Kelly

Jelly Rolls

Ok, I know I don’t need to be starting ANOTHER project, but I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with this jelly roll I bought a while ago. I’ve looked at many, many books and just haven’t found a pattern that I liked. I was thinking about it while I was out today, because I was listening to a podcast and she was talking about heart themed projects for Valentine’s Day. I’ve FINALLY decided on the project! I’m going to cut these strips into tumbler shapes and put it all together randomly. The blocks will use the full 2.5″ height so I should be able to use just about everything in the jelly roll. I have a template, but it’s for 2″ tumblers which was just too small. Below is the EQ drawing – no, it’s not colored correctly!

So anyway, now that I decided what I was going to do, I needed to figure out how big this was going to end up being and figure out the layout – how many rows and how many in each row? Off to EQ to try and figure it out! But I needed to know how much yardage there was in the jelly roll to make sure I was making it a realistic size. I could not find the yardage ANYWHERE on the web! So I finally decided to calculate it out myself! I know there is 36″ in a yard and these are 2.5″ strips. You can fit 14.4 strips in a yard of fabric. Most jelly rolls are 40 strips of fabric, so I can figure that there’s about 2.75 yards in my jelly roll. This made it easy for me to determine the right layout in EQ since it tells me how many yards of the fabric I need! The center of the quilt is 42 x 32 and I need 528 tumblers to make this quilt. Now to cut them all out!!!

The good news is that I also have a tub FULL of 2.5″ strips cut from old projects that I can make a totally scrappy one too! But first to use the jelly roll!!!!

It’s been awhile….

I know, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. But I’ve been busy! I did manage to get some applique Dear Jane blocks finished though. And today I completed a couple more blocks. I have more in the works, hopefully I’ll get them done soon, as I’m almost at 50 blocks completed!

I don’t have any pictures yet, but I recently aquired a treadle sewing machine! I won’t go into the relationships as to who I got it from, but I have found out that it was manufactured somewhere between 1913 and 1920. It needs a lot of cleaning up and I need to replace a few parts before it will work. I’ll have to see if I can take some pictures in the next week or so to post.

On a roll

I am on a roll this week! I’ve finished 5 new DJ blocks this week! I am really very happy with the way the applique blocks are starting to turn out, I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of it! Hope to get even more blocks done soon!

The biggest news this week is that I’ve been teaching! The Amherst Library has a mobile computer lab from the state for a couple of weeks and when the request went out to the guild, I said I’d be interested in teaching it. Today is my last class, 2 beginner and 2 advanced. Everyone is loving the class, and even ladies that have used it before said they’ve learned something new! I even think there are a few that will be upgrading to EQ6 soon! There is also a possibility that I may be teaching the same classes at another library in our area when they get the mobile lab, but I don’t know any details yet!

Star Crazy Log

I joined a group of ladies over at Star Crazy Log to make the 2010 Quilt Show BOM. If you’d like to join us, email nedras@mstar.net with the following information:

•Do you currently belong to The Quilt Show? (necessary to download the patterns)
•Where do you live?
•Do you have a personal blog? (not necessary). Send your link address.

We now have 17 participating – come and join us!

BOM’s

*sigh* I wasn’t planning on adding any more block of the months (BOMs) to my open projects. At least not right away. But of course, one blog links me to another blog and they are doing The Quilt Show 2010 BOM – Star Crazy. So I started thinking about what fabric I had in my stash that I could use. So, I decided to use my Moda Marbles collection that I started last year. I might not have enough to do the entire quilt, in fact I might need to get background fabric, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to use as much stash as possible! I have the first months blocks completed – I just don’t understand how you can be so careful cutting, sewing, pressing, etc and still not have the blocks come out the right size! My blocks almost NEVER come out the right size, but I always fix it later!

The Quilt Show 2010 Star Crazy BOM - Month 1

I also completed another block in my Dear Jane quilt. I just keep chugging along! I’m not sure I like how this one turned out, I think I picked the wrong fabric for it. I might redo it later, we’ll see.

First DJ Block of the year!

I completed my first Dear Jane block of 2010! This one was pretty easy, I don’t mind paper pieced blocks anymore. I still have a few applique blocks prepped, but haven’t had time to work on them yet. Only 1 more block and I have all of the “A” row completed! I just have to figure out the right way to do the last block!

Dear Jane Update

Somehow I managed to get 2 blocks done during the holidays – both were applique so I could work on them while we watched basketball games. I’ve started to get 2 packets a month, and I bought 3 yards of the background fabric so I can start putting the rows together as I finish them. Only 2 more blocks and all of row A is completed!

Happy New Year!

Well, it’s a new year and I’ve already completed a quilt top! 🙂 I wanted to sew today, but didn’t feel like working on a UFO (Unfinished Object) so I decided to do something new. I found a pattern for a quilter’s sudoku quilt that I had kept from a magazine subscription request that came in the mail and decided it’d be quick and perfect for today! Another plus was that the block size was 4.5″ square and I had that die for my Accuquilt Go! It was so nice and quick to cut the blocks out with the Go – and they are so much more accurate! There was a small pile of waste, but I cut out 81 blocks in less than an hour out of 9 fabrics! It went together pretty quickly, just had to pay close attention to where each block went.

Scraps after using Accuquilt Go to cut out 81 blocks

I can now finally post pictures of all the Xmas presents I made this year. I started working on these in September and was working until a few days before Xmas to get them framed. Luckily my mom helped me get them done (thanks Mom!).

Georgia and Brennan are my niece and nephew in Florida – theirs had to be completed first since they had to be shipped. I couldn’t find a frame the right size, so I had to finish hers differently.

My sister is a teacher at a day care, so hers was an easy choice. The rest are for my cousin’s little girl, my sister’s best friends little girl and my best friends little girl.

I also made some items for my father-in-law and his wife, and when my mom saw the banner, I had to make one for her – along with the hot pad trivet I made her. Oh and I can’t forget the only quilt I made for a present this year for Angela – our friend in Wisconsin that owns a bakery. The white fabric has little cupcakes on it and the backing is all coffee cups.

Happy New Year!

It’s getting closer……

What is getting closer? Christmas! I’m frantically working to finish presents! I have 1 quilt and 1 cross stitch picture left to finish stitching…hopefully they will both be done today because I have a pile of pictures to frame! I haven’t had time to work on my Dear Jane blocks, big surprise there!

Had the ladies from Quilt Club over a few weeks ago, and I gave them all ornaments I made. These weren’t as hard as I thought to make, the machine does 98% of the work! They did turn out beautifully though!

I also can now post the Cross Stitch picture I made for one of my friends for her birthday. We celebrated with her last week even though her birthday isn’t until the 22nd. She loves anything patriotic, can you tell?

Remember when I posted that I entered an online quilt contest? Well it’s time to vote! Please go over to Quilting Gallery and vote for my quilt! It’s under Small Quilts & Projects called Holiday Stitchings. Thanks!!!

Well, I need to get off the computer and get busy on my projects, need to get them done!!! Be back soon, hopefully with some Dear Jane blocks!

What’s New?

Hmmm…..I’ve been working on Xmas presents for the last few days, trying to get things completed so I’m not rushed at the last minute. Unfortunately I can’t post any pictures of things I’m making for Xmas! While I had things running on the embroidery machine today, I made a scrap sack for next to my machine. It only takes 2 fat quarters, and I have no idea where I found the outside fabric! I picked up the pattern at Hearthside Quilt Shoppe in Kidron over the weekend. It’s an Oceanlake Designs pattern. I had some issues with understanding what I was supposed to be doing – the instructions just didn’t seem that clear to me. But it’s finished, and I’m already thinking of more I should make – 1 for the embroidery machine, 1 for my chair in the family room……*sigh*

I’m not sure if I’ll have any pictures for the next couple of days, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I haven’t decided what I’ll take to work on in the afternoon – if I can work on it at all!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!