Flight Plan Re-Routed; A Star is Born

I was inspired a few month's back by a quilt that was designed by Kimberly Einmo, called Flight Plan. I found the pattern in American Patchwork & Quilting (December 2013).

The layout is pretty cool, and I planned to use the quilting pattern as well. A quick finish I figured, since the decisions were all made.
I think it was March when I set to work cutting strips from my batik stash...

With my 'Jelly Roll' done, I just needed to pick up the background fabric and I was finally set to create a quilt for my amazing Mother-in-Law, Donna!

Solid White was a pretty quick decision (for once), and I dove right in. The blocks were created,

And lookin' so fine hangin' on the Design Wall...

 

But there the blocks lingered, 

taking up space,

for far too long..

 

Why do I have to read the whole menu before ordering?

 

Really. I had a plan.

It was already In-flight.

 

But I just had to play..

 

hmm, how would it look ...

This way,

(Or that..)

This phase I have coined D.W.I.

(perhaps Michele would like to add this to her ongoing list of acronyms)

The Flight was officially delayed.

Yep, stalled by 'Design Wall Indecision' (Not at all uncommon around here),

 

April flew by, and May rolled in..

 

Finally Donna stopped over for a visit

(A Snowbird headin' Northbound!)

And I gave her the gavel!

 

It was a pretty long hanglayover, and it is her quilt after all! 

 

Flight Plan was officially re-routed, and a new destination planned.

 

Determined to clear my design wall, I set My June AYOLF goal to complete Donna's quilt sandwich.

 And a Star was Born!

Basting was completed early this morning. (check check!)

My design wall has new space :-)

Projects tend to get stuck on that darn wall, beckoning me to make decisions. It seems I am even more indecisive when it comes to choosing quilting patterns. Now I am debating between swirls and on-point echoing for the background. Actually I really don't know yet about the stars either. Oh, the decisions..

hmmm...

Just for you Donna, here's a teaser-peek of the back..

Yep, your favorite;-)

 

Linking up with Fiber of all Sorts to celebrate with other quilter's who've managed to complete their  AYOLF goals this month!

Sew Kitschy BOM at Quiet Play - June Linkup

Another block stitched up for the Sew Kitschy Quilt!

June's block went pretty smoothly once I selected the fabrics. I did do one section upside-down, and rather than re-do it, I just improv'd it in & perhaps a bit askew, but I was able to use it anyway:-)

I popped this up to share with the Quiet Play Flickr Group, and I am Linking up with the other partier's at Kristy's June BOM Linky.

Check out more block work over at Lyn's weekly block linkup, BOM's Away!

This may be my only post this week. I hope to have a sandwich completed by Thursday, but I am a bit sidetracked with an onslaught of fabric taking over my sewing room - I spent a lot of time this weekend preparing fabrics for my Etsy shop and I am determined to get them all posted this week!

Hope yours is a creative week, thank you for stopping by!

One of my favorite quilts

Sew Mama Sew is hosting a fun linkup this month that gives us the opportunity to share favorite quilts. I pulled up some photos from my past quilts and found a fun favorite that I have never shared here on my blog before,

Specific questions are provided for us at the linkup:
Tell us about your favorite quilt. When did you make it? What pattern did you use? What fabrics? I sketched out this Double Irish Chain pattern on graph paper before beginning the quilt for my son, back in 2006. The fabrics used came from a distant relative's estate, and I had been hoarding them for year's because they are super-SOFT! The brown one is actually like velvet. It was a really cold winter in Eastern Washington when I pulled them all out and set to work!

Have you shown it at any quilt shows or entered it in any contests? No, I have been pretty shy about entering quilts in shows, however the online quilting community has helped me come out of my shell a bit in this regard and I entered a couple quilts at a local show last year for my first time!

What memories or people does the quilt make you think of? I haven't actually seen this quilt in some time. Looking at these photos brings my son to mind, and remind me also of the very first quilt I ever made, when I was expecting Jesse some 21 years prior.

What do you like best about the quilt?
I think, really, it is just knowing how much he loves it, and knowing that he feels my love through it.

How did you grow as a quilter while making it?
It was really out of necessity, but this was the first time I pieced a back.
My son is mildly color-blind, and sometimes brown and green shades appear similar to him, so I did wonder at the time how the contrast within the chains would appear to him, but these are colors that appeal to him and I knew he would love the texture.
I made sure he could not miss the pattern here though...

If you could make this quilt again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
It would be fun to make another with all-cottons, and get fancy with some free motion quilting!
For uniformity, washability, and great cuddle-ability , I used a high-loft poly batting for this quilt. It just seemed right for this fabric, being that it is a poly...
We must keep our babies warm ;-)

I thank you for visiting while I reminisce, and hope you enjoyed the post!

I look forward to reading all the 'My Favorite Quilt' stories this weekend when I spend more time at the SewMamaSew Linkup. If you have a favorite quilt story to tell, the linky is open through June!

Acting in Benevolence

Recently, I purchased a set of vintage blocks at a yard sale. I felt elated, as though I had received a meaningful gift, and I knew that I needed to 'save' the blocks! The blocks were signed and dated in the early 80's, and several had birthdates as well. Curious, I set to work at my computer for a bit of detective work. Low and behold, I was able to find information about the maker of one of the blocks! How fun, I thought, to surprise her by mailing the completed block back to her ;-)

I pulled one of my favorite Navy fabrics from my vintage stash (I really love the little white strawberries!), and set to work framing a wall hanging with a Broken Dishes border.

