August Goal Done (Thank Goodness!)

My August One Monthly Goal was to finish putting together Cerena's quilt top.   I used a really fun "Nightmare Before Christmas" print for the focus fabric and drew colors from the print to build my version of the Mountain Horizon pattern. 

When the blocks were ready to put into rows (on point) I wondered how it could possibly come together accurately since the directions called for using half-blocks as setting triangles.  Normally, you make your setting triangles in such a way that they are large enough to give you a seam allowance along the quilt's edges, so you don't lose any of your nice, clean, sharp points.  In fact, when you look at the "picture" on the "Mountain Horizon" pattern the points along the edges of the quilt are perfect.

I consider myself to be a fairly precise sewist.  Decent points. 

 

But the edges of my quilt top looked like this .....

..... which meant the triangle points would be cut off once the binding was added.  

I checked the designer's web site (Lo & Behold Stitchery) to see if there were any corrections.  There were none.  However, the designer's own photo shows the same points cut off when the binding was added.

Another quilt top from her site ..... 

..... shows the same thing.  Obviously the "photo" on the front of the pattern is not a photo, but rather an artist's rendering or digital image of some sort.  (Can you tell I am not a happy girl right now?)

All that aside, the quilt is finished .....

..... and in the mail, and it might even be loved.  

Even though it's not my work that's in question, I'm not super proud of this finish.  I didn't even put my name on it like I normally would, just my initials.

And that's all I have to say about that. 

Scrap Happy Saturday - Orange RSC Blocks Done

I got my Orange Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks done early this month.  Good for me, because we're headed to Seattle in a few days, and I won't be taking my sewing machine with me this time.  

Once again, I had a limited stash to work with .....

..... but I did it.  Sawtooth Stars, Windmills, and 60 orange bricks to add to the rest of the RSC blocks.

Would you look at that beautiful ironing board?  Re-covering it has been on my to-do list for too long.  The last time I did it I used a double thickness of muslin which was a mistake.  It wasn't long at all before it was scorched and ripped, so this time I bought an outdoor fabric, and I'm happy with the results.  

I'm having fun breaking it in! 

Linking up with Super Scrappy .

Some Scrappy Stuff and a Quilt Retreat

I do love a good quilt retreat.  This summer I was able to go to a retreat for the first time in three years.  (Darn that Covid!)  The Farmstead Inn and Conference Center in Shipshewana, Indiana saw almost 40 quilters who had met and become friends over the years in an online quilting forum, and we were happy to be there.  What a beautiful setting!

This group had a good time and got a whole lot of sewing done.

A few weeks before retreat I came across some projects I had forgotten about.  First was a stack of scrappy 16-patch blocks I thought would make a nice donation quilt if I added dark blue alternate blocks.  I had just the thing.  When my middle grandson was about six years old I made curtains for his room, and when the room was re-decorated I deconstructed them and put the fabric in my stash.  Perfect!  Project number one was kitted and ready to pack.

Here's a little bonus pic.  My grandson, Gavin, jumping for joy in front of his curtains.  I just had to throw that in. 

Next I found a ziplock full of scrappy 4" by 8" bricks I had originally cut for a "Bricks and Stepping Stones" quilt (a free pattern from Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville site) and some black & white 4-patches I had made last year as leader/enders.    

I got a lot accomplished at retreat (in addition to visiting with friends, checking out what they were working on, and eating way too much!), and then got both tops finished when I got home  as well as using up some stash by making the backings. 

 

Now the challenge will be getting both of these finished and donated before the end of the year so they don't end up on the UFO list!

Linking up with Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

August Goals and a Stash Report

I'm still so excited about meeting my July goal, that I'm ready to set another somewhat challenging goal for August.  So.  Here we go.

A while back one of my nieces asked me to make a quilt for her daughter-in-law, Cerena, who had loved one of her gramma's quilts so much and for so long that it was completely worn out.  At the same time my friend, Denise, was working on a quilt for her DIL and needed motivation, so we decided to make it a sew-along.  She was using the pattern "Mountain Horizon" by Brittany Lloyd.  Cerena loves all things "The Night Before Christmas", so that was my first fabric choice and coordinating fabrics were soon to follow.

Of course I had to make it my own.  That's the fun part of using patterns!  I made several changes in the main block, combining some of the pieces, because I didn't want to cut up the focus fabric.  That meant creating a new pattern for part of it and making a test block just to be sure.  Can you see what I did?  

Instead of doing curved piecing I just raw-edge applique'd the half circles.  

Getting that first sample block made is always so motivating.

  

My August goal is to have all the blocks finished and get them into a top.  You never know.  I might get even more done than that!

JULY

Fabric Added in July - 15.7 yards

Fabric Used in July - 29.8 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date - 52 yards

Fabric Used Year to Date - 138.9 yards

Net Used in 2022 - 86.9 yards

Days I sewed in July- 28/31

Days I sewed this year - 201/212

Percentage - 95%

Linking up with One Monthly Goal 

RSC-Purple Goal and OMG Goal Met

I was so busy sewing in July that I forgot to blog!  I set my goals for the month and posted them on the 5th, forgot all about blogging, and got to work.  I managed to dig up a few more purples for RSC2022 by looking through my Asian prints.  There weren't many there either, but my Sawtooth Star and Windmill blocks are done as are the 60 brick blocks.

My One Monthly Goal for July was to finish the One Block Wonder that has been on my UFO list for a while.  And I did it!  I had already quilted the center.

The hexies I'd started quilting in the borders looked better as tumbling blocks, so that happened.

It's quilted, bound, and washed.

The main thing I learned from this project is that even though I like the look of big-stitch quilting, I hate doing it.  I'm really over it.  

I do love this finish.  I'm not sure where it will end up, though.  It's a little small for a snuggle quilt unless I can find someone pretty short to give it to.  Hmmm, now that I think about it, I just might have someone in mind.

Linking up with So Scrappy