Five Shadows

This happened in my yard Saturday!

First, I have to say, we had three Monarch caterpillars in our garden this summer.  Here is one:

We watched them grow from tiny little things to the fat one you see here. I was hoping to watch them create their chrysalis and emerge as butterflies, but we never did find the chrysalises.

I learned that they do not build the chrysalis on the same plant they feed on. They can crawl up to 20 feet away to another plant where they will build the chrysalis. That was a bummer, as my husband has a large native garden and a cutting garden in our yard. We hunted for but never found a chrysalis.

So, I was very happy when this little lady landed in my hair Saturday while we were out in our yard!

Does she think I am a flower!? How sweet!

I transferred her to a Zinnia. She flittered to another.

I’m hoping to see the other 2 Monarch Butterflies soon too.

And in my quilting world, Tropical Snowball is a completed top with a pieced back, and binding cut!

Also, I finished FMQ a toddler quilt a friend of mine made for her grand daugther. Here’s a sample of what I did.

Meandering with outlining.

And more of the same.

It was a fun little quilt to practice on. I used a light pink Aurifil (Baby Pink 2423) in 50 weight for the top and bobbin thread. Thanks to Mr. Domestic who says Pale Pink is a lovely neutral. And now having tried a pink, I have to agree, pink does have a place as a nice neutral! The pink I had on hand is deeper in color than Pale Pink, but for this quilt, I think it worked great.

What are your favorite thread brands and neutral colors for quilting?

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

1. Tropical Snowball quilt – sew rows together for a completed top. ✔️ Done! and doing a happy dance!
2. Continue FMQ friend’s baby quilts. ✔️ Done and on to another.
3. Shop hop with quilting friend – I have a list, let’s hope I stick to it! ✔️ I didn’t find everything on my list, but I bought several quilt backs, a the start of a new project, bobbins for my Tiara III, thread, and a new Quilters Select Ruler.

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Continue cutting pieces for Chic country, maybe even some sewing.
2. Continue FMQ friend’s baby/toddler quilts.
3. Enjoy family visiting this weekend.

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

My goal for September was to complete the Tropical Snowball quilt top.

Whoot! Done!

I’m loving this quilt top! I do so like the secondary circles that show up in this quilt design.

Back is assembled, and binding cut. But it will all have to sit a while before quilting, as I have a few other tops to quilt first.

I’m linking to One Monthly Goal. Go take a look at all the other finished projects that happened this month!

Look at all these pretty curved pieced units for the Tropical Snowball Quilt I’m currently working on!

Aren’t they just lovely!? And so colorful!

Today I worked on the next step for the Tropical Snowball Quilt. Cutting out 72 background pieces from the white fabric, and 36 squares from the black fabric.

Once cut, sewn, and working on layout, here is what I’ve got -

Colorful curves! I sewed together one and a half rows after taking this photo. The photo is to help me keep the placement of blocks in order. I’m super pleased with how this quilt is coming together.

This past week I did a little free motion quilting on two quilts for a friend.

If it shows up in the photo, I outlined the animals, clowns and balloons in this circus quilt.

Above you can see a bit of what is going on in the borders.

My week has been full of color. How has your week been?

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

1. Tropical Snowball quilt! ✔️ Units all sewn together, and started on blocks.
2. Quilting friend’s baby quilts. ✔️ 2 quilts quilted for my friend.
3. Start prepping another planned quilt top. ✗ Didn’t get to this, but I did cut out the background for the Tropical Snowball!

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Tropical Snowball quilt – piece blocks, and hopefully rows.
2. More FMQ on friend’s baby quilts.
3. Grand daughter and her parents visiting this weekend! Grand daughter play time!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

For the August block in the Sit Down Free Motion Quilting Facebook Group, Jeanne introduced a block made with wrinkled fabric. Her method of manipulating the fabric would take a few days to complete. Being that I procrastinated, I used a product I had on hand called Texture Magic.

Texture Magic is a polyester fabric that shrinks with steam.  I stitched a random meander attaching the TM to the back of the cotton print I would be using in August’s block. Then using my steam iron, I shot the steam out onto the fabric while holding the hot iron about an inch above the fabric.

It is kind of fun to watch the fabric pucker up as the polyester shrinks. I think you can see the nice puckers and wrinkles in the piece above.

Jeanne then instructed us to use our sewing machine’s decorative stitching and stitch away on the wrinkly fabric. (Sorry, I didn’t think to take a picture of the fabrics with out the decorative stitching.)

Then triangles were cut and flying geese units sewn. I do love the texture and the decorative stitching combination. Something I would have never thought of doing. But now I’m thinking up other projects to use this technique.

Above is the finished block. I’m so glad I finally took the time to make this wrinkly textured block!

Below are some of the yellow blocks I stitched up for the Tropical Snowball quilt.

I do like how well these curved pieces are fitting together!

Tomorrow I’m hosting my Curvy Quilters group. I’ll be working on more of these units in other colors for the Tropical Snowball quilt.

What will you be working on this week?

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

1. Continue quilting on friend’s baby quilts. ✔️ One quilted, and second started.
2. Got to catch up on the Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM – August block. ✔️Finished!
3. Piecing – Tropical Snowball batik units. ✔️ Yellow units completed!
4. Start prepping another planned quilt top. ✗

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Tropical Snowball quilt!
2. Quilting friend’s baby quilts.
3. Start prepping another planned quilt top.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.

How many quilts or projects do you have planned?

Just a quick look around my sewing room, and I’m coming up with 5 in view. There are more stashed away in closets. Yet, often something else grabs my attention, or needs my attention, so what I thought I’d be working on gets replaced.

Lately this is bugging me. Why am I not getting to the quilts I really want to make? I bought the fabrics, patterns, and even rulers or templates needed to follow the patterns. Yet, I keep replacing my plans with others.

Giving this some thought, I have an idea that I hope will help. My plan is to go ahead and prep & cut the pieces for the planned quilts. Hopefully, having them ready for sewing, I’ll actually get to just that! Piecing the quilt tops!

Here is my first attempt in preparing a project for sewing. I bought this kit in 2015. This week I cut all the batik pieces for this Tropical Snowball quilt. I added many more batiks, purchased during a June Shop Hop, to enlarge it from 48″ square to 72″ square.

Hey look! A finished top, Facets! It is now on the ‘to quilt’ pile. This was my OMG for August.

My hubs has a native garden in our yard. Happily the Monarchs like the Butterfly Weed plant. We have spotted 3 Monarch caterpillars.

I hope we get to watch them form their chrysalis and emerge butterflies!

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

1. Start cutting pieces for next quilt top on my list- Tropical Snowball. ✔️ All the Batik pieces are cut.
2. Sandwich baby quilt and begin quilting – a friend’s quilt. ✔️ 2 quilts sandwiched, and one started quilting.
3. Catch up on Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM ✗

To-Do Tuesday List for this week:

1. Continue quilting on friend’s baby quilts.
2. Got to catch up on the Sit Down Free Motion Quilting BOM – August block.
3. Piecing – Tropical Snowball batik units.
4. Start prepping another planned quilt top.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday and Linky Tuesday.