WIP - 3/13/24

In progress this past week:

• I finished the quilting on the dog quilt. I used swirl meander as the pattern, which is a new one for me. It went pretty well, making the point sharp when I turn and not getting backed into corners were the toughest parts. Need to finish up the binding.
  
• I started quilting one of the Guild charity quilts, also using the swirl meander. It is a good-sized quilt, so by the time I finish it I should be fairly proficient at stitching this design.
• I worked on the hand applique on the 3rd block of my Jacobean quilt. I have one big flower left to finish up this block. 
• I worked on purple scraps for RSC24-March. 
• Got the final border put onto my bee round-robin quilt. Next step is to finish piecing the backing.

WIP - 2/28/2024

Not much got done this past week:

• I continue to make progress, slowly,  on the hand applique on the 3rd block of my Jacobean quilt.
• I finished my red pickle-dish blocks for RSC24-February. 

WIP - 2/21/2024

In progress this past week:

• I finished the top and the backing for the green scrap quilt I started as part of RSC24-January. Next step is to figure out if I have batting or if I need to go shopping.
• I got two quilts basted (thanks to my friend Lisa!) that I am going to quilt for my guild's charity project. 
• I continue to make progress, slowly,  on the hand applique on the 3rd block of my Jacobean quilt.
• I worked on red scraps for RSC24-February. 
• I also made a pillow and two draft-stoppers which used up most of the tiny scraps that had collected next to my cutting table.  Now the bag is ready to fill with more scrippy-scraps.

WIP - 2/13/2024

In progress this past week:

• I made some progress on the hand applique on the 3rd block of my Jacobean quilt.
• I finished all the blocks and assembled the center for the green scrap quilt I started as part of RSC24-January. I bought fabric for the border and found backing fabric in my stash.
• I finished quilting the baby quilt that my friend Amanda made.
• I worked on red scraps for RSC24-February.

I am off work today and plan to spend most of the day in my sewing room so I should have lots of progress to report by next week. Will start with the red scrap project I am working on and may get the border on the green scrap quilt. Not sure what else might strike my fancy to work on.

WIP - 1/31/2024

In progress this past week:

• I started the hand applique on the 3rd block of my Jacobean quilt.
  
• I have most of the top done for the scrappy flannel baby quilt I am making for my Guild's charity project. Needs another border or two to bring it up to size. I got batting for it at retreat along with two other quilt tops in need of quilting. 
• I fused onto the fabric and cut out all the leaf applique shapes I had traced for my tropical quilt, and got 8 of them sewn onto the quilt. The fusible I ordered arrived so I will be able to get the rest of these done eventually. 
• I got 9 blocks made for the green scrap quilt I started as part of RSC24-January. 
• Next up I will be quilting a baby quilt that a friend made. It is super cute and I think it will be quilted with stipples. 

WIP - 1/24/2024

In progress this past week:

• I prepped the pieces for hand applique on the 3rd block of my Jacobean quilt.
  
  
• While I was set up with the light-box I also traced a small stained-glass fish pattern for an applique  technique I want to try. 
  
  
• I traced just over half of the leaf applique shapes for my tropical quilt, and realized I need to get more fusible to finish that up. I ordered it so it should arrive soon.
• I got started on the green scrap quilt for RSC24-January. 
• While I was looking for lining for a dog coat I found a pile of cute flannel scraps which I think will be enough for a baby quilt for my Guild's charity quilt project. I started working on that this past weekend. 

WIP - 1/10/2024

Here is what is in progress this week:

• I finished the assembly of the last section on my blue Irish chain quilt and washed the backing fabric. I need to find batting and then baste the sections for quilting. 
• I did the applique on the 2nd block in my Jacobean quilt and finished the tracing for the 3rd block. I need to prep the applique pieces and then I can get back to doing the hand applique. It is a nice project to do during my breaks at the office. 
• I started a new project this week -- a scrappy green quilt. I selected fabrics from my scrap bins for it and have cut the pieces for a dozen blocks which I plan to piece during my end-of-the-month quilt retreat.
• I pulled out the box with my tropical quilt, but that is as far as I got with working on tracing the applique shapes for that. 

