Five Shadows

This happened in my yard Saturday!

First, I have to say, we had three Monarch caterpillars in our garden this summer.  Here is one:

We watched them grow from tiny little things to the fat one you see here. I was hoping to watch them create their chrysalis and emerge as butterflies, but we never did find the chrysalises.

I learned that they do not build the chrysalis on the same plant they feed on. They can crawl up to 20 feet away to another plant where they will build the chrysalis. That was a bummer, as my husband has a large native garden and a cutting garden in our yard. We hunted for but never found a chrysalis.

So, I was very happy when this little lady landed in my hair Saturday while we were out in our yard!

Does she think I am a flower!? How sweet!

I transferred her to a Zinnia. She flittered to another.

I’m hoping to see the other 2 Monarch Butterflies soon too.

And in my quilting world, Tropical Snowball is a completed top with a pieced back, and binding cut!

Also, I finished FMQ a toddler quilt a friend of mine made for her grand daugther. Here’s a sample of what I did.

Meandering with outlining.

And more of the same.

It was a fun little quilt to practice on. I used a light pink Aurifil (Baby Pink 2423) in 50 weight for the top and bobbin thread. Thanks to Mr. Domestic who says Pale Pink is a lovely neutral. And now having tried a pink, I have to agree, pink does have a place as a nice neutral! The pink I had on hand is deeper in color than Pale Pink, but for this quilt, I think it worked great.

What are your favorite thread brands and neutral colors for quilting?

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

1. Tropical Snowball quilt – sew rows together for a completed top. ✔️ Done! and doing a happy dance!
2. Continue FMQ friend’s baby quilts. ✔️ Done and on to another.
3. Shop hop with quilting friend – I have a list, let’s hope I stick to it! ✔️ I didn’t find everything on my list, but I bought several quilt backs, a the start of a new project, bobbins for my Tiara III, thread, and a new Quilters Select Ruler.

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Continue cutting pieces for Chic country, maybe even some sewing.
2. Continue FMQ friend’s baby/toddler quilts.
3. Enjoy family visiting this weekend.

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

My goal for September was to complete the Tropical Snowball quilt top.

Whoot! Done!

I’m loving this quilt top! I do so like the secondary circles that show up in this quilt design.

Back is assembled, and binding cut. But it will all have to sit a while before quilting, as I have a few other tops to quilt first.

I’m linking to One Monthly Goal. Go take a look at all the other finished projects that happened this month!

Here’s the beginning of a new quilt. I have 3/4 of the pieces cut from the colorful Fossil Fern fabrics.

Fossil Fern is a Benartex line. I have 10 more Fat Quarters to cut into the above pieces, and the rectangles need to be cut into curved pieces as well. Next, I’ll be cutting the creamy background fabric.

Here is my test block:

I’m pleased with it! The pattern is Chic Country by Sew Kind of Wonderful, and uses their Quick Curve Ruler for cutting the curved pieces.

Two weeks ago I had prepping for a new quilt on my to-do list. But since I did not get to it, I left it off of last week’s list. I’m kind of chuckling at my self, because I did get to it this week, but it’s not on the list!

Are you a list person? Do you ever add things you completed to your list just so you can check them off?

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

1. Tropical Snowball quilt – piece blocks, and hopefully rows. ✔️ Done and done!
2. More FMQ on friend’s baby quilts. ➞ Sandwiched, not quilted.
3. Grand daughter and her parents visiting this weekend! Grand daughter play time! ✔️ We had such lovely weather for a fun day at the zoo with our grand daughter & her parents!

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Tropical Snowball quilt – sew rows together for a completed top.
2. Continue FMQ friend’s baby quilts.
3. Shop hop with quilting friend – I have a list, let’s hope I stick to it!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

Look at all these pretty curved pieced units for the Tropical Snowball Quilt I’m currently working on!

Aren’t they just lovely!? And so colorful!

Today I worked on the next step for the Tropical Snowball Quilt. Cutting out 72 background pieces from the white fabric, and 36 squares from the black fabric.

Once cut, sewn, and working on layout, here is what I’ve got -

Colorful curves! I sewed together one and a half rows after taking this photo. The photo is to help me keep the placement of blocks in order. I’m super pleased with how this quilt is coming together.

This past week I did a little free motion quilting on two quilts for a friend.

If it shows up in the photo, I outlined the animals, clowns and balloons in this circus quilt.

Above you can see a bit of what is going on in the borders.

My week has been full of color. How has your week been?

