Five Shadows

Oh My Goodness! I’m sending the Bargello quilt to one of my favorite longarm quilters this week! I am just so totally happy with how the appliqué has turned out on this quilt.

I used a monofilament thread on most of the appliqué pieces, and Aurifil all match-y match-y on the seaweed, turtles, canoe and paddle.

(Oops! I forgot to stitch the black of the eye!) On the close-up of the turtle, you can see the monofilament thread used for the blanket stitch. And on the turtle shell – can you see the spiral stitching in a brown matching thread?

Seaweed stitched in place.

And here is the completed Bargello quilt top! It is 108″ square, so it was hard to hold up for a good picture! My daughter and I are standing on our raised fireplace hearth, we are touching the ceiling with the top borders folded down and it is puddling on the floor.

This quilt is the brain storm of my sister. She lived in Hawaii, and when her husband was being transferred to the Mainland east coast, she wanted a King size quilt that spoke of her love for Hawaii. She saw a small Bargello wall hanging at a quilt shop, and wanted to know if I could make a King size Bargello. Then she found two wall hanging patterns, one with the outrigger canoe & paddle, and one with the turtle (Honu) scene. Her idea was to enlarge them to appliqué on the bargello quilt. My sister was a member of an outrigger canoe racing club. She loves the ocean, and the sea turtles that you could see feeding along the beaches.

Now the quilt goes to the longarm quilter for her to work magic in those bargello waves! I am so looking forward to getting it back and bound and delivered to my sister!

How did I do on last week’s To-Do List?

1. Bargello –  appliqué stitched in place! ✓
2. Bargello –  back sewn together.  ✓
3. Bargello – Hopefully, deliver to the long arm quilter! I’m so excited about completing this quilt! I’m waiting for the date from the longarm quilter!
4. Bargello – binding ready and waiting! ✓
5. Down load September pattern on the 1st for the Machine Block Party.  ✓

To-Do List for this week:

1. Binding t-shirt quilt (picking up from quilter this week)
2. Piece September’s block for the Machine Quilting Block Party.
3. Download last One Block Wonders BOM pattern. Can’t believe we are already on the 12 month!

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday

As of late, Hubs and I have been busy helping our son & his family prep for a move. I’ve been helping them pack, and playing with grand daughter as they do all the things related to their move. One of the things Hubs is doing is building a new back porch for them. The old one had some rotten spots, and dear DIL (and she is a dear, whom we love dearly!) was afraid it would not pass inspection when listing the house for sale. Once Hubs got into pulling up some rotten floor boards, he found rotten floor joists. So even though this was not how he planned on spending his free time in July, it sure looks like a good thing the rebuild is taking place. And truly, he does enjoy woodworking, he is a natural born handyman!

The question is, what did I accomplish in the sewing/quilting world the month of June? Very little! I did manage to keep up with my two BOMs.

Here is June’s block from Leah Day’s Machine Quilting Party

and here is my June’s One Block Wonders creation, one block repeated 4 times.

The kids are moving this weekend. I’ll be traveling with them Saturday. I hope to fit in a few days to help them unpack and keep grand daughter entertained as they get settled in, but not sure which days exactly! There will be a bit of traveling back and forth between here and their new location.

Hubs and I made a long weekend of it by traveling east to Maryland for a nephew’s wedding. It was great to be there, not only for the wedding but also to reconnect with relatives we have not see for a few years.

It was a lovely outdoor setting at Musket Ridge Golf Club for the ceremony and then indoor dinner & dancing. Congratulations again to Dan and Callie!

Next up was visiting my folks in Hanover, Pennsylvania with some of our crew catching up with us for the visit.

Noel, Dad, me, Hubs/John in back row. Charis, Mom, Anna in front row.

We also got to connect with some more of my side of the family at my brother’s home in Maryland.

While in Maryland, we learned that our son and DIL had their offer on a house accepted. That is a huge step in their moving plans. Next they need to list and sell their current home. Since we are home again, I’ll be available to help in whatever why they need, cleaning, childcare, packing, meals? Taking one day at a time.

How did I do on last’s week To-Do List?

1. Continue childcare for son and DIL as they prepare to move, they hope later this month or early July. ✔︎
2. Prep for out of town wedding this weekend. (laundry, pack, gift shop, etc) ✔︎
3. Maybe Monday mark and quilt block 6 ✔︎ it is marked!

