WILLIAM MORRIS ENCHANTED GARDEN

With the bedspread project off to the quilters this past week I have been able to clear up the sewing room of that and also get all the 5" squares cut for the hospital project and the remaining donated fabric scraps boxed up and off to another gal that makes wheelchair lap quilts for Hospice.  I am still working on getting table runners done for my guild's upcoming January 2026 quilt show.  Sounds like it is a long way off, but time flies and we sold a good 400 of them at our last show.  I usually try to get 50 or 60 done for them.  I get plenty of donated fabric and I enjoy making them. But now it is time to get back to my own William Morris appliqué project.  

I am using this pattern for my William Morris fabric appliqué project but I have decided to modify the size and lay out of it a good deal.

I only plan on three rows and the center of the second row will have two of the small blocks used between large blocks above and below them.  The third row will be two more large blocks like the first row.  It should be around 38 by 42.  It is a fun project but I think I have somewhat lost interest in it for some reason.  But, who knows what will happen as I move forward on it.  

We have been working in our backyard garden this week.  We have one of our cactus plants flowering again.  It does this about every 6 months or so.  

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AVOCADO AND EGGPLANT CATS

I have spent most of last week finishing up my bedspread, shams, and deco pillows for our king size bed.  Sewing those last two sections of 100" by 40" together to finish the spread at 100" by 120" was grueling.  It is off to the quilters tomorrow.  

Last week I finished my Avocado Cat table topper and handed it off to my daughter, but realized I forgot the button eyes and whiskers on it.  She brought it back and I got them sewn on.  It looks so much better than last week's picture.

Avocado Cat turned out so cute I have decided to make Eggplant Cat.

I have all the fabric scraps pulled to put it together.  My daughter thought that it would be a great auction piece for Stanislaus Cat Network that she volunteers with.  They feed, trap, spa and neuter feral cats in local colonies in our area.

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AVOCADO CAT AND CHEMOTHERAPY QUILTS

 I have taken a couple days off this week from working on my bedspread project.  I had a couple things that I wanted to get finished up and also helping a friend with her charity project.

I finished Avocado Cat.  He still needs two black buttons on his eyes but other than that he is done. 

I did get the fronts of the pillow shams and decorative pillows done for the bedspread project.  Just 2 more rows and the spread will be done and I can get all off to the quilter.

 

I have been helping a friend with some cutting of 5" squares.  Liz hurt her arm and is unable to do much fabric cutting so I volunteered to help out. She received two huge bins of donated fabric.  She makes lap quilts for patients that are receiving cancer treatment at the hospital.  Hospitals are cold they need a quilt to snuggle in when they come for their daily or weekly chemotherapy sessions.  

Thus far I have a pretty good stack of them going for her.  But lots of fabric still waiting to get cut.  She says they are 36" by 60" when done and the blocks take 4 of each color.  So I stack them in fours of each color.  I believe she said she has 30 backs so just needs the 5" squares to start getting those 30 quilts together.

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THE KING SIZE PROJECT

 I spent this past week working on my bedspread project.  For the most part things are going well.  I did have one snag.  I found the perfect back for this project but somehow miscalculated the amount of 108" backing fabric I needed.  Yes I bought 3.5 yards instead of 4.5 yards.  Well, as most quilters I have a pretty good stash, so it is not too much of an issue.  Just pack it away for a future quilt's backing.  Must go back out now and hope I can still find that yards or something similar.

This is a picture of our old bedspread.  Ten inch squares with nine different fabrics. 

This is the pillow sham.

The new bedspread fabrics.  Ten different fabric selections based on the rugs on each side of the bed and also some metal artwork on two walls.  I have these four rows of 10" squares completed and an additional three as well.  I will need 12 rows.  The finished project will be 100" long by 120" wide.  

I have both the centers of the pillow shams pieced as well.  So thus far everything seems to be going very well.  I have over half way finished with the piecing of the bedspread.

I have my little helper laying on one of the rugs that I used as part of my color selections for the bedspread.  She is much more concerned about working on her suntan with the sun coming in from the bedroom sliding door than supervising the project.  

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TABLE RUNNERS AND BEDSPREADS

I spent a couple days this past week shopping for fabric for my newest project, making a king size bedspread.  Between JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby and my two local quilt shops I was surprised to fairly easily find the 10 fabrics needed and a back for it.  Now the chore of cutting out 120 10.5 inch squares at least for starters and eventually also working on the two pillow shams and a couple decorative pillows.  I ended the week with finishing up teaching binding to the last class of beginner quilters at one of the local quilt shops.

Cindy was so happy with her finished Christmas table runner.  It is always fun to see a new quilter finish their first project and be happy with it.

I am at it again.  My guild's next quilt show is scheduled for January 2026, just 15 months from now.  At our last quilt show our boutique sold over 400 table toppers and runners.  Guild members are responsible for making every one of them.  Now the guild does have a good amount of fabric donated to help out the cause but a good deal of it is provided personally by us as well.  Size is 13" by 28" and I like finishing my bindings by hand.  I will probably make some hexagon table toppers at a later date too.   

 

And the ten fabrics ready to begin my bedspread.  I took pictures of our area rugs on each side of our bed and the metal art work on the walls using the colors in those items and I think I have a pretty good construction plan.

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BORDER SUCCESS & WILLIAM MORRIS ENCHANTED GARDEN

 I have cleared out almost all of my charity to do list quilt tops this past week.  I am hoping to start doing some shopping of fabric in the coming week.  Our king size bedspread needs replacement.  However purchasing one is not working.  In an attempt to do away with a dust ruffle on the bed means the purchased ones are not large enough to cover the bed frame.  So I have measured and have a list of how many blocks I will need.  Not going fancy here, will let the fabric do the work, but right now shopping for 10 different fabrics and cutting 110 blocks at 11.5 inches with enough to make pillow shames and two accent pillows is on the menu this coming week.  Not looking forward to this at all.  

Yes, from last week's post I did finally make a decision on the borders of this charity quilt top.   I am pleased with the finish.

I also finished up the second one which I can turn in next month. 

I have block four of my William Morris Enchanted Garden project on its way to being completed.  It has been a good week.

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GETTING THE TO DO LIST DONE

 I decided this week to try to get a couple of charity quilts finished off and off my To DO LIST.  I usually do them out of fabric provided by my guild's charity group, however often have to supplement fabric from my stash. 

The quilt top thus far except for the black and white borders are donated fabric.  I have pulled the border fabric out of my stash.  Not sure I am thrilled with it.

The pattern calls for corner blocks.  I think I like that better, but still not sure I like the black and white stripe border.  May have to pop out and find a red border instead.  

The second Luck Cowgirl quilt top is finished and on Wednesday gets turned into the charity group.

The second wolf quilt top is also done and will along with the first wolf quilt top I finished last week go to the group.

I am thinking these look like a fun fall project.  

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WOLVES AND THE SHOPPING SPREE

I had a birthday this past week.  My oldest daughter always sends me a gift certificate for a quilt store.  I also have a generous allowance monthly to purchase fabric anytime I want, and rarely spend it.  I really do have a very large dedicated sewing room and way more fabric than I am likely to ever use.  However, I had a charity project I needed some fabric to complete and for some reason decided to just see if there was anything different to treat myself at the second shop.

The wolf fabric was a donated charity fabric given to me.  I fussy cut them in three 9-1/2" and eight 6-1/2" squares but I just didn't have anything in my stash that did them justice.  I purchased the green and brown fabrics.  It measures about 56" by 56".  I am really pleased with it, and may have a really hard time giving it up.  I have another pieces of the wolf fabric to make a second quilt and plan to do so.

At the second shop I ended up with this fabric, one yard cuts each, in a kit with a book.  I have no idea why I just could not pass it by.  It is not what would normally draw my interest.

 

The fabric with the book will likly look best if I use the pattern that is 3rd row down on the left, but the pattern just above it is the one I surely plan to make.  The fabric is way more than the pattern requires.  Hmmm, think I might keep the wolf quilts and give the group a quilt made from pattern and fabric out of this book to them instead.  Problem to find some little boys to give the wolf quilts to.  My grandsons are 21, 18 and 16, as well as all 6 feet tall plus a few inches plus each.  Quilts for them have to be in the 90 inch length.   Got to find some little boys.  

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LUCKY COWGIRL NUMBER TWO

This week I am determined to get the second Lucky Cowgirl quilt top done for my charity group.  A couple months ago I finish the first one and was asked to do a second.  Both of these quilts, once the group quilts them and finishes bindings, will go to local agencies as fund raising auction events.  My plan is to get this last one to them at the next meet up on the 18th of this month.  

The four horseshoe blocks are done.  There are two of each pattern.  The original quilt top I made had all four with the same fabrics.  The fabric provided this time required me to change up that plan.  I think I rather like this on better. 

The center block is my favorite.  I love the hat band and got a bit creative with the center star on it.

I have two of the four hats complete.

And I am ready to finish the last 2 hats now.  I have the accent stitching done.  Just need to pull the threads to the back and tie them off and fuse down the band.  Just the final appliqué stitching around the band and hat to go.   

The lattis around the nine blocks ready to join them and the border fabric.  The charity group will decided on a binding, there are several fabric choices for them to make.

The finished top will look pretty much like the pattern.


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MORNING FLIGHT AND ENCHANTED GARDEN

 This past week has me really going to town on my Morning Flight project.  Feels good in that area.  Personally feeling a bit down in not getting this boot off my fractured foot.  The six weeks were up, but while the X-ray showed good healing, the boot is on for another two weeks.  Bummer such is life!

Morning Flight is really coming along well.  Only three more blocks to finish.  All the backings are selected and ready to get the pieces on them.  

This is the pattern I selected to do with my William Morris fabric collection.  The pattern was designed to make in wool, so I have adjusted the directions for my fused pieces, and made some corrections with the placement and amounts of pieces in the blocks.  No butterflies or hearts either. 

Blocks 1, 2 and 3 are done.  Left side of the pattern going down.  I am also making the blocks a bit larger than the pattern calls for, 9 by 12 rather than the patterns 8 by 11.  I do not intend to put sashing between the blocks.  

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