40 Paper Pieced Blocks Done

I'm working on making 4 different Harry Potter quilts.  You've seen the blocks for the full Harry Potter: Project of Doom bookcase quilts that I've been working on.  I just finished paper piecing the last 4 blocks for the bookcase portion of those quilts.  Woohoo!  I do still have LOTS of embroidery left to do on those quilt blocks (lots of book titles).  

Week #27  Teacup

both blocks

Week # 28  Trevor the Toad

both blocks

Week #29  Cauldron

both blocks

Week #30  Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans

both blocks

I've been asked why I'm making 2 quilts.  Well, I have 2 son's.  One will get one of these quilts, but I want one quilt for myself.  The 2nd son will have to wait to inherit the other quilt ; )

While making these 8 blocks, I started making blocks for our next grandbaby's quilt.  Yes, I'm making 2 quilts again, since the baby will get one, and I'll have a 'spare' one to show in my quilt guild's quilt show (whenever we actually get to have quilt shows again).  I've done this for the first two grandkids, so I need to keep it up for the next one.  Since I was already making 2 of each of the last blocks, I decided to just make them all at the same time.  The only difference is the background fabric.

The new baby will be getting a different layout.  I'm going to use a Castle layout, and I'll only need 20 blocks to make a quilt.  

While I was making those 16 blocks, I was also making more blocks for my large quilt guild's next Opportunity quilt.  I signed up for 2 sets of blocks (2 Log Cabin blocks and 4 Flying Geese per set).  

Log Cabin blocks

Flying Geese blocks

To top it off, I was also making my January (Pink) Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  I made 12 blocks (6 blocks going one way and 6 blocks going the other way).

Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks

I can make all of these blocks at the same time due to simple organization.  Each 'pattern' has it's own container.  I prep all the blocks, one container at at time, then I sew all the blocks, again, one container at at time.  I sew Leader & Enders between each container so that the parts don't get mixed up by accident.  

my stack of containers

fabric in one container

detailed list of fabrics, colors, etc for one container

While making all of these 40 blocks, I also stitched lots of Leaders & Enders.  First, I stitched 116 HST's for another baby quilt.  I still have to iron these open and pull out the papers.

116 HST's

When I finished those Leaders & Enders, I started on another set for my granddaughter's birthday quilt.  She loves Emma and the Wiggles.  I still have more of these to stitch.

Wiggles HST's

Now to start prepping for the next sets of Harry Potter Castle and RSC blocks.  At least the Harry Potter Castle blocks won't have any embroidered titles on the books. 

Beth Hunter Class

My large quilt guild, Pride of the Prairie, had a blogger friend of mine speak at our guild meeting Thursday and also teach a class on Friday.  Beth Hunter of IHAN (I Have a Notion) spoke on threads and thread painting.  Her class was on thread painting.  I saw one of her blog posts about thread painting last summer, and recommended her as a speaker.  What I didn't know at the time is that Beth used to be a member of this quilt guild (before I joined). 

Since I don't free motion quilt, I knew that learning to thread paint was going to be a bit of a stretch for me.  Way back in 2014 I got a great free motion quilt kit off the raffle table at the Michigan TOGA (Treadle On Gathering and Academy).  I hadn't used the kit yet (great intentions, but no follow thru, bad me).  That kit was great to have for this class.

homemade 'super slider', quilting gloves

card from the free motion kit

I used the homemade 'super slider' (it worked great), the darning foot, and the gloves.  The chocolate was given to another quilter at the TOGA, way back when.

Beth had practice pieces for us to start off with.  I didn't do too bad on it, but my flower went from flat to almost 3D by the time we stopped working on these (VERY wavy petals on my flower).

before ironing

better, after ironing

from the back

up close

Beth did several demo's to show us how to work on our flowers.

Beth, showing us how to add the stitching

After lunch, we started on the kits that we'd purchased.  We were encouraged to add leaves or stems if we wanted.

thread painting my flower

The lady sitting next to me had a great pale greenish white metallic thread that we both thought would look great on my white flower. Unfortunately, the thread was a cone, and neither of us had an adapter for the cone with us.  I thought of a work around, by using a small spool of thread inside the cone.  It worked great.

metallic thread

how I could use the metallic thread on my machine

This is as far as I got on my flowers before we packed up for the day.

my 2nd piece, in progress

This will be fun to finish.  I have lots of ideas for it.  Thanks Beth for the fun class!

Kevin the Quilter, Crumb Star class

Kevin the Quilter is in town.  He came to speak at my large quilt guild, Pride of the Prairie, and also to teach a class. His presentation last night was great!  Sorry I didn't get any photos, but I was holding up quilts (and getting to be one of the 'Huffman's Hotties' (search his blog and find the Huffman Hotties).

Today was Kevin's Crumb Star class.  Kevin taught us how to 'make' fabric from our tiniest scraps.  Remember that large bucket of scrap fabric I sorted?

large bucket of scraps

Lots of ladies used fabrics from the bucket, but it still feels pretty full.

Here are some of the pieces of fabric I made.

orange blocks before trimming

orange blocks after trimming

center blocks before trimming

center blocks after trimming

Here are some of the ladies that attended the class.

Here is Kevin, teaching.

Kevin, teaching

Here is my finished block. 

Kevin and me with my finished block

We even got a group photo.

All of us holding our blocks

What a fun class!  Tomorrow is another class, with my little quilt guild, Wego Quiltin'.  We'll be learning String Stars from Kevin.  Guess where that bucket of scraps will be tomorrow. 

Kevin the Quilter

Kevin the Quilter is coming to both of my quilt guilds in May.  Kevin will be the featured quilter at Pride of the Prairie quilt guild on May 16th.  On Friday, May 17th, Kevin will be teaching a class for Pride of the Prairie called Crazy Crumb Stars. 

Crumb Star (Kevin the Quilter)

If you will be in the Naperville, Illinois area and want to take this class, I think we still have spots available.  Let me know and I'll get you in touch with the ladies in charge of programs. Info about Pride of the Prairie workshops is here.

Way back in May 2015, Kevin came and spoke to my little quilt guild, Wego Quiltin'.  What a great presentation from Kevin.  This was in his early speaking days, and he didn't have any classes yet.  Well, since Kevin is already coming back for my larger quilt guild, we decided to have him stay an extra day and teach a class for Wego Quiltin'.  Kevin is going to teach String Star on May 18th.

String Star (photo borrowed from Kevin's blog)

I know that there are spots available for this class.  If you will be in Oswego, Illinois on Saturday, May 18th, and want to take this class ($25 per person, pot luck luncheon), then let me know and I'll sign you up.  My email address is listed under my profile (top right on this blog).

Kevin stayed with hubby and I last time he came.  We had sew much fun!  I can't wait till May, when I get to introduce Kevin to new places and people.