Five Shadows

Celebrating with Winnie the Pooh!

My goal for June was to salvage fabrics from an old nursery set, turning them into a usable quilt.

I used three parts of the set. The border print was taken from the bumper pad, the solid green fabric was crib skirting, and the appliqué pieces: Pooh, bee & butterflies are from the curtains. The green and white strip for the back and binding are an old sheet.

Pooh and the other appliqué pieces are placed to cover holes in the green fabric.

Isn’t the label the cutest?!

This was made for a family friend who was given the old set. A friend of hers found it at a yard sale. She asked if the pieces could be made into a quilt. Mission accomplished!

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty at Elm Street Quilts. Hop over to see what other quilters have accomplished this month.

After a bit of traveling the beginning of this month, I plan on repurposing a Winnie the Pooh crib/nursery set into a floor/picnic quilt.

I’ve got the set ripped apart. I didn’t think to take a “before” photo.

Fingers crossed I can come up with something useful for this friend of the family.

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Elm Street Quilts.

A family friend asked if I could make a picnic/floor quilt out of an old crib/nursery Winnie the Pooh set.

That will be my goal for this week. I’ve ripped apart the bumper pad and crib skirt, thinking I’ll use them for the top of the quilt. I also have a faded curtain, but I think that fabric is to fragile to include in the quilt. There is a quilted valance that I might be able to work into the quilt.

We’ll see. I’m just playing with some ideas at this point.

I finished a quilt top, the Snowman table runner top, and a baby quilt. Check them out here.

Last week’s to-do list:

1. Snowman table runner or  ✔️
2. Quilting son’s quilt

To-Do List:

1. Pooh quilt

Linking to To-Do Tuesday.

Done!

My Goal was to organize my sewing room and get going on found projects. I have now organized my projects into the following categories:

1. UFO piecing list - 5  listed,  finished 1, down to 4
2. Tops to quilt – 5 quilts listed
3. New projects – 7 projects listed
4. Appliqué projects – 3 listed
5. Handwork – 2 listed
6. Customer quilts – 6 quilts listed
7. Charity quilts – 4 in the making

Maybe I’m crazy as that is a total of 32 projects! It is crazy what I found while organizing. For example, I was looking for the Basket BOM quilt I started ages ago, wondering where I was in the piecing when I walked away from it.

I found it, only 2 blocks needed to be pieced. BUT under those 10 blocks was another BOM that needed only 5 more of 20 blocks to be completed!

I neatly placed projects in clear plastic project boxes, and stacked them together by like kind. My sewing room looks much better. Re: tops to be pieced in boxes stacked together, handwork in boxes stacked together, quilt tops ready to quilted on hangers with fabric for backs, etc.

Once my sewing area was considerably neater, I got busy sewing. First up – I finished the Basket and Blooms quilt top pattern by Joined at the Hip from my UFO list.

As I was piecing the last 2 blocks and sashing, I noticed I had 2 blocks missing their stars. I added the blue star to the top left basket, and the yellow star to the left of the bottom center basket block. Once the back is pieced, I’ll add this to the Tops to Quilt list.

Next, I got going on a machine appliqué table runner from my New Projects list. This was supposed to be a monthly block or runner that my Sassy Quilters Group choice to make this year.

Yikes! I’ve only started the January block as a pieced & appliqué table runner. I don’t know if I’ll ever get caught up. Maybe I’ll just pick my favorites to work on the rest of the year.

Plus I finished a customer quilt, but then picked up another order. Which is fine as a little cash flow is nice!

So yea! I’m better organized, and I’m marking things off my lists! And I’m determined to not buy any more new projects for the rest of the year! Let’s hope I don’t run into any ‘squirrels’ that grab my attention!

Speaking of squirrels, look at this cutie I created for the baby quilt I just checked off my customer quilt list.

Linking to One Monthly Goal

One of the gals in my Curvy Quilters Group made each of us an adorable quilty.

She dressed us each in our favorite color, and gave each of us a “tool” of our trade. Twila is dressed in the reds and is surrounded with fabrics, Pat (the maker of the quilty) is dressed in green doing hand embroidery, Teresa is in purple holding a panel quilt, and I’m in turquoise holding rulers. I just adore this unexpected gift!

