Half Log Cabin Blocks

This is the third block for the Pat Sloan 182 Day Solstice Challenge.  She always gives her blocks quirky names.  She's calling this Half Log Cabin Block, Tide Pool.  I decided to jazz up my versions.  I threw in the gold flying goose to echo the little gold bird in the center square, and I did an hour glass block for the other center square.

Here are all six blocks together.  I think they're pretty cool, of course, I'm prejudiced!

In other news, I mentioned in November that I was elected to be the new president of our local MQG, the Temecula Valley MQG.  Last night we had our first board meeting.  It was pretty interesting and I think everything will work.  I sure hope so.  Our first meeting of 2017 is in two weeks, I'll let you know how it goes.  I'm not nervous, but I've never been president of anything before!

May your bobbins always be full,

There's been a lot going on around here.

I just haven't been doing much blogging!  I put together 5 more Jacobs Ladder Blocks.  I've been intentionally breaking up the assembly of these blocks.  I think I learned my lesson from the Lawn Diamond Quilt and didn't want this to be another Most Boring Quilt in the World!  I still have some to work on.

Two years ago I joined Pat Sloan's 2015 QAL.  2015 was a bad year for me and having a QAL or two to look forward to was wonderful.  This year the QAL is called Pat Sloan’s 182 day Solstice Challenge.  It started last week.  This week I did a fabric pull and started playing catch-up.

The first block was a Churn Dash Block and I decided to make two.  One I turned around to be a Greek Cross.  I'm going to miss some weeks due to traveling, so I decided to make two of each block, in case I decide not to play catch-up, again.

This weeks' block is a split star block called Day Into Night.  I pulled some supplemental fabric and made these two blocks.  I'm biased, but I love them!

Here are all four blocks.  While I'm waiting for next weeks' release on Wednesday, I'll work on something else.  Probably more Jacobs Ladder blocks and I have an idea for a new quilt, too.

May your bobbins always be full,

Sometimes Quilting is a Lifesaver

I started this QAL one week before Bob passed away.

Being committed to making the blocks, as they were issued each month was a real lifesaver.

I was also doing another QAL, that I started six months earlier and the two QALs, kept me focused when so much was going on.

This is a close up of the center portion of the quilt.  The quilt was the 2015 Mystery QAL with Pat Sloan; its title is Vacation Time.  I started the first block January 22, 2015, and finished the binding yesterday, March 13, 2016.  The quilt measures 62" x 66".

This is the quilt back, and a close-up of the pantograph, Almost Paisley.  I thought it went great with the center fabric.

The last photo shows the San Diego Modern Quilt Guild's Vintage Quilt Revival QAL, that I was working on concurrently with the Vacation Time QAL.  Real lifesavers! 

May your bobbins always be full,

I have a lovely stack of quilts...

And they need binding!

Five quilts in my UFO pile.  I've picked them up from my long-arm quilter, Janelle, and I'm determined to finish them before I start on a new project.  The new project will be a Meadow Quilt.  I did take some time yesterday and plotted color placement.  I'm pretty satisfied, but I'll most likely fool around with it a little more before I start cutting.  An interesting thing about the Meadow Quilt, is you don't use your rotary cutter very much!  Very old school.

May your bobbins always be full,

Vintage Quilt Revival QAL Quilt is finished!

Yay!  I'm so happy to have this marked "done".   I joined the San Diego Modern Quilt Guild's Vintage Quilt Revival QAL over a year ago, in August 2014.  It was a good adventure and I learned a lot.  

I had no suggestions for thread, but my LAQ, Janiel Millers' first suggestion was variegated and that's what we stayed with.  I think it was a perfect choice.

I photographed the quilt on a steep grassy bank and forgot to get a photo of the back.  It's all back with the exception of this orphan block.  The quilt measures 70" x 87".

May your bobbins always be full,

I've got a stack of quilts to bind...

And they're all queen-size.  From the top, Autumn Leaves 95 x 95", Vintage Modern 70 x 87", and Mandalay HSR 85 x 88.5".

It took me about 4 days to get to this point.  I had thought I'd have all the bindings sewn on by now, so much for thinking!

The colors of the bindings aren't showing up very well from the top, they ar Kona Wheat, Kona Black and Kona Cadet.

Now, I'm ready to start on the first one.  Photos to follow, of course.

May your bobbins always be full,

Vacation Time Quilt Top is finished!

This QAL with Pat Sloan has been interesting.  This is most likely the most traditional looking quilt I've made.  I used fabric from my stash because I have so much.  That posed a problem in the end; my blocks were so diverse, I needed fabrics for the setting blocks and the borders that would tie it all together.

I think my plan was successful, overall.  Below is a photo of two of Pat Sloan's finished quilts, as you can see mine is different.  Different is good.  I want to thank Pat Sloan for this QAL.  I started the first block the week before Bob died, and it was good to have something quilty-wise to look forward to.

Source.

May your bobbins always be full,

2015 Mystery Quilt Along with Pat Sloan ~ August Block(s)

The "block" this month wasn't really a block as much as four strings of blocks to make these borders.  This was taken in the shade, on my driveway.  I threw in the edited pencil sketch, just for fun.

The fabric finally arrived for the backing of the Vintage Quilt Revival QAL Quilt Top, so I'll get that finished today to take to the LAQ.  Then I have those six quilts to bind, before I start on my next project.  I hate having UFOs!

May your bobbins always be full,

Vintage Quilt Revival QAL Quilt Top is finished!

I decided to join my Vintage Quilt Revival blocks on-point.  I thought they looked more "modern" this way.  I took Faith Jones' design idea and made it my own.  I loved the connecting blocks with the square in the middle, but I hated using the same blocks around the edges.  To me, that was super wasteful.  

I am so happy I joined this Quilt Along.  The finished size is 68 inches x 86 inches a bit smaller than the example.

May your bobbins always be full,

Vintage Quilt Revival QAL with the San Diego Modern Quilt Guild

This quilt will be sewn on the diagonal since I decided to set the blocks on point.  Of course that makes my life more difficult, since I don't have a design wall to lay the blocks on.  I'm using an old quilt, on the garage floor and I took photos of each step and thought I'd show them in a slideshow, in case you're interested in seeing the process.  I did this early in the morning because the garage doesn't have AC, duh, and it's going to be blazing hot today.

May your bobbins always be full,

SDMQG Vintage Quilt Revival QAL ~ July Block

This is the final block to be constructed for the San Diego Modern Quilt Guild Vintage Quilt Revival Quilt Along!  (Say that fast without stumbling.)  There was only one block assigned for July it's called Double Windmill.  It's a paper-pieced block and you may get tired of reading this, I love it!

Above is my first attempt at photographing all the blocks together.  Yee old tennis ball fits right in, don't cha think?  I walked my ladder to the other end and took the photo below.  These were taken on my dirty garage floor.  I did sweep it, but because of the drought, I'm not washing it.

This won't be the final layout, I just slapped them down, but they do look good if I say so myself.  I made a total of 21 blocks for this QAL, one didn't make the cut for the photo.  The orphan block will probably end up on the back of the quilt.

This is my new ladder.  I brought it home after my stepmother passed away.  I have no idea, but I like to think my great Dad finished it so nicely.

May your bobbins always be full,