Friday

Keeping myself in the game with a nice easy scrappy finish!  Courthouse Steps, a variation of log cabin piecing.  This will hang over the back of the rocker during October.

I'm feeling so much more engaged and productive now that the weather has cooled.

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Wednesday

I got my scrappy log blocks assembled today!  I was determined to get this done before the end of the year so I would not be carrying over a UFO.  Mission accomplished!

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UFO completed

This was a UFO top made from accumulated Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, and it's been resting for a while.  Now it's quilted, bound, and ready for Rhiannon's visit!

RSC21

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Rainbow Connection: Violet

 Way back before the holidays, I set up a challenge for myself to work with a designated color each month in 2021.  I'm calling it my Rainbow Connection series.  My plan is to do a color exploration each month, following in order around the color wheel.  My January assignment was red-violet, and my color for February is violet.

I chose to use violet this month in combination with its complement, yellow, to make a small half log cabin quilt.

Our neighborhood is filled with jacaranda trees, which will be blooming up and down the streets in another month or so.  I'll use this violet quilt out on the bench on the front porch to celebrate the beautiful blossom color.

Next month I'll be working with blue-violet, and I already have something in mind.

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Friday

Tidying up my workroom:

 I unearthed and quilted this small scrappy courthouse steps UFO.

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UFO Completion

Last month, when I was digging through my red stash for the red quilt I shared yesterday, I unearthed this set of blocks and scraps.  The bundle dates way back to hmmmm, 2013, when I did a big quilt for Jessica.  These are well-aged scraps!

Anyway, I finally made my way through the bundle this week, and came up with a nice little donation quilt.  So another UFO off the list, and this will be sent to

 Wrap-A-Smile.  

Fourth quilt completion for 2020 already, and it's not even the end of January yet.  It's shaping up to be a productive year!

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Completions

As I had planned, I got the bindings turned on these two small projects over the weekend!

Almost Amish

Mystery sew-along at Humble Quilts

Brown logs -- for an autumn gift

Onward ...

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Scrappy half log cabins

I finished piecing this top yesterday.  I would have liked it to be a bit longer but I extended the light and the red fabrics as far as they would go.  I don't have any destination in mind for this quilt right now -- it was undertaken just to consume scrap fabric.  I did empty the targeted bag, so I met my goal!  It will be added to the To-Be-Quilted-When-Needed queue. 

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Monday

Done!  Quilted, bound, tagged, and delivered!  This log cabin quilt was donated to the historical society for an upcoming opportunity drawing at the season opening of the museum.

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Pinwheels

The next in my log cabin series.  Although this layout is usually known as 'Pinwheels', it's making me think of Dutch windmills -- perhaps the blue is adding to that impression -- so that may be another name.  This is quilt #697 on my lifetime completion list.

It will probably be used as a gift.

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Batwings

Another in my log cabin series.  When I saw a diagram for this arrangement, 'Herringbone', it made me think of flying bats ... which suggested my color scheme.  This one is completely done and ready to use next month with Halloween décor.

Already starting to think about my next

log cabin project ...

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Streak of Lightning

I've been slowly working along on a behind-the-scenes log cabin series. I'm exploring some of the traditional layouts possible with log blocks.  I have a number of bags full of color-sorted 1 1/2" strips, so it's very easy to jump into a new block set on a whim.

I currently have nineteen log cabin quilts in my collection, but have made more than four dozen through the years, as well as countless log runners that I've sold in boutiques and at the shop. Log cabins are by far my favorite block :)

Just finished this one, a 'Streak of Lightning' example, and added it to the log cabin roster.

More to come ...

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Housetops

A few weeks ago, Barbara Brackman was discussing fabrics at her Material Culture blog, and shared a charming little vintage doll quilt to illustrate her topic.  She referred to it as a housetops-style log cabin variation, a new term for me.

The little old quilt caught my fancy, and I decided to make a reproduction -- not an exact copy, just 'in the spirit of.'  I used scraps of the leftovers accumulated during last year's Stars in a Time Warp series.  My blocks finish at about 5 1/2", and the centers and logs vary in size.  I tied my version to capture the rumpled effect of the original.  Overall it's about 23" x 35".   A fun little sidetrack project, and now it's back to our regularly scheduled quilt To-Do list :)

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RSC15 - Yellow/March

I got my monthly log cabin runner finished this week.  This is one of my favorite ways to use the RSC15 color of the month!

For more YELLOW inspiration click HERE.


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RSC15 - Pink/February

I got TWO log cabin runners done this week! 

 

The PINK one is specifically for this month's RSC15 color challenge.  I got the red one finished also, and took both of them to the shop before this weekend's

Sneak Peek Opening. 

 

 

I also sewed up a few PINK mini bow ties -- they will be added to an ongoing block collection.

 

For more RSC15 PINK reports click HERE

 

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Holiday logs

While I was tidying up some fabric storage tubs last month, I ran across the scraps from this quilt and this quilt, both completed in 2011.  Since the holiday season is approaching, I decided to use some of the scraps for log cabin blocks.  As the project evolved, a few stars wandered into the block pile also.  The long proportion of this rectangle was intentional -- the quilt will be used over the high back of a particular chair.  And needless to say, the scraps were not consumed, and will live on in future projects. 

 

This is quilt #562 on my lifetime list of quilt completions.  I make utility quilts, not art.  The very great majority of my quilts are traditional pieced designs.  I always work scrappy, and I usually use reproduction-style fabrics.  Quilting in general, and my style choices in particular, make me feel connected to all the other women who have been making quilts to keep others warm, both past and present.

I'm linking to Scraptastic Tuesday.  Lots of scrappy inspiration there to enjoy!

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Stash report - week 44

Used this week: 6.25 yards
Used year to date: 207.75 yards
Added this week: 0.00 yards
Added year to date: 114.00 yards

Net used for 2014: 93.75 yards

A completion this week:
this is probably my final
guild comfort quilt of the year

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And another one done!

 

Quilted, and binding sewn around, ready to be stitched down during TV time.  I started this one in ummmm: maybe August, as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  I'm also counting this one in my NewFo2013 tally, because I'd listed a red and white quilt for December for that challenge.

 

The motivation to finish everything that's been piled up in my workroom for a while is that the room will be put to use as a second guest room over the holidays.  All the heaps of clutter need to get hidden away someplace.   To further illustrate the challenge I'm facing, I store all of my big 40-yard rolls of batting in the guest bathtub, so that needs to be cleared out and hidden someplace too, but not in the sewing room which is where I would normally put it when the regular guest bedroom/bathroom are being used.

 

We're expecting a house-full!  But of course if the weather is stormy and the roads are bad, that could change to nobody coming up at all ...

 

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RSC13 - Red

I started these courthouse steps blocks back in August for the RSC13 "red" challenge.  I've been puttering along on them in between doing real stuff, and just this week accumulated enough blocks to make a top. 

 

And so another project joins the To-Be-Quilted pile.

 

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A log cabin completion

 

These blocks were started almost a year ago ... finally got everything together and finished in time for autumn!

 

Log cabins are my all-time favorite blocks!

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