Five Shadows

The end of September is near and Fall has arrived. I’m so enjoying the cooler days. Especially as I work over at my daughter’s house helping with the remodeling.

What happened in my sewing world this past week?

To-Do Tuesday, September 20, 2022

1. Complete week 26 Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden and attach to quilt. ✔️
2. Continue on with  Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, prep week 27?  ✔️
3. Maybe finish borders to eagle panel quilt. ✔️
4. Helping out at daughter’s house!  ✔️

Weeks 1 – 26 attached to the quilt top. You can see the wreath taking shape now. I’m using 1/2″ hexagon papers.

2. Work on Week 27

Slow going on Week 27.

3.  Finish borders to eagle panel quilt.

Quilt is ready to be sandwiched and quilted.

4. Helping out at daughter’s house!

It’s a fix-er-upper! And if you know anything about that, it gets worse before it gets better.

Our daughter said the first thing she was going to do was rip up carpet in the bathrooms. Its rather odd that every room in the house has beautiful natural wood floors but some previous owner decided to carpet over linoleum in the two bathrooms. When our daughter pulled up the carpet in the main bath she found water damage around the toilet. She called Dad in for help. Further demo showed rotted wood along tub too. After removing four layers of linoleum found under the carpet, and pulling up rotted sub floor, FIVE floor joists also had water damage. One can not put a new floor on rotten floor joists. Do you see where this is going?

Simple ripping carpet out of the bathroom became a full gutting of the room. Why not rewire and update plumbing while replacing floor joists? And since everything down to studs and in-between studs has been ripped out – there was old lead piping still in the walls but not in use – why not rearrange the floor plan and purchase all new fixtures? Daughter has shopped for her new tub, toilet, double sink. But it will be a few weeks before they can be delivered and then installed. Which is fine since the whole bath – floor, walls, need to be rebuilt with new plumbing & wiring installed.

That’s it for this week.

To-Do Tuesday, September 27, 2022

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, week 27.
2. Work on back and maybe sandwich Eagle quilt.
3. ???

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

English Paper Piecing continues on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. This is my almost nightly routine. After clean up from supper, I gather the EPP supplies and stitch while watching TV, or a movie, listening to a book, or talking to Hubby if he is not busy on one of his hobbies. His hobbies are native plant gardening and building train models. Sometimes walks or bike rides are added in to the evening.

Here’s my To-Do list from last week -

To-Do Tuesday, August 16, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach week 21 to quilt. ✔️
2. EPP – continue week 22 ✔️
3. Wednesday – meeting with church friends to finish some heart pillows. ✔️
4. Friday – friend graciously allowing me to return to use her longarm and quilt the last two clothing quilts. ✔️
5. Maybe work on a PUP meaning Previously Unfinished Project! Isn’t that a cute acronym? Coined by a quilting friend. I’ve not heard anyone else use it. So I’ll give her credit. Hello Ruth! I like it better than UFO. ✔️

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 21 sewn and attached to the quilt but I forgot to take a photo of the growing quilt.

2. EPP

Week 22 – stitched and ready to attach.

Weeks 1 – 22. The rosettes are now showing they will be a ring of flowers!

3. Heart pillows

The tag says Blessings & Love, Made for you, Christ’s Community Church.

Here are just a few of the 24 heart pillows made to donate to Lutheran Hospital where they are given to patients who have had mastectomies. The heart shape pillow fits under the arm to add comfort while healing.

A few more hearts cut for pillows. This is an ongoing project ladies at CCC make through out the year.

4. Longarm quilting clothing quilts

A friend offered her longarm for me to use to quilt the 4 clothing quilts. Since I don’t know anything about using a longarm, other than what she taught me, here is the setup with quilting in progress. She only attaches the backing to the rollers, and lets the batting and top hang free. This worked well for these smaller size quilts, 54 x 60 inches. I’m not sure how it would work for a bed size. Any longarm quilters reading this? Your thoughts?

Quilted, bound, laundered.

Close up of one of the quilted shells. The quilts are ready to gift to the grieving family. Prayers lifted for them as they grieve the loss of their mother.

5. PUP - Previously Unfinished Project!

I worked on two PUPs yesterday. A few weeks ago I volunteered to do a simple quilting to finish tops that are made for two charities to which our CCC group donates. I used stitch 99 on my Janome for the diagonal quilting. Hopefully I get to the binding today.

To-Do Tuesday, August 23, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Week 23
2. More PUP charity quilts. I think I offered to quilt and bind 6 total this Summer.
3. Select a PUP from my own on going projects.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

Another week speeds on by! I’m still hoping to get caught up on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, pattern by Katja Marek. But, alas, I’m actually falling more behind. I started several weeks late waiting for supplies to arrive. The quilt along is on Week 33 and I’m just on Week 22. Oh well! I do enjoy my evenings of EPP even if it will take longer than a year to complete the quilt.

Here’s how my sewing and quilting week progressed -

To-Do Tuesday, August 9, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach week 20 to quilt. ✔️
2. EPP – start week 21 ✔️
3. Wednesday, meet with DIL to cut backing and batting for mug rugs. And maybe some heart shapes for pillows. ✔️
4. Meet with quilt friends Friday for a sewing day. Take EPP. With a full day to sew, I’m hoping to get to week 22 and maybe even 23 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden! ✔️
5. Stitch “Gene” on to bag. ✔️

Progress made this week -

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Weeks 1 – 20 all attached!

2. Week 21

Stitched and ready to attach to Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

3. Mug Rug kits all made and packed for a future sewing day.

My DIL and I cut batting, backing, half hexies, and used precut hexies for 43 kits for Mug Rugs. These will be sewn up later in the Fall by ladies at our church to gift to school teachers at Christmas.

We also cut out 39 pairs of hearts for pillows that will go to a local hospital. Some one has to sew these up and stuff will poly fill! Wink wink!

Update! DIL came over Monday and made great progress on sewing heart pillows together!

4. Sewing day with quilty friends. Apparently I get more handwork completed at home than while visiting with friends!

Some stitching did happen on Week 22 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. But I didn’t get to Week 23!

5.  Canvas Bag

“Gene” stitched up nicely on the canvas bag. My machine didn’t have any problems stitching through the heavy straps.

Other quilting that happened -

With two of the four clothing quilts for a grieving family actually quilted, I got busy with making flange bindings and got one quilt bound.

I made a flange binding using 1 1/2″ strips of orange for the binding, and 2″ strips for the flange.

Binding strips sewn together and pressed, ready to sew on to quilt.

Binding is sewn on to the back of the quilt and then flipped to the front. Machine stitch in the ditch between the flange and binding through all layers of binding and quilt. Photo above is showing part of the quilt top with simple meandering quilting with an occasional sea shell, and flange binding.

This photo is showing front of quilt with flange binding and the back where it looks like a regular binding. The ditch stitching between flange and binding shows up as straight line stitching on the back. I’m pleased with how the binding turned out. The flange is looking black in the photos, it is really a mottled dark blue fabric.

I just got word that one of the recipients of the clothing quilts is in town this week. Perfect timing to gift a finished quilt!

To-Do Tuesday, August 16, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach week 21 to quilt.
2. EPP – continue week 22
3. Wednesday – meeting with church friends to finish some heart pillows.
4. Friday – friend graciously allowing me to return to use her longarm and quilt the last two clothing quilts.
5. Maybe work on a PUP – Previously Unfinished Project! Isn’t that a cute acronym? Coined by a quilting friend. I’ve not heard anyone else use it. So I’ll give her credit. Hello Ruth! I like it better than UFO.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

Another week has flown by. It sure has been a hot and muggy one here in NE Indiana. I’m continuing with handwork in the evenings doing English Paper Piecing (EPP). Plus, that’s when I turn the AC down to try to get our bedroom on the second floor to cool off for the night.

Here’s what happened in my quilting world this past week -

To-Do Tuesday, August 2, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach week 19 to quilt. ✔️
2. EPP – start week 20 ✔️
3. Wednesday quilting day with friends, I’m taking the EPP project to work on, oh and cutting out “Gene” on friend’s accuquilt cutter since that didn’t happen last week. ✔️
4. Charity quilts, need sandwiched and being quilting. ✗
5. Meet up with friends to start quilting clothing quilts this Friday. ✔️

Week 19 attached to the growing quilt.

2. Week 20 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 20 all stitched and ready to attach to quilt.

3. ”Gene” cut on friend’s accuquilt cutter

“Gene” cut and fused in place. Next up,  stitch around the letters.

4.  Charity quilts, need sandwiched – didn’t happen.

5.  Quilting clothing quilts

Two of the four are quilted with large meandering and an occasional shell. These two are now waiting for binding.

I added in an unplanned project this week. I’ll be getting together with some gals from our church some time in the Fall to sew together 40 mug rugs to gift to school teachers. My DIL and I cut and kitted 40 some hexie mug rug kits.

I had three sets of Moda Honey Comb precuts, which are hexagon shapes, prefect for quick mug rugs. I’ll be looking through my stash for backing and I’m sure I have enough batting scraps for the mug rugs. Other gals from church will contribute too. Honestly, I’m just happy to be using up what I have on hand which helps clean out the sewing room! Anyone with me on that?!

To-Do Tuesday, August 9, 2022

1. EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach week 20 to quilt.
2. EPP – start week 21
3. Wednesday, meet with DIL to cut backing and batting for mug rugs. And maybe some heart shapes for pillows.
4. Meet with quilt friends Friday for a sewing day. Take EPP. With a full day to sew, I’m hoping to get to week 22 and maybe even 23 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden!
5. Stitch “Gene” on to bag.

Phew! I’m so happy to be able to say the 4 clothing quilts, tops and backs are all pieced together! It turned into a group effort with help from two friends! Read below and see photos of the quilts.

Last week’s list -

To-Do Tuesday, July 19, 2022

1. Finish Week 18 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, attach to quilt. ➞ Stitched, not completely attached to quilt.
2. Prep and stitch Week 19 ➞ prepped and stitching well underway.
3. Nephew’s t-shirt quilt ✔️t-shirts all prepped and cut to size.
4. Meeting with friend Friday to work on 4 clothing quilts for grieving family. ✔️ All four tops and backs are sewn together.

Week 19 under construction.

3. Nephew’s t-shirt quilt – lots of fusing, cutting & sewing to prep t-shirt has happened.

Layout and sewing rows up next.

4. Four clothing quilts

Tops are all sewn together. They all have the same fabric in the same layout for matching quilt tops.

Friday I met up with not just one friend, but two, and we got the backs all sewn together! I wanted to buy a wide back for the quilts, but that got vetoed, so piecing the backs became the plan. I’m just happy that the backs are completed and we can move on to quilting.

We did a heart and shell embroidery in the corner of the large pillow case pieced into the quilt top.

I’m so happy to have these 4 tops and backs ready for quilting. I have another friend who has volunteered the use of her long arm. I’m hoping to get over there soon to do an easy all over meandering for the quilting.

Other happenings in our lives -

This Saturday my husband’s Native Garden will be part of the Indiana Native Plant Society Garden Walk. Just recently he applied for and was approved as an official native garden spot.  He’s busy tidying up the garden for this weekend. We’ve had rain the past two weekends, forecast is looking good for Saturday!

Here’s my new list. Not much change lately from week to week.

To-Do Tuesday, July 26, 2022

1. EPP Grandmother’s Flower Garden, Week 19
2. Start sewing together the t-shirts, nephew’s quilt.
3. Meeting Wednesday with quilting friends. I’ll take along the EPP. Also, I plan on cutting out “Gene” on friend’s accuquilt cutter for an upcoming project.
4. If possible, start quilting the 4 clothing quilts.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

This week I played around with ideas for a t-shirt quilt I’ll be working on for my nephew. I’ve settled on a layout, and will share it as I work on the quilt. I didn’t progress as quickly as I’d like on Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. I missed a few evenings English Paper Piecing on it this week.

Here’s what I did do sewing wise this past week -

To-Do Tuesday, July 5, 2022

1. Finish week 17 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. And start attaching it to the growing quilt. ✔️
2. Time to get serious about prepping t-shirts for a quilt for my nephew. That was my June One Monthly Goal and it did not happen!  ✔️
3. Play with something – maybe a UFO – maybe the whole cloth table runner. ✗

Week 17 competed and attached to the ever growing quilt. On to prepping week 18!

2. T-shirt quilt

I took some time to measure the logos on the t-shirts to determine what sizes to cut. My nephew doesn’t want a traditional layout. After sketching out a few layouts, I think I have the one I’ll be using.  On to fusing and cutting.

The only other sewing I did this past week was hem a pair of capris.

Friday we took our grands on a steam engine train ride. The Historic 765.

Angola, IN.

