First Finish of 2020!

I was working on this quilt top during December and couldn't post photos as it was a gift.  I was overwhelmed with lots of other things and got it to the top stage and gifted it that way.  I took it back and quilted it and gave it to my boss today on our first day back at school.

This was a kit I bought six years ago I think (maybe longer who knows!) from Starr Fabrics.  It had appliques with it and got put aside because it was not something that could be worked on at a retreat and keep track of pieces and it never got high on my list at home to work on!  Then I fell out of love with it.  I also had a smaller quilt kit I had made up from the same company.  When I got that quilt finished my boss said how much she loved it and had made a joke about wanting a king size quilt.  Well.....  I was able to order some blue fabric for the border and I started on the quilt.  I had issues and almost quit but I persevered and figured out what I was doing wrong in cutting the strata. 

I machine quilted it this past weekend on my Pfaff Grand quilter and yes, it is tough quilting a king size quilt that way!  I just did an all over stipple/loop quilting and had fun.  I watched TV and stitched down the binding and finished Sunday night!  I admit I like it much better now!

I took a picture on my daughter's bed in my house and then at school today.

She loved the quilt!

Linking up with Design Wall Monday and Monday Making.

Another Finished UFO!

In my last quilt basting party I pin basted a quilt that has been waiting quite a few years for quilting.  The blocks were from years of swaps from a yahoo group called Washington State Internet Quilters.  I was a charter member of the group (started in 1998) and the blocks are representative of things in Washington.  I can see Washington from my bedroom window, although it is an hour drive!  I shop in Washington all the time since that is where some of the major chain stores are, all super close together.  Anyway this was my connection to Washington (along with going to college there).  I made so many wonderful friends from that group and have met a lot of them at retreats or quilt shows.

I have another quilt I made with some of the blocks and posted the top HERE.  That one is finished.  Now this one is!  I finished the binding Wednesday night and entered it in our county fair Thursday.  I am co-superintendent of the quilt department and spent 8 hours checking in quilts and afghans.  On Friday I was there for judging.  I was given a blue ribbon for the quilt and initially received Best of Show, but turned it down.  I did not make all the blocks, so I felt I should not receive Best of Show.  The person who received it was thrilled.

I custom quilted each block and did simple straight line quilting in the sashing.

Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

Quilting and Snow

I can't believe I didn't post last week.  Oh well.  I do have some more finishes to share.

The first one is a row robin from MANY years ago.  I furnished a lot of the fabrics and it sat for a long time because the rows were wide but not very many of them.  At a retreat several years ago I finally set the top together and now it's quilted.  I am not sure what I will do with it yet, I may be gifting it to a friend.  Another old UFO bites the dust!

Srping Row Robin

This quilt was made several years ago from a pattern on Craftsy.  The directions were really bad and I emailed the designer and she told me I didn't know what I was talking about.  I am an experienced quilter, so I threw away the pattern and made it my way!  However, then I HATED it.  Yes, strong word.  I really do not like this quilt.  I am not a fan of green and I tried to liven it up by quilting it with a shiny thread.  I will definitely be trying to find a home for this quilt!  But another UFO bites the dust!

Christmas Candy

A friend owns a quilt shop about an hour and a half away.  I volunteered to help make shop samples.  She sent me two kits for the same pattern.  The first one I made is Hoffman Wolves.  I am not a fan of wolves, but this came out great.  It's taller than my design wall.  Much bigger than I thought it would be.  66 X 88.  

 The second one is a fox and this is really cute.  The pattern is easy to follow.  I will be making some more shop samples for her at an upcoming quilt retreat.

 We had a backyard visitor last week.  The photo was taken out my upstairs bedroom window.  Icicles are hanging down!  My coworker saw a moose over the weekend and thinks it might be the same one.

Doug had to plow again last week.  My deck is about 3 feet off the ground for a depth comparison.  I'm ready for spring!

Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

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!

On a Roll!

After the big two week long cleaning session I got busy quilting!  On Martin Luther King Day I did a day of service by quilting two patriotic quilts to donate to the American Hero quilt project.  (With two serving nephews this is dear to my heart)  During the week I worked on bindings and more pin basting and as of yesterday I had completed 6 UFO's in a week!  Okay, two of them only needed binding (they were quilted in December), but the three patriotic quilts were all quilted and bound this week.  Then there was a tableunner that had the squares cut.

I did all the bindings by machine or I would still be stitching!  I must say polyester batting is not my favorite, I like the way cotton lays much better!  I have all my polyester batts used up now and have a roll of 80/20 and a roll of Quilter's Dream cotton.

