Thank You Stars

Borders added and binding made this morning. I had gotten it to this stage back during the NO COMPUTER phase. I don't see anything in my stash that will do for a back so it will stay in one of these piles of not there yet projects. Adding the border makes the quilt measure 74 by 88 which should fit our full size bed just fine. The weather is supposed to get really bad here this afternoon so I plan to work in this sewing room trying to find backs and making binding for some of these other tops that I have completed. I have a bunch and will try to make pictures to post as I get to each one of them. I am also trying to go through some of my accumulation and pull items out for the Nickle Auction at the Quilt Lovers Guild in June. 

Happy Stitching,

Teresa

Pokeymon Dreams

Everyone knows I am a big Bonnie Hunter fan and I have done a lot of her patterns. Some I have done more than once and some in some size variation. I have done the rick rack nine and the dancing nine patch in baby quilt size and probably others that are just not coming to mind now. I have at least three full size patterns of hers in UFO status now. One of these is Perkiomen Daydreams. This is one I work on a while then set aside. Sometime last year or maybe the year before that I got the idea to make the block with 2.5 inch strips instead of the 1.5 inch. My thinking was much larger blocks mean less blocks to make. So off in went in strip piecing mood. I had a stack of blocks made and they have been setting in a pile for quite some time. I had started a layout and had put two or three rows together but then they just set while I went on to other things. That is until the first of last week when Johnny had a stay in the hospital. I carried him to the ER Sunday afternoon and they decided he needed to stay at least overnight. Johnny won't leave Lucy (our dog) by herself due to her health issues so a very good friend came and stayed with her Sunday. He didn't want to ask someone to stay with Lucy while I just set waiting on them to run tests on him so I stayed home and worried. I also sewed. I pulled out that pile of blocks and went to work. I would lay the rows out on our king size bed and then bring row at a time to the sewing room and put it together. This went faster than I thought and helped keep me busy since I had trouble setting still. All day I worried and sewed finally he found out he was staying another night so I asked Gina to come back and stay with Lucy long enough to carry Johnny some needed items. He got to come home the next morning and Lucy and I picked him up about lunch time. In that approximately 36 hours of waiting and worrying I got this done. Since I can't pronounce Bonnie's pattern name I am calling my variation Pokeymon Dreams extra large. It measures 103 square. Oh and I had 18 blocks left over.

Things are better for Johnny, his blood pressure is coming down slowly. He has doctors appointment with GP tomorrow and heart doctor in April so probably one or the other will change or add to his medication. Just taking it one day at a time for now.

Until later, happy stitching,

Teresa

DWM 3-27-17

In my time off the grid (without a computer) I did get some things finished and worked on a few old projects. One project bag I had come across was a jelly roll in brights with a large yardage of a white on white. There was one completed block in the bag with several HST and squares already cut. I recognized it as a Thangles pattern I had done before. The pattern wasn't with the bag but I found it another day.The label for the jelly roll was gone and I had no more 2 inch finished Thangles so I cut them out using the Easy Angle Ruler.  I made a few blocks and started playing with them on the design wall. The original pattern used 2.5 inch finished Thangles but since I was cutting these from a Jelly Roll they would finish 2 inches. Laying out the blocks like the pattern seemed too busy.

So I tried a few other patterns. With this block it is basically a split nine patch and can be laid out like any log cabin.

I tried setting then in straight rows and it has a good clean look but maybe a  little too simple.

This lay out led me to grafting my own pattern. I didn't take a picture of my sketch but it had some open areas of the plain white. I showed it to Johnny but didn't get much of a reaction from him.

I liked the field and furrows lay out well enough to calculate the number of blocks I would need to make it bigger. I decided to 120 setting it 10 x 12. The jelly roll had less orange than the other colors so I add a strip or two from my stash. I also ended up adding some yellow to keep the blocks balanced. The jelly roll was more weighted more with pink, red and blue. There was barely enough green. I got the 120 blocks made in my computer down time but have not set them together yet. Just not sure of the setting.

