One Stitch At a Time

So, even with all the stress and concerns of late, there are two new finishes around here. Funny how the finishes can be so far apart and then on occasion, somehow land on the same week. The first one 'Vintage Coxcombs', was started sometime in 2016 when I couldn't stand it any longer. Just needed to start a sunburst style applique block quilt with vaguely coxcomb details. No official pattern use, just something that I drew up from all sorts of inspiration seeds and cobbled together into a desired look.

Vintage Coxcombs is a completion!

These colors remind me of the Brachs Napoleon coconut candies that we loved to eat as kids and so for me, this has always been a feel-good sort of quilt. Though some have commented before about the black in this quit, it's actually all brown {some very deep, dark browns}, but no black fabric used at all. Quite a few of the backgrounds used in these blocks are a mix of at least two different fabrics, some with more. It's a subtle make-do look, but one that makes me smile.

It's all done...

I machine quilted in the ditch along-side of all the sashing, then came back and hand quilted the applique and hsts in the border. It probably could have used a little bit extra quilting around the stars, but I just wasn't feeling it. This is a very sweet looking but not-so-sweet-it-makes-your-teeth-hurt sort of quilt and an excess of quilting would have {probably} bridged the gap between cozy looking and too formal for everyday. At least that's what I'm telling myself. It sounds good in theory!

Loving the applique shapes...

I have determined that the sashing fabric used in this quilt might as well be used as a color catcher. Just cut it up into squares and throw it in with all my quilt washing efforts. This is the second quilt that it has managed to soak up some of the floating fugitive dyes, while other light colored fabric in the same quilt remain unaffected. It didn't totally ruin the look of this quilt, but it definitely dulled it just a bit. There is about half a yard or so of it left and I'm very seriously considering throwing it into the trash. What an awful fabric!

Another thing that happened with this quilt is that I didn't feel comfortable cutting away the background to all the stars. On the pieced background blocks I went ahead and left the fabric behind thinking it'd be safer not to weaken the seams by cutting away behind. This caused a different kind of bleeding effect in three different blocks {with the same fabric used in the problematic sashing areas and one other light colored fabric from the same exact line}. What happened was that brown/purple dye looked like it actually got trapped between the background fabric and lighter star circle and never properly released into the soaking water. There's a 'ring' of dye instead of a light rinse throughout. It's very faint, but oh so obvious if you're looking. Which I was! I soaked the quilt for a very long time and never managed to get all that bleeding dye out. So disappointing.

Don't feel sorry for me though. These are good things to know {change next time} and like I've said lots of times before, I'd much, much rather this happen to me than anyone whom I'd ever gift my quilts to. Another reason that I'm spending so much time these days pre-soaking buckets of fabric before even cutting into the pieces and starting the journey toward making a quilt! Hopefully the day will come when all this angst will be a thing way in the past! Plus, it didn't really, truly ruin this particular quilt. I pouted about it all one night and then looked at it again the next day in the harsh daylight hours. Could obviously never hang it in a show, but I could still probably gift it to the right person who might not even care....

Glad that I ended up making a border for this one...

The second quilt that was finished up this past week was 'Shimmer'. It looks ever so much better as a completed quilt top than it did as a partially finished quilt top!

Shimmer is a finish too!

This striking pattern is by Diane Knott out of her 'Strip Quilt Secrets' book. I would never have come up with something this complex and organized! It took me a long time to power through because it appears that following a pattern is not my strong suit. I grumble and gripe and generally have a terrible time bonding with something that is telling me what to do. Ha! I can hear you all laughing at me. What did I expect huh? I have definitely got into the habit of making things up as I go along and start feeling very boxed in when there seems to be no proper room to maneuver!

