What’s on my sewing table right now (Quilt studio diary)

I’ve shared many tips and how-tos lately because I love to be helpful. I hope that you readers have found my posts helpful!

Today, though, I’m going to share the quilting projects that I’m working on in my sewing space. If you tend to have several projects in progress, you’ll be able to relate to this studio diary post.

Here’s what’s currently on my table (and slightly off it):

Unfinished quilt projects

Two – no, three! – quilt projects are waiting to be completed. The first one is my flimsy that combines Xs and four-patches-in-squares. It's waiting to be taken to long-arm quilting.

After I took its sunny pictures earlier this month, I folded it and set it down on a sofa. Now I see that it’s accidentally been taken in with two folded quilts, turning them into a sort of pillow.

It will have to be re-pressed after this treatment!

The second unfinished project is the one with Kaffe Fassett squares surrounded with a lot of scrappiness. I've shared the beginning of this project in an earlier post until the center piece was finished. I promised to let you know (soon) if my border idea would work.

Here you can see the blue ombré border around the centerpiece. After I finished the border, I set the whole piece aside to figure out how to continue. I’ve had no revelations – and thanks to where I stored it temporarily, it is now wrinkled, too:

The colours look nice and bright in the photo, don’t you think?

I’ll probably do what a commenter suggested in Instagram and turn this into wall textile as it is now. One thing I do know for sure about this surface: I’ll not quilt it myself because it is already larger than the size that I feel comfortable (enough) quilting.

I also have a third quilt project in progress; one that is definitely going to be a quilt. I have 75 blocks finished, and according to my calculations, I need a total of 99. This is the latest batch of blocks that I made:

I’ve planned to set them up in a staggered design, like this:

How to finish the staggered columns though? I always hate to chop off odd pieces of perfectly serviceable blocks that I’ve made. Maybe I’ll figure out a second, half-block shape.

Would you just trim the blocks or do something else to avoid that?

What about zipper bags?

You all know how I love scraps – and have loads and loads of them! The best way to use small scraps is to turn them into zipper bags. How’s this going, then?

The answer: it’s not going, or at least not going quickly. I’ve only finished two zipper bags this year so far. My average number of finishes in this category is 22,5 (yes, I keep track of my quilting stats in detail) – and if I continue with this speed, I will not reach even the average.

I’ve not given up yet: one bag is nearly ready and only needs the tab that neatens the end of the zipper:

I also have surfaces ready for three more zipper bags. (And of course all those small scraps that could become 100 more.) I finished these two nights ago:

This is one that I found from one of the miscellaneous stacks in a scrap container:

And here’s another. The half-square triangles must be leftovers from the Busy quilt:

It is strange that I really like half-square-triangles when they are combined with other shapes in a block, but that I never love them in my scrappy zipper bag surfaces. Squares, rectangles, and strips just look better to me.

Quilting patterns?

You know, I’ve had very little mojo for writing new patterns since I published the best-selling Busy quilt pattern! It is strange! I have two projects that would be suited to become a pattern, but only in my thoughts.

New tips posts?

So many of you have read the Splendid colour tips series posts, and the Orange colour in quilts has been the most popular choice. Of the other tips posts, the most popular has been the 21 easy quilting ideas for patchwork surfaces. I have enough colours and related topics to share bi-weekly until December at least, and a dozen ideas for other tips posts – so tips and how-tos will continue.

Final words

I’d really like to hear what you are working on right now, or which quilting challenges you may be dealing with. Is it choosing colours? Finding use for scraps? Deciding on your next project?

Leave me a comment and let me know. Your questions give me ideas and may turn into helpful posts!