Project Quilting season 8, challenge 1: 8 is great!

Wow! I havent blogged since March!  You can find me almost daily at instagram @cyarnell.  

Today I am sharing with yon a new quilt I designed and made in 6 days!  While working!

title:  On the 8's

size: 54" x 54"

designed and made by:  Colleen C. Yarnell

where:  Lewisville, NC

pattern: orginal

inspiration:  The challenge was 8 is great!, I had a pile of collected Christmas prints come almost vintage and a desire for a cozy winter throw.  I started with a design on Sunday.  I sketched it in one of my graph notebooks.  Though this layout later evolved.

Monday was a holiday so I sorted out fabrics and started cutting and sewing blocks.  I decided to make 8 sets of 8 different blocks.

I modified the design and made it up as I went along.  I stuck with an 8 by 8 grid of 6" finished squares.  I cut out a set of 8 green and 8 red charm squares.  8 four patches, 8 fussy cuts, 8 half square triangles, and 8 square in square. 

 I used my Quick Curve ruler to make 8 curved blocks.  I also made 8 wonky trees.  I looked at various tutorials but decided to cut it my own way.  

The overall layout is a play on a snowflake with a symmetrical orientation focused to the center.  One square in a square block it rotated 90 degrees but I decided to leave it.

I had the top assembled Monday when I realized it only finished at 48"square!  I think when I designed it Sunday I had planned to do 7" blocks.  Oh well.  So I planned a border.  Of course it had to be based on 8! I decided to use a gray on white snowflake print I had just bought on clearance from Joann's and a cute Santa cat print that looked like Sofia!

It added enough to make the quilt 54" square.  Perfect!  I added the borders on Tuesday after work.  Then I had to figure out backing.  I went to Joann's after work Tuesday thinking I would get a wool batt to make it extra cuddly.  But they had none.  So I remembered I had bought some blue/ green/white plaid flannel the week before to make some flannel pillowcases. 

 It was the perfect back!  I was short so I took a precut snowy flannel I was going to use for another flannel pillowcase.  It made the perfect batt.  Then it sat until Friday.  Snow was predicted Friday afternoon into Saturday.  I ran errands after work.   It started snowing and it was about 7:00 before I started basting my quilt.

I clipped it to one of the boards I used as design boards until Sofia clawed them down.  It makes it easier to baste when I don't have floor space.  

After basting I was ready to quilt.  I overcame the tiredness of the day and I think the excitement of the snow kept me working.  

I stopped about 9:00 to check on the snow and everything was covered in white!   I kept on working.  It was after midnight when I attached the binding.

At 1:00am I had it finished except for the hand binding.

I put it on my bed to sleep under and then went out to play in the snow!

I went to bed at 2 am!  Then got up at 5:30 am to take more pictures, measure, and watch it snow.  This is the second best use for a quilt ruler.

I spent the morning inside watching the snow and sewing the binding streaming A Place to Call Home on Acorntv.

We ended up with 9" Saturday. It made a perfect picture taking environment.

I finished up the binding and the sun came out for some great pictures of the finished quilt!

keep dreaming...Colleen 

This cutie has been a blessing!

Monkey Wrench and Flying Geese: challenge 6, Project Quilting 7

title: Hello Peanut

size:35" x 35"

location : Lewisville, NC

designed and quilted by:  Colleen C. Yarnell

Inspiration:  Im going to be an Auntie!  I just started with a monkey wrench shape and thendesigned it and wrote the pattern

After I wrote the pattern I pulled out a fat quarter bundle of Hello Bear by Bonnie Christine.

On Sunday I pieced and quilted it quickly from the pattern I created.  With a little tweaks.  There is one large center monkey wrench can you count how many flying geese?

I pieced with Aurifil 2615 my favorite gray and quilted with a cool gray variegated Aurifil 4060.  

But I had a back problem that kept me from doing the quilting until Saturday. 

Sofia keeps thinking Im making these quilts for her when Im basting on the floor.

Sofia decided to help with the quilting too.

   I used the gray background Hello animal print for the back.

I kept the quilting simple and used an appropriate to this challenge triangle print from the line for the binding. 

Ill try to add another photo of it in the cradle at my parents when I get the chance.

Keep dreaming...Colleen

Sofia wrestling with her stuffed Melody.