Took a chance on a very light colored biding

I did make a few changes in the coloring of the quilt, of course, which stressed me out during the sewing of the quilt. Oh no! I ruined it!! lol  My light-medium colored purples initially appeared mushy looking and not nearly as sharp as was needed in order to hold the clearly defined design together. In the finished whole, it seems like a dumb thing to be anxious about but you just never know, right? By choosing medium colored fabrics in those areas instead of distinctly dark/bold colors {suggested in the pattern} it subtlety softened the transition of the design into those creamy white areas. Which is what I was initially striving for, and then was left worried sick that there was no delineation whatsoever. That I blew the whole thing! Diane's pattern has a fun, modern feel to it. What I was hoping/wishing for, was more of a focus on the scrappiness vibe overall {instead of that clear design}. I even half dared to hope that perhaps an old fashioned charm could make itself known in those areas where the design 'line' was purposefully broken down. Oh the perils of being independent minded and taking color risks!

Looking cozy!

Anyone that has followed me for any length of time knows that I make quilting decisions by instinct or by 'gut'. That's just how I roll. The quilting police can go take a hike and patterns/planned ideas are just a suggestion. This quilt has been a problem child all along as every single step has seemed to caused me to second guess. The final issue was that I had very definite plans to machine quilt it. Based on the overall design of the quilt, hand quilting seemed like a waste of time and who wants to toil over a quilt for hours and hours and hours and not see the quilt properly soak up the texture? Then I changed plans mid-stream {very impulsively}, and found myself with a quilt in the hoop that was making me feel very grumpy. 

Glad this one is behind me!

Now that it is completely, totally finished, I can clearly see that my instincts were actually steering me right.*whew!  A very light colored binding on to further lighten the vibe of the quilt, the stitching texture almost embedded in the background of the quilt, this quilt now has a very, very quiet joy. How could I have ever predicted that outcome? How does that even happen? Something was just telling me, {insisting actually} that I make that effort. That my friend would appreciate it, might even need it during these trying times.

No, this was not FUN to hand quilt. I much prefer to see instant gratification, which is what's happening with the quilt below {next up in the hoop}. Unfortunately that's not the way it's always going to be with our quilting. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy? Sometime we have to deliberately step out on the limb of unknown, unverifiable, crazy-obsessive-down-to-that-stupid-nit picky detail, and just TRUST. Say, 'Okay! I believe that everything my logical brain is telling me is WRONG' and then just go with our gut. Do it. Or you'll never get any better! Be as grumpy and negative about it as it takes to hedge against the potential outcome of disappointment. And be sure and finish! 15 minutes at a time, whatever it takes, just never give up until it's done, done, done! That's where personal satisfaction and 'voice' come into play with quilting, don't kid yourself. It's not that things are always easy or confidence is rife on the ground and there are NO doubts. It's simply doing the 'right' thing even if you don't know why that one thing is so very important!

Next up in the hoop

So yes, I really felt that the next quilt should be the instant gratification type. I've already stitched up two sets of log cabin blocks and can already feel myself melt into the hoop each night.

Quarter Log Cabin #1

These days of uncertainty and not sleeping well at night are the pits. Hoping that all are well and getting some respite with their current quilting efforts! The color therapy and stitching efforts definitely do me a world of good as per my general mood and level of grouchiness, I'm guessing it helps most of you too. I have to admit to not being the most patient of people and really, what choice do we have right now? Just can't think about it too much or it overwhelms me. At least we can take a walk outside here in our area and get a dose of fresh air whenever needed. Our state is on week 3 with 4 more to go. Yeehaw. Maybe if we could find some flour, I'd start baking more? Just haven't had the motivation quite yet. Want to bet there's gonna be some Covid-19 weight loss measures in place for most of us later in the year too?

Moving Things Along

Directions From a Local is a true blue finish! The hand quilting went very quickly and then it was just a matter of getting the binding properly attached. A quick look through the stash totes, and no worries, plenty of fabric to choose from for binding possibilities. 

Directions From a Local is finished!

Not surprisingly, I ended up sewing scrappy pieces of odd blue fabric together for the binding as that color seemed to have the very best effect. Some of the fabrics had been in the totes for a very long time and I had begun to question why they were ever acquired. But that's exactly why we buy the odd/interesting/unusual fabrics as our instincts nudge us to. So they are there waiting for us when the perfect opportunity crops up!

Love the feel of this quilt

Most of the fabrics used in this quilt are not solids, but a very subtle print or tone on tone. One fabric in particular, the brown and white gingham, is not 100% cotton and seemed to want to warple and wave at the slightest provocation. Still, I absolutely love the vintage look of it mixed in with the quilt.

So happy with the fix-it corners in the middle...

The choppy, cut up corners of the log cabin are a result of sewing the first part of the quilt together without ever measuring strip lengths. Just sewing them on and cutting the excess off at the corners. Eventually there came a time when the quilt began to misbehave entirely too much and it just had to be addressed. I am so in love with how that turned out, there is absolutely nothing to regret!

Hard to see, but some of these fabrics are very sweet...

This quilt was started as an attempt to recreate or rather, interepret, one of the lovely quilts in 'Unconventional and Unexpected' by Roderick Kiracofe. You are probably so very tired of hearing me talk about this book, but it is one of the best buys that I have ever made, quilting-wise. Still finding lots and lots of inspiration within the covers of this book, sometimes just enough to pull me out of a slight mojo slump.

Probably could have added more stitching, but I wanted
to keep it loose and drapey....

I am still kind of in awe that these colors came out of my quilting room, much less, that they all came together in such a successful manner. Playing with color is one of my very favorite things about quilting. Building a different 'to us' color palette often feels easier when trying to base it off an already finished quilt and using it as the ultimate guide.

Whimsical touch to add the 'white line' piecing

Creating a 'mood' in quilting just feels ridiculously fun too. 'Cuz of course, that's exactly what we're doing. Oh sure, it can be a bit anxiety inducing during the attempt {so many decisions}, but after? If it turns out well? High fives all around!

So happy with the Turn Right arrow effect

The next quilt in the hoop will be Vintage Coxcombs. It's been a finished quilt top for a couple years now and one that lately I've been itching to get into the hoop.

Vintage Coxcombs getting sandwiched and pinned

I actually took the time to pin it between all the rows for machine, stitch-in-the-ditch sewing. Ughh! Takes so very long and it was while I was feeling pretty rotten too. Totally underestimated how much energy I had and how much time it always takes. My general optimism about how easy it would be to get it all ready was probably rooted in the idea that it is completely unacceptable to have an empty hoop. My goodness, however would I survive without a hand quilting project warmed up and ready to go?

Still happy with the pieced backgrounds

The unfortunate saga continues as I discovered when eventually getting back into the sewing room to actually sew. Somehow I totally forgot to engage the dual feed with my special Stitch-in-the-Ditch foot, which basically eliminated the entire walking foot effect as hello? There was no 'walking foot' apparatus engaged. Oh yes. You guessed it. I ended up having to rip out some of my machine stitching and start over. Fun stuff.

Going to keep the hand quilting very simple on this one...

Thankfully I didn't have to rip everything out. Apparently the benefit to quilting with low ebb energy is that I was moving the quilt slower through the machine than normal. Wonder of wonders, that helped everything behave better than it should have/could have. While the stitching didn't end up looking fabulous by any means, the quilt is in the hoop now and there's no looking back. I refuse to be a slave to perfection and choose instead to just pick my battles. Stitching lines meandering a bit over the top of seams? Fine and Dandy. Wavy outside sashing? Time to pull out the seam ripper!

My husband and I are both feeling loads better these days and even got to see our grandkids over the weekend. He will be taking a bit longer to recover to absolute full health, but if spending time with the granddaughters doesn't help accelerate the feel-good endorphins, I don't know what could! Still working on some hand applique when time allows and feeling very optimistic that this is the week we mostly return to a 'normal' routine....

