Today I will play in all my CW scraps for the Temecula Quilt Co "Secret Santa" QAL. I made their "Countdown to Christmas" quilt years ago and still one of my favorites. The fabrics were listed and step one and two have come out, but you can still catch up if interested.
The 12 green 9-patch blocks worked up quickly and now I have a lot of strattas of red/lites to make so I can tackle those 68 little 9-patch blocks. These are made with 1 1/4" squares, so making them in strip sets makes it a lot easier. I'm throwing in a few pinks in the red mix for a little bit of fun - and to use them up. We are headed back into several days of heavy rains - crock pot ready for making meals and plenty of projects to work on - bring it. Sewingly Yours, Sharon
This is the antique quilt that I worked on - gorgeous! This is so big I had to borrow my Mom's banquet table to baste it out - set 3 x 4 blocks and I couldn't fit the top in. This has everything but the kitchen sink in it and I love it. Chintz and broque', silk and polys, cotton and feedsacks, wovens of all sorts and corduroy. canves and duck cloth, searsucker and old sheets, and shirting. It is all quilted - a simple cross hatch with an antique white thread top and bottom (backing is muslin). I hope to have a photo of the quilt finished once the owner gets the binding on.
After wrestling the 'elephant' thru my machine, I need a little destressor. My 1.5" barrel is stuffed as well as the mini barrel with the lites. Time for a postage stamp quilt.
Ten by ten squares for blocks that can later be assembled into rows. This will make a happy quilt. Another cold and rainy day expected, so a good day to play. Sewingly Yours, Sharon
I've had the new machine (and old, new machine) humming away in trying to not only tackle the 'pile', but to do some commission work as well. I did manage to finish up the mini CW piece inbetween quilting a few pieces for others.
My very sad pumpkin runner with patch work - the Charlie Brown Pumpkin Patch? But, it is finished.
I used a homespun on the back, I could always use that side instead. I don't do any decorating for the different holidays. Yes, the real bahh-humm'berger here.
The red/white boxed square quilt - finally got a bit of sunshine and no high winds to take a photo outside.
In one of the gifted bags of scraps was two very large pieces of this check and I was able to finess a back as well as enough to use for the binding. All used up and this quilt will be one of my guild donations. I didn't have permission to share commissions, but two quilts and two large wall hangings got done. Word is out that I will quilt those too wonky items that a long armer won't touch. Doing them on a home machine and some valuable tips and tricks learned, I can quilt them to make some people very happy. I have a very large antique quilt to do over the weekend. I think we caught all of the seams that needed repair (hand stitched as the piece is all hand made). I would have been happy to hand quilt it, but the owner wanted a machine stitched cross-hatch - so many miles of thread to go. The quilt will be passed on to a 6th generation of the original maker - just love that. We will be in the center of the Nor'Easter, very cold and rain/snow all weekend. Good time to quilt. Sewingly Yours, Sharon
I have been trying to use up these strips for a long time and I would really like this tote empty by the end of the year.
The start of a new miniature. 1.5" light squares with 1" x 1.5" color sashing and 1" corner stones. This is 10.5" square and now to add a border and get it quilted. This would be a very cool large quilt, but I am not that nuts! Mini pieces make for fun mini quilts.
There are more lights in this tote that are just bits. So I am going to make some of the small floating stars that Barbara showed for a swap. I've made them before and I know they work up quickly. I'm hoping to eat up these lights as well as some of my color bits from the barrel system. It's dropped into the 40's for the day and into the 30's at night - a huge jump, but wonderful for staying indoors with the crock pot making dinner while stitching the day away. Sewingly Yours, Sharon
I finished up the Sajou mini. I didn't like the final border that Lori revealed, but I liked how it was just at this stage. So I stayed at this finish and got it quickly quilted for a table topper. The binding fabric is the same as what I used on the back.
The guild BOM made in the mini form was finished up as well. The back is the maroon gum leaf print as well.
I quilted up a charity quilt as well, if it ever stops raining or blowing up a storm- I'll get an outdoor photo of that one to share. With three finishes I am treating myself to a day of play by dumping a baggy of scraps. I have to knuckle down over the weekend on a commission piece - so this pile better get some quick work.
I have been on a bit of a shopping spree. I took my SIL to the new shop 'Bloom' where I bought that fabulous 'Zentangle' panel. I wanted this - 'Thicket' by gingiber (zest for your nest) for Moda.
As well as her 'Catnip' - just LOVE!
Then I saw this panel on the wall - On The Farm - Andover Fabrics. I bought two so I could share with a quild member who has a mini farm. I'll have to pick up some bandana fabric for this. I picked up another 'no so halloween' print of bats and candleabras that I gave to another guild member - I gave it to her before I got to taking photos. She's a bat expert and travels the world studying them - always looking for bat fabric.
You have to look closely, but that little print is sheep. How stinkin' cute - my 'just have to have because' pieces. Scored the last of her Zen Chick 'background', the "Catnip" jelly roll, and I have wanted to play with Kaffe Fassett for a long time - a collection design bundle that is soon to get cut into.
Then this came in the mail from Connecting Threads. My thread order (and then they had the sale - on now) and 10 yards of Osnaburg Muslin for a special project this winter. Now I have to save my pennies (thanks to Val's Piggy Bank Challenge) for a LGS sale in February for a stock up on extra wide backing. I think my hibernation this winter is actually going to be pretty busy playing with all these goodies. Sewingly Yours, Sharon
One of the ornament kits from the guild meeting was for these cute Scandinavian Stars. Steff used this tutorial to base her share with us. The original tute uses 3 1/4" by 12" strips, but Steff redrafted them with 2.5" by 10.5" strips to use up left over Jelly Roll strips and scrap bindings. We all have those - I do. I'll make up the kitted star and then dig for those random JR strips and hit the string tote for some goodies. I am playing with scrappy no-sew stars today. Heck, I may even get out the Christmas fabric tote that I have been avoiding and pull some seasonal prints. Sewingly Yours, Sharon
Monday I busied myself with quilt guild stuff. We are having a block of the month this year and the first block was a 'mosaic' offered in five different sizes so members can chose what is their taste. Of course I made the smallest size - nine blocks to go into a mini. BUT I am, also, planning to make the 12" size as well - it will make a good sampler quilt for donation. We had an ornament making, tutorial, demonstration guild meeting with lots of handouts and kits. I'll takle those kits once the mini is done. I'll donate the ornaments to one of the local events.
Saturday we had our first snow - SNOW!!! It was raining, but cold enough that occassionally it switched to those drat white things. Not enough to gather or make for a pretty 'first snow' picture - BUT SNOW - on Oct 13th, really? Sewingly Yours, Sharon
This is so true!! I did get a couple of pieces quilted, so I guess that makes me feel less guilty. And I am waiting on a thread order so I can get to the next pile of quilting. I just enjoy something new, something challenging, something creative.
This is a miniature mystery with Lori @ Humble Quilts. "Sajou" Part One can be found HERE and Part Two can be found HERE.
This is one of the many of Carole's Autumn Jubilee offerings during this month. I don't have a lot of Orange in my stash (it photo'ed rather pink), but enough for a couple of the pumpkins for Step One found HERE. I'm thinking just a table runner, although she offers different sizes/options.
My little project for the up-coming Pick A Pumpkin Hop is ready for sandwiching up and quilting. I just might find another quilt to go under the machine as well this weekend. Or maybe I'll pull a hand quilting piece as we are to drop into the 40's and a nice warm quilt in the lap sounds pretty good. My heart and prayers are with those in Florida, Sewingly Yours, Sharon
If you would like to see my Mom's students' quilt show at the Schoharie Library, our guild Historian has done a lovely post HERE. The banners were made by the guild and presented the day of the Tea.
Steff, our Historian, also did up a nice presentation of the Catskill Mountain Quilt Show the day we hung the exhibit. You can see that HERE.
In that scrap bag I found this strip of Fall fabrics - a cut off from a project? I got the seam ripper out and seperated those and have a little project planned to use them up. I, also, pulled the 'Harvest House' pattern and plan to make a couple of minis from different sections. I really love this pattern and maybe some day I will actually make the whole thing as is. BUT, it is fun to use bits of a pattern and make good use of some of those smaller scrap baggies of goodies. ** And the found little elder pup has been returned to it's owner. My daughter and I both put out a facebook blip and within hours we got word. The newly opened Senior Complex - a new tenant. I wasn't aware that they allow pets, so now if we come across another lost cuddle we will check with them. ** A good Day to Play, Sewingly Yours, Sharon
I wish to thank so many of you who e-mailed me to see if everything was fine here after my little stay away and then the awful story of the tragic accident in our community went across the news. I am safe, my family is safe, friends are safe. But my heart and prayers go out to the families who lost a loved one.
I was taking the weekend to try and work thru that pile on the quilt rack. I changed up the 'Beginnings' quilt a bit to make it my own. This needs some borders, but for now it will wait. I hate borders.
I did get the borders on the Kim Diehl miniature. This has been hand basted and waiting for hand quilting. I want to use black floss, but need to pick some up - a bit of a road trip is planned.
My Mom's two runners got their binding on - I did go with the plaid.
The two Bow Tie little runners got quilted and bound - again, using up another plaid.
The plaid/shirting quilt got a good pressing and a backing pieced - another large piece of plaid. This will be my Monday Making project. I had 6 more quilt tops in that pile on the rack. They were pressed (again) and put on hangers with backings; hung were I can see them and finish them. I am waiting on a thread order and then they are going under the needle. And Moe is loving that he has his 'bed' back - he was not the Princes and the Pea sort of sleeper.
And another little heart ache. My daughter came out for a visit, some quiet time from the kids and work on some school papers. We went out for dinner and when we came back, we found this little guy trying to make his way thru the tall pasture grass in front of the house (I thought is was trash thrown into the field - again). He is blind and possibly deaf, an aged little fellow who was very scared and lost. We really think he was tossed as how would such a dog could find his way in the country side or our field. Since I was afraid my cats would harm him, my daughter is going to foster him while we search for a 'possible' owner. If none is found, they will give him a loving home into his twighlight years.
Hold your loved ones tight, Sewingly Yours, Sharon
I did a simple quilting on these table runners my Mom had made many years ago as teaching samples. I used a red-check flannel on both backs.
Now time to decide if I want that red check for the binding or hunt for something else. My problem being these are old fabrics with such different 'hue' than anything that I have on hand.
I'd like to finish getting all the borders attached to this piece so the hand quilting can be worked on for Slow Sunday Stitching. Yes, border! I have all the scrappy ones made and the plain ones are cut - it's just doing it.
Then it will be a play date with scraps from the gifted bag filled with wonders. I have wanted to work on the 'Beginnings' QAL project for some time, but I wanted to finish up a few things in 'that pile'. So with the runners quilted and (keep kicking myself) the borders done - I can allow myself to start working on this one.
This is from my Mom's B'Day Tea at the library. She was presented a citation from the Legislation by our Assemblyman as well as a service award from the Cooperative Extension for her years of work with the 4-H program and a certificate for service from the local ambulance squad as one of their founder members. In the photo is our Asemblyman, Chris Tague, Mom, my eldest brother John, and her sister Lois (the aunt whom I do the quilting for). The quilt is my Mom's T-shirt quilt. I don't have a photo of the two gals that came dressed in the T-Rex costumes - so my Mom wouldn't be the only dinasour at the party. Sewingly Yours, Sharon
The weekend was filled with quilts. I attended a Crazy Quilting lecture and trunk show by friend and guild member, Betty Pillsbury. It was presented at the Dr. Best House which was the perfect backdrop for this event.
Then the 'gang' that has taken quilting lessons from my Mom put on a quilt show of their works that she assisted them with. A special Birthday Tea was held celebrating her 90th birthday. This is one of Mom's quilts that has photos of several of her past pieces. This was held at the Schoharie Library.
Today is the last big trip of the year. The Catskill Mountain Quilters Hall of Fame Fall meeting. The program following the business meeting will be an old fashion Bed Turning hosted by the Board of Directors. I have 10 antique quilts loaded and ready to travel. This should be a treat! Maybe I'll get to sew when I get home, Sewingly Yours, Sharon
