Blogger's Quilt Festival: ROY G BIV

This past winter I started a quilt.  A rainbow quilt.  I've always loved rainbow quilts, but hadn't really ever done one.  (I did two more quickly after this one!)

The pattern is Metro Rings.  I had been planning to slowly work on it in between other projects, but it was just way too much fun!

It's one of my favorites.  And I love how the pictures came out: white rings and white snow separated by a rainbow border.

For quilting, I echoed the white arcs.  The "squares" have some orange peels along the diagonals and the rest is filled with pebbles.  The leaf shapes (or "rectangles") have a back and forth.

I made a pillow to go with it too, another first.  I hadn't read the instructions quite right and had a few left over pieces.

I'm adding this to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival!

Metro Lattice

I finished Metro Lattice!  It was made with the quick curve ruler.  I didn't have perfect piecing, but it still went together so quickly.  I wasn't really trying to get this one done until June, but before I knew it I had a top.

I love it.  It is probably one of my favorites.  And there was a big snowfall, so everything was looking so pretty outside.

I bound it in coordinating colors.  I think it brings the quilt together so nicely.

I did pebbles and arcs in the pinwheels, back and forths in the middle parts, and echoes in the white sashing.  I realized there was a long arm ruler after I had quilted all of it...it probably would have been easier to use than my cardboard templates.  But the templates worked fine, especially since everything didn't line up perfectly.  I did a lot of ruler work on this quilt and feel like I'm finally starting to get the rhythm down a bit more.

This is also the first quilt that I put an official tag on!  I always tell people how to wash the quilts, but I'm not sure that it sticks.  So I have a tag with my name and the washing instructions.

Finally, I made my first pillow with the scraps using this tutorial.

It was a gift for a friend's daughter.  While most of the fabrics are unique to hers, there are some orange fireflies that are also on her brother's quilt.  I'll admit, I probably wouldn't have done that except that the orange was just perfect.  (Of  course, I don't have a close up of the fireflies.)  I've been told that her brother's quilt has suddenly become more popular now that they both have one.

Linking up with Link a Finish Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday, Finish it up Friday, TGIFF, Fabric Frenzy Friday, Fabric Tuesday, Sew cute Tuesday, and Linky Tuesday.

January ALYoF

This year I really have a lot of quilts I would like to finish up.  (It's baby season!)  I was thinking about just continuing working along, but decided it would be more fun to do it as part of a group.


So for January, I'm going to link up with A Lovely Year of Finishes and my goal is to
1. Finish Noah's quilt.  I just finished the top in record time.  I think I looked at my design, figured out the easiest way to do it, and accepted some of the unexpected results as design features.  I need to quilt and bind.

Other things to work on:
2. Baby Elanor's quilt.  The design is all set and I hopefully have all the fabric.

3. Baby girl quilt.  I have some of the fabric and am finishing up the design.  I'd like to finish by the end of March.

4. Baby quilt, unknown gender.  Not sure what I'm doing with this yet.

5. Baby quilt, gender TBD.  No progress. I'd like to finish by July.

6. Baby quilt, gender TBD.  No progress. I'd like to finish by August.

7. Aunt's throw. I have quilted the cross part and some of the rays.  When looking at it for pictures I decided that I only need to do four more rays.  There are a few wrinkles, but I might see if they wash out before trying to fix.  (Started April 2013.)  I'd really like to finish by Easter.

8. Baby quilt - urban cabins The top is finished but no recipient.  Possibly one of the babies above (Started October 2013.)

9. scrap quilt. I have started blues.  The number of greens are about equal to the first three colors together.  I expect blue will also be pretty big though.   (Started January 2014.)

10. Space robot quilt.  About a 3/5 of the blocks are finished.  I only finished two blocks last month, but did find a nice backing (Started September 2014.)

11. Metro Lattice I just need to finish the binding by the clip...I'm actually hoping to finish it tonight.  (Started Sept 2014.)

