SBChallenge - Flimsey 4 Finished.

Here's my second Disappearing 4 Patch quilt finished.  This one finishes 40" x 50" and will be going to a resident at a local nursing home next month.  I wasn't too sure about the blocks for this one when I was making it, but now they are altogether I really like it :)

I've pulled some fabrics for another lap quilt for the nursing home and I'm working on that this weekend.  The two prints to the right and the green are from my Challenge fabrics, the blues are from my pre-cut scrap boxes, but the navy and cream are from other stash.  I just didn't have anything with enough contrast amoungst the challenge fabrics to work.  Can any Bonnie Hunter fans guess what pattern I'm making?!?

SBChallenge - Flimsey 4 Quilted ...

The second Disappearing 4 Patch is now quilted and ready for it's floral binding.  I was able to use the 'strange' pink as the backing, so there is significantly less of that left now!  I was also able to bust all of the stash I pulled for this one, except the top neutral which still has about 20" remaining. 

It's lovely to see the Challenge stash pile slowly reducing as it becomes useable quilts ... I've now got it all into 2 of the FQ bags, rather than 2 and a half - definate progress :)

SBChallenge - Flimsey 4 ...

I've made great progress on the next challenge quilt ... it is now a flimsey!!  Well, it is the Stashbuster's group 'virtual' retreat weekend, so I've been busy stitching.  DH is at work all weekend, dinner is in the crockpot, so I can pretty much please myself :)

(OK, the eagle-eyed may spot that the photo shows the blocks on the design wall and not joined yet, but I promise as I type this they are a finished flimsey!)

A new 'home' for donation quilts ...

Back in April/May I finished two quilts which were to be donated through a local(ish) LQS - they said they collected for a hospice and wounded soldiers.  When I contacted them to check on label requirements and arrange delivery they said they no longer collected quilts.  I was so disappointed because I was only told in February that they DID want quilts.  So my poor Chinese Coin Hearts & Blue Strings quilts have sat for a while as I had no other outlet for them.  However, I am now pleased to report that I have a new destination for adult donation quilts - a charity funded nursing home near here.  I delivered them this week and spent some time chatting to the delighted new owners of my quilts!

A couple of other residents would love to have a quilt too, so I pulled the fabrics from my Stash Busting Challenge pile for a new Disappearing 4 patch lap quilt.  The floral was the basis of the colour scheme on this one and half the blocks will feature it paired with one of the neutrals.

SBChallenge - Flimsey 2 Finished.

I seem to be working backwards on quilting these flimsies, so here is Flimsey 2 now finished!

I had a little 'play' with the quilting on this one, with mixed results ...

This is my attempt at the Seashell pattern from Patsy Thompson's DVD.  I LOVE the flowing texture this pattern gives, but it is very thread and labour intensive even though I tried to stitch it on the big side with the largest 'shells' measuring from 2-3" across.  I would definately do this again on a part of a quilt, but not as an all-over design on a donation quilt. 

So after one corner, I had to change tack.  I did the bulk on the quilting in diagonal free-motion wavy lines, but so it didn't look totally like I chickened out of the quilting, I did a small section of the Seashells again in the opposite corner.  Because the fabrics are quite busy and the thread matches quite well, I doubt a non-quilter would really notice :)

SBChallenge - Flimsey 3 Finished.

I've been quilting and Flimsey 3, the disappearing 4 patch, is now finished.  I know it seems a little out of order to finish number 3 before nos 1 & 2, but I'll get those done soon, I promise!!

I managed to bust 4 of the 5 fabrics I pulled for this quilt, plus a piece of Debbie Mumm brown for the binding. Yeah!

I rewatched my Patsy Thompson DVDs after an exchange of comments with Elaine Adair when we discussed how easy it is to get 'stuck' with some favourite quilting patterns and 'forget' to try some new ones.  I was reinvigorated and decided to try the random baptist fans on Patsy's 2nd DVD, but do the outer row as petals.  Here's how it came out on theback :)

SBChallenge - Flimsey 3 begins ...

