Studio Squirrels At Work

In the last post, I mentioned my dilemma for backing Rastro.  

The large scale floral in this photo was intended to back Motley (the fourth Macnas series bonus quilt).  After weeks of dithering, I finally decided that Motley, the top, will be donated to Many Hands and Many Hearts so it can become a comfort quilt.  

That decision left the floral yardage available and, truth be told, I like it better for Rastro than either of the other scrappy pieced backing options.

There wasn't enough yardage to match the design along the center seam so I inserted a strip of Kaffe Fassett 's 2021 Moss Flower.  

And now there are two freshly pressed backings hanging on the balcony - Rastro's on the left and the one for Ludiosis on the right.  (both are approximately 62" x 84").

And speaking of Ludiosis, despite my earlier statements about setting the blocks aside for later, this has become a full-on project (thank you, studio squirrels).  

I simply had to put some of the blocks up on the design wall to reassure myself that my plan would work.  Happily, there's definitely enough potential to keep going.  As of Thursday evening, I need only another 30-40 blocks before I can take these off the wall and start on the real layout.  

I'm very glad I did not follow the tutorial's suggestion to sew everything into one massively long strip before pressing and trimming individual blocks.  I've had so much fun adding the narrow cut off edges into the fabric mix and trimming the 4.5" blocks a little along.

* * *

With another ten days with temperatures in the high 90s predicted, I'm hopeful this run of available studio time continues.

Quiltdivajulie

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Moving Ahead

I will need an empty design wall in the coming days meaning I needed to deal with the scrappy backing fabrics for Ludiosis.  Some of these vertical seams are sewn with others waiting to be stitched.  

(thanks again Lynne for the HSTs)

Ludiosis will need a back 62-64 inches wide by 84" long, so I'll quickly be able to tell how much I need to add to each side.  I've already realized there isn't enough of the single fabric I had hoped to use but that just means I get to go shopping in the stash.

I did finish leader-ender stitching the first seams for the blocks of Scrumdifferous and am well into making scrappy blocks for Ludiosis.  That 4.5" block count is somewhere between 50-60 now of the nearly 300 needed.  This has become my evening play-time stitching project.

All twelve pillow slabs have been pieced and pressed.  Batting has been cut for each of them along with an assortment of backing squares from the stash.  

Getting to this point really feels like a milestone for the project.  I know there's still quilting, making envelope-style flaps, assembly, and binding the completed covers - but somehow those don't seem nearly as daunting as what's already been done.

When I ordered the new 16" pillow forms, I was surprised to find they now come vacuum packed (the bottom five layers = 10 forms).  

I opened one package upon arrival (the two normal-looking inserts on top) and now it is time to open up the rest of them.

I mentioned needing an empty design wall soon and this box of fabrics left from previous backings is why.  I had thought that they would become the pieced backing for Rastro (one of the Macnas bonus quilts) which I hope to quilt and finish by the end of September.

But then I looked back through my photos for the project and saw this one. There are some of those fabrics I used up but there are others I still have.  

Hmmmmm . . . now I need to pull out the remaining pieces from that second photo and ponder how I want to proceed.  And given my history, most of you can guess where this is going :-)

As Dory would say, "Just keep swimming stitching!"

Quiltdivajulie

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"And the dandelion does not stop growing because it is told it is a weed.  The dandelion does not care what others see.  It says, "One day, they'll be making wishes upon me."

B. Atkinson

More Pillow Slabs and Squirrels

There are only two more pillow top slabs to piece before I press all twelve and square them so they're ready to pin baste.

However - the studio squirrels have been busy distracting me.

Backstory - I've been stashing leftovers and gifted pieces and parts for the past year or so and sorted them into several potential projects over the past six weeks.  

This particular group was set aside to become the scrappy backing for a quilt project I named LUDIOSIS (noun - "the sense that you're just making it up as you go along").

(includes backing fabrics from Kefi, Xanadu, and Fandango plus HSTs gifted by Lynne during her new-flooring-induced studio clean out)

Now the HSTs are sewn into columns (shown here folded in half), and the also-folded-in-half leftover backing strips are pinned to the design wall.  

The water lily print from Repose may or may not make the 'Final Cut' and the same is true for the floral backing from Kefi.  Very much in the still-thinking-about-it phase. 

The overall plan is to get this scrappy backing sewn together and hung in the waiting to be quilted closet.  That way the back will be ready when the quilt top is done and pin basting is imminent.

This photo shows the jumbled contents of a second project box for the quilt top including leftover bindings, Macnas series rectangles, tumblers and extra blocks from Lynne, and strips from a number of  previous projects.

And now I have this - a tall stack of cafeteria trays containing those random leftovers cut into uniform 4.5" widths by an array of lengths.

The tray on top holds stacks of newly-sewn strip sets with the next addition pinned so I can use these as leader enders once the last 10-15 Scrumdiffereous pairs are sewn.  

