A Temperature Quilt Dilemma

I really want to work on a temperature quilt this year!  The last one I completed was back in 2021.

2022 and 2023 are in the beginning stages. I have tried to get them going again but ran into a huge obstacle.

When I downloaded historical data for these two years, the temperatures were completely different from the ones I had used when I was going day by day!

After some research I discovered that daily temperatures on weather.com are not measured from midnight to midnight but uses different times of the day. Although it is really easy to use, this site does not provide much historical data.

Most, if not all, sites where you can find historical data for an entire year, use the low and high in a 24-hour period from midnight to midnight.

HUGE problem!

All the blocks I have made for these two years are now incorrect.

I'm trying to figure out where to get current data that is reported midnight to midnight but, for now, be aware that, if you're making a quilt for the current year, verify that your source reports midnight to midnight, or be committed to not falling too far behind.

My dilemma now is whether to restart both 2022 and 2023 using the historical data I can find or just use the blocks from one of these and make a 2025 quilt.

An unplanned project

 

Babies have a way of surprising quilters. In December I found out about a new arrival and was asked to make a quilt.

After much deliberation, the chosen pattern was Jungle Friends by Sew Fresh Quilts.

I did modify the pattern extensively, but the individual animal blocks are SO cute!

This version is 55" x 55".

All the fabrics are Moda Grunge.

The baby's father is British and her mom South African, hence the little flags.

I'm planning a flannel back and simple, linear quilting. Stay tuned.

Autumn - completed top

 As promised, the completed top.

I'm not sure when this will get quilted, since 2025 is promising to be a crazy busy year.

Border detail:

The pattern is "Autumn" by Vickie Hagley/Pin and Proper Designs.

Previous posts:

Autumn Part I

Autumn Part II

Autumn Part III

Autumn Part IV

Autumn Part V

 The last row!

Tomorrow I'll show you the completed top with details pics of the borders.

Previous posts:

Autumn Part I

Autumn Part II

Autumn Part III

Autumn Part IV

Autumn Part IV

 The pattern is "Autumn" by Vickie Hagley/Pin and Proper Designs.

Previous posts:

Autumn Part I

Autumn Part II

Autumn Part III

Autumn Part III

More pics of the Autumn quilt. Pattern: Autumn by Vickie Hagley/Pin and Proper Designs.

Previous posts:

Autumn Part I

Autumn Part II

Autumn Part II

Another set of photos of my Autumn quilt blocks. Aren't they cute?

Previous post:

Autumn Part I

Autumn Part I

I've been working on this one for a while - January of 2023, to be exact. Wow, that's almost 2 years!

I'm getting ready to complete the top today or tomorrow, making it a finish for 2024, since I count tops as finishes.

The quilting will have to wait.

I always lack an answer when asked how long a quilt took to make. It's always such a hard one to answer, unless you are one of those rare quilters who only work on one project at a time.

Every so often, I contemplate starting a timer, just out of interest's sake.

The pattern is "Autumn" by Vickie Hagley/Pin and Proper Designs. It is VERY hard to track down!

The quilt consists of 25 blocks with forest animals, pumpkins and flowers, and appliqued borders.

I'll be sharing my blocks over the next couple of days.

Chirp is finished!

I met my self-imposed deadline and finished the Chirp quilt this past weekend!

Quilting it was nerve wracking, to say the least. This was my first attempt at quilting a wool appliqué quilt. I’m fairly happy with the result.

I have to give a lot of credit to Daisy, my Bernina Q20. Without stitch regulation, this would have been VERY hard!

The details:

Pattern: Chirp by Sue Spargo

Embroidery thread:

Eleganza 5 and 8 wt cotton from Wonderfil Specialty Threads. Most of my Eleganza is from the Sue Spargo collection but they have tons of other colors too.

Wool:

I’ve been collecting felted wool for a while and from different sellers. My favorite is Olympic Woolworks. Darlene is always helpful and will send swatches if I’m not sure of a color. She will also dye wool on demand if it happens to be out of stock.

Quilting thread:

I quilted this using Superior Threads Microquilter on the top and So Fine 50wt on the back.

Where did the year go? Again...

Well, here we are again.  It's the end of October and I haven't posted anything since May.

I'm not sure anyone even still reads blogs, but I do love documenting and sharing my sewing adventures.

My "Chirp!" project is on target to be finished by the end of the year. Probably not quilted, but the top will be done.

A block update:

Are they cute, or what?

I cut one block too small (of course). Fortunately, it's the center block, so maybe no one will notice?

There was no way I was going to redo it!

Birds!

It seems to be a bird-y kind of year so far. This is a total coincidence but I love them!

"Chirp!" by Sue Spargo is a project I started with two friends. We're making one block a month.

My quilt guild holds a "block lotto" every so often.  Everyone brings one or more blocks of a given design. Afterward, there is a drawing where someone wins all the blocks.  Unfortunately, I was at a retreat last time, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these cuties.

You can find the pattern over here and a video tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company over here.

And last, but not least, these birdies are from Wonderfil's 2024 Block of the Month, called "Birdwatcher". I'm turning them into native birds because we don't have canaries or rainbow-colored hummingbirds in our woods.

And on the non-bird front, I made another little bottle cap pincushion.

It's pouring today, so more sewing is probably in my future.