Five Shadows

Oh My Goodness! I’m sending the Bargello quilt to one of my favorite longarm quilters this week! I am just so totally happy with how the appliqué has turned out on this quilt.

I used a monofilament thread on most of the appliqué pieces, and Aurifil all match-y match-y on the seaweed, turtles, canoe and paddle.

(Oops! I forgot to stitch the black of the eye!) On the close-up of the turtle, you can see the monofilament thread used for the blanket stitch. And on the turtle shell – can you see the spiral stitching in a brown matching thread?

Seaweed stitched in place.

And here is the completed Bargello quilt top! It is 108″ square, so it was hard to hold up for a good picture! My daughter and I are standing on our raised fireplace hearth, we are touching the ceiling with the top borders folded down and it is puddling on the floor.

This quilt is the brain storm of my sister. She lived in Hawaii, and when her husband was being transferred to the Mainland east coast, she wanted a King size quilt that spoke of her love for Hawaii. She saw a small Bargello wall hanging at a quilt shop, and wanted to know if I could make a King size Bargello. Then she found two wall hanging patterns, one with the outrigger canoe & paddle, and one with the turtle (Honu) scene. Her idea was to enlarge them to appliqué on the bargello quilt. My sister was a member of an outrigger canoe racing club. She loves the ocean, and the sea turtles that you could see feeding along the beaches.

Now the quilt goes to the longarm quilter for her to work magic in those bargello waves! I am so looking forward to getting it back and bound and delivered to my sister!

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

1. Bargello –  appliqué stitched in place! ✓
2. Bargello –  back sewn together.  ✓
3. Bargello – Hopefully, deliver to the long arm quilter! I’m so excited about completing this quilt! I’m waiting for the date from the longarm quilter!
4. Bargello – binding ready and waiting! ✓
5. Down load September pattern on the 1st for the Machine Block Party.  ✓

To-Do List for this week:

1. Binding t-shirt quilt (picking up from quilter this week)
2. Piece September’s block for the Machine Quilting Block Party.
3. Download last One Block Wonders BOM pattern. Can’t believe we are already on the 12 month!

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

I am so super pleased with how all the appliqué is coming together for the Bargello quilt! It is taking longer than I’d like, but all the pieces are constructed – outrigger canoe & paddle, and the turtle scene which is fused to the Bargello quilt.

This is the lower right corner, inside the borders, of the king size bargello quilt. The pattern for the Honu (turtle) scene is Someone to Watch Over You by Barbara Bieraugel Designs. I enlarged the pattern by 150%.

Now I need to decided if I am going to be match-y match-y with the thread with each motif, or use monofilament thread all over. Monofilament sure would make it easier, but would the sheen ruin the look of the quilt?

I love Misty Fuse! It is my go-to fusible. I like the feel of the finished product. And I find it very easy to work with when fusing appliqué pieces. Do you have a favorite fusible product?

I didn’t have the One block Wonders August block on my To-Do List last week, but I did finish piecing a table topper using the pattern! The block is called X Box.

I also finished the August Machine Quilting Block Party. I needed some time away from cutting out all the little pieces of appliqué for the Bargello quilt!

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

1. Bargello – finish constructing appliqués! ✔︎ All constructed and I’m so pleased with them!
2. Bargello – fuse and blanket stitch appliqués to quilt!  - Fuse! ✔︎ The Turtle Scene is fused in place and starting to stitch around them today!
3. Bargello – sew back of quilt together! ✗

To-Do List for this week:

1. Bargello – Top stitch all the appliqué in place!
2. Bargello – sew the back of the quilt together.
3. Bargello – Hopefully, deliver to the long arm quilter! I’m so excited about completing this quilt!
4. Bargello – construct binding for the quilt.
5. Down load September pattern on the 1st for the Machine Block Party.

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday. Hope your Tuesday is going well!

I’ve been procrastinating. I reserved a spot in early September with my favorite longarm quilter for the Bargello quilt. Problem is, I still have to get the appliqué constructed and attached! Today, I finally made it to the local Staples store to enlarge the patterns 150%. After lunch out with my hubby, I got to work labeling & cutting out pieces and cutting fabric.

I’m working on the outrigger canoe & paddle from Paddler’s Heritage pattern.

Next up will be the turtle scene from Someone to Watch Over You pattern.

I raided my very small stash of Batiks looking for the right fabrics for the coral. I might be taking a trip to the local quilt shop tomorrow for more Batiks! Such a shame, right!?

Do you have a particular step in the quilting process that you procrastinate on?

