WORKING ON UNITY

I completed all the part 7 blocks, and stitched them into border pieces.  When I was pinning them on the quilt top, I discovered that I had turned the top and bottom set of blocks 1/4 turn the wrong way!  Frog stitching to the rescue!

DH has been organizing our small garage with hopes to have room for the car!  We may be staying north this year instead of heading south for the winter, so we want the car to be in the garage instead of the driveway, collecting frost and snow.  He has redesigned his work bench, so that it can fold down flat on the wall, and has a huge pile of metal stuff and garbage!  We had some baby items from our grandkids for their stays here, but the youngest doesn't need some of the items any more.  We have a neighbour with a new baby across the street, so DH took the items over to see if she would like them.  They were all of the plastic variety, so easy to clean and disinfect before use.  DH and our friend are making a trip to the dump next week, so then we can test fit the vehicle in the garage.

Back to re-stitching the borders, so I can begin the final part tomorrow!

I'VE BEEN AWOL

DH and I discovered that it is hard having company when you are recovering from a cold, and I have a "wonky" knee that acts up from time to time, and of course, it acted up the whole time they were visiting.  DH was great, and took them out a day or two, leaving me at home to catch up on mail, bills, a bit of cleaning and cooking, as well as a couple of minutes of sewing.  I was suffering from withdrawal!

I have been working away at the parts for my next project.  I managed to get the 4-patches stitched before our company arrived, and I cut the parts for the half square triangles, stealing a few minute now and again while our visitors were here.

One of our neighbours, who we dog-sit for, has a trip planned to the Florida Keys from Monday to Friday, so sweet Sophia will be staying with us for the week.  We also heard that our elderly neighbour has to go to South Carolina for 2 weeks for tests and treatment, and can't take his small dog.  He leaves on Saturday, and so we are organizing several neighbours to take the dog for a walk, and provide some play-time for it.  Since we have Sophia for the first week, we can't keep it here, and we are not sure how well trained it is.

The annual Variety Night in our community, is this Sunday, and DH had not planned to participate this year.  He got a call on Thursday, asking if he could MC the show.  The person who had planned to do it, as well as sing 2 numbers and various other things, had to head north after a death in her family!  He just returned from the dress rehearsal, so I'm anxious to hear how it went!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

This is laid out on my design floor!  I finished the 48 blocks of half log cabins, and after playing with EQ7, decided on this layout.  I have sewn the seams in one direction, and the others are pinned, but I haven't finished them yet.

Sunday we headed off to Kitchener for the final wedding dress fitting.  This is the first time the bride has seen the dress completed except for the hem, and she was really excited.  I pinned the lining hem up out of the way before heading out, and was able to find a good length and pin the hem.  She practiced walking in the floor length dress, and had no problems with her shoes/hem.  Her shoes have a buckle on the side and a decoration on the top, and I wanted to avoid any small catches on either.  We had a good visit, and DH took DS2 out to pick up some groceries before we left, while I had a lovely chat with the bride, who is fighting a cold.  I also found a solution to the "something borrowed, something blue" tradition (she already has the something old and something new).  I hunted through my dresser and found some old hankies that had been given to me by my Grandmother.  One had some blue embroidery, so it will fit the bill!

We made a short stop in Toronto, to check out some items at a kitchen shop, then had another uneventful trip home - 12 hours door to door.  Good thing DH doesn't mind the drive!

Today I'll be back in wedding dress mode.  I also want to make her a small drawstring bag, using leftover satin and lace, so she can carry some essentials on the big day. 

Check out all the creativity at Judy's Patchwork Times

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.....

I haven't been posting very often.  It always takes me a while to get settled after our semi-annual relocation.
This week has been filled with dental check-ups, annual physicals, shopping to re-stock the pantry/refrigerator/freezer, and of course working on the wedding dress.

We are headed to Kitchener on Sunday for a final fitting.  I still want to make her a small purse with the leftover satin and lace.  I have to discuss the design with her on Sunday.

