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

July Goals

Since I accomplished my June goals, after failing to do much at all in April and May, I think I might have enough mojo now to set my goals for July.   

I started on a One Block Wonder in September of 2019.  Yikes!  That's embarrassing.   Okay, it needs to come off the UFO list soon for sure!   I started quilting it around then, but got discouraged shortly after that (with Covid and life, not just with quilting) and set it aside.  I had quilted all the blocks in the center of the quilt but not the borders.

It is definitely time to finish it.  Hubby made a template for me to match the shape of the six inch hexagons.  (I tried, but mine was wonky!)  So far, I've stitched a few hexagons in the border, but it's going to need something else.  

I'm kind of figuring it out as I go.  I need to figure fast, though, because finishing this quilt is my July One Monthly Goal.  

Another goal for this month is to get my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks made using this month's color - purple.  This is definitely going to be fun since THIS is my purple stash .....

.....  all of it!

And this is everything from my juvenile/novelty prints that has any purple at all in it.

So.  Let the challenge begin!

Linking up with One Monthly Goal and So Scrappy

Teal Update (Alright......Purple, Too)

I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Well, that's only because (as with all things quilty) I have to do it my own way.  The challenge is to make one or more blocks of the color chosen for each month then put all of them together into one big rainbow quilt.  The goal I have set for myself is to make an entire charity quilt each month using that month's color.  That's a big challenge, but I'm excited about it.

Last month's teal blocks are now in a top and it's basted! 

I tortured myself with this quilt, trying to make it more interesting.  I had the whole first row put together with half-inch sashing strips .....

..... then decided it would be too much work, plus it really didn't make that much difference, and I ripped them all out.

It's times like this that I'm happy I have my trusty tool made by my friend Jack the Seam Ripper.  I want to buy a bunch of them just because they're so pretty!

I used a print from my stash for the backing.  I had bought three yards of it from The Fat Quarter Shop a while back, and forgot I had it.  It's from the Dim Dots collection by Michael Miller.  

(That stash really does come in handy sometimes!  Please tell Hubby that!)

As you know the January color was purple and I made string blocks.  I have made some progress there as well.  Hmmm, I didn't realize until I started typing that I also tortured myself trying to make this one more interesting.   I wanted to make a piano key border (really just want to use up every bit of purple I can!) ..... 

..... but it was just not working.   Someone suggested it was the orange border that wasn't working.  Not so.  I love the way it looks.  Plus it brings out the orange in the white print.

I decided on a final border using one of the purple fabrics and called it done.

This one is basted, too!

The March color will be announced tomorrow, so I need to get busy quilting or I will end up with a ton of UFO's at the end of the year.   You know what?  That is so not gonna happen!

I am linking up with So Scrappy's Linky Party.  Check it out.  There will be a bunch of teal projects there.

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What Is It With Purple?

Purple is not my favorite color.  It's pretty far down on the list, in fact.  In the last two years I've made three quilts for people whose favorite color is purple.  First, it was Gloria's violets, then it was Esther's stack and whack, and finally, it was Shawn's Triforce.   I've been so happy having a break from purple!  Until now.  I decided to participate this year in So Scrappy's 2017 Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Each month she chooses a color and challenges her readers to use that color in a project.  January's color is ---- sigh ---- purple. 

My basket of strings didn't yield much.  Even all the way down to the bottom.  

I decided to make string blocks with leftover purple scraps from my stash and a small print.  I keep a copy of the Yellow Pages in a bottom drawer in my Sewing Room for such a time as this.  It makes a good foundation.

  

I didn't want to start a new project just to have it become a UFO, but sewing strips onto paper goes pretty fast.  

 

Pulling the paper off, not so much.  It gives me something to do while watching a Hallmark Christmas movie way after Christmas, though.

I have 16 blocks made ......

...... so far.  And the rest of the month to play with purple.  (Oh, joy!)

I am linking up with Scrap Happy Saturday.   You may want to look at some of the other purple projects being worked on this month.

Triforce Quilt

I have been wanting to write about this quilt since I started it, but I didn't want a certain someone to see it.  That's been happening a lot this past year.  Not only secret quilts, but now that I think of it, purple quilts, too.   Thank goodness for friends throwing purple scraps my way once in a while, otherwise I would never be able to make quilts for all the people whose favorite color is purple.  I've been wanting to make this quilt for a long time.  I actually bought the pattern in December, 2013 from Eric the Quilter's etsy shop.  So getting around to it took over three and a half years, but once I started I finished in less than 3 months.  

 The original plan was to make a wall-hanging, and I had the piecing for that pretty much finished in a couple of weeks.

Then, though, I decided to make it at least a throw size, and maybe even a twin.  That meant ripping out all those setting triangles on the bottom edge.  What fun!

I sewed and sewed, and before I knew it the top was quite a bit longer.  I still wasn't happy though because it looked too long and skinny to me.  To add to the width I would have to rip out all those setting triangles along the sides.  NO. WAY!   

How about adding some borders?  I still had plenty of purple left.

I've never worked with a quilt that had all bias edges so I stay-stitched it first to keep it from stretching   My favorite marking tool for darks really came in handy!  Love my Fons & Porter Mechanical Pencil with White Lead!

Marking and trimming made it a lot easier to add the borders.

From this point on it should have been super easy.  Hmmm, not so much.  I wanted so much for all the squares in the borders to look balanced that I made it fit and ended up with ripply borders.

I figured if I quilted a little heavier in the borders, the fullness might "quilt out" though.  Right?  No.  Wrong again.  I wanted this done!  I even took it with me on vacation and set up my own personal sewing area so I could work on it when I got tired of the pool and the beach.

I quilted two sides and wasn't happy, so I ripped it all that quilting out.  Then, I actually took the borders off.  I've never done that before on a quilt that was mostly quilted.  

I put my "Jack the Seam Ripper" to good use!  If you need a new ripper or a really special one for a gift, check his out.  They are great!

So, I removed at least two inches from each side, reattached it, got it quilted, and finally got to my favorite part - binding!

By the way, isn't that another great backing fabric?  It's from the "Mostly Manor" collection by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  I bought it from my fave Fat Quarter Shop.

My friend, Penny, made another really beautiful label for me using a downloaded pattern of the Triforce I had purchased online.   I love that I can find just about anything I want online!  (Not sure Hubby feels the same way about my online shopping.....)

So, it's quilted, and bound .....

..... and delivered.  I feel pretty confident that this will be a much-loved quilt.  I sure put love into it!


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A Very Purple Finish

I first blogged about the Purple Quilt in this post then updated you in this post, and now I can tell you the rest of the story.  This was one of the most fun quilts I've ever made.  I was making it as a surprise for a dear friend, but also blogging about it and sharing it on FaceBook.  A lot of times I asked for input and followed her recommendations whenever she commented.  I even went so far as to hint for buttons knowing she would volunteer to send me some!  

I used my favorite King Tut thread by Superior Threads to quilt the violets .....

  




















..... leaving a space in the centers so I would have room to add the buttons.  

I didn't like the way that looked on the back, though .....

..... so I ended up putting appliquéd green squares over all those spots, and I actually love the way it looks now.

After quilting the violets with purple and the background with ivory, I decided I didn't like the green cornerstones not having any quilting in them, so I went back and quilted with purple in each one.

It was so much fun putting such a variety of buttons on this quilt.  I love the effect.

Now, my dear friend has a lot of favorite things in addition to purple and buttons, and one of them is tea.  I embroidered a little teapot and cup along the edge on the backing.

Another little special touch was adding a piece of purple hippo fabric onto the back.  (Yes -- she likes hippos, too!)

There you have it.  A special quilt for a special friend, Gloria.  

Here's the front.  (It sort of blends in with my design wall, but hopefully you can see that the quilt ends at the purple binding.)

Here's the back.

And here's the beautiful label my friend Penny made for me to add to the back.

Gloria was truly surprised today when she received the quilt in the mail.  She thought sure she had figured out who I was making it for, but she was wrong.  After she stopped crying she posted this photo on FaceBook of herself wrapped up in it.  I think it's safe to say she's happy with it.

I am linking up with A Quilting Reader's Garden for WIP's Be Gone Week 11.