Steelers Quilt - Finished!

Um, finally!

{My husband mumbles something about football season starting months ago.}

The design is my own, for the Xs and Os in a playbook. Also, hugs and kisses - but don't tell my husband that.

The yellow is The Name Game by Quilt Country (Moda), the black is Kona, and the Steelers fabric is...Steelers fabric.

 It's backed in yellow minkee, and you can see a bit of the quilting. I outlined the Os, did three parallel lines through the Xs, cross-hatched the black border and did three straight lines with a cross in the yellow border.

Some of the quilting from the front.

All of the little HSTs in the second border are leftover double-stitched from the blocks. I still have a little pile of them to make a matching throw pillow. Lucky, lucky me.

It measures 53x63".

My husband is hoping it will get a lot of use in playoff season.

{linked to Whoop Whoop Fridays and Fabric Tuesday.}

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 36

I missed making Swoon blocks. And I love how the corners in this one swirl.

Tried something new for this one - pressing the seams open. It's a very bulky block, especially in the 8" size. I found that my points weren't as neat, but it lays much flatter. I think in the future, I'll do a mix of open and nested seams.

The back is prettier, though.

Oh, and don't you just hate when you find out someone else is doing your "thing"? Cupcakes 'n' Daisies made a 6.75" Swoon block. And I thought 8" was small!

 Finished quilting the Steelers Quilt, but it's too cloudy and windy outside for glamour shots. So have a sneak peek for now.

Hunter's Star, round two - 84/90 light blue half-blocks - halfway home stretch! The next strip will be half light and half dark!

Quilt-Alongs: 
Fat Quarter Stars - two blocks behind (still! ugh!)

Argyle Quilt Along - top done until I start seam picking

LQS Saturday Sampler - won't be going this month, so pushed to the back burner

Quiltville Orca Bay - starts 11/18

Christmas Sewing:

Grinch panel quilt - niece - sashed out and border #1 is on

Rudolph panel quilt - the Dude

Star Wall Hanging - me

Advent Calendar - me

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

St. Paul's Cross

Awaiting Quilting:

Sunkissed Jewel Box

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 17

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 35

Fall-gyle is done...and not done.

 I rushed to have it done and on display at a craft show this weekend, and some of the seams don't match. Not many, but enough that it's driving me nuts. I don't want to display something that's not perfect. I'm okay with being anal.

So I'm going to keep quilting the Steelers Quilt. I can get that done and bound easily before Saturday, and I have a couple others to display and some unquilted tops.

I also have all my craft-y stuff all over the living room - crayon rolls, burp rags, fleece scarves... OSU better not lose on Saturday!

Hunter's Star, round two - 72/90 light blue half-blocks

Quilt-Alongs: 
Fat Quarter Stars - two blocks behind

Argyle Quilt Along - top done until I start seam picking

LQS Saturday Sampler - won't be going this month, so pushed to the back burner

Quiltville Orca Bay - starts 11/18.

Christmas Sewing:

Grinch panel quilt - niece

Rudolph panel quilt - the Dude

Star Wall Hanging - me

Advent Calendar - me

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

St. Paul's Cross

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot 

Awaiting Quilting:

Sunkissed Jewel Box

Steelers Quilt

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 18

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 34

I really don't know how you people with jobs do this. I've been running around like mad organizing fundraisers and venues for our squadron's holiday party, and when I get home, I don't have the energy to do a Swoon block.

I started piecing my Fall-gyle top instead - because offset seams and bias edges are so much easier than a Swoon block. Only 3/4ths of it fit on my design wall.

I'm also quilting the Steelers Quilt. This is my first "custom" quilting. I did three outlining lines in black on the Xs, and I'm switching to gold thread in the Os - unfortunately, this means a lot of knots to bury since the Os don't touch! Each border will get Xed and Oed in contrasting thread, as well.

A finish!

I got it done before Halloween, even.

Hunter's Star, round two - 60/90 light blue half-blocks

Quilt-Alongs: 
Fat Quarter Stars - already behind a block

Argyle Quilt Along - started piecing

LQS Saturday Sampler - won't be going this month, so pushed to the back burner

Quiltville Orca Bay - I know, I have way too many projects, and Bonnie's quilts have an insane amount of piecing, and I'm far too controlling to do a "mystery" quilt... But I think I'm going to anyway. Starts 11/18.

