Tag Archives: 100 Day Project

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I shared the first of my five mini quilts completed during my 100 day project a couple months back. The project I actually started piecing on day 1 back in July was this yellow quilt. Day 1 started with these first five pieces sewn together.

I'd started the project with a plan for the color palette (black, white, and shades of yellow) and the intent to make a log cabin that would finish at 16 1/2" square. I'd chosen the three black and white prints you see here, and before I started cutting or sewing I thought this version would be a quarter log cabin and chose the text print to be my starting corner. (This was about the largest square I could cut from the scrap of this text print.) As I added the black prints, I opted to fussy cut the placement of the dots and arrows. And I started with my lightest and brightest yellows. My black logs finish at 1/2" wide because that's what worked with the prints.

When I came back to it on day 2, the text print no longer wanted to be in the corner so I started building on all four sides of the log cabin. I kept my black logs at 1/2" finished and decided my yellow logs would get larger as I went. The first four yellow logs (one on each side) all finish at 1/2" wide. I also continued the pattern of adding the black to two side, then the yellow to the same two sides before I moved to the opposite half of the block.

Sometimes I lay my fabrics out to get a visual of where the fabric placement will me. I snap a quick photo as reference. Since I often work on multiple projects at once, you can see my pink/coral/white/yellow solids for some bee blocks peeking out from underneath.

My final design choice was to finish with the log cabin off center. At some point I did the math to determine the sizes of my yellow logs so the quilt would finish at 16 1/2" square.

I free motion quilted with Aurifil 50wt Yellow (#2135), beginning in the center with a daisy, then cursive l's (in increasingly larger sizes) in each yellow log.

I used corner triangles for my label and to use for a hanging rod and machine bound with Kona black. Keeping with my system of backing the quilts with a fat quarter from my stash, I picked this bug print since the front reminded me of a bumble bee.

I'll have to write in more about the 100 Day Project and the Improv Log Cabin series on my label, but the essentials are there, name and date completed.

You can see the other quilts in the series here:

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We are one week into Quilting the Countdown 100 day project. There are 93 days left until QuiltCon. I'm working on my dormant Patchwork City WIP and it's been exciting to get back to it. My goal is 15 minutes a day, though some days I have worked longer on this project. Here's a glimpse at what I've gotten done this week.

Aided by the fact that I had three blocks precut, I finished two blocks this week, bringing me to 30 out of 75 blocks complete. The blocks shown this week feature Kona Grass Green, Torch, and Cyan. Many of the blocks in this quilt require templates. I'm making mine by tracing onto freezer paper, so I can iron it onto the fabric and trim 1/4" around the template pieces for precision.

One of my favorite tools in my studio is my pile of fast food trays. They are so helpful for keeping the pieces of a block or project together. Though, I think I'm ready to level up to using a sheet pan rack for keeping all the components of a project together on the larger trays.

My last (barely) 15 minutes was to sew together these strips (that I'd cut out the previous day). They aren't even pressed. Today I'll be pressing them, cutting them up, and sewing them back together for my next finished block.

I love the aesthetic of these blocks with black, white, grey, and one color. Black and white prints are a favorite and I'm happy to have a lot of text prints to use in this project. I also like that I can jump around and work on different colors to keep me interested and excited to work on it.

Are you on Instagram? Cassandra is the organizer of Quilting the Countdown. She's making orange triangular blocks and regularly sharing others' projects in her IG stories. Hashtags are a little wonky on IG at the moment, but you may be able to see more at #quiltingthecountdown. The beauty of the countdown is that you can join in whenever you'd like. Start today and do a 93 day project. Or start on day 75, 50, or 25... whatever you'd like! Let me know if you're participating. I'd love to see what you're making.

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Tomorrow I'll be starting a new 100 Day Project. (I know! I haven't even shared all the quilts I finished in my last 100 Day Project that wrapped up last month! Stay tuned for those.)

Backstory: I started a 100 Day Project in April and stopped participating after day 49. I had realized that the scope of my initial project was a little too robust for the amount of time I had to actually sew. I'd pivoted a little to finish another project (which fit the technique requirements of my initial plan, generally speaking), and I wasn't really having fun with the project anymore. I am glad I participated. (I'm also glad I stopped.) I made a lot of things I'm excited about, but most importantly it taught me a little about what would work for me in a future 100 Day Project. I have longtime admired the people that make a finished item a day (like a mini quilt or a postcard) for 100 Days. The second time around (July 20 - October 27, 2020) I set myself a more attainable goal: 15 minutes a day working on a series of mini quilts. I wouldn't be cranking out 100 finished items, but I would make progress on creating quilts in a series that I was excited to work on. I'd made the first two in January and February. I shared my green improv log cabin quilt back in September.

I had such a great time with my recent 100 Day Project. I made five 16 1/2" x 16 1/2" improv log cabin mini quilts, start to finish. Some days I worked longer than fifteen minutes and, truth be told, a few days I didn't make it into the studio and felt liberated to make up those sewing minutes the following day. I didn't share on the blog except for that September post, and I only shared a handful of posts on Instagram. But I saw the project through and made five quilts. I'm calling that a win.

I'd been thinking about starting a new 100 Day Project (though I had no specific plan) when I saw Cassandra post on Instagram that she would be starting again on November 10. She encouraged quilters to join in with their own project. She has decided to count down from 100 and is calling it #quiltingthecountdown. I love the quilting community and was excited to join in. I considered another improv project, perhaps one making blocks or units that turned into a finished quilt during the project (like Cassandra's last two projects), but I decided to go another way and pull out a WIP. I'll be spending at least 15 minutes a day working on my Patchwork City quilt. This is a project I started way back in February of 2015! (I wish I could say it's my oldest WIP, but it most certainly isn't.) Recently an IG friend finished up her Patchwork City quilt and I felt a little envious. Today Jessica posted her first Patchwork City block and it made me itch to work on mine. I considered other options and kept coming back to pulling this one off the shelf. So off I go upstairs to pull the project out and make a plan for myself for tomorrow. If I remember correctly I have some blocks cut out and ready to piece together. (Score!) If by chance, this quilt gets finished before I countdown to Day 1, I'll choose another WIP to work on for the remainder of the project.

This time around I plan to share weekly updates on my blog. I'll share some process photos on Instagram as well. Click for a peek at some of my first finished blocks.

Have you ever done a 100 Day Project (quilting or otherwise)? There's still time to participate with us. Join us over at Instagram with the #quiltingthecountdown hashtag. Tuesday, November 10 is Day 100 on our countdown.