Let's Be Real ... The Honest WIP List

1. Family Challenge 2015

Each year my grandmother and I do a quilt challenge. We each get the same fabric and have to create a quilt. My mom and aunts are the official family judges. This year we added in my cousin and my cousin's grandmother. Should be fun to see what everyone comes up with. We are using a Jolly Bar of  Somerset by Fig Tree. 

2. Charity Quilts: Scrappy HST, Peaches HST

These are all quilt tops from when I first started quilting! No photos but I though I would finish them and donate them to a local charity. 

3. Rocky Mountain Puzzle 

This year my Stash Bee block was the Rocky Mountain Puzzle. Thus far I have done nothing with all the blocks and would like to make a few more to fill out the quilt. 

4. Bias Strip Quilt 

As my first official quilt class I took Bias Strip Quilts with Sherri Lynn Wood this spring. These petals are fun to make until you have to put them all together. Some will require hand appliqué. Although I have almost finished the hand quilting this is the most current photo of the project. 

5. Churn Dash 

A little instant gratification project while at retreat this spring. 

6. Round Trip Quilt 

Still waiting to get mine back!  Hopefully soon I can see it in person and get it finished.  (The quilt below is not mine!)

7. HST Quilt Along

A group of us guild friends are making a Modern HST quilt. The top is done, I just need to finish this one. 

8. Patchwork City Quilt Along

Not much progress has been made on this project. Ok, only 3 blocks are done.

9. Farmer's Wife Quilt

I have found the perfect chicken fabric for the backing, so that means it's time to finally get this quilt finished.

10. True Pink

In attempt to cut back on some of my pink scraps I made this quilt from my pink scrap fabrics. Too bad it is just sitting with the top done. Although I have backing and binding ready to go. 

11. Sugar Block of the Month 2014

All 30 blocks are made and look great. They need some sashing and to be sewn together. 

12. 1930's Farmer's Wife Quilt Along 
I signed up to do the 1930's Farmer's Wife Quilt along with Gnome Angel. This quilt will definitely be a slow sewing project!

Some of these projects have been on my WIP list too long. Take a look at the watermarks on the photos to see how long some of these have been hanging around! This summer I focused on getting things finished vs. starting new quilts.  At the start of summer I started with 19 projects (added two new projects) and ended the summer with 11, not too bad. How is everyone else doing with their WIP's? Anyone else find it too hard to resit the Farmer's Wife sew along?

-Patch & Chels 

List o' WIP

Ok this summer it was no secret how I had an epic list of WIPs that needed some control. At one point I was up to twenty, which is a huge amount for me (insert me pulling out my hairs!). Well, months have passed and many quilts did get finished, but I still have quite a list of WIPs to go. In fact, I have started a couple more even before getting to my goal of five. This post is mostly for me to document what needs to be done in terms of WIPs to finish out the year.

Farmer's Wife - top finished

True Pink -  top finished

Sugar Block of the Month - 6 more blocks to go

Aja's Twin - blocks completed, top needs to be assembled

Dapper - binding to be hand-stitched (sorry no progress shots)

Thimble Blossoms - top finished 

Patriotic Star - top quilted, need binding

Fireworks - need to finish blocks, 10 of 19 done

Large Swell - finished, need to photograph and blog

+ Scrappy HST - top finished, no photos

+ Looking Glass - top finished

In case you weren't counting, that's 11 in all. Ok, down from 20 but still I feel it's quite excessive in my world. Looks like the end of 2014 shall be a productive time! Also some of these quilts are going to be gifts this holiday season so that is additional motivation. 

-Patch & Chels 

Needle Books

A while back my friend Jolee gave me a small piece of her grandmother's fabric. She was cleaning out her mother's attic and found some beautiful old fabric belonging to her grandmother. After a lot of persuasion she convinced her mother to give her the lot. She was showing it off and let me take a cute navy, floral print. It was only about 5 inches by 3 inches. I decided to make her a needle book and give the scrap back (well kinda).  And ... if I was already making one might as well make two more!  So small but they take, forever.  

I drew up this one for myself ... loved the strawberry and the alphabet was impromptu change in my plan but I really like how it turned out.

This was supposed to be a "spare" to have just in case. I showed one of my friends the covers she really liked this one.  She doesn't know this yet but this one will be going to her!

Here is Jolee's needle book, the navy print for the binding is her grandmother's fabric. As I was looking for scraps the red made the navy pop so I went with it and put a heart to tie in the red theme. Hopefully, she likes this one!   

The centers for each book are yet to be completed.  They are made from a sheet of wool felt and I usually put some cute pins, buttons, needles (obviously), and tags. Maybe later this week the rest will get finished. If you want to make your own the tutorial is at Nana Company. 

Sew long for now, 

Patch & Chels

Notting Hill

Wordless Wednesday ... 

