Sunday, January 27, 2019

Baby Quilts

I quilted and bound the Monkey Business quilt I made for my sister for her upcoming grandmotherhood.  The baby will be traveling from Kentucky to visit so she needed a quilt at her house.  I purchased the kit at a huge sale Dec. 21st and had it pieced before we left on the 24th and surprised my sister with the quilt top.

Monkey Business
I am invited to a baby shower in mid February and the mom doesn't know for sure if it is a boy or girl.  She basically wanted everything gray and yellow.  At the same sale in December I purchased the Metro Rings pattern that uses the Quick Curve ruler and gray and yellow fabrics from the Road Trippin line.  I decided it would make up two baby size quilts instead of one larger quilt and I have been working on it.  I have all the strips sewn and have been cutting arcs.  I found some cute flannel with yellow and gray sheep for the backing.

There is another woman I know who is having a little girl and I had a huge collection of six inch nine patch blocks from swaps YEARS ago.  I had leftover pink fabric from this quilt and there was enough for setting squares and a border.. I laid it out on the floor since my wall is busy. I will get it sewn up soon.  I have some cute flannel for the back of it as well.  

 Speaking of the floor.... last week I discovered an unopened jug of distilled water had leaked about a quart out onto some quilt tops that were stacked up to get in line for basting!  I didn't take pictures of the worst of it, but I had a red and white quilt with blocks from over 15 years ago (I was a very busy quilter in swaps 15-20 years ago).  The top was set on point and the reds had run all over the place on the setting triangles but not the blocks!  It was horrible.  My husband was sure it was ruined.  I washed it gently in OxyClean and nothing happened.  I had half a bottle of Synthropol from back when I was dying fabric twenty years ago and though I had nothing to lose.  I must say it is a miracle!!!!  I used about a tablespoon of Synthropol.  The quilt top is perfect, albeit very wrinkled.  Also I discovered these leftover Hawaiian blocks I had hand appliqued and although it is very hard to see, they are now also perfect!  All the excess dye was removed.  The first photo is wrinkly, but I didn't dare press it.  The second photo is the after photo.  I am so thrilled!



Another sunrise photo from my front deck with mist.


Monday, January 21, 2019

More Basting and a Top

Since I finished all 12 of the quilts I had pin basted in my October basting party, it was time to do it again!  On my January 1st post I listed all 41 tops that I still need to quilt.  I have been piecing backings and even fusing some batting together and so far have 8 pin basted this weekend. I had some things come up so I didn't get as many done, but I have today off work and have plans to get three more done today.  I might be out of pins by then but we will see!  I do plan on ALL the tops having batting and backing ready for the next pin basting session.   I might run out of batting.  I started with 40 yards on hand.  Some of the quilts are from the mid 2000's and several from before 2012!  Time to get them out of here.

This is a mystery quilt top from this past year.  I am not thrilled with it, but it is growing on me.  You picked light or dark Kaffe Fassett fabrics and everything was provided.  I picked the dark version.   I wish it was longer, I am not in to square quilts so I am trying to figure out if I want to add a border or just quilt it.  It is 83" square. The background is a light blue polka dot.
Kaffe Mystery Quilt 2018

This is a pile of 8 quilts that are basted for quilting.  The quilt top in the background is about 70" square and I made it in 2010.  The pattern was in an Australian Patchwork magazine and it is done with all Fossil Fern Fabrics.  The name is Fossil Fern Fantasy.  The fabrics are feeling flimsy and will need a nice pressing with Best Press.  Strangely, I had not stitched down the applique in the middle and it is sticking well.  I will blanket stitch that before basting it for quilting.  I have the backing ready.

The quilt on top of the pile has 9 Hawaiian applique blocks.  I originally hand appliqued 13 of them in 3 different colors and had an on point setting planned and because it took so long to applique the blocks I didn't have enough fabric and got discouraged.  I finally used 9 of the blocks and will make a table runner out of the others.  I was also discouraged because the Roxanne Glue Baste It I used turned oily and put some stains on the fabric.  But now it's time to quilt it and throw it in the washer and see what happens.  I had all the blocks done in 2010.


One morning on my way to work I saw this to the east.  My house is in the trees on the left of the photo and I headed west but stopped and took this picture behind me.  I really liked the V from jet streams.


Linking up with Design Wall Monday and Monday Making and Main Crush Monday

Monday, January 14, 2019

More Finishes!

Just a little note, if you have not received a personal reply from me to your comment it is because you are a no-reply blogger or your address no longer works.  I try to respond to all comments, so check your blogger profile!

Now to what I have done this past week!

I have now quilted all of the 12 quilts I basted in October.  I have a 4 day weekend coming up and it's time for another basting party.  I bought 25 yards of batting and will have to piece backs for some of them, but that's okay.  I will be using up fabric!

This quilt was 11 years in the making.  My late friend Deb purchased the fabric in 2008 and the Quiltsmart interfacing.  I was supposed to make a wedding quilt for her to gift to her niece, but she changed her mind and gave me the fabrics instead.  They languished for a few years and finally in 2013 I made the top.  The interfacing is an interesting method and the rings are machine appliqued with a blind hem stitch and invisible thread.  It is a nice throw size, but not my favorite.  I posted a picture on Facebook and my wedding singer (almost 35 years ago!) said she LOVED it.  I am sending it to her!  She has purchased some quilts from me in the past, but I am gifting it.
Double Wedding Ring
The weather was great yesterday and I managed to take some outdoor photos, although the sun was getting a little low by the time I got outside.  We still have a bit of snow left, but we have had a strange winter so far!
I was influenced by a couple of friends and started making this 1930's Farmer's Wife quilt a couple of years ago.  (6 inch blocks).  I got bored with it and lost the CD with the templates.  Forget that!  I had to cut a couple in half for this setting, but I really like the zigzags.  It's a small throw/lap size.  I had fun with the quilting though!
1930 Farmer Wife
quilting closeup


backing

 Both quilts together in the old corral in our pasture.


Sunday, January 06, 2019

Strippy Triangles

I machine quilted one of the last few quilts I had pin basted on my twelve quilt basting spree I posted about here.  I had mentioned 11 in the post, but the one pictured in the background was also basted and I showed it finished in my last post.

I made this top a few years ago.  I had picked up a FQ pack of modern fabrics and had no clue what to do with them.  I cut 2.5" strips and sewed 4 strips together and cut triangles using my 60 degree ruler.  This is what I ended up with, no pattern.  I used scraps for the border.  I quilted it with a variegated yellow King Tut thread..  I didn't have any of the fabrics left, but I found a striped fabric in my stash that I think made a great binding.  Another UFO bites the dust!

Modern Pyramids

yellow flannel backing

border and binding closeup


A few hours after hanging the quilt on my design wall I looked and saw this. My design wall is only 7 feet high (it was in a different room that had furnace ducting in the ceiling) and this quilt layed over onto the floor in length.   My dog appears out of nowhere and I don't usually even see her in my sewing room.  She is also usually very hyper.  I guess she likes the quilt, but now I have black dog hair on it! 

Linking up to Design Wall Monday.

Wednesday, January 02, 2019

Two Finishes

I thought I would have something else to show, but it is taking longer than I expected.  I decided to just show that I have two finishes for January so far!  I got the bindings done on my scrappy leftover triangle tablerunner and this Sparkling Gemstones quilt.

Scrappy Gemstones is the name of the pattern in the book Jelly Roll Quilts.  It is not the first one of this pattern I have made.  I originally started this quilt four years ago for a teenager who loves pink.  I never got it to her for graduation.  She will soon be graduating from college and I have no clue if she still likes pink!  I will have to do some sleuthing. I quilted a motif in each elongated 4 patch section, but you can't see it!
Sparkling Gemstones

closeup
These triangles were the cut offs from a sampler BOM quilt top I made.  I couldn't bear to throw them away, so I sewed them up last year.  It's a fun tablerunner now!  I just did straight line quilting on the diagonal.
Scrappy Triangle Tablerunner

pinwheel closeup

Tuesday, January 01, 2019

Quilting Projects

Happy New Year!  As I usually do, I made a list of my projects.  I really did make progress and I have the proof.  It's just that I like to shop!  I made a collage of most of my projects this year.  A few aren't here, but when I look at this it does remind me I got some things done!

Here is my annual list of projects.  I will do another post tomorrow of some finishes in the last couple of days!
2019 UFO List – Dec. 29, 2018
TOPS TO BE QUILTED:  in no particular order
1.    Farmer’s Wife – basted
2.   Country Snowflakes – backing
3.   Bright Sampler from FQS
4.   Red/White baskets – backing
5.   Primary Lone Star #1 from Jo
6.   Primary Lone Star #2 from Jo
7.   Butterflies from Jo
8.   Scrappy Trip Around the World – started 2018
9.   Pansies (from MIL’s stash already marked with quilting lines)
10.Red/White Sampler – backing
11.Floral Sand Castles
12.Mocha Meringue #1 – backing
13.Mocha Meringue #2 – backing
14.Kaffe/black/white pieced in 2018
15.WASIQ – blue
16.Kaffe Stars
17.Bright Jelly Roll – half quilted – DONE Jan. 1, 2019
18.Modern Jelly Roll – basted
19.earth tones sparkling gemstones – ½ made into a throw and done
20.wedding ring – basted
21.Antique Dresden
22.Butterfly Row X Row – backing
23.Purple/Turquoise Sampler – backing
24.Turquoise/Black Stack and Whack – backing
25.Scrap Swap quilt top – backing
26.Janice’s stars
27.Monkey Business pieced in Dec. 2018
28.Red Truck – pieced in 2018 – DONE Dec. 31, 2018
29.Scrap Christmas leftovers with rick rack – basted pieced in 2018  DONE – Dec. 29, 2018
30.Christmas Eve Tablerunner – backing
31.Food tablecloth – backing
32.Fossil Fern – backing
33.Hawaiian applique - backing
34.Blue baskets – backing
35.charity quilt 1
36.charity quilt 2
37.charity quilt 3
38. Jan’s hand quilting top
39. MIL’s Irish Chain hand quilting
40. Mini hand quilting wholecloth
41. Scrap tablerunner – DONE Jan. 1, 2019

UFO’s or PIP’s (projects in progress)
1.    Purple batiks scraps
2.   Batik rail fence scrap
3.   30’s scrap blocks.
4.   Something Blue – paper pieced
5.   Batiks Farmer’s Wife
6.   Rose Applique
7.   Winter Wonderland
8.   Amish Sampler
9.   Bow Tucks Purse
10.Bright Sampler
11.Blueberry Granola (purple/green)
12.Kaffe Stripes tablerunner
13.Quilt of Valor
14. Magic of Christmas
15.12 Rows of Christmas
16.Landscape
17.Antique Hexis
18.Embroidery Denim blocks
19.Carolina Lily
20.Scrap Vortex
21.Kaffe Mystery (started 2018)
22.Tesselating Pinwheel
23.Washington Royal Star
24.Postage Stamp
25.Flannel Pillow  DONE 12/29/18

HSY (Haven’t Started Yet – but have the fabrics)
1.   Glacier Star paper pieced
2.   Mistletoe Lane BOM
3.   Row by Row kits
4.   Country Journal BOM
5.   Aunt Helen’s rush Trip around the World
6.   Cat’s Garden BOM
7.   Old Glory
8.   Celebrate June
9.   Spring Wagon kit
10.Brentwood Bag
11.Joyful Adventures
12.Lakehouse
13.Fishing quilt
14.many panels
15.Simpleworks kit
16.Spirit of America kit
17.Betty’s Wool Applique kit
18.Elk Quilt kit
19.Butterfly Magic Trip Around the World Kit
20.Greetings Christmas kit
21.Cadence Court kit
22.Vintage Holiday
23.Folk Art Flannel kit
24.Sunflower kit
25.Tranquil Lake kit
26.Sea Glass
27.Metro Rings
28.Red Truck One Block Wonder
29.Floral One Block Wonder
30.Ocean One Block Wonder
31.Poinsettia One Block Wonder

I am trying out what to work on next!