My inspiration came from the 2023 Scrap Happy Quilt tutorial by Gigi's Thimble.  That said, I am not going to sew all of my 4.5" pieces into a massively long strip like she did (been there, done that with the Dumpster Diving quilts).  Instead, I am sewing groups of pieces together, trimming out 4.5" blocks, then adding any usable cut offs to the trays of available segments.

This green basket on top of the stacked trays contains close to 40 finished 4.5" blocks.  I need nearly 300 for my 54" x 72" plan, meaning there's lots more sewing, pressing seams open, and trimming ahead.

* * *

So I don't loose total control to the squirrels, once all of the blocks for Ludiosis are made I'll use Cathy's SAR (some assembly required) approach and put them back in the project box to be turned into a top after the last three Macnas bonus quilts are finished.  

Quiltdivajulie

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"It is better to do something than to do nothing while waiting to do everything."

Winston Churchill

Pending Projects Moving Forward

This is the first of twelve scrappy low volume slabs measuring roughly 20" x 20" (or will be after being squared).

Lots and lots of smaller pieces from the stash were cut into 2.5" strips before being sub-cut into multiple shorter pieces that were then sorted into twelve piles.

In 2018 made a lot of low volume pillows in multiple sizes/shapes for our living room and sunroom.  Now, after countless trips through the washer/dryer, they're looking a bit worn and I am so over having to figure out which cover belongs on which form.

My new all-the-same-size pillow forms are 16" - my goal is to trim the quilted tops to an 18" square.  I'll make one pillow start to finish to be sure that plan is workable before moving ahead with the others.

Above are the first four finger pressed slabs waiting to be properly pressed.

I pulled out the pinned pairs for Scrumdifferous and have been using them as leader enders as the slabs are pieced.  At this point, all of the pinks and all of the aquas have been sewn.  

That leaves the blues, greens, and purples . . . pretty sure all of those (or nearly all) will be sewn by the time the remaining eight slabs are pieced.

One seam at a time.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Little by little one travels far."

J.R.R. Tolkien

August Recap and September Begins

In August I finished Journal for Joy - a scrappy eclectic glue book celebrating all sorts of things that make me smile.  

Holus Bolus, the first of the four Macnas series bonus quilts, was finished.

A stack of harvested Asian bits were transformed into a themed accordion journal.

Pieces and parts were cut, sorted, and pinned into pairs for Scrumdifferous.

I finally finished the long pending Squirrels altered book.

And the set of six reversible scrappy strip-pieced September placemats that were cut out on August 1 had their bindings finished on August 31.

Along the way there was also a lot of stash shuffling and editing, multiple donation boxes were sent out into the world, and the studio squirrels raised a ruckus leading to two more new quilt projects that truly need to wait until after the last three Macnas series bonus quilts are finished.  

And finally, continuing with my year-long series of monthly back yard photos, here is one taken early morning September 1st.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Most people don't want to be part of the process, they just want to be part of the outcome.  But the process is where you figure out who and what's worth being part of the outcome."

Scottie Pippen

So Good

Friday night, YM was finally able to open his birthday presents from the three of us.  He had asked his parents to put those shoes on his wishlist at the end of third grade, so now he has them for fourth grade.  

His comment after putting them on?  "I feel SO tall."

Saturday DeeDah helped him overcome his fear of slingshots.  The version with an arm brace does not come back and hit your arm, which YM had always hated.  The two of them spent an hour or so targeting different objects in the back yard.  

YM - "that was fun!"

His biggest goal for the weekend was that he and DeeDah "make something" in the shop.  After searching the items in the attic (rough cut pieces waiting to be finish turned), he pulled a 12" bowl blank (which was a too-big project for him in just one weekend).

DeeDah showed him a smaller bowl finished two weeks ago and there was an immediate "I want to make THAT!" 

After he and DeeDah turned the smaller blank, YM was in charge of sanding the exterior of his bowl on the lathe.  

By late afternoon, YM was meticulously applying the textured band's iridescent color (DH had to do the texturing - YM tried but he wasn't quite tall/strong enough).

(the white is tape to protect the underlying wood)

The bowl was then left overnight to dry and harden.

Another special request was to cook marshmallows in the fire pit after dinner.  

He must have spent an hour finding dry kindling and finally figured out why cardboard was not the best for building a hot steady fire.  

Six burned-to-a-crisp marshmallows later, he cooked several edible ones which we ate on cinnamon graham crackers.  

YM and his finished chameleon bowl Sunday morning.  So happy and proud.

(to see how a chameleon bowl is made and one in motion showing how the colors shift, click here (time stamp :17)- Emma Cook is the turner who visited DH's guild this month)

Much of Sunday afternoon was spent testing limits on the swing.  

(he has two - this one came from Aldi and the other one he's used forever made an appearance later in the day)

(Flashback - Day One with the rope swing, just four short years ago)

Late Sunday, we celebrated with a family birthday dinner - YM's a few weeks late due to schedules/travel and Daddy's a few days early (again due to schedules).    

So much gratitude and joy . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

Holus Bolus - the Quilt

In her comment on the previous post  Charlotta mentioned being disappointed that there was no photo of a finished quilt.  There was a good reason:  the quilting was done but the quilt wasn't finished, hence the absent reveal photos.

The quilt sandwich has been trimmed, binding applied, and NOW Holus Bolus is truly finished.

The story behind this one - after each of the Macnas series quilts were finished, I set aside any leftover rectangles for a bonus quilt that would have blocks representing each of the quilts.  

Hence this quilt's name - Holus Bolus - which means all at once or altogether.

When Yutori joined the party, the top for Holus Bolus was already designed and the blocks made.  So I used Yutori's leftover rectangles as an insert strip in the backing.  

After taking photos outdoors, I spread the quilt out on the living room floor.  

Here's a list if you want to click back and see each of the finished Macnas series quilt reveal posts:

Macnas (the inspiration quilt) 2024 

Reverie 2025

Tuxie-Tude 2025

Rubricate 2025

Vellichor 2025

Wallaroo 2025

Fandango 2026

Grandiose 2026

Enchanted 2026

Hanabi 2026

Morning Fog 2026

Paint Party 2026

Yutori 2026

Finally, here's a flat-on-the-floor view of the back and its insert.  

Quilted with my nested all over free motion nested spirals using Glide thread in Robin Egg

Backing - Petra from Satin Moon Designs for Blank Quilting

Binding - Michael Miller's Bellflower

* * *

There are three more bonus quilt tops to be quilted before year-end (sooner if I can manage it).

But there will be no sewing or quilting over the weekend as Young Man will be here for a two-night sleepover (the last one was before the previous school year ended).  

Looking forward to sorting Pokemon cards into his new binder, building Lego, catching up on his summer stories and tales from fourth grade, etc., etc. etc.

Quiltdivajulie

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"When the work has no soul it's an empty thing.  It needs the human smudge.  Fingerprints all over it that say, "This thing lives because there I am - in it."

Joel Uili  

It Was a Good Day

This is what the top tray of Max's rolling side cart looked like after I finished quilting Holus-Bolus Tuesday evening.  

And this (or the back side of this) is what shoppers could see from pretty much everywhere in our Costco store when we were there Tuesday afternoon.  Halloween, Autumn, and Pumpkin Spice items everywhere with Christmas decor filling several aisles (but no Christmas trees or wrapping paper yet).  

(Side note - When I stopped to get something last week, Hobby Lobby had all of their trees up; hanging and boxed ornaments displayed in multiple aisles; gift bags, ribbons, tags, and wrapping paper galore; and they were stocking even more aisles with bins full of "Christmas stuff" as fast as they could work.)

I'm perfectly happy switching our seasonal decor from August's 'back to school' to September's 'sunflowers and apples' later this week.   

(September's newly quilted placemat slabs were trimmed to size Tuesday after lunch and are now ready to bind)

* * *

My happiest success though was renewing my driver's license and upgrading it to Real ID Tuesday morning.  

I went to the same location DH used (20 minutes from home), was there 25 minutes before their 8:30 opening time, and was #6 through their door after we had been pre-screened in line to be sure each of us had the necessary documents.  

I was done and out the door at 8:45 and home by 9:15.  

Amazing!

Quiltdivajulie

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From a poem by Mary Oliver:

Instructions for living a life.  

Pay attention.  

Be astonished.  

Tell about it.

Monday Check In

By late Sunday, all six of the placemat sandwiches were quilted.

I also turned 14 WOF into binding.

Quilted with liberated wavy lines using Glide thread in  Dijon.

Having used that kind of quilting on previous sets of placemats, I know they will launder well.

The quilted texture shows up better in black and white.

Meanwhile, our visiting grand-dog Darcy kept a watchful eye on things . . .

* * *

My most pressing to-do item this week is to stand in line for a long time to renew my driver's license and get the Read ID certification on it; otherwise I would renew by mail.  DH managed to get his done in under 2 hours earlier this year.  I hope I'm as fortunate.  

Quiltdivajulie

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"Your smile is a reason for many others to smile."

Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne)

So Far So Good

The first few days of this week were indeed chaotic but multiple non-sewing things did get handled and/or finished.

Unfortunately another huge to-do made itself known and it is one that needs to be dealt with sooner and not too much later (think paper tiger on steroids).

For the sake of sanity, I sewed the strips together for the backs of the six September placemats, pressed the tops and backs, cut batting rectangles, and pin basted the six quilt sandwiches.

Thread color remains to be decided but I'm guessing it will be some variation on "gold."

I ran across this image early in the week - I keep reminding myself of it when a task at hand seems more complicated than I feel like handling.  So far it has worked . . . 

* * *

There are only ten days left in August and I'm still hoping to get Holus Bolus and the placemats quilted and finished.  

I've also realized  that I'm woefully behind on responding to your comments . . . 

One thing at a time.

Quiltdivajulie