Vintage Coxcombs Moving on to the Next Phase

This quilt turned out so different from what I expected. Still wrapping my mind around the finished quilt top! I thought it would have a kind of cottagey, romantic feel and instead it keeps reminding me of  those Brach's neapolitan coconut candies we ate as a kid.

Vintage Coxcombs a completed quilt top!

This one was almost left border-less, but it just didn't quite look right. Out came the various colors and fabrics, until finally I settled on the darker green-blue and brown simple sawtooth idea. It works. Absolutely it does, but still, more blue-green in a quilt that was supposed to look soft and dreamy?

Kind of old fashioned looking

I'm really, really happy with the pieced backgrounds in many of the blocks. It seems to give an added layer of interest in a quilt that could easily be dismissed as too sweet to possibly be interesting. Not true at all! And it's a difficult quilt for me to get pictures of, all those light browns and taupe colors reflecting light right back at you or looking moody because it's soaking all the light up. Life's been way to busy to have several photo shoots and so what you see is what you get.

It's so much prettier than the pictures show

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those quilt tops that I fall a little more in love with every time it comes out of the quilt drawers. It's always great fun to pull the completed quilt tops out one by one {oh, I forgot about that one!} and have a little play time deciding which ones get to go in the hoop next!

Lots of work in this quilt!

So happy to get this one to a point where I can check it off the 'in-progress' list and get those extra fabrics back into the stash totes. It's been a long time coming. The funny thing is that I piddled around on it forever because the outcome was surely a 'given'. And now it's completely surprised me in color and the overall feeling it conveys. How does this manage to happen?

Progress on the Vintage Coxcombs and a Giveaway!

This week is the 7th blogiversary for Quilty Folk! When I first started blogging, months would go by without a single comment. Sometimes I would post pictures of the current project, other times I would just chat into the wind {which was totally okay by me}.  But the whole premise behind why this blog was started, remains the same. I quite honestly love to be talking about quilting!

Giveaway!

So for all of you who keep dropping by and encouraging me to keep going, it feels like a good time for a giveaway! For one lucky winner, there is the latest issue of Primitive Quilts & Projects {the fall addition}, Bring Me Flowers pattern book by Jen Kingwell and 1-10 1/2" applique basket block by yours truly. It's a leftover block from the Gather Ye Roses quilt top made earlier this year. If you're the winner and you don't want it included, don't worry, it won't hurt my feelings one little bit!

To be entered to win, answer the following question and be sure I have a way to contact you! The question is: What determines whether or not you actually take the time to leave a comment on someones post? I'm so curious because I lurked on lots of blogs {for about two years} without ever leaving a single comment. Then I just caved and started commenting here and there--for all sorts of reasons. Now I follow a ton of blogs on Bloglovin' and could never begin to leave comments on them all. There simply isn't enough time!

If you're a follower of this blog, feel free to leave a second comment telling me how you follow for a second chance to win! I am willing to ship to an international winner as well as a winner in the USA.

Vintage Coxcombs

So on another note, about the Vintage Coxcombs quilt shown here? It's starting to take shape with a light, bright sashing. I'm so happy with the way it brightens the quilt and makes it sort of sparkle. This was always in the back of my mind and I was positively delighted to have enough of the sashing fabric on hand. It really needed something special to give those soft browns, taupes and faded grays a bit of a boost.

So happy they aren't all perfectly the same....

Now I'm eyeing the more colorful leftover fabrics with a border in mind. Of course. Because it's telling it desperately needs to have a border? lol  First off I pulled the softer pinks and then quickly dropped them. Uggh! Next up were the blue-greens. Maybe I could piece them with some of the softer grays?

Such a mellow looking quilt...

That wasn't doing anything for me at all, and so I did a deep dive into the stash totes, started pulling some stronger blue-greens. Ahh... now we're talking. Or rather I'm thinking. The fabrics are simmering! One day next week or so, we'll get together and have that little discussion. I can tell you it's leaning heavily towards a simple, sawtooth style border, but we'll see. Nothing is ever truly settled until it's all cut and sewn on. Even then, it's not totally out of the question to get the seam ripper out if it feels necessary! Much better to take a little time and get it right the first time though....

I'll pick a winner for the giveaway probably next Tuesday. Don't forget to leave a way for me to contact you or I'll have to move on to the next person! Good luck!

Working On a Few of My 17UFOSin 2017

This time of month always gets to me. I look at the 17ufosin2017 list and think, 'Oh no!, another month gone! Did I get anything done at all?" And then it's time to settle down and think things through logically.

Vintage Coxcombs

Vintage Coxcombs, above, now has all the applique blocks done--20 of them! And they were stinkers too. I haven't had that much trouble with applique for a very, long time. I think it was a matter of over thinking things, trying to correctly center the applique and yet not lose touch with the whimsical placement I was striving for. Who knew that imperfect stitching could be so difficult to achieve! I guess I just thought it happened by breathing. After all, it's easy enough to get the look when we don't want to. The best part was working with these fabrics and colors. It's hard to get a good picture of these muddy looking blocks, but they are so soft and mellow looking. LOVE that!

It's been a different kind of month. My nicely stitched borders for Folksy Flowers didn't work out as planned either. I've had to use the seam ripper and take some stitches out. Going to have to extend those scallops and hope that effort will do the trick. Otherwise, I'll have to dream up something else for this border.

Folksy Flower borders

 As I mentioned in a previous post, the prep work is all but finished for the solids challenge blocks. I know if I just pick up one block and get it stitched, the others will follow quickly. For now, they're just sitting in a bag, waiting in my quilt basket over in the corner of the bedroom. Taunting me. Or rather, haunting me?

Solids Challenge

Learning Curves is hanging out over there in that corner too. It's all ready for the hand work phase of the binding. The quilting is very simple on this quilt and I'm not 100% sure it's enough. Oh it'll hold together just fine--it's got machine stitching in-the-ditch around every block as well as the echo quilting around the curves. I'm just a little dissatisfied with the overall look. But not really wanting to invest more in this quilt either? It's a conundrum....

Learning Curves

Then there's the Eagle quilt which was slated to be in the hoop by Independence Day weekend of this year. Yep. That's not happening! I could never find a cheap backing fabric {I refuse to pay full price for backings} and wasn't feeling particularly pressed to get to the stitching. Other quilts seemed more demanding than this one. Then, just the other day, I found some backing fabric at a Quilt Guild yard-sale. Fabric by the pound! The blue fabric is slightly over a yard of 110" wide fabric too, which just makes me smile. Score one for the patient quilter.*wink

Eagle quilt

So no matter what my sad sack expectations tells me, I did just fine in June. Progress is definitely being made, even if it's a slow pace, and at this halfway point in the year, there are already 9 out of 17 items checked off the list! Yay for me!

Of the three remaining projects on the list, one is at my friends for longarm quilting attention. It's not looking real good for a fast finish, but maybe by the end of the year? Nothing I can do here about that. Another item is a love/hate project and I waffle back and forth between ditching it completely or being tenacious and diving in regardless of my trepidation about liking it in the long term. The final item on the list that needs to be addressed is going to require some intensive applique border work. I have the ideas roughed out on paper and a tentative fabric selection in the works. Other than that, I'm practicing extreme avoidance. I don't wanna. At least not right now! But I will eventually 'cuz it's a lovely quilt and no matter how I whine and snivel, quilts rarely get neglected here forever....

Okay! That's the June 17ufosin2017 wrap-up. I feel so much better now getting it all in proper perspective! Thanks to Meredithe for the monthly prodding to be accountable!

Making Progress on 17 UFO's

Knowing May would be a busy month, I worked hard on my 17 ufos in 2017 list early on in the month. It felt good to knock two quilt tops right off the list: Rising Sun and the Improv. Woven Basket. 

Two more finished quilt tops!

And all through the month I made myself keep plodding away at the Vintage Coxcomb blocks too. The star pieces took a surprising amount of time and it took forever to figure out the most efficient way to get them into place. Finally after sewing {and then seam ripping} the fifth block, I got smart and marked the circle shape onto each block. It's not a perfect solution, but it really helped with placement of the star tips, of which I did not want to be same-o, same-o from block to block. There seems to be enough variation to satisfy my imperfect soul and now I'm just looking at sewing the circle shape onto the remaining 10 blocks. This part is easy and by the end of the month I should definitely be playing with layout!

Vintage Coxcomb blocks

Learning Curves is in the hoop and making very slow forward progress as well. There have been a lot of interruptions the last couple weeks and also, I've been focusing a lot on the applique projects. All my hand work time seems to be in the late evening and there often is a choice that has to be made, applique or hand quilting? Occasionally, the applique wins out, especially if I'm really pushing a project completion such as with my Vintage Coxcombs blocks above.

Learning Curves in the hoop

This latest border on Folksy Flowers was a mixed applique/pieced border and so of course it had to be slipped into the queue too. I tell myself, 'Oh it's just a little bit of hand work' and then three days later I finally finish up.*groan   There will be two more rows added onto each corner of the quilt and then there will probably be one large row to enclose the entire quilt. I've been trying to make sure the corners of each of the latest rows are not cut out on the bias, but there definitely is a bit of wonkiness with this quilt. Hopefully not enough to ruin the quilt! Crossing my fingers with this one.....

Folksy Flowers border

So that's that. Two more items marked off the list and forward progress on three others. Not bad for a crazy, busy month!

Marking things off the list!

Time to link up with Meredithe and other fellow quilters over at Pomegranate and Chintz!

Moving Things Forward

I am always uncertain about committing to any QAL involving finish-it-up goals. Frankly, it sort of panics me, which sounds very odd as I actually do finish things occasionally! But... Meredithe is a great friend and her '17 in 2017' sounds very no pressure. Thanks to Kyle I had access to a nifty little pdf and so now, after much pondering, here is the list.

17 in 2017 QAL

After perusing the other links, I noticed everyone has their own way of listing the projects.  Mine is simple: #1-11 are quilt projects still currently ongoing. The only really dusty one is 'Shattered', and I totally credit Meredithe for helping me dig that one out. #12-17 are completed quilt tops that hopefully will become a full fledged quilt sometime this year. Along with others of course, but I can't know exactly which quilt tops I'm in the mood to get started quilting. This leaves me lots of wiggle room!

Vintage Coxcombs

In the meantime, I've been trying to be very disciplined about not starting a new quilt project just yet. Tho I am itching, itching, itching to do just that! My tentative plan is to get three of my eleven ongoing projects to the completed quilt top stage before allowing my greedy self to jump into something new and shiny. Lots of applique work here, so I need to get cracking!

The quilt above, 'Vintage Coxcombs' includes 20 blocks. {Because I am insane and don't know when to stop.} Most of the background blocks are sewn together in similar, but different looking fabrics, pieced together as the leftover bits dictate. Since I mostly buy fatquarters, getting 20 similar background blocks can be complicated at times, but I love the look of this way versus made up of all of one fabric.

After I complete appliqueing the coxcombs to the oval shape {done!}, then next up is the possible star background. I'm going to do a test block to see if the triangles are large enough and proportions work out properly. This is the part I hate--thinking the triangles look perfect as is which would means re-cutting and adding the seam allowance once again. And yes, I've already cut out ALL of the triangles for 20 blocks.*sigh Thus the test block. I've been fooled once before.

Chunky Crossroads

Don't judge me by my crinkly looking applique, It's all coming along rather nicely! Two borders out of four down with two to go on the Chunky Crossroads improv. quilt. I ended up adding the fat looking flower buds as it just looked too barren without. I'm still a little {okay, a lot} waffle-y about whether the quilt sincerely needs the applique borders or I'm just indulging myself. Ahh... Self doubt. Always there to rain on our parade.... Too, I get kind of jumpy after sewing the same exact thing for hours on end and usually make myself a bargain or two just to keep going. It helps to have perspective and not let sheer tedium come up with our answers!

After completely two borders, then I gave myself permission to go straight to work on the 'Gather Ye Rosebuds' quilt which includes the  Big Tumbler Basket and a whole bunch of smaller baskets. It's going to be an asymmetrical quilt with a vine running down the left side and across the bottom before connecting with the text block on the right side. I'm trying to do as much applique as possible before joining it to the larger basket and thus making a big 'ol awkward mess to do my stitching on. Lots of work to do here, but then I'll probably jump back to the Vintage Coxcombs test block before yes, you guessed it! finally diving back into the Chunky Crossroads borders once again. I really do like to mix things up and having smaller goals helps keep me on track for feel-good finishes along the way. Hey, whatever works!

Gather Ye Rosebuds

And of course, there's always a quilt in the hoop around here. The middle portion of this quilt is finally done and next I'm going to be starting in on the outside two borders. Last night I marked off a simple grid pattern and with stitching one or two frames an evening, this could be done by the end of January!

Geese Tracks & Black Shadow Applique

I put this particular quilt off for a long time as I just wasn't 'feeling' it. And honestly, it took getting the entire geese-tracks/applique section getting stitched and finally working of the basket quilting before I finally settled in and started loving it again. So funny. I've always appreciated this quilt, enjoyed working on it so much and then when it's time, I can't feel the love while starting to quilt it.

But that's the way quilting works with me. I often have to reconnect. Just the steady stitch, stitch, stitch, hearing the needle slide in and out, staring down at the quilt, remembering the whys and wherefores. It all works to remind me of what's so great about quilting. This quilt? I'm the one making it, but it has a few fabrics from my grandma who was a quilter too. Just another in a long line of 'makers' allowing the work of quilting to quiet and soothe our {often} worried and troubled minds. I can tell--this quilt's gonna be a keeper...

A Reflection of the Past Year {Quilty-wise} and Essential Elements for 2017

2016 has been such a busy, scattered year for me. I've felt rather like a leaf floating down the currents of a river at times, totally at the mercy of all the elements. Now that we're full swing into the holiday mode, I've found myself very reflective about my quilting. I suppose that's why Kaja's latest post really struck a chord within me and I decided to join in with the latest fun over at Quilting JetGirl too!

Goals for 2017 quilting:  1.  Fabric Love. Flitting in and out of my quilting room this past couple weeks has made me realize how delighted I am to be greeted by colorful, ongoing projects. I want to be more intentional about digging through the stash and using the fabrics and colors that speak the loudest to me--working to get it 'right' no matter how much time that may take.

Working to put Quilty 365 together...

2.  Applique. So very key for me. Sometimes I feel almost overwhelmed by all the projects that need/want/demand applique work, but in the long run it makes me very happy. Doing this sort of hand work helps settle me and causes me to look a little closer at the details--very necessary in my busy, busy world!

Vintage Coxcombs applique coming along slowly but surely...

3.  Repetition--very often a part of my quilting. Call me old fashioned, call me whatever you like, but I really, really like the structure and framework of having 'repeats' in my quilts. This is an element I want to remember to use moving forward.

Next border on Peachy Cameo Medallion

4.  Which leads me to borders. Oh how I love me some borders! The sheer challenge of making it all work is so good for me and there's nothing quite like finishing up a border and feeling that sense of accomplishment! Lots of small victories in this type of work which absolutely gives me energy to do more designing and brainstorming. Bring on the medallion quilts, 'cuz they aren't going away anytime soon.*wink

Another border on Folksy Flowers. Going to have to address that bias edge soon!

5.  Scrap Attack quilts. So overlooked. Do you know that the scrap attack quilts are the ones that generally end up being the most used on my beds? I just can't seem to resist their charm. In 2017 I want to keep 'working straight from the scrap bin' part of the rotation. There's nothing quite like taking those insignificant little scraps and creating something surprising and yes, genuinely lovely. I adore the unpredictability of using those scraps!

One of my favorite Scrap Attack quilts

6.  Ad Hoc Improv. Quilting.  Love, love, love this freewheeling style that by turns makes me feel like a total moron and then flips around and makes me feel quite brilliant in the very next quilt project.  If it wasn't for challenging myself to break free and work in this difficult-for-me method of quilting, I wouldn't have my big 'ol Improv. Woven Basket centerpiece. That would be sad. Big intentions to do more and see where and how it evolves in the future.

Improv. Woven Basket quilt

7.  Simplicity. Something that is almost stark in terms of emotion, but whatever that emotion may be, is solely up to the maker! The deliberate choices that have to be made seem to gain in importance--that's just reality when working this way. Whether or not I do another 'wholecloth' style quilt, I want to at least start with simplicity on occasion. It's such an interesting way to work and I simply love how it strips all the pretense and/or fussiness out of the equation.

Be Still, my sweet little wholecloth lap quilt

8.  Series Work.  There are often repeated elements from one quilt to the next in my quiltmaking. Whether this is deliberate series work or simply my subconscious operating behind the scenes {I've done both}, it is a very meaningful in a sense of  'progression' of personal style. Sometimes my knee jerk reaction to 'yet another basket quilt' is a feeling of despair or inadequacy that I can't come up with something new and exciting. I want to remember that those elements {that I continually seem to connect so personally to} are part of my quilting voice. I need to be unafraid and unashamed to be the 'basket queen' or whatever it is we're focused so intently on. Continue to let those elements be fine tuned and honed into that someday amazing quilt we're always striving for!

Gather Ye Roses quilt project

9.  QALS and Connections.  I prefer the open-ended QALS and no-pressure outcome. For instance, the quilt below {my most recent finish!} was a result of joining Wendy's Basket Galore BOM a couple years ago. Make the blocks, do whatever you like with them sort of thing. Lori made one as well and it's so interesting to see how we all ended up adding applique blocks to go along with those very challenging basket blocks. In my case it was probably a case of busying the quilt up so the mistakes are not as obvious!

Completed Red and Green Applique & Baskets Galore quilt

But the real point is the connections we make. Making something similar but different is often quite eye opening. I tend to shy away from QALS, but I can definitely see the benefits from these types of projects. Hopefully in 2017 there will be another QAL or two that fits into my personal requirement of 'has-to-be-on-my-bucket-list-to-join-up'. I never know where it just might lead....

Add caption

10. About that 'Process' thing which {should} eventually result in some really great quilts. In theory! Full circle brings me straight to the Cactus Basket quilt finished earlier this year. It's absolutely a direct result of that red/yellow basket second over in the previous picture. I had so much trouble with making that particular block, I decided to try it with hand piecing. Wallah! One things leads to another blah, blah, blah. Somehow I ended up with a totally different kind of quilt. And it feels more like a 'me' quilt in some perfect and indescribable way. In 2017 I need not forget the sheer value and importance of the process. That pure and simple doing.

The Cactus Basket quilt

Sorry for such a lengthy yawn of a post, but it helps to have a clear examination our of quilt-making once in awhile! At least for me. Thank you Kaja for the nudge and thanks to Yvonne for the initial inspiration!

2017 Planning Party Link-up

Now I'm off to finish baking my sugar cookies and other assorted holiday goodies! Merry Christmas to all of you. Hope your weekend is filled with lots of love, laughter and good eating...