Here the fabrics I pulled for the next quilt.  It's the disappearing 4 patch pattern, which is basically a two colour/fabric quilt, but I didn't have enough of any two fabrics so I'm improvising ... should JUST have enough of the brick reds to make it work!

Here are the first couple of blocks, although I'm going to spread the different fabrics around when all the blocks are made.

SBChallenge - Flimsey 2.

I'm really on a roll here!!  Here are the second lot of fabrics I pulled for my challenge - I would definately call the top fabric an 'ugly', but when I put it with the other two it seemed to find a purpose.  The lighter fabric (I have yardage) is a really strange almost dusty pink with a touch of salmon, but it works with this.

Here's the finished flimsey.  Large (cut 3.5") rail fences - would you believe that in 9 years of quilting this is the first time I've ever made a rail fence?!?  Another one finishing 36" square for the incubators.

Only managed to completely bust the brown fabric on this one ... and there's lots more of the strange pink :)

I'm enjoying the challenge of seeing what I can do with what I have and I keep hearing Tim Gunn (from Project Runway) in my head saying "Make it Work!"

Stash Busting Challenge (SBC) - Flimsey 1.

There's nothing like making a public declaration of intent in order to motivate yourself.  Only yesterday I declared my challenge to get some stash sewn up into donation quilts and today I can report my first flimsey finished!!  (I'm not promising to maintan this pace!)

Here are the starting fabrics I pulled.  The left hand piece was actually a poly-blend which I didn't realise until I'd cut the pieces, but I persevered.

Three of them are now out of the stash, just a few pieces in the scrap bins.  The right hand one has enough remaining to make a binding on another project, so lives to fight another day!

Here's the finished flimsey.  Some large half-square triangles with a small border, finishes at 36" square.  This is going to be an incubator cover for the local Sp Care Baby Unit (SCBU).  They don't cover the babies, they cover the incubators and they stay in the unit and basically get washed to death!!!  They brighten the place up for a bit during their lifespan though.

Flimsey 1 is done ... now on to the next :)

My Stash-busting Challenge ...

During May I spent some time sorting my stash of fabric and pulled out some I don't like (usually given to me) or ones I've fallen out of love with.  I'm now going to have my own challenge to bust that stash by making it into donation quilts.  Here are most of the fabrics involved, mostly FQs or less than half a yard, plus a few bits of yardage I forgot to photograph:

Lots of florals and unusual patterns in here!

Mostly FQs, plus some nickels from swaps of Kaffe Fasset fabrics and Civil War repro fabrics (plus a piece of burgundy yardage).

Then there's a few xmas fabrics and Thimbleberries FQs and nickels that are still left over despite making two other quilts, one of which was bedsized!!  I think this proves I overdid it when buying the Thimbleberries :)


Lots of donation quilts, minimum other fabrics to be involved ... LET THE CHALLENGE BEGIN ...

Swirling ...

Here's my swirl of I Spy fabrics as per PattiLou's tutorial.  I love it!  If you were using crumb blocks (or other non-directional fabrics) it would be a complete breeze making up the pattern.  Because I was complicating things for myself using directional fabrics, I had to put each cut piece onto my design wall to make sure everything was orientated to my liking before I could sew the sections together.  But it was SO worth the fiddle!!

Unfortunately, this is as far as I can progress with this one for now .  The centre measures approx 32" x 36" and I don't know what it's final destination will be, so how much border to add.  If it goes to be an incubator cover it will need tiny side borders and binding.  If it goes to be a small child's quilt I can follow's PattiLou's border directions.  It it is going to be for a bigger child, I could add extra I Spy fabric borders to bring it up bigger.  However, at the moment I don't have a destination for children's donation quilts other than incubator covers.  I used to give them to Project Linus for a children's hospice, but the co-ordinator I knew is no longer active and I'm having trouble tracking down someone new.  So for the time being this quilt is on hold.

I Spy a Swirl ...

A couple of weeks ago and I saw a tutorial for a swirl quilt on PattiLou's blog.  I fell in love with it straight away and knew I had to make one.  The original used crumb-pieced blocks, but I could see it being equally fabulous with I Spy squares.  So I rummaged in my box and came up with this group of animal themed squares.  Should be fun :)