Two Quick Stash-Buster Quilts

While I'm in between big projects, I've been working on some relatively quick and small quilts that use up stash fabric.

The first quilt is simple pastel patchwork that came about because the box that contains my random charm squares (5x5 inches) was too full to close. I usually cut charms and add them to the box when I have odd pieces of fabric left over from a project or if I know the prints will work for a Project Linus donation quilt at some point. So for this quilt, I pulled out all the pastels I had and cut a few more to get it to this size. The more interesting thing about this quilt is the assembly -- I used the quilt-as-you-go method of basting backing and batting together and then adding each horizontal row of already pieced squares to the top, quilting across it a few times before adding the next row of pieced squares.

The second quilt is my version of Ruby Star Society's free Moon Cake Quilt pattern. I saw this quilt when a quiltalong was announced, and the piecing stood out to me because it's graphic and has some order to it. Honestly, I saved the photo but didn't really look at the pattern -- it uses a layer cake, which I didn't realize at the time, so I may make another one eventually and actually follow the pattern! Instead, I used 5" charm squares again, pairing prints with solids. The 2x4 piecing requires 4 charms of each fabric in the pair. It was another great one for digging into my stash and finally using up some fabrics that I've had for a very long time. I'm in the process of free motion quilting it right now, with a stashed twin-size bedsheet that was perfect for the back.

Moon Cake quilt pattern

QuiltCon 2023 Workshop Projects

I'm officially 2 months behind on my goal of monthly blog posts, so I've taken a moment to be a little disappointed in myself, and now I'm going to try to catch up. First up is what would have been my February post...

My mom and I attended 2 workshops at QuiltCon 2023 in Atlanta. The first was Scrap Swap Social with Wendy Chow (@the.weekendquilter). Everyone brought scraps, which were sorted by color, and then Wendy instructed us in making a mini quilt using fusible grid interfacing. I used the grid interfacing many years ago, so I understood the basics, but Wendy shared some tips that made for a more precise completed project.

When I was selecting my scraps, I started with the abstract floral and then chose others that went with the color story. The low volume sashing and overall emphasis on peach are right in my comfort zone. I finished the 15x15 inch mini quilt top in the workshop and brought it home for quilting and binding. Now it hangs in my home office so I can admire it Monday through Friday.

The second workshop we took was Scraptacular Improv with Rossie Hutchinson (@rossiecrafts). Another scrap-focused class! Improv is not my strength or preference, but Rossie shared some strip-piecing and patchwork techniques that gave the improv process a little more structure and order.

For this workshop, we were told to bring in scraps or precuts. This is what I brought and arranged in a way that I thought was pleasing and could inform my piecing:

Not surprisingly, I leaned into peach and low volume neutrals, plus my other favorite, navy. During the workshop, I made the strawberry strip unit, navy checkerboards at the top, and green checkerboards that ended up in my finished piece:

This panel is approximately 18x32 inches. I plan to finish it and hang it on a wall in home. So that was my QuiltCon 2023 experience. Well, except for one significant souvenir...

This Juki machine replaces a secondhand BabyLock that I've had for a few years but never really loved or been that impressed with. We used these machines in Rossie's workshop, and the sale price on machines only used at QuiltCon was just too good to pass up. I look forward to logging many hours and cranking out projects (especially garments) on this new member of my Juki family (this makes 3!).