working out the steps

So I've got a good start on my Straits of Mackinac.  I cut out most of the pieces in about 3 days. HA!  Lots of pieces! 

I cut out strips for the HST's (half square triangles) and layered a neutral and a blue one right sides together and then used Bonnie's Essential Triangle Tool to cut out 576 triangles that are all paired and ready to sew together.  And then I cut out about 144 of just blue ones for the square in a square blocks and the squares needed. From strips, I also cut out some triangles using the Tri Recs ruler for triangles in a square block. Lots of cutting!
As I'm cutting, I make stacks of 10 and then gather 10 stacks and put them in labeled baggies to keep track of how much I've cut!

Last week I worked on getting my square in a square blocks more accurate.
I only needed 36 but it still took a bit of time.

This week I'm sewing all those HST's. I'm about done with the sewing.  I've trimmed off the dog ears and pressed more than half so maybe today I'll get these done and start putting them together in those 4 patch settings.

I mentioned back in the post right after my class that a friend ...who I didn't get contact info from! :-(   shared some really cute crab fabric with me.  I searched the Web and found one fat quarter still available.  Yay! So I'm thrilled to have these in my triangles.  Absolutely, my favorite here and they remind of a quilter's kindness.

 I will work on the strings needed for the triangles in a square block after the 4 patch units  :-)  Happy Fall Stitching everyone!

Linking to Sarah's  Confessions of a Fabric Addict  and Em's Scrapbag

Autumn Jubilee 2019

Today begins another fun yearly event of  quilty and seasonal inspiration over at Carole's  From My Carolina Home!  Head over to check out the frequent posts of quilting, stamping, decorating and recipe inspiration all through the month.  There are even prizes for participating from some amazing sponsors!  Here's the link to begin..

 https://frommycarolinahome.com/2019/10/02/autumn-jubilee-2019-begins-today/  It promises to be fun!

Sage and Seaglass

It's a quilt! I was able to do the quilting right away but it took me awhile to get help with the photo documentation.  This is one big quilt!
I used a favorite panto on it called Feathered Curls. I have others that I like as well but the designs seem a little big for the smaller pieces I tend to put in quilts. So here is my Bonnie Hunter, Quiltville Emerald City that I'm calling Sage and Seaglass as most of the fabric in it is from Kim Diehl's fabric line of that name.

This picture shows the colors in the fabrics a bit clearer.

The photos are a little odd from being taken inside the house but we have some limitations for the helpers available for holding it. The backing is completely off color wise.  I backed it with this gorgeous (I think) poison green fabric that I've had for awhile. It was very fun to being able to use it here.

I really enjoyed making this.  I was so happy that I was able to learn in a class setting as the book instructions seem very different than the more 'Bonnie like' way steps that she taught.  I have launched into making my quilt from my second class of Straits of Mackinac and have found the same difference to the book instructions. It's helpful that she shares so much about how she does things in her blog posts so I can approach the book instructions with that in mind.
I'm linking this post to Sarah's at Confessions of A Fabric Addict and Em's Scrapbag :-)

It's a quilt top!

Just yesterday, I finished adding sashings and cornerstones and sewed all the rows together!  Two full months of sewing and it was wonderful. 
This is just a peek and a quick snapshot but I hope to get going on preparing the backing and get it quilted...hopefully this week.

Linking to Sarah's Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

August progress

Progress on my Emerald City shows that I completed making the HST's

 and started sewing them onto the strip pieced blocks

and now I can finally start sewing these unit blocks together. 

Four of these units will make one quarter of a block.

And four of those units makes a block.

Onward I go :-) from small pieces to huge blocks!
Happy Wednesday! and now it's Friday...linking to Confessions of a Fabric Addict Whoop Whoop Fridays.

New wool mat

I like to read Jo's blog at Jo's Country Junction where she sometimes reviews products and books. The post I've linked here is about a new wool mat she tried out for someone. She liked the mat and there was a link to Amazon and even a coupon good for the next few days. As it was a pretty good deal I splurged and got one too. :-)

Years ago I had purchased a mat at PIQF that was made of the same fabric used in firemen's coats. It does have a good heat reflective character that helps the pressing on both sides of the block I'm pressing...but it also seems to stay a bit hot and burn my fingers. The fabric also slips around a bit. 


Hence...as I'm sewing all these triangles onto the strippy squares,

I'm having a better time at it with my new wool mat set up next to my sewing machine. 

The cats will likely love this one as much as the one on my ironing board so I will need to keep it covered up when not in use :-)  
Check out Jo's blog and take advantage of the coupon if your'e interested. These mats are nice for pressing. 
Linking to Confessions of a Fabric for Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Fridays.

July ...but some June finishes

In June I made this fun little quilt for my friend's birthday.  It's called Star Spangled Picnic by Karen Walker at Laugh Yourself Into Stitches.  Hope to make one for myself too.

And a wee bit late to the party...like 3 years!...I made this Paws Patrol quilt and pillowcase for my grand nephew, Kellen.  Fun piecing with a Moda Bake Shop free pattern. 

Keeping me busy now is working on the 1000 half square triangles left needed for this Emerald City quilt that I started last month in the class with Bonnie. I'm nearing the finish of this step.  I feel I have really 'upped my game' with the use of her Essential Triangles ruler and with some pressing tips that I heard from Donna on Jordan Fabrics videos....mainly pressing with the grain of fabric to prevent distortion.  I use a Bloc Loc ruler to trim down usually but have found that I haven't needed to with these HST's and just clip the 'dog ear' off most of the time. It has kind of amazed me.

Another event in June was to take Luke for his Rattlesnake Avoidance refresher class.  Luke likes to run crazy over the ranch hills where we walk and stick his head in holes and piles of dead wood.  As far as I know, he has not encountered a rattlesnake but this is an added bit of protection.  In class he's rewarded for making a wide arc around the sight, sound or smell of a rattlesnake.  It doesn't work necessarily for all snakes but definitely for rattlers. Ma and Pa Kennels does the training and I appreciate their knowledge and gentle ways of teaching.

I'm off to sew the HST's.  I hope you have a happy summer Saturday.
Linking to Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Head over to check out links of inspiration :-)