Christmas Sewing:

Grinch panel quilt - niece

Rudolph panel quilt - the Dude

Star Wall Hanging - me

Advent Calendar - me

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

Frolicking Pinwheels

St. Paul's Cross

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot 

Awaiting Quilting:

Sunkissed Jewel Box

Steelers Quilt

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Hunter's Star

New Projects: 5

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 18

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 26

{All my pictures look dark, because - thank goodness - it looks like we're going to get some rain! It feels a little off to be happy with a dreary day, especially with the East Coast flooding in the rain, but we really need it.}

The Steelers Quilt top is done! And almost in time for football season!

42/42 Sunkissed Jewel Box blocks pieced. I'm working on the layout - separated the blocks based on the four-patch colors. The first picture is a circle of pink, then grey, then alternating yellow/orange. The second has the circle of yellow/orange as their own halves of the quilt. I may switch out the yellow for green - the yellow is very washed out.

Mom's Tennessee Waltz:

16/25 stars

18/24 snowballs

1.5 rows pieced

It's nice to have a project where layout doesn't matter. I can piece the rows while I finish the four-patches for the last star blocks or the corners on the snowballs. By the time I piece the last block, the quilt will be almost completely together.

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

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: 0

In Progress: 10

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

Steelers Top - Finished!

Finally! I finished the top and first two borders in May... Bought the third border and backing in June... And then ignored it all summer.

I'm glad I went for the third border - those tiny HSTs were a pain to sew along and would have been awful if I were binding on them. Now I have a nice clean edge to work with.

It measures 55x65" and I have a minkee back all ready to go. Love minkee on this size quilt - it's 60" wide so I don't have to piece it.

I won't be basting or quilting till after Labor Day, though - my husband still thinks it should be a surprise!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 25

I started doing UFOs on the 15 Minute Challenge, so I have some movement on a couple different projects this week.

The Steelers Quilt has side borders. Top and bottom are ready to go. I may actually get this before football season starts! (Which, um, is when?)

37/42 Sunkissed Jewel Box blocks done. It's currently laid out in a 6x6 pattern, which is nice and even. I have the blocks to do 6x7, but I'm not sure it'll look right. Or at least symmetrical. I can easily use the extra blocks in the back, though.

Mom's Tennessee Waltz:

50/100 four-patches

29/100 star points

8/24 snowballs

This is supposed to be a Quilt in a Day, but Eleanor Burns is a much faster sewer than I. Once the four-patches and star points are done, they still need to be sewn into blocks.

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

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: 1

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 10

Check out more at Work in Progress Wednesday!

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!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 12

{This is my 100th post.}

{Also, the blog is a WIP this week. I like it simpler, but I think it's going to end up green.}

Last week, I sat down and made a list of the quilts I needed done by a certain date. Which means some were then boxed up and others were dragged out for cutting. Priorities. Deadlines. I have them.

This is the block I'll be making for my Dad's Civil War quilt. It's called Railroad Crossing and it's from Barbara Brackman. (If any of you guys are doing her Civil War quilt, it's a sneak peek of a July block!) One down, 29 to go.

Steelers Quilt: piecing together the HSTs. I have solid black borders on the top. Not sure what borders to add after the HSTs.

Baby's First Library: quilted and bound. I just need to bury threads and remove the pins.

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt: vertical sashing cut, piecing together the coins.

Untouched This Week:

Frolicking Pinwheels

Hunter's Star

Charming Wildflowers

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

In Planning:

Cars Quilt (the Dude) - Rudolph is put off till Christmas, but I promised I'd put together his Cars quilt before the movie came out. Which is, um, June.

Hunter's Star (my sister)

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 11

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 11

Finally, my finger is near recovered and I had a good couple of sewing days!

 Which means the cat must now sit in the sewing room to get my attention.

Steelers Quilt: pieced! It's 40x50" so I'll be adding borders. The plan is a 2" black border, then the million 2" HSTs, then... I don't know after that. Another black? A B&W?

New:

A baby quilt for the Dude's kindergarten teacher. It's from Don't Call Me Betsy's tutorial, but bigger. I'm going to have the kids sign the books, so I need at least 20, and I went wider than 1-2" books because kindergartners need a little more space to write. (Or at least mine does.) It'll end up being a three-shelf bookcase, with some stacked, some straight and some leaning.

Another quickie charm pack project, for my husband's grandmother.

Untouched This Week:

Frolicking Pinwheels

Hunter's Star

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt (but not for long - the accent fabric has been purchased!)

LQS Saturday Sampler 

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

In Planning:

Rudolph Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

Non-quilting:

Second Snow White commissioned.

Finished the pattern keeper/easel for my sister. Need to start the bag. 

This Week's Stats:

New Projects: 2

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 13

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

Design Wall Monday - Week 19

The Steelers quilt is coming along nicely.

I'm about to the point where I need to contemplate borders. Which means I need to trim the 160 2" HSTs leftover from the corners. Ouch.

Check out more design walls on Patchwork Times!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 10

This week was almost a complete wash. Immediately after posting my WiP last week, I sliced off the side of my finger. I couldn't even walk into the sewing room for a couple days without feeling nauseous. 

Once I did start sewing again, I discovered that your index finger does a lot of the work holding a ruler in place, so that ruled out anything with precision trimming.

That left this:

Except I sewed all my precut squares in about an hour, so now I'm faced with needing to cut more... I'll probably piece all the white Xs before I brave the rotary cutter again.

Frolicking Pinwheels: Sewed one more together (discovering the necessity of a working index finger on the ruler.)

 

Hunter's Star: Hit halfway and packed the project up for a week until my finger heals. It requires precision trimming on those biased edges, and I don't want to mess it up now.

Untouched This Week:

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt

LQS Saturday Sampler

 

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along

In Planning:

Rudolph Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

Non-quilting:

Second Snow White commissioned. I really need to have a clothes-sewing week.

 

Knitting bag and pattern holder for my sister. I'm going to insert foam pieces before finishing the binding. It should then fold nicely and stand up like a easel. Should being the operative word. 

This Week's Stats:

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 11

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 9

Quilts of Valor "Just One Star"

 I don't follow instructions - I made four "just one star" blocks. One for my husband (an Air Force pilot), one for our friends and family currently serving, one in memory of those who have passed on, and one for my husband's cousin, who was wounded in Afghanistan in August 2010.

It's close to the deadline, but not too late to whip together your star and send it off!

Hunter's Star: 54 blocks finished. I'm almost halfway!! (*sigh*)

 Steelers Quilt - I cut all the remaining blocks this morning so I'd have an accessible leader/enders project (and won't be tempted to start another.) Final count will be ten 10" finished blocks in each color.

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt: cut about five more novelty prints. I should really get around to counting what I have.

Untouched This Week:

Frolicking Pinwheels

LQS Saturday Sampler 

 

Awaiting Quilting:

Bad Romance

Layer Cake Quilt Along (top competed this week) 

In Planning:

Rudolph Quilt (the Dude)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

Non-quilting:

Second Snow White commissioned.

Knitting bag and pattern holder for my sister. Fabric is here!

This Week's Stats:

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 11

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Week 6

Second purse, same as the first - a little bit smaller and a little bit...well, mostly just smaller.

I was able to trim it down to 16x12 - a much more purse-like size. The bottom isn't as deep, but it should still work fine for the magazines and papers the recipient carries. Now I just need to add the detailing and straps and get it all together.

Finished!

Planes, Stripes and Automo-dots

 
Hunter's Star: (new) seven blocks are completely together. Fifteen half-blocks with prints are done; three half-blocks with pink are done. Countless others in various stages. A LOT of math in this one.

Steelers Quilt: four blocks completely pieced. Two and a half partially pieced. Ran out of black Kona.

LQS Saturday Sampler: Almost done with March's block. Must remember to post March & February on Saturday!

Come Sail Away Quilt: it's back from the quilter and looking great! Just need to sew on the binding - I'm splitting it between the dark blue of the water and light blue of the sky, so it will be a little more complicated to line things up, but hopefully not that bad. 

Untouched This Week:

iSpy Sliced Coin Quilt Along
Layer Cake Quilt Along 

Awaiting Quilting: Bad Romance

In Planning:

Rudolph Quilt (the Dude)

Frolic Jelly Roll Sampler (me!)

Hunter's Star (my sister)

Non-quilting:

Second Snow White commissioned.

Knitting bag and pattern holder for my sister. Fabric should arrive this week.

This Week's Stats:

New Projects: 1

Completed Projects: 1
In Progress: 13

Check out more at Freshly Pieced!

Design Wall Monday - Week 13

I'm calling it "Planes, Stripes and Automo-dots." You may groan like my husband.

 It's for a baby shower for one of his co-workers, and every bit is from my stash! Disappearing nine-patch, started with 7.5" blocks, should finish around 42" square.

On the top, the Steelers leaders/enders are moving along.

Three down, um, probably around 39 to go?

Check out more walls at Patchwork Times!

Design Wall Monday - Week 12

It's back!

 The AO t-shirts, that is. These are the little logos from the fronts of the shirts, and I'm going to do a basic design like this on the back. I just need to figure out the measurements so I can do as little piecing as possible. I'm going to use the grey tone-on-tone from the front to fill it, and the burgundy to extend the t-shirt strips.

The upper left is the start of my Steelers leaders/enders. The blocks are half-snowballs and can be put together as an X or an O. Which has...something to do with football. I think.

Check out everyone else's on Patchwork Times!