I even considered setting them together as blocks but maybe that is to predictable. I just don't know, so for right now they are in a holding pattern. What do you think? Oh I have even bought a blue polka dot for the border.

Someone had posted a cartoon on Facebook that said "I heard it takes a long time to finish a quilt you are not working on" . How true, how true.

Check back later to see what else I worked on while off the grid.

Happy stitching,

Teresa

March 12 for 12

I had meant to make this post on the day my laptop went black, so here it is now .

2017 Project List

1. En Province-------March finish
2. Jamestown landing in green
3. Black and White disappearing nine patch
4. Split Rail ---------February finish
5. 100 patch
6. Three inch shoe fly
7. North woods - king
8. Black white and red rails ---------   January finish
9. Pink 1 x 4 x 16
10. Rick Rack Nines
11. Oversize Dreams
12. Blue all around



The list is trickling down. I have two tops from the list ready to quilt. Number 7 and 11 and both are king size. Hopefully I can get at least one of the quilted and bound for April.  Number 12 has the blocks done just need to be put together. I was going to tackle it next because the blocks are made but looking at the pattern I see that there are HST in the border. I don't know if I have them made already and they are just not with the blocks or if I had intended to leave that part off. I don't want to put the blocks together with a plan border and then down the road find a box of HST in blue and white, so I chose another to work on now. I went with number 10 since I thought I had all the nine patches made. However when I pulled out the pattern, it is from Bonnie Hunters book Adventures with Leaders and Enders, I remembered I was going to make it smaller than the king size. Well I have a king size bed so I got started on the other 56 blocks I need to make the king size. That only makes sense.

I have started putting it together and it will be a challenge but a king won't be any harder than the queen size I had originally thought I would make.

I will probably end up laying it out on the bed and bringing it row at a time to the machine. Get more exercise that way. I am using a variety of shirting for the alternate block. I think one of them may be a little to dark. Not sure if I will go back and change it or leave it.

Happy stitching for now.

Teresa

Back

Well I hope I am back, on March 10 my laptop went black. No warning that I had any trouble it was just gone. We ordered me a new computer and it did not get here until the following Saturday. I thought I would get a lot more done since I would not be wasting any time playing solitaire or putting jigsaw puzzles together on line, but I don't feel like I did. Oh I did get a good bit of sewing time in but not as much quilting time as I would like. Weather was the main reason for lack of quilting.

I did get this one quilted and it is now bound, I just didn't take a quilted photo. I will need to correct that. The Quilt Lovers Guild has a UFO challenge each month. From the sign in sheet first a name is pulled for the door prize and then a name is pulled for the UFO challenge. The name pulled has to finish a UFO project and bring it to the next meeting. February I won the door prize plus since it was my birthday month I got a gift. I made out like a bandit that night. At the March meeting my name was pulled for the UFO challenge. Since finishing projects  has been an ongoing thing for me I didn't think that would be a problem. After thinking about it I decided to make it a real challenge for myself. This quilt is one that I had pushed to the back burner several times. I had the center of the quilt done but needed to add the borders and that was the challenge. Border fabric with mitered corners just isn't my thing but it is what this quilt needed. So after seeking advise from Ada on the cutting, I did it. It is not exactly perfect but it is done.

Now for the second reason for delay to getting back to blog land. On Sunday after I got the new laptop Johnny was not feeling well. In fact so bad I carried him to the ER and they kept him for two days. He is finally much better and more like himself but I was really worried about him there for a while.  He has follow up Dr. appointments and I hope they can get him back to 100%. In the next few days I will post more on what I did get accomplished without computer interference and what I did to keep my mind occupied instead of worrying so much about Johnny.

Happy stitching,

Teresa

Show and Tell

The Quilt Lovers Guild met Tuesday night at Ivy's house and despite the weather we had a good turnout. Cathy demoed a binding tool that I had seen before but this time it made sense. There were also lots of show and tell.

Becky was our spotlight person and in the info she said she started her first quilt while in college. She brought it for show and tell. Her grandmother hand quilted it for her. Absolutely gorgeous. 

This is another quilt from Becky. It is 10 inch squares with one corner sewed off. Makes a very interesting design.

Marty showed this top of houses and trees. She said it was the most fun she had had piecing in a long time.

This was Ivy's half yard challenge from last year. Due to foot surgery she was not able to complete in time for the December meeting. So she presented it to Mary Lou Tuesday night, better late than never, also why mine for this year is ready to quilt early.

I believe it was Laura who showed this. It was a gift but she borrowed it back to show.

This is another one Ivy shared. It was gifted to her from Francine.

Another from Laura. She is donating this on to the Renegade Group that makes quilts geared for boys.

Dianna brought two of her little monthly wall hangings.

Then she set up this card table. Wasn't sure what was going on until she unfolded this.

Do you think she loves those grand babies?


I showed my En Province, Spinning out of Control and the baby frog quilt which I have shown in previous post. Hopefully I didn't miss anyone or put the wrong name on a quilt, can't always see who is showing it.

Each month from the sign in list there is a drawing for door prize (which I won in February) and then a name is drawn for a UFO challenge. The person whose name is drawn has to complete a UFO and bring to the next meeting. For some reason I didn't have my camera ready so I didn't get a picture of Elaine's Mondo bag that she finished. Well guess who's name was chosen for next month, yep mine. While that shouldn't be a problem, I think I will try to finish one of those projects that keep getting pushed back so that it will really be a challenge for me. I have 3 in mind just haven't selected one yet.

Happy Stitching,

Teresa

Thank You Stars update

I have done very well on my weekly goals this week, but as usual I am already coming up with other ideas. I just hope I don't forget them before I get a chance to get back to them. The fact that I didn't stop what I was doing and start putting it together right then is amazing, but the day is not over yet.


1. Finish quilting En Provence -- started it on Saturday ---- done
2. Make 12 more of the Thank You Stars---- done
3. Finish binding Spinning out of Control----done
4. Finish binding on Not a Wink ---- about 30 inches left to do
5. Put zigzag blocks together
6. work on pillow from left overs of zigzag blocks
7. bind En Provence---- about 30 inches left to finish


Yes I got to within 30 or so inches of binding all of En Provence yesterday and this is a 87 inch square quilt. I watched a marathon of Love It or List It and stitched.


I had 4 of the Thank You Stars left to piece this morning and I got them knocked out and started auditioning sashing fabric. I had mentioned I might try a cheddar but the only one I had enough of was too bright (not as bright as the picture). The one I liked I only had a yard of and need 1.75 yards.

This one I thought might be a real contender because in looked more like the fabric used in the pattern but also was a little light.

I also said I might try a gold and even though it looked better in person than in the picture I didn't feel it was right.

I tried a darker beige but BLAH.

I had another civil war piece the was dark gold with tiny black circles or rings. I thought if photographed a little green so wasn't sure about it.

So I pulled in my color advisor and got his opinion, especially since I was making it to go on the bed in his radio room. Surprisingly he was not opposed to the cheddar that I didn't have enough of but like me didn't care for the one that I had enough yardage. I could check with some of my friends to see if they had any but he said the dark gold was probably the best choice. When you put it with the navy I am going to use for corner stones and then navy for an outside border I think it will work. I have other things still to do on my weekly goals so I will hold off on cutting the sashing and who knows something else may turn up.

Happy Stitching,

Teresa

DWM 3-6-17

I have 12 of the Thank You Stars done, only 8 more to go. I still need to find a sashing fabric. The pattern showed a darker tan stripe with blue corner stones, it did not have a border. I have a piece on blue on blue that has flags in it that I think I will have enough of for borders. I was thinking more of a gold maybe even a cheddar or a red for the sash strips. Just not sure yet, will have to dig into the stash to see what I can find. I didn't think I had enough different blues for the center of the blocks but I kept digging and found 7 or 8 different ones so they are not repeating to often.

I finished quilting En Provence yesterday afternoon, so that is one off my weekly goals.

Then I quilted this little baby quilt with the frog on the lily pad border. It is 42 inches square. It is a bonus finish not on a goal list.  I am keeping a log of everything I quilt and the little one was number 99. Not sure which top I will load for number 100 but it will be a landmark moment.

Happy Stitching,

Teresa

Weekly Goals

It was last night before I finished last weeks goals, but I did get them done. I had thought this week that I might just make my goals all quilted items. Probably just commit to quilting 7 items not specific, just see where my interest led me. However I got to thinking about the week ahead and decided that was unrealistic. I have two guild meetings, a doctors appointment and I need to see about getting our taxes done plus it is supposed to rain and I don't usually go out to the quilt shack when it is raining. So this week my goals are going to be a little less demanding.

1. Finish quilting En Provence -- started it on Saturday
2. Make 12 more of the Thank You Stars
3. Finish binding Spinning out of Control
4. Finish binding on Not a Wink
5. Put zigzag blocks together
6. work on pillow from left overs of zigzag blocks
7. bind En Provence

Looks like I am scheduling myself a lot of chair time with all this binding but 3 & 4 are partially done so I think it is doable.

Join me and make some goals for yourself. It doesn't have to be 7 different things, it can be to just finish one item. It is very satisfying to finish some things and if I don't get to all my items no big deal it will just go back on another list. Eventually I will get to it.

Happy Stitching

Teresa

Blocks and Bibs

Yesterday while it was storming I pulled out my basked of individual patterns. I sorted some into the I still really like pile, them but put on the back burner for now. Then I sorted some of the smaller projects that were seasonal and put them in order of things I need to do now for the next season or they will just wait until next time. I did find the pattern for the black, red and tan quilt that I showed at stitch day last Saturday so I will carry the pattern to Sue. She thought it would make a nice "Quilt of Valor" with a change of colors.I even culled some patterns as will not ever do these and set them aside to give away.  AND then I found a pattern that just jumped out and grabbed me, calling now, now, now so of course I had to try at least a block. It is called Thank You Stars but Fons and Porter. The first block went so well I cut out 5 more, you know, just to see how they would look together.

I think they will do nicely. In the pattern they are sashed with a darker tan and dark blue cornerstones. It doesn't have a border but I think I will add one to make it the size I need. Only 14 more blocks to go. I should have taken down the 3 little red and tan blocks on the right, that is just a little something I am playing with, not sure where it is going yet.

I got a very early start this morning and I think I had these made before 8 o'clock. I know I was vacuuming at 8. After breakfast I got started making baby bibs. I had made 4 to put in my booth at Antique Basket and when I picked up my check yesterday (surprised that I made anything for a February) she said I had sold 2 of the bibs.

I had left over Winnie the Pooh fabric so I made these.

I bought these bunnies when the Easter fabric was on sale.

I can always count on anything Alabama selling so I made one for the team and to be fair made one for Auburn as well.

Sorry the Bama one is a little blurry.

Then I wanted to try something a little extra. Baby's first birthday is a big deal so I made one to celebrate.

I tried to make it gender neutral. I have a lime green chevron on the back. It has been a while since I did any machine applique' and I think this one took as long to make as all the others put together. 

The first one took a little while to figure out how and where to sew the Velcro before putting the parts together.  On the first bibs I sewed snaps on by hand. Once I figured out placement the Velcro went a lot faster.

I am going to deliver these tomorrow and do the grocery shopping but maybe I will find time to get back on those blocks and maybe get back out to the quilt shack on Saturday.

Happy stitching,

Teresa