To-Do List for this week.

1. Quilt block 6 of the Machine Quilting Block Party BOM
2. Stay available for my son & DIL as they prepare to move

As you can see, very little quilt related activities here right now. I suppose that is part of Summer. How about you? Does your sewing time change with the seasons?

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted this week by Busy Hands Quilts.

Last Summer, I was asked by a client if I could make a hobo bag/cross-body bag out of t-shirts. I thought that would be doable, so playing around with a t-shirt I no longer used, I came up with a design. Life happened, and even though we chatted on the phone several times, we did not meet up again until this Spring. She liked my design, gave me two t-shirts, we picked out fabrics, and TaDa! Here is what I created for her.

Batik fabric creating a large outer pocket.

She wanted her bag to be larger/deeper/wider.  I added a squared bottom to get the wider. I cut the t-shirts as large as possible to increase the size. I used one shirt for the side of the bag with a large outer pocket created with Batik fabric.

Another t-shirt was used for the other side of the bag.

For the shoulder straps, I used a solid black fabric and fusible interfacing to add durability. Then I decided to get all fancy-shamancy and add hardware making the straps adjustable. This was my first time to make adjustable straps, which I found out are really very easy to make and attach to the bag.

Can you see the black hardware rings and sliders in the above photo?

I used one of the black t-shirt sleeves as an inner pocket.

The lining is the same fabric as the outer pocket.

I’m happy to report that my client was very pleased with her Hobo Bag!

So far I’m keeping up with Leah Day’s Machine Quilting Block Party.

Block #6 Solar Flares

Family news! Son #2 has accepted a job 2 hours south of us. I’m happy for him, since this is a step up for him in his chosen career, but that means less time with him and his family. Life will be changing for all of us. Less grand baby time, less time helping DIL who comes over weekly for sewing lessons – she’s making a quilt! Less shared meals. I’m sure we will all adjust to ‘less’ but hopefully more quality visits. After all, my hubs and I are the ones who moved away from our families. 10 hours, not 2!  That all said, I think this month will be filled up with helping them. They are on their 3rd round of house hunting. And grand baby is spending the day with me!

What about you? Are you keeping to your regular sewing schedule this Summer?

How did I do on last’s week To-Do List?

1. Start June’s Machine Quilting Block Party BOM ✔︎ Block cut and sewn together!
2. June’s One Block Wonders pattern should be available Friday! ✔︎ Printed off pattern. I’ll have to ponder what fabric to use this month.
3. Helping son pack and move. ✔︎ This is going to be on-going for a while. I’ve mostly been doing childcare, with several trips with them to house hunt.

To-Do List for this week.

1. Continue childcare for son and DIL as they prepare to move, they hope later this month or early July.
2. Prep for out of town wedding this weekend. (laundry, pack, gift shop, etc)
3. Maybe Monday mark and quilt block 6

Are you sensing a theme here on my blog? Slow it is! Since not much quilting is happening here, I’ll share a few beauties from our garden.

This is a tiny little Iris that I believe is named Bumble Bee.

Hubs is the gardener around here. As a college professor, he is teaching part time during the summer meaning he is home a lot more. He enjoys his time out in the garden.

I’m not sure of the name for this Iris, but I love those speckles on the falls.

Both Hubs and I have to find a new balance with the end of the school year, and it takes a few weeks. Not complaining! I enjoy having Hubs around!

Lilly of the Valley. My favorite Spring flower. Sweet scent! We have a large patch on the north side of our house that I can pick and keep in the kitchen. I love walking in the kitchen and smelling that sweet scent. Of course I love their scent out in the yard too!

How has your week gone? Does your sewing/quilting time change with the seasons?

How did I do on last’s week To-Do List?

1. Hobo bag – I bought and washed accent fabric for the bag this week. But no sewing.
2. Work on BOMs: Machine Quilting Block Party and One Block Wonders May block – I made a little progress on the OBW.

To-Do List for this week. Oh my! My list is not changing from last week!

1. Hobo bag.
2. Curvy Quilters meet Thursday, I’ll work on the BOMs.
3. I’m adopting a WIP from a local lady. It is a Trip Around the World. I pick it up today to finish the top for her. I’ll share more next week.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday at Stitch All the Things and Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River.

