Year's End

I've taken a time out from Roll Roll Cotton Boll to finish some nearly done UFO's from the 2010 list before tomorrow night at midnight!  I finished the quilting on Illinois Sampler and trimmed the back and batting yesterday evening. This morning I started stitching down the backing. No work today, so maybe I can finish this before 2011?

Another One Done

Finished Wind Power on Dec. 20; label and all. That makes five completions on 2010 UFO list.

Wind Power

A couple of years ago, our guild had Billie Lauder come to teach and we did a mystery quilt class. I've had the top done for quite a while and just didn't quilt it. So I decided to

 send it out to a long-arm quilter (the first time I've done so).

 I got it back the day of our guild's day group party, and I really like the way it turned out. She did a great job- a swirly all-over design. I put the binding on by machine last week, and then on Wednesday got three sides hand sewn to the back at my sewing group. I am confident that I will get this done before Dec. 31-another finish to check off my 2010 UFO list!



RRCB Step 3

I 've been working on the neutral string-pieced blocks for step 3, need 60 of them-8 1/2 inch squares. Cutting foundations out of old phone book pages, and using scraps of a wide variety, 

This is fun and addicting.

RRCB Step 2

Half Square Triangles

The clue was on Bonnie's blog on Friday, and I had all 120 units done on Sunday! At one point I was happily chain piecing with kirtan music playing, zoning out, when I got to the end, reached around in back of the machine to remove the chain and surprise-no chain, just pieces. I had run out of bobbin thread halfway through the first pair!
 Using the Easy Angle ruler, it does make accurate units. I have been doing HSTs by cutting squares, drawing the line diagonally and stitching 1/4 inch from both sides of the line; and then squaring up. They are perfectly accurate that way but take a long time and is tiring on the wrist. I will surely make them with this ruler when I have so many to do in the future.

 This mystery is so much fun-I have made much faster progress than I thought I would. It helps that the weather has turned cold, drizzly and/or snowy.



RRCB Clue #1 Done

Had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner with family at my house. After everyone left I finished the 172 units for clue #1. Ready for clue #2 tomorrow.

Mystery Quilt

Well, here I go starting another quilt! I was going to finish my UFO list before starting anything else; but I couldn't resist this since I had some pinks in my collection-I bought some Wuthering Heights a few years ago and didn't have a project for, and some double pinks scraps from an 1800's reproduction quilt.

 It's Bonnie Hunter's new mystery Roll Roll Cotton Boll; she gave us the first clue on Friday on her blog. I need to make 172 of these units-doubt that I will get them done before the second clue comes next Friday, with Thanksgiving this week. I'm having family to dinner so much is to be done this week that is not sewing!

"Autumn in New England" Is Finished!

Took it to evening guild meeting for show-and tell tonight.

A" Crumby" Evening

At evening group guild meeting last month, we made Bonnie Hunter crumb blocks. I make mine 6 inch square.

Hummingbird Table Runner

A table runner I made this summer. Bought the kit from Peace N Applique when they came for a day group guild meeting.

Quilting " Autumn in New England"

Applique Class

On Wednesday the guild sponsored a class taught by Becky Goldsmith on needle turn applique. The results of her method are beautiful, and it takes a lot of time and patience (at least for me). With practice I will probably pick up speed. Here is my block that I finished a few days after the class. I've got too many other things to work on right now, so I won't be making the other 3 blocks for a wallhanging. Maybe I'll frame this or make a pillow.

Guild Retreat

The weekend of Sept. 13 we had a retreat at Threads of Time in Danvillehttp://www.threadsoftimefab.com/
So much fun! I took the quilt top from Virginia Walton's class in 2007- "Autumn in New England" and finally got most of it pieced. The curves were a challenge for me! The retreat center had a great sewing space: tables for machines, cutting tables and design walls. There were antique quilts on the walls, including one with wonderful embroidered bird blocks.

A Completed Hand Project Block

The seventh block (of 25) for Applique Affair is done.

Finished!

Pineapple Blossom is finished! Complete with hanging sleeve, label and scrapbook page. I took it to both evening and day guild meetings last week for "show and tell".  Started the quilt in May in a class by Bonnie Hunter through our guild, and finished in August- that is record time for me. It's made all from my scraps, a few scraps from the guild giveaway table, and a couple of strips cut from unused fat quarters that I already had in my stash. I even had the batting and backing fabric. A "free" quilt, except for the one spool of thread that I bought to match the inner border for quilting.

Binding

Sewing the binding on with walking foot. It was probably not the best idea to have points right on the edge, it's hard to hit the point just right (not leave it floating or cut off). But I did o.k., if it wasn't right I ripped out and tried again.

Chrissy's Quilt Gifted

Chrissy with her quilt; she will be taking it with her to Millikin University.  

