Quilting Work in Progress: Stashbusters ROYGBIV Sampler I, The Aqua Row

When I resolved to not buy fabric and to only "shop" my stash, I started with the aquas and turquoises in the boxes and boxes of fabric in my closet.  I also broke out my Quick and Easy Block Tool and started flipping through it.  I decided to make a flying geese block, and it kind of got out of control because I had all these extra triangles which I then put into other flying geese blocks.  I also decided to "log cabin" these sampler blocks with other aqua fabric.  I also broke down and bought two yards of Kona Natural Cotton because I knew I wanted to sew blocks from the color wheel in this quilt and needed a neutral color in order to cohere all my different colored rows.  I loved, loved, loved this row, and my next sampler will be more monochromatic in these aquas, light blues, light greens, turquoises, and shades of the sea.  I will likely go back to fabric shop too if I don't have enough variation.  We all tend to have many many mediums in our fabric stashes, and lights and darks are necessary in order to create depth.

Flying Geese Block.

Mosaic Block.

Mosaic Block.

 Mosaic Block.

 Flying Geese or Mosaic Block.

Flying Geese or Mosaic Block.

Windmill Block.  I had to mix it up and when I decided to add another 7 blocks to the original plan of 42 blocks total, I turned to my block tool in order to find other 8" blocks.  Oh and ROYGBIV = red orange green blue indigo violet

Sewing: Embellished Tea Towel

I had a lot of leftover fabric from my beginner's class quilt, which I've yet to sandwich and stitch.  However, I did hand sew some hexies and then blanket stitched them on to this IKEA tea towel.  I'm going to sew the rest of those hexies on the quilt back of the first quilt top I pieced in my fifties (because I did also sew quilts in my twenties though I had no idea how to finish them)

Back side of embellished tea towel.

Sewing: Cat Beds

My schnibbles bag was close to being overstuffed.

The Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild makes cat beds for rescue shelters and quilts for preemies at local hospitals.  I picked up this fabric of cat photos from the guild though I didn't care for the garish fabric they provide for the gussets.  But luckily I had black Kona cotton on hand which I then sewed into these cat beds for my clay mate, Patsy who recently adopted two black kittens from the SPCA.  I think she'll like them:)

Quilting Work in Progress: Stashbusters ROYGBIV Sampler I, The Blue Row

The first row of my stash busters sampler quilt: blue.

Whirlpool Block.

Twin Sisters Block.  Oops I messed up, but I wasn't about to go back with my thread ripper after I had already sewn the logs around it.

King's Crown Block.

Dutchman's Puzzle Block.

Snail's Trail Block.

New Album II Block.

Mosaic I or Dutchman's Puzzle Block.

Quilting Work in Progress: Stashbusters ROYGBIV Sampler I, The Yellow Row.

I had posted earlier the aqua row from this sampler quilt, but it's incomplete because I've since then decided each row needs at least 7 blocks instead of 6.  Today I finished the yellow row.  Yellow needs to be used sparingly.  I learned from a workshop with Bill Kerr that yellow is very dominant, and so I tried to reduce its impact by surrounding it with more subdued hues like mustards and olives.  Needless to say, I did not use the highlighter yellow (the Pantone color of 2016) in these blocks if I could help it.

Balkan Puzzle Block.  I fussy cut the center block from Amy Butler fabric that I've had since taking up sewing during graduate school a few years ago. I love her fabric, but the patterns are so large scale that they lend themselves more to wide strip quilts.

Flying Geese Block.  Amy Butler fabric.

 Another Flying Geese Block.  I've more of these triangles which will probably end up as blocks on the backing fabric.

Sawtooth Star Block.  Amy Butler fabric.

 Twin Sisters Block.  I've this Amy Butler fabric in a pillow I made at least six years ago.

 King's Crown Block.  However, I used two colors instead of three.

Dutchman's Puzzle Block.  I love this block, which started for me as a 4" Flying Geese Block and then figuring out how to assemble the rest of the pieces into an 8" block.

Free Motion Quilting Practice Practice

I traced the outline of a lotus flower and then echoed inside the petals and leaves...despite the crookedness of my stitching, I like it and aim to make it even better looking.

Wow are spirals really hard!  Time to piece more blocks before I resume more free motion quilting practice.

I had made a resolution to not buy more fabric and to bust my stash, and so I started this scrappy quilt.  Here's the aqua row which I think needs one more block, but not to fear as I still have enough turquoise fabric to sew it.  I'm also going to attempt more free motion quilting row by row and attach the rows together after all the quilting is done.  The rows are going to encompass the color wheel in order to use up most of the fabric in my stash which are in boxes.  My final organizational aim is to devote one of the shelves on my bookcase to my sewing notions and a very minimal fabric stash.  And then quilts can be stored in my closet which now houses said fabric stash until I can unload these quilts in a craft fair or an Etsy shop.