Yesterday, I received a phone call from Charlotte, who had received my surprise in the mail! She initially thought it was a Birthday gift (apparently I have good timing!), then noticed her own signature on the block! Although she did not recall actually making the block (32 yrs ago!), she noted that indeed it was her own signature, and was a bit perplexed as to who and why and what was behind this gift. My goal exactly! We had a nice visit over the phone, and I was happy to learn that Charlotte is still an avid quilter and was thrilled with the gift :-)

 

I told Charlotte I completed one for myself as well! Teenage Sue looks to me a thoughtful young lady, and I will enjoy hanging her in my sewing room. She will remind me of the importance of Goodwill, and also how fortunate I am to be part of the quilting community.

Although this is certainly not charity in the customary sense of the word, it is a random act of kindness. Completing the blocks gave me a fun sense of accomplishment. 

 

It is I who feels like the recipient of goodwill :-) 

Linking up with Le Challenge #13, whose creative inspiration this month is Charity!

On the subject of Charity Quilting, if you have not yet heard the news:

Katie, at SwimBikeQuilt, announced this week that this year's 100 Quilts for Kids event will be headed up by Heather from Quilts in the Queue. I just visited her site and signed on to follow so as not to miss new info!

Sew Kitschy Kitchen Mixer Block - Catching Up!

This weekend I was able to complete the May Sew Kitschy block from Kristy at Quiet Play's BOM.

I love this block even though, for me, this was the most challenging so far. I wish I had used a darker gray for the inside of the bowl, as I see some of those shared on the Flickr group have done, but I will be able to better define it when quilting. I had to rip seams a few times. Even with that, I still like using the tracing paper foundation - for the ease of removal.

I have no experience in paper foundation piecing and wonder if I am alone in the use of tracing paper?

Linking up today with Lyn at BOM's Away!

LatiSphere - A lattice setting for Charm Squares on Point!

I had planned on doing a short tutorial for this quilt today. Instead, I got carried away with pictures and instructions, and next thing I knew I had cut up fabric and packaged it all up as Setting Kits for my Etsy Fabric Shop!

Really no mystery to it though, if you are looking for a fast pattern for a charm pack, this requires 41 x 5" Charm Squares, 64 sashing rectangles 2" x 5", and 40 cornerstone 2" squares (20 each of two colors).  Set it all up in rows, stitch it all up, and you have a quick and easy baby quilt top made with just one Charm Pack! I used Sphere by Zen Chic, but this color scheme works well with a lot of current charm packs as well.

I love the random zig-zag pattern, it is one of the easiest FMQ designs I have stitched; no marking required and it is very forgiving to errors!

Linking up with other finish partiers:
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
TGIFF at Glory Be Quilter
Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts

Thank you for reading today and have a great weekend!

A Wrapped up Zipper Bag Inspired by the Bird's, & my JUNE GOAL!

I whipped up this little bag over the weekend, using a tutorial I found at El Petit Taller. I was inspired to make a quick gift for a bird-lovin' friend when I came across this cheery fabric. Super quick and easy to construct, especially with the instructions and photos (isn't the internet amazing?).

Here is the backside:

I made only a couple changes to the tutorial:

Because of the directional fabric, I pieced the top piece before sandwiching it.

I cut the inside piece a half inch longer than the instructions so it would cover the entire length of the seam. I do love a bag with finished seams!

If When I make another, I will make the handle tab an inch or so longer, and perhaps a bit less wide as well. This is the larger of two size options that were provided (I had to make sure the birds had plenty of room to shine!), and I think the smaller one would be easier to open and close. Or, perhaps I would try folding the edges in only half as far, creating a bit more shallow, and wider pouch. I think that would give less curve to the zipper, and therefore easier to unzip and zip.
I want to try the smaller version !

I wish I had timed this - it was seriously fast! The quilting took the longest, then stich zipper to edges, fold ends in and stitch, then turn right-side out, and Bob's your uncle!
Overall, I am quite happy and so is the recipient;-)

Looking ahead, I must get more focused for June accomplishments - NO more distractions!

My goal for AYOLF is to clear my design wall! Flight Plan blocks have been taking up most of the space for more than a month now, so it is time to make a final decision, press the blocks, and assemble. I can opt to continue as planned, following the pattern for Flight Plan:

 OR, go with the option I am leaning toward and make these big stars instead:

My official goal for the June goal setting party at AYOLF is to complete the quilt sandwich!

Thank you for reading today!

 

Linking up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced!, where Lucy is guest-hosting today!

A Scrappy Star is added to my Aurifil Quilt Blocks !

Although I was too late to participate in the bee that led me to make this first block, I really love following the monthly blocks that are presented for the Global Scrap Bee. I was inspired to make this month's block with scraps that go with my Aurifil BOM collection.

The tutorial is by Jennie, found at here at Clover & Violet. (I especially love her Strippy-Figgy version at the bottom of the tutorial!) 

 

My next block is from the June Designer for Aurifil's Block of the Month, Heidi Pridemore. Her block is titled Chain Links. She provided a tutorial AND a pattern to complete a Chain Link Quilt:-) It is neat to see how the block looks repeated in a quilt! Both links can be found here, in her interview with Pat Sloan. Heidi said she designed the block with her two sisters' in mind, which I found endearing since I also have two sister's :-)

She seems quite bubbly and happy, and of course I like her name, so I made a visit to her blog and found Heidi lives not all that far from me, in Chandler, AZ.

I made an 8" version of Chain Link, and I added some hand-stitching to help incorporate it in with the Bear Paw Block from a couple month's ago.
This morning I pulled them all out and snapped a photo of progress to date:

I wanted various different sizes because.

Yep, just because.

I add whatever strikes my fancy to this block pile !

Thank you for reading today - hope you are having a happy and quilty week ;-)

Linking up with Lyn at What a Hoot, for BOMs Away, and with Jen at Quilter in the Closet for Building Blocks Tuesday.