converted from scrap basket storage to a works in progress station.  I love it!

After washing the fabric baskets, I decided to cut them into scraps.  I'm pretty sure the orange basket is a print I don't have in the scraps for the Bow-Tie quilt.  

Before I could return to my sewing, there was still one task left. I needed to create a small cutting mat out of the light blue one, which would be dedicated to squaring up half-square triangles. As shown below, this isn't the first time I've repurposed an older mat, having previously trimmed it and attached it to the end of my cutting table.

A 6.5" square seems ideal for squaring up half-square triangles. Since I don't recall the previous method used to cut the mat, I attempted to cut it with a small razor knife.

It was not very effective. After approximately ten attempts, it only managed to score the top layer.

The scissors worked but it took a lot of strength.  It was worth the effort.  I could have purchased a small mat, but this one will work just as well and costs nothing. I own a 12x12 rotating mat, but it's too large for small HSTs.  To be honest it was a waste of money.  All small mats are easy to spin, even without the spinning base.

By the early evening the cleanup was complete.  My workspace is once again tidy.  I managed to cut the remaining background fabrics for the Twinkler quilt and prepared a few blocks for assembly.  This morning I'll finish loading the design boards, find something to binge watch and then let the stitching begin.