Quilting Design Board

While designing the Flannel Quilt for my Dad (#7 on my UFO list and my only HSY), I found that I needed a space to arrange and rearrange the blocks to finalize the quilt top design. I really miss my quilting design wall and decided that it's something I need to enjoy the quilting process. 

My attempt to play with quilt designs on my tiny ironing board.

The Quilting Design Wall/Board that I had previously was created following the blog post by Diary of a Quilter By Amy Smart. My ex-husband had a problem putting holes in the wall so my design board leaded against the wall in two different houses. What I disliked about it was that 1) we could never get the flannel pulled tight against the board so it sagged, 2) the more I pulled the fabric, the more the insulation would warp/bend and didn't stand up, and 3) it was a pain in the butt to move. It was such a pain to move that when I left the marital home and moved stuff into my storage unit, it got seriously damaged and I put the whole thing (fabric and all) in the garage bin. 

This time around, I did a TON of internet searching and found this post by Alanda Craft using an artist canvas. I love the idea because there's more structure to a canvas' than I had with the insulation and it'll be easier to move by using a few small canvas sections rather than a whole wall sized piece. I decided to purchase (4) 30" x 40" Canvas' and cover each in white flannel. I feel like I scored a deal because I bought the Canvas' when Michael's was running their BOGO Free sale on canvas. I also decided to use an adhesive spray to help me stretch/stick down the fabric on the canvas and purchased a cheap staple gun from Joann's. It worked as easy as the blog post showed it too... seriously this was NO Pinstrosity! It worked perfectly.

 

I love the result! They aren't hung on my wall yet, but will be when I am able finish the redesign in my bedroom/quilting room. I am enjoying being able to drag the canvas' into the kitchen where I am currently quilting. But when I have to clear the table for distance learning/working, I can take the project back to my room for storage while keeping my progress on the movable design wall.

2021 UFO Challenge

Over the last 5.5 years and through many moves, I have purged my quilting stash twice. The first round, I got rid of probably 10 UFOs and 3 Medium sized moving boxes of fabric, notions and random sewing projects. I kept only completed tops, completed blocks, fabric that had a purpose and a small shoe box of fat quarters. At the time, I was in such a rush to make everything fit into a new, smaller unit. Most of it sat in plastic bins in the corner of my bedroom until quarantine in early 2020, when I decided to redesign my bedroom into a dual purpose bedroom/quilting room. It then sat on my deck until I was able to clear a place in my shed for it.

I decided that since I am spending so much money redesigning my bedroom this year, that I needed to use the fabric/projects I have first. This lead to me searching for a UFO challenge similar to the one I had done previously. I found the American Patchwork and Quilting UFO Challenge and decided it was exactly the motivation I needed. To fill out the Challenge form, I opened 1 of the 3 remaining project bins I have. I only filled out the form with the first 11 UFOs I found and added 1 HSY (Haven't Started Yet). Luckily, my mom had organized the bins with many of my favorite project in the same bin, which is this list.

Each month the group picks a number and that's the project you work on.  I was still working on my list when they announced the January number (#7) and since I needed a project I wanted to work on, I decided to put my HSY on that space. It is a flannel quilt for my dad that I had already started buying fabric for. I am so excited to make a quilt for him especially since I have a completed quilt top for my mom going to the long arm quilter this month. So let's get started!

#apqresolution

Finding Happiness

 Long ago... I was a quilter. A ugly divorce, custody battle, new career, 3 moves and I am finally find my world stable enough to quilt again. As I am settling into the place I will call home for another 8.5 years, I am creating my quilting space and trying to find my happiness through quilting once again. 

During the quarantine/pandemic of 2020, I started trying to quilt regularly again but due to not having a space it was sporatic. I would literally have to pack everything away daily so my kids and I could school/work from home. But I did make some headway. Below are some of the UFO tops I completed and I purchased backing. I have never done this before but I am going to have both long arm quilted because I just don't have the space to work efficiently.

Fun Day 2015

Fun Day 2013

And so, I start sharing my quilting adventures again.

September Goal

Don't know how I managed this but last year I forgot to blog about my donation quilt last year for Piece By Piece Quilt Guild's Donation Month.  The fabrics were donated by different individuals in the guild and our wonderful Philanthropy Committee created kits for people to take home and finish.  I chose a kit of purple and yellow to represent my love of the LSU Tigers but also the purple for domestic violence awareness.  The pattern that was recommended is called Rusty's Quilt.  It was super easy and I loved how it turned out! Here it is, turned into the guild for distribution at the sexual abuse interview center in our area in Oct 2013.

I've decided to use the same pattern again for this years donation quilt.  I found the below fabrics on clearance (blue/white was sale priced after coupon) at Joann's and took all that was left on the bolts hoping to put together at least one, if not two quilts this year.  They are due in October again this year.

My goal for the month of September will be to complete one donation quilt using these fabrics and the Rusty's Quilt pattern.

August Finish

I did it! I finished my Double Dog Dare Ya Challenge entry.  It was down to the wire.. literally.  The day my entry was due was also my son's first day of Kindergarten.  It was a mad dash to get everything in order for school and finish my challenge but I am proud of the finished product.

Each entry had to include a write up on "What the theme Enchanted California means to you?" Here is mine:

     "The theme Enchanted California for me has always evoked thoughts of adventure and the possibility of riches. Similar to the pioneers who traversed the Midwest during Westward expansion, forty niners, early 1900s loggers, WPA workers and artists who came here seeking opportunity, we came here seeking our own slice of the Enchanted California dream. I have expressed this within this quilt depicting the historic Route 66 using the Road to California quilt block leading to the majestic redwoods and gold fields as well as our own golden opportunity (ie. Apple, Inc.)."

I am excited to say that I won Judges Choice Runner Up.  I think it's equivalent to third place.  Anyway, I won a small gift certificate to a LQS. It's about 1/4 of what I spent to make the challenge quilt but I had fun and will be entering it into our local quilt show but won't have it judged. I believe others who participated in the challenge will be doing the same.

August Goal

My quilt guild has a challenge this month and I started it awhile back... so I drew up what I wanted but that didn't work out.  At this point, I am committed to doing the challenge so I need to figure something out.  The theme is "what Enchanted California means to you."

It is my goal this month to complete my Enchanted California Challenge project.

For me, California has always represented the end all be all of where we (my husband and I) wanted to be; what we wanted for our lives.  Through our visits, we've discovered the majestic forests, picturesque beaches, rich history and diversity and the glamour of traveling historic route 66.   I want to throw all this into my project without being too literal such as in a fully appliquéd project.  Below is a sketch of what I am thinking.

The top block is a snowball variation called "New Snowball" that appeared in the boo 5,500 Quilt Block Designs, and will represent a historical take on the gold that the 49'er flocked to California to find exactly how we relocated to California for our own golden opportunity.  That opportunity was a once and a lifetime for my husband that believe it or not, came around again. That opportunity was a job at Apple, Inc.  I will appliqué a small apple logo inside the center of the blue block as a nod to the amazing opportunity.

The bottom block is called "Road to California" and will represent the historical route 66.  It's been the path of many seeking their own California dream and how we got here.  The beige/oranges are my interpretation of the desert scenery we passed through while traveling Route 66.  I intend to appliqué a route 66 highway sign on one of the half blocks.

Lastly, I want to put these blocks on point and frame them with a dark green fabric and some appliquéd redwood trunks.  The first site we totally fell in love with was the redwood forests in Northern California and it's always been one of the main reasons I wanted to live in the state.


The required fabric is the below blue/yellow Australian fabric.  The yellow fabric below it is some scraps left over from the Fun Day apron I was required to make and plan to use in this project.

July Goal

I am desperately trying to clean up my quilting room so I can be efficient and well... it's not going well.  In my pile of "to dos" I found two tech shirts that I got for completing 10K's last year.  Both are unisex size, which probably wasn't mentioned at the time of race signup so I ended up with shirts that are too big in the boob area and long. My goal for this month is to make them fit like I did with the below race volunteer shirt.

 

The offending shirts: