Five Shadows

Quilted and bound! Last year while taking part in One Block Wonders BOM sponsored by Sandy of Upstairs Hobby Room, I stitched up Brilliant Cluster her block for July. I love this block! I love the colors! I used some scraps I won from Colorways by Vicki Welsh and also some scrap batiks for piecing.

Last week I did a simple diagonal grid quilting design using my Janome walking foot. I used a variegated blue 30 weight Signature for the top thread and Aurifil blue 2805, 50 weight in the bobbin. For binding I used a dark blue left over from another larger quilt. Finishing this quilt makes Part 1 of my 4 part quilting goal checked off my May goal list!

This week I plan to use a clam shell design to quilt this table runner made from a batik strip pack called Tango Treats by Timeless Treasures.

The pattern is call Simply Elegant Table Runner and was included in the strip pack.  Above is just a portion of the quilt.

I bought a sampler pack of Westalee Design rulers that includes a clam shell ruler. Time to try it out!

Batiks! I love them! I won a Jelly Roll from Christa Quilts last year while particapating in her Facets Quilt-Along. Now I’m making a second Facets using the Jelly Roll and several yardage pieces.

Improv piecing started.

Facets plan worked out above and the blue batik I’ll be using in place of the red in the pattern.

I added another Quilt-Along to my project list – even though I had told myself I would not join anymore quilt-alongs this year! But, I am finding the ones geared to improving FMQ too tempting. Lori of The In Box Jaunt is offering a Spring Quilt-Along.

I pieced the above top to use for playing along with Lori’s quilt-along.

How about you, are you following any Quilt-Alongs this year?

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

1. Work on ‘Facets’ at Curvy Quilters this Thursday. ✔️ Solid triangles cut, and improve piecing started.
2. Finish blanket stitching the Fusion squares! ✔️ Finally!
3. Quilt the One Block Wonders quilt that I pieced last July. This is part of my One Monthly Goal for May. ✔️

1. Practice crocheting stitch – next step for Fusion Blanket
2. Quilt Simply Elegant Table Runner using a Clam Shell design.
3. Waiting for FMQ step for The In Box Jaunt Quilt-Along.
4. Sit Down Free Motion Quilters May BOM pattern is up and ready. Time to piece another block.

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

Thursday my Curvy Quilters group will be meeting for a day of sewing. Since I take along my Featherweight sewing machine and it can only sew straight stitches, I plan on starting a new quilt. I have batiks purchased to make Christa Watson’s ‘Facets’ from her Machine Quilting with Style Book.

This will be the second time I’ve made the Facets quilt. I followed along with Christa’s Quilt-Along last year.

Since son #1  commented on how much he liked the Facets quilt shown above, I’ve decided to make this one for him. But he requested that it be bed size. I might need more fabric! I had given the first lap size Facets to son #2 and my DIL because she loves batiks.

Last week I completed 3 charity quilts.  Read more about these quilts and see more photos here.

Here are some close ups of the quilting.

Above, in the corners of this quilt I did this circle/star design. I stitched around the design twice so it showed up nicely on the light fabric.

For the last 2 quilts, I switched to an overall design, stitching edge to edge.

Above, I used a large overall meandering design.

On the above quilt, I added loops to the meandering design.

Phew! 3 quilts completed! Completing them was my One Monthly Goal for April.

As for the Fusion Blanket, I keep chugging along on the blanket stitches. I think I have only 7 more squares to complete before the next step of crocheting around each square.

And now it is May! You know the saying “April showers bring May flowers?” Hubs and I have taken several walks at local nature preserves, and the wild flowers are bountiful and beautiful this Spring! To name a few, we have seen Phlox, Wild Geranium, Spring Beauties, Trilliums, and my favorite- Jack in the Pulpit.

I’ll leave you with 2 photos borrowed from the internet.

Phlox

and Wild Geraniums

I hope you are enjoying the season in your part of the world!

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

1. Finish 3 charity quilts. Tops are pieced. Maybe backs, hope so. Sandwich, quilt, and bind. One is almost complete. ✔️ Yes!
2. Keep plugging away on Fusion Blanket – blanket stitch squares. ✔️ Plugging away on it is about right. One little square at a time.

This week’s To-Do List:

1. Work on ‘Facets’ at Curvy Quilters this Thursday.
2. Finish blanket stitching the Fusion squares!
3. Quilt the One Block Wonders quilt that I pieced last July. This is part of my One Monthly Goal for May.

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

For the month of May, I have decided to continue with practice in FMQ and ruler work as my goal. I have four small quilts waiting for my attention. Two are from demos I did back in 2014-15 at a local quilt shop. Another is a table runner made from a Bali Batik strip pack, and the last is from the One Block Wonders BOM I participated in last year.

My goal will be to do a different design in each of the four quilts. Anything from simple grid work, to (I hope) a Clam Shell design. This goal will not include binding, but if I get to that, then it will be all the more special.

I’m linking to One Monthly Goal over at Elm Street Quilts.

How about you? Are you joining the OMG challenge? Hop on over to Elm Street Quilts and read all about it!

Phew! I got um done! On Monday, April 24th, when Patty put up the link for April’s OMG finishes, I was no where near finished! So I put the pedal to the metal – Baby Lock Tiara III pedal to the floor – and cranked out quilting on three charity quilts.

Side note:  My loving husband surprised me with the Tiarra as my Christmas gift 2016, so I’m still kind new at this FMQ and ruler work quilting! I’ve been mostly practicing on table runners. But I did step it up last month to quilt Charity quilts on the Tiara.

So Monday comes along and I have not worked much on my OMG, I was consoling myself with at least I made headway on other projects. I just would have to let this month’s OMG pass. But, seeing Patty’s post got me motivated to get to it! – - After picking up a t-shirt quilt from the longarmer and attaching binding on the customer’s quilt.

Why did I select 3 charity quilts at my OMG? While looking in my stash last month for backing fabric, I came across three charity quilt tops that I had forgotten about.  I had fabric for backs, batting, and strips for binding all bundled together for the tops. Completing the three 42″ square quilt tops through to the binding became my OMG for April.

For the first quilt, I started with 1/4″ stitching in the Dresden Plate blades, and 1/4″ stitching around the outside of the Dresden Plate. I did various loops and squiggles in the blue and red strips that are not showing up in the photo above.

Here is a close up of part of the back that shows the squiggles a little better.

And here is a close up of the circles and star in one of the corners.

I stitched around the circles and star twice so the deep red thread would show up nicely on the light fabric. I had this quilt finished including binding Wednesday night.

Thursday, I got the second quilt sandwiched – I use 505 Spray for basting. I got to thinking that time is running short and my weekend is looking pretty busy, so what could I do to complete these quilts a little faster than stitching in the Dresden Plates and using squiggles in the strips, and more planned quilted designs?  Ta-da! Why not use the big meandering that the longarm quilter just used in the t-shirt quilt?

For the next quilt, I just did a large all over meander.

Looks nice, I thought. I had this finished Thursday afternoon.

Close up above of the meandering.

Thursday night I stitched up the back for the last quilt, and got the front, back and batting pressed.

As I got this last quilt sandwiched today (Friday) I thought I’d stitch this one with loops in the meandering.

Ok! I like the look of this one too!

The original plan was to try out various FMQ techniques on these three quilts in the corners, and strips. But with the time crunch, that didn’t happen. But I do have to say, I am pleased with how the large meandering and loops turned out. Not what I originally planned, but a nice finish all the same!

Check out Elm Street Quilts to see all the other quilters One Monthly Goal finishes for the month of April! And then you can join in for May!

Yesterday I picked up the t-shirt quilt I’ve been working on from the longarmer.

Today I squared up the quilt, cut and attached binding.

Above is a close up of the binding at the mitered corner on the t-shirt quilt. I sew the binding on to the back of the quilt, and flip it to the front. Then machine stitch the binding in place using the Flat Fell pressure foot by Janome.

Above, is what the stitching looks like on the back. Sorry that it is red on red, but my client wanted red sashing, border, back, and binding, so I hope you can see the thread. The stitching is just about 1/8″ beyond the binding.

Machine stitching on a binding is my favorite method for attaching bindings. No more hand stitching for me. Too many quilts and not enough time for that hand stitching! Of course, I’m not entering quilts into shows, if so, I would be doing that stitching by hand.

Another little accomplishment was stitching up the April block from the Sit Down Free Motion Quilters Facebook group. This month was paper piecing. Just one block.

Jeanne Harrison of the Sit Down Free Motion Quilters Facebook group has lots of videos for the BOM offered in the group. If you have not tried paper piecing, you might want to join the group and take a look at her paper piecing method.

Have you ever tried paper piecing? Do you like it?

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

1. Get back to blanket stitching Fusion Blanket squares. ✔️ Slowly but surely, I’ll get those squares all blanket stitched.
2. Need to work on OMG for April – charity quilts! ✔️ I think my goal was too big this month. But the month is not over yet! I have one charity quilt sandwiched and FMQ almost completed. Then binding, and the 2 more to do.
3. Sit Down Free Motion Quilters April BOM pattern is up and ready. Paper Piecing this month. ✔️ Block pieced!
4. Hexie quilt – borders or not? Figure out a plan for the quilt. ✗

This week’s To-Do List:

1. Finish 3 charity quilts. Tops are pieced. Maybe backs, hope so. Sandwich, quilt, and bind. One is almost complete.
2. Keep plugging away on Fusion Blanket – blanket stitch squares.

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

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter Weekend. We enjoyed having our out-of-town children visiting including our grand-daughter. And of course those who live in-town too!

Quilting! I’m loving how the Sew All Around quilt turned out! And I’m not a pink person. But for some reason, I do like this combination of blues and pinks.

I like how the dark pink and blue binding frames the quilt.

Digging into my stash, I found this piece for the back that is perfect color wise for the quilt top.

I did go ahead and put a sleeve of sorts on the back for hanging the quilt. I put triangles in the top two corners and a tab in the center.

 

I’m using a yard stick cut to size and placed in triangles and tab to support the quilt for hanging. Using a yard stick for hanging a quilt is a trick I learned from my first quilting teacher 20 some years ago. She liked a yard stick for two reasons, they are basically flat so quilts hang nicely against the wall, and also they are inexpensive from the local hardware store.

Silly me, I should have used 2 tabs instead of just one in the center of the back! I didn’t leave a space for just one nail for hanging! I might be slitting a little hole in that tab for the nail to be centered in the back of the quilt. (Yesterday was not my best day, had a stomach bug all day, and it must have affected my brain as well. sigh)

Here is a close up of the Signature variegated thread I used for the quilting.

Do you have a favorite way to hang small wall quilts? Please share!

Last Thursday, at my Curvy Quilters sewing day, I got the hexies all sewn together into a quilt top.

I’m pondering if I should add borders. I’m also wishing I could find more of the Moda Honeycomb “From Outside In” precuts or even fabric, to make 3 more rows for a twin size quilt. But this is an older line, and I’m not finding it for sale as I search on line. I used three packs of Honeycomb precuts for ~54″ square quilt top.

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

1. Continue Sew All Around BOM, binding is next, I’m not sure if I will put a sleeve on it for hanging. ✔️ Binding and sleeve on!
2. Continue Fusion Blanket. ✗
3. Hexie quilt top – hope to finish piecing top this Thursday at my quilting group day. ✔️ Top pieced. Add borders or not?
4. Enjoy Easter with family. ✔️ We had a wonderful time with family and perfect weather too.

This week’s To-Do List:

1. Get back to blanket stitching Fusion Blanket squares.
2. Need to work on OMG for April – charity quilts!
3. Sit Down Free Motion Quilters April BOM pattern is up and ready. Paper Piecing this month.
4. Hexie quilt – borders or not? Figure out a plan for the quilt.

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

This month I’m participating in Gosia Pawlowska’s Sew All Around BOM. You can find it on her blog Quilts My Way or Facebook.

I’m behind. This week’s lesson is on attaching a sleeve on the back for hanging. But I just finished the simple grid quilting.

The quilting was done with a walking foot on my Janome. I used a variegated blue trilobal polyseter by Signature Size 30 for the top and a 50 weight Aurifil for the bobbin. I’m pleased with the quilting.

I’m moving along on the Fusion Blanket. The first set of squares are all blanket stitched.

