weighted blanket

The plan was to make a weighted blanket for our youngest son. That is what he really wanted. I found this really cute cat fleece. He is a big guy- 6'4" and 250 pounds. a weighted blanket should just be big enough so that all the weight is actually on the person. I figured I needed 12 rows across at about 5 inches and 14 rows long at about 5 inches.  And since the entire weight should be 10% of body weight, his was 25 pounds. I worked hours on this. It is not easy to slug 25 pounds through the sewing machine without catching any poly beads under the needle. I did break 2 needles and dumped a bunch of beads on the floor.

But He loved it so it was worth it.

soft kitty, warm kitty...

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Jet girl

Another clue

note
These are the pieces I am using for clue 4 of the On ringo lake mystery quilt found here at quiltville.

This time I used a 50/50 mix of starch and water. I soaked them and then hung them to dry. They were like cardboard LOL. I think the solution was a little too hard so next time I will try 60 water/40 starch.

I do like using starch. These pieces weren't going anywhere. When I used the accuquilt, they didn't even stick to the plastic cutting sheet.

Once I put the pieces together, they did not budge. Not even a pressure foot could  move them. So they were the best pieces I could have sewn.

Jo at Jos country junction has a string fling challenge. Last week I talked about scraps and shirttails and how close I am to finishing all the quilts from that book. This week I have checked with my string fling book.

blue skies- string units are done
jamestown landing is ready to quilt
orca bay - string units are finished
pfefferneuase - string units are finished and the other unists are cut
roll roll cotton boll - all the piecing is done-needs assembling
wild child is a completed quilt
zuckerwattwe-- string units are finished

daylillies, pineapple crazy, santa fe star, talkin turkey, tulip fields are not even started

I am linking to:

Jos country junction

Making Monday  link in sidebar

Moving it Forward Monday 

main Crush Monday   link in sidebar

show and tell monday

design wall monday   

boms away   link in sidebar

and there is a mystery link up at Quiltville

It's a win

Susan at quiltfabrication had a blog anniversary and a giveaway. I won the opportunity to pick one of her quilt patterns. I enjoy her blog and her work, so I was very excited.

I decided I would choose

this would be a perfect quilt for a a Grandson. So so cute. I think next year, it will be time to make each of my Grandchildren a new quilt. It has been long enough and I want to concentrate on them next year. There just wasn't enough Grandchildren time this year.

Besides Christmas, I have barely had any quilting time, and I have been focusing on the quiltville mystery quilt. A new clue came out today, but I have been up to date with the other clues. I am doing a much better job of avoiding the usual chaotic mess of a scrappy mystery. I am not using the scrap user system, and instead just reaching for the yardage. I am using one coral and just a few browns and aqua.I have a bin of scrappy neutrals that I can pull out when I need them.
I used the flip corner method for clue #3. I didn't mark the diagonal, instead I used quarter inch tape on the machine bed.

I sewed them all and then sat and cut the corners with scissors while I watched the Santa Clause

And I gave myself permission to throw away the triangles

I am linking to:

TGIFF

Finished or Not Fridays   

Whoop Whoop

crazy mom quilts

Stash report and mysteries

 I finished with clue # 3 of On ringo Lake mystery quilt. I just used the sew and flip method, But I made sure to count and keep the right and left pieces separate. Knowing me, I would have just kept going past the number I needed. This helped me make sure I made the change. There is a link up on Bonnie Hunter's quiltville blog to see everyone's progress.

I bought these fat quarters during a sale on craftsy. They are aged muslin. They look almost brushed. I don't have a plan for them, I just loved them and they were on sale.:)

I had a chance to do some string piecing. Jo's country junction is having a weekly challenge to work on finishing the quilts in the book string fling by Bonnie Hunter. The quiltville book I have nearly all the quilts started or finished is scraps and shirttails not string fling. I too was hoping to do all the quilts from one book. so for my reckoning in scraps and shirttails...

Virginia Bound is done, used on our bed until I put Grand Illusion on our bed.
Cactus patch  is a top waiting for it's turn on the quilt frame
Star gazing is a top waiting to be quilted
Carolina Crossroads  was started as the first mystery and just needs borders
Hand me downs- nothing
nifty thrifty - nothing
Swing your partner - I have the fabric pulled
bargain basement is a top waiting for the quilting
shirtails - I have a few of the triangles set aside
bargello in plaid - I have been cutting the strips
perkiomen dreams  and denim rails - I don't think I will make but who knows.

