Happy Halloween!

Finished this wallhanging last week. Appliqued with fusible and machine quilted. Designed by Letitia Hutchings of Mt. Redoubt Designs.

Had a wonderful time at LLQA retreat in Pilgrim Park from Friday to today. Great weather, lots of quilting, some shopping, and great quilty friends. I got the "secret project" top almost finished and did some hand quilting on Sunbonnet Sue Alphabet. Walked out to the car there this morning and heard a hawk calling.  

Catching Up with Civil War History blocks

Order Number Eleven

Star of the West

Ohio Star

Summer Solstice

I finally put the label on "Summer Solstice", so it is finished!

Class

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the guild had teacher Jan Krentz here for a two day class. The project was a broken star design from her book Quick Star Quilts and Beyond - I'm doing the smaller version with the 3 inch diamond template. The photos are from the class when we had finished cutting out and had put the pieces up on the "design walls" (flannel backed table cloths or batting taped to the walls). I got about a quarter of it pieced in class. Finished one more seam the next day at home.

Rainy Day!

Charity Quilt Block "Martha Washington Star"

I made the block for the guild's charity quilt; the assignment was to make a 12" block of our choice in 30's print with unbleached muslin.

I worked on the Friendship Medallion. The mitered borders are on. I still need to square it up, baste and quilt it. The bottom two photes show the half-square triangles that Edyta Sitar, Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims autographed.

This Week

Farmer's Wife Sampler #10 Bowtie

Making Border for Friendship Sampler

This week I started working on a secret project, so I'm getting behind on the Civil War blocks.But I did finish a Farmer's Wife block.
I also worked on the border for Friendship Sampler - want to finish the top for show and tell at Sept. 12 guild meeting. I found the inner and outer border fabrics at Stewart's in Mt. Zion, and the middle border on the guild bus trip to Kokomo IN.

Joe the Quilter

Got this far in class.

Thursday I went to see Joe Cunningham for his musical program and trunk show - "Joe the Quilter" ; and class on Friday; at Threads of Time in Danville.   It was funny and relaxing. He would give us some instruction, walk around as we were sewing and tell us it was perfect, and play his guitar for us or just visit. Here is a youtube snippet from the program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGGkN-iMeMg  He said he had a "high tolerance for variation" - I think that is what I will name this quilt.



Farmers Wife Block

I made block #4 Basket Weave today. I've also been hand stitching the binding of Summer Solstice, and I made a Civil War History block- I'll get a photo tomorrow in the daylight. I was able to sit on the deck to stitch- it was a beautiful day (although we need rain badly); so glad that horrible heat wave is over.

Machine Quilting Marathon

I spent the last couple of days finishing the quilting ( eyeballing the straight lines with the walking foot, and marking Golden Threads paper for the free motions designs); and making the binding for "Summer Solstice", so that I could use it to do a demo at the guild meeting on Wednesday for making continuous binding. I made it in the nick of time, and several people told me afterwards that it was helpful for them. I gave the same demonstration about three years ago. I first learned it from Nancy Zieman on her TV show.

In Full Bloom wallhanging

Finished it today. This project made in class taught by Edyta Sitar.  Free motion quilted with Aurifil thread on my Bernina 440. 80/20 batting. I love it, now to finish the blocks for "Hop To It"!

This quilt top was finished in July 2009. I found the backing fabric in Eleanor Burns' tent in Paducah, April of this year. I got it out today and finished pin basting. I'm ready to do some machine quilting.

Civil War History #29 Railroad Crossing

Civil War History #19 Missouri Star

Farmer's Wife Sampler #6 Big Dipper

I've been doing pretty well meeting my goals; last week I checked off everything except basting "Summer Solstice". So far this week I've done the two Civil War blocks and one Farmer's Wife. I started paper piecing a Dear Jane block this evening. Earlier I pressed and laid out the backing for "Summer Solstice" to at least begin the basting process. This hot, hot weather has me feeling less than energetic enough to crawl around on the floor to do that!  I found border fabric for "Friendship Medallion" - but still need to find just the right shade of blue-green for the middle border. I'd like to finish it before Edyta Sitar is here next week for lecture and classes.

Goals

Civil War History block #22 Blockade

Dear Jane  H10 Ben's Bowtie

Made another Civil War block. While looking for 1800's repros in my stash - I got out my long neglected Dear Jane box and decided to get going on that again. The first DJ block was made in January 2007, and none have been finished since October of 2009, until today. I need another WIP don't I? 
To keep focused I've made a list of weekly goals: Two Civil War blocks, One Farmer's Wife block, One Dear Jane block, and one Sunbonnet Sue block hand-quilted. Along with progress on a UFO project; this week that goal is getting Solstice Dance basted. For my current project, Friendship Medallion - I hope to find border fabric.

Having Fun with History

Irish Chain

Little Blue Basket

Barbara Fretchie Star

Next Door Neighbor

Here are the Civil War History quilt blocks from Barbara Brackman's blog that I finished this week.  Next Door Neighbor was a bear! (That sounds funny.) It came out with different measurements on each side, so I redid it by taking off the outer triangles and cutting new ones larger than the pattern measurements. I was then able to square-up the finished block to 8 1/2 inches. I'm really getting into this project, and at this rate will catch up soon. I have 10 done out of 28 weekly blocks that she started at the beginning of the year. 2011 is more than half gone already!   

Hot

Last week we had some beautiful days-in the 70's and low humidity.Spent some time outside. But now we are back to hot and humid summer weather, so I am back to the sewing room; piecing the center of the Friendship Medallion. Went to two local quilt shops looking for a border fabric - no luck yet.

#25 Calico Puzzle Block

Made it today, Tuesday.

Monday



Putting my Friendship triangles from the exchange on the design wall, I have a feeling I'll be playing with these for a while.I'm mixing the SOTTT and Batiks R Us ones together today, may change my mind later.



Machine quilting in the ditch on Sunbonnet Sue redwork.



July birthday blocks for quild.



 

Civil War Block

This is #24 Ladies Aid Album.

Illinois Roads

Did #23 "Illinois Roads" block from Barbara Brackman's Civil War blog. An easy one to construct;  I fussy- cut the stripes.

A Summer Table Runner

Cottage Basket Table Runner

I finished it.

This Kit Has Aged Long Enough

Preparing and Placing Fusible Applique Pieces (Original Pattern)



Machine Blanket Stitching (Simplified Pattern)

I dug this project out and decided to finish it. It's a table runner kit that I bought from a vendor at the DQG Quiltfest about 2004 (?). I had started it before and gotten frustrated because there was not enough fabric in the kit for the applique pieces-so it was put away. Today, I thought I would search for fabric in my stash that would go, but got frustrated with that too; and decided to simplify the pattern and eliminate some of the flowers. I liked it that way-so I got all the pieces cut out, fused and stitched. (I had pieced the background earlier). It is from the pattern "Cottage Basket Table Runner" by Art to Heart.

Happy Start to June!

Finished
Raspberry Truffle top.



Finished Baltimore Album-Style
Block



Mulling over whether to hand guilt the top, I'm thinking of a Baptist fan design.

Another cool thing I learned in Elly's class: how to make a 1/8 inch bias stem by folding a 3/4 inch strip in half, placing the raw edge against the line, hand stitching down the middle of it, then bringing the fold up over the seam allowance and tack stitching it down.

Almost Have a Baltimore Album-Style Block

Hand Stitching the itsy-bitsy pussy willow buds. Elly gave us a swatch of ultra-suede to use and it works great - no seam to turn under and no fraying. Embroidered the stem with her idea of using floss, one strand of one color and a second strand of another. (I used black and gray.)