Here is a photo of the completed baby quilt I shared last post, and gifts to go with it for little Olivia.

I used the green Moda Grunge with a white solid for the flange and binding. I’m very pleased with how this quilt turned out – the bright fabrics, quilting design, name, binding. My son and daughter in law visited last weekend (with my grand baby!) and my DIL commented on how she really liked this quilt. It is nice to get an unsolicited compliment! She particularly liked how I quilted the baby’s name. Guess I’ll keep that idea filed away for future quilts!

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

1. Bind baby quilt ✔︎ – completed! But not gifted yet.
2. Enlarge and cut out appliqué pieces for Bargello quilt. enlarged ✔︎ and have a long way to go to finish the cutting, fusing, & stitching.

To-Do List for this week:

1. Bargello – finish constructing appliqués!
2. Bargello – fuse and blanket stitch appliqués to quilt!
3. Bargello – sew back of quilt together!

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

I pieced this baby quilt a while ago. I only had a small amount of The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric left from a previous gift, and wanted to figure out a way to make good use of it for another baby quilt. So I pulled out my brights and cut 6.5″ strips and sewed them together with a narrow band of a white print in between.

Next up, I wanted to add the baby’s name, but had not decided on just how to do that. What I ended up doing was printing the name out in a large font, cutting the letters out, and tracing around them. Then I stitched around each letter.  I didn’t think of taking a picture of the first couple of steps, oops!

Next, I used the walking foot and added straight lines for the over all quilting.

When my straight line quilting approached the appliquéd butterfly, I stitched around it until reaching the spot on the opposite side of the butterfly to continue the straight line quilting.

After stitching straight lines in four quadrants, I went back and did a FMQ ribbon in-between some of the straight lines. The straight lines are stitched  1.5″ apart.

I wish I had taken a picture of the name before deciding to fill it in. When filling in each letter, I tried to keep the FMQ lines perpendicular to the over all straight stitched lines.

Below is a close up of the three types of quilting used in the quilt.

1. Back ground straight line quilting set at a diagonal, and off set, so they are not meeting in the center of the quilt.
2. FMQ ribbon quilting
3. Filling in letters with (somewhat) perpendicular lines to background quilting

The back of the quilt is The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric that I found at a LQS. I was so happy to find yardage to coordinate with the little bit I had on the front! But it took running to 2 stores before I found it!

I plan to bind with the above green Moda Grunge.

This was a fun creative project. Starting with a scrap of The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric, and then playing with ideas for the quilting. I have The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book to also give with this quilt, and my daughter has ordered TVHC stuffed caterpillar to add to the gift. The stuffed caterpillar should arrive this week, with that and the binding complete we will be ready to visit and gift the new mother and baby Olivia!

How has your creative process been this week? I’m happy with how this quilt is turning out!

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

1. Bargello quilt – finish borders & start appliqué  ✔︎ Borders on, and getting appliqué in order
2. quilt baby quilt ✔︎ quilted!

To-Do List for this week:

1. Bind baby quilt
2. Enlarge and cut out appliqué pieces for Bargello quilt

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

This Thursday, I host my quilting group, Curvy Quilters. I usually work on an UFO during that time. It’s a good way to get myself to work on the unfinished projects. And I have enjoyed seeing some progress, and even checking a few off my list this year. Today I pulled out the Timeless Tradition BOM.  I started it last year, while attending a Featherweight Sewing Club. I have the fabric cut for three blocks and all ready for piecing this Thursday.

As July came to a close, I did squeeze in finishing up the BOM for Leah Day’s Machine Quilting Block Party. I had the block pieced, marked, & sandwiched, so just had to quilt it. This BOM is using the quilt-as-you-go method. Each month we piece, sandwich, and quilt a block.

Yesterday, as the first of the month, the new block was available. I got it downloaded and fabric cut. Today I pieced the block.

For all the BOMs (I’m doing 3) I have challenged myself to use fabric from my stash. For the Machine Quilting Block Party BOM, I’m using scrappy prints in yellows, oranges, & reds, with the same white background for all the blocks.

Next up is pulling out the Bargello I started earlier this year. It’s time to add borders & appliqué. I had to set it aside for a while, as I had t-shirt quilts to create for customers. The latest went to the longarm quilter last week. I’ll take photos went it returns for binding.

After the Bargello, I have Christmas tree skirts I want to get started! I was hoping to get to those in July!

Do you have any projects that you are just waiting and wanting to get to sewing?

Back to the To-Do Tuesday list!

