The binding is finally on and my Lily Quilt is finished!  It's been a WISP (work in slow progress) from the very beginning.  I first posted about this quilt Oct 14/2009.  That's slow even for me.

 

 But today as I take a few pictures - I still love it. 

 I especially love the texture of the handquilting. 

 I struggled to choose binding for this quilt.  I wanted a softer look with a creamy beige but my quilty friends as well as the quilt kept telling me it needed blue.  I was happy to find this older blue at the LQS as most of the fabrics in this quilt I used up a long time ago. 

 It's 82 inches square. 

 I finished the hand quilting in 2018 so I think the date is close enough ;0)  This is usually all I do for a label so in years to come maybe someone will think I made it on the occasion of my 18th birthday - lol! 

Of course as soon as I finish something I have to start something new!  Barbara Brackman started a mystery applique BOM called Hospital Sketches on her blog Civil War Quilts.  I was delighted with the first block.

 Block #2 comes out next Wednesday.  I can't wait!

And, slowly I am making progress with handquilting my Trailing Vines quilt.  I am outlining all of the leaves.  There are a lot of leaves in this quilt!  I have finished the first of 13 panels and started on the second.  I will need to think of something to quilt in the narrow sashing. 

Happy Quilting!!

sticking at current projects

I haven't had much time to post but I have been sewing.  Nearly everyday progress is made on one or more projects. 

 These are all of my stars for my Star a Day quilt.  Kyle recently posted her finished star a day quilt on her blog Timeless Reflections  and I just love it.  I have to keep going on this if I want to make a quilt of any size.  So far I have 72 stars.

These 2 got stitched up last weekend.  

 

I finished block #7 for my Radical rose and Reel quilt. 

 

I made a few more tree blocks.  I will make 3 more and then figure out a setting for them. 

Yesterday I finished free motion quilting the blocks in this large quilt.  The straight lines in the sashing will go quickly I hope.  I have not figured out the quilting for the border yet.

More handquilted feathers happened too.  I'm almost all the way around.  I will be thrilled to get this quilt finished but the border background fill has to happen yet too. 
Progress is slow but finishes are on their way... eventually...  :0)

Happy Quilting!!

winter progress

On the weekend I finished block #6 of Radical Rose and Reel.  I had to lay them out together to see how it's coming along. Three more blocks and then borders to applique - so many hours of happy stitching to look forward to :0)

 Here's the 6th block. 

 I've also made considerable progress on handquilting my Lily quilt.  I'm halfway around the wide border with a feathered vine. 

 I just love quilting feathers!  The border will need a background fill of some kind to go with the feathers.  I'll figure that out later - lol!

 On Saturday I pulled out my 36 patch blocks.  I had set them aside months ago to make a quilt for my son.  At that time I decided to put sashing between the blocks but had a difficult time finding the "right" fabric.  I thought I was going to love it with this blue stripe...  Once I got 2 rows together I was sure I had made a mistake.  I posted it on Instagram and received a lot of feedback  - people liked the sashing.  My husband also mentioned that he liked the sashing - that cinched it!

 Sometimes a little advice is all I need.  Thanks if you were one of the advisors :0)

 There has been a bit of skiing going on in the past few weeks. We had some exciting visitors from Ontario and we went downhill skiing

 and cross country skiing.  Both days were just picture perfect and fun!

Of course exciting visitors deserve exciting dessert!  My DD#2 and I had been wanting to make a Baked Alaska cake for awhile and it was a fun and tasty experiment.

Happy Quilting!!

some Christmas gifts :0)

This weekend my sister and her family are visiting so some gifts have been opened early :0)  But first, a little handquilting update.

 I was stumped about what to quilt in the lily flower shape.  After looking at lots and lots of antique quilt pictures I decided on parallel lines - LOL!  Actually, I'm very happy with it and have 8 done already

 Here's a picture of how it looks from the back.  A picture of nothing for some I'm sure but I like to look at the back :0)
Now for the gifts - I made these little purses/pouches for my 2 little nieces and my youngest daughter.  I saw a picture of one somewhere on the internet and decided I could whip up a few.

 My nieces don't like cherries so I made theirs with apples. 

 I put in lots of pictures. 

As soon as they opened them they ran off to play mystery investigators??

Their smiles and hugs were very rewarding! (Maybe the straps are a tad too long though)

In case I don't get a chance to post again before the 25th I wish you a very Merry Christmas!!

Happy Quilting!

one stitch at a time

I've been busy working on all the same projects.  With every stitch I make progress but it's not too exciting to post about...

I finished quilting the feathered wreaths and decided to go back to the applique areas with some fill in quilting.  This design is easily marked with masking tape and I like it - it looks a bit like a spider web.

 

 I like how it looks from the back too :0)

 

I am still having fun making these pots of flowers.  Here is the latest one.  I just love this background fabric.  

 

 I have 7 made now and I prepped the 8th just this afternoon.  I haven't made a plan yet for sashing/borders. 

So, as it turns out, all the same projects is still exciting for me :0)

Happy Quilting!!

handquilting progress



Progress continues with the handquilting on my Lily quilt. After I finished outlining the stems and leaves I decided to quilt little wreaths around the cornerstones. I don't have a template and so they are a bit quirky - adds charm right?



 I'm doing half wreaths along the edge and 1/4 wreaths will go in the corners. 

 After that, I have no idea what I will quilt next.  I hope it comes to me.

I can't seem to stop making these pots full of happy flowers.  My 7 year old saw these blocks laid out and remarked that they needed some fabric thingies in between them.  I think she's right :0)  They will need some sashing.  I'm pretty sure now that I will be making all 9 blocks like the pattern.

Happy Quilting!!

handquilting again

I am very happy to be handquilting again!  Other than a few stitches in the doll swap quilt I made I haven't been handquilting since May when I finished up my Crowfoot quilt.  I have really missed it.

 It's a bit warm to have all this quilt on my lap in the summertime but I open the window and let the cool evening breeze in.

 I won't mention how I basted this quilt.  I'll let the picture disclose how big of a chicken and how resistant to change I am.  Now that wretched part is done and there is nothing but fun ahead!

 I wanted to try a wide backing so there wouldn't be any seams in the back to quilt through.  I couldn't find any that suited and so I ordered this Moda muslin wide backing. I am happy with it so far but it sure shows all the wobbly stitches on the back.  Maybe this will force me to be a bit more careful!

 So far I am just outlining the applique.  I'm not sure how I'm going to quilt the rest - I hope it speaks to me as I go :0) 

My quilt patis project continues to grow. I love the colors and the pattern emerging but I am finding it a bit controlled - I usually like things to be a bit more scrappy than this.  When I run out of those aqua fabrics I will know I'm done.

Happy Quilting!!

borders on

I finally got the borders put onto this Lily quilt.  I drove out to Canmore to the wonderful quilt shop there and I found a good cream fabric for the borders.  It's not too yellow or dark and has only a little bit of pattern so the handquilting I am planning for this project will stand out.  Now I can procrastinate about basting this...  It's 85 inches square so it will take awhile.

 I hate basting...

Since its an hour drive out there I thought I would make a day of it and I threw my bike in the van too so I could cycle to Banff after my shopping. It was a gorgeous day!  The biking took just over 2 hours roundtrip and I loved every minute of it!  It's such a scenic ride and the path is excellent.
So, I forgot to get enough fabric for binding while I was there. (must have been too excited about the bike ride)  I almost wonder if red binding might suit it.  I'll worry about that once its quilted - next year sometime if everything goes well :0)

Happy Quilting!!

slow going borders

I haven't had anything to post for a few weeks.  I'm plugging away on the same 3 ufos.  I'm getting very close to having the handquilting finished on my Crowfoot quilt.  I have 2 branches left to applique on Trailing vines panel #12.  And, as I want this for my next handquilting project I have been adding borders to my lily quilt.

 It took a long while to cut, sew and trim all the hst's for the pieced border.  I had thought to make a more interesting pieced border but the math was easy to just do hst's and I didn't want this quilt to get a whole lot bigger.

 So, today I sewed the hst's together and added them to the quilt.

 I like it - simple but adds something I think.

 I pulled out the fabric I had bought for the wide final border - the one I want to put lots of handquilting onto and - I still don't like it. 

 It's just too yellow.  I tried 2 quiltshops already looking for a different cream fabric with no success.  I guess I will have to go a little further to a couple more.  The shop in Canmore has the batting I want to put in it so I have to drive out there anyway.  (about an hour drive)  I can always use this too-yellow piece on the back.

And its a good thing to finish a few things...  I could not resist picking this Jen Kingwell book up.  There are some exciting projects in here but I may have to take up hand piecing because the ones I like look hard.

Happy Quilting!!

a finish and a question

I finished machine quilting a new table runner for my coffee table.  I'm always happy to finish up with machine quilting - its not my favorite...

 I did very basic quilting - straight lines I can use my walking foot to do.

 Here is on the coffee table.  It does a very good job of covering up the dents, holes and marker scribbles of the last 15 years.  It is lighter than the other one I made for this table -it should be good for spring and summer.

 I had a hard time choosing binding. I almost used a dark brown to frame it a bit but in the end I decided on this fairly solid red.  I just barely had enough.  This was a good project for using up last bits and pieces.
I really, really wanted to start something new but...  this quilt has been calling my name again.  I would really like to finish it - its been a ufo for a long time.  Yesterday I pulled it out and added the outer row of sashing and corner posts.  Most of it was even already cut.  I need to push through with this one and finish it while I still like it. 

Unfortunately, I don't really like the fabric I bought for the border anymore.  (This picture doesn't show it very well)   Its just too yellow for my liking.  I also think it needs something more for a border than just a wide plain border.  A row of hst's or zigzags made with flying geese - something fairly simple.  What do you think this quilt needs for a border?  Any thoughts?  I'd be happy for any advice you have to offer.  Thanks!

Happy Quilting!