15 minutes of play

The Mystery is Over

| Cindy Anderson
http://inastitchquilting.com/category/32-projects/

Now that the end of our second Mystery QAL is just around the bend I decided it was time to share my own project. Over the last three months I have been busy designing, and creating my masterpiece. This wonderful little art quilt originated while exploring the Five-Sided Made-Fabric technique taught by Victoria Findlay Wolfe in her book 15 Minutes of Play.

Late in 2017 I challenged myself to create each of the 32 projects listed in the book. Although my progress has been slow, I have enjoyed and learned a lot from each of the sections.

Creating my own fabric from scraps is a technique I have used many times. I have not, however, tried Victoria’s version. On pages 40-41 she provides directions for a Five-Sided Made-Fabric. As the name suggests, each of the blocks begins with a five-sided center.

Using the QAL designated fabric,

English Tea
Collection: English Tea Pattern: Tea Flowers Color: Tomato Item #: 91329 Vendor: Connecting Threads

along with scraps from my overflowing bins, I fashioned together nine blocks. All nine were then combined to create an art piece I have called Five-Sided Center. Art Piece # 45 measures 23 1/4” x 23 1/4”.

My new art piece was sandwiched with a layer of Warm & Natural batting and a cotton fabric backing. I quilted my piece on my conventional sewing machine using a variegated thread and a geometric straight-line pattern. The raw edges of Five Sided Center are protected by a facing. A hanging sleeve and label were added to the back.

This is my Mystery QAL art piece.

Five Sided Center, AP # 45
Five-Sided Center, AP # 45

Thank you so much for visiting today! I hope that you have enjoyed reading about and seeing my latest art piece.

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Combined Activities

http://inastitchquilting.com/category/32-projects/
| Cindy Anderson

A Personal Goal

Back in December of 2017 I challenged myself to travel through Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s 15 Minutes of Play. In her book I found 32 different projects that I wanted to attempt. With five months of 2018 almost gone I’ve made barely a dent in my challenge.

So far I have used two of her techniques to “make” fabric

  1. Free-Pieced Made-Fabric Page 30-32 and
  2. Paper-Piced Made-Fabric Page 36 (see photo below)
Bits and Pieces-Day Six Paper Pieced Block
Bits and Pieces-Day Six Paper Pieced Block

I also skipped ahead and created a Sawtooth Star block (see page 49). This mini art piece was entered into the Project Quilting Season 9, Challenge 9.1 competition. Even though my entry did not win a prize I had a great time making it. I also really enjoy having it on display in my home.

PQ-Season-9-Challenge-9.1-Flower Garden
PQ-Season 9, Challenge 9.1 Flower Garden

My New Project

Time to pick up where I left off. Once again I’ve combined two projects into one.

  1. My Mystery QAL entry and
  2. Learning how to make Five-Sided Made-Fabric following Victoria’s instructions on pages 40-41.

One of the fabrics I used was the current Mystery QAL fabric chosen by my co-host Tracy from It’s a T-Sweets Day.

Mystery QAL 2
Mystery QAL Hosted by Cindy of https://inastitchquilting.com and Tracy of https://itsatsweetsday.blog

Making the Blocks

Making the blocks, with the five-sided center, was really very simple. I had a stack of pre-cut red fabrics leftover from a previous project. To turn them into 5-sided blocks all I had to do was trim off a few corners. I trimmed each one differently to make sure no two blocks were the same.

The remaining pieces, for each block, were taken from my over-flowing stash of fabric scraps (one of these days I’m going to get them organized). I tried not to complicate my choices by applying a bunch of design rules; all I wanted to do was have fun.

So Much Latitude

Other than the required 5-sided center and the occasional addition of the Mystery QAL fabric, no other rules applied. I even got to choose the finished block size and the number of blocks to make. For this small quilt I decided to make 9 blocks measuring 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″.

This is how my Mystery QAL #2 project looks now.

Five-Sided Center, AP # 45
Five-Sided Center, AP # 45

The Finishing Touches

I’ve already chosen the fabric that will be added to the back and have my batting all ready to go. The three pieces will be sandwiched together and quilted. As of right now I haven’t decided what stitch pattern I will use. I need to get busy and finish this up because the 2nd Mystery QAL ends on June 30, 2018.

Making Progress

Now that I have attempted four of the thirty-two projects, in 15 Minutes of Play, I only have twenty-eight to go. Woohoo! I’m on a roll now!

Thank You so much for sharing your time with me today! I always look forward to these visits.

Talk with You soon! : )

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Project Quilting Season 9 Challenge 9.1

| Cindy Anderson

For years I have been reading about and watching the activities of Kim Lapacek over at Persimmon Dreams. She is a local gal who has her fingers dabbling in multiple adventures. One of her many ongoing events is the one she calls Project Quilting. Kim recently launched Season 9 with a new set of challenges. The first one is called Challenge 9.1 Home Town Proud.

After sitting in the observation box for far too many years I have decided to give it a try. Chosen for my inspiration is the Rotary Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin. I have been a volunteer and admirer of these gardens for many years. The spectacular display of color and artistry is evident from the time you enter the gate and throughout the entire grounds. Being a huge lover of flowers and their rainbow of colors, it only seemed natural to choose Rotary Gardens for the focus of this piece.

To begin my quilt I first had to think about the design and the colors I would use. My love of bright and wild colors certainly had to play a role as well. While thinking about the design I remembered Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s book 15 Minutes of Play. Back in December I announced my intention to use that book in a series I’m calling 32 Projects.

http://inastitchquilting.com/category/32-projects/

As I browsed through the “32” I found one that reminded me of a flower. Being able to “kill two birds with one stone” seemed like an awesome idea. The block I chose is the Sawtooth Square.

The primary fabrics I chose were these

PQ-Season-9-Challenge-9.1-Fabrics.jpg

Using the instructions in Victoria’s book I was able to create this 18 1/4″ x 18 1/4″ mini quilt.

PQ-Season-9-Challenge-9.1-Flower Garden
PQ-Season 9, Challenge 9.1 Flower Garden

The back of my quilt looks like this

PQ-Season-9-Challenge-9.1-Back-of-Flower-Garden.jpg

My first Project Quilting challenge piece is now finished! I had a great time creating my new piece. I hope you like it as well!

Thank you so much for sharing your time with me! See you soon!

#pqSeason9

#projectquilting

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