WIP: Many Projects Midweek

Hi, I thought I would share what I am working on this week and give some progress reports. (Updated for Friday)

I have been attempting to make some headway on the 288 flying geese needed for my Batik Flying Happy quilt. I think I have over 80 completed.

Flying Happy Geese in Formation

Here is one pile laid out in flying formation.

Rows of Geese Flying Happy

I love chain piecing. It just seems to take forever to make these geese because I have handle them so much. I started finger pressing my cream squares to get a sewing line. I now have decided to just wing it sewing the diagonal of the 2.5 inch squares. It is not too hard to sew a straight line for that short of a distance. Everyone will get a good press before being assembled into the rest of the block.

I am working on designing a back for my The Cowboy Way quilt which is a Grande Scrappy Tiles design by Meadow Mist Designs. It is for my daughter who is studying Animal Science and Veterinary Tech. She loves her cowboy boots, cowboys and horses. My daughter started a personal blog but did not get too far with it. She has kept the name and is looking to revamp the page and maybe use the name to sell some of the things she likes to make like jewelry, headbands, and tooled/beaded leather items. She calls herself “Shunned From the Herd”. I had one of those lightbulb moments in the shower a couple weeks ago to (of course) make an appliqued back for this quilt. I remembered that I had Holstein cow print leftover from my grandson Sawyer’s 2nd birthday quilt Oinka Doodle Moo. Years ago we bought a Holstein calf and grafted it onto one of our favorite Gelbveih Momma cows who had lost her calf. We named him, Daryl as in “Daryl and my other brother Daryl from the Bob Newhart show”.

The Cowboy Way backing concept

I did have the two cowprint strips sewn to my appliqued strip but cut them apart as it appeared to be too much white and black. I am looking at adding a strip of the red print to both sides of the applique to frame it. The length of the word applique by itself is 57 inches. I am needing a 80 by 100 inch backing so I have some more piecing that needs to be designed for this backing yet. Maybe some plaid shirting, stars and stripes bunting??? Digging deep in the fabric bins for this one.

Backing center prints

The red is from the front of the quilt, and has a really neat old barn scenery design inked on to the barn red color.

I did not do any new sewing over my birthday weekend, but I did finalize two new quilting project ideas.

Get A Clue Nancy Drew

I have finally decided what I can make with my two charm packs of Get A Clue Nancy Drew fabric. I will be making a modernized disappearing nine patch quilt for my son’s girlfriend. I discovered that her Mom shared the love for reading and the Nancy Drew Mysteries with her as a child just like my Mom did with me. So it seems fitting to make her a quilt with these fun prints. I miss I could find more squares as it is out of stock and out of print.

Any One have some in their stash hidden away???

My second quilt project idea is a way to use the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fabric I bought my grandson Sawyer. It will be for a quilt to stay at Grandma’s house. I love these design so much that if it all goes together nicely, I have other fabrics to use in this quilt pattern.

Turtles Gridlock Fabric Pull

This quilt pattern is Giddy Gridlock by Tanya Finken and it is in the last Quilty magazine issue ever (May/June 2015). I thought about using Thimble Blossom’s Framed to make this quilt idea, but I really like the angular longer rectangles to show off my turtles. I of course have ideas all ready for a special backing for this quilt. I am pretty excited to start piecing this one, but I need to finish up my flying geese first.

I got some exciting news this week that the Blue Island Tribal block that I designed for the Fabri-Quilt Block Hop was chosen to be entered into The Quilter’s Planner that my quilty friend, Stephanie over at LateNight Quilter designed and is publishing. You can preorder this wonderful and useful planner for holiday gifts.

Updated for Friday:

I have finished piecing all the flying geese for Flying Happy. I may have gotten off count and made more than I needed. Any extras may be worked in to a backing design.

Flying Geese and More Flying Geese

The piles on the outer perimeter are sewn into two patches. The center three rows of sorted flying geese needed to be sewn into matching pairs yet. In my counting of blocks this is where I am possibly off, as I count enough geese to make 37 blocks and I all ready have 4 blocks completed. This would make a possible 41 blocks when I need 36. I only have centers pieced for 36 blocks.

Flying Happy 4 of 36 blocks completed

With four blocks completed, you can get a better idea of what the Flying Happy quilt pattern will look like in batiks. I am pretty happy with the color choices. I am doing my best to make sure that each block has 6 different colors.

All my flying geese trimmings in a gallon bag

I save all the trimmings from cutting my 288 flying geese. It fills a gallon size ziplock bag. It looks quite pretty. They would make 1 inch finished half square triangles when sewn and trimmed.

I am hoping to get my Flying Happy flimsy completed this weekend. I had hoped for a Friday finish but it will more likely be a Saturday finish. I have made a lot of progress in just two days.

I hope that everyone is having a great week. I will be linking my WIP with various weekly linky parties that the links are on my linky page at the top of this page.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Sewing,

Shelley