Wednesday, December 26, 2018

LOST CHRISTMAS AND ELF ON THE SHELF

While searching for some fabric to do a binding on my Crazy Christmas Trees I stumbled across another runner I started who knows when.  Since I am in the let's get some new Christmas runners finished up.  Yes, I know a bit late!!!  I figured I might as well pull it out and work on it.  Hey, by next Christmas I will have both runners done.  
As you can see it is pretty well along, some of the appliqués are sewn down, others need blanket stitching, and a number of berries and holly have fusing and are cut out ready to put down on it. 
So I started on the berries.  A great way to just do a couple a day and get this runner down.  
Best part of this is all the vines are hand appliquéd down already.  It is never too late.  
 Just to add a bit of humor to the holiday.  My second oldest daughter is a fifth grade teacher.  She is a tiny little thing 5"1' and maybe 105 pounds.  Every year she dresses up like the Elf on the Shelf and photos are taken and put up around the school to delight the children.  It has become a very popular activity at her school each year.  

Friday, December 21, 2018

CRAZY CHRISTMAS TREES CHAPTER TWO


A week ago I started making a table runner from the Crazy Christmas Trees pattern.  You can see Chapter One on my Featured Post.  Things ate going along nicely.  I did make one minor error when putting the trees together by failing to use different white prints on each side.  I set those pieces aside and re-cut trees to finish my first runner.  I will make the second one a bit later despite the minor error.
My first block cut and laid out.  They are wonky.
Once sewn together the wonkiness becomes even more evident.  Time to trim to size.  
My first block complete.  These are fun!
My first two blocks sewn together.  Hopefully next Friday I will have a finished runner.  Well, that might be hoping for a lot of time to sew.  Looks like this will be next years Christmas runner.  However, it is a really fun project to be working on at this time of year.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

FISH FOR NOAH

At least a couple years ago I made some fish placemats for myself.  Over the Thanksgiving holiday I had them on our everyday dining table when my grandson Noah (age 12) came over.  He is a big fish fan.  Over the last couple of years he has saved money and purchased a 55 gallon fish tank and a wonderful collection of tropical fish swimming around in it.  Needless to say he really liked those placemats and asked if I would make a set of them for his house.  Who can ignore that sort of request.
Well, fish number one all fused together.  I love this new appliqué mat I purchased in October at a quilt show.  Fusamat by Sharon Bradley.  You can lay it over your appliqué pattern and see through it to assist with placement of pieces.  
And a second one done and placed on the background.  I have finished all six appliqués, placed them on their backgrounds and I am ready to start quilting them.  Yes, every one of them is a different combination of fabric.  So fun!  I know he will love them.



Friday, December 14, 2018

A CHRISTMAS RUNNER CHAPTER ONE



I saw this Christmas runner pattern on line and it just grabbed me right up.  I had to have it.  So ordered the pattern, waited for it to come in the mail, read the direction, and discovered I needed a triangle ruler.  I am a tool hoarder; I have lots of triangle rulers.  But not the right one for this pattern of course.
Amazon.com is the place to go.  It arrived in just two days.  So time to start.
OK, four blue 10 inch squares and four green.  Oh, short two greens fabrics.  
Cut 8 white 11inch squares and use the sides of the triangle for the sides of the green and blue triangle.  
  And another block being trimmed.
So stay tuned for continued chapters.  Still have to buy 2 more green fat quarters and finish the rest of the Blocks A and Blocks B for a total of 8 and start putting these wonky trees together.  The blocks are slight different in their cut sizes.


   



Tuesday, December 11, 2018

TOPS, TOPS, TOPS, DONE

I have had a couple of really busy weeks this month.  Lots of success finishing up quilt top for my guild's charity program.  



They are all folded up and with bindings prepared to match and ready to sew on once the Warm Wrapping ladies get a back for them, batting and quilt them.  Yes I do have several more cut and ready to start sewing together, but taking a bit of a break for Christmas and helping my daughter paint several rooms in her new home.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

CHARITY QUILT MAKING

I decided to cut out another pattern for a charity quilt.  I have been going through old books and patterns searching out interest patterns that work with three or four fabrics only.  


This pattern worked out well, however it is a bit fussy when it comes to putting it together and getting seams pressed in the right direction to butt seams together is sometimes interesting.  



I do really like how the blocks come out.  It will be a slower sew than another I am working on, but it is pretty.  Those center cuts are 1.5 inch from the center seams of the block.  


And I have been able to get the two different fabrics I am using started and the beginning of a row.  Nice to see a sample of what the plan is going to look like.
Three of the five rows are finally complete.  I'm really happy with this quilt top so far.  

Friday, November 30, 2018

THE DONE DEAL

My quest to de-stash some of my fabric really went well this week.  I found a fast and easy pattern and it is really pretty made up.  So Block A with 13 of them went fast.   


I did mis-calculator on fabric and found I did not have enough of the green to do 12 Block B's.  I was not completely sure about the addition of this second fabric, but I had no choice in the matter.  


In the end the quilt came out just perfectly.  So much so that I am tempted to make another with this pattern.  The size is nice 50 by 50 inches.  


