My Border is Secure – Grandma’s Wrap-Up

My border is SECURELY attached to Grandma’s Kitchen that is! 

Since the bus company cancelled our trip to the AQS Show in Lancaster on Wednesday, I spent my “Toby – the big Nor’Easter ” afternoon and evening sewing.  (That storm was a belly-flop in my area where we got only an inch or so of snow…..)

 While we were getting buckets of rain, I sat in the kitchen and removed the papers from the back of the pieces I showed in my post yesterday (  Building Borders and Collaborating on Quilts  ).  They came off very easily because I had shortened the stitch length down from 2.0 to 1.5.

My daffodils are very sad, and it looks like I will be power washing and painting that fence this year!

I wandered out in the rain yesterday afternoon to the sewing room over the garage, and got busy with the border.  Hubby went to his train club so I had all afternoon and evening to sew.  (And it was after 3 in the afternoon before it really started to snow !) (I know….other people around the state got anywhere from 1″ to 8″….and Lancaster PA got a bunch!) 

Grandma’s Kitchen border is on, and this quilt is now massive!  91″ wide x 110″ long.  So long, that it won’t fit on the design wall or in one photo…..

(I suppose I could have hung it sideways, but that wouldn’t be any fun…the flower and phone and heart would have been sideways)

I even remembered to stay stitch the edges before I called it “done”.   I stopped about 10:30 pm and took the picture.  The lighting wasn’t the greatest, but you have seen these blocks in better light in the past.  (I really should set a timer and come inside to eat dinner before 10:30 at night!)

Time to think about how to solve the backing issue.  You might remember I got excited and ordered the backing BEFORE I decided on just how much drop I needed and what my final border was going to be, so I only ordered 3 yards of wide backing. I did pre-wash it to, and have still got to press it with some starch and re-measure.  LESSON IN LIFE — wait until the last border is on BEFORE ordering the backing fabric!  Now I have to piece it anyway!

108″ wide backing for Grandma’s Kitchen Quilt project

I have a plan formulating, and I think it will incorporate some of the extra string blocks and a few of my OOPS blocks and that wonderful “clothesline” fabric that was just too large a print to cut up into any of the blocks for the front of the quilt.  ( I did use one piece of a fat eighth I had in Block # 6 – Wash Day for the very center of the block  below)

(If you want a better close up of any of the blocks in this project, I have an entire album dedicated to the Grandma’s Kitchen pattern – click Grandma’s Kitchen album .  This album is located on FLICKR.) 

Of course, per the norm….my quilts tend to “hang around” waiting to be quilted, so this one won’t be any different. 

(Maybe after that trip to California and my visit to OneBlockWonderWoman I will be more inspired to finish a few things!)

Final note – Grandma’s Kitchen pattern is by Pat Sloan; and the free pattern information can be found here

How did you spend your day?  Do you leave quilt tops “hanging around” too?

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Ocean Waves Quilt Guild Show photos

Ocean Waves Quilt Guild, Lewes Delaware held a show with the theme of Paying it Forward, highlighting all of the Community Service groups that our guild supports. We had a great show in Lewes DE on July 17 & 18. Our members quilts speak for themselves.    These are just a few of the photos.  Over 250 quilts were on display.  I took photos of a ‘few’ of my favorites.

Note; as you look at the photo’s, the Information Card precedes the quilt.

Wacky Fall Pumpkin Patch by De Taylor

This Way and That Way by Faith Kusterer

This Side of the Pond by Judy Begbedier

The Blue and Gray – A Civil War Album Quilt by Lorraine deMeurisse

Detail of The Blue and Gray – A Civil War Album Quilt

Stars and Stripes by Kathi Fitzerald

Slanted Star in Red by Carol Fisher

Red White and Blue Streak by Patricia Steel for QOVF

Plain n’ Fancy by Dana Mason

Outside the Lines by Lorraine deMeurisse

Omigosh by Linda Brammer

New York Sunset by Irene Chandler

Note in a Bottle by De Taylor

Medal of Honor by Lucinda Jones

Freedom by Lucy Morgan

Count on Me by Sue Wimmer

Celebration by Jean Eubank

Detail of the hand quilting on Celebration

Hand Quilting on Celebration

Birds Spiraling by De Taylor

Allegiance by Marguerite Niemoeller

 