I’m not sure where my mind was yesterday, but I sure had a dickens of a time sewing together this simple signature block.

When I was calculating yardage and the number of HSTs I would need to make a 24″ square finished pillow, I totally forgot that the plan was to set the HSTs on point! The photoed piece is measuring 24″ top to bottom, which means I will have to add a bit of a border. Or, maybe not, will half of an inch matter when stuffing the pillow form into the pillow case? It will be 24″ square once I trim off the HSTs on the sides.

Feel free to leave your opinion in the comments on whether I should bother adding a tiny border to this piece. Would you add one, or not?

There is a red t-shirt that I am to use for the back of the pillow. I also forgot to buy velcro for the closure. To prepare the block for signatures, I will press a fusible interfacing on the back side of the HSTs block. I’ll use Pellon P44F, which is the weight I like for t-shirt quilts. The fusible interfacing will add just enough stability for writing with a Pigma Micron pen, but will also leave the pillow soft and comfy. I’ll quilt in the red triangles, or maybe in the ditch using a white thin cotton batting. I have scraps, so not sure of the brand name and will back the quilting with muslin. Once the pillow is complete with a t-shirt back and black piping, it will be washable and durable. I pre-washed the fabric, so there should be no color bleeding, always a fear with reds. I will instruct the owner to always wash in cold water and to use a Color Catcher to be on the safe side!

Today was another Curvy Quilters sewing day! I worked on a UFO, the Timeless Traditions BOM.

I finished the  2 – 6″ blocks and 1 – 12″ block for month 6. There are 7 more pieced blocks and 4 appliqué blocks to complete before setting them all together. Then borders and more appliqué. I hope to have this quilt finished for a Christmas gift. I told my Curvy Quilter friends we need to meet more than once a month so I can finish this quilt!

Cuteness alert!

This is my 16 month old grand daughter learning to drink from a camel water pack! We had a delightful walk at a state park Sunday with most of our adult children joining us. But this is the only picture of the youngest in the family with her dad and me! I don’t know why we didn’t think to stage a decent family photo!

How did I do on last’s week To-Do List?

1. Hobo bag made from t-shirts. ✗  Didn’t get to it.
2. HST signature blocks – 24″ pillow with t-shirt back. ✔︎ Pieced!
3. Setting aside Bargello to complete #1 & 2. Might get back to Bargello if time allows. If so – borders!

To-Do List for this week:

1. Finish Signature pillow.
2. Bind t-shirt quilt.
3. Construct Hobo bag.
4. Work on BOMs, Timeless Traditions, Machine Quilting Block Party, One Block Wonders if time allows.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

I baked this yesterday and then forgot to post!

Happy Pi Day!

Last week my youngest and I went to visit our east coast relatives during her college spring break. As it worked out, we hit the right week to help my father with downsizing. It was an emotional time for all of us, my sister, my brother & his wife also helped out. Mom has been moved to the dementia unit at the retirement home they have lived in the past 10 years ago. Good thing is she still recognizes all of us and can hold a decent conversation – for a while. Then she slips back about 20 years.

Since this was supposed to be a vacation for my daughter, we did go into Baltimore Harbor for a day, visited the aquarium, walked the Harbor, eat lunch out. And in the evening met up with my sister and her husband for dinner. We had a nice time visiting on the pier at The Point Crab House. (Thank you Russ and Lauren!) The weather was seasonable warm, so the restaurant had opened up all their doors, we ate out-of-doors. Yum! Crab cakes!

Then on Friday, we visited relatives. It is always nice to catch up with everyone! No quilt shop visits this time! LOL

Today I picked up the customer t-shirt from the longarmer.

I hope I have already made the binding. I usually do, so it is just so easy to sit down and stitch it on by machine.

Before leaving for our trip, I did finish piecing the Facets quilt top for Christa’s QAL.

I love how it has turned out! I was using Batik scraps left over from 2 other projects and had enough to make 4 improve pieced rows. Now to find the right fabric for the back and binding. I’m behind, as everyone else in the QAL are already working on the straight line quilting.

How did I do on my last To-Do list?

1. Finish the Facets Quilt-Along top! ✔︎ All finished!
2. FMQ February’s Machine Quilting Block Party block! ✗ I just can’t seem to get to the MQBP blocks! I’m behind by 2 now.
3. Return to sewing on the next UFO on my list which is Metro Hoops by Sew Kind of Wonderful. My plan is to work on it at Thursday’s Curvy Quilters Group. ✔︎ I have been sewing on this one.

I’m linking to Linky Tuesday and To-Do Tuesday.

I’m playing long with Sandy and her One Block Wonder BOM. December’s block was a fun paper pieced design. Here is my little table topper quilt made from the block:

Back in October, I won a Fat Quarter bundle for particapating in the One Block Wonders, Soft Dreams by P&B Textiles. There are prizes each month, your name is put into the draw for participating by making at least one block. I used part of that FQ bundle for December’s block – making the table topper and back. I still need to sandwich, quilt and bind the little quilt.

I also finished piecing a t-shirt quilt and delivered it to the longarm quilter.

Family fun included a birthday party for my grand daughter. Oh boy! Did she ever love ripping the paper off of her packages!

And eating cake!

To-Do List:

1. This week I plan on working on the quilt my daughter started and needs help squaring it up.
2. I have an order for a pillow to match the t-shirt quilt.
3. And I will take one of my WIP  to my sewing day, either Dot-to-Dot or Curve it Up.

How is your New Year going? Hope you have started off with successes!

I enjoyed a blessed time with family over Christmas and New Year’s Eve and Day. Hope you did too!

Happy December Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are ready to move into the celebrations of Christmas Season!

All my girls home for Thanksgiving!

Have you decorated for Christmas? We have a long standing tradition. But, we are waiting for youngest daughter to return from college, then we will start our Christmas tradition of going out for Breakfast and then getting our tree. Once home, we set it up and decorate, while playing Christmas music, drinking eggnog, and eating snacks that includes fruitcake! Yep! That’s right! I said fruitcake! I guess we are one of the strange families that actually likes fruitcake! But, I’ve got to tell you, if you have never had a Claxton Fruitcake you are missing a real treat! No other fruitcake compares, except for my friend Janie’s homemade fruitcake! Her cake is wonderful too.

So fess up! Any fruitcake lovers out there? Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie recipe? My hubs loves sugar cookies, and I like Sand tarts. My mother, sister and I would go over to my grandmother’s to make them, so it is a fond memory.

As for quilting, I’m currently working on a t-shirt quilt. This one is for a guy who wants it to be very plain fabric wise. I am using a light gray from Red Rooster for the sashing, and black/gray from the same line for the border.

This week I hope to finish the t-shirt quilt top and back. My DIL wants me to help her start her first quilt that she designed using EQ7.

Linking to Linky Tuesday and To-Do Tuesday.

Finally, a finish! I had intended this to be a Christmas gift last year.

That didn’t happen, and I can’t even remember why. But this summer I finished the top and sent it to a friend to quilt. I like how she did swirls in the swirly fabric, and back & forth lines on the black background, with no quilting in the gray sashing. Very modern. I did a Flat Felled Binding. And see that little teal strip at the binding? I randomly added 5 of those along the edge for a little more pop of color. And I wrote little notes to my daughter on the back side of the teal strips. I’m calling them ‘label strips’ as I added ‘date’ and ‘made by’ on one of them.

Daughter and I shopped for the backing fabric. We found that cool print at Crimson Tate. Daughter and I love how the berries on the back coordinate with the little set stones on the front. And then I didn’t have enough fabric for the back, so used the rest of the set stone fabric on the back, and it just adds to the whole modern look of the quilt. Oh, and the fabric used for the gray sashing and binding is a linen from Crimson Tate. The pattern is an adapted Sew Kind of Wonderful design Two-Step Topper. I enlarged it from 30″ x 30″ to twin size and broke up the block by adding the white sashing and teal set stones.

Can you tell that Daughter is super happy with her quilt!? I’m happy that she is happy!

The Sashiko Tree Fern is getting there.

I’m happy with how it is coming along.

I’m linking to Linky Tuesday, To-Do Tuesday, UFO Busting.

My list this week is machine quilt several baby quilts. I need to count how many I have made, find backs, sandwich and get my machine set up for some Walking Foot quilting. And finish the Sashiko Tree Fern!