Grey and Black Triangles

Now that I've finished the 228 black-and-silver triangles it's time to work on the grey-and-black ones!  

You may recall I decided to cut the fabric a little larger (maybe an eighth of an inch) than the pattern called for.  I then made myself a set of plexiglass templates to help cut the stitched together diamonds and larger triangles down to size.  I ended up marking my templates with various guide lines to help ensure I get all the pesky points in the right place.  Seems to be working pretty well so far... but the final test will be when I stitch together the full blocks.

One More Round

Progress!  I've got stacks of 228 dark grey and silver triangles all stitched together and trimmed for the Midnight Garden quilt.  

Ready for a laugh?  I'm still fussing about the layout.  Take a look at the next round of OMG-look-at-all-the-designs-by-just-moving-a-few-pieces.  I created eight extra light grey triangles simply to make design layout less tedious.  I also took the time on the computer visualize the full 56 blocks.  

I collaged a few layouts together so this post isn't photo-heavy, but it can still be a bit overwhelming to look at.  I think they resemble those magic eye pictures.  What do you see?

Project Quilting 16.2 - Ombre Apron

I have a handful of back-burner project just waiting for time or a reason to start them.  This week's Project Quilting Ombre challenge turned out to be an excellent opportunity to make myself an apron. 

Sunday I measured Rob's apron, looked at some patterns and dug through my stash.  I was tempted to go for a black and grey ombre... but I don't DARE touch any of the potential leftovers of my current project.  Not until it's done!  I pulled out some greens, blues, neutrals, reds.  I ended with a set of 15 pinks and reds:  several quilt leftovers, a couple of quilt rejects and a few that simply caught my eye.  

My next thought - why do plain stripes when I could do waves?  I had to laugh at how similar this was last year's second week challenge.  Really, I was going to do something different.  Oh, well.

Done With Dithering

I'm done with the dithering.  Maybe.  I hope.  We'll see.

A couple of weeks ago I decided I liked the lighter version of the Midnight Garden blocks, so I went hunting for a grey to replace the black.  It took a few hours and a couple of stops to find what I wanted, but I found something that would do the trick.

Or so I thought....

Once I laid out the fabrics I wasn't so sure.  They're all good choices.  It would be easier to decide if one was terrible.  The grey lightened up the whole quilt, which was great, but it looked a little washed out.

Fine.  

I decided no matter what, I was going with the Solid Middle layout.  Which means I could move forward with the dark diamonds and the silver background.  I have to say they make for a pretty star all by themselves. 

Project Quilting 16.1 - Djinn Postcard

Woot!  Time for a new season of Project Quilting!  Looking over my posts I realized this is my fifth year of participating.  Wow.  

This year's challenges starts out with Mythical Creatures.  So many possibilities!  I spent some time researching various myths and stories: Celtic, Indian, Norse, Greek, Native American.  I wanted to avoid reaching for a dragon or a unicorn.  Then I started thinking of some books I've read in the last year or so that featured djinn.  Of course then there's the problem of rendering and making it small enough to fit on a post card.  So I settled for wisps of smoke coming from a magic lamp.  

Cute.  Quick.  Fun to make. 

Finishes for 2024

This year's finishes was a real mishmash of stuff - a handful of postcards, various quilted objects, a few wall hangings, a baby quilt and a throw quilt - along with some not quilted objects. 

Irish Chain postcard, water bottle holder, flowers for my hair
More postcards: Milky Way, Birdhouse and Time Flies

I have been really enjoying Project Quilting - this year's challenges resulted in most of my mini pieces.  I created four new postcards, which were a blast to dream up and assemble.  I finally made a water bottle holder for myself (that's been on my project list for years).  I also completed two wall hangings - the citrus one was one of the challenges, whereas Marmalade used up all the leftover citrus wedges.  My last mini piece(s) were flowers for my hair to go with my dancing outfits.

Blogiversary #14

 Happy blogiversary to me - I'm 14 years old!  

The year flew by!  A bunch of baby guinea pigs, good family get togethers, a chunk of time spent with my mother, a summer spent digging in the garden.  Not enough time sewing and I wanted to spend more time with my friends - but looking back it was a good year doing things I enjoyed with people I love.

Thank you, readers, for coming along for the ride.  I appreciate your comments and feedback (both written and in person!).  I'm looking forward to another year of family, friends, piggies and quilts.

I Like Thursday: Happy Boxing Day

 

Another year nearly over.  One last I Like post for 2024.

I've been enjoying the wood stove in our sunroom.  Still learning how much wood to put in and when.  I've spent a few relaxing afternoons watching the birds and the fire.  Ahhhh... very zen.