Catching Up

I've been playing catch up this week.

My checkerboard is finished just in time for the

Play With Me Quilt Along

There is only one more block for January in the 

365 Challlenge

(Just visited the link and the last block for January is posted)

Because she is in Australlia, I always feel like I'm ahead- I like that.

My Riley Blake fabric is ready.

 It's Botanique by fabric designer Lila Tueller 

and 

a fat quarter bundle of Riley Blake cotton solids.

Be sure to join the Facebook Group to join the upcoming quilt along from 

February 2016 - January 2017

In Our Garden Block Of The Month.

AND

I finished 525,600 Minutes - Seasons of Love

for Project Quilting.

Voting for your favorite "seasons" quilt ends at 8 pm central time tonight.

Maybe you like #51?  ;)

Now, I'm ready for February.  Bring it on.

Spring is getting closer.

Seasons of Love - Project Quilting Season 7, Challenge 2

Here I am again, cutting it to the last minute......again....

Kim at Persimon Dreams hosts Project Quilting.

She announces a challenge and you have one week (due by noon TODAY- central time) to create something quilty.

This is the second challenge of six for Season 7 of Project Quilting,

The Challenge:  Seasons

Seasons of Love quilt 

The Rules:

1. The inspiration for this challenge is Seasons.  You can choose one season or all of them. Or pick another meaning of seasons, maybe seasons of life. It’s up to you! 
2.  Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline. Each piece must stand alone as DONE to count toward prizes. 
3.  Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these requirements: 

1. Include patchwork.
2. Include appliqué.
3. Have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.

4. Please remember that these projects need to be created during the week of the challenge. 

5. Link up either a blog post or flickr image by Sunday, January 24th, 2016, at noon, CDT

If you've seen the musical (or movie), Rent, it's easy to recognize my inspiration for this quilt.

  "Seasons of Love" is a song from the Tony award winning musical written by Jonathan Larson.

I've been watching my friend Vickie over at More Stars in Comanche make the most beautiful collage quilts and decided to try my own version of one. 

I would say the above picture pretty much tells the story of how I put it all together.

And a rough draft of the words going around the heart.

That's 525,600 minutes.  The total minutes in a year.  The colors represent the seasons and the ups and downs of love. 

 I could go deeper here, but I'm sure you get the drift....

After everything was fused down I did as quilters say, "I quilted the crap out of it" or "matchstick quilted." That will hold all those free edges down.

You are looking at the last time I quilt like this.  I did not enjoy it  at all.  I guess my type A personality can't deal with the randomness and I hate the way it makes the quilt lay. 

 I will do a tight stipple on my next collage quilt.

I will make more collage quilts, though.  I loved finding interesting little pieces of fabric to add to the composition.

Seasons of Love

Project Quilting Season 7, Challenge 1 - Seasons

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas

http://www.createinthesticks.blogspot.com/

Size:  38" x 38" wall hanging

Quilting - matchstick on my domestic

Lessons learned:  Chalk pencil does not dissolve like regular chalk

I don't like matchstick quilting (already said that, sorry)

You get what you pay for with fusibles

and

When cutting very thin pieces for applique, make sure it is high quality fabric so it doesn't fall apart when pulling the backing paper off.  ha

Overall I really enjoyed the collage process and WILL definitely do it again but

I've promise my hubby that the next challenge in PQ7 will be a small one.  lol

Vote for your favorite season quilts
HERE.

A Book Finish! Another Challenge Started.

I started Tula Pink's City Sampler book, "100 Modern Quilt Blocks," 

in November of 2014.  My plan was to make every block from scraps starting from block one and going in order to number one hundred.  

This is what the book looked like back then

and this is what it looks like now with every 6 1/2" block tucked in the pages.

Here are the last 36 blocks:

The blocks aren't together, but I think finishing 100 blocks deserves it's own celebration.

Here are the links to the first blocks:

Blocks 1-5

Blocks 6-15

Blocks 16-64

It was so fun picking out fussy cuts from my scraps. 

One of my friends will certainly recognize this one.

Of course there's a cowboy.  Here in Dodge City you always need one.

Mixing a little vintage with modern for contrast.

Have you heard about the free 365 Challenge?

Everyday this year a new block is posted and at the end of the year you will have made 

The Ultimate Sampler.

The blocks start very simple which makes this challenge a great project for beginners.

The first 3 months will be all about black and grey for me.

I'm using this challenge to use up more scraps. 

100 Blocks and Pixelated Confetti only touched the surface of my scrap problem.

Don't forget to vote for your favorite Confetti quilt for Project Quilting.

Voting will close on Friday, January 15th at 8pm, CST

AND

Be sure to join the Facebook Group to join the upcoming quilt along from 

February 2016 - January 2017

In Our Garden Block Of The Month.

By joining you will know the latest news on all the sponsors, giveaways, and where to get the two free patterns every month.  There is no easier way to create a quilt than to join a block of the month group.  It's fun and you'll learn new techniques!

Pixelated Confetti - Project Quilting Season 7, Challenge 1

Several years ago I came across an exciting way to challenge my brain and creativity

in quilting.

Kim at Persimon Dreams hosts Project Quilting.

She announces a challenge and you have one week to create something quilty.

Prizes can be won and it's a great way to meet new blogging friends.

Season 7 of Project Quilting has just begun and there will be 6 challenges.

Challenge 1 - Confetti

I've been filling this basket with 1 1/2" squares for years.

The Rules:

1.  The inspiration for  this challenge is confetti.  Interpret it however you wish.
2.  Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline. Each piece must stand alone as DONE to count toward prizes.
3.  Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these requirements:

1. Include patchwork.
2. Include appliqué.
3. Have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.

4. Please remember that these projects need to be created during the week of the challenge. 
5. Link up either a blog post or flickr image by Sunday, January 10th, 2016, at noon, CDT –OR email a picture/description of your completed project to {lapaceksorchard at gmail dot com} with PROJECT QUILTING in the subject line by11am on Sunday, January 10.

Now the basket is empty :)

I've been wanting to make this and Kim gave me the perfect challenge to get busy.  

I have to admit, this was a little more work than I wanted to put in during the ONE week challenge. But Carla's mojo had been lacking and now it's been kick started!!!

I used white to make the colors appear pixelated and it's just what I had in my head.

Totally random and not thinking, I pieced every square. 

Who needs a label?  I just used my fabric marker on the backing before I made the quilt sandwich.
(I was in a hurry, I only had one week for this quilt...)

Pixelated Confetti

Project Quilting Season 7, Challenge 1 - Confetti

Made by Carla in Dodge City, Kansas

http://www.createinthesticks.blogspot.com/

Size:  45" x 48"

Patchwork of about a billion 1" squares
ok.... 45 x 48 = 2,160 squares.
Freemotion quilting by me
For the first time ever, I used white binding.

(Will it get dirty?)

You can see all the other challenge projects and vote for your favorites starting at noon central on

January 10th

by clicking 

HERE.

I wanted to share this.  My hubby just added  a new hobby tool for his business.  So he's learning how to use it.

He volunteered to get up early with me and use his drone to take a few pictures.

Close

Farther

Farther

Farthest.  My quilt looks so tiny.  You can see hubby at the top of the picture. 

The parking lot didn't look as bad just standing on it.  lol

Now I feel just awful that I laid my pretty quilt on that nasty parking lot.

Hope you are having a great start to 2016.

By the way,

The Chiefs won yesterday!!!!!!!!!!  

and I didn't win the 800 million dollar lottery.