TABLE TRIVETS AND QUILTING WITH SELF THREADING NEEDLES

I am finally back to sewing for myself.  Bejeweled it off to the quilter and when done I will bind it and give it to my guild's charity group.  A happy ending to a very tedious and often panicking project.  My guild has a quilt show coming up in May so now I can concentrating on sewing for the boutique.  Easy projects that we sell during the show.  Our last quilt show brought in over $2,000 in sales of simple table runners, pot holders, and various other small handmade projects.  Total expense was $90, as the guild members made the projects with their own supplies.

My current project for the boutique are table trivets.  Bernina featured a pattern on their WeAllSew site of this very easy project.  I used a jelly roll and just some left over scraps which quickly became a total of 14 complete so far.  The pattern will be given out to others and we should have plenty to sell by May.

The bird blocks are bordered and I have started the quilting process.  I am still debating on whether to do a scolloped edge on the final black print border or not.  At this point getting the center quilted is my goal.

I am using a simple serpentine stitch for my quilting. Stopping and starting the quilting to not quilt over the appliqués makes this a bit of a slow process.  I prefer to knot and pull thread ends through into the batting.  I do not like the little knots that show on the back if one sews several very tiny stitches for knotting, so that slows the process down a good deal.

I recently discovered a very handy tools for my knotting process.  I have played around with large needles with large eyes, also self threading needles of various types.  All work well, but this needle I recently discovered is a real plus for sure.  It is super sharp and the loop is really large and there is no problem as it passes through the fabric and doesn't leave a large hole either.  It really is a winner for sure.  
  

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BEDJEWELED, BIRDS AND GEESE

 Summer has hit here full force.  Very warm here the low 100's and you do not want to go outside for sure.  So lots of time to sew in a cool house in the afternoons.  

I finished Bejewel this past week.  I have to say that it was often a nightmare putting it together.  I was sure several times over the weeks that those squares from various rows did not line up.  In the end they did but there were a few moments of panic.  It is huge 76" by 90" finished and a relief to be done with.  Off to the quilter, then returned to me to bind and my guild's charity group will provide it to some worthy local agent for a fundraiser auction.  

I also finished my four Gardenhurst blocks this past week.  I have selected the yellow/gold for the small inner border and the black and white print for a a larger curved border.  Love the Austrialian fabric I used along with a few other somewhat funky fabrics. 

Our youngest daughters little geese are growing up.  Several weeks ago I posted this picture of them when she first got them.

Still very cute as of this picture she sent a week or two ago.  I suspect they will grow into those feet.  Must get her to send me a picture of them that is a bit more current.  

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GARDENHURST BIRDS AND QUILTING FOR CHARITY

A really good week getting some some charity projects finished and another that I have been trying to start for several months.

I completed the first of four blocks on this new project.  

I purchased this pattern several month ago.  I do not intend at this time to make the entire quilt.  I want to do only the four bird blocks, adjusting the size to 12 inches squares.  Then I will do a small border and then the scalloped border on them.  I had a nice stash of Austrailian Aboriginal fabrics and added some additional ones that I thought looked good with them.  I may eventually do the entire pattern in my William Morris fabric collection.

  

My quilt guild has a program that currently makes about 300 quilts each year for different local agencies.  There are two ladies that run the program, but over the years the the project has taken off and the work load of making kits, quilting them, and doing bindings and the finishing has become pretty overwhelming.  Quilting seems to be the main difficulty, as many long arm quilters also have quilting businesses to run and are limited to how many they are willing to quilt for us.  I can manage small quilts up to about 40 by 45 on my domestic machine.  About 30 of us meet once a month and with the kits provided make the quilt tops.  Then group provides the top completed, batting, and prepared binding for the quilters.  So I offered to do any of the small quilts.  I am not a free motion quilter, but I do have a nice supply of pretty colored quilting threads and a serpentine stitches looks nice on them.  So over the last two days I managed to get the two done and just doing the hand work on the bindings now.  I'll pick up two or three more next month.

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PILLOWS, GIFTS, AND SHOPPING

As many of you know I have spent the last 3 weeks having eye surgery with multiple trips to the hospital and doctors visits.  Friday was my last doctor's visit.  Only followup needed at this point is in 8 months.  There was one unexpected bonus for a couple of people in all this besides me with much better vision than I had before all of this.

Both hospital visits included a pillow that was sent home with me.  The nurse said to take it home as otherwise they just throw them away.  OK, what do I do with these?  One of my daughter's has a friend that works with the homeless.  So I made pillowcases for them and they will be passed on to someone in need.

That same daughter has a friend that provides us with all sorts of fruit and vegetables out of her garden.  We have benefited with a freezer full of fruit for winter deserts and lot of really nice vegetables as well throughout the year.  I thought it was time to do something special as a thank you for her.  

It also gave me an opportunity to work on my quilting skills.  My free motion quilting skills are pretty much  non-existent, but I found that using invisible thread to do this meandering really works.  Small stitches and the invisible thread turned out to be a perfect solution. 

That pretty much wrapped up my week.  I am getting some sewing done, but have not been able to spend as much time as I normally did.  My eyes do tire a bit more than they did before, but it is just part of the healing process.  However, that didn't seem to keep me out of the quilt store.

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WILLIAM MORRIS AND A NEW QUILTER

 I have not managed to get much done this week.  On Wednesday I had my other eye surgery done so that hogs up two days and I find my eyes do get tired faster.  I did end up having to pickup just regular sun glasses from Target and readers 2.5 strength.  Now that is a surprise as my prior near vision glasses were in the high 5 or low 6 range, so the procedure was able to really improve not only the far vision 100% but over 50% on the near vision.  

If one cannot sew then shopping on line seemed like an interesting alternative.  My Favorite Quilt Store comes up on emails regularly and they advertised William Morris fabric fat quarters.  I love William Morris fabric and I just had to order it.  

Now I already have a wonderful appliqué book by Michele Hill which I have made one or two items from over the years, but discovered there was a second one by her, so I ordered it as well.  I have spent some time trying to decide which pattern in the new one to try next.

Well looks like I have plenty to work with as I also have two wire bins pretty full of William Morris and similar fabrics already so I should be able to manage something.  But let's face it more is always better.  

We have three daughters not one of them has shown much if any interesting in sewing and certainly not quilting.  My oldest daughter now in her mid 50's has formed a friendship with her husband's bosses' wife and yes the lady is a quilter.  Just recently daughter called and said she bought a sewing machine and decided she wants to learn to quilt.  So with a bit of help from her friend this is her first project.  Her friend did comment that she certainly is a bit OCD about measuring, cutting and sewing.  I have no idea where she could have possibly got that from when it comes to quilting.  But the blocks are perfectly nested and she is now trying to lay out the blocks in a way that pleases her.  

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