Quilting And Cats!

Irene finished her Fair and Square quilt from my book Scraps & Shirttails II!

No, she didn't finish it here at retreat, but had started it on a previous retreat and brought it to put the binding on so she can sit in the Hen Den and enjoy some quieter hand binding time.

Look at the fussy cut cats in the block centers! SO CUTE!

I just love how it turned out in her rainbow color theme - and yes, it feels like Easter!

Brenda T in Calgary, Alberta sent this along with some other quilt finishes in this 2018 Post!

I'm sharing both so you can see how different fabrics make it look completely change things up.

More top finishes!

Such a cute panel - and yes, Those border corners are soon to be mitered.

Flag top finish!

And this Wanderlust Table Runner (Which comes as a free bonus PDF with purchase of my Addicted to Scraps book.) is up to the borders!  

This is a great retreat project for a satisfying finish.

Here's mine!

And through all of that finishing, there is a whole lot of piecing and pressing going on.

See that scorch mark?  This is the reason that every retreat starts with a new clean piece of freezer paper ironed on to the pressing stations.

It happens.  It happens when folks just forget it and leave the iron down.

it happens wien Oliso iron users (The ones that stay face down and have feet that lift them off the surface) forget that these irons are NOT Oliso and just leave them face down.

The freezer paper layer gives each group a clean ironing surface to start with, and then I swap it out for a new piece for the next retreat.

I even put a layer of freezer paper cut to size on my own ironing board and swap it out when it gets grungy.  It saves the ironing board cover.

So what's been going on in my own space while the quilters are quilting at the inn?

Click to Play:

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Just a quicky - but Square Pegs blocks are on fire!

And more: 

This is how things were going yesterday.

One short strip end cut into squares becomes this over time:

My scrap drawer of squares  with so much variety!

Quickly became four-patch block centers.

And more blocks are underway.

I guess it's fair to say that I play the "Long Game" with my scraps.  I prepare for future quilts by cutting my scraps down as I make them so they are always at the ready.

Evidently I need to keep working out of this squares drawer because it is pretty full.

Back to the cats -
Flash had been causing a ruckus fighting Tula for her food.
Yesterday he was still visible on the porch - he didn't run ALL the way away when he saw me.  So I put both bowls down to see what would happen.
No fighting.
Now to get him captured, fixed, vaxxed and seen to.  
As to Lola - she has recovered from her smack down with Ivy - Ivy must have beat the living tar out of her because it has taken several days for her to want to jump up to her food, and to resume her normal vocal meowing.  Servers her right.
And yes, I'm still keeping them separated because I can't deal with this.
Today - rainy and yucky.  Perfect day for quilting!

Did you get your entry in?

Thank you so much for the wonderful response, everyone.  It has been so much fun to read the comments that you've already started in on making the string units - and for some of you this is the first time you've tried string piecing and have fallen in love.

The biggest tip I can give - okay two tips.  SHORTEN your stitch length so the needle holes do the work of perforating the paper for you so it is easier to remove.

Second tip - always piece a bit bigger than your foundation because shift happens.  This way you can slide your ruler around and find the best placement for trimming.  It will help you avoid those places where you fell short of the paper.

Big String Quartet. SEW ALL THE STRINGS!

Dig into all of your fabric scraps and turn them into a beautiful string quilt!

Perfect for beginners.  Entertaining and satisfying for everyone.

Full color diagrams and photos and step-by-step instruction provided. Sew Much Fun!

Quilt Size: 93’’ X 93’’

Introductory Pricing: The PDF pattern for Big String Quartet is currently 25% off in the digital pattern section of the Quiltville Store. No coupon needed.

Pricing good through 3/31/24.

I'll be drawing for 2 lucky winners to each win a PDF copy of Big String Quartet from me, AND a Rolling in Color rainbow roll from Cotton to Quilts!

Color rolls contain 20 fabrics measuring approximately 8 1/2'' X 21''. Perfect for enhancing your scrap stash and brightening up your own string collection.

Enter to win on the Gift-Away Post.

My Kiss Me, Kiwi! Stitchery pattern is also available. This was the projected we stitched during our New Zealand Adventure with Craftours.

While I used some abstract fabrics (and all kinds of stash scraps!) for my borders, my traveling quilters were more than happy to pick up fabrics in New Zealand to use to finish their own Kiwi projects the way they wanted, capturing so many memories of our trip together.

The pattern includes full color photos and graphics and instructions for using my Essential Triangle Tool as well as other options for making units for those who do not have access to my ruler.

The PDF pattern for Kiss Me, Kiwi! is currently 25% off in the Quiltville Store. No coupon needed.

Sale price good through 3/31/24.

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Vintage basket quilt found in North Carolina.

This explains everything-⁣

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Embrace your own kind of crazy!

And into the weekend we go -