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June 4, 2024
Cleaning and organizing.............. from Exuberant Color


For the last few months I have spent the first week of each month doing clean up and organizing.  This group of fabric has been laying in a pile in my studio for over a year.  I had 2 leftover blocks from a quilt I made a few years ago and I really like the combination of gold, green and a little blue in them.  I will likely put this pile and the 2 blocks in a project box now in case I get motivated to actually make a quilt from them.  All fabrics are batiks.

I made a little ...

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February 8, 2024
Sewn together and border audition............ from Exuberant Color


There were 2 pieces of Lotus Leaf Citrus color in my stash and it was just enough for this quilt top.  I could have cut one more square but the rest of it is smaller pieces.  One of the surprises to me was that the Lotus Leaf became a background and the stars are still the most prominent part of the design.  I thought they would blend together more.  I'm really happy with my choice.  The top is 45" x 62" so I'm planning on a border and I think the Shaggy print is good with it.  I ...

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February 6, 2024
More auditions.............. from Exuberant Color


I filled in all of the spots with a couple more reds and lots of yellow/gold choices.  Some of those pieces were at least 2 yards so it was a challenge to get the pins to hold them up.  I found one more piece of the Lotus Leaf print so I put that one up in the top row.  (click to enlarge the photo)



I had tried the maple leaf with the LeMoyne star blocks before when I was trying to decide what I was going to do.  The cabbage print is interesting.





I only have a half yard ...

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February 5, 2024
Auditioning................ from Exuberant Color


There were a couple fabrics I knew I wanted to try for the alternate blocks.  Top left is one, Enchanted.  Another was Dorothy, right end of 4th row.  At that point I could see I wanted to try some more choices.  I even wondered if it should be a variety of prints to fill the spaces instead of just one fabric.  I just kept pulling fabrics and pinned them all to the wall.

I don't have enough of this Enchanted if I choose it but it's still available to purchase.









When I added this one I really liked ...

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December 13, 2023
# 3 finish for December 2023............ from Exuberant Color


I finally got the batik star quilt up on the double design wall.  The batting is Quilter's Dream cotton that I had a package of and it was thicker than I usually use so the quilt is heavy.  I finally resorted to using a chair to support the weight of it while I got the first 5 pins in the top edge and then it was pretty easy the rest of the way across.  It measures 73" x 99" now.  I forgot to take a photo with the backing showing so I'll add that photo later.

I took ...

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December 11, 2023
Progress.......... from Exuberant Color


The seam was pressed and red bear print flannel backing was loaded on the longarm.  I also pressed the blue flannel for the other I Spy quilt and it is ready to have the seam sewn.  Maybe I can get the batting and top loaded and the machine threaded today.  Hopefully I will also be inspired to turn on the machine and do the quilting.


I had 3 sessions of hand sewing on the binding of the batik star quilt and now 3 sides are finished.  One long side to go.

Two readers alerted me to the name of the ...

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December 8, 2023
Backing for one.......... from Exuberant Color


The batting is now cut for both I Spy Quilts.  I decided on Warm and Natural because it is flatter and I don't want much puff in the quilting on these quilts.

I also located backing fabric for I Spy 2.  The boys it is for are under 2 years of age so they should like this backing for a long time.


I started the binding on the batik star quilt a few inches before a corner and with just a little stitching time yesterday I managed to get a few inches past the next corner so one short ...

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December 5, 2023
First 2 finishes for December 2023............ from Exuberant Color


Flannel log baby quilt is 38" square after finishing.  Hobbs 80/20 batting.









Backing and binding are Moda brushed fabric which is like flannel but more like the weight of regular quilting fabric.





Flannel 4" tumblers baby quilt is 39.5" square after finishing.  I cut the tumblers with my die cutter while cleaning up from making another flannel quilt last year.  It made for a fast quilt with pieces ready to use.  Hobbs 80/20 batting.





The backing and binding are the same as on the log quilt pictured above.









I got another quilt back from the longarm quilter ...

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June 1, 2023
May 2023 monthly recap.................... from Exuberant Color




Two finishes again for May.  That makes 10 so far this year.  On the left is Kaffe fabric Rail Fence baby quilt, 38" x 52".  On the right Pink Twisted Ribbons, fabrics from many years of collected stash, 35" x 48".




Two new quilt tops, numbers 16 and 17 for the year so I'm still having too much fun making new quilt tops and dragging my feet quilting and finishing them.  On the left Pastel Diamonds is 49" x 72.5".  On the right Prints and Solids: Stars, 63" x 72".




For my own record, this top was finished ...

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May 28, 2023
7 x 9 or 7 x 8 layout?....................... from Exuberant Color


My original intention for this quilt was a 7 x 9 layout, 63" x 81".  I would need to make 11 more blocks to finish that layout.  But then I thought maybe 7 x 8 would be OK.







I moved the 3 bottom row blocks up into the mix to simulate the 7 x 8 layout, 63" x 72", and I would only need to make 4 more blocks for that.  This is not a final layout of the blocks, just getting them all up on the wall to see what value range the final blocks need to be.  A ...

