Finished Quilt Top!

Another finished quilt top is on the design wall! 
This is the "Up Up and Away" pattern from the book Sunday Morning Quilts.   This is a great book, and I can hardly wait to read Cheryl Atkinson's next book called "A Month of Sundays".


You can read about the "accidental" beginning of this quilt here when I was at quilt retreat in February. Thanks to my "secret sister" (Jake... who's not a secret anymore!) and to Marjorie for their contributions to this quilt!
I have two wedding quilts on the go that I should be working on but just can't tear myself away from this project. I tell myself that I need to finish this because I need a small portable hand quilting project (this is the perfect size tote-along project since it is a baby quilt) to take back and forth to the hospital when I am at my brother's.
However this is not really the truth since I have a lot of hand stitching projects on the go, but this, my friends, is the face of quilting addiction!!! LOL
AND as soon as I finished stitching the top together, I started pin basting so that I could start quilting right away.  Oh my...I just love how it turned out!
We have lots of hospital visits each week since my brother is having chemotherapy for his lungs and radiation for his spine. The cancer continues to spread in spite of this aggressive treatment regime. 
Hopefully this quilt will raise our spirits with all the happy colours and uplifting theme ;)

Votes For Women Wednesday

The final Votes For Women block pattern has already been posted. This quilt-along went by way too fast and has been really fun! However Barbara seems to be torturing us by making the last few block patterns with applique and curves!
I will get to work on those because I am almost an expert now! *snort*
I only finished two blocks this week...block #4 which I wrote about in Sunday's post and this one: Block #40 called 'Art Square: Women in a Box'. 
I made my center square a bit more interesting by using a 4 patch block. And inspired by Becky Brown's sample block on the blog post, I cut the triangles on the bias to get the diagonal lines running around the block. Very neat effect if I do say so myself! 
How are you coming along with your blocks? Almost finished? Ready to put them all up on the design wall and celebrate? I'm so close...

Deck-ade the Halls Quilt-Along

I am a wee bit behind on my version of the "Deck-ade the Halls" quilt along. Step # 7 was just posted, and I just finished sewing step #6 called "Season of Giving".

These blocks were so fun to sew. I didn't have a single 'oops' making these presents (that I know of...please tell me if something doesn't look right!) Next up we'll be sewing wreaths. To see more pretty presents, hop over to the Flickr group.

Design Wall Monday - Getting back on the horse!

Photo by Tooni Dooni

I'm gettin' back on the horse!
The UFO horse that is!
We all know that if a horse/UFO throws you off, you need to get back at it, or it gets the better of you! 
This month I am trying again to tackle my version of Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll. 




I tried in April, but I couldn't manage it, so I'm trying again this month. So here it is - back on the design wall again! My goal is to get the quilt top sewn together, then baste, quilt and bind it.  Can it be done?!? It couldn't be done in April, but progress was definitely made. 
The first step in getting back on the UFO horse is to cautiously approach the horse and make friends again. I will speak softly and tell it how beautiful it is and how fun it would be to become a finished quilt. If it is mean to me and refuses to play nice, it's going right back in the closet! LOL 

Horse Whisperer

Did you ever read the book The Horse Whisperer? I enjoyed the book, but loved the movie ending (and Robert Redford of course) even more!
I will channel Robert Redford as I attempt to tame this huge UFO! 
Wish me luck!
To see more design walls, hop over to Patchwork Times and to see more UFO goals for August, hop over to a Lovely Year of Finishes.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?!?

Photo from See-Creative

I want to like applique, so the only way is to practice and become more efficient.  But is it really possible to teach an old dog new tricks?!?
I read all the wonderful and informative comments on my whiney post last week and am determined to try more of the methods that were described. I loved it when people commiserated with me... especially Kate who said she avoids applique "like the plague"!!! LOL 

I started with one of the Votes For Women blocks that I had previously skipped over because it looked too hard. Now, fueled by determination and information, I made block #4 Kansas Sunflower all by hand! 
And it lays flat! 

And I like it! AND I had fun! 
I especially like how I fussy cut the striped fabric which gives the block a lot of movement and energy.

This was my favorite part...hand piecing all these tiny bits.
It's a win-win situation in hand stitching land!

I hand stitched the 27 center pieces (did I mention that it laid flat?!? woohoo!) and then I stitched together the frame/corners. Then I tried the starch method to iron the edges of the curves under using the tutorial that Dea told me about which you can read over at Sew Mama Sew. 

I enjoyed the process of "painting" the starch on the seam allowances and it seemed to work well, but I had to stretch the frame a bit to make sure I didn't lose the star points.

Here is the block from the back. All the seams are laying so beautifully. I am a little worried about some of the seam allowances being too narrow on the curves.  
But I am definitely one happy camper....or should I say appliquer!!?! This old dog definitely learned some new tricks this week!
What are you hand stitching today? Post a link to your blog post below and share your project with us.

Red Scrappy Saturday

It's scrappy Saturday and we are painting the town red this month. Yippee...all of my scrappy projects need some red blocks added.

