Another one done! edited

GORDIAN KNOT 1
Designed by Mary Whitehead but piecing instructions written up and class given by Nancy Allain
Completed the top on March 1, 2011 and officially finished November 28, 2011.

It just fits the rod above my bed!  So far Skyler has not noticed the change out of the quilts and tried to climb in behind it, LOL.

Today I quilt on that big monster so wish me luck. 

Edited note:  This was later donated to WTIL in the fall of 2012.  Sometimes you just made quilts to try a technique but that doesn't mean they have to continue to live at your house.

something quilty

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I was going to have to add "another must quilt soon" to my list. Friendship Quilters has a challenge for the group to finish something that was taught at a guild meeting program or class. For me, that would be my Gordian Knot #1. For a full out shot of the top see HERE in March of this year. They need to be done by the Christmas party in early December. I would like to pin it at Belles on Tuesday.

Recently they had a convergence class but I had already made two of those. The one I did as a gift was finished, of course. Mine still needs borders---that should go on my UFO list to get done in 2012. Or when I ever get caught up, LOL. Yeah, right!

I had already prepped the backing for this when I completed the top way back when. I think the binding is done too but I follow up on that tomorrow. I cut the batting and marked the top with a 2 inch wide cross hatching that echoes the width of the lighter blue dot and other of the block components.

I was done with job fairly early in the afternoon and thought what do I do now? Lately I have not had a lot of time nor frankly, inclination to sew, quilt, whatever. Then I remembered that the machine was still set up to button hole applique. My Pumpkins 4 sale fall piece probably last pictured HERE needed most of the applique stitching done. Essentially I had the wagon done and the first letter of the word Pumpkin when I drug it out of the closet.

I finished the stitching about 730 tonight between IM's with two pals. The backing was already cut but I did need to seam the batting. Here it is already to start pinning on the table at home. I have since finished the job.

So a day that I was sure would not be very productive. How about that?

My friend Teresa asked what I was going to work on at the meeting. I replied binding, once I get that one quilt pinned. I supposed tomorrow would be a good day to quilt Pat's bday present! I would like to show the girls how the top came out as they saw it when I was working on some of the embroidery elements.

About time to turn in------so I'm outta here. Thanks for stopping by!

reveal of a formerly top secret project

The FABS were finally able to gather in one spot long enough for our pal Cher to open her birthday presents.

Between a family illness, lagging participants, various people taking trips hither and yon we just could not get our schedules, particularly on a weekend to align. We had hoped initially that we would have a sewing project to do---like we did with the Jelly Roll 1600 for Pam's bday. Finally we just opted for an evening and even then one of the girls had just an hour window. Cher does have something sewing in mind (at least we think it is sewing) for us but it might be mid September before we can make it happen. She won't tell us what though!

Anyway, this is what I made for her. Gordian Knot VI. You may recall when I made Gordian Knot 1 shown HERE . The patterns were all designed Mary Whitehead. Our teacher Nancy Allain said Mrs. Whitehead had drawn up the designs before her passing but died before she could include the assembly instructions. The teacher spent 4 years figuring out how THAT part was done for the 9 designs.

I chose the pattern for Cher as it reminds me a jigsaw puzzle and I know how she and her sister love doing puzzles together. Also there are 5 "rings", one for each of the FABS and used her favorite bright clear colors to make it. I hope she likes it.

It was not an easy for me to piece since the black edging is so narrow. It would have been far more simple to have made the double sized quilt rather than the half sized one, let me tell you. However, I was shooting for a small wall hanging or table topper. At one point I was drawing up sections in EQ so I could foundation piece them more reliably.

So there you have it---one secret revealed.

tada!

Well, I did NOT get this top finished up yesterday as planned. I got the center part completed yesterday but finished up with the setting triangles and borders today. Triple borders with one to float the design. You may have to click the image better to see that the lighter color is blue with a purplish dot on it.

I like the way it looks but it finished a good bit bigger than I anticipated at 45 x 53. I had sorta hoped that it might fit above my bed in the "gallery" area without having to move the hangers----maybe, maybe not.

Any suggestions on how to quilt those setting triangles? If I am keeping it, something hand quilted in those spots would be pretty.




And just because he is so darned cute and I had the camera in my hand waiting for "'Quiltholder" I snapped Skyler's picture. He was doing his run and flop routine off the edge of the couch so I would play with him.

That's it for now----tomorrow I am off to nickel squares 4 patch units and see how far I get. Other than cutting binding for the Gordian Knot, I'm done for the night.

sew. sew. sew

First you cut, cut, cut.....and then you chain yourself to the sewing machine and sew like crazy, LOL.

At left, the Gordian Knot from my quilt class. When I stopped sewing on Saturday with two halves of the top. (it's on point) That elongated rail section is the last piece to be added when you go back to finish off the partial seams. Today's goal is to finish this top up.

Pattern source: Gordian Knot designed by Mary Whitehead. Our teacher said Mrs. Whitehead had drawn up the designs before her passing but died before she could include the assembly instructions. The teacher spent 4 years figuring out how THAT part was done for the 9 designs. This is knot #1.

I started this pile of Triple Rail blocks on Thursday using scraps from the Belles scrappy challenge container. By Sunday afternoon I counted them up while I pressed the final seams-- 80 blocks separated out by color groupings. I had some left (22) from my last quilt of this type. Just how many did I need for straight sets anyway? I made 8 more, LOL. Depending on whether I want a border or not it would take 77 or 108. A whole quilt hiding in that little scrap box, in other words! Some of the "singletons" are sewn up as well into 4 Ashcombe panels. It is the equivalent of two blocks worth if I cut a center strip to assemble them. I set this all aside for a meeting sewing project.


I showed you the two bands that could be for either RR crossing of Grandmother's Scrap Bag on Friday. Since that post, I made a total of 8- 3-D bowties blocks. A few are on the design wall. I need 35 for an on point set and have a total of 12 on hand.

I also made 2-Puss in the Corner blocks from the nickel squares. The Belles and I made a ton of these blocks using the Billie Lauder Quick Trick method for uneven nine patches. I had to refresh my memory on how to do it, LOL.



And then I finished off the evening by making some string blocks. Had I hit my own scrap basket a bit more, I could have kept stitching for days but these used up most of the odd bits from the Belles Challenge scrap box---plus some longer strips from my 1 1/2 cuts to cover the longest required lengths.

Obviously I will need quite a bit more of these. 35 total blocks if I just sash and cornerstone them. BUT I am considering treating them as a HST and making a "Kitchen Sink" version. I could have sworn that I had a picture on the blog of one of those but can't locate it now to link back. Guess you will just have till I find one of my mom's in the WTIL gallery pages or an old Belles version from the photo archives.

Because we are about to turn the calendar page on the month of February, I swapped out the wall hangings and seasonal decorations this morning. I think the March Joined at the Hip (JATH) quilt of the month should be next on my reward list along with a completion of the Spring "In Season" quilt!! For the base unit of the JATH can hang up there naked, LOL.

It is hard not think it is spring already when we had an overnight low of 62 degrees, albeit with rain and storms on the way in sometime today. The daffodils have been out for a week and the neighborhood Bradford Pears are opening up like popcorn. I have seen a few tulip trees out on my drive into town as well. Our camellia bush will be next provided we don't get the beginning blooms zapped by a late winter frost.

So the Gordian Knot finish is today's project. Then I want to swap out machines and start something else. Even though I want to do those two reward projects I just mentioned, Sheila and I are sort of challenging each other to start on the 4 patch diagonal chain quilt I showed HERE. We have been emailing back and forth about it. She will hit some squares she had set back for this quilt and I will hit the nickel squares with a goal of donation sized quilt for me.

The birthday girl FAB also has a plan for us to sew for her bday party. It would use 2 1/2 inch strips and we would do the Jelly Roll 1600 race, I guess. Date has not been set but I DO have a pile of the required strip sizes in my Belles scrap box plus an overstuffed container on the shelf that could be raided.

Looks like I am going to be busy--------but that's the way I like it! Hope you find something that captures your attention too.