January is coming to a close, and I have just finished this quilt top. This is the Snake Trails quilt designed by Denyse Schmidt, and I made the blocks last fall when she hosted a sew-along. I have to admit that this was a challenging quilt for me. It’s not the first quilt I’ve made with curves, but it has lots of them! I had a hard time keeping the blocks square. Having two curved elements to piece into each block doubled the opportunities for mistakes to creep in. By perseverance and luck, most of the joins matched, and most corners were sharp. I’ll take it for a win!
PQ14:3 – Fifty-four, Forty, or Fight
I made this blue block as soon as the challenge came out. You can see that it needed a little editing to get the squares going in the right direction. After I finished it, I realized it’s the star element I like about this block, and my fabric choices don’t emphasize the star. I will try again on this challenge, and I hope I have time to complete something before Sunday rolls around.
I’m learning to use Affinity design software, and I made this design using colors that remind me of New Mexico. The center four-square block in the original bothers me, so I’ve substituted a square here.
This software inspires me! It is much more intuitive than other programs I’ve tried. This is my very first effort to create anything with the program. I’m confident that I can become proficient if I keep at it!
January Wrap-Up
January has been a busy and successful month for me. I completed two Project Quilting challenges. I made one mini-quilt and finished two quilt tops. I also took a software design class that significantly expanded my skill set.
I’m making new leaders for my longarm frame. I cut the fabric wrong and ended up short, so I had to buy another piece to finish that project. My sweetie is working on correcting the play that’s developed in the rails, and I can’t wait to get it back in production! I have a Phaff Grandquilter on a ten-foot frame. The throat space on the Phaff is small and limiting, but it is still my best option for free-motion quilting.
I’m happy to be making progress on my goals! I need to do a significant cleanout of my sewing room, but that can be a project for February! Thank you for visiting. What are your February goals? I always appreciate your comments!