Still Quilting

This Pineapple Blossom quilt is turning out to be one of my favorites. I've worked faithfully on it, only straying to make a quick tablerunner and a small door banner. Its not on my UFO challenge list, because I started it in May in Bonnie Hunter's class; and the list was made in January. As soon as this is done, I must go back and focus on that list!

I'm marking the light background areas with stencils and the trusty blue washout marker. Earlier while marking the design in the dark areas I ran out of the white iron off pen, and then finished with a white ceramic lead pencil. We'll see how this all comes out- hopefully with cool water.  

I'm meandering in the inner border.

In the outer border, I'm outlining with a quarter inch (more or less!) curve on both sides of the point edges.

I really like sitting at my machine and quilting away, listening to music or podcasts. However, it takes a long time, and it's August already! Looking at my UFO challenge list I see that I have only finished 2 out of 10 projects. If I'm going to finish, it looks like I'll have to let go and send some to a longarmer to be quilted. Something I've not done before; prefering to have my quilts be my creation from start to finish. Although there is some wonderful long arm quilting being done-lots of feathers, which I love.

Machine Quilting

I'm stitching in the ditch with the walking food and monofilament thread along the sashings.

Using the BSR to free motion a design I marked with a Clover white marking pen ( it's easy to see and disappears when gone over with an iron). I bury my thread tails with an easy threading needle ( a good thing to do while watching TV or movie).

Basting

Top is finished and I started pin basting yesterday. The previous quilt (Chrissy's ) I tried basting on my cutting table by clamping the backing in sections. It was much nicer standing up, but I had trouble with puckers in the backing when I machine quilted. So its back to crawling around on the floor! I can get the backing good and taut (careful not to stretch) by using clamps on the backing fabric and sticking a large pin through the clamp handles straight down into the carpet.

Border

Woo Hoo! -- the outer border is done and on Pineapple Blossom.

As of July 1

Center is all sewn together, working on the borders. Using the extra half-square triangle units sewn and cut from the block corners. Nifty how everything is used.

Table Runner

This is a cute little table runner done in the Disappearing 9 Patch pattern that seems to be all the rage lately. It was the project for the guild's day group meeting last Wed. Taught by our new program chairperson and one of our newest members who is a hoot! We finished the top at the meeting, it is a quick and easy pattern. I made mine small (4 inch squares to start with) to fit my kitchen table. Used some 30's fabric and finished the edge with rick rack.

Chrissy's Quilt Done!

Well, except for the label. I really like how it turned out. Used the "Frolic" collection by Moda, a jelly roll I bought at Peace and Applique shop, and some yardage for the borders I found at Hancocks of Paducah. Designed the quilt myself, including the applique corner blocks.

Pineapple Blossom Progress

I've got most of the blocks done, they are fun to make! I'm doing Bonnie Hunter "leaders and enders" to make 4-patches for the Irish Chain quilt in her book, while making pineapple blocks. I use paper plates to keep the pieces chosen for each block organized. I really like the cute little half-square triangle units that come from trimming the block corners; they will be used for an inner border - no waste!

Almost Finished!

Free motion meander quilted in the border, got the binding sewn on, and now am hand stitching the binding down on Chrissy's graduation quilt.

Border Quilting

 

Well, I didn't finish the graduation quilt before the party, but I put a fabric swatch in her card and told her it would be finished soon. She was happy with the "teaser". The center is finished, quilted straight diagonal lines with the walking foot. I'm using Borders Made Easy for the inner border for the first time. There are pros and cons with it - I like that it is pre-printed and the adhesive sticks the paper to the fabric, but the paper is thick, can't see through it too well and it is hard to get it torn off when the stitching is done. Unlike Golden Threads paper which I love - but you have to mark it yourself, and there is no adhesive. If only they would put the pros into one product!

In Sinc

I have been collecting indigos and recently acquired the above indigos from a deceased guild member's stash. I've thought of making evening stars, baskets, etc., but nothing clicked until I was looking through a 1992 quilt magazine and saw a quilt made of little churn dash blocks set on point with double pink setting squares-YES that's it! I was looking at the photo and figuring out the unit and block measurements to use (no pattern in the mag.)and had decided on 5 inch blocks with 2 inch h.s. triangle units and 1 inch center square and side rectangles. This was just last night. ...Then this morning I looked at Bonnie Hunter's blog post for today and she showed how she was cutting out and kitting up 5 inch churn dash blocks and using the same measurements I had thought of!

This Weeks Quilting

Basted and started the quilting on Chrissy's graduation quilt. Went to Bonnie Hunter's Pineapple Blossom class on Tuesday, finished 8 blocks in class, here are four of them on the church pew I used for a design wall. A very good class, personal attention and relaxed.