I also set together my heart blocks I had shown in a previous post.

Here are my accomplishments for the week.

 Center and star blocks were donated to me and I set them together a few years ago.  Finally finished it!  Twin size.  Quilted in free motion star/loop design.

Two views of my Tumblers Leader/Ender project suggested by Bonnie Hunter a few years ago.  It took me about two years to assemble it!  Quilted in a wavy diagonal.  Twin size

Two views of Grand Illusion, a Bonnie Hunter/Quiltville mystery from a few years ago.  I love my fabrics, because I didn't do scrappy, but the design is too busy!  I extended the length with extra pieces and it measures 90 X 98.  Quilted by Gem State Quilting.

Two views of the 5 minute block quilt.  I made this about 10 years ago from my friend's stash of Pat Sloan fabrics.  It's a little too country for my taste, but I have friends who love it.  So it will be a surprise for someone!  I love the effect of this pattern and need to make another quilt!  It measures 88 X 103 and was quilted by Gem State quilting.

Another patriotic quilt.  These blocks were a block lotto at a retreat.  I assembled it years ago and finally quilted it.  I don't like the quilting I did  now that it's done.  It looks too much like a mattress pad on the back, but it will be a great snuggle quilt for an injured soldier.  Twin size

 This is the tablerunner I whipped up yesterday.  It was some charm squares I acquired somewhere and then I decided to add coral accents to my teal/gray/cream dining room.  It's perfect on my dining table!  I quilted it very simply with straight lines.

 This is the top I made from the blocks I mentioned in an earlier post.  They were sent to me from all over the country (and the center block came from Australia) after my son passed away unexpectedly in 2013.  I was in a couple of Yahoo groups at that time and they sent Hearts and Flowers blocks in times of loss.  I auditioned sashing fabric and this blue/purple batik said use me!  I love how it turned out!  Now I need to quilt it.  It measures 45" square.

IT has been a very productive week!  I still haven't actually typed up my UFO/WIP/HSY list I realized, but I have six things to cross off!

Linking up with Design Wall Monday

Found Some Old Projects

I am STILL working on my sewing room redo.  Since I am going every single thing (even saved printed copies of things), it is taking forever.  Plus I get distracted.  What?  Distracted?  Yes!  I do see the end in sight!

I did manage to sew on two bindings from quilts in this post., but that is it for quilting.  However I am finding projects, oh am I finding projects.  I was shocked to find these blocks.  I remember making a few, but not all of them and then realized this was my guild sampler/technique quilt that a group of us taught in 2001 and 2002.  It's quite the grouping and I have some other pieces including a full Mariner's compass block that needs appliqued to the background.  I don't know why the fabrics aren't with these, but hopefully I can find some in my stash.  I will have to really think about this one and it will be a nice donation quilt someday!  It's not getting to the top of my list at the moment.

Another old project I found was this one.  I started it in 1995, hand piecing.  

 This is how many rosettes I found completed.  I saw some pieces somewhere and I tossed them, which is just as well.  I think I will try machine stitching them together and appliqueing the whole thing to a background.  It's a good memory quilt of some old projects since they are all charms.

 I am really going to cringe when I get my final list of UFO's done! 

Linking up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday.

Quilting Projects

I am not taking time to post photos at this point, but this is the list I posted last New Year's.  I am going to edit it to see how many projects I finished this year!  I am in the throws of sewing room disorganization and what a mess it is!

List from Jan. 2017.  Changes in red!

TOPS TO BE QUILTED:  (in no particular order)
1.  Be My Neighbor (needs done before Jan. 31 for contest)  DONE
2.  Modern City Sampler/Tula Pink  DONE
3.  Christmas Block Robin DONE
4.  Mistletoe Stars  DONE
5.  Country Snowflakes
6.  Poinsettia One Block Wonder  DONE
7.  Red/White Baskets
8.  Green/Blue Diamond Rail Fence
9.  Primary Lone Star (1)
10.  Primary Lone Star (2)
11.  Butterflies
12.  30's Dresden
13.  Pansies (from MIL's stash already marked with quilting design)
14.  Red/White sampler
15.  Floral Sand Castles
16.  Mocha Meringue (1)
17.  Mocha Meringue (2)
18.  Mocha Meringue with blue throw  DONE
19.  WASIQ - tan
20.  WASIQ - blue
21.  Kaffe Stars
22.  Bright Jelly Roll
23.  Modern Jelly Roll
25.  Judy Niemeyer - compass  DONE
26.  Itty Bitty Blocks
27.  Wedding Ring
28.  Fall tablerunner  DONE
29.  Antique dresden
30.  Bonnie Hunter Mystery (can't remember the name!) 2 years ago  DONE
32.  Butterfly Row X Row
33.  Purple/Turquoise Sampler
34.  Vicki's Row X Row  DONE
35.  Turquoise/Black Stack and Whack
36.  Scrap Swap quilt top
37.  Easy Street (Bonnie mystery 4 years ago)  DONE
38.  Vicki's block robin
39.  Janice's stars
40.  Frog baby quilt
41.  Food tablecloth
42.  Aqua/Gray large quilt DONE
43.  Aqua/Gray throw  DONE
44.  poinsettia tablerunner
45.  teal trees  DONE
46.  Fossil Fern
47.  Hawaiian applique
48.  Cathedral window  DONE
49.  Blue baskets
50.  Deb's wallhanging  DONE

UFO's or PIP's (Projects in Progress)
1.  Earth tone batik scraps  DONE
2.  purple batiks scraps
3.  batik rail fence scrap
4.  30's scrap blocks
5.  many, many, many odd blocks (over 100)
6.  1930's Farmers Wife
7.  Batik Farmer's Wife
8.  Rose Applique
9.  Winter Wonderland
10.  Embroidered Christmas  DONE
11.  Amish Sampler
12.  Bow Tucks Purse
13.  Leaf Wallhanging
14.  Blueberry Granola (purple/green)  
15.  Charity quilt (1)
16.  Charity quilt (2)
17.  Quilt of Valor (1)
18.  Quilt of Valor (2)
19.  Magic of Christmas  
20.  Hand Quilted Wholecloth
21.  Hand quilted quilt for Jan
22.  Hand quilted quilt started by MIL
23.  Trip Around the World hand dyed
24.  12 Rows of Christmas
25.  Landscape
26.  Heart blocks
27.  Garden Embroidery
28.  Blue Sampler
29.  wreath applique
30.  wool applique  

HSY (Haven't Started Yet - but have the fabrics)
1. Baltimore Album fusible applique
2.  Glacier Star paper pieced
3.  Something Blue paper pieced  
4.  Mistletoe Lane BOM
5.  Summer Fest Jelly Roll  DONE
6.  Lots of others, but I am tired!

OTHERS STARTE AND FINISHED

Labyrinth Walk
Two Fox Baby Quilts
Two Jelly Roll Baby Quilts
Canyon Dance
Row By Row
2 pillows
Teen Throw Quilt
Ultra Violets quilt
4 donation throw size quilts
Dr. Seuss

Well Bummer, that is only 35 projects finished for the year!!!  Oh well, it's progress and gives me goals for next year!

Another Quilt Top!

I know I SHOULD be working on UFO's, but a couple months ago when the May/June Quiltmaker magazine came out I found a quilt in there that hit me hard, very hard!  So much so that I ordered the fabrics used in the sample quilt.  That is not something I do very often, but I loved the Composition backgrounds and the Grunge fabrics.  I cut out the quilt immediately, and it was still kitted up and I threw in my retreat bag.  I manged to get all the pinwheels made at retreat and now I have a finished top.  I LOVE this top.  It's so not me!  I will bind it with one of the bright Grunge fabrics after quilting.  I bought 1/2 yard cuts and cut 4 3" squares out of each one, so they will be showing up in more quilts!  I am basiclaly out of the backgrounds though since it was just a FQ pack.

Grunge and Conposotion fabrics - Tutti Frutti quilt from Quiltmaker

closeup

The quilt finishes at 60 X 72 and will go into my never ending collection of tops to be quilted!  

Making a Project List

Wow, oh wow!  I just had a major shock!  I went through my UFO's, aka projects I have started, but not finished.  I never dreamed I had as many as I do!  I am not making a resolution, but rather a goal of finishing 52 projects this year.  This may include something that is not even on the list yet (like a baby quilt for my daughter's friend), so I am leaving myself open to that.  I didn't want to join a challenge where you had to work on a certain project on a certain month, I don't operate like that.  I have times where I am super busy and don't have much time for quilting, and then I have weeks off in the summer where I spend the afternoons quilting when it's hot outside.  I am also a pretty intense quilter, meaning I can focus for periods of time and ignore other things. Some people call that an obsession, some people call it an addiction and I agree with both!  

I am going to list all my UFO's as I am in a friendly challenge with some friends.  A lot of these won't make sense, but my goal is to take before and after pictures as I work on each project and blog about it.  Some of them were acquired from other people, but I still count them in my totals.  A lot of them will be donated or gifted when they are finished.  I know I have forgotten some, but I'm scared to dig anymore!