 In the meantime, I've been sewing half log cabin blocks.  I decided to use a 6x8 block layout, and I just finished all 48 blocks!  I even chose a layout design using EQ7, so when I get the dress done, I can get busy with this quilt top!  EQ7 also told me that I've used 3.5 yards of fabric from my scrap bins.  Another incentive to get this quilt completed - so I can count the fabric as "used" in a future stash report!

Weekends are the best time to bake and do laundry, thanks to the Ontario "time of use" billing for electricity.  Saturday I'll be catching up on laundry, as well as baking some more bread - cinnamon-raisin- fruit  I think!

I hope everyone is finding some time to quilt - I try to squeeze in a bit every day. 

SPINNIN' SPOOLS TOP COMPLETE

I finished the top late yesterday, and made the binding this morning.  DH held to top so I could take a quick picture.

This morning I mixed up the dough for a loaf of pumpernickel bread, headed out to do a bit of grocery shopping, along with some toys for the Toys for Tots annual drive.  When I returned home, I made a pan of cheesecake brownies, then baked the bread - company coming on Thursday!
I'm heading out to my sewing room to cut the pieces for the remaining plaid quilt.  Hopefully, this will finally use up most of the plaids.  Anything remaining will decorate the quilt backs....

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Used this week  0 yards

Used year to date  215.5 yards

Added this week  0 yards

Added year to date  70.25 yards

Net used 2011  145.25 yards

 Just because I reported 0 yards used, doesn't mean that I'm not quilting!  I only report finished quilts, so I'd better get busy and finish the tops so I can begin the quilting!

I've been working on my "Spinnin' Spools" quilt, using another scrap block pattern from Bonnie Hunter in Quiltmaker magazine.

The first picture is the blocks pinned in sets of 4, ready for sewing.

Then they are sewn together assembly line style, first in one direction, then in the other.

 After a good pressing, the blocks were arranged on the living-room carpet.  DH helped me re-arrange the blocks until there were none with the same plaid spools next to one another.

These will  have sashing and cornerstones added when stitching.

 

I picked up the blocks, stacking each row from the top to the bottom, then pinned each row of blocks together in the top right-hand corner.  Row one (marking from right to left) has 1 pin, row two has 2, row three, 3.  The next couple are marked in Roman numerals ( fewer pins) - four is marked IV and five is V.  This way if I drop the blocks on the way to the sewing machine, or move them, I'll still know which way they go into the quilt!

Here are all the sashing strips and cornerstones, waiting for today's sewing.

Head over to Judy's blog to see everyone's stash progress.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I'm off and running on plaid quilt number two - another Bonnie Hunter pattern from Quiltmaker magazine.  This one is called "Spinnin' Spools", and uses 2 inch strips and squares.  I decided to use all the same fabric for the "light" portion of each spool.  The top right hand set of 4 is a finished block, measuring 9 inches finished.  I plan to put sashing between each block, as I want a bit larger quilt this time.  I'm aiming at about 60x80 inches.  I'll probably make all the spool units before deciding how to pair them up, so I don't get too many colour combinations the same.  DH has a great eye for this, so I'll probably have the parts all over my living room carpet!  I'll be making 35 blocks this time, so that means 140 spool units.


Let's see what other creative bloggers have on their design wall by visiting Judy's blog.

ONE TOP DOWN - TWO MORE TO GO

Here is the completed "Moth in the Window" quilt top.  I have green plaid binding prepared, and now I'm getting ready to start plaid quilt #2.

This time I'm using another of Bonnie Hunter's scrap blocks from Quiltmaker magazine.  
I'll be making "Spoolin' Around", found in the July/August issue No. 140.

Once again, I drew the block in Electric Quilt, and decided to use sashing and cornerstones between the blocks this time.  I'll also be using a single fabric for the "light" component in the block.

FINAL PLAID BLOCKS (for this quilt.....)

I finished the final set of 6 blocks.

Then I had to lay them all out on the living-room carpet.  Since 18 blocks had dark "moths" and 12 had light "moths" I laid them out in alternate rows of 6.  After peering at it for quite a while, DH noticed that there were a couple blocks that had the same fabric, residing next to each other, so after a couple of changes, the block layout was decided.

FOURTH SET OF PLAID BLOCKS

I'm coming down the home straight - finished the fourth set of 6 blocks.  Since I am reorganizing the pairs, I decided to change the location of the lights and darks for the next two sets of blocks.

 I managed to finish these before heading out to my quilt group, and even had time for a small lunch!
There was only a small group in attendance, so we all worked on some items we brought to finish, and talked about plans for projects this season.  Many of the part-time and full-time residents head north for either thanksgiving or Christmas or both, so the group really swells in size when January arrives.  This is the time some members like, as they get extra help with some of their quilting problems.
Now I have to add some planning for upcoming quilt group projects to my "To Do List".

THIRD SET OF BLOCKS!

So far so good - I made another 6 plaid "Moth in the Window" blocks again yesterday.  I'm trying to keep up the pace, but today is the first day my quilting group meets, so I might not finish all 6......

I have 18 finished blocks and only 12 more to go!  I think it takes more time to choose the pairs of fabrics for each block than it does to sew them together!  This was the end of my plaids, so now I have to rearrange the pairs of fabrics for the next blocks, trying not to make the same choices again.
I plan to make two more projects from my plaid fabrics, so I'll probably move on to the next project when the top is complete on this one.   I've been cutting the borders first, to make sure I have enough fabric.  Some of my plaids are only half yards or fat quarters.  Some are yards, and just a few are larger.  Don't want to run out before I get the tops made.  Then I plan to use the rest for backings......

MORE PLAID!

I'm trying to make 6 "moth in the window" blocks each day.  My sewing room gets very hot by the afternoon hours, so I'm heading out first thing in the morning, trying to keep to my self-imposed schedule.

Here are the 2nd 6 plaid blocks....

I think I have enough fabrics left to make another 6 blocks, then I'll have to re-arrange the pairs of fabrics for the rest of them.  
I managed to get the second large corner attached to my Christmas hexagon project - pictures to come soon.

ONE DOWN AND ONE TO GO

I finished the tote bag, made from the section removed from the quilt.  I was fortunate to find some of the dark green fabric - just enough to make the handles.

 I fused a double layer of "Peltex" to make a firm bottom, and covered it with a pink print.  I slip-stitched the ends inside the bag.  I decided that it would be too tall with all the "borders" exposed, so I decided to turn the large pink border inside, to form a facing.  I machine stitched the edge, then slip-stitched it to the inside of the bag.  The handles were top-stitched, with lots of reinforcing to hold them secure.
I still had 12 blocks remaining in a long strip, 2 blocks wide.  I decided to take it apart to make the centre of a baby quilt.

(Sorry for the slightly blurry picture!)  I covered the seam in the back with a folded strip of the fabric planned for a border, and stitched it down by hand, after inserting a small piece of batting.  The batting will be held in place when I re-quilt in the ditch, as well as along some of the shapes.  I had to remove some stitching so that I had access to the seam allowance to sew it together.
 I found this pink and brown print in my stash, along with a green that had the right tones for the quilt.  I plan to use the same green for binding.  Now I have to add backing and batting the perimeter of the quilt - a little tricky, but not impossible!

PRESIDENT'S SCHOOLHOUSE CHALLENGE

The latest tradition with the outgoing President of the Limestone Quilters' Guild is to have a quilt challenge for the final meeting of the year.  This year's challenge consisted of using an 8 inch finished schoolhouse block and making a wall hanging, no larger than 20x30 inches.
Of course, I left mine until almost the last minute.  I used a schoolhouse block from EQ7, and pulled some fabrics from my stash.  Since I had lovely "sky" fabric, I didn't want to cut it into small pieces to finish the block, so I made a base layer of sky and grass, then I turned the seam allowances under and machine appliqued the schoolhouse to the background! 
I decided to add some thread painting, so first I stitched a tree

 Then I added the little flowered area......

I added some small buttons to the front of the schoolhouse, for a door knob and the heart because it mimics my guild's logo.....