WIP - 1/3/24

I have 2 projects in progress* at the moment:

•  I have one more section to assemble on my blue Irish chain quilt then I will need to get batting and baste the sections for quilting.
• I am nearly done with the applique on the 2nd block in my Jacobean quilt. After that I am out of prepped pieces so the next step is to trace and prep the applique pieces for the 3rd block.
• I found an old cheater panel in a bin I was clearing out and I want to machine quilt it for the dog. I need to pick out thread and begin machine quilting it.

*For the purpose of these WIP posts I am defining "in progress" as a project I have begun (meaning it is more than a pile of fabric and an idea) and which I have actually done something with in the last week. 

WIP: Coin/Card Purses

I started playing around a few months ago with a design for a little zippered pouch to hold some money and a card or two. My friend Lisa tested out the first version and determined that it worked well, but was a little bigger than it needed to be.  This past week I resized my design and made a second version which measures approximately 3" x 5". The bird fabric is a pocket, the other side has another bird-fabric pocket and there is a zipper across the top. I'm pleased with this design. I have a friend with a fondness for birds who will probably get this test-model.  

Once I had the pattern and the assembly process worked out it was time to pick out fabrics and cut pieces for a batch of these to go into my Etsy Shop. 

Pouch, pocket, lining fabrics, and zippers for 6 more coin/card pouches like the yellow bird one.

I hope to get these made up, and may make another batch for Christmas presents, this week.

Work-in-Progress Wednesday is a link-up hosted at Freshly Pieced.

WIP Wednesday

I have been working on a lap quilt for a friend who I want to send a bit of cheer to. My friend makes braided rugs and is working on a new one for her bedroom that has blue, green, plum, and brown in it and my quilt fabrics were chosen to go with that. 

Cutting blocks for Linda's Quilt

The design for Linda's Quilt

The pattern is a tessellation using the block from the Ursula Reike's baby quilt I made recently. The blocks in the baby quilt are cut at 6 inches, these are cut at 4.5. I think I would like the design with the blocks cut even smaller, but that was the smallest ruler I had. Smaller would also require a lot more blocks, so for this particular project, which I want to get done fairly quickly, I am happy with the size. The arrangement of the colors was inspired by the traditional Trip Around the World quilt. 

I'm linking this up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

WIP Wednesday

After my super productive February and March I have been slacking off a bit. Despite the call of yard work this time of year I am trying to keep some momentum going with quilt projects. I am in the middle of quilting a baby quilt at the moment.. It is a much more muted palette than I usually choose, but I like the animal print in it and I think it is turning out cute even if though it is not especially "me." 

Zoo Baby Quilt - Designed and made by M. Russell 2014

The quilt is a baby quilt design I came up with and have been using for years. It is a theme fabric mixed with nine-patches. The nine-patches are made in 3 different combos so there is a diagonal stripe effect across the quilt. I am using a stipple pattern with variegated blue thread for the quilting. I think I am going to change both patterns and thread for the border which is a yellow stripe.  

I'm linking this up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

WIP Wednesday

Basting in Progress on the AQG Mystery Quilt

I have been basting quilts this week in preparation for a bunch of quilting. The one currently on the table is the mystery quilt for my Guild. I was going to leave it unquilted until after the big reveal at Guild, but that was moved from March to April, so I'm going to go ahead and quilt this, hopefully before the April meeting. 

I'm linking this up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

WIP Wednesday

Freshly Pieced hosts a What's-in-Progress Wednesday link-up and I decided to join in this week.

Freemotion Quilting with my Janome

This week I have been working on quilting my Purple Syncopated Ribbons (aka Sam's) quilt and finished it up and got the binding made and sewn on. I like how the quilting came out, but it was a pain to do as the pattern of following sections diagonally through the quilt with wavy lines was too confusing on such a big quilt. If I make this pattern again (which I might) I will definitely choose a different quilting plan. Now I have about a million miles of binding to hand sew to the back of the quilt.