Digging Into New Projects

Over the weekend, that stack of fabrics for a set of September placemats was transformed into lots and lots of 2.5" strips.  There are a few WOF but most are shorter since they were cut from scraps.  

(The small stacks outside the plastic boxes are the 2" wide leftovers)

The 2" strips were sewn together end to end (pinned to design wall).

Using some of the shorter pieces of 2.5" reds, I made six test blocks using the Duckworth Quilt approach (6" irregular/liberated/improv log cabin blocks).  The blocks are not for this project, but just because I've wondered about using that kind of approach for a future scrappy quilt.

Once I got that out of my system, I sorted the rest of the 2.5" strips into WOF and shorter before sewing the shorter ones into WOF lengths.

Yesterday after attending a funeral mass for the wife of our 30-years-plus next-door neighbors, an afternoon and evening power sewing session ensued resulting in 35 WOF yellow/red strip sets ready for pressing.

Over the weekend, I had also pulled out the stack of fabrics for December's set of five utility mats for our living room and cut these many 6" squares.  I also saved the end cuts and not long after this photo was taken, they were turned into 35 bonus scrappy 6" blocks that will be part of the mix when construction happens later in the fall.  

The best part?  There were far fewer pieces of yardage put back into the stash than what I had pulled out, and I didn't even feel guilty about using the last of several fabrics.

And on a non-fabric note, someone very special turns TEN years old today - it has been an amazing journey so far, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Quiltdivajulie

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"By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before."

Edwin Elliot

July Recap

Last month I spent time sorting and restacking the yardage in my stash.

There was also considerable editing done, along with culling scraps in the resource boxes.

This photo shows just how much space was cleared as a result.  The right half of the third shelf down is no longer filled with fabric.  

That same right half on the bottom four shelves no longer houses fabrics but a few magazines waiting to be harvested for my journal making adventures.

(the stacked drawer unit and Raskog cart were also cleaned up/out since the paper stuff accumulates even faster than fabric does)

I pulled out these fabrics to make a set of six reversible placemats for September.  

These fabrics were set aside to make a set of five utility mats for our December living room.

And these greens from the stash/resource boxes will become a set of six placemats for use next March.  The reverse side will be made using blocks Lynne sent after finishing her Field of Dreams quilt.

Ruska, a gift quilt, was quilted and finished.

Paint Party, no. 12 of 13 in the Macnas series, was quilted and finished.

And Yutori, no. 13 of 13 quilts in the Macnas series was quilted and finished.

There was also a squirrel invasion in July that led to this quilt top named Nimiety.

I also created Nimiety's scrappy pieced backing.  Both the top and backing are currently rolled onto pool noodles to be pin basted and quilted sometime this month.

No photos for this but I also emptied and sorting the overflowing box of leftover quilt backings and assorted other bits and pieces into six different project boxes for future quilts inspired by designs/patterns I've stashed but never used.   I don't plan to dig into any of these until next year aside from some cutting of pieces and parts as time permits.  But after staying so focused on finishing, it felt good to make plans for new scrappy adventures.

I also moved the two studio plants outdoors for the summer and changed the lower curtain fabric (the other yardage had faded over its 3 year life in that window).

The nearly 5-week month and lots of hot steamy weather that kept us indoors clearly made for more studio time than usual.

* * *

And because today is August 1, here's the monthly photo of our back yard.  The grass is the greenest it will get this summer, the neighbor's crape myrtle adds a big pop of color, our black eyed Susans are at their peak, the azalea bush has grown and filled in so much in the last month, the coleus in the large pot are thriving, but the in-ground hostas as struggling with the intense heat and hot sun but they'll recover later in the year when the weather moderates.   

(The temporary fence is there because we've had the grand-dog for the last two weeks.  Keeping her out of the dirt makes life much easier, especially when the dirt turns to mud.) 

Quiltdivajulie

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"Clutter is the enemy of clarity."

Julie Cameron

Yutori - the Quilt

Yutori, number 13 in the baker's dozen series of Macnas quilts, is finished.

(Yutori - Japanese word meaning intentionally slowing down to simply be, breathe, listen, and appreciate)

The rectangles for this quilt were cut out in April 2026 and final binding stitches were taken July 28, making it the quickest start to finish of the thirteen quilts.

The alternate fabric is Sweet Stripe by Loralei Harris.

The Kaffe Fassett rose backing was part of the February 2026 release as was the binding named Echo Stripe.

Quilted in my liberated all-over free motion nested spiral fans using Glide thread in Peacock (top) and Willow (bottom).  It took three tries to find the right green for the back, but thankfully I found Willow in the back of my thread drawer.

* * *

I need to take some time to contemplate the making of this series of quilts before I write any kind of wrap-up post.  And besides, there are four bonus quilts from the series that are still in the waiting-to-be-quilted closet, although I don't have as much sense of urgency to finish those aside from my stated goal for end-of-the-year.

I'll be back on August 1 with July's wrap up post.  

Quiltdivajulie

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"After nourishment, shelter, and companionship; stories are the thing we need most in the world."

Phillip Pullman

Ruska - the Quilt

Ruska is now a finished quilt.

(Ruska - a Finnish noun for the time of fall foliage)

Young Man created his ottoman-topper layout for this one in February during one of his Camp Sefton adventures.

You can read about that HERE.

I pulled more stashed pieces to create a scrappy backing.  I failed, however, to note the information of the selvages - none of these are "new" fabrics so they might be online but more likely are not.