Row 1

Ohio Stars and Rails by Mary Deeter for QOVF

Wall Hangings – on the left is my SILK project

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt by Mary Deeter

Memory Quilt for Karen, by Mary Deeter

From Here to There by Melissa Sopko and Starry Starry Blocks by Barbara Hoffman

Crosses in the Cabins by Betty Lichtenberger

Boxy Stars by Material Girls Quilt Bee for QOVF

American Star by Adeline Hart

Besides all those quilts, there were 20 vendors with an assortment of goodies to sell. Our guild did Raffle baskets and a Featherweight Machine Raffle

Raffle Baskets

Featherweight Raffle

It was a great show. For information on the show, including who the vendors were and the ribbon winners; follow this link: OWQG Show 2015

As you browsed through, how many famous quilt designers patterns did you see?  There are at least 3 Bonnie Hunter patterns, a Heather Kojan pattern, and many many more!  If you read the display cards, you will find out the specifics of the pattern name and designer, along with the quilter.

Hope you enjoy, and the next time we have a show, I hope you can come!

One Block Wonder Row Marking Pins finished

Small sections of foam to organize

All ready to use!

Figuring out how to store the marking pins

All in one covered box!

Stuck in hard styro to dry.

works with metal & plastic. Has a LARGE opening tho!

Letter and numbers

One Block Wonder pins

I mentioned early in the week that I was working on a set of pins to mark my rows/pieces for a future One Block Wonder quilt. I’ve gotten them all made. (Look back for the tutorial at https://stitchinggrandma.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/one-block-wonder-pins-tutorial/)

UPDATE ( 1 Dec 2015) – UPDATE – It seams that someone else has written a great tutorial for this project -Nancy West has nice graphics and instructions on her blog –  My Fancy Nancy Life  .  I’m not sure if I saw this when I was looking for a method, but her project is similar to mine.  Differences is she likes  fancy pins, my pins are “very utilitarian” .  The pins she used are way more expensive than the yellow headed quilt pins I used.  (I was making lots!!!).    Of note; I bought my glue, the pins, the beads, numbers and letters, all at Hobby Lobby.

I was asked on a Facebook One Block Wonder forum “WHY make pins?”.  I thought the best way to answer was with a photo of how I marked my first (and only completed) One Block Wonder. I was also asked if I plan to use them for other quilts. The answer is YES…any time you need to mark your columns/rows these pins will be effective.

There is a lot of “design” that goes into a OBW once your triangles are all cut out, and sewn into 1/2 hexigons.  You don’t want to “mix up your carefully planned arrangement”. Numbering helped to keep it straight!

This picture shows the hexi’s once the triangles have been cut and finding a pleasing arrangement of the 6 triangles.  The ones that look like “bows” in the upper right corner have been selected and the center point pinned (3 pieces on each stack). That pin helps to remind which point of that triangle is going to be in the center.

unsewn hexi’s

A little sewing (1/2 hexi only); then it was time to start arranging on the design wall.

This photo shows them “on the design wall”

Once a final layout has been chosen; it is time to “make the quilt”.  We quilters like columns and rows.

Each half – hexi had a column/row marker.  I did this with paper and straight pins.  My “teacher”  (also known as the One Block WonderWoman) had me mark in the same method that she used.  The goal here is not to “confuse yourself” as you take them from the design wall to the sewing machine.

Paper worked for marking the blocks, …it was effective; but it was suggested to me (again by the One Block WonderWoman) that marking pins would be very cool. It has taken me nearly 3 years to “get around to it”. (I tried once before, but lacked the proper execution of the plan). (Yes, it was a little fussy and messy and I had more fun playing with the beads, sorting and arranging. The gluing part was a pain, and messy. Good thing it dried clear! ) I’m sure I read on someone’s blog a year or more ago about “glue” for the marking beads; and if I ever find that blog, I will come back here and give credit. It was NOT an original idea on my part at all! (All I can say is THANK YOU to all those people who blog and show great photo’s and tutorials!)

Would you like to know what the original fabric looked like and the final quilt looked like? Take a look back to 2012 !

Do those fish look familiar? They are the turquoise 3″ squares on my Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt I showed – https://stitchinggrandma.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/2nd-mystery-quilt-top-done/
This quilt was for my third grandchild; made before she was born. We fondly referred to her as Baby Bulldozer (named thus by her older siblings). She will also get the 2nd Grand Illusion Mystery quilt; and I had fun “tying them together” using the fish fabric again.

If you like One Block Wonders; check out the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/1435295876732150/
And don’t forget to check out the OneBlockWonderWoman on WordPress…she is always making something pretty! https://oneblockwonderwoman.wordpress.com/
I am a “visual learner” and was very happy when I found great video tutorials here – http://ifthesethreadscouldtalk.com/new-york-kaleidocally-hexed/
If you want to make one, do get Maxine Rosenthal’s book –

One-Block Wonders: One Fabric, One Shape, One-of-a-Kind Quilts

I was 2 of her books, the one mentioned here, and also the ENCORE book. They are still available and you can pick one up at your local quilt shop/show/book store or Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/One-Block-Wonders-Fabric-One-Kind/dp/1571203222

My OBW marking are finished, stored in their handly little container and waiting for me to start another OBW. I actually have one started (and put away in my UFO stack from last year) and the fabric for another bright and cheery one. But first, I have a Quilts of Valor to make; on a deadline…..more about that in a future post.

Have a great day, and ENJOY the first day of Spring! We had snow showers this morning, but now it is raining; and I can live with that! Time to sew!

One Block Wonder Pins Tutorial

Well, it seems to be working, my little One Block Wonder pin project. E6000 glue; quilt pins (1 3/4″) and small alpha/number beads. Next to solve the storage question. And to build J1-15 to Z1-15!

So, here is how to do this: Sort your letters and numbers and lay a bunch out; ready for glue. Apply a dab of glue to the pin shank above the letter bead and below the letter bead. Then slide the number bead  up the pin until it touches the letter.  Hold for a brief moment the shove it into wax paper covered stryroam block all the way until it makes contact with the bead.  This prevents the bead from slipping down, and any glue that might be excessive will be on the wax paper.  They pull easily out of the styrofoam after they are dry.

One Block Wonder pins

Well, it seems to be working, my little project.

 

UPDATE – It seems that someone else has written a great tutorial for this project -Nancy West has nice graphics and instructions on her blog –  My Fancy Nancy Life  .  I’m not sure if I saw this when I was looking for a method, but her project is similar to mine.  Differences is she likes  fancy pins, my pins are “very utilitarian” .  The pins she used are way more expensive than the yellow headed quilt pins I used.  (I was making lots!!!).    Of note; I bought my glue, the pins, the beads, numbers and letters, all at Hobby Lobby.

 

2nd Mystery quilt top done!

GIMQ #2 (modified)

I have finished the 2nd twin sized “Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt”; designed by Bonnie Hunter – Quiltville.com with minor modifications to the final layout. I used 12 of the big blocks; more of the green & white & black checkerboard sashing; and added my own layers of sashing in yellow and bright green and turquoise to the blocks. The final border is a pieced border, made with 2.5″ squares, a bit different than what Bonnie designed in the original pattern.

My goal when I did the checkerboard and final border was to use up some of the parts I had made during the “clues” process.  I actually ran out of those turquoise and pink half-square triangle pieces and had to make about 6 more.  Somewhere in the “clues” process I mis-read instructions and sewed together neutrals and yellows (2.5″ squares). They ended up as the final border.  I plan to bind the quilt with yellow binding with a turquoise flange.  Hoping to get it layered up for quilting in the next week or two.  Here is a peek at the fabric I chose for the backing.  I had originally bought 3 yards, and made a trip to Hobby Lobby for more yesterday!

Backing for GIMQ#2

This fabric is directional and has the sweetest little bird on it! I always buy extra when doing backings and hope  I got enough extra to get a good match up to the pattern.

I decided this past weekend I really did need to gain control of the chaos in my sewing room.  I had baskets all over the place with bits and pieces from this project.  When I made those double diamonds you may remember that I had a lot of “mis-fits”.  I also had all those “bonus triangles” from the double diamonds. I got busy and tackled each basket – one at a time.  Some of the bonus triangles had been stitched into half-square triangles already and just needed to be pressed.  Others were stacked and needed to be stitched.  I did them all.  The first group I picked up and put in the 2.5″ scrap box; without trimming.  The next group I decided to play with (the reason the sewing room is still a mess).  Since I had the “mis-fits” in the double diamonds, I had some rather small HST. If you look in the photo below, you will see some 1.5″ pink ones (those are trimmed – in the left corner of the basket).  Others trimmed out to 2″.  I will have to go back to the scrap box and move them to the 2″ box.  While I played, I trimmed, arranged to a pattern and stitch together this block:

Bonus triangles

I had one big block left over from the construction of the 2 quilts; and a friend suggested making a “doll bed quilt” from it.. So, in the clean process, I added some borders and this is what it will look like:

GIMQ Doll bed quilt

I have one other “scrap project” underway; playing with the double diamonds and half-square triangles, but I am not sure I am loving it’s current look….so I will engage my new seam ripper before I show any pictures.

In other activities; I have been 2 two quilt shows in the last 3 weeks; one in Hampton Virginia; by bus with the ladies & 1 gentleman from the guild. Last week 2 friends accompanied me to the AQS show in Lancaster PA.  I have gotten my gadget, thread and fabric fix for a while!  I bought a cute pattern and a pile of fat quarters in Hampton to do a “cat” quilt. My friend Barbara got a companion pattern and she & I are planning a day of applique cutting and fabric sharing. At Lancaster I stockpiled 1/2 yard bundles of red, cream and blue for a Quilts of Valor project. I am going to use a Bonnie Hunter pattern for that project. I have a deadline for it; early July for our guild’s quilt show and subsequent donation. I need to get busy with it!   I will post some photo’s as I work through the project.

Along the way, last week, my quilting sister in law – Carolyn also known to some as the One Block WonderWoman ( http://www.Oneblockwonderwoman.wordpress.com) twisted my arm and convinced me to join in on a One Block Wonder challenge that is happening with a Facebook group. She was shopping for the fabric, and gifted me 6 yards of this wonderful fabric.

One Block Wonder challenge fabric

Can I tell you how tempted I was to use this on the back of the GIMQ#2 quilt instead of buying more of the fabric with the little bird?  I am hanging on to this for the challenge, and right after I get my QOV going, then I will think about this one!

In the meantime, part of my clean-up involved gathering all my flower head pins that are numbered. I need them for the OBW.  Well; the markings have worn off so while I was at Hobby Lobby, I invested in a new box of pins, some beads and some great glue. And, I am working on this little project – I found 1 3/4″ quilt pins and tiny beads with letters and numbers, and some glue that seems to be holding, so I got busy building sets A1-A15; all the way it I 1-15.  For what ever reason the I’s look like 1’s, so that set is kind of funny; and there is an abundance of U’s in the letter package and a shortage of D’s  and Q’s.  But, I think I can make it all work. The glue has too large of an opening, and I should have gone for one with a fine tip; but I took the clerks recommendation and am dealing with it using toothpicks to apply.  The idea of these pins is to label every One Block Wonder Hexi Block once the design is created.  Check out Carolyn’s page and here great descriptions of her quilts.  I have only completed one OBW, under her supervision, so I am going to keep my fingers crossed. ( I do have one in the UFO stack…sssh) I did trip over a blog yesterday with great video’s to remind me of the process ( http://ifthesethreadscouldtalk.com/new-york-kaleidocally-hexed/ )  and I have both of the Maxine Rosenthal One Block Wonder books to use a a reminder.   You would think I could talk Carolyn into a visit……..we could have SEW MUCH FUN !!

Letter and numbers

SEW…the projects are multiplying, the chaos is still managable, and I need to get GIMQ#1 under the needle and QUILTED. What ever you do, I hope you are having fun! I certainly am!

A peak at October

Well; you know I have been off the mark working on my blog for a few months.  If you read my blog on a regular basis you know life has been a little busy. My daughter and her family were here at the beginning of the month.  I started a new quilt project in October, that I will show you a glimpse of. The month flew by!

The title of this post is a PEAK AT OCTOBER – this is what it was looking like last week at my house.

Fall sky Oct 2014

Fall colors inspired me

I had a wonderful time in October, with my quilt bee friends.  We meet once a month at a members home, and have a lot of fun, sharing projects, enjoying lovely food, and working on something worthy. In September and October we worked on “heart pillows” for breast cancer patients.  Stuffing the pillows and stitching them closed kept our hands busy while we visited in October. When I arrive at my friend Gayle’s house, I was a bit late, and was told to”wait at the door and close my eyes”.  I heard a lot of giggling and silliness and when given permission to turn around – this is what I saw!

Material Girls

The Material Girls Quilt Bee does know how to have fun!

We participated at the end of the month in a “multi-bee” sit & sew for 3 days.  Three “bees” from Ocean Waves Quilt Guild get together for fun!  Everyone brought their own projects and worked on them, and we had wonderful conversations and meals.  It is always interesting to me to see what people are working on, and what the manage to get accomplished in 3 days of sewing.  I’m sure I could get more done, on my own at home, but it would not be as much fun!

The lovely thing about these gatherings is the opportunity to ask a question to a more experienced quilter, and learn from their experience.  Everyone seems to wander around the room visiting, catching up, and ooohing and aaahing at the variety of projects underway. There were people doing foundation piecing of Christmas trees, and Storm at Sea; there was a lady working on a block that required about 7 or 8 different templates. There were projects being completed from our guild retreat in February, and there were several new projects just getting started.   Enjoy the photo’s.

Linda Gabriel project

Dana Mason worked on her project from a class in June

Cindy Jones using beautiful musical fabrics.

Barbara Hoffman with her “STACKS” quilt

Dana showing her One Block Wonder

Gayle – Lost Sock

Melissa and her modern quilt

My quilting project, using the pretty stitches for quilting on my Janome

The project I have “under the needle” is what I worked on.  I did some quilting extra blocks to make them into throw pillows for a day and 1/2; then started quilting a log cabin twin sized quilt. I love using the pretty stitches built-in the machine. The pillows were a great practice time for me. The quilt under the needle is for my “great-great niece” who just turned a year old. I had intended to make her a baby quilt last fall but never got to that point on my list. So, she gets a twin sized quilt which will last her a bit longer in life any way. I made it in my sister Cathi’s favorite colors, because she is the great-great Grandma!!!

Last post I chatted about a “SECRET” project…well…I still can’t share it, because it has not been delivered yet.  More later in the month I hope.  I did my part, and now my co-conspirator is working her end of the arrangement.  Shhhh….don’t tell.  I have to say, it is NO FUN keeping the secret, but the delivery will be awesome I am sure.  My special long arm quilting buddy thought up the project and is going to border, quilt and bind the project.

So, did you spy the Modern Quilt Studio patterns by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr in the photos?  There were 2….and I have made one of them myself back in June.

Enjoy this beautiful Sunday and happy stitching!

 

Last week was full of stitching

The last blog I wrote was called  “Sewing like Crazy” – and then not a word of my own for an entire week.

That is because this week has been “full of stitching”.  In between being the DRIVER for a visit to the local surgery center for the hubby and his cataract surgery Tuesday, and follow up Wednesday, Bible Study Monday; Church council meeting Tuesday,  and Quilt Bee on Wednesday, I got to sew.  I had one eye zapped with the laser on Tuesday (that was an interesting activity…wide awake) to break up the scar tissue from my own cataract surgery several years ago.  Now that I look back I wonder how I found time…but I did.

I worked diligently and finished my Senior Quilt top and have delivered it, ironed, on a hanger to church. Here is a peek at the finished quilt top:

Finished Senior Quilt 2014

This is the first year in the last 5 that I am not coordinating the project, just sewing. This was one of my 17 items on the to-do list; and I have officially crossed it off!!

I could not wait to get this “off the wall” so I could move on to my “Summer in the Park” quilt.  I could have finished the Senior Quilt earlier in the week, but I was distracted  obsessed  by making all the blocks for “Summer in the Park“.  I also have a memorial t-shirt quilt laid out on my work table.  (More about that in another post).  I took my One Block Wonder blocks off the wall to put the Senior Quilt up.  The OBW blocks are put away for now…but that makes 4 active projects!!

I had the sewing desk and the cutting table and the iron table, the ironing board all covered in squares for  “SIP“.

I had to make myself a bit of a graph on the computer to figure out how many blocks I needed. I started the week with 64, and ended up making 144.

Not sure I will use them all, but I do have a layout. Once I decided to go BIG, I had to make another run for fabric on Monday!  (of course)  I needed more white fabric, and I thought I needed another yard of one of my ZEBRA stripes.  Well, you know what happens sometimes when you run out of fabric..you just can’t get what you want. I was lucky in that the shop had TWO more black-white-yellow prints that I could add to my mix.  In the end, I had 5 different types of blocks.  And I have enough fabric left to do sashing, borders and the back.  Ok, I over bought in the beginning….and I have leftover blocks. I hate to not have enough fabric.

The first layout made my eyes hurt.….

Started with this layout

Something was not quite right….and when my hubby came up to the sewing room, he started to show me what he saw as “wrong”…and for once, I agreed with his vision.  Apparently he had READ the pattern, but, I certainly wasn’t following it!!!  (http://englandstreet.blogspot.com/2012/10/summer-in-park-free-jelly-roll-pattern.html)

I was not laying my blocks out the way Shontelle Stayner had in her pattern.  I was trying to make “mixed” blocks and alternating blocks.  It felt chaotic.  If you click on the photo above, you can see all the varieties of fabric that I had used for this project.

So; everything came off the flannel wall, and back into neat little stacks on my ironing table.  I pulled the pattern back up – printed it AGAIN (3rd time..where did I put it anyway).  Took one look at the picture on the first page of the pattern and realized what I had done wrong.  So; here is the FINAL layout….

The second attempt was just right, so time to tag by blocks (give them a name like block B)

Ooops…missing a block

Now that there is a pattern and a plan, the real sewing begins today. On Saturday, I made another strip set to “fill the whole” at the bottom; and got the “four patches” put together on the bottom row, and today I will work on it again.

Need to stay focused on SIP, so I can get as much done as possible while I wait on 2 packages to come for the memorial quilt.  Actually more than 2 packages.  I received the June Tailor T-Shirt Transformation Ruler I ordered from Amazon. (Had to cancel my order with Nancy’s notions – on back order until the middle of MARCH!!!).  I am waiting on the stabilizer and pressing cloth to come early this week.  I had lots of discussion with my friend about fabrics for the t-shirt quilt.  The shirts belonged to my friends father, and he was a NYC police officer, loved the St Louis cardinals, and other sports.

I spotted theses when I was at my local quilt shop Monday  –  I took a chance at 25% off and bought 1 yard of each.

Turns out they will not be going into this quilt…so…on to other on-line shopping where we agreed on the following:

This package should arrive sometime this week.  We did lots of on-line shopping together and were unable to locate any St Louis cardinals fabric.  I did find two lovely EMBROIDERY designs for St Louis cardinals…and will download and stitch them out.   The only fabric you can get for St Louis cardinals is fleece, and that was not an option I would take for this quilt. I have a special fabric which will be a surprise for the back of the quilt.  It is also coming by mail and has already been shipped.  The decision to make this into a wall hanging has been made; so a pocket on the back will be included when I bind the quilt.    It is fun to think ahead to this quilt while I work on SIP.  I think I enjoy the design element of a project just as much as I like the sewing!!

Sewing like crazy!

Wow; today has been a full on sewing day!  I went up to church at 9 am, and worked until noon; and then this afternoon from about 3:30 until nearly 7.  Todays project – the beginning of a “Senior Quilt”.  This is a project I chaired for 5 years, and now someone else is “in charge”. Yippeeeeee !!!!

I showed up with my machine in the tote, collected a ziplock filled with colorful 8 1/2″ squares (ALREADY CUT…how cool is that); and I sat down and started putting them together, a neutral block and a colorful block.  Got all 80 together in pairs, and put the machine away; got out the iron and set the seams and pressed them open. By noon, I had them packed up and after one “quick stop” at the local sewing center, I was headed home. 

(Somehow I had lost my “O” foot for my new Janome. That foot is the 1/4 ” foot with the guide along the side.  Secured a replacement.)  

When I got back home, I took care of some household business (grilled cheese sandwiches for the hubby and self) and got on to organizing the blocks into some sort of order.  Before I could lay them out, I had to “remove” my one-block wonder blocks (29), and my “summer in the park” blocks (60) from the design wall.  (Did I mention that I built about 35 summer in the park blocks in the last 3 days??)

Senior Quilt 2014 – final layout

Here is the final layout for my Senior Quilt 2014; and you may note that I have them sewn (and pressed) now into 4 patches.  I figure tomorrow afternoon I can get the rest of it together in a few hours.  My layout is our “classic” pattern. A bit boring, but I just didn’t want to expend too many brain cells doing something different.

I did play around a bit with the fabrics; made a few extra blocks to get a nice “color” balance. Hopefully the colors will show when you click on the photo.  I am not fond of the light green or the browns; but LOVE the stripes!!.

The bible verse in the upper left corner I stitched out on my Brother embroidery machine earlier in the month.  Many thanks to  www.designsbyjuju.com !! She has many wonderful designs on her website for sale; and has felt called to share Bible verses for FREE!!!

The photo on the bottom right of the quilt is one I took when I began coordinating the project ; and I printed it on the fabric, using freezer paper, bubble jet wash & bubble jet set process.

All in all; a good day sewing today! (And yesterday and the day before too!!)  If you are counting, this makes unfinished project # 4 for February…..yes, the t-shirt project is still on the layout table waiting on the ruler, the Summer in the Park is waiting on the desk, for me to cut more strips to make more blocks; and the One Block Wonder is on the layout table waiting for more hexies to be cut too.  AND …. I have the fabric out to do a Happy Birthday Banner project for my daughter. Still thinking about how I am going to make it; but it doesn’t count as unfinished; it is in the UnSTARTED column!!!

So; how many projects do you work on at any given time?

Keep on stitching…..

One Block Wonder on the Wall

I completed 29 One Block Wonder hexagons at my quilt retreat. Today, I got my things unpacked and put away from the adventure, and got the blocks out. They are all pressed and hanging on the design wall.  I’m not sure what my end game is going to be with them, a table runner or something larger.  If I go larger, then I have a few more to cut and sew.

29 blocks on my design wall

Be sure to click on the photo for a bigger view…the detail of the blocks shows so much better if you do!

After I got them all ironed and hung, I moved on to the Summer in the Park we started, and finished cutting 3 more strips into blocks.  I am looking forward to working with them and getting a look at them on the design wall too.  I know I have to make a few more strip sets!  I had some kind of trouble cutting these blocks during the retreat and just STOPPED before I ruined a whole lot of fabric!  Today, I just zipped right along, and they cut very easily.  Who knows…but I think it’s like playing the slots…if you are loosing …it is time to quit! Same goes for quilting, if the seam ripper comes out to often, it is time for a break, and heaven forbid when you make the cuts and they are too SMALL….

It was fun to work through both projects that I started last week.  I will probably put both away while I dig into a box of shirts sent by a friend and start her dad’s memory quilt. I promised “after Christmas” and she is on my list at # 1.

Happy stitching!

My One Block Wonder fabric choice

I was remiss yesterday when I posted a photo of my One Block Wonder Hexagons without posting the fabric that they were cut from.

Below is the fabric I chose for the retreat project.  

Quilt retreat project – One block wonder fabric. The print was cut into triangles to be made into hexagons. The blue is my setting triangle fabric.

This is my OBW; with a small Asian fabric in green; grey and blue with a touch of gold and tan.

 

I have 29 Hexagons cut and sewn into 3’s. Will be cutting another 2 strips of my fabric soon to make more !

Happy Stitching!