4 blocks appliqued

Life sure doesn't slow down around here.  I always think there will be more time "next week" to sew and maybe post on my blog.  Oh well - squeezed in between making supper to put in the crockpot and driving kids places there's time today  :0)

 On Sunday I finished appliqueing the fourth block for my Radical Rose and Reel quilt.  (Pattern from Collector with a Needle)

 I wanted to lay out all 4 to get a picture and get a better idea how they would look together but toys are occupying my design floor space...  I found this other spot but the lighting is poor.  Those toys...  I know one day they won't be a problem anymore so in the meantime I gotta love those toys and the kids still playing with them. 

I've also been working on this long forgotten project.  I think I'd been calling it Summertime.  I had all the blocks made over a year ago.  Recently I pieced the half blocks and started cutting sashing.  I wanted the zigzag effect but liked the blocks closer together than setting with triangles so I'm attempting rectangular sashing pieces and I'm hoping to put them together using partial seams but may have to result to set in seams - I'll keep you posted  :0)

Happy Quilting!!

handquilting progress



Good progress is being made on my Bird of Paradise quilt.  The parallel lines in the background are almost done. I have about 1/2 of one block left to do. 

 It was actually pretty fun to do. 

Here is where my hoop was this afternoon.  The sun came out briefly so it was a good opportunity to lay the quilt out for some pictures. 

It's hard to get the whole quilt in and still have the quilting show.  I can see some areas where more quilting is needed like the girls' skirts.  I want to add veins to a few leaves and there's a vase and a tablecloth needing more quilting too.  I didn't cut away behind the applique so I will likely procrastinate finishing those things until the end ... 

The border is next :0)  More outline quilting will come first.

Happy Quilting!!

a new year a new project

It's been 2017 for a while now.  I've been pretty busy but still a little stitching happened since Dec 12 of last year :0)

 

We decided to do a little renovation to our basement family room.  My sewing area is in that room so it got mostly packed up until the drywall dust settles. I just had to still sew so a small space was made in my bedroom to sew with my little Singer featherweight.  I received the Patchwork Diva's book "Treasury of Quilts" for Christmas and wanting to start something new, I pulled a few fabrics out of bins and made these 3 trees.  It was lovely to sew in my bedroom with so much natural light but it will be good to move back into my bigger space downstairs.

 

 A while before Christmas I managed to get these signature blocks together.  I have the borders cut but with my sewing area so dusty and 1/2 packed away I haven't yet designed or started the applique.  I went without appliqueing for a few weeks and then - suffering some withdrawal - I started on the fourth block of my Radical Rose and Reel.  Wow, did that feel good - I missed it so much - lol!

 

Instead of applique, over Christmas I worked on this EPP project.  It grew quite a lot. It was a good portable project to work on.

 

 This last project was a little one I started together with a friend.  I found the pattern in a magazine I have since returned to the library so I don't know who designed it or what the pattern is called.  I was intrigued by the blocks - made from 2 charm pack squares.  It's kind of small to use as a table runner so I will likely add on some applique and/or borders...

 I thought I'd show a close up of one block.

 

 Other than that, I worked a fair bit on my Bird of Paradise hand quilting.  I've nearly finished quilting the centre of the quilt but the borders will take a few months more.  I will try to get a picture of it to post next time.

Happy Quilting!!

something I find very interesting!

A package came in the mail - I was very excited to open it and see the fabric inside.  Windham fabrics has a new line out called Vine Inspired By Susan McCord and I just had to order some to see it in person.  Having spent years appliqueing this quilt - one panel at a time - I was very interested to see their cheater cloth of the same design.

 So here it is - laid across my finished top.  (the cheater cloth is on the right)  It is a bigger scale than Quiltsalott Janet's pattern and bigger also than the original I believe but I haven't seen the original for myself.  Janet found out about this line and had emailed me about it in the summer. 

 It has 4 panels across the width of the fabric.  It's so flat, smooth and light compared to my top.  For a few seconds I toyed with the idea of using it as backing.  It would make my quilt reversible - LOL!  Perhaps not...

 My vine

 Printed panel vine

 Of course I had to have a few other prints from the line :0)

And handquilting continues on my Bird of Paradise quilt.  I am really enjoying it!  The 1/2 inch parallel line background fill is going faster than I thought it would.  I shouldn't be surprised though - what's not to like about handquilting??

Happy Quilting!!

another ufo to work on



I found myself without handwork a few evenings ago and I dug out a ufo to work on.  Whyever did I put this one away??  I love these colors together.  I did discover that reading glasses help out with EPP...  I just bought them and wearing them makes me feel old...  I was gratified that I found they made no difference with handquilting so I only have to feel old on alternate nights.  I'm sure I will get used to them.

 

 The reason I was without handwork was because I finished the 3rd block of Radical Rose and Reel.  I'm going to take a break from this project now to applique a border for my signature quilt.  I find I like the variety of flipping between a couple of projects. 

I should have more discipline and make a 4th block so I could see how they come together at the corners but - its a hobby and I feel like doing something different for now.  Here are the 3 I have so far.  I found a couple more reds and greens to add in at a new-to-me shop in Blackfalds, Alberta - Peaceful Patch Quilt Shop.  I can't wait for the next time I can stop in there :0)

The colors look so Christmassy  - I think we will put up our tree tonight.

Happy Quilting!

picking up a ufo

I continue to progress slowly on a number of current projects but this ufo is something new to post about.  For my 40th birthday my husband threw me a lovely party and at the party I had everyone sign their name onto a rectangle of fabric. A while after that I started making album blocks with the rectangles in the center but indecision about a number of things kept these blocks from becoming a completed top. 

 So a couple of weeks ago I pulled them out and decided on a setting.  I was short 2 blocks for this setting so I made a couple more blocks.  I've added a number of signatures from people who weren't at the party but I wanted their names included this special quilt project.

 What really got me going on this project again was the decision to put on wide borders filled with lots of applique.  I think it will be exciting to design the borders and of course exciting to appliqué as well :0) The background fabric from the blocks was long gone so I found a print with a little bit of red in it to use for sashing and borders.  I had trouble deciding between 2 prints with red in them so - I decided to use both.  One print for setting and borders and the other for cornerstones and setting triangles.

 I've just about got it all together.  It takes longer than I thought to add all that sashing and setting triangles! I hope it's a completed top soon so I can get to the applique part!

 

There has also been a fair bit of non-quilty sewing going on lately.  Every couple of years I make new flannel pajamas for my kids. I'll post a picture of that when they're all done.  There was also some Halloween sewing - mostly some altering of stuff we already had but my son decided just a couple of days before Halloween to dress up as a Ranger from a book series he liked reading.  He wanted a green cloak and so I needed something that would sew up fast.

Online I found a pattern for one made with fleece and it went together easily. Since Halloween I've seen him a couple times curled up in a chair reading with it on  :0)  Fleece is warm and comfortable and more interesting than a sweater - lol!  The girls were 3 of the characters from the game of Clue.  Can you guess which ones??

Happy Quilting!!

background fill

I haven't posted in awhile and I was surprised when I loaded my pictures how much I had to share.

I'll start with my Bird of Paradise quilt.  I completed the outline quilting for all of the blocks and last week I started with the background fill quilting.   



 I wanted to do parallel lines on the diagonal instead of a crosshatch. I decided on a 30 degree angle to try something new.  The lines are 1/2 inch apart.  There is a fair amount of starting and stopping so it's going to take awhile.  I was very happy to finally be successful in using a hera marker to mark the lines.

 Once the background fill is done I can easily see where I need to add more quilting to the block elements - like this tablecloth and the birds' bodies.

I also finished this Kim Diehl quilt top.  I'm really pleased with it but now I need to work up the determination to pin baste it for machine quilting. Basting is not my favorite...

 A close-up of one corner to show this red floral fabric I used for the borders.  It's a French General fabric and I love it!

 I also made a little table topper with some French General fabric. It's a Carrie Nelson pattern called Little Bites that my guild decided to do as an easy project together.

I was able to use up a couple of mini charm packs I had had in my stash for awhile.

And a couple of weeks ago my DD#2 had a day off from school and she wanted to do some sewing with me.  (I LOVE it when my kids want to sew with me)  She wanted to try making a pencil roll for her coloring pencils. 

We found a tutorial online and made some adjustments for the number of pencils she wanted to put in it.  It was a fun little project and I think she is pleased with the results.  Did I mention LOVE it when my kids want to sew with me?  :0)

Happy Quilting!!