Five Shadows

It is Spring, after all, so why not go off of my well made plan for the year and head down a bunny trail by starting a new project!?

At the beginning of this year, I kind of promised myself no more starting new quilting projects until I got a handle on more UFOs and WIP. Sigh. That latest until March!

Maybe I should stay off of Facebook, because I see so many neat Quilt Alongs, BOMs and new patterns that grab my attention. I need to say no! But I went ahead and started a new BOM called Sew All Around. Off I go on yet another Bunny Trail!

I did attack a UFO. This one I started back in 2012. The Fusion Blanket, part pieced and part crochet.

I had sewn the squares way back in 2012, and have just started the blanket stitching around them. I’m meeting up with a friend tomorrow who will be teaching me how to crochet. Next step is to crochet the blanket stitched squares together. Check out this tutorial if you’d like to start one of your own.

2012 UFO – that’s 5 years old! What is the oldest UFO you have ever decided to return to and work on?

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

1. Continue hand work on Dropcloth Sampler. ✗ Didn’t touch it.
2. Blanket stitching 4 1/2″ squares. ✔️In progress!
3. Start customer T-shirt quilt. ✔️ Prepping t-shirts.
4. Enjoy weekend with family. ✔️ It is always nice to see our adult kids and our grandchild!

This week’s To-Do Tuesday List

1. Get back to Dropcloth Sampler.
2. Continue Fusion Blanket.
3. Continue t-shirt quilt.
4. Next step of Sew All Around BOM.
5. Enjoy Curvy Quilters sewing Thursday.

This pretty bouquet was at the grocery store, and I could just not resist as I do love Hydrangeas. Isn’t it pretty!

I hope you are not getting tired of seeing this next quilt! It is the free motion quilt sampler from the Facebook group: Sit Down Free Motion Quilters. This week I attached the binding, so I wanted to show it one more time. I used scraps of binding leftover from previously made quilts.

And here are the three charity quilts that will go to Veterans. I attached the binding on to them this week, again using binding scraps left from previously made quilts.

Do you have a box of bits of bindings? I do like the scrappy look. Even though it does not show in the above photo, each quilt has at least 2 different fabrics in the binding.

Thursday was my sewing day with my Curvy Quilters group. I dug around for a UFO to work on and came upon the beginnings of a hexie quilt.

I had 3 packs of Moda Honeycomb hexies of the fabric line From Outside In by Malka Dubrawsky. There are 42 hexies per pack. I used the solids and some tone-on-tone line prints for the centers, and cut the remaining hexies in half, then sewed them around the center hexies. Now I just need the right fabric for set triangles. That means more shopping!

I had a simple list for this week to complete as Hubby was home on Spring Break. We had a nice week that passed way to quickly! Yet, I actually got all my little projects checked off the list this week.

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

Birthdays and Family!

In the photo above, 1 celebrated a January birthday, 2 celebrate February birthdays, 4 celebrate March birthdays. One is the odd ball out with a November birthday. My youngest daughter, missing from the photo, celebrates a March birthday! Plus 2 more missing with an April birthday and a June birthday. On March 4th we did a family celebration for all the February & March birthdays at one time. The 4th was my husband’s birthday (sitting holding up our grand daughter.) It was so nice to have 2 of our out-of-town adult children and their spouse/family come visit for the weekend of celebrations.

Hand stitching!

I’ve seen this color wheel pop up a few times over the past several years on various blogs. A class for it and other embroidery are offered by Rebecca Ringquist on Creativebug. I found I could buy the sampler from her Dropcloth Samplers Etsy shop. So I took the plunge and bought it as a Birthday present to me! I’ve been wanting to learn embroidery, and thought this sampler might be just the way to ‘wet my feet’. I had several 12 weight threads on hand from Aurifil and Superior Threads, but as you can see I need just a few more to complete the color wheel. I do have to wonder about my sanity! With all the piecing, quilting, binding of quilts I have planned, why am I taking on another project!?

How about you? Are you adding a new craft/skill to your list this year?

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

1. Continue working on 2 charity quilts. ✔️ I’ve have quilted a few stars, pictures when complete.
2. Continue FMQ sampler. ✔️ Top quilted and ready to bind!
3. Set up time to meet with my friend making pillow cases. ✔️ She stitched 14 pillow cases, and I cut fabrics for 13 more!
4. My husband’s Spring Break (college professor) starts this Friday and runs thru March 12th. I don’t think I’ll be getting much done in the sewing room. I’ll be happily spending the week with him!

This week’s To-Do Tuesday List:

1. Bind FMQ sampler.
2. Continue working o 2 charity quilts.
3. Sewing day this Thursday with Curvy Quilters.
4. Enjoy Hubs being home!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

March is here! One of my favorite months! And one of the busiest months for my family.

I usually try to not take on anything extra during March.

That said, my goal for this month will be to finish two more charity quilts.

I finished one last month and made good headway on the other two.

My plan is to finish the free motion quilting on the last two, complete with binding.

 One Monthly Goal

I  have a few finishes to share. The first two I started a few years ago when I did demos for a local quilt shop.

This is Sew Kind of Wonderful’s Metro Hoops using their Quick Curve Ruler.

I used a Moda Jelly Roll of Best Day Ever, yardage of a Moda swirl print in yellow, and blue for the border, white and cream for the background. Fabric is purchased for the back, waiting for my attention. I’ve been looking at Pinterest to get ideas on how to quilt Metro Hoops. I had all the blocks sewn, so just finished putting them in rows and attaching the border. I have a flange binding made in the blue with a pop of yellow as the flange.

Next up is a Laundry Basket pattern Sweet Mints by Edyta Sitar. I had several blocks constructed, and decided to stop at that to make a table runner.

A quilting friend suggested I cut two blocks in half for the above design. I like how it turned out. Binding and back are ready. Another top that needs my attention to free motion quilt and bind!

Speaking of free motion quilting, I am continuing to practice with the free instructions presented by Jeanne Harrison’s Facebook group Sit Down Free Motion Quilters.

I have one more lesson to go for the last two side borders of this FMQ sampler.

This is actually the back of the quilt as the light color thread shows up so much better than on the light front fabric.

I need more practice on swirls!

Diagonal lines.

Even though I told myself I would not sign up for a Block of the Month this year, when I saw Jeanne Harrison was offering one in the Facebook Sit Down Free Motion Quilters group, I decided to go ahead and join in. One more way to learn FMQ!

This appliqué block was January’s design.

And February’s “block” was piecing the units for the border and setting blocks: quarter square triangles in 2 sizes and flying geese.

Charity quilts:

I finished one charity quilt using this decorative stitch to secure the binding.

I attached the binding to the back and pressed it to the front. Then stitched through all the layers to secure the binding in place. This was my first time to use something other than a straight stitch.

Have you ever used a decorative stitch to finish your binding?

My last To-Do Tuesday List, how did I do?

1. Pillow case sewing with friend. ✔️ We selected and cut fabrics for 22 pillow cases, I showed her how to do the burrito method to sew them together. I’ll be getting back with her soon to see how she is doing.
2. Continue working on charity quilts. ✔️One complete, and two in progress.
3. Continue work on FMQ sampler.✔️Two more side borders and the sampler will be complete!

This week’s To-Do Tuesday List:

1. Continue working on 2 charity quilts.
2. Continue FMQ sampler.
3. Set up time to meet with my friend making pillow cases.
4. My husband’s Spring Break (college professor) starts this Friday and runs thru March 12th. I don’t think I’ll be getting much done in the sewing room. I’ll be happily spending the week with him!

One Monthly Goal – February Goal Finish Link-Up

My goal for February was to work on three charity quilts, with finishing at least one.

I did a bit of quilting on all three, finishing one, and today attached the binding.

I did a simple back and forth ribbon in the blue and white strips.

In the printed star strip I outlined the blue stars and then stitched stars in the blue and red squares.

I have a box of left-over lengths of bindings. They come in handy for small quilts and also for making multi-colored bindings.

I used 2 reds for this quilt. Above is a close up of the decorative stitch I use to secure the binding.

Head over to Elm Street Quilts to check out more February finishes.  How about joining up for the March One Monthly Goal?

Let me share with you a surprise gift from my husband! Over the course of last year, I talked a bit about sit down quilting machines. I was curious about them, the price, the space, etc. and I shared what I learned with Hubs. He, in turn, started researching them online. While out and about we stopped at a couple quilt shops, which  just happened to also be sewing machine dealers. I got to try out Janome Artistic, Handi Quilter and Gammill. What I didn’t know was that Hubs contacted a Janome and Baby Lock dealer in the city where he works, and was convinced that the Baby Lock Tiara III would be just the machine for me! He found a slightly used one online and Was I Ever Surprised When UPS Delivered It To My Door! 

I’ve been playing on sandwiched muslin.

I’m still tweaking the tension. Tiara for some reason does not like the cone of thread I bought, as it keeps breaking at the needle. But spools of thread work fine, even metallic thread!

Above is first lesson from the Facebook Sit Down FMQ group, I’m just practicing on muslin. And as you can see, I’m stitching over older stitching.

Above is a peak at some (kind of OK) quilting I have done on 2 charity quilts.

Forgive the horrible photo, above is the being of the sampler for the Facebook Sit Down FMQ lessons. I have to learn to relax, and enjoy this FMQ!