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

1. Tropical Snowball quilt! ✔️ Units all sewn together, and started on blocks.
2. Quilting friend’s baby quilts. ✔️ 2 quilts quilted for my friend.
3. Start prepping another planned quilt top. ✗ Didn’t get to this, but I did cut out the background for the Tropical Snowball!

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Tropical Snowball quilt – piece blocks, and hopefully rows.
2. More FMQ on friend’s baby quilts.
3. Grand daughter and her parents visiting this weekend! Grand daughter play time!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

For the August block in the Sit Down Free Motion Quilting Facebook Group, Jeanne introduced a block made with wrinkled fabric. Her method of manipulating the fabric would take a few days to complete. Being that I procrastinated, I used a product I had on hand called Texture Magic.

Texture Magic is a polyester fabric that shrinks with steam.  I stitched a random meander attaching the TM to the back of the cotton print I would be using in August’s block. Then using my steam iron, I shot the steam out onto the fabric while holding the hot iron about an inch above the fabric.

It is kind of fun to watch the fabric pucker up as the polyester shrinks. I think you can see the nice puckers and wrinkles in the piece above.

Jeanne then instructed us to use our sewing machine’s decorative stitching and stitch away on the wrinkly fabric. (Sorry, I didn’t think to take a picture of the fabrics with out the decorative stitching.)

Then triangles were cut and flying geese units sewn. I do love the texture and the decorative stitching combination. Something I would have never thought of doing. But now I’m thinking up other projects to use this technique.

Above is the finished block. I’m so glad I finally took the time to make this wrinkly textured block!

Below are some of the yellow blocks I stitched up for the Tropical Snowball quilt.

I do like how well these curved pieces are fitting together!

Tomorrow I’m hosting my Curvy Quilters group. I’ll be working on more of these units in other colors for the Tropical Snowball quilt.

What will you be working on this week?

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

1. Continue quilting on friend’s baby quilts. ✔️ One quilted, and second started.
2. Got to catch up on the Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM – August block. ✔️Finished!
3. Piecing – Tropical Snowball batik units. ✔️ Yellow units completed!
4. Start prepping another planned quilt top. ✗

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Tropical Snowball quilt!
2. Quilting friend’s baby quilts.
3. Start prepping another planned quilt top.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

My list of finished quilt tops needing quilting is growing.  That’s a good thing, as I want to piece all the wonderful quilt tops I have planned over the years.

Here’s one I bought in 2015. It was a kit that makes a 48″ square quilt top.

This summer my daughter & her husband bought their first home. She asked for a quilt for her family room. Looking through a few kits I had purchased, she liked this Tropical Snowball kit. But it needs to be enlarged to lap quilt size. I bought more batiks to enlarge the quilt to 72″ square. This past week I cut out all the batiks for the quilt top. Still to be cut are the white background pieces and the black set stones.

For September, my OMG is to sew together the batik units for this Tropical Snowball quilt.

If all goes well, maybe I’ll even cut out the white and black pieces for the next step of piecing.

Linking to OMG. Go visit Elm Street Quilts to see what other people are setting for the One Monthly Goal.

How many quilts or projects do you have planned?

Just a quick look around my sewing room, and I’m coming up with 5 in view. There are more stashed away in closets. Yet, often something else grabs my attention, or needs my attention, so what I thought I’d be working on gets replaced.

Lately this is bugging me. Why am I not getting to the quilts I really want to make? I bought the fabrics, patterns, and even rulers or templates needed to follow the patterns. Yet, I keep replacing my plans with others.

Giving this some thought, I have an idea that I hope will help. My plan is to go ahead and prep & cut the pieces for the planned quilts. Hopefully, having them ready for sewing, I’ll actually get to just that! Piecing the quilt tops!

Here is my first attempt in preparing a project for sewing. I bought this kit in 2015. This week I cut all the batik pieces for this Tropical Snowball quilt. I added many more batiks, purchased during a June Shop Hop, to enlarge it from 48″ square to 72″ square.

Hey look! A finished top, Facets! It is now on the ‘to quilt’ pile. This was my OMG for August.

My hubs has a native garden in our yard. Happily the Monarchs like the Butterfly Weed plant. We have spotted 3 Monarch caterpillars.

I hope we get to watch them form their chrysalis and emerge butterflies!

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

1. Start cutting pieces for next quilt top on my list- Tropical Snowball. ✔️ All the Batik pieces are cut.
2. Sandwich baby quilt and begin quilting – a friend’s quilt. ✔️ 2 quilts sandwiched, and one started quilting.
3. Catch up on Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM ✗

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Continue quilting on friend’s baby quilts.
2. Got to catch up on the Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM – August block.
3. Piecing – Tropical Snowball batik units.
4. Start prepping another planned quilt top.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

My OMG for August was to finish the Facets quilt top!

