Five Shadows

July flew by and I did not sit at my sewing machine for even a second. I did get some hand stitching completed on my temperature quilt, but that was not my July goal!

For August, I’ll just repeat what I thought I’d do in July

continue the FMQ on Chic Country.

After helping our son & family move in June, and helping my father move to assisted living in July, it is time to get back to some quilting!

Linking to One Monthly Goal with Patty of Elm Street Quilts.

Hello fellow Goal setters! Since July is looking to be another crazy month with not much sewing room time, my goal will be to continue with FMQ the Chic Country quilt.

I don’t think I’ll be completing it this month, but I hope to make progress. Maybe I’ll even make the binding for it. I love having the binding all ready before the quilting is finished. That way once it is quilted I can jump right in and attach the binding – instead of getting frustrated digging around for the right fabric, making the binding – it is there and ready to go!

July goal – make headway on FMQ Chic Country quilt.

Linking to One Monthly Goal with Patty at Elm Street Quilts.

I’m so tickled!  My goal was very simple for this month because of other non-quilting obligations.

Meeting my goal was pretty simple because it was a very easy goal – make back for a twin size Chic Country quilt, sandwich it, and maybe start the quilting.

What I’m so tickled about is that after fighting the quilt on my smallish quilting table, I finally took the plunge and added a DIY suspension system to my table!

I shopped at Menards, buying 2 Stokes Clamp-On Deck Hooks, 2  Spring Clamps, and a pack of Mini Bungee Straps.

The Deck Hooks are made to clamp on to a deck railing and will hold bird feeders or hanging plants. I screwed them on to the back of my table, hung a bungee strap from the hook, and attached the spring clamp to the bungee. There is a hole already drilled into the handle of the clamp, and the hook on the end of the bungee fit into that hole.

I’m playing around with quilting designs. I fought the quilt in the first block where I was attempting curved lines within the printed fabric. Adding the suspension system made a huge difference in the weight of the quilt and the drag of moving it across the table, and helped avoid the quilt getting caught on the table corners.

In the next block, I did loops and circles in the light fabric. I had a lot more control in moving the quilt while it was attached in my new nifty suspension system!

I didn’t get much FMQ done, but I’m very pleased with moving forward with my new handy dandy DIY suspension system!

Linking to One Monthly Goal over at Elm Street Quilt.

I’m trying to keep my OMG for June pretty simple. My goal will be to piece the back and then sandwich the Chic Country quilt top I finished piecing back in January.

If I start the quilting, that will be a bonus!

June is gearing up to be a busy month. My #2 son is moving back to our town with his family on the 6th. My Sweet DIL is anticipating help with their two young children as they settle in. And of course as Grandma, I’m very willing to help entertain kiddos, ages 5 months and 3 years old!

I’m thinking there won’t be a lot of sewing happening this month. Most likely I’ll be helping with the Grands, and also helping unpack and organize their home.

Oh, and BTW, the quilt top was made for the 3 year old! It would be nice to complete it for her as she settles into her new bedroom!

Linking One Monthly Goal with Elm Street Quilts.

My goal for May was to complete a UFO baby quilt top to be donated to an auction.

I did complete the quilt and delivered it before heading out on of town May 14th.

The quilt measures 40″ by 47 1/2″.

I attached the multi-color binding by machine.

Machine quilted with straight line quilting in the large orange zig-zag, spiral quilting in the squares, meandering with loops in the background.

I’m pleased.

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty of Elm Street Quilting.

Did you know that OMG has sponsors with a monthly drawing from those who complete their goal?  Last month I was one of the lucky winners for a free pattern from Violet Craft!

I selected the Barn Owl English Paper Piecing pattern, and Violet sent along a few other goodies! Thank you Patty for hosting OMG, and thank you Violet for the pattern and goodies! I’m putting this pattern on my to make in 2019. …   If I can wait that long!

Decisions, decisions. I’d like to have a quilt ready to donate to an auction coming up May 20th.

Having looked through my finished quilt tops, I’ve decided on a baby size quilt.

This one is Dr. Seuss themed.

I used two fun orange and yellow dot prints to create large zig-zag.

The back & back ground fabric has line drawings of Dr. Seuss characters.

My goal is to sandwich, baste, quilt, and bind all before May 20th.

Looking at my schedule, I really need to have this quilt completed by May 9th, because of other commitments for later this month.

I’m thinking some simple line quilting in the zig-zag and meandering in the background will work nicely.

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty of Elm Street Quilts.

My OMG, a baby quilt, is finished!

Recap – I bought a Tula Pink Spirit Animal Fat Eighth pack from Quilts Plus in Indianapolis, IN. And soft pink yardage for the background and back from Edwards Sewing Center in Fort Wayne, IN.

Before I cut into the fabric, I saw a wonderful heart quilt on Sarah’s blog Quilt Moderne. Seeing that quilt totally change my plans for this baby quilt! I asked Sarah for permission to copy the quilt, which she gave me, plus she shared some tips on how she assembled her quilt. Sarah mentioned the heart design was not original to her, she had copied it with permission from Rene Creates (blog link was not working when I wrote this post.)

I sketched out a drawing of my plans on graph paper, and calculated using 1  1/2″  finished squares and half square triangles for a quilt measuring 42″ x 51″.

I worked row by row following the measurements I had calculated in my graph paper drawing. I used a yellow highlighter to mark through each row on the graph paper as I completed the row. That helped to keep me on the current row. Plus if I ever want to make this quilt again, I can still read my design! Above I’m at the half way point! And I was so super happy with how the quilt top was coming together!

Happy dance! The completed top!

Close up of quilting. I did a simple grid with the walking foot attachment, stitching in the ditch and then 1/4″ to one side of the seams. More happy dancing! I love it!

Binding attached by machine. I attached the binding to the back of the quilt and then pressed it to the front and stitched along the edge of the binding which shows on the front of the quilt. On the back, stitching shows on the back fabric just a hair in from the binding. I like the look of this type of binding and it will hold up well to multiple washing.

Finished Quilt! Pieced on my 1951 Featherweight Sewing Machine, at my sewing club days, using Aurifil 50 wt thread. Quilted on my Janome 8900 using So Fine! Superior Thread.

I hope my nephew and his wife love it as much as I do for their baby girl!

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty of Elm Street Quilts.

Baby Quilt!

My goal for April will be to make a baby quilt start to finish.

I bought a Tula Pink Spirit Animal Fat Eighth pack from Quilts Plus in Indianapolis, IN. And soft pink yardage for the background and back from Edwards Sewing Center in Fort Wayne, IN.

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty over at Elm Street Quilts.

March goal met! Which was to finish the Chopsticks quilt top. I did that plus pieced the back!

I’m really liking this top now with the added oranges!

And what about this back!?

I’m sure you can tell that the center strip are the triangle pieces cut off the sides to square up the top. The light print and dark green print were both used in the top. The orange floral was just a perfect match to finish up the back, and was the end of a bolt – meaning sale! from the LQS. I usually don’t make symmetrical backs, but for some reason this one went in that direction. I’m planning to practice several different free-motion quilting motifs in the triangle blocks.

Linking to One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty of Elm Street Quilts

My goal for March will be to finish piecing the Chopsticks quilt top.

I might need one more row of blocks, 10 triangle blocks, so the quilt will fit a bunk bed.

Linking to Patty’s One Monthly Goal over at Elm Street Quilts. Hop over and join in!