12. Metro Lattice add-on.  Done - just waiting on the quilt to show off and give away.

13. Braid in braid  Top and back are done, just needs to be quilted.  I kind of like the back better than the front. (Started Oct 2014)

No progress:
14.  Pluses quilt.  April 2011.
15. Make the wall hanging for office.  June 2012.
16. Orphan rocket block  July 2013.
17. Pillow for family room.  August 2013.
18. Simply solids bee quilt.  August 2013.
19. Quilt nautical quilt  Nov 2013. 
20. Quilt Christmas quilt  Nov 2013.
21. QST.  Sept 2014
22. Orangy quilt.  Oct 2013
23. Jeweled floors.  Not started
24. Lost piece (almost whole cloth quilt).  Not started
25. Winter quilt. Not started


Hmm...the count went way up.  Well, it just gives me more options to choose from!

WIP Wednesday

As {almost} always, progress has been made! Probably not as much as normal since a new computer game also showed up recently, but I'm balancing spending time with both.

1) My niece's quilt, which was made by my mother-in-law.  I was asked if I'd have it done by Christmas, and gave a 75% chance of completion.  I then found out that my niece has been asking for it, so I thought I'd try really hard to get it done.  I counted 36 parts, which meant if I did two per day I'd have it done on the 19th.  I'm currently about a day ahead because the white portions go rather quickly and some are small.  It's probably good that I'm a bit ahead because I didn't take into consideration taking it off the frame and checking for thread ends that still need to be buried.

2) Urban cabin is a finished top.  I only had about five long seams left and was getting tired of stepping over it all the time.

3) Metro lattice and pillow.  This quilt is super close to being finished, but I'm getting some nice tags for Christmas and decided to wait to finish the binding.  I also made a coordinating pillow to go with it using the scraps.  It's my first pillow and it turned out pretty well.  (The back is shown here.) (So is my son, giving it a thumbs up.)

Linking up with WIP Wednesday.

WIP Wednesday

I've worked on several things over the last two weeks, but only have two pictures to show.

1) Braid in braid.  I have the first braid done - all 202" of it.  Tonight I trimmed it and just started to rebraid it.  I'm curious to see how it turns out.

2) I've been quilting the metro lattice.  Do you like my "rulers"?  I tried doing a quarter inch echo around the pieces, but was way to wiggly.  The cardboard is far from perfect, but it is about the right height for the foot and at least keeps me from having terrible lines.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday.

WIPs

The only small goal I had in October was to finish a few space robot blocks.  Since I technically did that within the first few days, the rest of October was wide open.  I loved having freedom to bounce all over the place!  Usually I really like to have a goal, but there is something exciting to not having a specific goal too.  So here are the things I did, and the things that I didn't do, for October.

Finished:
*Quilt a doll quilt 

*Quilt Baby Boy quilt.

In progress:
1. Aunt's throw. I have quilted the cross part in a wood grain.  (Started April 2013.)

2. Baby quilt - urban cabins I worked on this for two nights and got the sashing on and some of the rows put together. (Started October 2013.)

 

3. scrap quilt. I have started greens.  All the pieces are joined in pairs or quartets.  (Started January 2014.)

4. Space robot quilt.  About a 3/5 of the blocks are finished.  I am just plugging away at them. (Started September 2014.)

5. Metro Lattice I finished the top.  It was just so fun to work on!  I should make more rainbow things.  (Started Sept 2014.)

6. Metro Lattice add-on.  I made something with the left over pieces.  Doll quilt?  Pillow?  TBD.

7. Braid in braid I started the braid.  I have about half of the length made before I can start the second braid. (Started Oct 2014)

No progress:
8.  Pluses quilt.  April 2011.
9. Make the wall hanging for office.  June 2012.
10. Orphan rocket block  July 2013.
11. Pillow for family room.  August 2013.
12. Simply solids bee quilt.  August 2013.
13. Quilt nautical quilt  Nov 2013. 
14. Quilt Christmas quilt  Nov 2013.
15. QST.  Sept 2014
16. Niece's quilt. Oct 2013
17. Orangy quilt.  Oct 2013
18. Jeweled floors.  Not started
19. Lost piece (almost whole cloth quilt).  Not started
20. Winter quilt. Not started
21. Girl quilt.  Not started
22. Boy quilt.  Not started
23. Girl quilt.  Not started
24. Baby quilt.  Not started

Linking up with Fresh Sewing Day.

