Fall stuff

Thanks so much everyone for all of your congratulations on my last post.  I continue to think about my next big applique project. I want to choose carefully - there are so many tempting options.  In the meantime I have appliquéd another pot full of flowers and have the 3rd block prepped.  This will be a good small project to tide me over my indecision :0)  The flowers are just so happy.



 I worked a bit on my Bird of Paradise border.  Progress is slow as it takes forever for me to plan and prep.

 I had to take yesterday afternoon to make tomato sauce.  I can't keep up with eating tomatoes and they are so yummy from the garden.

 I also made these 2 fox faces.  What fun, easy blocks.  Our guild is making a donation quilt with Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Fox pattern.  I think it will be fantastic!

I was so pleased my sunflower bloomed this week.   Quite often the squirrels will climb up and chew the flower buds off before they bloom.  I was also glad it bloomed before we had our first frost last night.  It's such a short growing season here - but beautiful!

This should inspire me to get back to working on that wallhanging for my DD#1 with the circle I handpieced this summer.
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Happy Quilting!!

Done, done, done

Susan McCord was a pretty amazing quilt designer!  Janet Treen made a fantastic pattern!  And I had hours and hours of fun appliqueing leaves to make this quilt.  I'm a bit sad to be done but I know I will enjoy each leaf again when I handquilt this top.  

 

It's a large top - difficult to photograph inside - so I waited for a nice day to take some outside shots.  (quilt holder #2 is a cutie pie - DS really had to reach to hold it up off the ground  :0)

I'm excited at all the possibilities for my next applique project.  I know I want to start another big project. This top was 4 years in the making and that's just fine.  I enjoy the process :0)  

 

Happy Quilting!!

applique

With my Trailing vines panels finished up I was in need of a quick-to-prep applique project for a weekend away.  We were visiting family so I knew there would be time to sew.  

 I prepped this block from the Renee Plains book "A Bird in hand".  Fast and fun to prep there are 9 blocks just like this in this pattern.  I should have prepped more as stitching this down went fast too.  I am undecided if I will make 8 more.

This afternoon I finally had time to add the last panel onto my Susan McCord Trailing Vines quilt.  It was a nice surprise to find I had the top and bottom borders cut out and ready to sew on. 

I am very excited to have this top complete!  Started back in Nov 2011 these panels have travelled so many different places with me.   I want to take some nice pictures of it so I will show more soon.  I plan to quilt it by hand.  Will I be able to wait until my current handquilting project is finished before starting?? 

summertime progress



Wow, has the summer ever flown by!  Regular routine should resume next week when the kids go back to school and I think everyone is ready.

I made another block for this quilt today and I looked back at a previous post to see what I had called this project - Summertime.  I like it.  30 or so more blocks to make and many more fabrics to pull out and use :0)

 Earlier in the week I traced and pieced the final batch of leaves for the last branch on the 13th panel for my Trailing Vines quilt.  I kind of felt sad about it.  I have loved working on this project so very much. 

I'm about halfway up the branch now - I aim to have the top completely finished sometime next week. 
Happy Stitching!!

The too small block

There has not been enough time for blogging this summer!  I am happy to have some progress on my circle game quilt to show.  Last night I tackled the challenge of the too small circle.  I made the navy and light blue pieces 1/8 inch larger on the curved side.

 It fit together perfectly and laid flat - yahoo!  The last thing to check was to see if it was noticeable when mixed in with the other blocks. 

 I think it's ok - it's such a busy quilt made with some busy fabrics.  I have 2 more too small blocks that I will finish up this way as well.  I'll spread them out in the setting and I don't think it will be too noticeable.  Why are they too small?  I guess I find the 1/4 inch seam allowance hard to keep on  curves?

 Here are a few other blocks that are started but not finished yet.

 I really like both of these - they are the other 2 too small blocks. They were challenging to piece by machine and I'd rather not remake them.

Earlier this summer we spent several days on Vancouver Island.  It was a lovely holiday and I was happy to get to visit 2 new-to-me quilt shops.  I have been thinking about the border for this quilt as I'm not crazy about the border in the pattern.  I'd like to find a beautiful print to feature instead and on finding a charm pack of this new line I think I will be able to choose one.

One more block to go - I think we will draft our own :0)  We have already starting talking about the next quilt to make together.  This project has been very challenging for me and making it together with a friend has been wonderful.  What will we make next?? 

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!!

beach sewing

Whew - summer is busy!  We've been back from visiting my parents (and the beach) in Kelowna for almost 2 weeks.  I made a good start on my new quilt patis project  :0)  

 

 I love how these colors look together. 

 Here you can get a glimpse of how this project will fit together.  I am eager to see it grow!

I also hosted my quilting group's summer potluck and the "luck of the pot" was very yummy!  There were SO many desserts :0)  This cake was particularly impressive and I had to photograph it. 

I hope to have more to post later this week.  (this is the week the kids go to camps)
Happy Quilting!!