I decided I’d like to make the blanket a little larger, so I stitched up more squares now waiting for blanket stitching. That means more blanket stitching in the evenings. I have continued to practice 2 crochet stitches that will be used to connect the squares. I will eventually get brave enough to share a photo of that progress! Ha!

The t-shirt quilt is now a top and waiting on the Longarm quilter. Sorry no picture. I might be getting it back to bind, if so, I’ll get a photo then. it’s large and I need help holding it up for a photo. Adult kids need to come home and help. tee hee

This week’s To-Do Tuesday List

1. Sew t-shirts together with sashing and border. ✔️ Pieced and ready for longarm quilter.
2. Sandwich and quilt Sew All Around BOM quilt top. ✔️ Sandwiched and quilting underway.
3. Continue Fusion Blanket. ✔️ Part 1 blanket stitching complete, but making more squares that will need blanket stitching.

To-Do List for this week:

1. Continue Sew All Around BOM, binding is next, I’m not sure if I will put a sleeve on it for hanging.
2. Continue Fusion Blanket.
3. Hexie quilt top – hope to finish piecing top this Thursday at my quilting group day.
4. Enjoy Easter with family.

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

I finally got myself going on the t-shirt quilt. The shirts are fused with interfacing, and cut to size. The 20 in the photoed pile below are 14 1/2″ square.

Sashing is 2 1/2″ wide. There are also 3 shirts prepped at 16 1/2″ x 20″ not photoed.

Do you recognize the figure in the top t-shirt? That is John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed. A legend here in NE Indiana. Fort Wayne has a park dedicated to him where the Johnny Appleseed Festival is held in September. The story goes that he provided apple seeds or saplings to pioneers moving west so they could have apple trees to grow where they settled. It is said he wore a tin pot as a hat, thus the pot on his head in the graphic design.

Next is the Sew All Around BOM with the blocks are sewn together. This week is sandwiching and machine quilting.

I’m calling this little quilt Mixed Berry Smoothie. The designer of the quilt made it up in yellows, gray and black and called it Lemon Juice.

My Fusion Blanket is coming along slowly.

I have 28 squares blanket stitched with 8 more to go. Then I need to sew a few more squares to get the blanket to the size I want. Then, on to crocheting. The crocheting is going to take lots of practice on my part, as I attempt to learn the stitches needed for this blanket.

I watched the 2012 version of Wuthering Heights last night, but just could not make myself pick up a needle to blanket stitch the 8 remaining Fusion Blocks above. I didn’t make any progress on the Dropcloth Embroidery Sample either. Usually, I like stitching while watching movies.

How is your week going? Learning anything new?

Last week’s To-Do Tuesday List, how did I do?

1. Concentrate on t-shirt quilt. ✔️ T-shirts fused and cut to size, sashing cut.
2. Next step of Sew All Around BOM. ✔️ Top pieced.
3. Continue Fusion Blanket. ✔️28 squares blanket stitched, 8 more to go, and a few more to sew.

This week’s To-Do Tuesday List

1. Sew t-shirts together with sashing and border.
2. Sandwich and quilt Sew All Around BOM quilt top.
3. Continue Fusion Blanket.

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

It’s April and no fooling!

I found 3 more charity quilt tops last week.

I thought I was all caught up on charity quilt UFO tops.

But while looking for a back for another quilt,

I came across 3 more tops intended to be veteran quilts.

With the tops, I had backs, batting, and even binding strips folded all together in a nice neat pile.

My goal for April will be to complete these three quilts with FMQ and binding.

Linking to

One Monthly Goal over at Elm Street Quilts.

My goal for March was to complete 2 charity quilts with free motion quilting and binding.

Here are 3 charity quilts as I left them several years ago. I completed one for my February goal.

When I pulled them out of storage I thought they were just tops and backs. But I found that I had already sandwiched them and each had some straight line quilting.

Here are all three quilts, complete with simple free motion quilting, some ruler work for the straight lines (stars), and binding attached. That was a happy yet simple goal for a very busy March. I plan on tackling a larger quilt with more quilting next month.

Linking to One Monthly Goal over at Elm Street Quilts. Thank you Patty for the link up!