This is a view of the entire scrappy back.  The filmstrip fabric along the sides is by Mars Auslander for Ink & Arrow by QT Fabrics, 30434-X (another older fabric).

One corner flipped . . . 

. . . and the opposite corner flipped.

Quilted using my liberated all-over nested spiral fans with Glide thread in Dijon (top) and a mix of warm browns in the bobbin.

52" x 68" 

* * *

Now it is time to pin baste Yutori if I'm going to meet my goal of three finished quilts in July.

Quiltdivajulie

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"The act of creating for children is about the process, not the outcome.  Children need to explore, take risks, make their own choices.  This is the richness of creativity.  This is the groundwork for future problem solvers."

Meri Cherry

Where Things Stand

This is a photo of Ruska, a Camp Sefton collaborative quilt from earlier this year, laid out over my drafting/cutting table; but the photo was taken from the back side.  

I had to clean up my paper art table so the top and later the back could drape overtop and stay flat for rolling onto the pool noodles.

Ruska is now fully pin basted and I've chosen the thread color.  This is going to be a very hectic week with a lot of coming and going but I hope to fit some quilting time in the gaps.

Meanwhile, Nimiety is now a quilt top - 52" wide x 72" long.

And after a bit of a tussle, the scrappy pieced back has been pressed.  

This is the center section that shows all the different fabrics.   

Here is the top for Yutori, no. 13 in the series of 13 Macnas quilts, laid over the drafting table ready to be rolled onto the pool noodle.

This is a BEFORE photo of the backing for Yutori . . .  

And this was taken after the finished back was pressed.    

At this point, both Nimiety's top and back AND Yutori's top and back are rolled onto pool noodles, ready for pin basting . . . I just couldn't stick Nimiety in the waiting to be quilted closet when the top and back were freshly pressed, so I'm going to quilt it before I start on the four bonus quilts from the Macnas series.

Quilting these 3 will be a breeze compared to all this prep work.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Dwelling on negative thoughts is like fertilizing weeds."

Norman Vincent Peale

Random Progress Teasers

Since taking this WIP photo, Nimiety has become a full fledged flimsy.  

Once the finished top has been pressed, I'll get a photo of it on the design wall.

I've also constructed a seriously scrappy pieced backing for Nimiety. 

It, too, needs to be pressed before I take flat-ish photos of it.

It has felt SO good to actually USE some of the leftover backing pieces and fabrics from the resource boxes; and in doing so,  I've found my next liberated scrappy mission once the remaining Macnas series/bonus quilts are finished -- LOTS more scrappiness and hopefully a lot less overthinking.

While digging in the stash, I pulled these fabrics to make a set of reversible placemats for September when our seasonal theme is sunflowers and apples.   

I also pulled yardage to make a new set of five reversible utility mats for our December living room (fireplace mats, end table toppers, and a runner for the cedar chest).  

The current set is six years old and I'm very tired of the print I chose back then.  Clearly I have the fabric to make another set, so that's what I shall do.

* * *

Elsewhere in the studio, I've made the bindings for Nimiety, Ruska, and  Yutori.  

Ruska will get pin basted this weekend -  right after I finish the rest of yet another edit/sort of the stash.  

Quiltdivajulie

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"It is a happy talent to know how to play."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Paint Party - the Quilt

Paint Party, No. 12 in the Macnas series, is finished.

Quilted using Glide thread in Yellow Whisper and my liberated all-over nested spiral fans.  

I had planned to bind Paint Party using a black and white stripe but after switching backings, I used the same fabric for binding.

(Color Splash Multi purchased from eQuilter)

The palette for Paint Party was inspired by this photo of Young Man helping a local restaurant owner paint her patio fence in early 2025.

Again, I am so glad I made the decision a few weeks back to eventually gift eight quilts from this series, otherwise I would have let myself fall head over heels with Paint Party.

* * *

Next up in the quilting queue will be RUSKA as it needs to be gifted in early August.

Once Ruska is finished, it will be Yutori's turn.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Creativity doesn't wait for that perfect moment.  It fashions its own

 perfect moments out of ordinary ones."

Bruce Garrabrandt

Relocation-Reassignment Complete

It all started while Lynne was clearing out her studio before the new flooring arrived.

She asked if I wanted the extra blocks from Field of Dreams and I said yes, knowing I had a plan for them.

Last night I pulled some fabrics from the stash and retrieved six of the liberated bird blocks Lynne sent after she finished her Green Bird Quilt.

I'll use the blocks from Field of Dreams to piece six slabs for placemat tops.

I'll use the array of greens from my stash to create strip pieced slabs that will include the birds for the reverse side of the placemats.  

In the box with the green blocks were these extra HSTs from her quilt named Amethyst.

I'll piece them into an insert for this backing for a scrappy quilt that is still in the gathering stage.

I've been stashing leftover blocks and bindings in this project box for another quilt top in the same style as Esperance.  

The leftover tumbler blocks from Lynne's Easter Basket quilt will be worked into this top when the time comes.

And so will the stack of leftover rail fence segments from Rainbow Crush.

My stashed yardage above has been set aside for yet another future scrappy lower volume quilt top.  

Lynne started piecing slabs using her pastels but then lost interest in the project.  I'll use the slabs as part of the backing for my quilt when the time comes.

* * *

One quilter's excess is another quilter's bounty.  Thanks, Lynne.

Quiltdivajulie

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"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."

Mark Twain