Progress on the CWB QAL

Good morning to all.  Well, we can almost scratch April 2016 off the calendar.  Before we know it Christmas will be here, but before that I am sure that the 100 degree weather is just around the corner – YEA (not really).

We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and bathrooms and are almost through (I say “we” but O’Krent and Clay have done all the work), but what a messy month with this project.   Nothing is in its’ place, and time to sit down and really finish something, or work on a quilt project is out the window.  In fact, again, I am in a holding pattern!  I am really looking forward to 1 May – my house cleaner will be here to take care of that and maybe the 2nd bath will be complete and we can start the month of May having fun – at least I hope it goes that way.  I could have skipped all the “fun” I had this past week, and Clay surly could have been having more fun working on his hobbies than doing what he did.  But I digress again…. This is time for CWB updates.

Today I am going to post Lynn’s Block 1 and 2 today and re-post Cathy’s, Jaydee’s and my Block 1 along with our completed Block 2.   Cathy and I are playing the “catchup” game with this project.  My hands (CTS) sometimes just do not want to applique anymore.  I am in the mood to just do some “easy” piecing and getting some quilt tops put together and of course, quilt the darn quilts that are screaming at me!  Oh well.

Lynn is doing machine applique (smart lady – saves the hands – but I do not do machine applique) and is using the Lost Boy quilt pattern.  She is miles ahead of Cathy and I but that is OK we have not clock to watch.  Our original goal was to post 2 blocks a month, but when it takes 30 hours plus to needle turn one block,and about 10 hours in fabric selection and preparation of the pieces,  this tends to take up a lot of time, so we will be posting our progress as we finish our blocks.  I am trying to post the same block for all of us at the same time so it will be easier to compare the differences in the blocks.

Lynn is also modifying the pattern as she goes.  She is using reproduction fabrics and machine applique.  Lynn also changed the birds from the original pattern.  The bunny rabbits in the vase are quite different and she added Lady Bugs on the leaves!  Good idea.

Lynn changed the stems in the original pattern to a tree and re-drew the “buzzard birds” to Eagles.  Nice work.

Cathy is using The Lost Boy quilt pattern and here is her Block 1.  She decided to put Butterflies rather than birds!  Cute

For Block 2 Cathy has used ultra suede for the bird’s feet and the eyes are part of the black paisley found on the brown.  Neat feet!  She is using reproduction fabrics.  Cathy also changed her “buzzard birds” and did some fussy cutting!  She also used a different fabric for each leaf for a very different look.

I am doing my quilt in Batiks, so mine definitely has a different look. I did not like the “original” birds, so I added Humming Birds.   I am following A Bountiful Life quilt pattern.

I totally wiped the buzzard’s and/or eagles off the block and chose to do Blue Birds.  I do not think they will have feet on the stems as I like to think of them just lighting on the branches.  I may get some suede from Cathy do redo the eyes as it is hard to see them with the embroidery thread and the dark fabric I used for the heads.  The background fabric did not come out the true color that is in Block 2.  I am using Michael Miller Krystal fabric and it is the accurate color in my Block one.  I guess the lighting makes all the difference in the world when taking the pictures!

Here is Jaydee’s Block 1.  She has been working on this project before we decided to start the QAL and she is using the Australian quilt pattern Civil War Bride.  She is also using Reproduction fabrics.  The blocks that she has already completed are set different in her pattern, so she is realigning her block numbers to coincide with ours and working on Block 2.  She calls that block the “pink” bird blocks.   No hurry as I am on my tricycle trying to just get to Block 3!

I have decided that my nighttime fun will be A Bountiful Life of Applique.  Daytime is going to be Dear Jane and maybe Brinton Hall placement of hexagons.  Whichever, I had better hurry up if I am going to have anything finished by the end of the year – maybe my choice of doing different quilts at the same time was not to smart – time will tell!

Well, hope you have enjoyed revisiting our progress of CWB, Lost Boy Quilt, and A Bountiful Life, and from now on I will be posting each series of blocks as we have completed.

Have a wonderful Sunday and hopefully a safe and sound and happy sewing week!