NC Book Girl: NC Bookgirl reads Who Says women cant be doctors b...

NC Book Girl: NC Bookgirl reads Who Says women cant be doctors b...: Who Says Women Cant Be Doctors:  The story of Elizabeth Blackwell is another NC Children's Book Award nominee.  I love the enthusiasm ...

I Need a Vacation : Challenge 4, Season 7 Project Quilting

the mountains are calling...be one with nature...come with me into the trees

title: Into the Woods

size:  45" x 57.5"

location: Lewisville, NC

design:  Quick Curve Ruler mini trees block in own layout

pieced and quilted: Colleen Yarnell on a Viking Sapphire

inspiration:  project quilting season 7 challenge 4 I Need a Vacation!

I picked a bundle of my favorite Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy and cut it into 5" squares.

Sofia helped with the basting.

I straight line quilted it on my Viking Sapphire with my new walking foot using Aurifil 2615.

I bound it with scraps from piecing and put a favorite large scale Denyse Schmidt floral on the back. 

Keep dreaming...Colleen

Thread: Challenge 3, season 7, Project Quilting

I almost thought it wouldn't get made, but here it is.  

title:  Helical Ridge

 size: 28" x "20.

 Inspiration: dictionary definitions.

 designed and quilted by:  Colleen Yarnell

Pieced and quilted with: aurifil thread 50wt, white, light gray and dark gray.

I started by searching the definition of thread.  The words  thread, strand, and helical ridge circled in my mind. 

thread

THred/

noun

noun: thread; plural noun: threads; noun: screw thread; plural noun: screw threads

1. 1.

   a long, thin strand of cotton, nylon, or other fibers used in sewing or weaving.

   • cotton, nylon, or other fibers spun into long, thin strands and used for sewing.

     synonyms:

     cotton, filament, fiber; More

   • NORTH AMERICANinformal

     clothes.
2. 2.

   a thing resembling a thread in length or thinness, in particular.

   • literary

     a long, thin line or piece of something.

     "the river was a thread of silver below them"

     synonyms:

     streak, strand, stripe, line, strip, seam, vein "the Fraser was a thread of silver below them"

   • a theme or characteristic, typically forming one of several, running throughout a situation or piece of writing.

     "a common thread running through the scandals was the failure to conduct audits"

     synonyms:

     gist, train of thought, drift, direction; More

3. 3.

   a group of linked messages posted on an Internet forum that share a common subject or theme.

   • a programming structure or process formed by linking a number of separate elements or subroutines, especially each of the tasks executed concurrently in multithreading.
4. 4.

   a helical ridge on the outside of a screw, bolt, etc., or on the inside of a cylindrical hole, to allow two parts to be screwed together.

 Then Sunday night I was drawing in bed in one of my graph design notebooks.  Don't we all keep one under our pillow?  Then I picked charm squares and scraps from my Denyse Schmidt stash.  

Unfortunately due to issues with my now waiting-for-service Babylock Sofia I didn't sew all week.  Finally Friday I got out the Viking Sapphire and started sewing.  Yes another rainbow Denyse Schmidt themed quilt.  The background came from a bag full of low volume scraps.  (I love getting scraps from friends!)

Then after digging out my Singer Featherweight for the BOM at Trailer Stash Fabrics, I continued sewing Saturday afternoon until I finally finished at about midnight.  BTW since before Christmas Ive been sewing in my den on an ottoman.  My sewing room has become a bit of a dumping ground.  Plus its warmer downstairs.  I'm sure this has never happened to anyone we else.

I watched two old scifi movie classics along the way-Dune and The Fifth Element.  

Piecing with white Aurifil.

I was excited when I had the top done!  And it looked good!  
Better than I thought it would!  You know how when your piecing and your
wondering if its going to look like crap?  or come out they way you envisioned it?



I quilted it on the Viking Sapphire.  Free motion quilting the word Thread in the empty space with                  dark gray Aurifil. I also used light gray to FMQ synonyms for thread down the middle.  I was missing my Babylock Sofia and her walking foot when it came to the straight line sewing.  I need to save up for a Viking walking foot!



I used my three favorite Aurifil threads.  I also like my Aurifil yellow but didnt use it on this quilt.





Check out all the other quilts and vote for your favorites here.



Keep dreaming...Colleen

Sofia and I cuddling Saturday morning.