I didn't get a single fan blade or any other quilting/sewing done yesterday. Think I have pulled enough fabrics now and that although I said I was done fussy cutting, I think I can hide one dark blue Seahawk (pro team/not college) fan blade among the others!

I am so easily amused.

We are finally back to two working vehicles. The truck looks better than it has in a decade, but apparently after the frame work, the alignment had been paid for but not actually done so we have one more little stumble, appointment made.

I don’t think I will ever be able to buy fabric again! Year after year I participate in this moratorium using up what I have, finally seeing progress- room on my shelves- start thinking ( hey maybe next year I will be able to enjoy visiting shops again- pick up some new fabric….)

last night my husband’s best friend called him- suddenly he is saying here I will just hand the phone to Colleen….ok, Jess has never asked to talk to me before- must need something fixed….
his neighbor just lost his wife- he has Boxes and boxes of quilting fabric ( evidently she used to work at a shop downstate) there are a couple quilts that need finished- bindings; Neighbor just wants someone to take all this fabric and finish the quilts for him— Jesse told him he knew just the person- and called me. I said no problem finishing the quilts— how much fabric though - I don’t want to need a U-haul, I said jokingly __ Jess says- oh don’t worry- I have a brand new truck- I’ll get it all to you!

have no idea what and how much ( he just said boxes and boxes) but I’m already feeling overwhelmed and thinking- so much for making headway.
I am grateful and appreciate him thinking of me and telling this man about all the awards I’ve won- and, when it comes down to it I cannot afford to shop for fabric anyway, but I’m just picturing boxes and boxes cluttering my space , when I was finally getting it a little bit uncluttered.
im sure it’s all going to be fine.
between a kind of crazy work schedule, the stack of 14 quilt tops Ben made still waiting for me to quilt and the 5 or 6 of mine…
I know…just breathe it’s going to be ok, and kind of exciting to see ( new to me) fabrics.
guess I will be participating for a few more years.

I guess other people don't have these problems, ckcowl, but I know that I and most of my... more advanced... quilting friends have people running up to us and handing us bags or boxes or truckloads of fabrics and such things. Just when we think we finally got a handle on our own stuff, there's more more more!

Very kind of you to take this on and to finish things left undone.

And what fun! If nothing else you have hours of fabric playing ahead of you. I should go back into my sewing room and do some more clean up, it is a disaster after this last dive looking for fan blade fabrics. I did indeed get them all cut, all sewn into 2-fers, which have now been turned into quarters, and pinned into the final arcs. That, however, can wait until tomorrow :) both clean up and sewing.

When I first read this, I thought it would be a dream come true, but I appreciate how honest you are. It grants insight that makes me think that perhaps I should get into the habit of using what I have whenever possible before going out and getting more... Thank you. :-)

I said this would go fast once I got those fan blades cut! Cleaning isn't going so fast, but all the arcs are done and I am putting on the rickrack.

My rules for random for this project is there are no more than 10 pieces of any fabric. I used up the last bits of the fat quarters of the Michigan fabrics fussy cutting them -- yay me, no stash gain! Each fan has at least 1 Michigan Fabric, 2 yellow, 2 light blue and 2 dark (including the Michigans). I did find one block this morning as I'm working with them that does have 2 repeating fabrics, but they are both dark and separated from each other and good enough. The one Seahawk blade is being discrete but I can find it!

Is just 1/2" rickrack, so the 1/4" seam line is right in the middle. I use a small stitch anyway, but for those that stitch larger, this is a place to bring down that length, the curve just snaps into place with nothing at all but a press to hold it in place. You position the fan arc and just stitch right there at the fold and basically just applique it down to the backing block. Then position the pie piece and do the same. While on the subject of rickrack, Hobby Lobby seems to have the best price/color selection/easy availability,

I like using the full block as a foundation, I made a fan quilt the traditional way with the L shapes and while you can minimize the waste in cutting to some degree, I find the benefits of the foundation to outweigh the cost of fabric. Even though I miscalculated and had to buy more to make the triangles...

Me again -- I was asked for some clarification on this rickrack technique. Again, I call it the Eleanor Burns method --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktzb2wMMwzc
Fan segment starts around minute 18.

Here's that same block as before, showing how when you flip it, the rickrack stays flat, it is the fabric that bends. On my vintage machine I had a foot to apply trims, don't think I have that same sort with my modern machine, so I pin the rickrack in place. I don't like sewing over pins so I pull them as I go over.

First you position the arc over the foundation block. I will have a guide for me to easily be consistent, any bobbles and wobles and the fan being slightly off just get trimmed even to the square. You stitch in the ditch of the rickrack and the fan blades, it is plenty secure. Then you put on the pie piece and so the same -- and voila! finished fan block.

It gives a super nice smooth curve easy and fast even. Maybe not every project suited to rickrack but once you've done it, it grows on you! I am also using a John Flynn template kit for the blades and pies.

Iceblossom- seeing your * rickrack* way to do these truly makes me want to revisit Dresden’s I love how those look! I know somewhere I have a shoebox size tote full of blades- that I just never did anything with ( I think they were in boxes of fabrics from the last good friend who brought me truck loads of boxes from a quilters basement after she passed. I loved the fabrics but didn’t want to deal with them. Yours are so inspiring. Just the push I needed. And timely- since soon new boxes will be coming my way.

I am sort of known for finding more work for others to do, Ck :) Just want to remind you that the Judy Niemeyer top I got earlier this year came from the same sort of help situation as you are in. Lucky for me, I was able to keep it but still a good thing for me to keep in mind... why I'm using and not buying fabric.

If you haven't, watch the video. Eleanor's fans are so pretty compared to my goofy turkeys and now college team color variations. But, I'm a goofy quilter...

So a couple things I forget to mention -- I really prefer the rickrack that comes on ribbon spools or yardage rather than the folded ones. Those bends at the folds are so hard to get out even if you iron them. The rickrack I'm using doesn't really have a good or a bad side, but if yours does, you want the good side down so that when you flip the seam, that is the side that shows. Basic quilt rule of "right sides together".

The blocks/templates I'm using are for a 10" finished block, I think I get 8? large arcs per spool (think only 6? from the folded), and then just a little bit short of enough. That's ok because you can make the little pie pieces from those. I chose to make the pies first. I find I have to leave a pretty good tail at the start, about 1-2 inches of rickrack at the start and that sometimes I need to start sewing with a bit of a tug on that back extra.

On my to-do list/donation projects mental list is one of my super dooper bright things, made up of about 6-8" drunkard path blocks and maybe lime green rickrack?? something that will contrast with the fabrics and that may even end up white again. Don't have my inspiration fabric yet, but this is easy enough to just whip up a few.... and then they are just squares when you put them together.

COVID has messed everyone up. Give yourself grace to feel your feelings with no apologies. Everyone experiences trauma differently and processes differently and heals at a different rate. You may be feeling nervous about going back in public - vaccination rates are still low in some parts of the country and while masks are coming off that doesn't mean it's magically safe now. Your feelings are yours and therefore they are valid. Just breathe....

Covid really knocked the wind from my sails... I can't believe my lack of productivity these last two years... but each day is a new day. I'm still pretty deep in the well of despair but i can see improvements. Its just been really rough on a lot of us in a lot of ways we didn't even see coming or could prepare for.

In minor troubles, I seem to be out of rickrack. Or at least I can't find any more spools, I know I bought at least 4 and have used 2 on the big arcs and 2 on the pie pieces. I forgot between the Turkey one and this one, but I think it is about 5 blocks total (large and small arcs) per spool. . Easy enough to get more, and cheap enough that even I don't squawk too much. That's part of the reason I go for this brand, can get more easily and at a reasonable price -- beware the cost of the yardage ones! The searching helped me not really clean so much as organize in a pre-cleaning :p Or, the piles are stacked neater and I know what is in them.