1. Host Curvy Quilters on Thursday – that means some house cleaning and baking to prepare for my guests!
2. Sew the next set of Timeless Tradition BOM blocks.
3. Add borders to the Bargello.
4. Friday the One Block Wonders August BOM will be available – download!

I’ve made some progress on May’s One Block Wonders BOM. I decided to make a table runner using 6 blocks from May’s design.

I altered the 12″ May Blooms blocks to 6″ to create a 14″ x 43″ table runner. The appliqué pieces are fused in place using Misty Fuse, but still need to be stitched down. I really do like how this is looking!

I just finished machine quilting, literally – just minutes ago – May’s Machine Quilting Block Party BOM.

Night time photo color is way off! That is a white background. And I still need to remove the marking for the quilting guide lines. Ugh. Horrible photo. Sorry. But hey! I’m now ready for the June block that will be posted tomorrow!

I also made progress on the t-shirt Hobo bag. The red is a t-shirt and the black batik is forming a pocket. The Batik is also the lining. The flip side is a made from a black t-shirt. More photos next time. Straps will be solid black and the batik.

All it needs is the shoulder straps. I could have finished it last night, but decided to make the straps adjustable. Daughter and I ran errands today, and my plan was to stop at Joann’s and see what kind of hardware they have. I forgot to stop! I was just down the road by a few blocks, and totally forgot. And later I was even across the street from Hancock’s (going out of business) and mentioned to my daughter that I want to stop in Hancock’s after we finished in the store she wanted to stop in at. We both forgot! Let’s hope I can remember tomorrow!

I really am a list person and should have had a list today to remind me to stop at Joann’s! How about you, are you a list person?

To-Do List for this week.

1. Start June’s Machine Quilting Block Party BOM
2. June’s One Block Wonders pattern should be available Friday!
3. Helping son pack and move.

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

1. Hobo bag – making progress!
2. Curvy Quilters meet Thursday, I’ll work on the BOMs. ✔︎
3. I’m adopting a WIP from a local lady. It is a Trip Around the World. I pick it up today to finish the top for her. I’ll share more next week. ✔︎ This project turned out to be an Amish Diamond in a Square out of prints that I am guessing are from the 70′s. I didn’t take pictures, but the top is complete and returned for quilting.

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

Are you sensing a theme here on my blog? Slow it is! Since not much quilting is happening here, I’ll share a few beauties from our garden.

This is a tiny little Iris that I believe is named Bumble Bee.

Hubs is the gardener around here. As a college professor, he is teaching part time during the summer meaning he is home a lot more. He enjoys his time out in the garden.

I’m not sure of the name for this Iris, but I love those speckles on the falls.

Both Hubs and I have to find a new balance with the end of the school year, and it takes a few weeks. Not complaining! I enjoy having Hubs around!

Lilly of the Valley. My favorite Spring flower. Sweet scent! We have a large patch on the north side of our house that I can pick and keep in the kitchen. I love walking in the kitchen and smelling that sweet scent. Of course I love their scent out in the yard too!

How has your week gone? Does your sewing/quilting time change with the seasons?

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

1. Hobo bag – I bought and washed accent fabric for the bag this week. But no sewing.
2. Work on BOMs: Machine Quilting Block Party and One Block Wonders May block – I made a little progress on the OBW.

To-Do List for this week. Oh my! My list is not changing from last week!

1. Hobo bag.
2. Curvy Quilters meet Thursday, I’ll work on the BOMs.
3. I’m adopting a WIP from a local lady. It is a Trip Around the World. I pick it up today to finish the top for her. I’ll share more next week.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday at Stitch All the Things and Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River.

The slow theme continues.

I have two projects that I’m making up as I go along. No patterns. The going has been slow.

Project One:  is a 24″ pillow. The front is made of HSTs on point. The white triangles will be used for signatures at a graduation party.

I used fusible webbing Pellon P44F to add stability to the pieced HSTs. It will keep the fabric from shifting and will make it easier for guests to sign the piece. The HSTs are quilted in-the-ditch in 50 weight white Auriful thread #2021, sandwiched with a thin batting and a piece of muslin.

Black piping to frame the pillow.

A red t-shirt was used to create an envelope closure on the back of the pillow.

I asked last week if it would work to stuff a 24″ pillow form in a slightly smaller pillow case. The answer is yes! The pillow case is 23″ square.

Top photo – Don’t you think it worked too?

Project Two: is an over the should bag, kind of ‘Hobo bag’ of my own design, to showcase two t-shirts. T-shirts are fused for stability. I need to shop for fabric for handles, lining, and inner & outer pockets. (sorry, no pictures yet)

I won another drawing! Julie of The Crafty Quilter is holding a monthly drawing this year as incentive to complete UFO projects. These cute gifties arrived in my mailbox: A fabric & bead necklace made by Julie, Scraps ‘n Fats pattern, and Vintage Picnic Charm Pack. Thank you, Julie!

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

1. Finish Signature pillow.  ✔︎ Completed today!
2. Bind t-shirt quilt. ✔︎ Bound, delivered, and paid!
3. Construct Hobo bag. ✗ Started, not completed yet.
4. Work on BOMs, Timeless Traditions, Machine Quilting Block Party, One Block Wonders if time allows. ✔︎- Kind of. On my sewing day with friends, I cut out 6 OBW blocks and got 3 of them pieced.

I’m not sure where my mind was yesterday, but I sure had a dickens of a time sewing together this simple signature block.

When I was calculating yardage and the number of HSTs I would need to make a 24″ square finished pillow, I totally forgot that the plan was to set the HSTs on point! The photoed piece is measuring 24″ top to bottom, which means I will have to add a bit of a border. Or, maybe not, will half of an inch matter when stuffing the pillow form into the pillow case? It will be 24″ square once I trim off the HSTs on the sides.

Feel free to leave your opinion in the comments on whether I should bother adding a tiny border to this piece. Would you add one, or not?

There is a red t-shirt that I am to use for the back of the pillow. I also forgot to buy velcro for the closure. To prepare the block for signatures, I will press a fusible interfacing on the back side of the HSTs block. I’ll use Pellon P44F, which is the weight I like for t-shirt quilts. The fusible interfacing will add just enough stability for writing with a Pigma Micron pen, but will also leave the pillow soft and comfy. I’ll quilt in the red triangles, or maybe in the ditch using a white thin cotton batting. I have scraps, so not sure of the brand name and will back the quilting with muslin. Once the pillow is complete with a t-shirt back and black piping, it will be washable and durable. I pre-washed the fabric, so there should be no color bleeding, always a fear with reds. I will instruct the owner to always wash in cold water and to use a Color Catcher to be on the safe side!

Today was another Curvy Quilters sewing day! I worked on a UFO, the Timeless Traditions BOM.

I finished the  2 – 6″ blocks and 1 – 12″ block for month 6. There are 7 more pieced blocks and 4 appliqué blocks to complete before setting them all together. Then borders and more appliqué. I hope to have this quilt finished for a Christmas gift. I told my Curvy Quilter friends we need to meet more than once a month so I can finish this quilt!

Cuteness alert!

This is my 16 month old grand daughter learning to drink from a camel water pack! We had a delightful walk at a state park Sunday with most of our adult children joining us. But this is the only picture of the youngest in the family with her dad and me! I don’t know why we didn’t think to stage a decent family photo!

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

1. Hobo bag made from t-shirts. ✗  Didn’t get to it.
2. HST signature blocks – 24″ pillow with t-shirt back. ✔︎ Pieced!
3. Setting aside Bargello to complete #1 & 2. Might get back to Bargello if time allows. If so – borders!

To-Do List for this week:

1. Finish Signature pillow.
2. Bind t-shirt quilt.
3. Construct Hobo bag.
4. Work on BOMs, Timeless Traditions, Machine Quilting Block Party, One Block Wonders if time allows.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

King Size Bargello in the making! Here is the Wave 80″ square. Borders up next. Then some appliqué!

As it is a new month, I have downloaded and pieced May’s block for the Machine Quilting Block Party.

At my last Curvy Quilters sewing day I pieced the three blocks for Month 5 of Timeless Traditions. This BOM is on my UFO list.

All the blocks for this quilt are being pieced on my Featherweight sewing machine. There are 4 blocks of appliqué and also an appliqué border, so I will be switching to my Janome for that. I like using a blanket stitch for machine appliqué which is not available on the Featherweight.

Just wondering, have any of you Featherweight owners ever used it to machine appliqué? Straight stitch, perhaps?

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

1. Bargello quilt – keep doing the wave! ✔︎ 80″ square waves complete!
2. T-shirt quilt – borders, prepare binding, deliver to longarmer. ✔︎ Delivered to the longarm quilter!

To-Do List for this week:

1. Hobo bag made from t-shirts.
2. HST signature blocks – 24″ pillow with t-shirt back.
3. Setting aside Bargello to complete #1 & 2. Might get back to Bargello if time allows. If so – borders!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.