2 Quilts Done!

At the end of 2022, I put the finishing touches on two quilts!  I had sent both of these off for long arm quilting in April and they were returned quickly.  When they came back, I was sick and it was a long road to partial recovery.  Anyways...the first one is the very first quilt top I pieced which was October 2008.  That doesn't matter now since it's done.  Right?!  I remember going to the quilt shop to pick out fabric for my first class and being so overwhelmed that I asked one of the clerks to just pick out something/anything!

The second one is the Fat Quarter shop 2020 designer mystery.  I finished the piecing of this in 2022 just before I sent these out for quilting.  I really enjoyed piecing this one.  FQS's directions for cutting and piecing are always so so good and there is room in the fabric they give you for cutting mistakes.  I've been in BOM's that if you make one small cutting error or other error then you are out of fabric to fix it. 

I hope you're having a great week and that all your stitches are happy ones!
 

Progress!

I started a new quilt recently.  LaRosaraie by French General is the quilt and I have one block made.  It's a beast and I need to make 29 more!  I'm using La Rose Rouge fabrics from French General.  I'm sewing along with friends Susan and Jen.  It will be slow going for me for sure!

I've made some progress on Rachel Howells by The Scarlet House.  I'm using the called for Picture this Plus linen and the called for NPI Silks.  It is a delight to stitch. I thought the border might be a lot to get through but it is surprisingly very enjoyable!

I'm also coming along on Elizabeth Eyles by The Scarlett Letter.  This is a SAL that started on 1/1/22 in honor of Laura's Big Birthday (her 60th).  The SAL is on Instagram but you can find Laura's old blog HERE.  If you're on Instagram, her user id there is Maude and Mozart as well.  This is also a fun stitch though the cherubs in the border are time consuming.  Have you seen a cherub border anywhere else?!

My son is getting married!  The big day is one month away tomorrow!   We are all excited and I hope I don't sweat too much at the outside ceremony and reception.   May will be a busy month for us.
                                        

That's all for now!  May all your stitches be happy ones!

A Bit of Quilting

In the past couple of months, I've done just a bit of quilting.  I'm trying to finish up my Fat Quarter Shop 2020 Designer Mystery Quilt.  I have an older block of the month from them and I'm glad they are generous with their monthly fabric packs as cutting mistakes don't derail everything and that BOM has long out of print fabric.

I was able to get the center priced on the 2020 BOM.  

I also got the pieced setting triangle completed too!

I had to be very careful to label these blocks that go on the outside.

I've actually have all of these pieces pieced together but had to put it away for furniture delivery.  My design board isn't up in the new house yet and I was using a bed that was replaced instead.  I have some borders left to do and a few other things and then I'll be ready to send it off for quilting.

I've been stitching too but I'll save that for a separate post!  I hope all of your stitches are happy ones!

More Sewing

I recently purchased an external hard drive for my Mac laptop.  I have an old laptop that went dark and I have about 5000 photos that are probably lost.  In those photos are some of my parents who are in their 80s and very ill.  I am now periodically backing up my photos.  The hard drive came without a case and I felt it needed to be protected.  I found some old, old, old French General fabric and sewed up a small zippered pouch for protection.  I used batting.  There is enough room for other things if needed.  It's not perfect, but it will do.

I also put together this block for my long languishing Long Time Gone Quilt by Jen Kingwell.  I started this as a BOM though Amitie Textiles in Australia many years ago.  Jen's style is outside my comfort zone especially when it comes to fabric selection.  I'm going with it as the BOM included all the fabrics etc.  I might as well use what I have and it's never a bad idea to try something outside your comfort zone in quilting.  I will say that her designs can really easily use whatever ugly fabric you might have.  They seem to work!

Wishing you a great week!  May all your stitches be happy ones!

Yankee Doodle Dandy

I have a quilting finish to share with you from a couple of months ago!  This is my Yankee Doodle Dandy quilt.  It was an easy and fun pattern.  Just what I needed for not sewing much recently.  I got a quilt kit from the designer as well which made things very fast as the kit came cut in 5" strips so I only had to subcut.  

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Maker Valley

I also joined the Fat Quarter Shop 2020 Mystery BOM (sold out) and I got my first block early this month.  I started to work on it right away and my first block is finished.

I've been really enjoying flowers from Trader Joes.  Most recently, I picked up peonies and they were gorgeous.  I've never had peonies in our home before but I think we will definitely be celebrating peony season each year from now on.   Fresh flowers have been bringing me joy!  What is bringing you joy during these crazy times?

I hope all your stitches are happy ones!

Fabric Bleed

This little quilt sits on our kitchen table under a lazy susan.  A long time ago I noticed that some of the colors had bled.  Not sure how it got wet but I was heart broken.  I never prewash my fabrics and when I wash a quilt for the first time, I use Retayne to stop any fabric color bleed.  I've never had any trouble at all, even with a quilt that was red and white.  The whites were perfect.  

When researching, I found this blog post on the topic and figured I didn't have anything to lose.  So I pulled out a plastic tub and my Dawn and got to work.

 I filled my tub with hot water and added about 1/3 of Dawn.  It turned the water blue and I was a little worried about that because I have light fabrics in my mini-quilt.  Then again, the quilt was already ruined so why not?

In went the quilt.  I got a bunch of fabric bleed immediately so I kept soaking it for about 30 minutes and replacing the Dawn/water mixture until it seemed to be done bleeding.  Then I left it to soakfor the day.

I was shocked that it worked!  All of the bleed that was there for more than a year GONE!  I was so happy because even though this is a mini-quilt, there is a ton of time put into it and I really liked it!  FYI:  This is a Jo Morton quilt pattern.  Dawn saved the day!

 Whatever is going on in your world I hope you're finding some "save the day" moments!

October's Doings

October has turned out to be a busy month.  Shocking how fast the year has flown by.  At the beginning of the month,  my EGA guild had a fabulous lecture from Cissy Bailey Smith of Gentle Pursuit Designs on Scottish samplers.  The entire crowd was captivated and I learned a lot!

I've also been sewing a little bit.  I have started a mini spider web quilt.  It was a kit I purchased from Westwood Acres Fabric and the fabric is from Cotton and Steel.   This block is WAY outside my comfort zones with all the bias edges.  I'm pushing through but at this point, I can't say that I love it.

 In the sewing room, I'm trying a wool pressing mat.  My old pressing station by my sewing machine that I use for individual blocks, etc was in bad shape so I figured why not try something new?

I've also finished piecing my Yankee Doodle Dandy quilt.  It needs to be ironed and quilted.  In the photo below you can get a general idea how it will look.  The blue star section is over the back of the chair.

And just because, here is a photo of Murphy who is learning to be in the sewing room with me and not be a handful.  I'm not sure how successful we are so far but we have made progress!

I doubt I'll be back before month end.  Have a happy Halloween and I hope all your stitches are happy ones!

Off With Her Head!

Thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post.  Thank you also to the two readers who contacted me to let me know Maria Phinney wasn't really fully completed.  That is, unless I intended to leave off her head!!!  Thankfully, this project was at home and not at the framers.  She is still unfinished but I will get to it.  I jumped around a lot on this project and was running very very very short of the thread color that is used on Eve (Flax from Weeks and I used most of a second skein to finish this).  Since this wasn't at the framers, I am able to find some humor in this!  

 I also wanted to share a updated photo of And They Sinned.  This is how it sits today.  I'm enjoying every stitch but other things have been capturing my interest lately.

I finished the stitching on this Erica Michaels berry called Sampler Berry.  I ended up stitching half of this twice due to a counting mistake and it still stitched up pretty quickly.  Our guild was to have a berry finishing class which has been delayed but I will get it FFO'd at some point.

Sewing wise, I've joined the BOM program through The Quilted Moose for the Fairhaven quilt.  I was going to do the appliqué by hand but I have to admit, I'm having second thoughts on that.  I'm doing the dark background as shown below in this photo from the quilt shop.

I've been working on my Yankee Doodle Dandy quilt too but the updated photo really doesn't show much progress.  I'll save the next update on this project to hopefully be a finish.

Hard to believe it is October and the busy holiday season is starting!  I hope your week is enjoyable and all your stitches are happy ones!

Progress is Being Made!

Hello friends!  I hope fall has arrived in your part of the world.  It hasn't here in Florida but we have had a break in the heat after record breaking high temps.  It's been nice even though it is still close to 90!

