WIP Wednesday #8

Today is going to be a Work In Progress Wednesday.   And will be linking up with Freshly Pieced. 

Completed Projects:

0 Zilch.  Oh wait 1 baby new this week.

Ready To Quilt:
4 from last week and 1 new one this week one berry orange quilt

Ongoing Projects:
1 Quilt 5 X 5 blocks.  Also Jeans for Jared, and I started cutting up the John Deer Rag quilt this week all material cut up just need to start putting it together and sewing X's.  Man Quilts 2 more like Dad's Zag Zag and Paisley Parade I have enough X's sewed for 1 and half of these.  I did finish sewing one of the Man Quilts together this week but still need to cut and was hit (rag quilt) so will be done in a day or so.

Planned Quilts:

1 Case Machinery Lap Quilt for a brother in law. (bought the back and then used it on another project sigh need to go shopping again)

2 Bug Jar Quilts for nephews.
Tanya's Lap quilts from her fat quarters.
Rose Fabric for Mother In Law's Quilt.

Totals:
Finished: 10 March, 10 February, 7 January 27 total for year
On Going Projects: 6 projects in the works
Planned: 4 (though I keep thinking I am missing a couple)

One big new thing this week is my Quilting Challenge I want to do a monthly or so quilting challenge I am inspired by things (art, chairs, carpet, wallpaper, etc) and I want to create quilts inspired from it.  This first challenge is based on a pair of chairs at work in my office.  Some at work called them hideous, me they are inspiration.  Post about it  http://richardquilts.blogspot.com/2012/04/richard-quilts-quilting-challenge-1.html I set up a flicker page to track your contributions http://www.flickr.com/groups/richardquiltschallenge/

Richard Quilts - Quilting Challenge #1

If you have followed my blog or I have followed your blog for long you know by now that I like to talk and email and blog and of course quilt.  And I am up to any challenge that can be given.  While today with the encouragement of http://marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/ I mentioned to Marcia a while back about these chairs I found.  At work I am a Computer Programmer and we just happened to move offices I went from a Cubicle to a actual office.  And as such I needed some guest chairs (you know just in case some one wants to visit me).  When we moved into the building (A old building which has not been updated in quite a while) In our break room sat these chairs.  Or Accountant commented how hideous they were and they just had to go.  I could not believe they wanted to toss them so I graded the 2 of them and rescued them.

I love contests and giveaways (as I am sure some have noticed I enter every one I see) I would like to have a Challenge that includes prizes and taking strait from Marcia's Idea the first one I would like every one that would like to enter to create a block inspired by these chairs.  I would like you to send me the blocks (this is your entry into the contest) I will sew those blocks together and every one that enters will have a name put into the drawing (one chance per block you can make more then 1 block) Once I have enough blocks to make a quilt top (we can do Lap Quilts for this first challenge)  If we can get enough people to send in blocks we can have multiple quilts.

So to be clear 1 block 1 entry.  I will sew the quilt top together and those that join the challenge can win the quilt top (you will need to complete your top you win on your own).  

The blocks do not need to exactly match the chair just be inspired by it  The X block for example could be pieced or raw edge applique.  If you are not interested in making a block and entering it to win a quilt I still challenge you to make something based off the chair.  This is purely for fun.  I have created a flicker group that you can post completed blocks in or talk more about this.  I would like to do this at least monthly but could do more often based on your desires.  http://www.flickr.com/groups/richardquiltschallenge/ is the flicker group join up if your interested.  Either way leave a comment here letting me know if this is a good idea or if I am just crazy (My wife would tell you I am just crazy but look at all those quilts I have made)

Thanks Richard Healey

First 3 Months in review

Wow, I can not believe 3 months have come and gone on my time here in blog land and Quilting.  Above is most of the items I have made.  They include 1 Queen Size Quilt, 1 Twin Size Quilt, 10 Lap Quilts, 6 Baby Quilts, 17 Hot Pads, 2 Pillows, 1 Pillow Case, and Tanya made 2 Burp Cloths.  In aaddition we had Julia, join us in our life.  Our family is blessed.  Now If I can do all of this in the first 3 months, what do you think the next 3 will hold?  I think I can out due my self as I am now better at quilting.  Its taking less time to do many of the tasks that use to take hours are only taking minutes. Tanya is now ready to help more which will help also.

The goal still is 52 projects completed in 52 weeks.  Seeing as I have 40 items so far on the list, I think I am well on my way.  We may have to up the game!  Thank you all for following the Journey so far.  Please let me know what I can do to improve my blog to make it more enjoyable to you the viewers.

Thanks  Richard & Tanya Healey and Children

Disappearing 16 Block Tutorial

 As any one that reads my blog knows when I have time I like to yack, and yack, and yack.  In one of my many conversations in blog land some one said something about Disappearing 16 Block. I love the Disappearing 9 block (used this on Dance of the Dragonfly) so I just had to figure out what this was.

