PQ Mystery Quilt Along "almost" finish

This years Project Quilting Mystery Quilt Along started and I didn't know what to expect. It started out innocent enough, but as the clues came it was clear that the project would not be small. Due to other quilty obligations, I knew that this was one project that would be completed late. Completed it would be because I also had a plan to combine it with last year's mystery quilt to make one quilt big enough for donating yet another to Project Linus, Madison Chapter by the end of the year. 

Here is this year's PQ Mystery quilt top:

Those spools on that shelf are quite wide! I will need to do a bit of filling in around last years top to get the width. It will be fun picking the fabric as I used all the background fabric I had for the spools. I thought it would be fantastic to make a throw-sized quilt from both projects while putting everything "PQ" together. Sew much fun! 

Here is the first mystery top:

If you participated in either year of Kim Lapacek's Project Mystery Quilt Along leave a comment on what you did with your top. Table runner, lap warmer, pillow, or still undecided? I would love to hear from you.

As always, keep quilting!

Fawn

Team "Zebra"

Challenge #2 Complete!

The theme for week two of Project Quilting is Team Colors. There was a lot of speculation that there would be many projects made based on "sportsball". I am amused by this term as I do have plenty of inspiration to draw from with professional teams I follow to sports teams my children have played for, but I chose to go a different route for my team color theme. 

The team colors I created for are a combination of Ehler's Danlos Syndrome (EDS - zebra stripes), chronic migraine (purple and red), and scoliosis (green). All these colors and more are important in my life, but the zebra stripes takes precedence due the EDS being the leading health factor I need to monitor. It affects every aspect of my life because it is a genetic condition that affects various areas of connective tissues in my body. Every case of EDS is unique, and does not simply amount to stretchy skin - as a google search would lead one to believe. In fact, most medical professionals are not even properly trained to recognize, let alone care for, EDS patients. We are constantly trying to bring awareness to what our lives truly look like and still live our best life. 

Back to the project, after choosing my colors and fabrics, I drew up the plan for a mugrug and decided on applique for this project. The added bonus - I was able to complete two mugrugs. Yay!

Adding the fusible for piecing to make the zebra stripes was easy. I stitched it down with a narrow zigzag stitch.

The other colors were used for binding. A fun quilty friend sent me the fabric used for the backing. Just perfect for this project, don't you think?

Each mugrug finishes at 6 1/2" × 8 1/2". They were created in Arlington, WI. I call the mugrugs "Team Zebra".

Keep quilting!

Fawn 

"Ice Cream on the Nines"

Challenge #1 Complete!

This weekend I was able to make my quilt for the first challenge of Kim Lapacek's Project Quilting Season 11 with the theme being Notably Numeric. To meet the challenge theme, I stuck with creating nine patch blocks for ease. No two blocks are identical.

It was so wonderful to complete the first challenge quilt after such a trying week with my health. I call this "Ice Cream on the Nines". It is a baby quilt measuring 42"×42" made with various fabrics I picked up while attending The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show with my mom. Pineapple Fabrics had a both where I found six of the fabrics used in this quilt, including the fun ice cream print, as well as food truck print that also has ice cream trucks!! So cute!! 

I started with deciding which fabrics from my stash were going to be used for the other three blocks in each nine patch.

Then starched all the fabrics and got right to cutting the 216 squares I needed at two and a half inches square each. 

Then came careful assembly as to not repeat any pattern within a full block. 

Next was assembling the rows. Finally, those rows got to be seen together in the final top. After some final pressing, it was time to sandwich and baste. Here is where I got to add that wonderful Kaffe polka dot backing. Binding was still up in the air at this point. 

How did I decide quilting? It needed simple. There was enough happening with this quilt between the fabrics, block pattern, and backing. The last thing it needed was a complicated quilting. Simple, full-quilt diagonals is all it needed through each line of blocks. I took a narrow zigzag stitch to the edge to close and it was ready for binding. 

I fully machine bind my quilts. My hands do not handle needlework, so I have to find ways to make it work. It has been an interesting number of years of "yikes!" results and most recently, coming into my own on binding success. This quilt was definitely worth celebrating. I have to thank Elizabeth Chappell of Quilters Candy for this video with the tip that helped me get my binding to behave in a way better than even clips can accomplish! The mitered corners were also so beautiful. Usually one is wonky in some way. Not today. Take a look -

I hope you have enjoyed my entry for week one of Project Quilting Season 11 - Notably Numeric. Created in Arlington, WI.

Check out my Instagram if you want to see quick updates on happenings in my quilty world. Thank you for checking out the process of my first challenge quilt. Leave a comment and let me know you stopped by.

As always, keep quilting!

Fawn

Happy New Year...a week late!!

The start to 2020 has been a tad busy catching up on some projects from 2019, meeting a secret sewing deadline, and getting into the groove of everything January 2020 in the quilty world I have chosen to put under my needle.

Let's start with this post about wrapping up the blocks for the 2019 Monthly Color Challenge from Patterns By Jen - November and December are complete!

I have decided to donate these quilts each year to the local chapter of the Linus Project. I was struggling with the size and variety of colors in my 2018 blocks when all were put together when attempting to complete things as one coherent quilt. So I started researching different charities I could donate my quilts to with Project Linus feeling like the perfect fit. By the end of the year, there will be four quilts completed.

The top photo shows my 6" and 12" blocks from the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge. All blocks followed the color theme for the month, but not necessarily the pattern. Jen posted blocks in both sizes that year. I challenged myself to keep with the colors and create a block in both sizes each month. Extra block patterns were chosen from a book my mother passed down to me. I chose blocks I hadn't before created. One of the blocks Jen posted that year (May, I think) I also changed up the layout on as it looked better with the fabrics I purchased specifically for that block). The bottom photo shows all of the 2019 blocks together. My personal challenge with those blocks was to create blocks from only solid fabrics. I absolutely love these blocks and do not know why I avoided solids in my earliest quilting. Crazy! 

What do you have planned for your Monthly Color Challenge quilts? Will they be gifts, donations, quilts for your couch, or maybe donated to a fundraiser? Let me know in the comments. It's always fun to share ideas on what we do with our creations!

In my next post, we will start looking at some of the new sewing I have started in 2020, as well as what is to come in the remainder of this week! Short time frame, so what could it be?? The suspense!!

PS - When you hop over to Jen's blog, check out the 2020 Monthly Color Challenge! It's definitely not for the birds, but all about the birds...and their beautiful colors that they inspired for each challenge month. From there, check out the fellow bloggers who are creating blocks for various months throughout the year. All the fun starts at Pattern's By Jen blog!

Keep quilting!!

Fawn