Opal Gamble – Small. Bold. Useful.

Jul

2017

FAL 2017 – Q3

Q2 was a “close, but not quite” quarter. I have a few projects very close to done, but they didn’t cross the finish line in time.

1. Karen’s Log Cabin Quilt

Started in 2000 by Karen, it’s languished in a closet for about 16 years … then it moved to my house to be procrastinated on here! I have a long-arm appointment July 21, so this will be done while Karen is here on vacation.

Top is assembled and waiting for quilting

2. & 3. Alicia’s Memory Quilt

When a good friend asked me to help her make a quilt from her little guys’ baby clothes, how could I say no?! This is a two-for-one quilt: the idea is that half is for Kid 1 and half is for Kid 2, when the time comes. Until then, the two quilts are sewn together to become a comfy sofa snuggling blanket for movie night.

Kid 2’s quilt is ready for binding at the beginning of Q3. Kid 1’s quilt is still in blocks.

Due at the beginning of September.

Back a few weeks ago to when assembly started

4. Mom’s Stash Quilt, #3

Quilt 1 and 2 were so loved that a third is requested. Mom’s stash of fabric is still going, even after making King and Queen quilts… maybe the third will be the end of the suitcase of fabric?

Mom’s Stash

5. Night Sky Quilt

I loved this quilt the moment I saw it. I have 3 of the blocks assembled… just 39 more to go.

I started with the blue blocks

6. Blue Lucky Star Quilt

I bought all of the fabric to make the quilt top for a friend. Then he stalled and so did I. I want to get it done and out of storage.

Blue Lucky Star Fabrics

7. & 8. Gravity Quilt C & D

I had so much fun with the Gravity Quilts I decided to make more. I bought the Kona kits… which are now hogging valuable storage space.

More Gravity Quilts

9. Nido Shawl

Being the slowpoke of the knit-a-long group, I’m still going while everyone else is more or less done. I’d like to get this done in July so I can move onto other projects.

Knitting in front of the campfire

10. YinYang Kitty Ankle Socks

Aren’t these adorable? I cast on the first sock and got to the ears, then got distracted by the Nido shawl. Time to get knitting.

Example of what my socks should look like when they’re done. © Geena Garcia

11. Downpour Pullover

I went to a yarn night at my local knitting store and discovered Sugar Bush Drizzle yarn in Aqua Frost. I was doing okay at resisting temptation until I saw that colour. Then I KNEW I had to make that Downpour sweater!

Aqua Frost and mohair. Apparently my yarn downfall combo.

12. Gravity Pillow B

I keep forgetting that there is a pattern for matching pillows for the Gravity Quilts, made out of the scraps. Good thing I also forgot to tell the purchasers of the quilt that it was an option.

Time to deal with the scraps

13. Rainbow Quilt 3

I have so much left over from the first rainbow quilt that I figured I would make a second one… and now a third! I have about 30% of the blocks assembled. Part of the problem with this one is figuring out what layout to use for the HST blocks.

Just playing around with different layout options … which leads to too many options!

Apr

2017

FAL 2017 – Q2

Q1 of the 2017 Finish-A-Long was small. I got a little cocky and exhausted after the Gravity quilts in January, and spent most of February and March knitting socks instead of quilting!

BAD OPAL!

In Q2, I hope to wrap up a bunch of projects. Some of them I started in Q1, but didn’t get done. Karen’s Log Cabin MUST be number 1 on the list, because I want it done before she comes home for the summer.

Once that quilt is done, I’m going to take a breather and make a quilt that’s in my preferred colour-scheme and tonal range before moving on to other projects.

1. Karen’s Log Cabin Quilt

Started in 2000 by Karen, it’s languished in a closet for about 16 years … then it moved to my house to be procrastinated on here! Karen comes home in June, so I’d like to get this one done before she returns.

Some of the blocks are done

2. Rainbow Quilt 2

I have so much left over from the first rainbow quilt that I figured I would make a second one. I have about 50% of the blocks assembled. Part of the problem with this one is figuring out what layout to use for the HST blocks. I think I may stick with classic zigzag.

Just playing around with different layout options … which leads to too many options!

3. Alicia’s Memory Quilt

Alicia has pre-cut the squares and done a layout. I just need to sew it all together and quilt!

Due at the beginning of September.

The big box of blocks

4. Mom’s Stash Quilt, #3

Quilt 1 and 2 were so loved that a third is requested. Mom’s stash of fabric is still going, even after making King and Queen quilts… maybe the third will be the end of the suitcase of fabric?

Mom’s Stash

5. Night Sky Quilt

I loved this quilt the moment I saw it. I bought the fabric for a Queen quilt and then did nothing. Time to fix that!

Night Sky

6. Blue Lucky Star Quilt

I bought all of the fabric to make the quilt top for a friend. Then he stalled and so did I. I want to get it done and out of storage.

Blue Lucky Star Fabrics

7. & 8. Gravity Quilt C & D

I had so much fun with the Gravity Quilts I decided to make more. I bought the Kona kits… which are now hogging valuable storage space.

More Gravity Quilts

9. Branches Table Runner for Karen

7′ long Christmas runner. Due for when Karen comes home in June. I have the top assembled, I just need to get it quilted and bound.

Branches table runner

10. Star Table Runner for family

Christmas runner. Due for spring. STILL waiting on a length.

Half-finished table runner

11. Lavender Socks

Two at a time, toe-up ankle socks for yours truly. They’re in the vibrant “Sorry, Not Sorry” pink/purple from Hedgehog Fibres.

Matching my nail polish to my socks isn’t a requirement, but it IS fun.

12. Downpour Pullover

Aqua Frost and mohair. Apparently my yarn downfall combo.

13. & 14. Gravity Pillows A and B

I keep forgetting that there is a pattern for matching pillows for the Gravity Quilts, made out of the scraps. Good thing I also forgot to tell the purchasers of the quilt that it was an option.

Time to deal with the scraps

Mar

2017

Star Table Runner for Karen

This is the longest version I’ve made of the star table runner – it’s SEVEN FEET LONG.

As you can see, it’s pretty comical on our little dining room table, but I’m sure it’ll be brilliant on Karen’s!

I quilted the beige background with clear nylon thread, so while you can see texture, you don’t see much of the meandering quilting. I did this to let the stars pop without competition.

Started: February 2017.
Finished: February 2017

This table runner is one of my Q1 finishes, for the 2017 FAL. See my Q1 list here.

Mar

2017

Romy’s One Block Wonder Quilt

This is my second One Block Wonder quilt. It is a double, and intended to cover a futon in an office.

I free motion quilted this on a longarm in about 2 hours.

Quilt Started: February 2017.
Quilt Finished: March 26, 2017

This quilt is one of my Q1 finishes, for the 2017 FAL. See my Q1 list here.

Feb

2017

Gravity Quilt 2

The second Gravity quilt got a 3.5 hour session on the longarm quilting machine. Having learned from my first session, I did a better job of managing the machine and had fewer glitches. I also decided to quilt the black to grey gradient area on the longarm, and managed to get the entire quilt done during my session!

Quilt Started: September 2016.
Quilt Finished: January 28, 2017

This quilt is one of my Q1 finishes, for the 2017 FAL. See my Q1 list here.

Feb

2017

Gravity Quilt 1

The first Gravity quilt got a 4 hour session on the longarm quilting machine, and thanks to a threading mishap, I had to rip out 2.5 of the diamonds and redo them at home on my machine. I also had to finish the black to light grey areas of the quilt on my own machine, which was quite the upper arm workout.

In lessons learned, I did not trim the extra batting before removing the quilt from the longarm machine. BIG MISTAKE. The quilt ended up coated in lint that was hard to remove.

Quilt Started: September 2016.
Quilt Finished: January 31, 2017