And I have a finished quilt top so I am going to link up with.


Tuesday, November 27, 2018

WILD HONEY AGAIN

I made this runner just a week or two ago in a different fabric.  I really like the pattern and I needed a gift for a friend that I worked with for a number of years before we both retired.  She and her husband are coming to dinner in a week or so and a gift needed done right away.  [You can see my first project done in this pattern on my Featured Post]   
I got the first block done and then realized I did not want to spend a ton of time quilting the runner in the same spiral that I did the first runner.
Blue painters tape makes wonderful straight line quilting runs.  I was reminded of this by a fellow blogger.  I usually use Frixon pens, but they do not show up well on the dark fabric I used for the centers of my blocks.  
The quilting went fast and really nice and straight.  
And the gift is done.  I love the gold block, so used that fabric for the binding.  Each blocks quilting was done in a color to match the outer fabrics.
  

Friday, November 23, 2018

FABRIC STASH REDUCTION

I have a LOT of fabric.  It is somewhat out of control.  Many of my fabrics are years and years old as well.  Not always what I want to sew with these days for myself.  I have decided I must do something to reduce them.  This is just the front view of two of my closet shelves.  There are 20 piles total on just these two shelves.  Time to do something.    

I belong to a quilt guild that has a charity program that gives over 200 quilts each year to various agencies.  I plan this coming year to make as many top out of this stash in-between doing some things for myself, family, or guild challenges.  Plus it will keep me busy on something that I do not have to keep.  I have enough quilts already for our personal use.  The nice thing is I do not have to quilt what I finish for the program.  All they require is a top and binding.  
So for the start of my first top.  I selected a pattern from Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison.  I only needed three fabrics, but it does look like I will use up all three completely to finish this 50 by 50 inch quilt.  I did discover one thing about this pattern.  I had to draw out my own individual blocks instructions to make the 10.5 unfinished block sizes.  There is not an exact pattern to make each block, and each one of them is different in their layout.  Graph paper really worked well.  I drew out 11 different layouts and that should set me up to make the 25 blocks I will need.  
Row one done.
And now two rows done as well.


Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Drunkard Path Block

I have been working on a project I saw on Stitched in Color some time ago.  These 4.5 inch Drunkard Path blocks were pretty time consuming.  Plus as they are scrappy it takes a ton of time crawling through one's sash to come up with the combinations.  
But finally this week I got it all laid out on our bed and it was ready to sew together.  Yes, four blocks sewn together to make an 8 inch completed block.  And there are seven blocks in a row and eight rows.  If you do the math that was 224 of the little buggers.  And no, I don't have any idea why I decided to do this, but I am really happy I did.  I love it.  
And here it is and it is off to the quilter.





Friday, November 16, 2018

THE ZOO QUILT

All three of my daughters and their friends are well beyond the baby years, but I still end up now and again making a baby quilt for one of my or their co-workers or one of my daughters suddenly needs a baby quilt for some one.  My supply has been depleted over the last couple years so it was time to make a couple and set them away for Just In Case situations.  
I purchased this fabric some time ago.  It is a Moda called  Savannah.  Along with the panels I bought the fat quarter brick of fabrics that go with them. 
I put together 15 of these 10.5 inch blocks.
And 10 of these blocks that were 8 by 10.5 inches.  Some of these blocks had two animals and others like this one three.  
They are just too cute.  
It didn't take long to get a good start on finishing the quilt top.  
And the top is finished.  It will go off to the quilter as soon as I get the back sewn together.  

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

QUILTING THE UFO

I started this project in February 2013, some things take a while to finish!  I am not sure why I set things aside for so long, but this week I decided it needed to be quilted and finished.  There was no particular reason for not quilting it, as I like it.  I just didn't!!!!

Not being a free motion quilter I went for straight lines.  I drew lines with my frixon pen, once sewn they just are gone with a hot iron.  
A here we are.  I did diagonal line quilting on it and I am pleased with the results.  And another UFO done.  

Friday, November 9, 2018

Wild Honey

My VBF Brooke a week or two ago showed the start of a project with a pattern called Wild Honey, a free pattern by Sharon Holland.
Now Brooke made it really easy for me, we had purchased the fabric together last year while I was out for my annual visit and quilt shopping sprees, so I didn't even have to figure out what fabrics to use. 
Quilting my own projects is a real challenge for me.  I don't free motion despite a 5 day class a couple years ago.  I know practice, practice, practice, but that isn't much fun.  So I used this circular quilting instead, and I think it works perfectly for this runner.  
Plus a little straight line quilting between the blocks. 

And the finished project.  I love that gold fabric!

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Is It Really to Late to Make This?

At the very last minuet I have decided to make a pumpkin table runner.  Hurry hurry did not work out well.  First pumpkin upside down.  Really!!!!  The good news was I was able to unstitch all the appliqué, which I did with a hem stitch and save the backing with a press and correct it  

The second block worked out from the beginning much better.  

And before I knew it four blocks done.  I think I will be making a 10 by 40 inch runner.  So if I hurry more carefully I think I can finished it.  
And things went much better at the end than they started and it is ready for the table.