A new year has begun. Well, it did 16 days ago. Time to think and start fresh.
I did not continue to keep accurate records of how many quilts I made or how much fabric I used last year. Think I stopped somewhere in the summer. Plan on trying to do better this year.
With my quilting, I have started off the year with a bang!! Decided to start with a personal project. I got a red/tan Jacob's Ladder to the finished top stage!!! Yea!!! It is now in the "to be quilted" pile. Don't know when that will happen. LOL Have quite a number of quilts in that pile.
I then moved on to some donation quilts. I got 2 kid's tops done. Both are string quilts using a lime green center strip and bright tone on tones and novelties. I have more blocks in progress, so expect at least one or two more tops done with the lime green. These quilts measure at 40" by 58". Both will be bound in the same lime green. Here is a photo. Only one photo since both quilts look alike. I think some child will enjoy this.
I was able to finish a top I had been working on since before the holidays. It is called "Saddle Tramp" and the pattern was from Quick Quilts Sept/Oct 2010 issue. This measures 64" by 91" and will be bound in the same red that is throughout the quilt. This will go to a Vet here in Maine.
I was looking around my sewing area, trying to tidy some (that did not go so well. LOL) when I found a stack of floral string blocks that I had made last year. These were left over blocks from other completed projects. Some have pink center strings and others have green. Usually, I use the same fabric for the center throughout a quilt, but did not have enough of either for a full quilt. So, I combined them together, alternating every two rows. Think it came out okay looking. This quilt will go to a long term homeless shelter next winter. It measures 54" by 72".
I also found some string blocks that had been given to me back in Sept. These were left over from another quilt. There was not enough for an entire quilt. I did not want to make the blocks to bring up the numbers because they all had the same center strip and I did not have anything that was close. So, in order to make the quilt large enough, I sashed in between the rows and then put a border around with the same fabric as sashing. It will be bound with the same fabric, also. Busted some stash with this one!!! It measures 64" by 75". It will probably be a Vet's quilt. 
This next quilt is a child size quilt, measuring 36" by 46". The center section was left over from a full size quilt done with these blocks. They are rectangle string blocks. The center measured only 25" by 35", so I knew it needed a border to bring it up a bit. These blocks, while specifically not made with a child in mind, did have a lot of brighter tone on tones mixed in. So, I dug through my stash and found a cute fabric that I remember getting on clearance a few years ago. It has the names and colors of crayons all over it. I first put a small inner red border and then the novelty border. It will also be bound with the same red. 
Next, I decided to work on another personal project. Trying to balance my sewing between personal and donation. I had been thinking over the last several months, that I wanted to make some Friendship Star blocks throughout the year with no particular end result in mind. Because I make mostly scrap quilts, and we all know how scrap multiply in the dark, I have not had the chance to use the fabrics that I have sorted by color. I discovered Judy L.'s monochromatic challenge and decided this was a perfect opportunity to jump start what had been floating around in my head. http://www.patchworktimes.com/2011-monochromatic-challenge/
(I don't know how to make the link smaller, sorry. )
So, January's color is yellow. So far, I have made 16 yellow friendship stars, each a different fabric. I have 12 all yellow string blocks done and trimmed with 12 more in progress. It is amazing how many string blocks you can get out of a generous handful of strings. I did not cut any strings specifically. Whatever I had from squaring up the fabric to cut for the stars. If there was less than a quarter yard after I cut the size I needed for the stars, then I cut the rest into 2.5" and 2" strips. Anything smaller than that went into the string pile.
Since the stars called for one 3.5" square and two 4" squares, and I cut a strip of each size from the fabrics, I have decided to make 9 patches from the 3.5" and 4 patches from the 4". I haven't gotten around to those yet.
Again, I am making them with no end result in mind. Just playing around. The way I figure it, by the end of the year, I will have a very large stack of stars, string blocks, 9 patches and 4 patches. OH, the possibilities!!! LOL
I started another donation quilt. Using a lot of florals in this one. I called the pattern "Tic Tac Toe". It is made up of 9 patches, rail fence blocks, and 6" squares. I have made several quilts in tis pattern. It is a great way to use up 2.5" strips and squares. My 2.5" box is so full I can barely get it closed. I probably took out enough to make two quilts and there is no noticeable difference. (sigh)
So, what are you working on??
Darlene
This first picture is of my green and yellow string top. I love the way it came out. I cannot take credit for the setting. A year or two ago I saw a blue and yellow string top set this way. I made a copy of the picture for my "someday" file. When I started thinking about making green and yellow string blocks, the picture, literally, fell out of my file and onto the floor. Someone out in the world is meant to have this quilt. So, whoever you are that was the original inspiration for this quilt, I and the future recipient thank you for sharing your artistic talent with us.
