Friday, June 29, 2018

Summer Shade


Well, the heat wave that has swept across the US has reached the NorEast for the next few days.  This is Moe's Summer Home.  An old apple crate that offers shade, a hiding spot, but has ample space to look up to check out the scene across the yard.

He didn't even move while I dragged tables and items to set up in the barn for prep for the big quilt sale.  Yep, the hottest days this weekend and we will be dragging boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes..........
And Moe will be in the box on the porch while Bella is hiding as she is freaked with all this moving.

Not much sewing is going to happen during this event as my tables are all in the barn and the machines packed away.  My hexies will have to keep me content.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon 

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Scrappy Wednesday


I had found this cute frog print when I was working thru the juvenile print tote.  I still am trying to manage all the greens, so a perfect fit to make some simple boxed squares.  I thru just a few red in there for fun.  Now to get this into a flimsy.  I think there is enough of the froggy print for a small border and I have good yardage left from an extra-wide for the back.  I think a scrappy green binding will tie it all together.


This lovely single block was in one of the gifted scrap baggies, so turning it into a little table topper.


A small piece of a border print was cut into wedges and turned into reverse blocks.  These will be small table toppers as well.  In my shelf reorganization I found this lovely Mary Koval print I think I picked up at our guild's de-stash meeting.  The light brown dot will work great for a back to whip up a nice table runner.


I'll scrounge thru the left over binding drawer and see if I have something for bindings; if not, to the FQ totes.  All these smaller projects are using up my scraps of batt as well - plus!

It's to be another warm, sunny day so I hope to get a walk or two in with the furkids.  Although they are day slugs; then hunt all night.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Visiting the Past

Val's Quilting Studio

I've enjoyed participating in VAL'S archive posts.  Visit her and she is much better at sharing her idea for this.  AND it is fun to go back thru your old posts to match up the week's theme.  I haven't always had something to share, but do love visiting those that do for some wonderful inspiration.

It's all in celebration of her #200 Archive Post and she plans to keep it going.  If this is something new to you, go check it out and consider joining in with all of us the next round of 'archives'.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Monday, June 25, 2018

Monday Making


Some reorganization going on and you can see one shelf unit is in fair condition while the other needs work.  Those plastic bags on top hold bolts of fuseables and need a better system - I hate plastic bags.


Plastic bags slip and slide and hide in corners.  I found these when sorting my whites to put in the large plastic lidded tote.  I made these a long time ago, but don't remember what for.  There is a plan now.


Patchwork rails and they will use up all the odd pieces and left overs of whites and w/w.


This is the JR Race made from the pile of odd browns.  It's a bit odd looking, but once bordered and quilted it will make a good donation quilt.

We had some much needed rain all weekend and it cooled things down.  I hope to get some walking in with the sun today.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Stitching With A Friend


I pulled this cute little red basin over-flowing with browns.  I dumped most, but someone thought this was a good place to take a nap while snoopervising work.  How he squeezed himself in there, I don't know.  AND how he never fell of the corner of the table, lucky!


See, some of that dump - left that large piece in the basin which made for Moe's nice bed.  A real odd mix of a few darks, mediums, and lights.  I need to use up as much of this as possible so I can then fit the left overs in a shoe box tote.


I cut miles of 2.5" strips in all different lengths per the scrap/piece and I am making a JR Race style quilt that will have a plain border and then a piano key border.  The basin looks full still because I didn't fold a thing because they will be recut and strip pieced for the piano key.

The large piece will go on the shelfing system.  That all needs organizing and arranging as I have gone thru roughly 20 yrds of fabric with quilt tops, backs, and gifted on in all this clearing out.


Why the clear out?  Well, for some changes here at VroomansQuilts.  My Mom at the age of 90, has decided to retire from her career of fiber arts and moving into Senior Living.  There is to be a 'Quilter's Sale' July 4th-8th here at Quilt Lane of her 40+yrs. of quilting.  Supplies, notions, lace and ribbon, cutting matts and rotaries, templates and rulers, thread, machines, and fabric galore.  Then there will be a household items sale in September.

So my down sizing is due to the event if I have to make a sudden move. I have no ownership or vested rights, so it is at the decision of the family.  This all comes on top of a booked vending schedule and a lot of Quilter's Hall of Fame events.  Just breath deep and keep focused.  As my Great Grandmother would tell me "just one more mountain to climb, so put on your boots".

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon


Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Scrappy Wednesday


Ha!  Even with the new camera I can take blurry pictures.  The plaid scraps are now a flimsy baby quilt.  AND no, I did  not use up all of the plaids (stripes, yes), wovens, and shirting.  It' s something that just needed taming and I'm sure will get added to over time.


Then another baggy was pulled from the shelf.  Flannel pieces to use up for another baby quilt.  Hmm, lots of bits from 'The Cow Jumped Over the Moon' - fun.  The pink with cute bears in it was not a flannel and popped off to another tote.


Just something really quick, patchwork with larger patches.  And used the last bits to make a pillow.  I have some quilter's flannel that should be enough for the back of the quilt and to envelope the pillow top. Those flannels are now gone!


I have some commission work (quilting) coming Thursday, so I have another day to play rather than try and squeeze another large quilt from the quilt que.  I don't buy juvenile prints, but I have been tucking pieces as they come in all those gifted bags.  I don't get a lot of them either, so this has taken a long time to fill a tote.  I actually see three quilts amongst all of this, but one more baby quilt will do for now.


A piece of a border fabric was in this goodness and I don't even remember receiving this.  Maybe something I might have even used back with a swap at one time?  If I can't remember, it has sat for too long.


Some coordinates in this line as well as some other school print fabric scraps.  Now to check size of bits and come up with a plan.  This should go quickly so maybe I can get all these baby quilts sandwiched and ready for quilting.

I totally have not made the last temperature rosette.  I have a record of all the temps for the week, but not one hexie was made.  I was focused on quilting and then I had the 'squirrel' moment of some scrap play.  It will get done, but the finished top - not until after the new commission work now.  SOmetimes the best laid plans..........

Take time to play,
Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Monday Making


After the long haul of getting some quilts quilted, I needed to play.  I dumped the tote of my CW small bits and strings to catch up on the Temecula Quilt Co Sampler.


Friday's post was to make 5 crazy quilt style blocks, but I used those bits to make these to add to that growing pile of 4.5" blocks.


As long as I had those bits out, I started the Kim Diehl 'Snowball Blossoms' mini - that print out has been hanging on the wall for a very long time.  This is a free Henry Glass pattern found HERE.  This is the center that needs some very tiny applique leaves and berries added before the rest of the pieced borders.  Maybe I will use up those bits from the tote?


After that bit of stitching, I took a walk in this lovely weather we are having.  This is our 100+ yr old rose bush in full bloom.  It's the only plant left from the original flower garden on this old farm.


And I am thrilled that the apple tree is full of little green orbs!  I think we might just get a bumper crop this year.


The two 'kids' followed me around, but they were more interested in the chipmonks running back and forth to the bird feeder on the side of the house.


Today I will play with these stripes, plaids, and shirting from that tote.  Just a random patch work baby quilt should use most of this up.


I've had this vintage piece of John Deere on the shelf for a couple of years - time to use it and it will be the backing for this patch work quilt.

Of course, I have bindings to work on now.  I'll work a length of thread and then chain some patches - rinse and repeat.  It's to be very hot and humid, so the AC may just run today while I stay indoors to play.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Friday, June 15, 2018

Scrap It


I've been missing due to some travel and some family issues.  I plan to catch up on blogs and hops tonight.  I miss a regular routine.  I have three weeks 'at home', but there are home things to take care of.  A little late for the temperature report, but this was last weeks (wed-tues) rosette.  We had a week of a slip back into cooler weather.

57 - 61 - 71 - 67 - 71 - 72 -74

One More Rosette To Go!


I put together the "Step Down" quilt.  I know, large blocks and a large quilt - what have I been thinking?  I may just piece all my oranges for the backing as I have to clear that tote more than this top did.

I'm in guilting mode right now as I can get to the machine.  Three minis done, two small wallhangings, and two large wallhangings have bit the dust so far.  Now I am moving into the big stuff.


And in my travels (lectures at various groups/guilds), my reputation precedes me as I have been greeted each time with various size bags of scraps that I have this huge pile to sort thru.  I'm afraid once I start looking and touching, I'll want to start playing.  FOCUS has to be on the quilting!  So I have to scrap the scraps for a little while.


Today is the Finale


Wednesday, June 13th

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Monday, June 11, 2018

Spring and Summer Flowers


What a better time to enjoy some fresh flowers and thank you CARLA for hosting this Blog Hop.  Spring brought Lilies, Lilacs, Crocus, Tulips, and Daffodils.  With the wake of Summer comes Pansies, Petunias, Roses, Glads, and all sorts of sweetness.


I used this as a sample for a class on how to make flip corners on squares and rectangles to creat many different blocks.  The flowers and leaves were examples of a single corner and what they could become.  The planter was an example of doing the same technique on rectangles and what wonders your could creat with them.  

Just some simple line quilting and pop of buttons and there is now a cute wallhanging to enjoy the Summer days with.


I have had this little EPP piece hanging on the wall since a class a few years ago and thought it was a good time to make it into a useable piece.  Some insulbright scrap and even a bit of leftover binding made for a pretty new hot pad on the table


This was another class piece for a dimensional bit of play and is on my TUTORIAL page.

Please be sure to visit the other ladies today:


Thank you for visiting,
Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Struggling with Focus


As you can see, my camera was getting worse with taking photos due to it's "frozen" state.  No ability to make anything in focus, but sometimes we go thru life a bit fuzzy - at least I do.  This is Sally Trude's free pattern you can find HERE on her tutorial page.  It reminds me I have all those cute piggies of her's that need to be a quilt.  The standing bunnies are on my to-do list as well.


I used the '30 Blocks in 30 Days' pattern by Carla @ Quilting in the Sticks to use up a fat 8th bundle of Cotton & Steel.  It's different, but take a look at some of the blocks and how the guest made a complete quilt with that one block for the day.  Some really super quick gift and charity quilts to be made. 

I had an enjoyable weekend with a visit with the grandies which gave the chance to gift them their covered journals.  Now I am on a quilting mode to gather my own focus.  I am working from the smallest piece up to the larger quilts.  That to-be-quilted pile built up rather fast and it needs taming.


Please be sure to visit, comment, and be inspired by Carla's new Hop:







Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Scrappy Wednesday


There are just two weeks and two rosettes left for the temperature quilt.  I am trying to get all my flowers stitched to backgrounds and into the last row so once that final rosette is done, so is the quilt top.  As you see a bit of the blue in the background block, yes we jumped from winter into summer.  BUT, we seem to be slipping into fall.  We are to be cooler for the next week or so.  

81 - 75 - 77 - 75 - 71 - 65 - 55


Today the plan is to get the strips sewn around those scrappy orange 10" squares for the Moda Bake Shop STEP DOWN quilt.  These will go quickly as they chain right thru the machine lickety split!


Then I'll work on getting at least one side of these blocks attached.  The strattas from that gifted scrap bag have all been cut to size - I just had to pull a couple of my strip strattas to get a few more for the number of blocks.  The nice thing about using a constant - Kona White - the strips were left over from another project and the corner HSTs I'll dig thru my HST tote and then use up more left over Kona scraps to make what I need.  Yes, it all gets saved and it all gets used.

AND the fuzzy photos are my cameras fault.  The dang thing froze during the library floral/quilt show and I finally got it to work by banging the heck out of it.  The lens is frozen out, but it doesn't adjust for brightness/sharpness/settings - but at least I can take photos!  This weekend will be a bit of shopping because my coffee maker is working quirky, too.  It does run in threes as my car has been in the shop for a few days (hoping it's back today).

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon  

Saturday, June 2, 2018

Attacking Scraps


This was an on-going project to use up my blacks.  Nothing easier than a stack quilt and most was done as a leader/ender.  It really sat for so long as I was debating on whether to use a color (which color?) for the sashing, but in the end I kept it to just white and I like it.  I'll us a scrappy black binding to tie it all together.


He thinks he is my next b/w project.  Moe just wanted to be near me all day and it didn't really matter what I pulled out on the table - he was on it.  Finally he crammed himself into my lites tote and napped most of the day away while at my elbow.


I received a new gifted bag of scraps and rather than stuff them away, I processed this down into three new projects to be worked on thru the Summer.  


One being Temecula Quilt Co - Summer Scraps.  I'm hoping this one will deplete all the scraps in the gifted bags yet to be gleened thru.  A lot of little blocks, a lot of little scraps, a lot of love - this is so my kind of quilt!


There were a lot of strattas in that bag that I pulled aside.  I managed to wrangle that lite from the tote before Moe settled in and cut twenty 6.5" squares.  The strattas will be cut into 1.5" strips to make some blocks that will make a debute later. 


Dawn @ SewYouQuilt2 has a challenge using a Moda Bake Shop pattern - 
Step Down.  I know, finish two flimsies and start four new projects - but it makes me happy.  The pattern is written for pre-cuts, but I hit the scraps.  The only tote of color I have (other than blue that I have enough blue quilts right now) that I could cut large squares was the orange.  Not my favorite color to use, but someone will love this quilt - and we do quilt for others.

Go stitch the weekend away,
Sewingly Yours,
Sharon