THE FAST BABY QUILT

Over the last couple of days I decided I really needed to get a baby quilt top done and get it quilted if possible by the beginning of next week.  I found this quilt pattern online and with a bit of modification got it scaled down to a baby quilt size. 

The great part of this pattern was I only needed scraps of my children's fabrics.  None of my scraps in either the backgrounds or prints were bigger than a fat quarter or a forth of a yard of salvage to salvage fabrics. 

So the top is done.  All ready to get it on some batting and a back and do some straight line quilting.  

 Isn't this guy cute.  I ordered the pattern this week and hope to be making some of these soon.  

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SOME FINISHES AND A PEACOCK

It has been a busy week around here.  I am still recuperating from my guild's quilt show over the past weekend.  Still trying to get some quilt tops done this week.  I have a number of items cut out and ready to go just need to get them sewn together.  

I really like this particular quilt top.  

Another favorite of mine.  I am beginning to see a depleting of my stash of long held on to fabrics. 

And the last one for the last couple of weeks too.    

Just to spice things up. My daughter sent me this picture this past week.  She rescued this peacock.  Never a dull moment around here.  She lives out in the country on three acres, with husband, three boys, a rooster, several hens [I've lost count on them] a rabbit, a huge tortes, a bunch of box turtles, and now this guy.  She says she is looking for lady friends to keep him company.  
So I am off this morning to help paint one of the rooms in her house and take Noah his placemats.

Silly Mama Quilts

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Busy Hands Quilts

Design Wall Monday 

   

BUILDING A QUILT SHOW

I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this past weekend involved in helping put on my guilds every other year quilt show.  

On of our crew planning where everything is to go.  In the background you can see my 40 baskets ready for the raffle.  

The cubes are finally up, and ready to accept the quilts.

Lots and lots of quilts, just a few over 200 ready to start hanging.  

The vendors begin to arrive, this one and 35 more setting up.

My contribution, the red and black quilt.

And my February Challenge the flying geese and lavender strips.

And what's a quilt show without a little shopping.  I had very little time to actually shop.  I ran the basket raffle and also was the assistant to the treasurer doing bank deposits.  But, a quick minuet or two here and there and I managed a bit.  

Some fun Australian fabric.

Some great new Moda Grunge prints.

This wood print and the highlight of my purchases.  This flat screen light table.  Plugs in with a cord similar to an I Phone charger.
I had a great time, but I am ready to collapse into my chair for a day or so and try to get over the three days of 10 to 12 hours on my feet working on this show.  Definitely worth the effort.

To Do Tuesday

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Mid Week Makers

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MINI QUILTING

I know that I have mentioned many times that free motion quilting is just not something I have been able to wrap my brain around.   I have a Bernina 750 QE and it has a stitch regulator with it.  Still I have not been able to manage very well.  However,  mini quilting is something I find in many places I would like to do.  

Low and behold Bernina had a solution for me in a tutorial on one of their sites.  All the fancy stitches this machine has can be used to duplicate mini quilting.  

So I began to check out some of the suggested stitches.  I tried some out with different stitch lengths too.  

And what do you know.  This is the answer, at least for me.  I have made my self this collection of stitches and marked the stitch lengths that appealed to me most.  I even tried lining them up to see how they could cover an area.  There is more than one way to tackle my disability and it would seem that the Bernina company knows there must be at least one or two more like me.  Off to quilt now!

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A FINISH AND A START

I continue to plow away at my quest to de-stash some of my fabric. I actually am beginning to see one stack of fabric gone amongst the many in my fabric closet left to tackle.    

Over the weekend this quilt top is done, a binding prepared, and wrapped up to go to my guild's charity group.

And a new quilt started.  Not enough of this turquoise print so I did some more searching and found this blue.

So all five rows done and just time this week to sew them together and see if we can't find a new pattern and some fabric to make another.  

Off to sew some and get ready for my guild's quilt show this weekend. 

To Do Tuesday

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Mid Week Makers

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THIS AND THAT

I have just spent the last few days in-between working on my guild's quilt show responsibilities.  There are just a lot of items laying around in my quilt studio that need to be finished up or worked on a bit to get some things accomplished.  

I have nine rows of this charity quilt  done, just need to get them sewn together and their binding prepped to give to the charity unit of my guild.  

I realize on this second charity set of blocks I may not have enough fabric to get enough blocks to finish the top.  I do not what to buy any fabric, these projects are my desire to de-stash way too much fabric.  Some of these fabrics have been in the closet for 10, 15, or even 20 years.  Not so sure about this fabric addition to these blocks.  I might have to dig into the closet deeper.   

I made a quilt top out of these Dresden Plates.  I realized the quilt was way to long for the width so I pulled the last row off.  I will make this runner out of them.  I thought as I am considering quilting the quilt myself, I would try out my quilting idea on these first.  Ready to spray baste and give it a go.

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Busy Hands Quilts

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Design Wall Monday  

  

WISTERIA AND RAFFLE BASKETS

I have a habit of starting things, setting them aside and coming back to them sometimes years later.  I really do eventually finish things.

This is the beginning of my Wisteria Lane project.  I found the pattern in Skinny Quilts & Table Runners II by Eleanor Levie.  It doesn't look like much yet.  I started it some time ago, but at the time was not sure I was up to the ability to actually do it.  Since then I have at least found the confidence to proceed.  

I found some time to take down the Christmas wall hangings this past weekend.  While digging around in the closet for a replacement I ran across this bright and cheery quilt.  I made this a couple years ago for a guild Hot August Night Challenge which I titled Flying Geese.

But, this is what has been occupying my time the most this last week or two.  

Raffle Baskets for my guild's quilt show that takes place on the 19th and 20th of this month.  We filled my guest bedroom with donations from guild members and this past week got all 35 baskets put together, wrapped, and ready to go.  There are some really nice items in those baskets.  I might have to pop a raffle ticket in for one or two of them myself.  

To Do Tuesday

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APPLIQUEING AND QUILTING IT

Not a lot of really creative things going on here this past week.  I am in a mode to get some quilting done and finish up another two project also.  

I have been working on quilting my Crazy Christmas Trees runner. I really like metallic thread, but in the past I have had breakage problems with it.  While at a quilt show in October, the Superior Thread vendor booth gave me a free video on thread usage.  I took some time to watch the entire thing about an hour's worth.  So helpful!!!!!
The lesson on metallics thread was such a fantastic improvement dealing with them.  So simple too.  Use a metallic needle, well that makes sense.  But, the real clue was to reduce the upper tension on my machine to one.  Thats right all the way from the usual 4 or 5 down to 1.  No breakage!!!!!!

I am alternating gold and silver metallic threads.  I use a 50 wt thread with them in the bobbin that matches my backing.  Not one breakage problem.

I am also appliquéing the fish down on my Fish for Noah placemats.  A bit of a different appliqué method, but one I used when I originally made myself four placemats that have been washed many times and held up well.  Besides I think it gives the fish a little bit of drama to the appliqué.

So this guy is getting completed and ready to do the actual quilting on the placemat itself.

And the finished product.  This is one of six.  Each fish is done with  different fabrics in different places.  All background and binding will be the same. 

To Do Tuesday

Silly Mama Quilts

Mid Week Makers

Let's Be Social

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Busy Hands Quilts

Design Wall Monday