CHRISTMAS, FIRE TRUCKS, APPLIQUÉ AGAIN

This past week was super busy.  I taught a fall runner class at my local quilt shop.  Fun event and the ladies finished their runners all pinned and ready to quilt at home.  The remaining of the week I spent a good deal of time preparing to teach a Beginning Quilters class.  Managed to finally get it done and turned in and ready to schedule for four classes on Wednesdays in November.

This weekend I found myself with nothing in the sewing room I wanted to bother with.  On a whim I decided to make a Christmas table topper for Sarah the lady that cuts my hair.  Not as Christmas looking as I thought it would be, but really pretty fabric with lots of gold accents.  This piece went together in one afternoon, a wonderful quick pattern. 

My oldest grandson's fire engine quilt is quilted and bound.  It really does look like a fire engine too.  I was not too sure how this project would come out, as I only created it from a picture off the internet.

The back is perfect for it.  I ordered it from an Etsy site believing it would arrive within a week to ten days.  Within a few days I was notified that it was coming from the Ukraine.  Oh dear, that was worrisome, but it did arrive safely and with a very welcome surprise too.  I ordered 4 yards believing I would need to seam two pieces together for the quilt.  It came 62 inches wide so was able to quilt it with just one single pieces on the back.  The quilter thought the pattern she used looked like flames, I agree. 

My husband thought a pillow case should go with it when he saw this fabric in the quilt store with me.  

It is time to work on blocks Month 10 of my Garden Party Down Under BOM.  So I am back to appliqué again. 

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

 

CAMDEN STATION FINISH & POSY

All of a sudden it seems like all sorts of projects are being finished up. It may be time to check out all those storage boxes and containers under the cutting table and see what long ago forgotten UFO's are stashed there.  

Camden Station is finished.  I am very happy with it and just need to finish off the handwork on the hanger on its back and it is going up on the wall in our entry area.

Now there was just one issue.  Note the bottom row is missing on my piece.  I purchased this project as a kit.  Usually a kit involves way more fabric than really needed.  This time that was not the case.  I was out of several fabrics needed to complete the last 3 rows.  I did investigate shopping for more fabric without much success.  The very tiny prints in these fabrics were just not available at my local quilt shop.  Frankly at that point shopping on line for small bits and pieces of fabrics seemed way to labor intensive so I decided to stop where I was and call it a finished.  

The Hello Posy quilt top is finished and should be off to the quilter this coming week.  The pattern is from A Life With Quilts by Melanie Traylor.  I actually ordered the fabric from Melanie as well.  I have found the fabric bundles she sells are very different and Oh So Pretty.  Currently I have another bundle I just purchased from her and am thinking about another quilt out of the 5 featured in  her book.  The low volume background fabrics are all scrappy out of my own stash.  Another reason I am so fond of her patterns, she often features low volume backgrounds in her patterns and sells quarter yard bundle as well.  

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

SEPTEMBER BOM, FEATHERS & CAKE

 This past week has been a great relief.  Our previous week of temperatures at 110 to 115 degrees has cooled down to lovely high 80's and low 90's.  My ordeal with a dental root canal is over and the tooth seems to have calmed down and is behaving itself.   

I finished my September Garden Party Down Under BOM blocks this past week.  Only 2 more months to go.  

Curio came back from the quilters this past week.  I moved it up into a slot with another quilt to get it done as quickly as possible.  We decided on feathers for the quilting and it really is just lovely quilting.  Really like the 108" backing we selected for it too.  I ended up having to move my sewing machine out to the dining table to sew the binding on.  It is huge 78" by 90" so needed the extra space.  Going to take a bit to get the handwork done on the binding.  

We celebrated my birthday last Sunday.  My youngest daughter's sister-in-law makes the most beautiful cakes and they are just absolutely delicious too.  Received some very nice gifts as well.  Between my daughters and granddaughter I received a 18 by 24 inch wool pressing mat, $75 in JoAnn's gift certificates, and $75 gift certificate at my very favorite local quilting store and several other lovely gift. too.

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MID WEEK MAKERS    

CURIO OFF TO THE QUILTER AND IMPROV WITH ALEX ANDERSON

The early part of the week has been fairly productive.  I was able to finish the top of the Curio quilt.  It has been hot here, 108 last Monday, and 115 on Tuesday.  Wednesday and Thursday dropped down into 110 and 105 finally.  Best to stay in doors and sew.  Thursday was a bust, I spent the greater part of the day at the dentist having a root canal.  I do not recommend it, but given the fact that the tooth was becoming a problem it became a necessity.  Glad that is over and I can get back to better use of my time. 

