I was a sewing mad woman this week. Â Part of the reason is that I have quite a few deadlines lurking. Â That’s totally fine with me. Â I make the best use of my time when I’m under pressure. Â I am weird and part of me likes the challenge of it all too.
So what was I working on??? Â My Holy Toledo quilt was my morning project. Â I’ve been getting up a half-hour earlier again getting my sewing mojo back. Â I really struggle between needing to quilt and wanting to cross-stitch. Â It’s a real problem. Â Don’t get me wrong. Â I love sewing but after a day of work, it’s easier to sit on the couch and cross-stitch than it is to go upstairs to the sewing room. Â So the half-hour in the morning is perfect. Â I ended up getting my quilt this far…
It needs inner borders and outer border yet. Â I did pull enough 2 1/2″ strips and got the outer border blocks cut out.
I’ve been working hard to get this a little further along. Â It’s part of the Dirty Dozen challenge and it’s all over in the sewing room. Â With the two deadline quilts looming, I wanted to clear out space and the fabric for those wasn’t here so I power sewed on this…
The quilt is… Bonnie Hunter’s Holy Toledo quilt. Â You can find it in her Scraps and Shirttails book.
I’m loving it!! Â Rosie, she’s wishing I was on the couch cross-stitching so she could cuddle up with me.
One afternoon at nap time I cut out the triangles for the border. Â The next morning I got half sewn in the morning. Â That afternoon I ironed them over nap time. Â The next morning I started sewing them together.
I love having the big “table” that attaches to my machine. Â It’s a great work/organization place.
This stack was sewn in a one-morning session. Â At nap time, they were ironed. Â I really think it makes me pretty productive in working this way.
One day over nap time this week, I redesigned a quilt I have thought to make for Regan. Â Here’s the back story: Â When I submitted the Halloween one to American Patchwork and Quilting they had told me if we didn’t think we could make the Halloween issue, we could make it in Christmas colors and be in the Christmas issue instead. Â I said, that we’d make the quilt for Halloween.
Well, that left me thinking that they likely had an opening in their magazine for a Christmas quilt. Â So…I reworked a quilt I originally designed for Regan but ended up ditching that design and doing something else. Â I reworked it in Christmas colors and did a little upgrade to the design.
I ended up loving the design and submitted it to American Patchwork and Quilting. Â They took it so…I have back to back deadline quilts. Â The deadline for this is March 15. Â It’s totally do-able.
I ordered Grunge fabric from Moda for the background and backing. Â Then I pulled fabrics from my 2 1/2″ bucket and started sewing. Â Quite a lot of the sewing can be done without any background fabric being here.
I know a lot of you are wondering why I wasn’t sewing on the Halloween quilt being that is due first. Â That’s an easy question to answer, for that quilt I HAVE to HAVE the backing fabric before I can sew on it.
I’ve actually made great progress on this quilt and if I really, really had to, (and had the background fabric here) I could be completely finished with it in a week. Â It’s been really fun to sew so far.
I accomplished all of that by Friday’s bedtime.
I ended up going out to the garage and discovered that the box from Moda had come. Â My Halloween fabric was in the box…
Both of these fabrics are from Moda’s upcoming Halloween fabric line, Midnight Magic 2. Â It hits the stores in May. Â The white is going to be the background fabric. Â I love the tiny little stars all over it. Â SO CUTE! Â The other print is awesome too. Â That is going to be the backing. Â I love-love-love it. Â I can’t wait to get it on the quilt.
See that jelly roll in the box. Â That is part of the prize that will be going to one of you readers who sent a strip of Halloween fabric to us.
This Moda fabric was also in the box. Â I designed a quilt at Christmas time and asked Moda for fabric for it. Â This project doesn’t have a hard deadline. Â We have to get to it in the next couple of months. Â I do want to sew on it thought. Â What pretty fabric!! Â The line is Dance in Paris by Zen Chic.
The quilt I designed needs one charm pack and one layer cake.
Zen Chic is one of my favorite designers.
Saturday being the fabric came I switched gears and started on the Halloween quilt…but I’m going to save that story for another blog post. Â I’ll tell you this though. Â It took me just under five hours to open all of the mail that you guys sent that had fabric in it!! Â WOW. Â You all impressed me! Â Watch for that story in tonight’s post.
Woweeeee Jo, well done for so much work completed. I had lost my sewing mojo and now I want to sew. It’s been knocked on the head with a tumble downstairs!! Result one broken wrist and very sore coycx plus here in the UK i have to shield without putting a foot outside my front door! So it’s looking up all my saved quilt patterns and going” shopping in my sewing room”. Putting all that’s needed for each pattern, all 5 of them into separate baskets ( yes i have everything needed for 5 quilts without making a dent in my stash). ready for when the plaster cast comes off. I look forward to your email and take comfort even if you are on the other side of the world to hearing all about your many quilts. Keep safe. Xx
OMG! I hope you heal and are well soon! It is nice to be able to have everything that you need to sit and sew!
Oh no! So sorry to hear of your accident! It’s great that you are still making good use of your time to gather the fabric together for five quilts! Please share your progress…I’d love to see what you are working on.
I love seeing the beginning of that Christmas quilt – I have so many pieces of Christmas fabric!
Your Holy Toledo quilt is looking terrific!
I’m glad you are getting your sewing mojo back. I usually have a hard time getting back into the swing of things after Christmas. I was behind on a mystery quilt, so that has me going and sewing again!
How fun! I have been admiring your Holy Toledo ever since you started it. I am also making Holy Toledo and I have my fabric all cut and ready to sew. I’ll be sewing with a friend for a few days this week. I know it will take a while with all those triangles. I keep wondering if I have enough fabric variety, but it is what it is. I always wish I could find more red shirts, but for this quilt it will have more orange. It will be good!
It comes together somehow. Have fun
So glad your fabric arrived and you will be able to start your Halloween quilt. I can tell I will like the Christmas one also. I’m looking forward to seeing both done. You accomplished so much. I am just starting to get my sewing mojo back after being off track for a couple of months. One would think as much as we like doing something, we wouldn’t loose it, but it happens.
LOVE your Holy Toledo quilt, Jo!! The Christmas quilt is going to be SEW pretty. I’m looking forward to the mail post. That stack of packages was unbelievable!!!
I LOVE your Holy Toledo quilt! I’ve started to go through all my boys and husbands shirts that they are no longer wearing to collect the cotton plaids and stripes. I would like to make this quilt too. Our Goodwill store closed at the beginning of the pandemic. I have to see if there is another store in our area to find more shirts. I also would love to make the black/grey/and white quilt that you gave to your daughter for Christmas. I had to chuckle at your comment on conflicting desires to cross-stitch or quilt. I love both as well. I am working on a Long Dog Sampler called Game of Swannes. It’s my first Long Dog Sampler. I also recently completed Mary Eliza McMillan 1869 by Hands Across the Sea Samplers. I am waiting for the return of a quilt modeled after Bonnie Hunters Scooby Doo quilt that she made for her sons girlfriends child. It is made with many Spiderman fabrics. So many projects in my future!
Your Christmas quilt is very pretty, love the colors! It’s so fun to see what you’re working on :) Those new fabrics are fantastic!
Very pretty fabrics for your upcoming quilts! Looking forward to your post tonight!
Will you let us know when the halloweeen quilt magazine is out please. I really love the quilt!
YES Brandy I will let you know when the quilt is in American Patchwork and Quilting. I think you’re going to like the Halloween version too!!
Rosie is so sweet. I lost my furbaby last year and miss her so. I’d cuddle with Rosie while you sew.
I loved your video about cutting lots of squares really fast. Starting my collections of a variety of strip sizes now. Love the black,gray,and white, also the Halloween one with squares. Of course I can’t wait to see the Finished Christmas quilt.