My first step is to get out the scrap bin and start cutting and organizing. FUN! I am starting with some spool blocks, and will make little piles to sew into all my ongoing projects - Carrie Nation blocks, Alamo star blocks, Palm Branch blocks, and the tiny bits will go into crumb blocks. Can you see the spool block pieces being cut and assembled into piles in front of my sewing machine?

I had to sew up a spool block right away, and then I will sew the rest throughout the month as leader/enders between other projects.
Aren't they fun?!? It's like a memory scrapbook of my previous quilts. I know where each of these red scraps came from!
Hop over to SoScrappy and see what is being sewn with red scraps today!

TGIF!

Photo From Quiltville

T.G.I.F.

It's Friday... and you know what that means!  

A new Nabby's Dowry Sew-Along block is posted.




Here is my block from last week. I wish I wouldn't have put those two pink blocks in the center. I think it really draws your eye there.
Funny how I didn't notice that until I looked at the photo on the computer screen! I might change it later when I have all the blocks done, but I might just forget that it ever bugged me, and leave it as is! LOL
Are you playing along?!?
Never too late to join in...just grab some HST's! and start sewing!

How long do your quilts last?

Do you ever wonder how your quilts will hold up to years of constant use, daily snuggles, and regular washing? 
Last week I slept under (well, partially "under" since my feet were sticking out the bottom!) an old quilt that I made for my nephew when he was born. 
I should mention that I started it when he was born, but he didn't get it right away! *LOL*
Here is a bad old photo of me with my nephew and son. He looks so happy about his quilt! And I look so young in my velour outfit ...and so much a red head (which regretfully, I never was!) LOL
Anyway...this same nephew is now a young man and has just completed his first solo flight...yes, in an airplane! 
BY HIMSELF!  So that tells you how old this quilt is. 
This is a "classic Kathy" quilt...scrappy, fun, personalized and full of love. I was delighted to see that although it is quite faded and the binding is very worn, the hand embroidery is still holding up great! And the memories haven't faded one bit!

Votes For Women blocks

I have finished a few more blocks for my Votes For Women project and am motivated to get caught up because these 49 block postings from Barbara Brackman will soon be completed. 
I gotta get a move on to catch up!




Here is block #36 Sunbonnet Sue...hand appliqued!!
I think the hat band makes the block look nicer, and if you don't look too closely, it's a nice block! LOL

Here is block #37 called "Nameless Star" but I know it as 'Sawtooth Star', which is one of my favorite blocks to sew. I used one my favorite paisley reproduction prints in the center. Pretty.

Block #38 is called Nonsense: Anatomy Lessons. 
What a funny blog post about the dangers of activity for women...including the "morbid effects" of treadling! I better watch myself when I am sewing on my treadle machine...who knew it was so dangerous! LOL

Block #39 is called Endless Stairs. I used up a lot of little scraps to piece this one.

The next few blocks look like they should be fairly easy to sew. Such fun!

A Finished UFO!

My July UFO is finished and here it is on my brother's sofa! Wow...that's bright!
You can see the red backing, which I also used for the binding.





I quilted lots of leaves on this quilt...
some big, some small, some with veins, some are really wonky. 
It was really fun to quilt and I spent approx. 6 hours on the machine quilting. 
I especially like how the leaves turned out in the gold border.
I decided to try out a different batting called "Legacy Natural Blend" in this quilt, which is an 80/20 batting from Pellon. It quilted up as nicely as the Warm and Natural that I usually use. I did not have many issues with thread breakage or pleating on the back. I wonder how this batting will wash? 
I like how the Warm and Natural shrinks a bit and gives the quilt an antique look, so I hope this batting will do the same thing. 
Hop over to A Lovely Year of Finishes to see the other UFO projects that were completed this month.

Design Wall Monday - Accidental Quilt

The "accidental quilt" is on my design wall today.
I have a lot of other projects I should be working on, but I can't leave this one alone! 
I'm coming to the end of the pile of HST's, so it won't grow too much larger than this. Now to finish off this top and think about a border.
To see what other quilters are working on in the middle of the summer, hop over to Patchwork Times.




Now I really have to stop playing with the design wall and get to work on my July UFO...only a couple more days to finish it up and meet my goal. I have the quilt pin basted, and the thread picked out... Isacord (red) in the bobbin and Aurifil (variegated) on the top.

Before I start machine quilting a big quilt, I give a little TLC to my old machine
...a new needle, thorough cleaning, new Magic Bobbin Washer, and lots of oil.
I'm thinking of some kind of a leaf theme for the quilting... I probably should nail down a more specific design before I start! 

To Applique or Not to Applique

This is a rather whiny Slow Sunday Stitching post about my hand applique challenges.
I have been hand stitching some Votes For Women blocks while at my brother's house this week. I have taken several applique classes over the years with fantastic teachers, I really enjoy hand stitching, and I love the look of applique. I really want to be able to enjoy this technique. So why can't I get it?? 

Every applique class I have taken has been enjoyable, and I always pick up new tips to try. I have been using a toothpick to turn the edges under, which Becky Goldsmith taught me and it works really well. 



Right now the major problem is that the "freezer paper on top" technique is frustrating because the freezer paper never stays put in spite of vigorous pressing, thorough pinning, and in spite of carefully handling the pieces/block. 
I have an idea for one of my old UFO's (scrappy geese) for an applique border, so am really motivated to figure this out! It is so frustrating when the creative ideas precede the technical know how!!
Maybe I should try my friend Teresa's technique - see her great instructions here. But I still feel nervous about putting glue in my quilts. It's a weird "mental block" that I have about it. But if I could make quilt blocks like Teresa's, I should just get over it!
I also don't like struggling to get the pieces to line up the way they should to match the pattern, so maybe I would enjoy a more liberated (ie. no pattern) approach to applique?

Do you have any ideas for me? Techniques to try? Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments below. And I hope you will link up your blog post of the hand stitching project you are working on this week.

Celebrate Sewing Linky Party

Angie over at Quilting on the Crescent is hosting a party. I'm all about boosting energy reserves these days, and what better way than going to a party. Well, this is a virtual party, but it's still fun!

Today I am sewing more pieces for my Accidental Quilt.
The layout is on point, so I need some strange blocks for the sides.
They look a bit like fish, don't they?!?!
And when I get tired of that, I will work on what I should be doing, which is basting my July UFO, which I have only 4 more days to finish!!!
Hop over to the Celebrate Sewing Party at Angie's and help to celebrate her blogiversary.

Scrappy Saturday - last aqua week

For the first time ever in participating in the Rainbow Challenge, I can report that I used up almost all my scraps in one colour! Woohoo! 
I am having great fun with the spool blocks and sewed up my last aqua scraps into 40 of these 3" spool blocks. Did you see Bonnie's Spool Review last week and see all the great quilts being made?!  Many of the 'Rainbow Scrappers' posted their progress and I was cheering for them! Great job!



I even received a donation from my friend Barb to add to the scrappy mix this month! I used every one of them...can you find the spools from these scraps?

I think this is the block format I am going to make... 4 spools of one colour (makes a 6" block). Then I might sew 4 of these together to make 12" blocks, but am not sure if I want to do that randomly, or have more control over block/colour placement by keeping the blocks of 4 separate until layout time?

I also sewed 9 pretty Alamo Stars over the month.
I wonder when I will get sick of these blocks? They are still so fun for me to sew here and there as leader/enders.





It is time to put the July blocks away and prepare for August sewing. What's the next colour up? 
Any guesses?
Thanks to Angela for all the fun with Scrappy Saturdays. Pop over to her blog and see what other quilters are sewing today.

Nabby's Dowry

I am really on a roll this week with the HST's (half square triangles)!
Just finished the second block of the Nabby's Dowry Pocket Patchwork sew-along.
Come on y'all...grab your HST's and hop on over to Heartspun Quilts - block #3 is posted today!

The Accidental Quilt Update

One of my leader/ender projects is the HST quilt I accidentally started while at quilt retreat in the winter. You can read more about the inspiration and fabrics here, and read about the book and the quilt I am making (called "Up, Up and Away") here.  You can take a peek at another beautiful version of this quilt by Quilt 'n Queen. 
I tried to make the HST blocks in a "liberated" fashion but they look pretty OCD/perfect to me! LOL

It is a fresh, summery, no-pressure project that perks me up whenever I work on it. I have all the HST's made, and have sewn most of them into pairs. 




Then I went ahead and started making 4 patch blocks...
sewed 2 of the 4 patches together,
and then sewed those together into double 4 patch blocks. 
So each design unit block has 16 HST's.
I plan to just keep sewing these until I use up the HST's. I wonder how big this quilt will end up being?!

Votes For Women Wednesday

I am stuck on block # 36 of my Votes For Women sampler. 
Why, you ask?
Because it's applique. 

I considered skipping this block, but I really do want a "Sunbonnet Sue" in my quilt. It is such a classic block. 
And I really want to learn to like applique!

Have you ever seen "The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue" quilt??! You can read more about the subversive messages in this quilt, and learn about the significance of this block over at the Quilt Index - click here. 

So... off I go to hand stitch...

Ms. Sunbonnet Sue. 

Looks easy enough ,eh? 
What could go wrong ?!?

Deckade the Halls Quilt Along

I am keeping up with my version of the "Deck-ade the Halls" quilt along. These are my stocking blocks which turned out okay, but I have to admit that they were kind of tricky to make. I made a couple of cutting errors, which took a while to figure out. One of the errors I fixed by adding a red band on the stocking cuff, and I like it even better than before...
so yah, that's right, I meant to do it that way!!
Then I constructed the entire block incorrectly... nope, that doesn't look right? It probably would be easier to sew if I actually followed the instructions!!  But it was easy peasy to fix.
Anyway...the stockings are done and they are sweet. 
Next I will be cutting for the presents blocks. This has been a really fun sew along and I am so delighted to be using up all this old stash! You can check out all the group photos from the quilt-along on the Deckade the Halls Flickr page.