Hand Pieced QAL Emmeline Block

This is the last block in the Hand Pieced Quilt Along! The tutorial for this block is by Kristin at Simple.Handmade.Everyday, and Pattie's version is here. Several of these blocks have been named by Kristin and Pattie for characters in Friendship Album 1933, a quilt fiction podcast.

Here are all nine blocks; next up is sashing and placement.

This block was a bit more complicated with four flying geese units and little quarter square triangles that make up part of a half square triangle. My points were off, but it's OK. Hand sewing the units of our quilt along involves sewing through seam allowances, not over them, and that can create some bulkiness on the back of the block. Many of the quilt along participants have posted photos of the backs of their neatly done blocks, but mine aren't that pretty, so they shall remain unseen!

This post is linked to Week 9 Linkup. Hop over and view some beautiful versions of these blocks!

March OMG Finishes

Even though the title says "Finishes", you will find no actual finish here. One of my two goals for March was to stay on track for the Meadowland QAL on Instagram, so I did meet that goal! I've made 15 blocks so far, have another 5 to go, and haven't tapped out yet! I love the way the blocks look together. The pattern by Then Came June is brilliant, in my opinion. I love the pattern and the option of using solids or prints.

The other goal was to to start a quilt in greens for my oldest granddaughter for her 18th birthday in April. I haven't started because I'm not excited about my stash choices so far. However, my LQS just sent an email of a 50% off sale this week, so I hope to find inspiration there!

This post is linked to Pattie's One Monthly Goal March Finish Link-Up.

Tip, Tutorial, and Pie! Hands2Help 2019 Comfort Quilt Challenge

I recently signed up for Hands 2 Help 2019 Comfort Quilt Challenge, a charity quilt project hosted by Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Starting in 2011, this project has provided quilts to over 1450 people! There are five charities to choose from, and I am making a quilt to go to Bernie's Mercyful Quilts. I made a quilt for this project in November 2018 (you can read about it here) and have wanted to do another one, so this is the perfect opportunity. There will be a few linkups in the process to complete a quilt by May 19, and this first one is for "Tips, Tutes, and Tasty Things". It is a way to get to know the participants by sharing one's favorite tip, tutorials, or recipes. I am sharing all three!

My favorite tip: I am a spray baste quilter, and Stephanie Palmer of Late Night Quilter has a great tip for smoother sandwiching that has helped me more than any other tip in quilting. This tip involves using a ruler as a pressing tool. After I spray baste all my layers together, I use an old 6.5 x 12 ruler on the top layer to gently push down and forward, lifting fabric and re-placing if I need to, and press wrinkles to the edge. Sometimes I do this on the floor, but if the quilt is small enough I can do it on my design board. Christa Watson did a guest post at Diary of a Quilter showing this method in MUCH more detail. You can find that link here. Using this method on both front and back of the quilt works beautifully for me!

My favorite tutorial: My first binding was done with the help of Amy at Diary of a Quilter. I used her tutorial and have never done it differently. Amy provides lots of photos and clear instructions. I love her method!

My favorite tasty thing: Cherry pie is my second favorite pie (gooseberry is number one!), and I normally make a lattice top crust for it. I concocted a streusel-topped version, and you can find it right here.

This post is linked to Hands2Help 2019 - Tips, Tutes, and Tasty Things!.

Hand Pieced QAL Florence, Eula, and Bess Blocks

It's hard to believe we are almost finished with our hand piecing journey! Patty and Kristin are the brave hosts of this quilt-along, and they named these blocks "Florence", "Eula", and "Bess" after characters in Friendship Album, 1933, a podcast novel. Gardening put my sewing on the back burner for a few days, so instead of weekly, I am posting three this time.

The Florence block is a pinwheel block surrounded by half-square triangles in the corners and flying geese on the sides.

The Eula block is assembled with HSTs (half-square triangles) and flying geese. It's amazing how many different designs can result from little HSTs and flying geese!

The Bess block is made with Flying Geese, Half-Square Triangles (HSTs), and a Square-in-Square. The sub-units are the same as the Eula block but with a different placement.

Since I fell behind, I am linking all three blocks to Patty's linkup for the Bess Block.

One Monthly Goal (OMG) for March

One of my goals for this month is to start a quilt for this beautiful girl, our granddaughter Sydney. Her 18th birthday is in April, and she will graduate in May. She requested a quilt in "greens" last Thanksgiving. I took her into my fabric closet, and she loved one of the fabrics that was yellow with a green design. She was vague about the particular greens she wants, so I may make a trip to my LQS and get some suggestions. There should be an ample supply of greens this month!

Another goal is to keep working (and not tap out!) on the Meadowland Quilt-Along on Instagram. I will make the large throw size, 64" x 80". As you can see by the above picture, my version is in light blue, mint, navy, gray, and yellow gold. There are so, so many beautiful versions on Instagram, I can't help but be inspired! I just finished mixing up colors, so I will start on my first few blocks for this week.

I am linking this post to Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal linkup.

Eternally Yours Pattern Test

When Julie at Running Stitch Quilts requested pattern testers for her new pattern, I volunteered. I made Julie's Scrappy American Flag and have purchased Snowflakes in July, Summer Garden, and Ombre Gingham, all of which I love and hope to make this year. I've never tested a pattern before and felt nervous and excited but honored to give my opinions. I made notes on the pattern as I cut and sewed, made suggestions/corrections by category, and typed and sent it as a PDF to Julie, along with a photo of the flimsy.

Jack inspected and approved the flimsy

I cut into my cherished stash of Gooseberry fabrics for this quilt and love the way it all went together. I will post a final list of fabrics once the quilting is finished.

Julie's pattern, which is alternating X and O blocks, has instructions for 3 sizes with minimalist and scrappy options and is available for purchase here. If you use the code ETERNALLYYOURS you can get a 20% discount until Friday March 8, midnight eastern time!