2019 Q2 FAL Finishes

In April I posted my proposed second quarter Finish-Along finishes on Sarah's Cedar Fork Stitches, who is one of many hosts this event. On the list below, the first three goals were accomplished, and you may click on them to see the post associated with each finish. The other three are languishing on my UFO pile, so they will be included on my Q3 FAL goals!

Completed:
1. Finish a green quilt for my granddaughter's April birthday
2. Complete a quilt for the Hands2Help Quilt Challenge
3. Complete a quilt for the 2019 Pantone Quilt Challenge, which I had intended to combine with the Beothuk Star QAL. I finished the flimsy for this challenge. I dropped out of the Beothuk Star QAL because I had trouble figuring out the instructions given on the blog. Sometimes I really need a paper pattern in front of me, and even then I make mistakes!
Not completed:
4. Quilt the Meadowland quilt
5. Quilt the Eternally Yours quilt
6. Piece the Craftsman quilt

I am linking to Cedar Fork Stitches 2019 Quarter 2 Finish-Along.

The Coral of the Story - Pantone Quilt Challenge 2019 Flimsy

"The Coral of the Story"

The Pantone color of the year for 2019 is Living Coral, and here is my Pantone Quilt Challenge entry. I decided to call my quilt "The Coral of the Story". I fully intended to finish the quilt for this challenge, but, "life" happened, so I completed the flimsy and am entering the "Just-the-Top" category of the challenge.

Julia Hacker "Lolita" print on left; Pat Bravo "Wonderlust in Bold" on rightt

When I first got wind of this challenge, I went in search of inspiration. I found it on Blink Art in the form of Julia Hacker's print "Lolita". For some reason that print spoke to me! When I searched for fabric with coral, Pat Bravo's "Legendary" collection popped up, and Wonderlust in Bold was a nice representation of "Lolita" in my eyes. So I based my quilt around that fabric.

I went with a nice coral "Lovely" by Sandy Gervais and added other complementary fabrics I loved (see list below). Although it is hard to tell by my photo, there is a border around the main part of the quilt that matches the "stripes" in the pattern, and I will add a binding in the same color. I recently celebrated my 71st birthday, and my very smart husband gifted me with an Etsy gift card which will supply the backing for the quilt, probably a small print in coral and white.

I fell in love with Busy Hands Quilts "Home Awaits" pattern, and it seemed a good choice for featuring the fabrics I loved. The pattern was one of the best written patterns I've used, with excellent tips for pinning and pressing. However, my issue with reading patterns continues, and I mistakenly cut 2.5 inch background pieces instead of the 2.25 inch pieces specified in the pattern. The pattern was very forgiving though, and I was still able to make it look good enough for our guest bedroom!

I will add another blog post after I turn this flimsy into a quilt, but in the meantime here are the quilt details:

The Coral of the Story details:

• Flimsy size: 58" x 72"

Pattern:

• Home Awaits by Busy Hands Quilts

Fabrics:

• Wonderlust in Bold by Pat Bravo
• Lovely by Sandy Gervais for Moda
• Grunge in Teaberry by Basic Grey for Moda
• Autumn Vibes Cozy Ditzy Plum by Maureen Cracknell for AGF
• Garden Dreamer Twinkle Star Berry, Moment in Time Light, and Bumblebeez by Maureen Cracknell for AGF
• Gold solid from stash
• Green solid from stash
• Creamy white solid from stash
• Bloom Floral Scroll and Bloom Floral Scatter by Makower UK
• Meow or Never Watercolor in Robin's Egg by Erin Michael for Moda

This post is linked to the link party hosted by Bryan House Quilts and no hats in the house. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this challenge and plan to do it again next year. Go check out all the beautiful quilts as well as the amazing prizes list from generous sponsors!

I am also linking to Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts; and since this quilt was my OMG for June, I am linking to One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts!

One Monthly Goal for June - Living Coral Pantone Quilt

The deadline for the Pantone quilt challenge is June 14, and my goal this month is to get this baby finished! You can read the details of the challenge in the coral badge in my sidebar.

My pattern is Home Awaits by Busy Hands Quilts, and it is very well written with helpful tips on pressing, pinning, and assembly. It is based on 10 inch strips and 10 inch squares. I am making the large lap-sized quilt.

The challenge is all about Living Coral, and my fabric selection centered around Pat Bravo's Legendary in Bold. It's gorgeous!

After I got most of the pieces cut, I decided to add in a bit of green to the mix. I'm not a huge green person, but I like the addition.

As always, Rosie has the final say in all sewing matters.

I missed the deadline for the link to One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts, but I will still post at the end of the month linkup!

Hands2Help Comfort Quilt and Pantone Quilt Challenge May Progress

Our daughter (on the right) with her best friend who is 4 months pregnant!

We are leaving on Tuesday to stay with our 3-year old granddaughter while our daughter gives birth to her baby brother! In between laundry and packing, I am trying to stay caught up with two quilt-alongs and decided to combine my progress on both in this post.

First is May progress for the 2019 Hands2Help comfort quilt challenge, hosted by Sarah, who blogs at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. You can read the details of the challenge by clicking the "Comfort Quilt" gold badge in my sidebar. The second is the Pantone Quilt Challenge highlighting Pantone's 2019 Color of the Year, Living Coral, so click on the coral badge in the sidebar for more information about that.

For the comfort quilt I am using Yellow Brick Road pattern by Atkinson Designs (which I just used for this quilt) and making a quilt for a male for Mercyful Quilts, which is sponsored by Bernie, who blogs at Needle and Foot. Bernie collects and delivers quilts to Mercy Hospital for terminal patients, and you can find information about it here. The fabrics are about as masculine as I could muster from my shockingly feminine stash.

The blocks are pieced and ready for layout. I know this pattern goes together quickly, and that's good because the quilt needs to be finished by May 19!

For the Pantone quilt featuring coral, I will be using these glorious fabrics.

My inspiration for the Pantone quilt was a painting by Julia Hacker called Lolita, and I think Pat Bravo's Wonderlust in Bold captures the colors perfectly. This fabric is from her Legendary collection (click on the link for the full collection - it's gorgeous!). The quilt needs to be finished by June 5. I am considering going scrappy with a traditional block called Uneven Nine Patch. I'm drawn to Nine Patch blocks, especially disappearing ones, and am fascinated with the different patterns created by sewing, cutting, and sewing again the same nine squares. The Uneven Nine Patch is made with the same method but using a Four Patch. I decided to do a few test blocks, and here is a little tutorial:

Start with a four-patch. You can do any size, but I am using 5-inch charm squares in this test

Cut a 2-1/2 inch strip off the left side of the four patch

Move the cut strip to the right side of the four patch; sew and press

Now cut a 2-1/2 inch strip off the bottom of the block

Move the cut strip to the top of the block; sew and press

Completed uneven nine-patch blocks

I did a couple more blocks (they are addictive) to show the resulting little four patch in the center

I am liking this on-point layout

This post is linked to Sarah's Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge.