iSpy Sliced Coins - Finished!

I've got two finished quilts to write about, but the iSpy goes first since I've been working on it since January.

The pattern is Don't Call Me Betsy's Sliced Coins Quilt Along. I used novelty fabrics and cut two coins from each, so my nephew can play a matching game instead of going to bed at night.

I really like the strip of solid between each coin - this quilt would be far too busy without it. The solid is Delft Blue Kona. The fabrics range from Moda Love U turtles to John Deere from Hobby Lobby.

 The back is green flannel, and it shows the quilting nicely. I used the Big Diamond, Little Diamond design by FITF.

One tip on this quilting pattern - do all your lines in one direction, quilt, then draw the second set. I got confused at points as to which direction I was going. If you can, mark the dividing lines in a different color than the actual quilting lines.

Another tip: if you're using a washable marking pen, don't flick water at the cat when he tries to play "catch the ruler."

I love the littlest diamonds formed in the middle.

iSpy Sliced Coins measures about 50x60" and is bound in a blue stripe that has been in my stash for ten years, and will continue to be in my stash for the next twenty. I think it replicates every time I use some.

See what other people have made at Fabric Tuesday!

Oh, and since you're here, check out my little giveaway. :)

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 23

I can't believe WiP Wednesday was my last post! We went to a family reunion in Ohio last weekend, surprising my husband's almost-80-year-old grandmother.

I had full intentions of posting on the trip, but my Netbook refused to connect to any internet. So I have a bunch of finishes that haven't been blogged about yet.
I also need to put together a post for SewCalGal's Pets on Quilts Show and a giveaway post this weekend in honor of Grandma's birthday...and mine, too! So you might want to check back for that.

Both Charming Wildflowers and iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt are done, bound, and handed off to their new owners (grandma and nephew, respectively.)

The doll quilts are done and handed off to their new owners, who moved while we were gone. :(

Untouched This Week:

Steelers Quilt

Frolicking Pinwheels

Chunky Log Cabin

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 3

In Progress: 8

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 22

Checking things of the list this week, big time.

Christmas Kaleidoscope? Done.

Charming Wildflowers? Quilted. Getting bound today. Maybe... I can't decide if I need to add quilting along the solid boxes. I wanted the current quilting because it adds dimension to the borders, but now I've lost the definition of the blocks - they were supposed to look like flowers within the solid boxes, not next to.

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt? Quilted. Okay, again, mostly. I need to decide how to fill in this empty space at the top and bottom. I'm thinking just chevrons rather than continuing the lines to make diamonds. That way the biggest diamond in the center stands out.

Doll quilts? Quilted, waiting to be bound.

The chunky log cabin is in a mish-mash of stages that I need to sort out.

Untouched This Week:

Steelers Quilt

Frolicking Pinwheels 

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 11

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 32

This week was a wash, but next week won't be.

I bought three yards of green flannel to back my iSpy Sliced Coins quilt - and it's already pieced and ready to be basted.

I finished the Christmas Kaleidoscope quilt. The top was counted last week; there was 2.5 yards in the back and a half yard in the borders.

I also pieced the back of Charming Wildflowers, but I don't count backs out until the quilting is done. That and iSpy will be quilted by the end of this week - I have a plan for both and they shouldn't take too long.

Used this Week: 3

Used Year to Date: 84.68

Added this Week: 3

Added Year to Date: 134.2

Net Used for 2011: (49.52) yards

Check out how everyone else is doing on Patchwork Times!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 15

Completed Tops!

Hunter's Star

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt

Manassas Railroad: nine blocks completed, sashing cut, the other blocks quickly coming together. 

NEW - Kaleidoscope Quilt Along: fabrics picked! Awaiting the first instructions on June 23.

Untouched This Week:

Frolicking Pinwheels

Charming Wildflowers

Steelers Quilt

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

 Hunter's Star

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 11

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

iSpy Sliced Coins Top - Finished!

Woo! Finish one for the weekend!

I know the picture is awful - the wind decided to be the "suck fabric against the fence" wind today. It's not nearly as wrinkled as it looks.

It's about 50x56". Pattern is Don't Call Me Betsy's Sliced Coins QAL. There are two of every novelty print so my nephew can play a matching game on it.

Now to finish sewing together the rows of the Hunter's Star, so I can piece some backings and get to quilting next week!

Design Wall Monday - Week 22

Happy Memorial Day! We've spent the long weekend planting grass, which has cut into my sewing time. Still, I've made decent progress on the Hunter's Star.

I laid it out on some leftover batting when SOMEONE kept running across it and scattering blocks. Of course, SOMEONE thinks the batting makes it even better to nap on.

 On the actual wall is the iSpy. The two side rows are together and most of the two middle are pieced. I might need to cut one or two more pairs of novelties to fill it in.

Check out more design walls at Patchwork Times!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 13

{If you're here for the giveaway, head here. Or browse. Browsing's cool, too.}

Steelers Quilt: now has two out of three borders. I'm not sure what to do next - I know I don't want to end with all those HST seams. I could do another plain black, or some sort of B&W. (The Steelers banner has B&W dots, for example.)

I have just barely enough of the Steelers fabric for a skinny border (like, 2" tops) in either the white or the gold. But the quilt is only 57x47" and I was hoping to make it bigger. So... Not really sure what to do there. Thoughts?

Manassas Railroad: six blocks completed, most of the rest cut and in various stages of put together.

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt: row one is pieced. If I meet my goal of piecing one row as a leader/ender each day, I should put it together on Saturday.

Completed

  Baby's First Library

Untouched This Week:

Frolicking Pinwheels

Hunter's Star

Charming Wildflowers

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 10

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

Design Wall Monday - Week 21

If you're here for the giveaway, it's here. But feel free to browse anyway. And if you like what you see, follow me to see more. ;)

On the design floor:

Frequently arranged by a cat or a kid, but coming right along. There's two of each fabric so my nephew can play a matching game.

And on the design wall:

The sashing isn't cut to size yet because I'm not sure if it's too light for Civil War fabrics. Opinions?

I love that the cornerstones will make little shoofly blocks, even though my dad will never notice.

Check out more design walls on Patchwork Times!

Design Wall Monday - Week 20

Last Friday I sat down and made a list of quilts I needed to finish by a certain date, and realized I needed to get started on this one.

We'll be on vacation around my nephew's birthday, so I need to get this done before mid-June. Along with a couple others...oh, and this is my last kid-free week. Eek!

This is Don't Call Me Betsy's Sliced Coins as an iSpy quilt. I think the skinny sashing works really well to set off the novelties - as a stacked coin, it would be too jumbled. 

It took me forever to decide on a light blue Kona, but I think it's playing nicely with all the other blues.

Check out more design walls on Patchwork Times!

Sliced Coins Quilt Along - Slicing Up

I haven't been able to devote as much time as I would have liked to cutting my coins for this quilt, due to illness. First the Dude came down with strep, on the weekend of course. The three hours we spent at urgent care exposed me to some sort of vague upper respiratory infection of sorts.

So there was no cutting, nor any sewing, for the past few days.

I managed to cut about thirty coins before the household became germ infested.

 I still need a decent amount more since I only went up to 6.5" in the biggest coins. This is barely scratching the surface of my novelty prints, though, so I'm not too worried about catching up. Sadly.

I am worried about picking a solid. I think blue would be overdoing - a lot of the prints have blue. Definitely not white or a cream - he's a little boy and little boys shouldn't have to worry that much about keeping their blankies clean. Maybe a green? Or a dark yellow?