Five Shadows

Family, sewing, quilting, and house reno. That’s my life now.

Here’s my list and what happened this past week -

To-Do Tuesday, May 23, 2023

1. As Hubs works on drywall finishing at daughter’s house, I hope to get going on stripping the wood trim that was removed from bedrooms to update electric. Drywall ✔️
2. Sandwich three baby quilts and anniversary quilt. ✔️ – kind of 2 out of 4
3. ??? Guess I’ll see which way the wind blows again this week in my sewing world. I really should get started on quilting the anniversary quilt.

1. Here are a few photos of what’s happening at the house

This might not look like much of a difference from last week’s photo but this is the second layer of drywall mud. Ready to be sanded before applying the last coat of mud. The mudding might just be finished this week through out the house!

Frame for tub was built, and tub set in place.

Bathroom floor tile. Daughter playing with layout.

This is how you fix ceilings with cracked plaster. It looks like a mess now, but will look brand new soon!

My plans to start stripping woodwork was vetoed. I’m just barely keeping up as the clean-up crew and go-fer! I do what I’m told to do! Ha ha!

2. Sandwich quilts.

My Daughter in Love has been learning to quilt. She did such a beautiful design recently on a charity quilt that I asked if she would be willing to quilt the Trip Around the World Variation. She said yes! And here she is doing a large floral design at my Baby Lock Tiara III.

And here is my daughter straight line quilting the giraffe quilt for her coworker. It was well received at the party.

Sorry for the lousy photo of the finished Giraffe baby quilt. Daughter was flying out the door with it for the party. It finished up at 35 1/2 x 47 1/2 inches. Bound in Moda green grunge. I don’t remember which thread she use for quilting.

Two quilts completed.

3. Today I bought fabric for the back of the anniversary quilt. So I hope to get moving on that one soon.

The other project I worked on was making a tote for storing my large Clammy Rulers,

A t-shirt came with the ruler order but I ordered a size too small. I figured I could cut it up and use in the design of the tote. So here she is. Another circle design with the quirky saying from the t-shirt. Now all my Latifah Saafir rulers and patterns are stored together in this tote.

To-Do Tuesday, May 30, 2023

1. I’m keeping daughter’s house at the top of the list. Dry wall mudding is the chore of the week.
2. Make headway on Anniversary quilt!
3. Friday is quilting day with friends. I hope to alter two t-shirts with a friend’s help. The shirts have ‘flutter’ sleeves that I just do not like. And I’m taking along an EPP project, handwork.

What a week! We did have a Blessed Easter, but not the way we expected. I missed Good Friday service because my daughter called saying she had a nasty cut on her ankle. She thought it might need stitches and her husband was not home. Also, she does not do well with blood! Could I look at it and take her to Redimed? Mind you I live 35 minutes from her. We Face-timed and yes, I thought it would need stitches. So hopped in the car, got her to Redimed 15 minutes before they closed. She was the only patient, and yes she did need 3 stitches. Plus splinters removed. The DR was very nice. I had said sorry for keeping him late on a Friday night, and he said he didn’t mind when it was someone who really needed assistance.

Easter Sunday plans changed again as our son and two of his family were sick. I took my granddaughter to church, Hubs picked up lunch for us, and we had a fun afternoon with multiple eggs hunts in our yard. I think granddaughter would have gone on for hours with us hiding eggs again and again! When we took her home, we thought/hoped her brother would be well enough for a little egg hunt in their yard. Nope. Poor fella. He figured out quickly which eggs had something in them, and bypassed all the rest. After picking up just four eggs said he was done.

Basically, it was the quietest Easter Hubs and I have ever celebrated. Instead of potentially 14 of us, only three of us. The rest of family was traveling or had other plans, or sick! Poor daughter with stitches did make it outside for a bit, using crutches, to enjoy the sunshine.

In my sewing and quilting world -

To-Do Tuesday, April 4, 2023

1. Quilting Trip Around the World  ✔️
2. Pieced border for the Featherweight embroidery. ✗
3. Wednesday – sewing with women’s group at church – heart pillows for cancer patients. ✗
4. Spring Break – granddaughter is to visit for a quilting lesson. ✔️
5. Daughter’s house – not sure when I’ll fit getting over there this week. Hubs is staying busy there finishing up rewiring. Porch lights are next. ✗

1.  Quilting Trip Around the World. Last Tuesday I met up with two quilting friends for lunch. And then headed over to one friend’s home to load the quilt on her longarm. I only had the afternoon for quilting.

Loading the longarm.

Last pass, as I forgot to take pictures during the quilting.

Friend Ruth, who invited me to use her longarm, holding up quilt.

As a reminder, this is the first ever quilt pieced by my friend, Janie. She pieced it while visiting from TN. Then she left it for me to quilt for her. As you can see I did an all over large meander with occasional loops. All free motion. I hope Janie will like the simple quilting. If I’d had more time and experience with a longarm I would have liked to have done something more intricate. Binding is ready to attach.

2. Pieced border for the Featherweight embroidery.

I did have time to piece the HST, but not sew them together or attach to the embroidery piece.

3. Wednesday – sewing with women’s group at church. This didn’t happen. Canceled due to severe weather predicted that didn’t materialize here. A tornado did pass through 30 or so minutes south of us, but didn’t touch down.

4. Spring Break – granddaughter is to visit for a quilting lesson.

My DIL and two grands only made it over one day for sewing. Here’s the run down of what happened.

My DIL FMQ -

She quilted this top, I don’t remember the name of the pattern, I think it came with the layer cake.

She did cross hatching, ‘v’s and stippling with little loops. All FMQ, love her creativity!

Look at her large FMQ flower in the center of the quilt! Love it! If I’m counting right, this is only her 4th quilt to FMQ! Talent! (Maybe I should have had her do the quilting on Janie’s Trip Around the World!) Quilted with Variegated gray 40 weight Auriful thread.

Granddaughter

She picked out this house quilt pattern last Fall when we also bought the fabric and cut the pieces out.  Pulling it all out, she got the strips sewn together for the house chimneys. Then she was done. This might just take a while!

Grandson

I think he wanted to sew because Mom and sister were doing so. We picked out a charm pack and all he got sewn together was four little squares! Lost interested quickly. I think I’ll be finishing this one with out him.

5. Daughter’s house – Hubs has been working on getting the electric finished up for the next inspection. I was only over there one day. I had lots of construction debris to clean up. Plus helped Hubs pull through the last two wires for three-way switches. At this point, I really don’t know what is next.

And now this week -

To-Do Tuesday, April 11, 2023

1. Trim and bind Trip Around the World.
2. Piece border for the Featherweight embroidery.
3. Decide on a project for evening handwork.
4. Land on some other project – old or new?
5. Daughter’s house. Her goal is to be in the end of this month. Hubs and I don’t think that is very realistic. She wants to move in while construction is still happening. I’ve experienced that, and don’t recommend it!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmidt.

The last day of January, can you believe it!?

We are back into a cold snap here in NE Indiana. 11 degrees when I got up this morning. It will stay below freezing most of this week according to the weather channel. For me, that means a space heater running to keep bathroom pipes from freezing.

It will be nice to stay cozy inside and do hand stitching.

Here’s my progress for the past week -

To-Do Tuesday, January 24, 2023

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! ✔️
2. Pick a machine sewing project.  ✔️

1. Homage is coming along -

Week 44 stitched

And attached.

Week 45 stitched, part of top edge of quilt!

And attached!

Week 46!

And this is what the back of the hexies look like when attaching week 46 to the quilt. I honestly didn’t realize I had completed so much on Homage this past week until I looked back at last week’s post.

2. New quilt projects, two Squirrels!

Moda had a weekend charm pack challenge earlier this month with a free pattern. I pulled fabric to make two from my charm pack stash. Ha ha! I sewed up one this week. Made with a Kona Solid charm pack by Robert Kaufman- oops not Moda! –  and Moda Zen Chic fabric for back ground.  I added a border with HST in corners to enlarge a bit. 39 1/2 ” square.

Then Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring hosted a Crockpot SAL that also used charm packs. She had links to crockpot recipes so ppl could make easy meals and sew all weekend. I didn’t use the recipes but I did grab the free pattern.

I used a bright Moda Poems from Pebbles charm pack for this one. HST made and trimmed. Sewing is under way but no photos yet.

To-Do Tuesday, January 31, 2023

1. Continuing with Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!
2. Finish SAL quilt top.
3. Friday is sewing day with my quilt group. I plan to take Homage along.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmidt.

Snow is coming! Since I live in NE Indiana, what is winter without snow!?  Maybe up to 8 inches falling on us tomorrow. Pictures next week!

On to quilting -

To-Do Tuesday, January 17, 2023

1. Keep moving forward on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! ✔️
2. Finish the clothing quilt tops. One done, two to go. ✔️
3. Maybe pull out something old or new to work on. ie. There are too many 2023 Squirrels showing up in my feed to tempt me into new projects! But really I should just focus on the Flower Garden and get is completed! ✔️ No sewing but collecting patterns.

Here’s what I did this week -

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 43 stitched together.

And attached to the quilt!

Week 44 underway.

Plus I counted out the 1/2″ paper hexagons for the remaining eight weeks of the quilt-along putting them in sleeve protectors with the instructions for each week.

2.  Clothing quilt tops are completed and sent to the longarm quilter.

I cut hearts out of 12 hankies and appliquéd them on to solid t-shirts or as in this photo a scarf. There are hearts in all four corners of the quilt tops. I didn’t take any more photos. I think I was just so happy to complete the three tops and move them to the longarm quilter! Here is the one I did photo last week.

3. I’ve been printing off free patterns that look tempting as they show up in email or on Facebook. Have you heard of the 365 Challenge quilt? Created by Kathryn Kerr? She designed a quilt several years ago making one block a day with 3 inch, 6 inch, and 12 inch designs. It’s free and can be found on Facebook as Friends Who Like 365 Challenge Quilt Blocks.

This week I just want to focus on the EPP  -

To-Do Tuesday, January 24, 2023

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!
2. Pick a machine sewing project.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmidt.

Greetings! Are we really half way through the first month of 2023!?

Tomorrow marks the day one year ago that I started the Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden Quilt Along.  I’ve not completed the quilt top in that one year as I’m on week 43. It’s all about enjoying the process, and that I am still doing!

Here’s how my To-Do list went this past week -

To-Do Tuesday, January 10, 2023

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! This was last year’s quilt-a-long and I have 10 more weeks to finish. ✔️ I’m still stitching.
2. Three clothing quilts. Part of the clothing came already fused with a stabilizer. I’ve cut all those pieces into squares. Time to fuse the rest and continue cutting. Possibly construct some basket blocks. ✔️ One top made.
3. Friday quilt group – I’m taking along the hexies for Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden as my handwork for the day. ✗  Plans change.

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 42 stitched together in two sections. Isn’t that top one very odd shaped?

Weeks 1 – 42.  Note the four corners are all now pieced and attached!

Week 43 is basted and some stitching underway. I did not photo the progress.

2. Clothing Quilts

41 different garments were used in this top along with four handkerchiefs. Instead of baskets made from the hankies, I went with hearts in the four corners. The next two tops will be very similar other than the “center” shown here as the sailboat. Each quilt top will have a different t-shirt motif in the center.

3. I didn’t attend Friday’s quilt group. Two gals I give a ride to could not make it, so I decided to stay home and make headway on the clothing quilts. I’m working towards getting the clothing quilts done so I can get back to my own to-do list!

Looking at this week’s plans -

To-Do Tuesday, January 17, 2023

1. Keep moving forward on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!
2. Finish the clothing quilt tops. One done, two to go.
3. Maybe pull out something old or new to work on. ie. There are too many 2023 Squirrels showing up in my feed to tempt me into new projects! But really I should just focus on the Flower Garden and get is completed!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmilt.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the USA this Thursday, I hope we each remember to whom we are giving thanks. May God Bless you all!

To-Do Tuesday, November 15, 2022

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, week 33. ✔️
2. Enjoy visit with sister & BIL. ✔️
3. Friday is sewing day with quilt group. Hmmm. What to take along? ✗

Here’s what happened with that list -

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 33 completed. Those leaves slow me down with the tiny background pieces. I started attaching it to the quilt last night, no photo.

2. Visit with my sister and BIL went well! I invited my kids and their families over and all but one joined us for an enchilada dinner. Good time, good conversations.

3. I didn’t make it to my friend’s home for our sewing day. Just as I was reading a text from her that her drive was very icy, my husband came into the room and said he just heard of three car accidents in the direction I was to head. Icy roads. He didn’t want me driving. I thought plan B would be staying home and sewing on the project I planned for the day away, but since I was home other household projects kept popping up. You know how that goes, right?! Then once roads cleared, I ended up heading out to get the Covid Booster & the first Shingles vaccination.

Shingles is nasty folks. Have you gotten the two part vaccination? I know too many people who have suffered from Shingles, and one even lost their sight in one eye. That has prompted me to get the vaccine.

I did do just a bit of other sewing, again with my granddaughter.

Two 4 1/2″ square coasters for the grands to use Thanksgiving Day. Granddaughter selected the cat paw print and built from that for her coaster. And her brother loves orange, so we went with those two fun prints and pulled out the green and blue to coordinate.

Granddaughter likes smoothing out the corners with this hemostat.

A friend dropped by with a fabric donation for charity sewing. She was cleaning out her sewing room and part of what she gave me was a bag full of cat and dog prints. My grands enjoyed digging through those fabrics with me! The cat paw print in the coaster came from that bag of fabric.

My DIL got in on the fun and pulled out this cute cat panel. The green and purples were pulled from my stash. The beginnings of another charity quilt! Maybe a white should be added to make HSTs to border the panel. Unless my DIL takes up this project, it will sit for a while as I am still working through my own pile of  To-Be-Charity quilts!

To-Do Tuesday, November 22, 2022

1. Today I start cooking for Thanksgiving!
2. Keep moving ahead on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.
3. Will I sew on anything else this week? Time will tell.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday with Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

This was the week I realized I had a few gifts to make that I had totally forgotten about!

15″ canvas bag with 7 1/2″ pocket.

This is not the prettiest item I’ve ever made. A young-in-mind friend asked for a canvas bag with a pocket and the pocket should be a bear. This is fabric I had on hand. I think the results will make her happy.

She also requested a doll quilt for one of her stuffed animals. This is a block I had in my box of orphan blocks – we all have those, don’t we!? I added a border to make a 16″ square doll quilt.

I also have a Halloween Panel to finish up for her to hang on her door. If I don’t finish it by Saturday, I can just gift it to her early October. I’ll be attending her birthday party Saturday.

Plus I have to get a little mug rug sewn up for a birthday gift for one of my quilty friends who will be here Friday for our quilting day.

Her September birthday snuck up on me! I’ve made Bitty Barn Blocks for the gals in my quilting group in their fav colors as mug rugs for their birthdays. This will be the last one of six.

Along with all the “extra” sewing, here is what I accomplished from my To-Do list.

To-Do Tuesday, September 6, 2022

English Paper Piecing continues on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. This is my almost nightly routine. After clean up from supper, I gather the EPP supplies and stitch while watching TV, or a movie, listening to a book, or talking to Hubby if he is not busy on one of his hobbies. His hobbies are native plant gardening and building train models. Sometimes walks or bike rides are added in to the evening.

Here’s my To-Do list from last week -

To-Do Tuesday, August 16, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach week 21 to quilt. ✔️
2. EPP – continue week 22 ✔️
3. Wednesday – meeting with church friends to finish some heart pillows. ✔️
4. Friday – friend graciously allowing me to return to use her longarm and quilt the last two clothing quilts. ✔️
5. Maybe work on a PUP meaning Previously Unfinished Project! Isn’t that a cute acronym? Coined by a quilting friend. I’ve not heard anyone else use it. So I’ll give her credit. Hello Ruth! I like it better than UFO. ✔️

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 21 sewn and attached to the quilt but I forgot to take a photo of the growing quilt.

2. EPP

Week 22 – stitched and ready to attach.

Weeks 1 – 22. The rosettes are now showing they will be a ring of flowers!

3. Heart pillows

The tag says Blessings & Love, Made for you, Christ’s Community Church.

Here are just a few of the 24 heart pillows made to donate to Lutheran Hospital where they are given to patients who have had mastectomies. The heart shape pillow fits under the arm to add comfort while healing.

A few more hearts cut for pillows. This is an ongoing project ladies at CCC make through out the year.

4. Longarm quilting clothing quilts

A friend offered her longarm for me to use to quilt the 4 clothing quilts. Since I don’t know anything about using a longarm, other than what she taught me, here is the setup with quilting in progress. She only attaches the backing to the rollers, and lets the batting and top hang free. This worked well for these smaller size quilts, 54 x 60 inches. I’m not sure how it would work for a bed size. Any longarm quilters reading this? Your thoughts?

Quilted, bound, laundered.

Close up of one of the quilted shells. The quilts are ready to gift to the grieving family. Prayers lifted for them as they grieve the loss of their mother.

5. PUP - Previously Unfinished Project!

I worked on two PUPs yesterday. A few weeks ago I volunteered to do a simple quilting to finish tops that are made for two charities to which our CCC group donates. I used stitch 99 on my Janome for the diagonal quilting. Hopefully I get to the binding today.

To-Do Tuesday, August 23, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Week 23
2. More PUP charity quilts. I think I offered to quilt and bind 6 total this Summer.
3. Select a PUP from my own on going projects.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

Another week speeds on by! I’m still hoping to get caught up on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, pattern by Katja Marek. But, alas, I’m actually falling more behind. I started several weeks late waiting for supplies to arrive. The quilt along is on Week 33 and I’m just on Week 22. Oh well! I do enjoy my evenings of EPP even if it will take longer than a year to complete the quilt.

Here’s how my sewing and quilting week progressed -

To-Do Tuesday, August 9, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach week 20 to quilt. ✔️
2. EPP – start week 21 ✔️
3. Wednesday, meet with DIL to cut backing and batting for mug rugs. And maybe some heart shapes for pillows. ✔️
4. Meet with quilt friends Friday for a sewing day. Take EPP. With a full day to sew, I’m hoping to get to week 22 and maybe even 23 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! ✔️
5. Stitch “Gene” on to bag. ✔️

Progress made this week -

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Weeks 1 – 20 all attached!

2. Week 21

Stitched and ready to attach to Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

3. Mug Rug kits all made and packed for a future sewing day.

My DIL and I cut batting, backing, half hexies, and used precut hexies for 43 kits for Mug Rugs. These will be sewn up later in the Fall by ladies at our church to gift to school teachers at Christmas.

We also cut out 39 pairs of hearts for pillows that will go to a local hospital. Some one has to sew these up and stuff will poly fill! Wink wink!

Update! DIL came over Monday and made great progress on sewing heart pillows together!

4. Sewing day with quilty friends. Apparently I get more handwork completed at home than while visiting with friends!

Some stitching did happen on Week 22 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. But I didn’t get to Week 23!

5.  Canvas Bag

“Gene” stitched up nicely on the canvas bag. My machine didn’t have any problems stitching through the heavy straps.

Other quilting that happened -

With two of the four clothing quilts for a grieving family actually quilted, I got busy with making flange bindings and got one quilt bound.

I made a flange binding using 1 1/2″ strips of orange for the binding, and 2″ strips for the flange.

Binding strips sewn together and pressed, ready to sew on to quilt.

Binding is sewn on to the back of the quilt and then flipped to the front. Machine stitch in the ditch between the flange and binding through all layers of binding and quilt. Photo above is showing part of the quilt top with simple meandering quilting with an occasional sea shell, and flange binding.

This photo is showing front of quilt with flange binding and the back where it looks like a regular binding. The ditch stitching between flange and binding shows up as straight line stitching on the back. I’m pleased with how the binding turned out. The flange is looking black in the photos, it is really a mottled dark blue fabric.

I just got word that one of the recipients of the clothing quilts is in town this week. Perfect timing to gift a finished quilt!

To-Do Tuesday, August 16, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach week 21 to quilt.
2. EPP – continue week 22
3. Wednesday – meeting with church friends to finish some heart pillows.
4. Friday – friend graciously allowing me to return to use her longarm and quilt the last two clothing quilts.
5. Maybe work on a PUP – Previously Unfinished Project! Isn’t that a cute acronym? Coined by a quilting friend. I’ve not heard anyone else use it. So I’ll give her credit. Hello Ruth! I like it better than UFO.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

Yesterday my hubs had a speaking engagement at a Master Gardener’s event. His topic was Native Plant Gardening. I tagged along taking my EPP. With three people speaking on different topics during three hours, I made some good progress on the Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

Here’s my list from last week -

To-Do Tuesday, July 12, 2022

1. Prep week 18 and start stitching EPP for Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. ✔️
2. Continue work on T-shirt quilt for my nephew. ✔️
3. Meeting with quilting friends – I’m taking along my EPP.  I’m 10 weeks behind on HTGFG and would love to catch up, but am beginning to wonder if that is at all possible! ✔️
4. Sandwich a charity quilt or two? A gal from church is making the tops and backs, and I volunteered to do quick machine quilting. I better get to them as she is faster than I am! ✗

Here’s what happened -

1. Week 18 Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

There are two leaves that need to be prepped and attached, along with the 4 little hexies. I always save the leaves for last so I’ve not cut them out yet.

2. T-shirt quilt for my nephew –  it’s moving along but not photo worthy yet.

3. Meeting with quilting friends – I took my EPP and sat with a friend while we both worked on our hexies. Two other gals worked on machine appliqué. Then we sat by the pool to eat lunch. It was a lovely time and day!

4. Sandwich a few charity quilts – This didn’t happen, but our meeting for tomorrow has been postponed, so I have a few more weeks before I need to get to these. I hope to add these to my To-Do list next week.

To-Do Tuesday, July 19, 2022

1. Finish Week 18 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach to quilt.
2. Prep and stitch Week 19
3. Nephew’s t-shirt quilt
4. Meeting with friend Friday to work on 4 clothing quilts for grieving family.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday with Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.