Hazel Ilene Quilt Along: A Small Quilt Top Finish

Thanks to Shelly Pagliai 's excellent directions in her quilt along, I am ready to reveal my smaller quilt top. 

My small version of the Hazel Ilene Diary quilt along is complete as a quilt top!

Now I'm dreaming of how I'd like to quilt it.  I am leaning toward using the golden threads paper and a sharpie and sewing through the marked paper then ripping off the tissue as the quilt images are stitched. 

Of course it would be nice to take it to my neighbor with the long arm business, but I already have my large Thimbleberries quilt over there and the bill for that is only a week away.  Besides, this quilt is such a cute size at 33" x 42".  There will be very little scrunching or bunching to get it under my regular machine. 

I just love the soft blended look of the blocks.  Most of the fabrics were purchased while on vacation at the various fabric shops near Superior and Duluth.  They were in my stash for 3 years or so and when I signed up to do the Diary Quilt along they came out of storage. 

Stay tuned for the updates on putting my larger version together.  That one is getting closer as all the blocks are ready and the setting triangles have their borders.  I should have a photo to share within the next month. 

Blue Scrappy Challenge



Basket of Blue Fat Quarters




sewing seams on crazy patch with the flip and sew method

I just love the random and carefree way of piecing crazy patch blocks.  I haven't done it for many years and I am realizing that I miss doing this style of work.  As of this week I now have 3 blue crazy blocks.  I think I'd like to do something special in a crazy block for each color of the month in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Wouldn't it be fabulous to have a set of blocks at the end of the year in a dozen different color ways?


Squares and bricks in blue dishes & Testing out snowflakes

I've been gathering up any Accu-Cut snowflake dies I can find around my school and at my friends  home and school.  Next I will check with my quilting neighbor.  Yes, two lucky people I know happen to have the studio cutter by Accu-Quilt.  I also have access to the smaller model at my school.  I have cut about 7 wool snowflakes using 3 different dies.  I don't think I'm done yet!  Every place I look they have a slightly different cutter, so I'm getting plenty of variety.

I've got a busy weekend of sewing planned.  I will also sew during the Packers - Bears game on Sunday.  GO PACKERS!

I will make posts to update you on my blue scrap progress.

The Mug Rug Swap on Quilting Gallery

I have just registered for the Quilting Gallery's Mug Rug Swap.

 

Perhaps some of you may want to consider doing this fun exchange also.


It was only just last month that I made my first set of 4 mug rugs and it sure has been a nice size to have around for the occasional snack and always for my morning coffee by the computer.  I think I need a couple more, just for the variety.


I will be making 2 mug rugs to send out to another participant while another quilter will be making 2 mug rugs for me. We will find out our partner after January 21st. I noticed on the registration form that there was a place to request colors or themes, so the maker has some ideas of what the recipient might like. That is a nice idea! 


I am providing a link to the registration page in case you are interested.




This will be the third swap I've done with the Quilting Gallery, so I'm really looking forward to it.

My Mom's Blocks

My Mom's Blocks
Originally uploaded by quilterinagarden

My mom has been working on the Diary Quilt Along blocks that go with Hazel Ilene's Diary just like me. She is closing in on having the quilt top done and is now lining up her blocks. It is going to be a very dramatic quilt with the bright cheery yellow and the blue accents. She likes reading the entries of the diary because she was in high school the same years as Hazel. Many thanks to Shelly of Prairie Moon Quilts for publishing her mom's diary and making such great quilt directions! We're having a great time with our projects.

Scrappy Challenge in Blue



Un-Embellished Crazy Patch Block in Blue

I am participating in Andrea's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Blue scraps have been designated for the month of January and here is what I've been developing.


I've been wanting to get back into crazy quilting.  So the blue scrap challenge came along and this block is the first thing I pieced. 

I have some ideas of a direction I'd like to go and hope to extend the block into a longer rectangle.  Perhaps it will develop into some kind of winter wall hanging.

Ready to sort one box!



Choice Blue Pieces for the Challenge this Month

The string blocks I made so far are a fine start, but I think I'll make another set and join them up into a larger shape.  It was a good way to recycle some of our old computer paper. 

papers trimmed to square for the string blocks



Working at ripping out foundation paper.

 I may try phone book papers next and see if the paper rips away a little easier.  It really is not my favorite part of the process.  I did not want to piece on muslin and leave it in, because that gets to be too heavy to quilt through.



Completing the crossing seams for joining 4 string blocks





More to Do!

 I'm glad it's only the second weekend in January, because now I have more ideas to keep going for the rest of the month.  This is going to be a fun challenge.

Hazel Ilene Quilt Along Blocks

Hazel Ilene Quilt Along Blocks
Originally uploaded by quilterinagarden

I busily sewed during my Christmas vacation. As a result, I now have a photo to document my progress with the Hazel Ilene quilt along blocks in both the large and small size. I've been following Shelly's directions on her blog as she revealed her mom's high school diary. It was great fun peeking into the life of a high school girl in the 1950''s. It was wonderful also to have the directions available throughout the year of 2009. Now I am excited about using the setting triangles to get both the small and the large quilt put together. I hope to make ongoing progress with these 2 very special quilts! A big thank you goes out to Shelly!!!