Edit.  Originally this block came from http://happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com/ as part of a quilt along please follow that link for more details.

 Google being my friend I searched and Found a Tutorial from Sew We Quilt here is a link to her much better done tutorial but having the camera handy I took some pictures and you get a tutorial from me.  I decided to make my blocks 3 1/2 inches each (just got done doing a huge project in 2 1/2 and could not do that size again, or at least not for a while).

 My wife hates the Oranges, Bright Red's and Yellows I bought for my Last quilting project so while she is recovering from child birth, I went all out and I am making a bright orange quilt (or 3) I got a tad carried away cutting blocks.

 So being a good tutorial you need to figure out the proper number of blocks and cut out the proper amount of fabric.  This not being proper, I just kept cutting until Tanya walked into the room then I tried to hide the fabric while she just shrugged her shoulders.

 I do every thing in bulk so I took all of my fabric (have nearly 30 or so colors of fabricl).  I chain sewed every block to the one after (I shuffled kinda my fabric so that they are some what random)

 I then cut the pairs apart and sew those to each other to make rows of 4.

 I then Iron them flat and sewed 2 rows to each other.

 Then I sewed the sets of 2 rows to each other tell I now have blocks (lots of them) of 16 block's

 Then the trick to make things cool you simply take and cut the 16 block in half both directions to end up with 4 triangles.  At this point you can then mix and match the blocks.  You can sew them back together or you can sew them in other directions.

 I chose to take both 2 blocks (2 1/4 blocks) and sew them side to side to make a Diamond shaped block if turned right or left on the corners.

 But then my son Jared wandered by, so I got distracted and got Julia out to see if he could hold her again and show him how much she loves him.

 But as luck would have it Julia did not want to play my game and show her brother her love.  So she screamed instead.

More pictures of her here http://juliadawnhealey.blogspot.com/

 Distraction over here is 2 of the blocks I made.  You can see that I have yet to clipped the top left and bottom right corners.

 Now that my tutorial is over it was a beautiful day today out side and cleaned up the garden. (Well I made the kids clean the garden up they put all the dead plants from last year into the green waste trash can) And I got the Rototiller out of the garage and went to work tilling the garden.  To prove that I do more then just quilt I had Rebecca get a couple pictures of my work.  This is our garden and we try to plant between 20-40 tomato plants (we bottle the tomatoes) to make my fresh Spaghetti Sauce not that its time to start planting yet it should be back to 50 Sunday, its 80 today

 But we can plant some pea's and a few other things now.

 The Lawn Waste can was full (kids said they could not work any more lol) So I got Jared to help me out and pack it down some.

 It almost got hard to get him out.

 But he did finally get out.

 Dad though is now tired and had to take a short nap.  Here is Julia again trying to fall asleep before I could.

One last thing I got mail (after the nap). I was pleased to get this wonderful Pin Cushion that I won on the blog hop during st Patrick's' day.  It came from  Mary at http://www.hookedonneedles.com/  Now the wife and I are going for a short walk with Julia I wonder how far we will get before one of our neighbors come out and stop us to see the baby.

The 2 Winners and were home from the hospital

Today started out early and since I had my camera I had to take a picture of this pretty tree down the street from my house.  I got the privilege of getting up at 6am to take James my oldest to a State Level competition in 3D animation

While at the hospital this morning getting ready I had to wrap Julia in her first quilt finished by her Dad, Heart's and Flowers.  She looks so cute and her Mom is so happy to be going home.

My dad, Julia's Grandpa is in a rest home and not doing well.  We took Julia by so that he could hold her (yes with my help) And get her picture taken with her Grandpa.

Tanya's Flowers are now in full bloom.  I am sure now that she is feeling better, she might even get some weeding done (in a few weeks) The house has gone to pieces, with mom pregnant and not feeling well. We are so excited she is back and in good spirits except me and the kids are going to have to clean more Sigh.

I got a few more of my Orange/Yellow materials cut up to make a Disappearing 16 patch quilt.

And now for the 2 winners.  I had my son Jared pick which person was heads and which person was tells and then had him flip a coin (A nickle we were too cheap to do a quarter lol)  The Quilt above Burst Of Color will go to 

free indeed said... 9lbs 15oz. for Julia's Weight  

And 

P. said... March 28 at 3:30 p.m. of http://thewayisewit.blogspot.com/ for Julia's Birth time

Will get A Twist of Red indecently both picked the same first quilt and 2nd Quilt.  Congratulations I will get these boxed up and out in the mail Saturday if Julia my little helper will allow it.

She is just the cutest little quilt helper!

Oh as a last note I totally forgot it was LAFF today so um I will have to make it up to you next Friday call it a little bit distracted and I missed one.