finished to flimsy

QOV #5  76 Bowties in Barn Raising Set

............and after lunch  I am going to work on my embroidery reward project, "Bloom".   I am also going to write a list of what I want to concentrate on next, UFO and otherwise.  Pro bono and otherwise too.

a start

11 more rows to go on this barn raising set.  I should be able to get this done in time for the Saturday Friendship Quilters meeting even if I do have a couple errands to run.

If I were to do one more with the remaining scraps etc,  THIS Scrappy Strips and Bars from Cindy Carter might be one I consider.  Lots of free patterns there, some mystery quilts and such too.  Not that I "do" mysteries necessarily but show me how it turns out and I might be in, LOL.  I am talking about the Patriotic version in the 2nd pic of course.  And if not that one, I like this one for a planned 3 color quilt, borrowing from my friend Pat.  9 patch variation, Mock Trip Around the World

You know where to find me------

78 bow ties

If I counted correctly, I have 78 bow tie blocks done and ready to assemble into the medallion style top.

The Singer seemed to be having a little problem with the stitching though that probably was "me induced".   I need to read the manual and just play with tension settings but I didn't have the time or inclination to do that today.  I also want to explore the cams that came with it so that might be  good time to put it through its paces.

I brought the Jem in from the car.  At least I knew for a fact that it would not mind the 4 to 6 layers of fabrics.  I spent the better part of the day yesterday pinning the blocks so I could just chain to my hearts content today.  Now I'm off to start the assembling process.

Hopefully this will be a top by day's end Friday----6 inch blocks 10 x 15.  The hard part is already done.

WIP Tuesday

 The primary focus of my day will be joining the center seam on a pile of 76 bowties for the QOV top.  I was further along with this project than I thought I was---woohoo there!  76 is sort of a symbolic number for a patriotic US quilt, don't you think?

I'll work thru the pile and see how far I get.  These are just a more lumpy 4 patch at this point.  I switched machines though.  The Brother, pampered princess that it is, balks at sewing thru too many layers.  The Viking tends to sew a little tight so un-sewing is not easy.  If you are going to sew, you have to be prepared to rip.  Long ago lesson from my mom, there.   I probably did the bulk of the sewing on the Jem.  I could use it but I pulled out the Singer that I got from Lois' mom's estate instead.  It has a nice stitch and we'll see how it behaves over those folded in knots.

I got a bit done on "Bloom" yesterday.   I left it out to do a bit more here and there.  I am already to the leaves with the three flowers done.  Handwork, machine work----a good mix.   Good reward project too!

And while I am sewing, I'll be thinking about the March Button Up.  Sheila, a friend and reader, offered me some basket weave fabric that will be perfect for this!  (THX again, Sheila)  I am itching to sew this one up but I have a feeling that I better reserve it for a reward project for completing the QOV bowties.  I still need to find the border choices.  I do NOT like all that brown around it.  Brown for dirt for the carrots is one thing but ugh, on the rest!   HMMMMM something to ponder.


And sew it goes-----------

another donation flimsy

I stitched and stitched yesterday afternoon and evening till I had enough blocks made to complete half of this top.  This morning, I joined the two halves and corralled Quilt  Holder to "do the honors."  Think I might be on a 12 in 12 plan as far as tops go??   How about quilting up the ones from last year and keeping their 11 in 11 label??  HMMM

I have no plan for where my creative muse may take me today. Right now I need to clean up the mess of strings on the floor from the past days of sewing.

I'm guessing it is time to get serious about that my adapted Oxmoor Christmas quilt thing but that is a sampler type thing.   Sketch link HERE.  I am going to include that Quilter's Cache Christmas 2003 block that I recently stitched up for Friendship Quilters in it so will revise it slightly before printing up my road map of what goes where.

donation flimsy

Thanks to the Bama Belles' group sewing date in October----and a pile of leftover 2 inch strips this made for a fairly quick "finish to flimsy".  You never know when you are working on a group project as there can be a bit of variance in one's machines 1/4 inch seam allowance.

I made sure to square the blocks up which I don't normally do on my own, "all me" generated on the same machine blocks.  Also if the cornerstones did not fit the strip I verified and/or slivered trimmed the sashing strips.  If I knew the sashing was correctly length and width and found the block was a tad undersized, I could fudge it in a bit.

This should be a fun quilt for a youngster.  There are enough novelty bits in there to make it be a treasure hunt, or use it for a matching game.  I have one block leftover which happens to be one that I made.  I pulled them out of the bag just as I had picked them up and tried not to get too "matchy-matchy" with the sashing.  I also did NOT look at the row ahead of it to make sure two of the same colors were near each other.  IIWII, no fussing allowed.

It is early in the day---earlier than I usually find myself at the machine.  I've been awake since about 5 a.m. and up since 545, thanks to a little black and white kitty boy.  I only had one row to assemble this morning.  I had done one on New Year's Day and the middle 4 rows yesterday.  What's next??  It is Friday and I just met my week's sewing goals, after all.  

I  left off with this half finished 3-D bowtie quilt in mid November as the last of the Belles Scrappy Challenge.  My notes got cold, LOL.  Where was I headed with it?
I am guessing  I need 35 more bowties if I don't want to do borders on it.  It would finish up at 42 x 60 and right in WTIL range.  OR 6 x 9 with 3 inch borders would accomplish the same thing.   HMMMMM -- 19 more or 35 more blocks minus the two on the design wall.  Stay tuned for this momentous decision, LOL.  I may get lucky and find that I left a pile in the project tote that just need to be seamed in the middle. 

ED. NOTE:  no such luck on a pile of blocks but what I did find was a pile of 33 blocks worth of groups of three and a big stack of 3.5 inch muslin squares.  Yep,  7 x 10 set after all.   I must have been thinking of the pile I have started for a QOV quilt, with that "only need to be seamed" thing.  I do love 3-D bowties and often consider them an on-going project. 

WIP Weds comes around again

I have temporarily put the bow tie project aside again but this is were I left off on Monday evening.  I asked "Quilt Holder" to do the honors but handed it to him with the short side up.  I had pulled the cut squares I want for the remaining 35 blocks and cut the muslin background for this and the cornerstones for the Pineapple Blossom while I was I had the mat, ruler and rotary cutter out.

This is what I truly intend to work on today.  I realize that it does not look like much but it is the background squares for the "Autumn" In Seasons wall hanging.  I have a few pieces pulled for the motifs as well.  I don't know  have that a clue what I have that could be used for the borders.  The book shows a dark brick red with a red plaid for binding---not something I have but I am not married to that plan anyway.  This decision may need a quilt shop run once the motifs are applied.    But for now, I will can proceed.

We had a little excitement this morning when there was a tornado spotted in the area.   The sirens and the NOA radio were both sounding so DJ turned on the TV to hear just where the storm was located.  Pell City, Lincoln were being called out----all towns I travel thru when I go to quilt guild.  My friend Teresa lives near there, right around the Talledega/Calhoun County line.  She called and said they were okay.  Then we hear Alabama Rt 144 and 204 into Jacksonville. Still a little bit north of our home by about 6- 8 miles. HERE is a shot  of a big, black, ugly and hanging really low to the ground taken just north of us.  If that won't work, then try THIS link to their flickr album instead.    We ARE in the secondary Dixie Alley tornado season.  You could tell that it was much too warm and terribly muggy in recent days and this might happen.  So far no real reports of damage being reported though a second storm was happening in southern Alabama about the same time.  There ARE reports of damage in Auburn, I just read.  

Off to sew a bit--------------

Design Wall Monday

Well, I had a little production going yesterday afternoon anyway.  For the most part, last week was a "lost" week since I did not feel well.  While the sore throat is gone,  the cough and nose blowing have persisted, just enough to keep me at low energy levels.

The speaker at Friendship Quilters on Saturday was a fellow that repairs and services mechanical sewing machines, sergers and industrial sewing machines.   He spoke on what we piecers can do to keep our machines in running order.  My Jem was not sewing well that last time I had it out.  I took some of the things he said under advisement and cleaned this out the best I could and adjusted the tension knob.   (It helps that you can take the bottom off and attack any linty stuff from that angle too).    It seems to be behaving so much better that I may avoid a trip for this machine anyway.   The fellow lives about 10-15 miles north of me in Calhoun County but had done a pick up and delivery to the quilt meeting recently (next county over)  I've got his card, VBG.

So I had to test the seaming and the bow ties were started on this machine and the blocks should be finished on it. At right on the design wall are some of the blocks that I had previously done.  I  made 21 more yesterday afternoon/evening but those still need to be pressed.  20 more should be enough for a block to block set 6 x 9 with borders.   Or I might go for 70 blocks making me half done, LOL.   That is pretty telling, isn't it?   I would way rather make more blocks than put on a border but then I have plenty of  print cut squares to use up  Some of these are in the Belles Scrappy Challenge category so I would to get the top done before next month's "reveal" at the Christmas party.  I pulled out a pile of the muslin squares and handed to a couple of the girls last week so they could finish up a few more pineapple blossom blocks.  I see cutting on my horizon if I want this top much bigger.

I still need to assemble the Pineapple Blossom top from the sew in.  It won't take long to do but Jane had offered me some cut 9.5 inch strips she had for the sashing.   I have  some I picked up from the gals for that purpose but it would be best to wait till I get those from her.  The idea is that is looks scrappy and not just from MY stash.

4 other things on the list in my mind---short term piecing goals, as it were

• Cher's Sister's challenge piece
• Norma's FAB bday present---I know what I want to do but it is not cut out
• December Button Up
• I still very much want to do work on that "Autumn" In Seasons.  I intended to do that ALL weekend but got distracted with the bow ties and machine testing.  I vote for taking that detour and back up the ties a day or two.  Seeing as I am way past due for a "reward" project, I'm going for it!  Right after I have breakfast and press that pile of blocks from yesterday..............

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?   And sew it goes----------

Oops, one more thing I wanted to pass on----I had included a link to the facebook album of the 2011 Friendship Quilters show quilts in an earlier post.  I  have the link for the QOV room for you today  HERE.    The Friendship Quilters Guild is leading an effort to create more than 230 quilts to be presented to service members who will be living at the new Col. Robert L. Howard veterans Home being built in St. Clair County.  Margaret Rose,our outgoing secretary and the QOV coordinator said we were at 70 completed quilts at this point involving quilt groups in a multi-county effort effort.  I think what you see in the album  were made by Friendship Quilter members and a pile of them that were delivered from the BHM guild that day.   They were NOT going back to that group's members.  (There was only room for 2 more quilts in the display room but a local friend told me none of the 10 she had made were there)   Enjoy.

WIP Weds

Wednesday finds me in day two of cutting. Mainly I am still kitting up the components of Skinny Strips but I need to do the same for the bowtie medallion I drew up yesterday. Both tops will be part of my QOV donations for the veteran's home due to open up next spring/summer in Pell City.

I had cut thru the blue basket recently and cut strips and squares for both projects. The pattern calls for 32 1/2 inches lengths of the colored fabric and jelly roll width. Since the quilts are to finish in the 60 x 90 I cut mine 3 inches instead and surprisingly with the changes, I need one strip less than the pattern calls for. Yesterday I trimmed those down to size and cut bias binding from a RWB striped fabric. Today's goal: trim the white background down to the 21 inches I need.

For the bowties: yesterday I cut the red I want to use for the bowtie 3-D knot. I originally found this pattern years ago on Debby Kratovil site but here is a good tutorial from Bear Creek quilters blog, thanks to a Google search. I can't begin to tell you how many I have made since 1) I finally figured out how to do them since the original graphics had me stumped 2) started making donation quilts. But anyway, I cut a pile of 3 1/2 inch strips of the white that need to be sub-cut. Goal two for today. (I had a pile of creamy white cut already but those won't go to waste. See number 2 above, LOL)

The July button up applique is finished as of Monday evening but since I used matching thread, it doesn't look appreciably different. I'll get its glamour shot when it is finished and hanging. I don't feel much like prepping to quilt or quilting either my two wall hangings today, I think I will swap out machines and pull down my Disappearing 4 patch blocks to get that project moved forward. QOV projects on my mind, I guess.

There is today's plans in the quilting department. No pressing home tasks need tending or outside errands so I am staying inside and away from the heat and humidity as much as possible.

WIP Thursday

I should be machine quilting but...........



These 3-D bow tie blocks are more to my liking at the moment. Just some simple mindless sewing until I have to finish up the center seams. The shoe box sized container is full of 3 1/2 inch squares gleaned from my scrap bags. I don't know if I want 24 blocks for an on point set or 35 for straight set but either way a quilt -- more like, quilts, plural--- is hiding in that container. I'll set the whole deal aside till our next meeting date soon enough and the Jem will go back to the car trunk. In the meantime, just for today, I am enjoying these bright colors on a grim, rainy day and keep playing.

And speaking of rain, we heard on the news in early October that we had already reached our annual rainfall totals with three months to go. I don't know how much we have exceeded that total but it seems like it has been raining or looking like it might for weeks now.

Related to all the wet ground, we have found out that there is a termite problem in the master bedroom area. DJ had moved something around in the bedroom or he might not have spotted it for awhile. The guy that came out yesterday said that the bugs eat the glue in the paper on the drywall or some such thing. The paper on the drywall lifted off easily and the plaster-y stuff was disintegrating so a patching job will be required at some point. BUT as far as instituting a treatment plan, it is far too wet in the foundation and crawl space with all this rain. It is possible that they may have to install some sort of a drain to get the water out. I am just going by what the guy told DJ and DJ relayed to me. The joy's of home ownership--sarcasm intended. This is as wonderful a deal as when the ants zapped out the air conditioner unit going over the moisture that collects there in one of our recent drought years. Can you say "ka-ching" ? SIGH.