TOPS TO BE QUILTED:  (in no particular order)
1.  Be My Neighbor (needs done before Jan. 31 for contest)
2.  Modern City Sampler/Tula Pink
3.  Christmas Block Robin
4.  Mistletoe Stars
5.  Country Snowflakes
6.  Poinsettia One Block Wonder
7.  Red/White Baskets
8.  Green/Blue Diamond Rail Fence
9.  Primary Lone Star (1)
10.  Primary Lone Star (2)
11.  Butterflies
12.  30's Dresden
13.  Pansies (from MIL's stash already marked with quilting design)
14.  Red/White sampler
15.  Floral Sand Castles
16.  Mocha Meringue (1)
17.  Mocha Meringue (2)
18.  Mocha Meringue with blue throw
19.  WASIQ - tan
20.  WASIQ - blue
21.  Kaffe Stars
22.  Bright Jelly Roll
23.  Modern Jelly Roll
25.  Judy Niemeyer - compass
26.  Itty Bitty Blocks
27.  Wedding Ring
28.  Fall tablerunner
29.  Antique dresden
30.  Bonnie Hunter Mystery (can't remember the name!) 2 years ago
32.  Butterfly Row X Row
33.  Purple/Turquoise Sampler
34.  Vicki's Row X Row
35.  Turquoise/Black Stack and Whack
36.  Scrap Swap quilt top
37.  Easy Street (Bonnie mystery 4 years ago)
38.  Vicki's block robin
39.  Janice's stars
40.  Frog baby quilt
41.  Food tablecloth
42.  Aqua/Gray large quilt
43.  Aqua/Gray throw
44.  poinsettia tablerunner
45.  teal trees
46.  Fossil Fern
47.  Hawaiian applique
48.  Cathedral window
49.  Blue baskets
50.  Deb's wallhanging

UFO's or PIP's (Projects in Progress)
1.  Earth tone batik scraps
2.  purple batiks scraps
3.  batik rail fence scrap
4.  30's scrap blocks
5.  many, many, many odd blocks (over 100)
6.  1930's Farmers Wife
7.  Batik Farmer's Wife
8.  Rose Applique
9.  Winter Wonderland
10.  Embroidered Christmas
11.  Amish Sampler
12.  Bow Tucks Purse
13.  Leaf Wallhanging
14.  Blueberry Granola (purple/green)
15.  Charity quilt (1)
16.  Charity quilt (2)
17.  Quilt of Valor (1)
18.  Quilt of Valor (2)
19.  Magic of Christmas
20.  Hand Quilted Wholecloth
21.  Hand quilted quilt for Jan
22.  Hand quilted quilt started by MIL
23.  Trip Around the World hand dyed
24.  12 Rows of Christmas
25.  Landscape
26.  Heart blocks
27.  Garden Embroidery
28.  Blue Sampler
29.  wreath applique
30.  wool applique

HSY (Haven't Started Yet - but have the fabrics)
1. Baltimore Album fusible applique
2.  Glacier Star paper pieced
3.  Something Blue paper pieced
4.  Mistletoe Lane BOM
5.  Summer Fest Jelly Roll
6.  Lots of others, but I am tired!

Design Wall Monday, August UFO #31 and it's September!

I so can't believe I forgot to post to my blog yesterday, after being so good about posting every day in August except the power outage day.  I was so gung ho on machine quilting (I will show that quilt later in the week) that it slipped my mind.

My design wall has not changed from the last two weeks, but my design floor has changed.  I will be going to a retreat in mid September and was trying to decide on projects and I have had the Crown of Thorns pattern for 10 years.  I pulled all the batiks from my stash except for a couple light ones.  Gee, the pattern was in my colors, imagine that!  Now to get the pieces all precut before I go and have our county fair and going back to work for the school year in between!

My last UFO of the day for August is at the bottom, a row robin top.  It was from my guild several years ago and I didn't end up with enough rows so I made some checkerboards to fill in.   I will have to decide what I'm going to do for September.  I am actually getting low on showing UFO's after showing 31 of them!! Linking up to Design Wall Monday.

Row Robin top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August UFO #30

Today I did the dreaded house cleaning and got a queen size quilt pin basted and started quilting.  It's going well.  I wound 10 bobbins to start with, it will be interesting to see how many I actually use! 

Today's UFO is one I keep forgetting about.  It's a Block of the Month kit I inherited from my friend Vicki several years ago.  I forgot that I even had gotten three rows done!  I tried to take a picture of the pattern picture, but it's shiny paper.  This one isn't super high on my finish list, but hopefully next year!