Metro Lattice layout

This past week I worked on my Metro Lattice.  I meant to get back to Space Robots a little sooner, but this one was so cheerful and rainbow-y.  I'm up to the layout.  Do I go with:


#1, which is laid out such that the prints in the ovaly things match the print they're next to (look at the blue with white circles...the little piece is next to the big piece)

or #2, in which I moved all the ovaly parts around so that they're next to a different print? (If you look at the big blue with white circles piece, the is a different print next to it in the small piece.)

 

Linking up with WIP Wednesday.

Goals

I've managed to add all sorts of projects since two months ago!!  However, to switch it up, I decided to put them in order of approximate start date as I was curious as to how long things are staying around.  I'm actually pretty proud of myself - there are only two items that have been around for more than a year and a half.

I know these posts might not be the most interesting to read, but I actually refer back to them quite a bit...it helps me keep track of what I'm doing and what I should be doing.

1.  Pluses quilt.  This one has been hiding in the closet for almost three years.  I'm not sure why I stopped; I like the quilt.  I decided it was time to get it on the list.  Currently all the pieces are cut out and rows are being put together.  It looks neat, but I have a feeling it might be a bit difficult to figure out exactly what goes where.  April 2011.

2. Make the wall hanging for office.  I won this bundle a (long) while ago but since it's for me it doesn't always get priority.  The purple matches the office perfectly though, so I still want to get it done. June 2012.

3. Aunt's throw. The top is finished!  Now I just need to quilt it.  April 2013.

4. Orphan rocket block  This would probably take less than an hour to finish, but I have no real motivation to work on it. July 2013.

5. Pillow for family room.  I ran out of scraps before it was big enough for the pillow.  So now I either need to make scraps which seems ridiculous or wait until I use the fabrics again or something.  It's been a leader-ender project that I periodically plug away at.  August 2013.

6. Simply solids bee quilt.  I still love this layout and want to get it finished, but since I only sort of have an idea of whom to give it to it has stayed on the back burner. August 2013.

7. Baby quilt - urban cabins I was so close to finishing and ran out of blue.  Then I decided it was more of a boy quilt than a girl quilt.  (I had been hoping the navy would act as a neutral but might not be dark enough.)  So I got fabric but now it is just sitting again as there is no person to give it to at this point. October 2013.

8. Quilt a doll quilt   Currently on the quilter and about 2/3 of the way finished.  It's been going pretty quickly when I actually quilt.  Nov 2013.

9. Quilt nautical quilt  All ready just needs to be quilted. Nov 2013.

10. Quilt Christmas quilt  All ready just needs to be quilted. :) Nov 2013.

11. scrap quilt. I have the red, orange, and yellow strips done.  Although I don't have a very big yellow strip so I might need to go back to it.  I also have all the green pieces cut out.  January 2014.

12. Space robot quilt.  About a quarter of the blocks are finished.  They're not too bad, but I've been mixing them up with other projects too so I don't get burned out. September 2014.

13. Baby Boy quilt. Just needs to be quilted. Sept 2014

14. QST.  Just need to quilt. Sept 2014

15. Metro Lattice I made one of the blocks to test it out.  It went together very nicely!  (It's on a white background which is hard to see.  I didn't realize that until well after I had taken the picture.) Sept 2014

16. Jeweled floors.  I have some of the fabric for this, but it's been put on the back burner.  Not started.
17. Lost piece (almost whole cloth quilt).  I've thought about this a lot but haven't done anything. Not started
18. Winter quilt.  I have all the fabric and an idea on the layout. Not started
19. Braid in braid The fabric has been ordered, but officially it hasn't started.