Progress!

This is where I most like to see a quilt top... on the machine and a some stitches in the ditch. Will it be done for Christmas? Maybe... but with dark blue background and dark blue thread, I can only work on it when the sun is shining and the lights are all on!

Top is Done!

This top is finally finished. I am quilting it soon... the blank space is for quilting the recipients name, which will fit nicely. I've the backing (same as the lighter border) but not pieced yet. One block is leftover, and it will make a great label.

Lord of the Rings quilt

FINALLY! The blocks are sewn together with sashing between. The large dark space is for the recipient's name which will be quilted in. It begins with a J so that will drop down into the left as if it is lower case. I found the perfect font for this spot. 

I am thrilled with this quilt so far! Just needs two more borders and some backing... and lots of thread to quilt it.It will be about 67" x 80" and will belong to a real hobbit fan.

The patterns came from Regina Grew, however I changed the sizes for some of them (and the colors). It took a long time to piece it (the white tree is applique), but whose counting?!

Hobbits ready for sashing

The last block is finished for the Lord of the Rings quilt. It is a view looking out from Bilbo's home, like a porthole. I also did two others. Here is the photo. Sorry it is crooked, but I'm always in such a rush these days...

I've put up a few colors for the sashing. So far, this "denim" blue seems to suit all the blocks and will definitely suit the recipient (age 14 boy). Now to buy that fabric and start cutting strips!

Lord of the Rings Quilt

Here are four more blocks finished (I didn't move the lower left one out of the picture, but it was finished last post.) 

I've one left to sew together which is J. R.'s initials, and another one that so ugly that I'm going to pitch it (no photo of that one!) 

These are scenes from the movie, and I love the one with the blue mountains, Grey Havens. My plan is to do some quilting 'reflections' on the water so that vertical line of contrasting tones isn't quite so prominent.

I'm also glad that I didn't have to put eyes on Gollum. That character gives me the creeps!

I do have a question... if anyone has any paper-pieced patterns that are Lord of the Rings, but different than these, I'd be very interested. I need a couple more blocks and don't want to make duplicates. I might be able to make patterns, but it would be nice to find some already made.

I'm now planning the general layout for this quilt. The plan looks good so far. Choosing the background color and fabric is a challenge though. I'll take pictures of my options and see what you think. 

And another three . . .

These 7" paper-pieced blocks are time-consuming, but I like the precision and the ease of 'pick up/put down' without forgetting what I am doing from one sewing session to the next. 

They represent scenes from the Lord of the Rings movie, including Merrie and Pippin. They are not totally accurate in color because the movie had a lot of dull gray and black which does not make discernible or eye-pleasing contrast for a quilt. I've plans in mind for quilting them in ways to enhance the shapes, etc. I'm still undecided on sashing. 

More Hobbit blocks...

Two more Hobbit blocks. Hope my artistic license is not messing too much with the original colors!

This is slow going, not because these patches are impossibly difficult or small (well some of them are only 7" including the bottom one) but because I'm taking a course right now with a huge amount of reading. No time = the bane of most quilters?

Eight and Nine

 

This are blocks eight and nine. They have names from the Hobbit movie, but I'll do that later. Some of those names are long and hard to spell!

This is fun. I look up the scene on the Internet to see about color, etc. but am not always enlightened. Some artistic liberty is called for, particularly  when there is little color or contrast. However, some are "dark" in tone and color, so must remain that way to reflect the story. 

Foundation paper piecing is one of my favorite techniques. The 7" (finished size) blocks can be made in a couple hours or less, but this 7" x 23" one took a few days. It has lots of itsy, bitsy pieces.

Checking in...

My computer has an alarm set to ring every 50 minutes with a voice telling me to get up and work on my UFOs and other projects. Does it work? Yes, but I don't always listen to it. Taking a Master's degree and trying to do much else is a bit frustrating, but when my brain is overloaded, the sewing machine is good therapy! 

These are the latest three blocks in the Hobbit series. There are 29 of them, so I have 22 more to make. The one on the upper right could be upside down. I need to find an expert in the writing of those who live in Tolkien's world to be certain. My goal is one block a week, which seems easy, but I could use a 'personal assistant' to keep up with everything else that needs to be done. 

At least sewing these little guys is fun, mainly because I'm one of those quilters who likes foundation paper piecing. These are 7" finished, but I might leave the bottom one bigger. A few others are 11" and there will be sashing between... not picked the color yet. 

Lighthouse Progress

The lighthouse is progressing. I put the details on the very top, but need to add some windows. The quilting will add more detail. Each day, the bottom part gets another layer of rocks, grass, etc. Again, the quilting will add more definition. This one is great fun. It is 48" wide and about 72" high. (Just noticed the puckering in the sky... about a five-minute fix, sigh.)

Also, I've got 11-12 patterns now for a "Hobbit" quilt. It is foundation paper-pieced in 7" squares, but I've decided to do those with tiny pieces in 11" blocks. That size will work with the smaller ones if I use 1" sashing. This will be fun and I've a boy in the family that says he will "sleep under it for the rest of his life." The patterns are available through Regina Grewe.