Ta da! Finished!

I pinned the 88″ x 84″ quilt top to my front window curtains and moved a chair for this picture. Laughing, because I wanted to get this posted and no one was around to help me hold the quilt top up!

Linking to OMG.

Hubs and I took a trip back east, visiting family in PA and MD. While visiting my folks in PA, I stopped at Simply Stashing in Littlestown. Every time we drive to Hanover, PA I do declare that shop is closed when we pass it in the evening, and it has not yet opened when we head back home in the morning hours. Usually I don’t fit in a stop at the quilt shop, but managed to this time. I told my husband I was popping in to ask for their Row by Row pattern, a cute Flying Geese pattern. Of course I had to look around while there.

I found the bicycle fabric which I could not pass up. And those two fun prints were on their discount wall.

While checking out, the gal asked if I would be visiting other quilt shops in the area. I asked where they are located and one she mentioned is in Hanover. It ends up that it is just around the corner from the retirement community where my parents live! (Ok, around the corner in a country mile.) My folks have lived there for 11 years! And I never known about this shop! I do recall passing a shop last year with a Bernina sign, and wrongly assumed it was just machines. Nope, it is a nice quilt shop too! Danners Bernina Shoppe. I bought a book that goes along with the Westalee quilting rulers I own, and another ruler. With practice, I hope to up my ruler work using my Baby Lock Tiara III sit down quilting machine.

Sneak peak of the Facets quilt. Design by Christa Watson.

The top is completed and measures 88″ x 84″ enlarged from the original pattern to fit my son’s bed. I don’t have the back or binding prepared yet, but the top now goes into my ‘to be quilted’ pile. I’m so happy to check the making of this quilt top off my ‘to-do’ list!

While cruising some quilting websites back in July, I came across a Christmas block Quilt Along.

This snow flake was the first block presented August 1st. The quilt along is called I Wish You a Merry Quilt-Along. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the upcoming designs presented, but with a personal reality check, I’m realizing I should just not join another quilt along right now! …  she said backing away from the internet!

I finished a quilt today! Yesterday I completed the straight stitch quilting, and today I attached the binding.

This quilt design is On The Wave from Sew All Around Quilt Along.

I love this fun back used on my little wall hanging. It measures 30″ x 34″.

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

1. Safely travel to PA to visit my folks. ✔️ We also visited relatives in MD and IN.
2. Gift Monkey quilt to young nephew.  ✔️ Happily gifted!

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Start cutting pieces for next quilt top on my list- Tropical Snowball.
2. Sandwich baby quilt and begin quilting – a friend’s quilt.
3. Catch up on Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM

The monkey quilt is all ready to gift!

I’m pleased with it.  Finishes at 39″x 47″

Here are a few close ups.

For quilting, I did three sets of curved lines using my walking foot. Robison-Anton thread in Green Dust. The quilt is finished with a Flange Binding.

Above you can see where two sets of curved quilting intersect. The curves give those monkeys some movement. Don’t you just love that monkey print used for the back? I think it is such a fun print! Monkeys climbing, swinging, and standing in trees!

Friday, July 28th, a friend and I attended the Kokomo One Stop Shop Hop. There were 28 quilt shops vending under one roof. I went with a shopping list. I didn’t find a few things on the list, and I sure was tempted by many more quilting goodies not on my list!

A few of my purchases include Carolyn Friedlander’s Rin pattern and a Fat Eighth pack of her fabric line. I wanted a Fat Quarter pack, but the booth had already sold out. I bought Thread Heaven to condition threads for hand work. I have used bees wax, but heard that Thread Heaven is so much better, I thought I’d give it a try.  I also bought several cream print FQ not show in the photo, and a 6 1/2″ square ruler by Quilters Select.

Photo from quiltersselect.com

Have you tried Quilters Select Rulers yet? They are amazing as they do not slip when you are cutting your fabric. I want to slowly replace several of my favorite sized rulers with this brand, as I can afford doing so. If you are at a shop that carries them, ask to give one a try. I think you will be convinced that they really do grip the fabric making cutting accurate.

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

1. Monkey quilt – need to gift it next week! It is ready to quilt so get at it and bind! ✔️Yep, see above!
2. Do some quilting on –  On the Wave quilt??? ✗ Nope. I switched to some light house cleaning, and packing for my quick trip to PA.

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday .