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Summer sewing...

Summer sewing...

Written by: 
cnelson

Happy Tuesday!

One of the oddest things about being a quilter is that while we make quilts all year-round, most of us seem to get the most sewing-quilting done during the summer.  I've never quite figured that out because it seems like all of my friends with children are busiest in the summer... when the kids are out of school.

Of course, when I lived in Phoenix, the explanation was easy.  It was too hot to be outside so staying inside - in an air-conditioned sewing room - was better than going on vacation!  It was a vacation!

I have a to-do list of sewing for this summer...

ModaRosie-To-Do-List

You'll have to forgive me if it's a little cryptic but two or three of those things are "in the works" and "not definite" and "subject to change"... by folks other than me.

The BB Star Blocks - Barbara Brackman's Stars in a Time Warp Quilt-along?  I've got 23 made and given that this is the 25th week of the year, I should have 50.  Or at least that was my plan.  Starlight has all the triangles done and now I need to cut background and sew that.  I think I also need to make 5 more triangles... I didn't plan that well, did I?

Linzee is going to have several posts this summer about "taking it on the road" - she's chatting with several quilters about taking their projects with them when they travel.  I looking forward to that.

There are lots of quilt-alongs currently underway online - mostly on Instagram.  Jen Kingwell is well represented with sew-alongs for Glitter (pattern available here soon) and It's A Small World - this quilt published in the Spring 2015 Special Issue of Quiltmania magazine.  (The magazine sold out pretty quickly here so if you want one, grab it when you see it!)

Jen-It's-A-Small-World

Instagram - #mysmallworldqal

Her wonderful - and obviously very talented - daughter Lucy is the designer of Smitten.  It's complicated and amazing and super-scrappy and I really, really want to make it but... it's not on my list.  Yet.  Smitten-QAL#smittenqal and #smittenquilt

In clockwise order, starting in the upper left - Sewlux - Chrissy / Modalissa - Lissa / Cupacake42 - Kimberly / KathrinesQuilteStue - Kathrine.

It can be made by machine using Marti Michell's template Set H or pieced by hand.  Those templates are pretty awesome!

There's a Thimbleblossoms Scrappy Sampler Quilt-along - #TBScrappySamplerQAL

Thimbleblossoms-Scrappy-Sampler-QAL

In clockwise order from upper left... Etericsson / Aqua_Paisley - Samantha / Sewlux - Chrissy / harthollow - Lisa.

And thanks to Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings, it seems lots of folks are starting to make bowties.  The California location of Primitive Gatherings made a bowtie quilt for their Summer Block of the Week - a very successful program Lisa started several years ago.  This is their quilt...

Primitive Gatherings CA Bowtie Sewalong

The original Primitive Gatherings in Menasha is making this Summer Breeze quilt.

Primitive Gatherings Summer Breeze

I'll bet just about anything that more than a few people have signed up for both... just saying.

So what are your summer sewing plans?  Do you make a list?  Or do you just wing it?

Have you ever participated in a quilt-along or sew-along?

If you haven't, I highly recommend it as it's a lot of fun.  Even if it's just you and a friend, it's fun to cheer each other along and share tips.  And you'd be surprised how "inspired" you are to finish your quilt... especially if your sweet friend is really, really fast and always finishes first... just saying.

I'm off to work on my to-do list... and maybe add something to it.

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