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May 24, 2023
More star blocks................. from Exuberant Color


I got sidetracked in the basement yesterday and never turned on the iron.  I spent a few hours going through boxes of "stuff".

In the afternoon I cut the print part for 8 more star blocks and got them sewn last night. The little mouse in the green suit kept showing up in the upper right block.








I dismantled my large Mother's Day bouquet yesterday and one lone rose still looked good enough to save for a couple more days.  The little red pitcher is 3.5" tall and the rose is 5" across.  All of the Daisies were ...

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May 22, 2023
Heading toward finishes............. from Exuberant Color


I pressed the pastel blocks on Saturday so yesterday I tried 2 layouts.  I can see that the half drop is not working so I'll work on the straight row layout.







I sewed seven more star blocks to add to the 8 I sewed on Saturday night.  I have a couple more cut but will work on cutting all of the rest that I need and sew all 19 blocks and get this top sewn together.  30 blocks were already sewn and in the box with the solid color triangles.









The scent from my lilacs has been coming in ...

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January 17, 2023
Tops sewn, maybe needs a border............... from Exuberant Color


The main part of this quilt top is sewn but not pressed so it is a little wonky on the design wall.  I got this far at 10:30 last night.  It is about 43.5" x 54" now.  I think it might be nice with a border added so I'm not saying it is finished at this point.

I went over my lists of quilt tops and wrote down backing sizes next to some of them.  Maybe that will encourage me to get some backings pieced.  I have a few pieces of 60" wide fabric too that I ...

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September 25, 2022
3 more blocks............. from Exuberant Color


I cut 4 new LeMoyne Star blocks but only got 3 sewn.  The yellow fabric in the bottom right is a really old Kaffe fabric.  When I get the 4th one sewn I will have 15 blocks.  I will start looking for another block to alternate with them.  

I may have to make a few more blocks. 30 blocks would be a 5 x 6 layout and I think I would prefer a 5 x 7 layout.  Now I can work on putting away some of the red and yellow fabrics.  I'm thinking the alternate blocks might be different ...

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September 23, 2022
Charley in the Forest................ from Exuberant Color



 
I have decided the name of this quilt top is Charley in the Forest.  I am pleased with how it turned out and don't think I will act on my original thought of adding a border of more Charley Harper fabric.  It is 67" x 89".  A big thanks goes to Anne at Springleaf Studios for making her Arboretum quilt and sharing fabric measurements and her thoughts when making her quilt.

I just had to add blocks of different sizes like I have done on several quilts in the past.  When I decided the Charley Harper fabrics might work ...

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September 19, 2022
Red White and Blue free quilt patterns from Pieced Brain

Red White and Blue free quilt patterns

Download these Red White and Blue free quilt patterns now and make projects that will be loved for years to come!

Anthem Quilt 2

I am loving the fabrics in the Anthem collection by Blank Quilting! Think of all the projects you can make with them, from quilts to clothes and accessories for the home. I tried to capture all their glory in two designs which you can download now and get ready as the fabrics will be shipping to stores in a couple of weeks. Yeah!

Quilt 2 above showcases the fabrics in easy heart blocks with a mix ...

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March 3, 2022
One more photo........... from Exuberant Color


I forgot to add this photo to the post yesterday.  This rose print is an older Kaffe fabric and I have about 7 yards of it.  I thought it would make a nice back for this star quilt (made with Bear Paw die cut pieces).  Here is the post where I started this quilt.


There are shelves under the center of my cutting table and I hadn't looked at the things on the back side of it for a long time.  Way back in the shelf were these 3 boxes of "stuff I don't need".  It is from ...

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March 2, 2022
Why did it take so long?............ from Exuberant Color


I sewed the center part of this quilt top in 2011 when I had just purchased my Accuquilt Studio die cutter and the Bear Paw die.  I cut lots of scraps of Kaffe collective fabrics and yardage of Kona snow fabric.  This photo shows it with a 2.5" Kona snow border sewn on several years after the center was sewn.  I wanted to add another border but there was the slightest wobble in the 2 side borders and I knew I had to take them off, remeasure, trim and sew them back on. It took me many years to ...

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February 18, 2022
Only a little play time............. from Exuberant Color


I only did a little playing with blocks yesterday.  I decided to try color groups starting with orange at the top and green at the bottom.  I have some of the blocks turned the wrong way in the bottom 2 rows.







I like the blocks in the top half but now I'm not sure I like the ones with the gray background.  I may make a few more specific blocks.





I turned the bottom blocks to their correct orientation.

When I started this quilt I was making a block I love and using all of the triangles that were ...

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January 16, 2022
A couple stars......... from Exuberant Color


I love the Lemoyne Star cutting die but I never remember which color has to be face up and which face down to continue making stars like the ones on the left.  I finally wrote it on the die.


Here is a close up of one of the stars on the left and then the 3 on the right that are reversed in coloration.  Those 3 will go to the Kaffe orphan block box and I can finally continue on with all of the blocks being alike.



I have more blooms on the orange cactus.  Several buds are almost ready ...

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  • star quilts
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