How was your week?

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

1. Next step in sofa slip cover. Buy muslin to sew up 3 pillows covers. ✗
2. I have so many things I want to get to – I’m a little overwhelmed right now with which to do next! FMQ sampler is one. ✔️Pulled and marked fabric for this project, and completed lessons 1-6.
3. Start a new quilt? or start quilting a finished top? ✔️Since I left this rather open-ended, I’ll claim success because I pulled out 3 charity quilts to work on.

This week’s  To-Do Tuesday List :

1. Pillow case sewing with friend.
2. Continue working on charity quilts.
3. Continue work on FMQ sampler.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday List.

It’s time to set my quilty goals for February and link up to One Monthly Goal hosted by Elm Street Quilts.

When looking through my pieced tops for inspiration for this month’s goal, I found 3 charity quilts I never completed.

All three are sandwiched, and even have some quilting!

My goal for this month will be to finish at least one of the quilts.

Wouldn’t it be great if I finished all three and actually donated them!?

They are small lap quilts, and I think some simple quilting will be fine for finishing them.

Linking to OMG.

I do like it when my plans for the week come together. And, actually, January has been a pretty good start to the New Year.

Last week I listed the following on my To-Do-Tuesday list

1. Sew back for son’s quilt. ✔️
2. Finish center sofa cushion.  ✔️
3. Working on Leah Day’s 2016 BOM.  ✔️

1.  The back for my son’s quilt is all sewn together and the batting purchased. I even used an extra block to make a label which is sewn into the back.

How about a little Label Making Tutorial for those that do not have alphabet embroidery on their sewing machines?

Here is the extra block I used to make a label.

I had to figure out wording that would fit into the cream diamond shapes.

But first, the block needed some prepping.

On the back of the block I ironed on Reynolds Freezer Paper with a hot dry iron. Shiny side will adhere to fabric.

The freezer paper will give stability to the fabric, keeping it from shifting while writing on the fabric with a fabric marker.

Since I do not have the best handwriting, I used a light box to trace the wording.

I selected a font on the computer and figured out what I wanted to document, and printed out the label spaced for the area I had available in the block.  I used font Symbol, size 36, printed Bold for the label. (above)

Often, I will practice with different size pens to find what is right for the label.

For this label I used Pigma Pen Graphic #1.

Here the light box is on, the printed label is under the block, and the words are being traced.

Once words were traced, I removed the block from the light table and used a press cloth, pressed the writing with a hot dry iron to set the ink into the fabric. Remove the freezer paper and the label block is complete! (Did you notice the date 2012? Yes, I’m that far behind in getting the quilt completed for my son and DIL.)

Now, Back to my other finishes for the week!

2.  I finished the center sofa cushion cover. It just took me a while to get to the store to buy more zippers, which was my only hold up on finishing the cushion cover.

I think covering the cushions will actually be the easiest part of the whole slip cover making process!

3.  My version of Leah Day’s 2016 Machine Quilting Block Party is complete!

I’m happy with how it turned out.

The backing is the same yellow print as the sashing and binding. Leah has a new BOM for 2017, but I’m not particapating this year.

I’ve decided to follow along with the Facebook group Sit Down Free Motion Quilters and their BOM. Yesterday I finished the block for January.

This BOM will have a mix of pieced and appliqué blocks with the free motion quilting part starting up later this year. Jeanne Harrison has posted videos on youtube for constructing this block, and also has many other videos on free motion quilting. Check out Facebook to join the group!

As this month comes to an end, it is time to think of a new goal for the month of February to link to Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal. You can see the goal I achieved for January here. I’ll be posting my new goal later this week.

2017 has started out well for me with my quilting and sewing goals. I have 2 finished quilts, a new BOM under way, baby steps on the slip cover, all are putting a smile on my face!

How about you, has January been a successful month?

Now for my weekly To-Do Tuesday List :

1. Next step in sofa slip cover. Buy muslin to sew up 3 pillows covers.
2. I have so many things I want to get to – I’m a little overwhelmed right now with which to do next! FMQ sampler is one.
3. Start a new quilt? or start quilting a finished top?

One Monthly Goal, January Finish!

My goal for January was to quilt a top I stitched together back in March of 2016.

Goal accomplished!

I quilted, bound, and mailed the quilt off to the relief program set up for those affected by the Smoky Mountain/Gatlinburg fires.

I did a simple programed wavy stitch across the quilt and then went back and stitched diagonally across the quilt following the center and edge of the quilt blocks.

I used a variegated King Tut from Superior Threads.

Here’s hoping for 11 more months of successfully meeting the One Monthly Goal!

Join in the fun at Elm Street Quilts.

Hmmm. What should my February goal be?