Introducing Gone Dotty

June, 2021 - I pulled as many different polka dot fabrics as possible from my stash (yardage and resource boxes).  This is what I came up with.

The original plan doesn't even matter any more because there have been so many changes in direction between then and now.

But over the past few weeks, using this array of polka dot fabrics, I've been cutting 2.5 x 4.5" rectangles for a baby quilt named Dot to Dot and pairs of 4.5" x 9" rectangles for die cutting 3" (fin.) HSTs to make a lap quilt named Gone Dotty.  

Here are the first few sets of HSTs for Gone Dotty.

There will be 64 different polka dot fabrics paired with a limited number of black and white polka dots and others that read like a polka dot -- eight different color groups each with eight different polka dots. 

Cathy L. shared this vintage beauty last year and I knew instantly that at some point I would make my own version.  Gone Dotty is that project.

Cathy is making sets of 5 HSTs from her scraps and tossing those sets into a box.  I just know that her super-scrappy version (scroll to the end of the linked post to see photos) is going to be amazing.

This is what my design wall currently looks like but this will not be the eventual layout.

Process note:  In order to get five HSTS using a die that cuts four from each 4.5" x 9" rectangle, I used two rectangles giving me eight HSTs from each of the 64 fabrics.  I'm making all of them but only five of each fabric will be in this quilt.  

The other 192 leftover HSTs  (3 each x 64 fabrics) will be used to make a second baby quilt tentatively named Spots and Dots.

But for now, Gone Dotty is my focus.  Stay tuned . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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“There is a magic about you that is all your own.”

D.M. Dellinger

Optic Strings and Conundrum - Week Five Recap and More

These are Week Five's seven blocks for Conundrum Optic Strings.

(click HERE for the introductory post)

Blocks 1-4 up close.

Blocks 5-7 and the rescued triangles 

ready to make 14 more geese blocks.

(35 string blocks made / 45 yet to go)

As some of you can tell, I have been on a mission

to move several stalled projects forward this month.

Lagniappe now has all of its HSTs sewn.

Next I need to trim the corners and

pin the HSTs into pairs for flying geese blocks.

For the Birds - I simplified my layout,

trimmed the blocks to the same size,

and counted/sorted 1.5" (finished) HSTS

to use for sashing and borders.

(those will be leader-ender sewing)

Birds free pieced using Lynne's Liberated Birds tutorial.

And because there were still more HST parts leftover,

(originally cut for Mosaic which morphed into this little quilt) 

I labeled their project box Pinwheel Economy blocks.

The yardage on the right (from the stash)

will become a scrappy back.

I'll decide later what to use to surround the scrappy pinwheels.

And so yet another "give a mouse a cookie" 

aka Squirrel project begins.

Maybe someday I'll learn not to over-cut

when starting a new scrappy project.

Right . . .

Inspi(red) took a big step forward this week.

All twenty blocks are pieced and the 

last three 1.5" inserts have been thrown away.

(this one is a squirrel project

designed to use those skinny insert strip

from another AHIQ project - now named Luminous)

The clipped blocks now join five other tops

that are waiting to be webbed together.

One day soon . . .

The stacks of snowball blocks from last week

now have their corner triangles pinned in place

ready to be sewn leader-ender style in the coming weeks.

And Sea of HSTs even back out to play.

I've started sewing the twelve 16-patch blocks 

together and hope to get the scrappy sashing strips cut

so this one can be laid out and sewn together

in the coming week(s).

And, of course, there were leftover HSTs 

beyond those needed for the 16-patch blocks (sigh) . . . 

What's a scrappy quilter to do but sew them into pairs

(leader-ender style)

to be used as insert strips for the quilt's scrappy back.

Sadly, I also sent another comfort quilt this week -

this time to another former law firm co-worker 

whose husband has metastasized cancer.

(Meet Me in the Rose Garden was made 

using Bonnie Hunter's Sister's Choice design.)

* * *

I'll be back again next Monday with another recap post.

(my goal is to resume posting 

2-3 times a week starting August first)

Quiltdivajulie

Sorting and Pairing

As I stitched together the  pieces and parts,

quilt tops and backs for Fruit Loops and HHJJ,

I used the HSTs cut for Vivacious as leaders-enders.

I knew I cut up a lot of leftover pieces from the stash,

but I had NO idea how many HSTs there really were.

After sorting enough to make the final 9 blocks for Vivacious,

I sorted the rest into the piles shown above.

(Can you tell I use a lot of purples in my quilts?)

Then I counted each stack.

What is your guess?

There were  499 HSTs in all -

enough to make two scrappy comfort quilt tops

after I added just a few additional HSTs.

14 HSTs wide x 18 rows

will yield a top 42" x 54"

After dividing each color group stack in half,

I created pairs ready to be used as leaders-enders

as I stitch Just Wing It and The Stroop Effect.

These leftover pieces from previous quilt backs

will be assembled into a scrappy back for one of the comfort quilt.

And this group of leftovers will become a second scrappy back.

A little along . . . 

I also decided on a new project for The Rainbow Scrap Challenge

that will begin in September and carry over into 2016.

For the 3.5" background/sashing strips,

I'll be sorting and piecing this assortment of scrappy neutrals.

Scrappy made fabric is so much more interesting!

 

Quiltdivajulie

Ludic - the Layout

LUDIC - "playful in an aimless way"

In July of 2020, I die cut enough HSTs

to make several different quilts.

Ludic is one of them.

I've been leader-ender-ing these HSTs for a long time

so it felt really good to actually get them on the design wall.

My original plan for these was similar to Poppyseed's quilt.

But then Cathy shared a recent quilt top finish and . . . 

I quickly counted my pink, aqua, and green HSTS

(all paired with a variety of grays)

then pulled out graph paper and color pencils

to create a sketch for my 3" finished blocks.

YES -  exactly enough HSTs for this layout!

I had a few leftovers but two of the colors used

each and every one of their HSTs.

I could not have planned it more accurately.

Next step will be to clip these so I can web the top together.

Which brings me to an earlier quilt top 

made using the same layout - Plenty of Plaids.

 I've always liked Plenty of Plaids but

I absolutely love the energy of Ludic so . . . 

Plenty of Plaids is on its way to Linda S.

so it can become a comfort quilt. 

Quiltdivajulie

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“The whole world is gray, and if you just appreciate that, if you just understand and appreciate it, then it’s beautiful.”

Hank Green

One Project - Three Flimsies

In June 2012, I tore this photo out of a magazine.

Something about it shouted "quilt!"

In the Eye of the Beholder by Alan Trout

Last year, I took a picture of this photo.

(sighted in one of DH's  American Association of Woodturner's magazines)

The vessel and its colors spoke clearly to me.

The gathered denim blues shifted to a stack of turquoise shades . . .

. . .  and when Vicki posted about her

  HSTeria Quiltalong,

I knew it was time to begin.

* * *

This is Karma

44" wide x 66" long

(96 scrappy HSTs)

This is Poolside

44" wide x 66" long

(96 scrappy HSTs)

Karma and Poolside

laying side by side on our driveway.

* * *

So how did I end up with enough HSTs to make TWO quilt tops?

Easy.

The inspiration tutorial called for 166 6" squares.

Instead, I cut my scrappy  6" WOF strips 

into as many 6" squares as possible.

* * *

Instead of another oversized quilt,

I also chose to make a smaller quilt . . .

Which led to making the second smaller quilt . . .

Which still left me with a stack of 58 scrappy HSTs!

* * *

Introducing Oasis.

(shown here taped to the wall where it will eventually hang)

33" wide x 44" long.

* * *

Those final ten HSTs?

They've been banished to the resource boxes.

Three flimsies is enough!

Quiltdivajulie

For the Birds - an update

Since I first shared this project in April

I've been slowly stitching HSTs together,

mostly as leader enders.

This past week I set up the ironing board

so I could sit down and press them open.

Then I trimmed away the tiny dog ears.

This stack has 35 HSTs in it.

Without counting each stack

15 x 35 = 525 HSTs.

Definitely enough to start playing with a layout.

(and there are at least that many more colorful triangles

waiting to be paired and stitched should the need arise)

I also unstitched the labels from all twelve bird blocks.

(they were there to prevent students from taking them home)

* * *

I need to stay focused on finishing up Summer Breeze

and then get started on the small quilt I need to make

for the Instructor Showcase at The Folk School

for my week long class in September.

(there are a few spaces still available)

But I can also play with these birds

 and the HSTs on the design wall

to test out some of my thoughts.

Quiltdivajulie

Sea of HSTs - the Quilt

Sea of HSTs is finished.

Inspired by a Gee's Bend quilt (see link below second photo)

I started this one in early 2019 to use up a huge stack

of over-enthusiastically die cut HSTs leftover from 

the block corners for Someday is Now.

By July 2019 the top was completed.

I pieced a scrappy back using the last of the HSTs

and into the waiting-closet the top and back went.

Quilted with my liberated Baptist fans with spiral centers

using Glide thread in Sea Foam.

No - your eyes are NOT deceiving you.

We have lots of snow and VERY cold temperatures.

(we haven't seen this much snow here in thirty years)

This is something I have not been able to do before -

take a photo of a newly-finished quilt laying on almost 8 inches of snow.

And here's the back of the quilt.

The finished quilt measures 45" wide x 57" long.

While the adults worry about the weather,

Little Man is having the time of his life.

Quiltdivajulie

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“Be uniquely you.  Stand out.  Shine.  Be colorful.”

Amy Leigh Mercree

The RSC Color for June is Yellow

Angela has called out YELLOW 

as the RSC color for June.

Which brings me around to these fabrics

that were pulled for a pending project 

known as Adventure Happens.

I used paired sets of HSTs leader-ender style

as I stitched the gazillion small pieces together

for my two just-finished quilt tops --

Dumpster Diving 2.0 

and 

Dumpster Diving 3.0

Truth be told,

I haven't been excited about the HST idea

for Adventure Happens for a while now.

After seeing these pieced and pressed HSTs

I knew I wanted to head off in a different direction.

So that marvelous animal print backing fabric 

will remain behind for a revised Adventure Happens 

project while these HSTs take on a life of their own.

And that's when I remembered 

the three stashed yards of this beauty.

Absolutely perfect!

I quickly pieced some of the 300+ HSTs 

into sets and more-or-less randomly 

pinned them on the design wall.

I can already tell I'm going to like this approach.

* * *

CLICK HERE to see this week's

Rainbow Scrap Challenge link-up party.

Quiltdivajulie

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"A person might be able to play without being creative, 

but he sure can't be creative without playing."

Kurt Hanks