I will have to check on what I have done in string fling next week.

In the spirit of strings,  I like to treadle my string piecing on my singer treadle on Saturdays while my hubby and I watch TV.  I am making narrow string strips for a quilt that uses these as inserts.

 I still need more piano key strings for a border.

 and I just made some slabs when I didn't like the strips for either of the other projects.

I have cleaned out some fabric, I knew I wouldn't use, which has helped me improve my numbers.
I hope to use more than added this year even if it is by fractions.

Stash report

Fabric Used this Week 34 yard
Fabric Used year to Date: 388 1/2 yards


Fabric Added this Week: 6 1/2  yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 369 3/4 yards

Net Fabric for 2017: 18 3/4 yards used more than added.

I am linking to:

Jos country junction

Making Monday  link in sidebar

Moving it Forward Monday 

main Crush Monday   link in sidebar

show and tell monday

design wall monday   

boms away   link in sidebar

and there is a mystery link up at Quiltville

more boxy stars

Friday is our quilting circle at the library. I had decided I wanted to make more blocks for my patriotic boxy stars  here. I needed 10 more blocks. When I came home, I had all the quarters together and one flip corner sewn to each block.

While watching Christmas movies, I added the other flip corner, marked for the bonus triangles with the Bonnie Hunter's Bonus buddy, and finished sewing them.

I just used scissors to cut them apart.

 I love the bonus triangles

 I even sewed 6 blocks together.  Hopefully, today, I can finish the other 4 blocks, and I can attach them to the rest of the quilt. I also want to do some string piecing today for string Saturday.

This quilt has depleted most of my dark blue 2 1/2 inch strips but I still have all the other blue strips overflowing. And the red drawer doesn't even look like anything is missing  sigh....

So far I am current with the quiltville mystery on Ringo lake. 

I am linking to:

TGIFF

Finished or Not Fridays   

Whoop Whoop

crazy mom quilts

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 SewCan She

rsc17 super saturday

on ringo lake and accuquilt

I started cutting for clue 3 of On ringo lake. I am using yardage, so I calculated that I would be able to get 8 rectangles from the WOF strip. So I would need 30 strips, but I actually cut 33. But first I starched a 60 inch piece of coral fabric.

I used the 2 inch accuquilt die and the 5 inch  accuquilt die to cut the rectangles.

 I calculated that I would need 5 fat quarters to get all the neutral squares I would need. IT would have been just as easy to cross cut on the 2 inch die for the squares if I was using strips, but I was using fat quarters, so I used the squares die.

I have decided to go with the simple flip corners, using 2 squares and a rectangle. I have had very good luck getting these sewn using a line on my sewing machine bed. I don't feel I have to mark or precut them to get an accurate corner. I have actually used a 1/4 inch tape. I am really looking forward to power sewing all of these pieces. If I have trouble, I may have to rethink my options.

I am linking to:

WOW

midweek makers

Jo's Country Junction UFO
Bee Social
Silly Mama WIP

WIPs with friends

Sew,stitch,snap,share

Jet girl

ringo lake and wing clipper

I decided to use the Deb Tucker wing clipper for my flying geese in clue #2.
I cut the large squares at 4 1/2 inches and the small squares at 2 1/2 inches.  I figured I would get 9 squares from each strip of coral and I needed 50, so I needed 6 strips, which was 27 inches. I cut 28 inches and thoroughly starched the fabric before cutting. My measurements for the 2 1/2 inch squares as I was using fat quarters were that I would need 5 fat quarters and 200 squares, which I thoroughly starched before cutting.

 I decided that since the pieces were intentionally ovcersized I would not take the time to mark the diagonal, and used 2 pieces of  1/4 in tape to keep it straight.

After the quarter inch is stitched on both sides of the diagonal, I cut them apart and added another square to each end.

I cut them apart and had 4 flying geese from that set

The geese needed a little trimming using the lines on the wing clipper

And they were as nearly perfect as I have ever made them.

In my opinion, this is the best flying geese method I have ever tried. I tried eleanor burns method earlier this year here, and I did not like it. I felt there was a lot of waste in time and fabric. I tried just the regular flip and sew method, but I seem to lose the quarter inch at the top.

I am still happy with my starch experiment and will continue using it. I think the cutting is better if i pre starch.

I am linking to:

Making Monday  link in sidebar

Moving it Forward Monday 

main Crush Monday   link in sidebar

show and tell monday

design wall monday   link in sidebar

boms away   link in sidebar

and there is a mystery link up at Quiltville