First QAL blocks and a Zoom Meeting!

First QAL blocks and a Zoom Meeting!

I hope you had a great holiday season with your friends and family! I took some time off to enjoy my own friends, family and holiday festivities. Now that we are into the new year, I wanted to do an update on my progress with the my three temperature quilts for 2024! Also, make sure to read to the end as I’m hosting a Zoom Meeting this Saturday, January 6th, for anyone interested in discussing their temperature quilts!!

Queens Temperature Quilt

First up is the flying geese quilt I’m making for Queens, NY.

Three flying geese blocks next to the fabric swatch page for the temperature quilt along.

Here are my first three blocks! I’m really happy with how they came out and excited to see the colors coming together!

The back of the flying geese on top of the temperature record for the first three days.

Here are the back of the blocks. As you can see I am writing the dates on the back of the paper. I am going to be making these into 2 and 3 geese blocks and then putting them all together once the month has passed. I’m using newsprint paper for these blocks. If you would like these flying geese FPP blocks, you can download them for free here.

Berea Temperature Quilt

Next is the orange peel quilt I’m making for Berea, KY.

I made a change with this pattern. I at first was planning to use both this fat quarter bundle for both the highs and lows.

Liberty Fabric Fat Quarter Bundle by Riley Blake

Then I realized it would just be way way way too busy with the flower patterned fabric for both the high and lows. I felt it wouldn’t really showcase the flowery fabric and wouldn’t be a pretty quilt.

Then I thought maybe I would use the same fabric I’m using for the Queens quilt as the fabric for the lows in Berea. I put the three high peels that I cut out with the corresponding low fabrics for the first 3 days of the year, and I just didn’t like it. Instead I’m going to just put the peels on white fabric and just use the flowery fabric and the peels for the highs of each day.

Orange peel petals cut out of Liberty fabric laid on top of solid fabrics.
January 1st through 3rd peels over solid fabrics representing the low temps.
Orange peels from Liberty fabric laid on top of white fabric.
Auditioning white background fabric for the orange peel quilt.

Now I just have to wait for a new bolt of white fabric I ordered to come in, since I don’t have enough white for both the sides of the flying geese blocks and for the background of the orange peel blocks.

Once I get my white fabric I’ll be making the orange peels using applique. My applique skills definitely need improvement, so making this as an applique quilt will definitely help. I’m hoping I improve throughout the year!

I’ll show you next time how I am going to be making these blocks doing machine applique.

Orlando Temperature Quilt

Lastly is the English Paper Piecing quilt for Orlando, FL!

Half house english paper pieces and the acrylic cutting template for the half houses.

I am using half house hexies, and a half house hexie template to cut out my fabrics.

First basted half house pieces.

Here are my first basted EPP pieces. I had planned on having them sewn together already, but as usual life has gotten in the way.

The back of the basted half houses with the dates written on the paper.

In order to keep track of my houses, similar to the Queens quilt, I am writing the dates on the back on the EPP papers. Although I know I am putting them together to make full houses, I still haven’t decided how I’m going to put the actual houses together. Since they are so small, I was thinking of doing something similar to some of the other quilts I’ve seen on Pinterest and make borders where I can write the date, city and other information on the quilt. I’m just not sure yet if I am going to make the houses into horizontal rows or vertical rows.

Here’s my Pinterest board with ideas for temperature quilts if you haven’t seen it yet.

Zoom Meeting this Saturday!

Have you recorded your temperatures yet for the days that have past already? Would you like to discuss your pattern selections or ask some questions about the Quilt Along?

I’m hosting a 30 minute Zoom meeting on Saturday, January 6th at 1:00 pm Eastern time. If you would like to participate, sign up here! I’m looking forward to having a discussion on the Quilt Along!! I’m also hoping that we can meet like this about once a month to discuss our patterns and have a quick fun check in!

Here’s hoping we all have fun quilting in 2024!!

Happy Quilting!

4 thoughts on “First QAL blocks and a Zoom Meeting!

  1. Sorry I can’t join the Zoom meeting today (01-06). But I’ll be sure to join the next one. I’ll post my ideas/progress on Facebook sometime next week!

    Have a great meeting.

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