Blue Plate Speical

Finally get to serve up my Blue Plate Special quilt!  It was inspired by the amazing Greenleaf Goods' Ode to Denyse Schmidt.  I pulled out my massive stash of China Blue fabrics for the Dresden plates and used white linen for the background to continue the fine dining theme.  The final result is much more traditional than I intended but it was a fun quilt to make.

I started this one back in 2015 during a case of the winter blues and made the bulk of the Dresden plates at the 2015 Boston MQG retreat.  A year later I finally got around to piecing the background and then it was another year before I managed to baste it during my manic quilting marathon before Laurena's Longarm was sold.  With that accomplished I quilted down the plates and was ready to start hand quilting...

I love the bold look of the big stitch quilting with 12 wt. Aurifil.  This one got dragged around a lot.  Note to my future self, white linen might not be the best choice for a quilt with hand quilting and applique.  I can't believe this isn't covered with blood stains and grime! 

At that point I thought I was done but it felt like it wasn't quilted densely enough so I went back to my machine.  It probably would have been nice to hand quilt the centers but that would have required marking and it was faster just to machine quilt them.  I stuck with the Aurifil 12 wt. (50 wt. in the bobbin) so the quilting really shows.

Sharing the love with this week's Brag About Your Beauties Pageant by Michelle at From Bolt to Beauty.

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 72" x 96"
Pattern: Dresden plate using the Easy Dresden Ruler by EZ Quilting.  If you've never tried one check out this fabulous tutorial at Amy's Creative Side's  or Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock's Dresdens Decoded Tutorial.
Fabrics: Quilts for a Cure Fine China Blue collection by Bonnie Benn Stratton for Northcott.  Essex Linen - White.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: Aurifil in  Natural White (2021) and Midnight (2745).

Go Sew

I always seem to lose my sewjo in the beginning of the year but the one thing that never fails to get it back is the annual BostonMQG retreat.  I am continually inspired by this insanely creative group of women!

My first priority was to make the Dresden Plate centers for the quilt I started on retreat in 2015.  Sewing white on white circles is definitely an activity best performed while fresh and sober.  Before dinner I was able to get all of these made and the binding for this quilt done.  I've finished hand quilting around the plates so I can almost see the finish line for this one.

Poor planning on my part, I usually like to bring a mix of different things to work on but this was the year of the HST.  3 different projects made using 3 different techniques.  I'm using the rest of these china blue fabrics and white linen to make broken dishes blocks.  This 8 at a time method for making HSTs is perfect for these blocks.

Saturday under threat of being shunned I made an ocean waves block for our latest charity quilt.  I am now addicted to Eva Paige's genius technique for accordion sewn scrappy HSTs.  Seriously, this will change your life!!!

With my social status in the guild ensured I moved onto another project...  the guild HST challenge.  I finally broke into my long hoarded stack of Tana Lawns I've amassed with the help of Westwood Acres Liberty Club.  Paired with a Kaffe Fassett shot cotton this top is as light as a feather.

Before retreat was done I was able to finish this Spoolish flimsy.  Now to get it basted and quilted.

Sometime's the hardest part of getting started is just deciding what to do but with so many projects almost at the finish line I'm excited to get back to my studio and finish these up.

Off to sew with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Olympic Sewing

There hasn't been much sewing going on here lately but that all changed the minute the opening ceremonies launched.  I am a total Olympic junkie but of course I can just sit and watch TV without something to work on.  I kicked things off with this Dresden Plate quilt.

The great thing about big stitch quilting is it goes so fast!  By the time Sean White was cruising down the half pipe to his 3rd gold medal I was done.  The next step is to add the centers.  I plan to use my favorite fusible interface method to make the circles and then machine quilt them on to the quilt.

With that done I switched back to my La Passacaglia...  let's hear it for those rings:-)

Do you have a handwork project going for the Olympics?

Cheering along with this week's Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

W.i.P. Wednesday: Totally Trippin'

I spend a lot of time sewing in the car but this weekend may have set a new record.  We traveled to Western Pennsylvania and back to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.  With a newly permitted driver looking to get in her required practice time I was regulated to the backseat and relieved of driving duty which left me with 16 hours of enforced blissful sewing time...

I kicked off the trip with a finish.  It was sooo hot to be sitting with this snuggly flannel backed quilt in my lap but I love tacking bindings in the car.

From there I moved on to my La Passacaglia and finished up this rosette.  I searched long and hard for the perfect cotton candy pink to make this one pop.

I thought I'd finished this one on our last road trip to Maine but I decided I didn't like the fabric I'd used on outer diamonds so I swapped it for this one.  Much better!

And I made another hexagon ring - or would have if I hadn't forgotten the last piece;-)  I didn't get as much of this prepped as I'd hoped before we left.  I've really been struggling with fabric choices for my remaining rosettes but I'm hoping if I just keep chipping away at it the pieces will fall into place.

With many miles left to go I pulled out my backup project and finally started hand quilting my Blue Plate Special.  I love how fast big stitch quilting goes - I was able to quilt around 4 of the Dresdens before it got dark.  It will be a long time before I get back in the car for more than a quick trip around town but I'm thrilled with how much I accomplished.  What's your go to road trip distraction?

W.i.P. Wednesday: Heading For the Finish Line

With school wrapping up I've been frantically trying to wrap up all the loose ends before my schedule gets really crazy.  This week's focus has been quilting, quilting, quilting.  Inspired by my Sleeping Porch pillow finish I also quilted the coordinating triangle quilt.  The binding is on but I haven't quite finished tacking it down...  good news, road trips ahead.

With that quilted I moved on to basting the next flimsy in my stack.  Things were going great until I ran out of safety pins.  Now that my LQS has closed it's not just a quick trip across town to get more.  After weighing my options I decided the fastest solution was to quilt something already basted.  I grabbed my Blue Plate Special that I basted at Laurena's Longarm and started quilting down the plates.  Of course once I started I couldn't stop even though I had enough pins...  next step is to add the centers and hand quilt around the plates, another grab and go project that should keep me busy for a loooong time.

And with a fully basted quilt there's more quilting to be done...

In these last precious days I'm hoping to get more of my neglected La Pass prepped so I can still stay busy when I can't get in to my sewing studio.  What's your plan for sewing this summer?

W.i.P. Wednesday: On the Go

Taking stock of my UFO stack always inspires me schedule some longarm sessions to finish things up.  This year has started off busy but when I heard Laurena's Longarm was closing I jumped to schedule some sessions before it was too late...  since then it's been quilt, quilt, quilt:-)

I started with my Sloops quilt.  I usually prefer hand guided pantographs or FMQ but in the interest of time I went with a computer driven pattern for this one.  I love how perfectly the waves flow across the sailboats!!!

While I was babysitting the machine doing Sloops I was also able to load up my Blue Plate Special on another machine.  I plan to use the same technique I used for my Ghastly Games to quilt the Dresden Plates on to the quilt sandwich but it's so big it was definitely easier to baste it on the longarm.

The next day I was back again adding this wavy Surf's Up pantograph to my Going Coastal quilt.

Then in a true fit of insanity I used my last session to not only baste my City Sampler quilt to custom quilt at home....

I also quilted Here Comes the Sun with this adorable Daisies Galore panto.  The good news is that Laurena has a buyer so it seems like I'll be happily longarming again.

And then I just couldn't resist quilting the Snake Trail quilt top I finished last week on retreat with the BostonMQG.  I'm so in love with this one now that it's almost done.

 Since I was on a roll I went ahead and got all my bindings on...  I predict some binge watching in my future.  Netflix and Quilts;-)  Any suggestions for a good movie marathon?

2016 Finish Along Q2: Hope Springs Eternal

It's hard to believe we're kicking off Q2 of 2016.  I didn't do too badly Q1...  I made My Special Snowflake with my Sherbet Pips hexies, made a Sew Together bag to coordinate with my Sewing Circle Tote and got Urban Window and Keeping it Together Again out of TBQ pile...  on the other hand there are still 7 quilts languishing in the TBQ queue with 2 new additions and I still haven't done anything with all those Bonnie & Camille charms.  Bust since hope springs eternal and I definitely do better with a list here goes the plan for Q2:

Tackle the TBQ tower:  1. Mash Up  2. Stair Steps  3. Sloops  

4. Spellbound  5. Houndstooth  6. Here Comes the Sun  

7. Toes In the Sand  8.  Swoon   9. Frenchie

I took this Going Coastal bundle on retreat but didn't get to it.  The plan is to make a Magic Numbers beach blanket.

I whipped up these pinwheels back in February when it seemed like summer would never arrive.  It's time to turn them into a quilt.

I'm also dying to break into this re-released Mendocino bundle.  I'm just waiting for my clamshell templates to arrive.  Nothing says summer like some mermaids and it would be the perfect justification for a beachy vacation/photo shoot;-)

It's a long shot but I finally got enough linen to make the background squares for my Blue Plate Special Dresdens.  It's pieced together so I just need to attach the Dresdens and quilt it.  I'm planning to hand quilt this one but with enough trips to Maine I may be able to get it done.

And then there's all that Bonnie & Camille.  I don't know why I'm so stuck by how to use this but if I keep talking about it eventually it'll happen, right?

Can you tell I'm dreaming of summer?  What are your plans for Spring?  Check out what everyone else will be working on for Q2 at the 2016 Finish-A-Long.

W.i.P. Wednesday: In Stitches

This year I got perfect weather for driving up to Kennebunk for the Boston MQG's annual retreat.  As usual I planned way more than I could ever accomplish but for me the weekend is really more about spending time with an incredibly talented group of amazing artists.

I kicked off the weekend assembling these blades in to Dresden plates.  Perfect mindless piecing that doesn't get in the way of conversation.

I was getting pretty bored with these towards the end but I pushed through so now I have 16 plates ready for a background.  

The competition was fierce in the zipper challenge but I scored this awesome Zipit zipper and Cotton + Steel linen prize pack.  I'm loving my newest Noodlehead Open Wide Zip Pouch!

Saturday morning I basted my Central Park quilt that I pieced last year on retreat, another task that goes much faster with company.  Maybe I'll finally quilt it at next year's retreat:-)

From there I switched back to piecing with these snowball blocks.  I seem to be better at starting projects on retreat but hopefully I can ride the inspiration high and finish these up.

And as an added bonus my fabulous friend Aimee brought her serger AND serged the bottom of my new maxi Lilly dress so it's hemmed and ready for Spring (if it ever arrives).  It doesn't get any better than this!!!

Joining up with this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)