I decorated the tree and the schoolhouse with tiny quilt blocks, cut from fabric bought many years ago.....

And finally the finished product!

I was amazed at how many sewing related fabrics I found in my stash!  I can't wait to see what others have done.  They will be on display on June 1 at our spring dinner meeting, and they hope to have them on display at the quilt show in June 2012 as well.

SCRAPPY HOURGLASS PART 2

Now that all the hourglass pieces are finished, its time to move on to the "log cabin-like" parts.  When adding a strip to a pieced block, I always try to place the strip, right side up, on the machine, then add the pieced part on top.  This allows you to check on the orientation of the seam allowances as you sew.

Half of the hourglass parts have a 2 inch strip added first, and the other half have a 1 1/2 inch strip added first.  This can be done assembly line fashion, then press the seam away from the hourglass.  The first strip is added to the "light" side of each hourglass.
Continue on, adding a second strip of the same size, on the right side of the block, making sure that the previous strip is facing you.....
Continue on, adding the second size to each block.
Now comes the fun of stitching the block together.  It is just a large 4-patch at this point.  The hourglass pieces are turned to the centre of the block, and there are two of each block to form the complex block.

When piecing the block, make sure that the hourglass parts match carefully, but you can see that the strips are off-set, so you only need to match at the outside edge.  Now I'm off to play with all my block parts, trying to make interesting finished blocks, with no repeated fabrics .
My sewing time has been limited, as I twisted my back yesterday morning, and can only sit and sew for a short time.  I have been reading and knitting a baby sweater, so it is not time wasted!  I've also been able to watch some of the world championship figure skating, although with the competition of the Royal wedding, the election campaign in Canada, and the NHL finals, it has been hit and miss on the skating coverage!

SCRAPPY HOURGLASS

A while ago, I read Bonnie's blog about her latest scrap block pattern, called "Happy Hour" in Quiltmaker magazine.  It interested me, as it is made from 2 inch and 1 1/2 inch strips, and I thought it would make a dent in my scrap bins.
I spent some time and drew the block in EQ7, then planned a quilt, complete with borders.  The red and white border will be scrappy as well, made from my "leader and ender" squares, sewn into 4-patch blocks.  Not sure what colour I'll use for the sashing, cornerstones and borders - it depends on how much fabric is available in my stash - no buying more fabric!

 I used the EZ Quilting "Companion Angle" ruler to cut the hourglass pieces from 2 inch strips.  I layered a light fabric on top of a dark, right sides together and cut 2 triangles.  When you have finished putting the hourglass together, it has straight of grain on all four sides - you do have to be careful pressing the seams as you go - I finger press until the hourglass is complete.

I began by stitching all the triangles into pairs, making sure that the darker fabric was on top, and the square corner was entering the machine first (less chance of the points being eaten by the machine).  I do use a straight stitch plate on my machine when I am piecing.  I like to do assembly line sewing, so I stitched all the pairs of triangles first.

Next, I cut the matching pieces apart, and finger pressed the seams, toward the dark fabric, along the long straight edge.

I placed the pieces, right sides together, with the dark triangle on top, and the seams nestled together, then stitched along the long edge.

I then prepared the block for pressing, by opening up the tiny seam allowance at the centre of the block, and spinning the seam allowances...easier to show than describe.

Off to the ironing board to press the seams.  I press from the right side, using a hot, dry iron.  Now to finish the other 47 hourglass parts!

 

More Tossed Fruit Salad

In my plan to use up fabric, I used the last 4 repeats of fruit fabric, that I had already used in a wall hanging, placemats and a runner, shown here, to make some simple kaleidoscope blocks.

 I used the remaining background fabrics to set the blocks on point, and sashed with the lovely purple fabric.

   Half used the light green, and half the darker green.

 The twelve blocks were large enough to make a nice lap-size quilt, and the only fabric remaining is some of the darker green, which I wanted for my applique stash.

Kaleidoscope Pinwheels

Here is the fabric.......

 And here are the rest of the blocks.......

 Now I guess I have to get on with the next steps - sashing and cornerstones.