My plans for this week -

To-Do Tuesday, July 12, 2022

1. Prep week 18 and start stitching EPP for Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.
2. Continue work on T-shirt quilt for my nephew.
3. Meeting with quilting friends – I’m taking along my EPP.  I’m 10 weeks behind on HTGFG and would love to catch up, but am beginning to wonder if that is at all possible!
4. Sandwich a charity quilt or two? A gal from church is making the tops and backs, and I volunteered to do quick machine quilting. I better get to them as she is faster than I am!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted  by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

Clothing being cut into squares and aprons.  It seems that is just about all I’m working on lately. I’m happy to report that the four clothing quilts are finally taking shape.

Before I share those, let’s see what else happened this past week.

To-Do Tuesday, June 21, 2022

1. Finish Week 16 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, and start Week 17. ✔️
2. Finish quilting and bind whole cloth table runner. ✗
3. Friday meeting with a friend to make headway on the 4 clothing quilts.  ✔️
4. Back to shirts to aprons from Dad’s shirts.  ✗

First off, I didn’t get as much accomplished as I would have liked because I came down with a bad headache last Tuesday night and it worked it’s way into a full fledged migraine. I really have no idea what brings them on. I’ve blessedly had so few this year, so this one took me by surprise.  After recovering from that, I did get busy.

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week one – sixteen all stitched together. Week 16 was all but finished so I did get it attached to the growing quilt.

Week Seventeen coming together.

2. Whole cloth table runner

I did some playing yesterday on the table runner. I decided I wanted to quilt in the background and am attempting a half inch grid. Slow going! Not perfect, ripping out did happen.

3.  Four clothing quilts

This is the big project that I want completed! Friday my friend and I met up to work on the four quilts for a grieving family. Their mother had passed and we were asked to make quilts from her clothes. One request from the family was for all the quilts to be identical. That meant cutting squares from all the clothing divisible by 4. Here is what we came up with after measuring and figuring out the largest squares we could use was 6 1/2″ cut, 6″ finished.

As is, the quilts will measure 54″ x 60″ which I think is fine for a memorial quilt. That is being debated as my friend wants to add a border using a sea shell print if one can be found. Another request from the family was for the back to have a sunset or sea shore panel on the back because the mother loved the beach and sea shells. I’m just thrilled to have the four quilts to this stage. Shopping has to happen for the back, and an embroidery is planned for the large rose print center.

4. Aprons

Working on them today! Photo next week.

And this week I plan -

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, work on week 17.
2. 4 clothing quilts – Friday meeting with another friend to add the embroidery.
3. Shirts to aprons from my Dad’s shirt for my grand nieces and nephews.
4. Maybe get back to the whole cloth table runner.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

True confession time.

Organizing and cleaning my sewing room has left me with a few surprises. Who can raise their hand in agreement with that?!

Here’s what I found.

- 18 quilt tops waiting for quilting. I thought I had 13!

- 12 projects started, all at various stages. Why do I do this?

- 6 projects planned with pattern, fabrics, misc parts neatly packed and waiting for my attention. I must stop going to quilt shows and quilt shops where I am tempted with all the new things!

- Numerous projects earmarked to make for charity. Also in various stages.

- Rulers that need patterns, and patterns that need rulers. I was able to pair some rulers to patterns for future projects. Ha ha! Like I need any future projects!

I’m kind of mad at myself for letting this happen. Tops not quilted, projects not completed. Now that I’ve seen just how much I have going on in my sewing room, it is time to get serious about completing  these quilts!

Will there be new projects to tempt me and add to my list? Most likely! But if I’m finishing some projects, I won’t feel too bad about starting something new. Oh! And those ‘new’ projects I already purchased? Those would be fun to get into! At least that is what I’m telling myself.

Did I do anything on my weekly To-Do list?

To-Do Tuesday, June 14, 2022

1. Work on Week 16 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.  ✔️
2. Sew aprons made from my dad’s shirts. ✔️
3. Work on nephew’s t-shirt quilt if there is any time left  ✗
4. Play! template quilt quilting  ✗

That’s all the stitching this week. Organizing takes time!

To-Do Tuesday, June 21, 2022

1. Finish Week 16 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, and start Week 17.
2. Finish quilting and bind whole cloth table runner.
3. Friday meeting with a friend to make headway on the 4 clothing quilts.
4. Back to shirts to aprons from Dad’s shirts.

Oh my goodness. I can’t get photos to load. I have no idea what is going on. So this post has only one photo and it is a repeat from my last post. I’ll be asking one of my kiddos for help.

No new photos aside, here is how my week has gone.

To-Do Tuesday, June 7, 2022

1. Attach Week 15 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden  ✔️
2. Prep Week 16 EPP ✔️
3. Buy a steam iron that gets hot hot hot! ✔️
4. Host my quilting group Friday the 10th and work on quilts for grieving family with one of my friends in the group. ✔️

How did I do this past week?

1. Week 15 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 15 all stitched and attached to the growing quilt. But no photo.

2. Prep Week 16 EPP- prepped and stitching up just fine – again no photo.

3. Buy a steam iron that gets hot hot hot! I settled on a Chi recommended by Cheree. The Target near me had two in stock. So I got over there and bought one Thursday so I could have it for fusing all the fusible wed to clothing and t-shirts on Friday. And guess what? No photos.

4. Host quilting group & work on 4 clothing quilts. We had a good time, everyone brings along their own projects to work on & a bag lunch. Hostess provides a treat. I made a vanilla cake and topped it with fresh strawberries and whipping cream.

My friend and I worked on cutting and fusing the rest of the clothing for 4 quilts for a grieving family. There are three sweaters I’d like to omit from the quilts. Maybe we will make pillows with them for the family. And again, no photos.

To-Do Tuesday, June 14, 2022

1. Work on Week 16 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.
2. Sew aprons made from my dad’s shirts.
3. Work on nephew’s t-shirt quilt if there is any time left
4. Play! template quilt quilting

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

Family vacation time! Last Friday, June 3 – Tuesday, 7th my family took vacation time to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park in Michigan. What a lovely time we had hiking, kayaking, touring, campfire s’mores and walking along Lake Michigan.

One of our many hikes. Four of my five adult offspring and their fams, my Hub is middle back row, I’m right front row.

Our Grands enjoyed every minute of their camping trip!

10 of us kayaking down Crystal River! Hubs and I have canoed many times, but this was our first time in kayaks. Fun! Loved the clear river!

One the way home, stopping at a gas station in Cadillac, I thought to search for a quilt shop. There was one 2 1/2 miles from our location! So off Hubs and I went to find Northern Hearth Quilting & Sewing Center!

Hubs took this photo to send to our family while I shopped. We all headed home at different times and days. The joke is Mom always has to find a quilt shop! And Ha ha! I did!

A few of the goodies I purchased. (on top of my hexie travel box)

What a wonderful vacation. Hubs says we should go back in the Fall to see all the maple leaves turning. I’m game for that!

Here’s my to-do list from last week -

To-Do Tuesday, May 31, 2022

1. Prep and piece week 15 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden  ✔️
2. Test out fusible I bought on a few t-shirts. ✔️
3. Photo Lesson 2 of The Next Steps Template Quilting, blocks & templates. ✔️

Here’s what I did accomplish this past week.

1. EPP

Week 15 stitched and ready to add to Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. I took several weeks of EPP to prep, but really did not work on hand stitching as much as I hoped. I ended up at the kids campfire each night. Then went back to my cabin to read before going to bed. Yes, the kids all camped – at walk-in tent only campsites. Hubs and I were about 2 miles away in an AirBnB cabin hosted by Twin Birch Resorts. We both loved the cabin and just might get up there again some Fall.

2. Test fusible.  I did this and it will work. BUT it is taking forever with my iron. It just does not get hot enough to melt the glue. I’m researching to buy an iron that gets hotter than the Panasonic Cordless that I own. It needs to be a steam iron that gets hot enough to melt the glue on fusible webbing and adheres to clothing and t-shirts.

Fellow Quilters, what brand steam iron do you recommend?

3. Photo Lesson 2 of The Next Steps Template Quilting

Block 1. Nine Patch using Spin-E-Flex template. It clear and hard to see on the block. Can you find it?

Block 2. Circles and straight lines.

Block 3. Whole-cloth with Spin-E-Flex. Here you can see the template.

Block 4. Using the outer edge of a circle template.

Here’s my to-do list for this week -

To-Do Tuesday, June 7, 2022

1. Attach Week 15 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden
2. Prep Week 16 EPP
3. Buy a steam iron that gets hot hot hot!
4. Host my quilting group Friday the 10th and work on quilts for grieving family with one of my friends in the group.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.