It's official!

5th finish for this latest group of quilts. The binding blitz is complete till I get some tops pinned and quilted. (Daisy Chain designed by Terry Atkinson.) Back from the long arm quilter in late October 2010 so this one really didn't wait all THAT long.

One lone pinned quilt remains with about a 1/4 of it to go. I am still considering some hand quilting in the border on that one. If I DO go that route, it will be awhile before I bind it.





Here is a closeup of some of the fabrics and the fabulous quilting that Susan did for me. Skyler probably would have been giving it the kitty roll of approval but he was napping with DJ in the recliner. Besides that he had gotten quite a bit of rolling when he "helped" me put on the quilt sheets.

So what is next for me you might ask? Maybe you aren't asking but I find it helpful to make a list or at the very least, a mental note

• Buttons and embroidery on the In Season "Spring" piece this afternoon
• Hand applique on April Button Up
• Piece 4 patch diagonal blocks
• Cut out/then sew a very special friend's bday gift. Her day comes at month's end. I know what I am making but will need to get the ball rolling on it.

A good mix of hand work, machine sewing, cutting and prepping. Throw in some more embroidery and I would be a most happy camper. Quilting if it happens would have to be the mostly done Pioneer Sampler as the quilt group doesn't meet till the 12th and nothing else is pinned. OR hand quilt on another project that was not included in the counts. No way I am ever bored with my hobby!

Thanks for stopping by---------

WIP Thursday

In a word----more binding, LOL. 3rd side, the top with the sleeve so some progress is being made.

Look who made himself right at home though I must admit, I almost expected him to be rooting around for a spot UNDER the quilt rather than on top.

Who knows? I might be sleeping under this tomorrow night!

WIP Weds and meeting days

Yesterday marked the first quilt group meeting for the 2010 program year. Other than our going out to lunch in early December for our Christmas "party" we had not had a "work" session for two months. Some were expressing withdrawal symptoms, LOL. The cold weather cancelled another quilt group opportunity last week so probably did seem like a long time to see our buddies.

Several of us had tops to pin, a few are out for binding but the one at left is one that Jane had just finished. The top was made by Aline's granddaughter Leann. I can tell you that gma is busting her buttons that one of the girls is following in her foot steps. Leann is largely self taught in the quilting department but I think she is doing a wonderful job. I quilted this one for her and last week, a boy themed one she also made. Aline is almost done with the binding but the quilt will need to take a bath to remove some markings I made prior to picture taking.


I came home with two donation quilts to replace the ones that I just finished which I knew would happen. In this case, one is my own WTIL challenge quilt and the other, Aline's using the lunch box fabric. The girls were asking about this coming year's fabric choice. I had tried to describe it before but had it out in the car to show them. Since I had a goal to get borders on my Daisy Chain top, I was not prepared to cut it and parcel it out quite yet, LOL.

The fellowship hall tables were a great spot to spread out the top to get the border cutting measurements. By the time I left all I lacked was one long side border but that was primarily because, DUH, I neglected to cut it! Even long time piecers can have mental lapses. I guess I thought I was doing two at once or some such thing. Here I thought I was so smart because I had even cut the sleeve and binding but then forget to cut a 4th border, LOL. Though I had hope to have that outer border unseamed by cutting them on the length of grain, that obviously wasn't going to happen. All I basically had left of the yardage was a wide enough strip WOF to cut from and the two cutaways from top and bottom with only 6 inches leftover.

BUT first, I had to pick out the last row of stitching I had made at the meeting. When I switched thread color, I had some tension issues. I could get back on a different machine to deal home to deal with it. It still took me the better part of the evening to get the last side on. Turns out I cut it about 2 inches too long so no wonder it wouldn't fit, LOL in spite of my pinning and re-pinning trying to make it work. Then pin and re-pin to get it all eased in once it was re-cut took a bit of time as well. I wish the quilt was just a hair wider since I have one of those bulky pillow top mattresses but it will be fine for spring and summer when a blanket under it won't be needed. Other than that, I am very pleased with how this quilt turned out---and another finish to flimsy can be recorded!

To the left is my reward project in progress "Sleep Tight, Mr. Snowman" from Piecemaker's Something to Crow About. Years ago I had made one for a secret pal on a quilt list I help moderate. It was one of those things that I wish I had made for me as well. (Oh come on, we all do that!) Sunday I cut and fused it, filching some Wonder Under from another project in order to do so. The pattern called for using #8 perle cotton and a running stitch but I did it by machine this time. I recall what it was like to do that through fusible (windowed out this time) and warm and natural for inner batting plus the snow piles on the first go-round. No thank you! I quilted it Monday but needed for it to dry a bit from the chalk markings I had made for crosshatching the background. That's why it is hanging in that direction---it had been hanging over the bathroom vent on the pants hanger, LOL. Today I will add the buttons and other embellishments and work on the binding to get it finished up and hung.

Since I had a little time Monday evening and handwork was stalled out on the snowman, I did a couple of the short rows on the "Two of a Kind/Cheap Trick" that I had set aside this past summer. That is what you see peeking out from behind the snowman wallhanging. As much as I would like to keep going with it, the FAB challenge deadline is coming up so I best get cracking on that! The bed quilt waited this long, after all.

DJ's golfing friend from IL will be here sometime on Sunday. Provided the weather situation has warmed up and not warmed up to rain they will be off to the golf course Monday, maybe Tuesday. DJ didn't tell me how long a visit to expect so I guess I will get it from the horses mouth soon enough. Men never ask the "right questions" so I should just ask his wife if I want the straight story. Deeper house cleaning will happen on Saturday. Otherwise, not much going on around here---regular day to day stuff. Laundry is done and about time to get lunch together. Meanwhile DJ is messing with installing a new toilet seat and finding rusty bolts to deal with. Who do you thing is having more fun around here, LOL?

one flimsy, another near flimsy

Norma and began sewing on our Daisy Chain quilts a week ago Sunday and both of us got our tops up to border stage. She finished almost a full day ahead of me but there was no contest or race involved. I KNOW I sew slower than her so that race would have been lost from the get-go, LOL.

Since I knew I didn't want to tackle borders on the Daisy Chain last night, I put them on the Sisterhood quilt instead. I had pieced it a week ago Saturday and it was just hanging in the sewing room, waiting. I seamed the binding while I was at it but did not press it. It was late, I was tired. Luckily, I can get by with only one fabric width for the backing so it could be pinned.

Norma is auditioning fabrics from her stash for her DC borders and she will wait to proceed. She said she uses her long arm quilt frame to aid in measuring her tops for borders and it is currently occupied. My borders are cut so I could conceivably attach them today--even cut the sleeve fabric if I want to match the borders. (Who knows about backing fabric at this point??) Since my only measuring place for large tops is DJ's master bedroom floor I may wait till our first quilt meeting on the 12th to tackle mine. The floors in the fellowship hall are limitless but they also have rows of tables up to aid in measuring.

I DO need to move on to other projects though. There are still have two donation quilts to tackle and my FAB challenge has a deadline attached--it needs to be in the mail on or before Feb. 1st. After considering several options for a few months, I know what I want to do for Ms. Cher as I have her name this round. Just a matter of executing that decision!

So, I think just for today----hand quilting and avoid bending over the sewing machine.

Norma and I had been talking about making this quilt for some time---March at least but I would be willing to bet it was longer than that, LOL. We find that we work well together in this format----cheering each other on and being a bit accountable. Doesn't matter how many miles separate us between NE central Alabama and her Canadian province we are sewing together as long as we have IM and a digital camera! It looks like Terry Atkinson's Bridge Creek Blossoms will be our next choice unless something else strikes our fancy in between. Knowing the two of us and the limitless patterns in print or online, getting sidetracked is a very real option, LOL.

Thanks for hanging with us as our quilts grew-------

Daisy Chain progress

Here is my progress so far on the Daisy Chain project. Blocks laid out and awaiting sashing. I am going to veer off in my own direction from the pattern for the actual joining but that's my choice. Strip piecing the sashing bits is next.



Christmas tree and decorations are down excepting a couple of Santa wall hangings. Skyler kept trying to chew on the tree so it is time. A little bread baking this morning so it has been a busy day already. I have a feeling I will still be sashing and joining rows for a day or two more.

48 blocks and more

Norma and I have wanted to sew our version of Atkinson Designs Daisy Chain for some time. When she knew that she was going to be on holiday between Christmas and New Year's we planned on getting started. But first, she needed to prep fabric and do some cutting. In the meantime, I got busy sewing the Sisterhood Gratitude top that I had cut out recently---my Saturday project, LOL. It still needs borders--a pretty blue inner border and the outer border is that patchwork fabric you see in 6 of the pieced blocks in the picture below.



Sunday after I had lunch out of the way, we got our sewing machines revved up. Here's my project box. I am using 30 repros (I'm working in series, ha!) If you look at the pattern leaflet, the greens and pinks form little flowers in the diagonal chains. Well, in my version the blue-green/aqua fabric you see is my green in the design and the red dot takes the place of the pink. My yellow for the flower in the chain has both the aqua and red elements but I don't think it showed up in this shot.





Here I am ready to start Step 1, part C. I had cut pairs of two of about 60 fabrics in 5 different colors. Some were too light or didn't contrast enough with the accent pieces. I weeded those out but still have a few extra, should I need them for variety.



Where I left off last night----half blocks for 48+ blocks. Today we start off with the strip pieced sections that go between the block halves. I know the blocks don't look like much at this point but they will! Judging by the piles of colors, I have more blue cut than any other.



You may have also spotted the iron on pressing surface in that shot? Funny story there. My Christmas pants turned into an iron. As background information---DJ, bless him, often takes on the laundry as his "job" so he had seen the one pair of my slacks was looking a little worse for wear. He has gotten me a top, a sweater (a set of silverware for both of us even) before but didn't want to repeat himself. Walmart doesn't carry quilting hoops anymore or he would have gotten one of those for me. He checked after he was recruited to repair my favorite broken one last week. That is taken care of anyway as my mom called after reading my last post and offered me hers since she no longer hand quilts. Thanks, Mom!

Well, you know we women can be a little picky about our jeans so it surprised me that he ventured out in that territory. Actually I HAD bought a pair to replace the worn ones but he didn't know that. I do appreciate his trying to get something for me though so I would have a package to open. The store didn't have a different color in the correct size. Actually I want a t-shirt from JSU but WM doesn't carry them for some reason and I haven't gone up to Jacksonville to buy one for myself. The other thing I needed was, you got it, an iron. I was currently using an old backup one which was neither hot enough and not steaming anymore. I took the pants refund, added in 20 bucks of my Christmas money and got the Hamilton Beach Easy Touch model. Good choice! But woe be to the husband who bought an iron for his wife for Christmas, right? Well, he didn't, I did ! I'm happy, he's happy--works for us.

On Christmas Eve he had asked me how I planned to spend the check he had given me. Usually there is some quilt book that I have my eye on or I want to renew a quilting magazine, pattern or two, something quilty that has caught me eye. The money is usually spent earlier in the month and he reimburses me, in effect, but not this year. I couldn't really come up with anything I "had to have". A replacement iron, fabric for borders for the Daisy Chain quilt----boring! It is also not something I could point at and say" here is what you got me" like say, the Amy Bradley Kitty City patterns or Dazzling Dog patterns we had gotten in the past. When I worked on those blocks, he was actually excited about my project, often commenting on how cute they were turning out and asking which one I was doing next. It was like he was personally invested in the quilt. Trust me, this is NOT how he usually acts about my quilting. When the quilt failed to take a first place ribbon in its category at the quilt show, he thought it was a personal affront to HIM! LOL. But I digress.

The answer came to me after a few days of pondering. I ordered a couple things online once I decided. The first was the custom button sets for the two of Nancy Halvorsen's books that I already own, Calendar Quilts and Stitcheries and In Season. I am going to do the applique version of the calendar quilts this year as my monthly project in 2010 as I did her "Be Attitudes" this year. I had so much fun with those and expect to with this as well. I also ordered a couple of quilt hangers from Ackfeld Wire similar to what I am using for the Be Attitudes quilt-let display. I'm happy, he's happy--works for us. I am blessed.

Well, my sewing partner has plans with her family this morning so I will work on something else in the meantime. Maybe hand quilt a bit or put borders on the Sisterhood top but leaning more to the hand quilting. I'll get enough machine time put in this afternoon working on those strip sets, LOL.

Hope that you have a good day in whatever you chose to do-------thanks for stopping by!