Curio is finished and off to the quilter.  It is huge, 78 by 90.  It really is pretty and can hardly wait to see it quilted.  The pattern for quilting it is feathers of course.  

I have been watching Alex Anderson's new class on line on Improv.  Not something I have done much of before.  Decided to give the first lesson Sticks a try.  Keeping it small, just 18 by 18 inches.  A great way to use up some of my solids, I am not much of a fan of them.  However, it has come out pretty nicely. 

 

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MID WEEK MAKERS

CHARITY QUILT, BABY QUILT, & PICKLES

It has been a busy week trying to finish up some projects and get back this week to Month 9 of my Garden Party Down Under BOM.  Plus I have been working on getting the Curio quilt top completed as well in order to get it to the quilter and back no later than mid December, as it is a January birthday gift.

I got the 4 patch 9 patch blue and cream/tan charity quilt top finished and prepared a binding of blues for it completed.  While doing a much needed carpet shampoo in my sewing room I discovered a bin with all the block pieces cut and ready to go.  It was a good project to start and finish while the carpet dried.

I had to replace a baby quilt in my stash, as one of my daughters needed one for a baby shower she was attending.  Often I have had them long arm quilted, but decided to quilt this one myself.  A bit larger than I prefer to quilt things at 42 by 42 inches, but it was a breeze.  I certainly, in the future will do more of these small quilts myself.  

Last Sunday evening my two daughters, a daughter in law, and I attended a fun event at our local synagogue for Rosh Chodesh and canned pickles.  Just bring 6 mason jars and $10 and they provided everything else.  Such fun! 

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MID WEEK MAKERS 

FIRE ENGINES, CLEAN IT UP & DUCKS

Our oldest grandson Elijah recently passed his National EMT training certification and has been working as a volunteer fireman with a local area while he waits for entry into the Fire Academe.  He jokingly asked me to make him a fire engine quilt.  Yah sure, but I did stumble across a picture of one on the internet and was able to duplicate it.  I thought it was a bit of a young child's quilt theme, but once the top was done I thought it came out really pretty good.  His 20th birthday is in November, so it is off to the quilter this week once the back I order arrives.

This is the final finished top of The Flower Pot quilt.  It is off to the quilters now. 

The sewing room got a good cleaning this past few days.  The carpet in there was a mess.  Overspray from Best Press and the path from the ironing board to my cutting table was pretty bad as well.  So I emptied the entire room and we busted out the rug shampooer and husband got to it.  I didn't expect much, but was pleasantly surprised to find it cleaned up almost like a new carpet.

As long as I was doing some major cleaning in there I managed a bit of overhaul in the closet with my wire basket storage system of moving the bins that I don't use much to one side of the closet and the fabric bins I do use to the other.  Gives one a whole new feeling in there.

Once I had everything out of the sewing room and carpet is drying for half a day and overnight I figured I could set up my travel sewing machine in the dining room and at least accomplish something.  I stumbled on a bin of cut squares and the patten so was able to sew a couple rows of a quilt destined for my guild's charity group.  So all and all the two days of wet carpet and cleaning worked out fairly well.

We had birthday celebrations out at my daughter's last weekend and snapped a couple pictures of the six little ducks she purchased two weeks ago.  They have grown a good deal and have graduated to their own little yard.  

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MID WEEK MAKERS

   

CURIO AND PEACOCKS

This week has been especially busy High School Freshman Football games began on Thursday for our youngest grandson.  We try never to miss a home game.  Plus I made some good progress on a quilt top that is to be given as a gift in January.  I thought I had plenty of time, but by the time late October comes my long arm quilter is bound to be stacked up and weeks behind. 

A few weeks ago I did get this section done, it probably consists of about 1/5 of the finished top, minus the two borders. 

However, in looking at the pattern and directions I realized I had better get busy.  And the first thing was to somehow manage where each fabric color and print went.  

Part of the issue was after dealing with all the 36 different fabrics in the kit I realized I had to number the fabrics.  The pattern has a key as to placement of each fabric and trying to figure out matching the name of the fabric and the number in the layout meant I needed to do some organization. 

This second left lower section was so much easier to manage which fabric went where.  Once I do the three blocks that are placed between this section and the first one I will be half done with the top.  Then on to the right side.

Peacocks seem to be showing up everywhere.  As many of you know I have a daughter that lives on several acres out in the country.  She has numerous chickens, ducks, and yes peacocks.  This little lady showed up one morning and has insisted on staying.  My daughter already has 4 males and 2 females, that live in a large avery.  They have been trying to get her into it with the others without much success as of yet.  They are feeding her and she roosts at night in the trees and hangs out all day around the avery so it doesn't appear she plans on leaving.       

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS