A NEW FALL RUNNER AND FUSIBLE TAPE

I took a break this past week working on Sweet Tweets and decided to make a table runner for one of my daughters.  I noticed she had a really old table runner on her kitchen table while at her home and decided she needed something new.   

On WeAllSew-Bernina this free pattern was offered and I thought a perfect runner for her during this fall season.  She also happens to have a couple cats so this fit the bill for her.  

I reduced the size by 2 pumpkins to fit her table.  However this pattern is a pain to make.  Lots and lots of tiny little magic corners  made with only .75 of an inch up to 1.75 inches squares and multiple pieces that could have been easily combined.  I suffered through it and in the end it is really cute.  Now that it is done I plan on doing some simplification of some of the pieces for future use.   

I recently ran out of my Steam-A-Seam Lite 1/4" fusible tape.  I use it to fuse my bias vines on appliqué projects.  I ended up finding this much improved tape.  My appliqués are primarily done by machine.  I often appliqué pieces down with a blanket stitch using poly, rayon or invisible thread.  However, when using a 1/4" wide bias for vines and stems I prefer not to have to appliqué them down, so I fuse them down.  This new product really works well and is a much easier to use.    

As you can see on this beginning of Sweet Tweet Block 3 there are lots of bias vines some really tiny.  I sure do not want to be trying to appliqué these down so the fusible 1/4" product is a real plus for me and believe me they are fused permanently. 

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PATRIOTIC TABLE TOPPERS AND BLOCK TWO

 Things are much quieter this week here at home.  Our oldest daughter headed back home after a wonderful week of sewing and quilting lessons with her finished projects and family gatherings.  I have been able to get back to my Sweet Tweets project and made great progress. 

I know I said I was done with making items for our upcoming May guild's quilt show, but a pile of patriotic fabrics on the free table at the October meeting was just too hard to resist.  Thank goodness there was only enough to make these three table toppers.  Now truly I am done, at least I hope so.  Right now if my count is right I have made around 55 or so items for them.  Enough is enough at least I hope so.  

Sweet Tweets Block 2 finished this weekend.  Moving on to Block 3.  

Our little Zoey relaxing in front of the window looking out into our back yard.  I suspect she is really on the lookout for the birds that stop by at the feeder and fountain for a bath.  She doesn't approve of them being in our back yard.  Given the chance she will race out and bark at them sending them off.  

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SWEET TWEETS BLOCK ONE AND THE QUILT FESTIVAL

This past week has been a busy one.  I have finished up all the table runners for the up coming quilt show boutique.  Turned all of them in to the lady in charge.  And finally can get back to doing something I really love.   

Block One of Sweet Tweets is done.  Just in time to have Block 5 arrive.  So I am still 4 behind.  Time to get moving on this project.  

I took Thursday off and joined lots of others on the bus provided by my local quilt store and we went to the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara.  I think there were 46 of us plus the service dog.

I did a bit of shopping while at the show.  The fabrics on the right are additions for making Sweet Tweets.  Those on the left are for making a piece for the Mistlin Gallery challenge coming up in April.  You are to make a piece that does not exceed 100" around the perimeter, with a theme from a book title.  My Sweet Tweet project has given me an idea for the book titled The Painted Bird.  So now to work on that idea for a bit over the next couple months,  

I did manage to snag a couple one yard pieces of fabric at a really great discount a well.  Then just some sewing machine needles a new product out that has a non stick surface when sewing with fusibles and some appliqué glue and thread.

And of course the quilts.  I took dozens of pictures.  I always seem to go for the appliqué quilts but the one of the snow leopard really caught my eye too.

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QUILTING LESSONS AND FAMILY REUNIONS

 I have spent the last 10 days with my oldest daughter.  She is a new quilter and with some use or loose vacation time came home to get some private lessons.  I think we did a great job on quilting, binding, and lots of shopping trips too.

She came with the lower runner grey and yellow runner pieced, got it quilted and the first of several lessons on bindings.   The purple/lavender table topper was a lesson in hexagon piecing.

She also arrived with the upper runner pieced and quilted, but also with Halloween fabric to make a friend's young son a table runner for his home.  Again lessons in quilting and especially binding.

She came with this quilt top completed for her husband, lessons in preparing it for quilting, quilting it, and binding it.

And our final project, she completed this quilt top and we quilting it.  Ready for her to head home and bind it.  We think she really did get a lot of projects completed.  Plus our shopping trips and a bit of a shopping in my stash of fabric and patterns to take home.

A trip home includes a family gathering with her two sisters and all the rest of the family 17 strong, even got the dog in with us.  We had a wonderful time even had time to take in a high school foot ball with one of the boys.  Great score too, they beat the other team 35 to 6.  

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NEW QUILTERS AND THEIR PROJECTS

Busy this past week.  Started out teaching two brand new quilters with their very first project.  A couple months ago these ladies came in with their brand new sewing machines and wanted a class on how to thread them, how to fill the bobbins and how do you make them sew.  REALLY!  I spent about 4 hours with them and they left with not only those skills but also they could sew a perfect quarter inch seam.  Next step these table runner.  They did a great job.  Now, next  step.  Setting up a two day class to quilt and bind them.   

My daughter arrived on Friday for a visit.  A new quilter with several projects ready for quilting and binding lessons.  

This is her very first project.  We will be quilting it this week and then binding it.

This was a second project and we spent yesterday teaching her to bind it.  She did a great job.

And this runner to bind as well.  She did a great job before she arrived doing the straight line quilting on it.  

We walked outside yesterday afternoon and this is what we saw right over the top of our house.  

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