Sew long for now, 

Patch & Chels 

Modern Maples Update

Many of you have made such nice comments about the modern maples fabric pull from the other day (it was also in my blog hop post). This week I carved out some time from classroom packing and end of year activities to sew up some modern maple blocks. Once again I used my 500 Quilt Blocks books :) 

The blocks are a simple 9 patch with some HST, super easy and super quick. Here are some of the blocks completed, and laid out (of course, these are my favorites from the stack)

The goal is to get this one finished tomorrow.  Although, I am feeling the need to veg out in front of some mindless television.  It's a shame to work hard on the first day of summer! 

Sew long for now, 

Patch & Chels

Thimble Blossoms Medley

Over the weekend I started making two Swoon blocks, "just because."  I had no plan in mind and just did, because well, I have always wanted to make a Swoon quilt.  Reality is there are so many  Thimble Blossom quilts that I just love and want to make, yet haven't found the time.  Here is my solution ... create a medley or sampler of my favorites.  Then I get to make all the pretty blocks, and there is only one quilt to show for it all :) Win, win.  

I make a plan finding the sizes of all my favorite blocks and laid it all out on graph paper.  Many of the blocks had to get scaled down to fit.  One of the blocks is Spool.  These are smaller than the original, but still just cute.  I then planned the quilt in sections to make it more manageable. 

The blocks above were inspired by the quilt pattern Playground found in the Retro Simplify book, and the blocks below from the pattern Round & Round.  These blocks are also scaled down to fill between the larger blocks.  With all the crazy sized blocks these now fit in nicely.

Two of the larger sections are now finished and I am on my way.  There are in total 6 sections, that makes me 1/3rd done :)  Stay tuned for more!.  I have my next section cut and ready.  

Sew long for now, 

PATCH & CHELS

Traveling Chalkboard

Many people have commented on how I photographed all my Farmer's Wife blocks using a little chalkboard.  I completed my blocks a couple of weeks ago, and decided to pass along the chalkboard for some inspiration/motivation to others who are working on, or starting their FWQB.

Here is the concept, each person will get the chalkboard for a month before sending it along to another blogger.  We will all be linking to one another so you can follow the chalkboard's journey.  How cool, I think my chalkboard might get to more states than me!  You can also follow the chalkboard through our flickr group, named the Traveling Chalkboard.

First stop is Stephanie at Late Night Quilter.  She is working on some beautiful FWQB using many of my favorite prints from Happy - Go - Lucky, just wait until you see them!  They are so great, makes me rethink my color palette.  Stephanie is also coordinating the Supernova Friendship Block Swap.  There is a link to the flickr group.  This block is fascinating.  I have been snooping to see the color combinations people have chosen.  If only I could take on one more project! 

Stephanie also has started the Late Night Quilters Club.  (I hope you're in awe right now of how much she is doing!)   Not sure if any of my readers tend to find themselves at the sewing machine late at night trying to finish up a project this is the group for us.  Yes us, I did join because let's face it, working a full time job leaves me no other option!  The best part is, the group is on Facebook.  You don't even have to be a blogger to join!  Plus, isn't this banner super cute?  

As for now, the chalkboard is in the custody of the United States Postal Office headed to it's new destination.  Stephanie should be receiving the package shortly or already!  Follow along at Late Night Quilter to see what happens next!  (The suspense is already killing me!)

As for progress on my own FWQB not much is happening.   All the blocks did get squared to the correct size, but that is about it. Right now all I can show is this pile of trimmings.  Hopefully, soon I will have a second to sew the sashing and blocks together.  Although, I am in no rush either.

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts and Fort Worth Fabric Studio. 

Sew long for now, 

PATCH & CHELS

Scraptastic Time

The Jelly Roll Race 2 has got me started on a major descrap kick.  Overwhelmed with a huge selection of pink charm squares, I decided on two different quilts.  Talk about too many squares, two quilts and I didn't even made a dent!

The first quit is called The Road to .... Oh Damn I found at the Quilty Friends blog.  This block finishes at 12 inches square.  I am going to use darker pinks and lighter pinks to help create the pattern.  

The minty green fabric is going to be the "Oops" blocks.  Quilty Friends has great directions for fabric requirement for many different sizes.  I am going with the 16 block option with borders.

The second quilt is called True Blue although this one is going to be True Pink!  The Quilt Ladies blog did 52 weeks of quilt block patterns, and week 50 caught my eye.  The plan is to complete 30 blocks, each finishing at 12 inches square.   

Even with my lofty goals this year, it would be nice to destash my older scraps as another goal!  I also would like to donate some of my scrap quilts to charity, so these might be a good donation pair!  Anyone know of any great organizations that need donations?  It would be nice for them to stay local to New England, if possible.

Sew long for now, 

CHELS