Quilting bucket list

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As you learn more about quilting, it gets harder to remember all that you’ve already learnt to do. You just take it for granted, and then you wonder where you learned to make it / do it in the first place.

So, I started a quilting bucket list.

Just to remind myself of the fact that I actually have learned a lot, just by sewing bits of fabrics together.

When I ran out of ideas of what to add, I searched online and added some things from the Quilting Company's blog, Moda Fabrics "Cutting Table" blog post from 2013 and 2019, Happy Hour Stitches blog post and Quilt Addicts Anonymous blog. 

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-To be done-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-Done-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Common blocks

  • Half-square triangle (HST)
  • Half-rectangle triangle (HRT)
  • Hourglass
  • Flying geese
  • Nine-patch / Four-patch
  • Log cabin
  • Dresden plate
  • a 3D block
  • Wonky Stars (link)
  • Sawtooth Stars
    • in Violet and Orange Sawtooth Stars
  • Economy or Diamond or Square in a square

Designers blocks

  • Florence Flamingo - pattern by Elizabeth Hartman
  • Fancy Fox - pattern by Elizabeth Hartman
  • Swoon - design by Camille Roskelley (of Thimble Blossoms)

Techniques (by hand)

  • American block patchwork piecing (hand-piecing a block)
    • The Hand-Pieced QAL 2019 quilts; Defiant and Discovery (2019)
  • hand-piecing a sashing
    • The Hand-Pieced QAL 2019 quilts; Defiant and Discovery (2019)
  • hand-stitching on the binding
    • on the backside in the Christmas quilt "God Jul" 2018
    • on both front and back of The Hand-Pieced QAL 2019 quilts; Defiant and Discovery (2019)
  • English Paper Piecing
    • hexie flowers in Autumn Kingfisher (2018)
    • all the blocks in Second Day of Christmas (2019)
    • all the blocks in Red is for Rita (2019)
    • the heart details in My Secret Hearts (2019)
  • hand-quilting
    • in Rainbow Scraps (2018)
    • The Hand-Pieced QAL 2019 quilts; Defiant and Discovery (2019)
  • hand-applique a quilt block
    • in attaching the hexie flowers in Autumn Kingfisher (2018)
    • in attaching the hearts in My Secret Hearts (2019)
  • hand-appliqué an entire project
  • Kanta-stitching
  • Boro-stitching
  • Sashiko-stitching
  • make a yo-yo
  • embellish a quilt with hand-stitching
  • do crazy quilt stitching / crazy quilt embroidery 
  • do blanket stitch with hand-stitching
  • patch together pieces of batting with hand-stitching
    • Defiant (2019)

Techniques (by machine)

  • Sewing binding on by machine
    • this is my go-to-method when doing binding
  • Do stitch-in-the-ditch quilting
    • my way of doing outline-quilting to stabilize the top before doing free motion quilting
  • Do free motion quilting
    • again, my most often go-to-method of quilting
  • Use a walking foot
    • my Pfaff has a built-in walking foot, I use it ALL the time
  • try paper piecing
  • try curved piecing
  • do crazy quilt stitching / embroidery decorative stitches by machine
  • make prairie points
    • in the Christmas quilt "God Jul" 2018
  • try bobbin work

Cut and Sew-methods

Quilt patterns, both classic and designer

  • the classic double wedding ring or pickle dish pattern 
  • the classic Irish chain pattern
  • Scrap Vortex - by Amanda Jean (Crazy Mom Quilts)
  • Lucy’s Terrace - by Jody Godfrey (Tales of Cloth)
  • Ticker Tape Tiles - e.g. Amanda Jean (Crazy Mom Quilts) (google link)
  • Bottled Rainbows - by Rachel Houser (Stitched in Color)
  • City Sampler - by Tula Pink
  • Farmer’s wife 1920 - by Laurie Aaron Hird
  • Dear Jane - by 
  • Nearly Insane - by 
  • any Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt - by Bonnie Hunter

Miniature quilts

  • a hoop quilt
    • Last Kingfisher flower (2018)
  • a doll quilt

  • a preemie quilt / blanket
    • Emma (2017)
    • Pink (2017)
  • an art quilt
  • a postcard quilt

Quilting phenomena

  • get up early to quilt or stay up late to quilt
  • chat about quilting with a stranger
    • oh yes, lots of times
  • take your handwork to a surprising location
    • the daycare center
    • the playground park
    • the car
    • various relatives
    • to doctor, therapist and dentist appointments
  • for one week, set aside 20 minutes a day to sew
  • splurge on a quilting tool you've been eyeing
    • e.g. I bought a new XL cutting mat during 2018
  • sew a quilt out of only your scraps and stash
    • Defiant (2019)
    • Discovery (2019)
    • Rainbow Scraps (2018)
    • Autumn Kingfisher (2018)
  • document each quilt you make during one whole year
    • done that since 2015
~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~
  • learn how to maintain your sewing machine
  • clean out your sewing machine
  • try sewing on a treadle machine
  • try sewing on a mid-arm machine
    • I did, just a little, at Syfestivalen 2017 in Umeå (Sweden)
  • have a studio large enough to be able to own a long-arm machine
  • change the blade in your rotary cutter
  • change the needle in your sewing machine
  • know the names of hand sewing needles used for different tasks
  • know the names of machine sewing needles used for different tasks
  • curse when you realize you’ve been sewing air (because you ran out of bobbin thread)
    • aka "I lost at playing bobbin chicken". Yes, lots of times.
  • read your sewing machine manual cover to cover
    • yes, for both my machines
  • make/assemble a pincushion
I think I had 9 pincushions at one point,
but I've given some of them away.
  • visit a quilt shop
  • attend a guild meeting
  • take a quilting class, either online or in person
    • I've enrolled in many of the quilting courses held at Arbis in Vaasa, since 2014
    • I've also taken 3 classes at Craftsy/Blueprint
  • take a class with a nationally known teacher
  • visit a quilt show
    • The quilt exhibit "Tilkkupalapeli", Rauma summer 2018
    • Finn Quilt ry:n national show, Vaasa summer 2018 
  • visit an international quilt show
  • have your quilt in a local quilt show
  • visit a quilt museum
  • go on a quilt retreat
  • donate a quilt to a good cause
    • two preemie quilts during autumn 2017 to VCS
  • sell / buy raffle tickets for a quilt
    • bought one during the FinnQuilt show in Vaasa, summer 2018
~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~
  • try sewing with pre-cuts
    • Pecking Order (2019)
  • purchase some fabric on an impulse
  • organize your stash
    • all the time, because as soon as you move something you need to clean the studio
  • finish a long-time UFO
    • "Mary-Anne Under the Sun", started 2013 and finished in 2018
  • label a quilt
    • I've started to do this more often than not, my labeled quilt are:
      • the Cars quilt (2018)
      • Autumn Kingfisher (2018)
      • Defiant (2019)
      • You, Me and the Sun (2019)
      • Discovery (2019)
  • miter the corners of your quilt binding
    • this is standard for me now, have done it since 2006
  • join the ends of quilt binding
    • again, standard for me now, have done it since 2014
  • miter the borders on a quilt
    • all twelve Color block quilts have their white outer borders mitered
  • figure out beforehand how much fabric (yardage/meters) you will need for a quilt
    • this I still struggle with, because I make so many make-do quilts.
~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~
  • learn about warp and weft
  • know the difference between lengthwise and crosswise grain
  • understand the concept of color value
  • use a color group/family you detest
  • determine your favorite thread for piecing
  • understand the mathematics of quilt blocks
  • use a rotary cutter
    • all the time...
  • use (acrylic, paper or card stock) templates
  • use some fabric you dislike
    • in making the blocks for the color block quilts, there is some truly ugly fabrics hidden in them...
  • add rick-rack to a quilt
  • add lace to a quilt
  • apply a piped binding, or some variation of it.
  • design a quilt
    • the Color blocks pattern I use
    • all the make-do quilts I've ever done
  • tweak an existing pattern to make it your own
    • Violet and Orange Sawtooth stars
  • write how-to instructions for making a quilt block
~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~
  • take part in a Quilt-Along / Sew-Along / Stitch-Along (QAL / SAL)
    • The Kingfisher SAL (2018)
    • The Hand-Pieced QAL (2019)
~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~
  • make a quilt for every month of the year for your bed
  • make a quilt using only solids
  • make a sampler quilt
    • Discovery (2019)
    • Defiant (2019)
  • make a mystery quilt
  • make an improv quilt
  • make an art quilt (see also miniature quilts)
  • make a nature inspired quilt
  • make a scrap quilt (sew a quilt using only your scraps and stash)
    • "Rainbow Scraps" 2018
  • make a quilt for a friend
    • The One for Emma (2018)
    • Mary-Anne Under the Sun (2018)
    • All the 12 color block quilts for new babies (2017-2019)
~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~
  • creatively piece a quilt backing
    • "Mary-Anne Under the Sun" 2018
    • "Autumn Kingfisher" 2018
  • learn to thread baste
  • learn to pin baste
    • yes, and I really dislike it
  • use basting spray
    • all the time, as long as I have a can available
  • help a friend make a quilt
    • helped Maria make their bed quilt back in summer of 2015
  • make a quilt for a special child
    • many quilts for my two children, and all the 12 color block quilts for different babies, as well as two preemie donation quilts
  • make a quilt for a spouse or partner
  • give a quilt as a wedding/graduation/retirement gift
~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~
  • become a regular reader of a quilting blog
    • oh, I'm a regular reader of more than a 280 quilty blogs
  • make a Pinterest board with quilts
    • I actually have several...
  • grant a quilty wish
  • partake in a block swap
  • partake in a round robin event
  • post something to a link-up post
  • comment on someone quilting blog
  • have quilty wallpaper on your computer
  • comment on someones quilty Instagram post
  • post quilt pics to Facebook
    • I've done this since 2015

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PLEASE ask permission BEFORE you PUBLICLY copy anything from my blog.

All images, all my text, and content that I specifically haven't referenced as belonging to someone else on this site are my property and they cannot be used, copied or transmitted without my consent.

The exception here is Pinterest, because I give you permission to pin my photos there IF YOU CITE THEM AS COMING FROM THIS BLOG AND THUS FROM ME.

I understand that Pinterest is useful for saving tutorials and photos for quilting inspiration, because I use it that way myself, and I'm okay with you doing that too - but PLEASE: "cite when you write". Give the creator some credit, will you? I have nothing against you trying to make something similar, or even selling it, but I'd like to get some credit for being your inspiration. Why? Well, because lots of crafts are passed down from person to person, and it feels nice to be able to say "yes, I taught you how to make that".

What I DON*T LIKE is you flat out stealing my photos and my written text. 

If you want, check out my own shared Pinterest board: My creations
Or my Flickr photos: My photostream
For questions or further permissions, please email me at linnea.gronstrand [at]gmail[dot]com

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