Ready to go

I like to take applique with me when we go camping.  Hand quilting works too, though sometimes it is hard to keep the project being quilted from touching the ground.  When focused on one spot of the quilt a corner can slip down without my noticing it - not a good thing.  So I want to take lots of prepped applique projects with me when we head into the "wilderness".

In case anyone is interested, I took a picture of my worktable.  I did needleturn applique for years and was happy with the process.  Then shortly before my quilting hiatus I was introduced to a different method, which I've been using ever since.  The prep takes a bit longer, but the stitching goes twice as fast, and is easier to do in poor light than needleturn.  I know many of you use this method with starch, but I prefer using water.  It works just as well, is less expensive and less messy, and I don't have to worry about bugs being attracted to the starch in my fabrics.  This set up works well, except for the few times I've been so focused on the television or an audio book that I dip the paintbrush into my coffee instead of the water cup!

Here are pictures of the three quilt preparations I've finished so far.

"Donder and Blitzen" designed by Jan Patek

The antlers on the reindeer are VERY skinny pieces, so I didn't try to press them under while prepping.  I will do regular needleturn when I do them.  Currently they have fairly wide seam allowances so I have something to hang onto when stitching.  The pattern shows each part of each antler as a separate piece - I cut each as one piece to make the stitching much easier.

"Frosty and Friends" designed by Jan Patek

"Summer in a Basket" designed by Jan Patek

This last one still needs to have the pieces basted to the background as well as the applique flower and berry pieces on the other three corners.  I really love the applique center on this quilt!

The four corner designs are perfect accents in that then enhance the look of the quilt but are simple enough not to distract from the center applique.

I will finish the basting on this quilt this morning while watching the Tour.  Then that will be it for quilt for a few days.  I'll spend the rest of today altering the camper sheets, and will spend tomorrow deep cleaning the kitchen, making a shopping list and restocking the larder.  The Tour de France riders have a rest day tomorrow, so I don't need to focus on "fibre" that day.  When the race resumes on Tuesday I'll focus on getting the three sundresses made.

Quilting progress

Before I started playing with EQ7, I was cutting 30's prints for more baskets.  We tend to think of quilting as a sedentary activity, but when one is rotary cutting, piecing, and pressing, there is much getting up and down, prolonged standing, and walking back and forth between the machine and the pressing station.  My machine and pressing station are about 7 feet apart, and often the only exercise I get is walking back and forth during a marathon piecing session.

Wednesday afternoon I received cortisone shots in both knees for arthritis, which means I was to stay off my feet as much as possible for three days.  Once the three days are past I'm still supposed to eliminate any unnecessary walking and/or prolonged standing for 3-4 weeks.  In my mind that means I can't spend much time piecing or rotary cutting if I want the shots to have the best effect.

So, since Wednesday afternoon I've been hand quilting.  I've finished two tops, and am ready to start a third.  Here are pictures of what I've done.

 

For once the quilting shows up quite well in the pictures, especially when enlarged.  I'll wait a bit before binding them, as that will involve two or three trips up and down the stairs plus what at this time I'd call unnecessary walking and standing.  After all, I have quite a few more tops basted and ready for quilting.  That's what I'll be doing the next few days at least.

Still another little quilt finished

Bunny Hop, designed by Jan Patek, is finished and ready to be hung during Easter season next spring.

This is the little quilt that I basted together with the "wrong" side of the backing on the "right" side.  When I made the sleeve I decided to use the fabric "right" side out.

My friend Kim asked me why I didn't use the "wrong" side for that too.  I decided it would be more fun for quilt historians to puzzle about the difference, presuming this quilt lasts that long.  If you enlarge the picture you can see the difference between the two is very slight.

Making great progress with basting!

I have nine small quilts basted now, and four or five more to do.  I feel better and better after I finish each one.  It especially feels good to see them moved from the "Flimsies" list to the "Basted for Quilting list.  I've got my eye on  the 2013 Goals #4 - one I should be able to achieve without too much trouble 

I did make one boo boo today, which you can see in the picture below.  The wrong side of the quilt backing is facing out LOL!  Since this is just a small seasonal wall hanging for us I'm leaving it that way.  The front side is almost as nondescript as the back side.  This will certainly make it easy to write the label.

This little quilt is a Jan Patek design from a few years ago.  This will be big stitched, and I'll be a bit more creative with this one than the others to be big stitched.  The design lends itself to swirls in the sky ala Van Gogh's "Starry Night", horizontal siding on the house and diagonal lines on the room.  Something bough-like will work for the trees.  This one will be fun to do!

This "Stretched Stars" top was a gift from my friend Kathie.  It's been hanging in the closet with all the other finished tops, waiting for its turn to be hand quilted.  Kathie, that turn has come.  This one is near the top as far as quilting order goes.  It might not be done this month, but certainly will be done by the end of June.  I thank you again for sending me such a precious gift.  You know me so well - choosing plaids for my gift top.

Tomorrow's plan is to spend some time working a bit early on my Scrap Basket Sunday project.  I have a bunch of fabrics that I paired together and ironed so I could cut more blocks.  I need to get those cut out as I need all the cutting table space for the last four quilts needing basting.  I can also sew together and trim all the half square triangle squares so they are ready to sew into blocks when Miss Feather gets home.  It is going to be a busy weekend!

It is finished!

My Contrary Wife quilt top is finished.  I love the setting I chose.  I made each border as wide as I could with the fabric I had left.  This was all scrap fabric except for the orange - that was a fat quarter I bought for Emily's quilt that I didn't use.  All the scrap fabrics are gone except for the brown. I'm loving this way of emptying the scrap basket!  The oldest fabric in this quilt is the brown and orange acorn print, which I imagine is a VIP from the 1980's.  The border and a few triangles are a Hoffman woodblock print, which is from the early 1990's.  The brown was part of the first fabric collection designed by Connie and Mary of Country Threads (it may have been their only fabric collection) which they called "Wear Warm Clothes".  All the other fabrics - except for the orange - are from the 1990's (I think).  I love the fact that I had to do a couple fabric substitutions in four of the blocks - I think that adds some "zing" to the quilt!

This will be a great table topper for fall.  It will also be a great practice piece to quilt while getting my longarm quilting mojo back.

I've read many times that serious quilt designers do quilts in "series".  I've never done this, and I don't think of myself as a quilt designer.  But I had so much fun playing with this block that I see a series of  little "Contrary Wife" quilts made from scraps in my future.  Maybe I'll start another tomorrow!

Scraps, we love scraps! But I need your help . . .

Because I have this laundry basket of fabric pieces not big enough to fold and put on the shelf - my definition of scraps - I decided to start participating in Kim's Scrap Basket Sundays.   I know if I don't commit myself to something like this I will always pull from the shelf rather than the scrap basket.

Because I spent all day today at the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival,  and will be there most of the day tomorrow, I spent last night and tonight cutting and sewing scraps.

"1"

Because I'm part of Kathleen Tracy's yahoo group Small Quilt Talk, I decided to use April's block for my first Scrappy Sunday project.  Tomorrow night I hope to sew the blocks together and finish the quilt top.

"2"

The block is called "Contrary Wife", though many may know it by another name.  (Don't you love how block names changed from state to state and era to era?  I do!)  I originally planned to do only four blocks plus borders.  Last night I discovered what a tiny quilt that would be so I decided to make 16 blocks instead - I wanted a square quilt.

"3"

Of course, my chosen scraps didn't go that far - I was able to make only 12 blocks.  I thought about stopping then, but realized there was only one blocks arrangement (that I liked) suitable for 12 blocks.  So I did what our foremothers often did when fabric was scarce.  I dug through the basket for fabrics of similar color and value to the fabrics I'd used up.  I made four more blocks tonight substituting two new fabrics for those I'd used up.  I thought I'd use them in the center of the quilt.  Or in the four corners.  I played with both arrangements and didn't really care for either.  So I scattered those four blocks randomly though the block arrangement.  That looked MUCH better!  (IMHO)

"4"

I thought I knew which block setting I wanted.  But once I started playing with the blocks I realized there were many different settings I liked.  So I'd love your input.

"5"

Which setting do you like best?  Please vote for your favorite, either 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.  Thanks!

A taste of my next project . . . .

Decisions, decisions . . . so not my usual colors.

Finishes

The yellow single is spun, and the pair of socks I was working on at the knitting retreat is finished.

You might notice that the toes look different from each other - they are.  Remember that I had to completely redo the second sock because I knit the wrong size?  I also followed instructions for the wrong size when I decreased for the toe on the first sock.  I thought it fit a bit oddly compared to the other pair from this pattern, but since it was comfortable I didn't worry about it.  Now I know why!

I must spend part of tomorrow cleaning, doing laundry and running errands.  I got a call today from the machine quilter - Emily's quilt is ready for me to pick up, so that is one of the errands.  I should be able to spend half the day sewing.  I'll doing the machine stitching on Emily's quilt's binding so I can do the hand stitching at quilt group in the evening.  The rest of the day will be spent cutting out "Hat Trick", this month's Vintage Schnibbles pattern. 

 I'm using  charms from Chelsea Boutique by Blackbird Designs (I love all their stuff!).  I have both the print pack and the plaids and stripes pack, as well as a print pack of large rectangles.  I know I'm going to love this quilt!

Another little quilt

My plan was to continue cutting strips, squares and bricks tonight.  As I looked at the basket of fabrics pictured in yesterday's post, I realized I could do something different instead.  I could make another little quilt!  These weren't the reproduction fabrics I love, but there was nothing wrong with them.  I decided to make a little quilt that could serve as a table mat, and use it for longarm practice.

17 3/4" x 17 3/4"

This is a free pattern posted on Kathleen Tracy's website.  I love Kathleen's designs - I have all of her books.  Once quilted I will use this on one of the end tables in our living room.  I will bind it in one of the fabrics used in the quilt - I have enough.  I'm so glad I thought of this!

A new little quilt

It felt so good to be doing REAL sewing again.  I can't believe it's been 16 days since I cut out the pieces for this quilt.  The detour I took before getting here took much longer than I thought it would!

26 1/2" x 30 1/8"

This is the small double 4-patch quilt from this year's Little Women's Club, designed by Jo Morton.  All the fabrics are Jo's, except for the border, which is a 3 Sisters print.  I didn't have a single Jo Morton piece I liked for the border, so I made do.  The alternate squares are a beautiful light print by Jo that I'd not seen before.  I bought it at the first quilt shop we visited on our way home from Death Valley.  I've always wanted to make a pink and brown quilt, and this seemed to be the appropriate time.  I love how it turned out! 

Now I think it is time I got back to some Civil War Diary blocks, as I didn't finish any last month.

It's been a long time since I pieced a little quilt

Update:  A huge thank you to Dorothy who suggested "Butterscotch Stars".  My father's favorite flavor was butterscotch.  So, Dad, I'm thinking of you and naming this quilt "Butterscotch Stars".

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Why have I waited so long?  This was like eating peanut butter chocolate cheesecake - every moment pure pleasure.  I'm going to focus on little quilts in between working on my WISP's.  This was so much fun to do.

13 1/2" X 17 7/8"

Regan commented that she wouldn't have thought to use this background fabric.  Jo designed "Bittersweet Stars" to be a Christmas quilt.  When I saw that holly fabric in my Jo stash, which I don't remember ever seeing before, it told me it was the perfect choice.

This one needs hand quilting for sure.  I need to shift a bunch of my fiber stash to get to my Blue Ribbon quilt batting so I can begin.  I guess I'll be shifting fiber this afternoon.

I need a name for this quilt - any suggestions?  It is speaking to me but is keeping its name a secret for now.

The blocks are finished

I had time to sew more after I got home from spinning, so was able to finish the blocks.  I'm fine with the setting fabric now - I've learned to reserve my judgement until most if not all the blocks are finished.

I'm going to play with the block arrangement for a bit before I sew it all together.  Jo Morton didn't put a border on her Bittersweet Stars, but I might decide to put one on mine.

A little progress . . . .

I've had very little time to sew today.  Tonight is our monthly Vancouver Handspinners meeting.  I need to find fiber, bobbin, etc. and get my wheel ready so it is time to stop sewing.  I do like the way this little quilt is developing.

  

Gratitudes:

1.  An evening to spend with amazing, inspirational spinning friends

2.  Gluten-free buns at Burgerville

3.  Wonderfully fresh vegetables to roast

I've been fighting this nasty cold for 10 days now, and I didn't think I felt up to getting out the light box to mark this for the stitchery.  However, after I posted I decided it would be really silly to put away the top without really finishing it.  I'm glad I did!  It went fairly quickly and now is a truly complete top.

The floss is from Weeks Dyeworks.  "Bark" is variegated from dark, cool, brown to dark, cool green.  The change in color doesn't really show up on the quilt however, which is too bad because the shading is beautiful.

Edited to add:  I realized after I went to bed last night that I'd forgotton to give Peter an eye.  I'll take care of that in the next couple days.

Two little quilt tops

Yesterday I finished the applique on two little quilt tops.  Both are Jan Patek designs.  I was feeling so good about the fact that I could finally take a couple of the HSY's (Haven't Started Yet's) off the sidebar list, and then discovered that these two aren't even listed!  I wonder how many more I have that aren't listed.

"Five Hearts" finishes at 30" square.

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Peter Cottontail

"Peter Cottontail" still needs the words "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" embroidered around the edges.  I'm thinking it needs to say, "Peter Cottontail is Caught by the Door on the Way Out".  That's what I get for thinking I can cut an applique piece to its finished size when my head is stuffed by a bad cold!

A little quilt top

I found this little quilt top in a drawer with my "Cabin in the Pines" quilt blocks.  The applique had been basted in place and ready to finish for over two years.  At first I thought this was one of the quilt blocks - then I saw the pattern underneath and realized it was a small quilt.  The applique is now finished - it went VERY quickly.

The quilt, called "Flag and Chickens", is a Jan Patek little quilt.  I belonged to Jan's little quilt club for a couple years, so I have many of these little gems in my bins of HSY's.

New projects

Now that my last UFO's are nearing finished top stage I allowed myself to start a couple new projects. These are the latest mini quilts from Jan Patek. I signed up for her new mini quilt club late last year, promising myself that I'd keep up with the kits as they came. I got a bit behind after doing the first two kits, so am now doing a bit of catch up.

The Valentine quilt arrived at the end of January. I stuck it in a drawer at the time, bringing it out a couple days ago when I was almost finished with the Feathered Star appliqué blocks. It went together very quickly, and I'd have a finished top by now except for the fact that the kit was short one fabric. Glad I started it now while they still have the fabric!

I decided to start the Easter quilt that arrived a couple days ago while waiting for the little fabric package to arrive. This one will be VERY fast - simple appliqué with big pieces. It will be so much fun to have all these little quilts to decorate with next year!

I need to step up the pace

It's now the middle of January, and I'm not even close to being halfway through my January goals. Several things have prevented me from sewing for days at a time - not what I expected to happen. I'm not going to stress about it, however - after all, the goals were just to give me something to shoot for. Anything I don't complete will just be moved to February.

Tonight I finished the applique on the last tree of this little wall hanging and then stitched on the borders. This is one of the Jan Patek kits that I purchased earlier this month. I'm very happy with how it turned out. I will hand quilt it - possibly in big stitch - in the next month or two. Hopefully sooner. I'm so happy to cross off another of January's goals!

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Gratitudes:
1. A three day weekend for Fred
2. Crisp cold, clear winter days
3. Several new cookbooks with tasty looking light recipes
4. Meeting a friend for coffee

It's a finished top!

Nothing like a quick little mini-quilt to provide a feeling of satisfied accomplishment. Kathie sent me this quilt kit a little before Christmas, and I tucked it away for my first project of 2009. I added a few 3 1/2" light squares from my own stash so to make it one row larger and thus square. It will become a little table mat for the larger end table in our living room. Tonight I will layer it for hand quilting, and will take it to Tangled Threads on Tuesday. I hope to have it done by the end of the week.

This is the only sewing I've had time to do since I finished the double four patch top. So much for my plans of quilting a few charity quilts this week! I still have to put together the backing for that four patch top also - that will be done by the end of this evening!

Still more

There have been so many positive comments about Jo's little quilts that I thought you'd like to see more.

Kathie, Jo's already recreated that little star quilt you want to do with the poison green background. Isn't it great?Four patch on point - so very simple yet so very effective.

We saw many of Jo's log cabins - here is one of them. I like the way she did the border on this one.

Just a simple nine patch on point, but doesn't it look terrific with that star block in the middle? What a great way to use an "orphan" block!

Another four patch, but it looks so different with the strippy setting. And I LOVE the cheddar background!

I'm having a love affair with cheddars, poison greens and chrome yellows right now. Used like this they can make a new quilt look really old.