I have a finish to share with you today!  Maria Phinney which is a club piece from Country Sampler in Spring Green, WI. This is out of my normal color palette as it's a lot of brown but I enjoyed almost every stitch!  The ones I didn't enjoy were the ones I had to rip out because I clearly can't count.  If you have this project and haven't started it yet, I definitely needed two skeins of the Fawn thread color.  Many other stitchers did on Instagram as well.  I used the second skein for the house so it really didn't matter if the color was matched 100%.  It was a very close match though.  I substituted the linen for the Weeks Zweigart.  It came with the original base.  The colors between the 2 bases were very consistent and I've enjoyed the Zweigart base whereas I haven't really cared for the original base.  I love their colors though so I'm happy to see this new option with Weeks Linen.

Maria Phinney - Club Sampler from Country Sampler in Spring Green

Shakespeare's Peddler

40 Count Weeks on Zweigart Straw

Called for overdyed cotton thread

I've also been doing a bit of quilting.  I'm working on Yankee Doodle Dandy from Maker Valley.  This is what the quilt will look like when it is done.  I figure as I'm trying to get my sew-jo back I should be sewing something very uncomplicated.

I've gotten the first 6 rows pieced and they are pinned to my design wall (which needs to be cleared out).  I'm hoping to get some more sewing done today.  I'm not pushing it or trying big sessions in the sewing room as the goal is to simply get back into the habit.

I'm also trying to not let tasks or to-dos at home slide.  When was the AC filter changed?  Work is easily organized, home not so much.  I decided to get a planner and I chose Plum Paper.  I chose them because of the ability to customize and the variety of layouts.  It was easy to find one that I believe is working well for me.  I chose vertical priorities.   The text on the headings can be modified and you can pick what months are included in your planner.   I'm getting so much more done and I'm not forgetting to do things.   If you're interested, let me know and I can see you a referral code for 10% as long as you have not created a profile with Plum Paper.

This version has a weekly habit tracker.  I've gotten so much better at taking my vitamins daily and tracking food because of wanting to check off that little box!  I've also participated in one of my hobbies every  day for 7 weeks too!  

 

That is it for now!  I hope all your stitches are happy ones!

Longtime Gone Quilt

I've been very slowly working on Jen Kingwell's LongTime Gone BOM quilt. I joined the BOM last year and you know how that goes!  I had the best of intentions!  The BOM included fabric and they are super scrappy.  Very much outside my comfort zone and I can't say I haven't completely given up on trying to make things look planned.  The fabric selection, however, is so scrappy and diverse that I've had to give much of that up.    Here is my progress so far:

 

Murphy has settled in nicely.  He is beyond spoiled but just look at that face!  He loves to ride in the car, bark, lick and play.  He's just turned 5 months old and is doing well with training.  

I hope all your stitches are happy ones!

Happy Mothers Day!

Final Finish!

I mentioned in my last post that I thought I'd have a quilting finish before the end of the year.  You may have noticed, but I've not been sewing a lot this year.  When I have, I have been working on this quilt.  I decided to give it to my sister for Christmas.  Long story, the gift was very unexpected by her for many reasons.  No one knew I was doing it except my husband.  When my sister opened it, she started crying.  It was a very touching moment.

The photos, taken at night and inside, don't really show the richness of the reds.   I don't prewash my fabrics and didn't have any problems with bleeding at all.  I washed the quilt with Retayne which is a color fixative.  I also washed my Christmas Harvest Quilt with it.  These two quilts are made with fabrics from two different manufacturers.   

I also tried a new to me technique - machine binding.  I machine bound placemats before and was not pleased with the result.  This is a HUGE quilt and I just didn't have the time to hand sew the binding down.  Also, I thought a machine binding would be more durable.  My quilter recommended Susies's Magic Binding.   I used the stitch in the ditch foot for my walking foot and it worked so very well.  Definitely a technique I'll use again.  

This quilt was a BOM from Michael Miller from 2012.  

Looking back over 2014, I wanted to thank you for sticking with me.  I've not posted as much this year and probably will never reach posting a couple of times a week again.  I do plan on posting once a month and think I can reasonably meet/beat that schedule.  Your visits, comments and YOUR blogs inspire me so much.  I need that inspiration!  

At 2015 is just around the corner, I am feeling very hopeful and inspired. I hope you are too!  I'm not going to post a 2014 retrospective or goals for 2015.  But I will send you all a wish for a happy, healthy and safe new year - a year that is hopefully full of happy stitches!  Much love to you all!


Those of you who are stitchers may want to check out the blog for my EGA Chapter.  Lots of great finishes showcased!

Back From Vacation Giveaway!

October was a busy month and it's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner!  About a month ago, Greg and I went on vacation to the Smokies.  It rained EVERY day but one but we made the best of it and had a good time.  Our vacations these days are about disconnecting from the world and spending quality time together.  Mission accomplished.  If you've never been to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, it's truly delightful and you need to put it on your list!  We saw chipmunks, deer, turkeys and even a black bear in the park.  Just the recharge we needed!

I've not been sewing much but this weekend I managed to get a couple of applique blocks done for a quilt that almost has all the blocks done.  I also clipped threads and ironed another quilt for the quilter.  That part wasn't fun but I did rather enjoy the time I spent in the sewing room today.  It felt rather good.  Even the cleanup I started with felt good.

Now to the giveaway part!  I've realized I probably won't be using this cute journal from Aneela Hooey.  The first half of this is blank paper and the second half graph paper.  Perfect for notes and sketches.  If you're interested, leave your name (plus email address if your profile doesn't have it) and I'll pull a name this upcoming weekend.  Thank you all for sticking with me.  I know I'm not blogging that much and while I'm not quitting, posts will continue to be infrequent.   I do still read your blogs and enjoy learning from you and seeing what you're doing!  You all are so inspiring!

***Giveaway is closed!***

Random

1.  Thank you all for your support and kindness regarding Kenzie (see this post).   It meant a lot to both Greg and I.

2.  I've sewn up a block for Aneela Hoey who has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer.   Chelsea over at Pins and Bobbins is organizing everything.  You can read more about it here should you be so inclined to participate.  It feels good to support someone in this small way.

3.   Almost four weeks ago, my brother fell off a roof.  Of a two story house.  We're all so fortunate that he's going to be ok.  He broke some bones in his forehead, his nose, both wrists, and a small bone in his arm near his wrist popped through the skin.  He had surgery almost immediately and is doing so very well.  The neurologist said he's lucky he landed face down.  It was hard to be so far away - he lives in Texas.  His wife and step son were so good about keeping me up to date and sending me photos, though the pictures were comforting (he's alive!) and hard to look at all at the same time.

4.  My parents sold their little cabin in the mountains in April.  I can understand why but I already miss it like crazy.  I called it My Happy Place.  I've been going up there for 25ish years and there are lots of good memories there with my kids and my husband.   We found a place to rent when we go up there and our vacation in May, while far more luxurious, was bittersweet.  

5.  I am still working on the red and white quilt that was a BOM.  I think this is month 10.  These 12.5" blocks are actually part of one of the borders.  I've got month 11 cut out.  Getting close!

6.  I'm so thankful for those of you who are still here.  I know I've been quiet.  I think sometimes we all need to take a step back and get centered again.   I think I'm there or almost there!

Making

My re-entry into quilting has been more of a slow ramp up versus a big dive back in.  I have, however, finished 4 of the big blocks (22 or 24") for the quilt I'm working on.  This isn't the layout and the photo isn't a good one but you get the idea.  I'm enjoying this - especially since I have a lot of the blocks cut out.  You can tell I didn't press these blocks for their photo shoot or remove threads.  

For the HSTs in this quilt, I'm trying a new to me ruler - the Bloc Loc ruler.  I bought the 6.5" size as I know I can square up a variety of sizes with this one.  I've always disliked how my ruler kind of rocked or slid when I was squaring up HSTs.  I also don't like removing the ruler, rotating the HST, lining the ruler back up before I could trim the 3rd and 4th sides.  With this ruler, all of that is eliminated.  First, square up the two sides like normal.

The key to this ruler is the channel/groove that runs diagonally through the center of the ruler.  This channel kind of catches on the seam and locks in - kind of like locking in seams as you sew.  

So instead of picking up, rotating, and lining up again, I just slide my ruler along the locked in seam , line up to my block size and cut the other 2 sides.  Super fast and not frustrating at all.  There is a video here that demonstrates how to use the ruler.  I don't often do the spin but can see where it would be safer to include that step going forward.

No slipping, no rocking and I think it is a faster method.  I purchased my ruler and this is not a sponsored posts - I'm just a happy customer!  Unlike many other rulers I've purchased, this one is one I'll use all the time.

It was a tough week at work this past week with a Reduction in Force taking place.  I'm ok (so far) but the teams I support were impacted.  Re-orgs are in place and the re-orgs will mean changes for many, including my team.  It'll be interesting to see what is to come.

In the meantime, I'm going to carry on as always and will enjoy what time I get with my needles.  I hope you have a great week and may all your stitches be happy ones!