The baby clothing quilt is complete.

I asked my customer if she would be agreeable to having the clothes hanging from a clothes line. She liked the idea. I suggested adding a cardinal sitting on the line to add interest, since most of the clothes are Christmas theme. She suggested a squirrel, as the baby loved watching them. I am really not a fan of quilts made from baby clothes. To me they are usually just too clutter. I prefer the more traditional t-shirt quilts. These clothing items including bibs, hat, booties, would just not work this time as a t-shirt quilt, plus she didn’t want the clothes cut down. I thought a clothesline arrangement would work. She also specified a wallhanging no wider than 36″, not a functional quilt. This quilt is 35″ x 45″. Those are 1 3/4″ wooden clothespins! The baseball bib is actually the label she requested to include a baseball. And … isn’t that squirrel just the cutest ever!?

UFO Report!

I finished a quilt top I believe I started in 2000.

Baskets & Blooms by Joined at the Hip. This was a BOM I found the patterns for on sale at a quilt shop going out of business. I only had 2 blocks of the 12 to complete, when I finally dug it out to see where I was with it’s construction. I’m happy with it! Once quilted, I plan to hang it in my living room.

How was your week?

Past to-do list:

1. Work on granddaughter’s quilt  ✔️ DIL decided to take over marking quilting motifs. I’ll quilt it once she has completed her drawings. I promise to share photos soon!

To-Do List:

1. Snowman table runner or
2. Quilting son’s quilt

Linking to To-Do Tuesday.

Saturday the local quilt shop held their annual PJ sale. Most items in the store started at 30% off from 8am – Noon. From Noon – 3pm the discount was 25% off. Very generous!

Recently, my 4 year old granddaughter came for a visit bringing along a drawing she had created. She showed it to me saying it was a quilt. Got to love her for that, right!?

Then she said we needed to make it. OK! I asked what size she wanted it, and she replied, “The size of the drawing.”  Hmmm. I asked her what she planned on doing with a quilt that small, to which she did not have an answer. I suggested making it a doll size quilt. She thought about that, and then stated it could be bed size. Hmmm. I reminded her that I just gave her a new bed size quilt for Christmas. Then I suggested a picnic size quilt. She jumped on that idea and was ready to get started on her quilt.

She ‘shopped’ from my stash and these were her first selections.

During her next visit we sewed together 14″ squares to create her quilt. She carefully laid them out in the same order as her drawing.

Then Saturday we took advantage of the PJ sale at the local quilt shop,

and she selected fabric for the back and binding. She loved just about every fabric in the clearance isle, but we finally narrowed it down to the cats, and stripe for binding. The sale was perfect timing as there was just no right fabric in Grandma’s stash!

Next up will be deciding on quilting motifs. She is anxious to see the quilt completed and ready for a picnic! Looks like I better get that back made and quilt sandwiched!

Last week’s to-do list:

1. Work on Mystery quilt or
2. Work on Basket & Blooms or
3. Work on granddaughter’s quilt  ✔️

This week’s to-do list:

1. Work on granddaughter’s quilt

Linking to To-Do Tuesday

Reorganizing. That will be my goal for May. I hope that counts!

When looking for a quilt project to take along to my sewing group, I thought of a long abandoned basket quilt.

Baskets & Blooms by Joined at the Hip

When I located it stuffed into a box, I discovered I only had 3 baskets of the 12 blocks to finish.

Under the basket blocks was another long forgotten partially made quilt. It appears I have only 5 more blocks of 20 total to complete.

Craftsy 2012 Block of the Month with Amy Gibson

It seems I have a plethora of unfinished projects. I did not meet my March One Monthly Goal, and in frustration, I didn’t set a goal for April.

And now, here we are in May!  I hope to organize the old stuff, the unfinished quilts, and make a plan to get them done!

Finish! should be my word for the remainder of the year!

In May I’ll make a list of those projects. And will make progress on at least one of them, maybe more than one! Some of the projects are easy to carry to group sewing days. Some need brain power and are not suited for travel since group sewing days are filled with talking & visiting, not deep thinking while sewing! Do you know what I mean?

Okay! Here goes to a month of organizing my messed up studio, making a workable to-do list, and completing projects on the list!

Linking to Patty’s One Monthly Goal hosted at Elm Street Quilts.

In my part of the world, April sure is ending in showers. Showers and thunderstorms. So here is to May Flowers!

Monday I hosted my quilting group. While pondering what to sew on, I wondered what happened to the basket quilt I started ever so long ago. I found it. There were 9  of 12 completed blocks.

One block only needed the star appliquéd in place.

Another block had all the pieces cut and needed assembled.

And the last block had templates made but not cut out.

I completed all three of the remaining blocks. All the blocks are machine appliqué using straight stitch or blanket stitch, matching thread to the fabric. I’m loving them.

The pattern is an old Joined at the Hip BOM, Baskets & Blooms, printed in 2000. If memory serves, I purchased the pattern when a quilt shop I visited was going out of business. I’m still deciding how to finish the blocks – all 12 blocks together make a 42″ x 66″ quilt. I might divide them up to make 3 wall hangings. Or frame some as gifts.

My last to-do list:

1. Finish piecing Mystery quilt top. ✗ Still have trees to finish.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday

After finishing the 4 baby quilt tops, it was time to move on to a t-shirt quilt.

A longarm quilting friend asked if I’d put the t-shirt top together, and she will do the quilting. The client wanted green sashing with no corner stones. As mentioned in a previous post, I like to use corner stones to help keep the blocks all lined up nice and straight.

It just seems more time consuming to me to match up blocks from row to row without the use of corner stones. Here’s how I solved that problem.

Mark a chalk line from sewn seam on to sashing.

Pin next row matching seams with drawn chalk line.

Stitch seam, aligning blocks up nice and straight.

Rows all lined up with out corner stones. And ready to head back to the longarm quilter.

Mystery quilt: making a little progress with more trees pieced, and 2 more blocks pieced.

Last week’s to-do list:

1. Finish up one more baby quilt for charity. ✔️ I have a total of 4 tops completed.
2. Keep working on Mystery quilt.  ✔️ Slow going, but progress.

This week’s to-do list:

1. Finish piecing Mystery quilt top.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday.

Progress this past week included piecing not just one, but two baby size quilt tops that will eventually be donated to charity.

The top finishes at 38″ x 49 1/2″. A friend sewed up the friendship stars and provided fabric for sashing and border. I added the cream for corner stones. It is just so much easier to line up blocks when using corner stones. I offered to help stitch up 4 baby quilts using my friend’s 4 sets of 9 1/2″ blocks. She has a wonderful fabric stash, so I’ll go back to her house to ‘shop’ for backing and binding. We might both be working on the quilting. Each do two baby quilts? We’ll see. I hope to finish up the 4th quilt top this week.

The Square in a Square Mystery quilt is coming along.

I have all the ‘winged creatures’ pieced, and tree tops & trunks pieced but not all sewn together. And pieces for another block ready. (all piecing not pictured)

Directions say to use a scant 1/4″ while piecing. I’ve had a dickens of a time finding that scant 1/4″! My Janome came with 3 different feet that are listed a 1/4″ feet. The foot I keep on my machine and gives me an accurate 1/4″ seam – I tried to eyeball a scant, and my blocks turned out too big. Believe me, I tested and tested with stripes for that scant seam allowance, and just could not conquer it with the foot I always use. So I switched to the plastic one – and it just wobbled all over the place so I couldn’t even get an accurate 1/4″ seam! On to the third foot, it’s the metal on with that metal flange on the side for a 1/4″ seam, I could finally eyeball an accurate scant with it and my piecing is turning out at the desired size.

Other news. Hubs put together a design wall for me this past week! The above photos are taken on the wall. I do need to learn how to tweak the lighting for photographing. I need a lesson from hubs, so bear with me as I learn!

What is on your list to accomplish this week?

Last week’s to-do list:

1. Piecing Square-in-a-Square Mystery quilt. – Working on it but not completed.
2. Piece another baby quilt. ✔️I pieced two!

This week’s to-do list:

1. Finish up one more baby quilt for charity.
2. Keep working on Mystery quilt.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday.