Riley Blake Challenge

Final Stats

Name: Riley Blake Challenge

Dimensions: 42.5x47.5 Inches

Pieces: Front - 223

Pattern: Inspired by Irish Cabins by Julie Hendricksen (Volume 2 of Sew Scrappy)

Technique: Patchwork

Materials: 100% Quilting Cottons

Quilting: Machine quilting done on my little Euro-Pro

Anyone involved in the MQG knows that this year's fabric challenge was sponsored by Riley Blake. We were given a fat eighth bundle of blenders in various colors and were allowed to add any solids we wanted, as well as any other Riley Blake fabrics. I'd bookmarked the Irish Cabins pattern from Volume 2 of Sew Scrappy a while back, which does a traditional Irish double or triple chain with strip piecing, intending to just copy the pattern as is. However, after measuring what size blocks I could get out of the challenge fabric and looking through every single one of my quilting books and magazines (of which I am starting to amass a small stash), I decided to blow up the pattern and just do one "repeat" of the larger pattern. I drew it out on paper, re-drew it and added in the 18th and 19th row to match the pattern more closely and keep it from being truly square, and then counted, re-counted, and counted again how many colored squares and how many white squares I needed.

For anyone interested, here are the cutting instructions:

From assorted colored prints cut:

111 3" squares

From white background cut:

94 3" squares

4 3"x13" strips

4 3"x23" strips

From grey solid cut:

4 3"x8" strips

4 3"x18" strips (I cut these from my dark grey fabric)

2 3"x28" strips (you're going to need to have at least a half yard so you can cut this from the WOF)

I decided to add a few more prints to the mix, to add in a red, green, and black, as well as a second aqua and grey. I pieced the top in strips and then sewed them together. I used a semi-random approach (i.e. I laid it out on my floor in sections and then rearranged as I felt was necessary). I used a very scant 1/4" seam allowance, which ended up warping the panels, because it made the strips a little too short, so if you want to make one like this, I suggest carefully measuring your seams to make sure they are coming out at a 1/4".

The backing was made from one piece of rainbow chevrons, and because I didn't order enough, I decided to mirror the front by piecing some white and grey to insert into it. This became one of those happy accidents, because I love the back. Quilting is straight line quilting on the diagonal in the white squares. Looks great on the back, but also nicely frames the colored squares on the front. I used the Frixion pens for the first time to mark the quilting lines, and I am in love!

The binding is a black and white stripe, also by Riley Blake. I'm on a stripey binding kick lately. This quilt actually has no intended recipient, but that's ok. I'm hoping to display it at our Guild's February show.

Goals for 2014 and January

Having closed out another year, it's time to look back and reflect but also time to look forward and plan. I feel I do both pretty well. So here are my finishes for 2013:

 

1. Fracture Quilt - Complete Top, 2. Applique Toucan, 3. Red and White Star Quilt, 4. Low Volume Baby Quilt, 5. Christmas Quilt, 6. Riley Blake Challenge

The Riley Blake Challenge quilt was finished on New Year's Eve, I just don't have a final picture yet.

I will be participating in the 2014 A Lovely Year of Finishes again. I also decided to wait to restart Color Bee Shocked, because of some issues later in the year that I haven't quite gotten over. Instead I somehow managed to sign up for the Stash Bee, without actually remembering signing up. I have February as the queen bee. 

My January goal is to make the January block and finalize my plans for February, make a block, and write a tutorial.

As a stretch goal I have the following:

1) Finish putting together the Community Quilt top; I've given up on waiting for other people to make additional house blocks. 

2)  Keep cutting half hexies.

My sewing goals for 2014 are as follow:

1) Finish the Community Quilt

2) Finish the Hexie Wedding Quilt

3) Finish the top of the Plus Wedding Quilt

4) Make a commissioned plus quilt

5) Learn how to use a longarm machine

6) Make baby quilts as necessary (perhaps one for us, we'll see, no news yet)

December Finishes

So my goal for the December "A Lovely Year of Finishes" was to finish the Riley Blake Challenge top. I did that the day after I posted my goal on Flickr. So here it is, with the backing done and basted for quilting. I may even get it finished before the new year. We'll see.

I am particularly pleased with the backing for this quilt. It works with the front perfectly. But you'll have to wait for all the pictures until I have finished it.

I also completed my Christmas Quilt, which I've decided to name "Snowed In," in time for Christmas. My hubby and I sat under it to watch Aladdin on Christmas Eve. It was one of his gifts and we always unwrap one each on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas Day.

Here I am, hand stitching the binding down on Christmas Eve. My cuddly Sir Galahad is perched behind me, unhappy that the quilt is taking up all of his lap space. It was so great to be able to snuggle under it together while we played Guild Wars 2 after everyone had left on Christmas Day.

I leave you with a panorama picture of our Christmas Day Open House spread. We had Mucho Gusto, Bruschetta, charcuterie and cheeses, root veggies, vegetarian and sausage stuff mushrooms, Swedish meatballs, raw veggies with ranch dip, cream cheese logs, easy Swedish apple pie, buckeyes, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and spiced pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting. Also homemade eggnog  (alcoholic), mulled cider (with optional alcohol), and an assortment of beers, juices, milk, or sparkling cider. We had a blast, had quite a few people drop in, and played Munchkin and Cards Against Humanity.

December Goals and Upcoming Contest/Give-Away

I am working on getting a quilt naming contest/give-away together since I am horrible at naming my own quilts and I need some help. I am just working on some suitable prizes for the winners and one bigger give-away item for a random winner. Stay tuned.

So I set my December goal for "A Lovely Year of Finishes" via Flickr this month. It was to finish the top for my Riley Blake Challenge hosted by the Modern Quilt Guild.

Fabrics were already cut when I made myself that goal. But guess what... I already finished my goal for the month. The very next day!

Now what am I supposed to do with the rest of my month!?! Just kidding, I have plenty of projects.

So here is my to do list for the rest of December. December for me includes a whopping two weeks off from my job for Christmas and we're not going anywhere because my hubby has to work, so in my mind that equates to two weeks of sewing!

1) Get the top of the Community Quilt put together, at least in a 5x6 block layout. I'm still missing one Skyline block, which someone has offered to make, and four house blocks, which I don't have any takers for yet. It took me long enough to make one, so I'm not keen on making another four.

My house block.

The Skyline blocks so far.

The four "odd" shaped road pieces.

I still need to put together several straight road pieces, square up the house blocks, and sew blocks together. I am already loving the Skyline blocks.

2) Finish sewing together the Giant Churn Dash blocks. Fabric is already cut out, just need to piece them together.

3) Start cutting half hexis for my sister's wedding quilt. Colors requested were blue-green and dark green, with potential grey. I may choose something besides grey, depending on how dark the rest of the quilt gets.

4) Work on the Java wedding quilt. I'm very tempted to just rip out the second borders I have on the first set of blocks and put the blocks together as is. Won't be much of a pineapple blossom design, but it may save my sanity and actually get this thing done.

5) Continue putting together the Plus Wedding Quilt. All the rows are done, just need to sew them together.

6) Keep cutting fabric for the Scrappy Swoon Wedding Quilt.

7) Decide if I want to participate in the Modern from Repo guild challenge. If I do decide to participate, I need to come up with a design by December 15. However, except for the solids and the blenders, none of the fabrics we're actually supposed to showcase really speak to me. So I'm having designer's block big time. Benefit of participating is that we get all the fabric needed for the project for free. Front, backing, and binding.

8) Decide on a project for the February quilt show at the Anacostia Arts Center. We need to have pictures of at least the front (or a portion of the finished front) by sometime in January. I might actually start on that Pixelated Michigan quilt I promised my hubby. Who knows. Alternatively, I may enter my Riley Blake Challenge or the Giant Churn Dash quilt, if I get it done in time.

I think that's plenty, although I have two other projects I could/should be starting on.