PUMPKINS AND AUTUMN LEAVES

I was really busy this past week.  I joined several members of my charity group and we sorted and bagged up 325 quilts for six different local agencies in our area and deliver them.  My grandson brought me a pair of firemen's uniform pants to hem.  Good thing I love him as alternations and mending is definitely not a favorite thing I  care to do.  These were complicated in that they have a buckle and velcro strap that is used to chinch the leg around their boots so the end of the pant legs don't catch on fire.  These were too long, they wear them sorter than normal length and had to be hemmed up 4 inches, which required the buckle and strap to be removed and moved up.  Sewing through multiple layers of heavy fabric, taking off the buckle and strap and getting it back on in the right position was a bit scary.         

I finally finished my first Delft Blue block #1.  Compared to the pattern I have drastically limited the leaves and flowers.   Not sure where I plan to go with this project.  I have sort of fallen out of love with it.  Have to see where I do with it.

I did a bit of cutting table clean up this week. I happened onto this rotating storage container on Amazon.  It has replaced multiple containers that I used to stash little rulers, marking pens, glue and other small tools.  I can finally stop searching all over the table for small items, all in one place now.

I am back to working on week two's blocks of Autumn Nights.  I have one more to go and then can put the small quilt together.  These little guys are buggers.  Not fun at all!

  

I have gone a bit pumpkin crazy this past week.  These little guys are fun and will be making a few more of them for our guild's quilt show boutique coming up in January.  I might keep this bottom one for myself.  Working on one with black fabrics that I really like too.

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AUTUMN NIGHTS & DELFT BLUE

I have continued to work on my own projects this week.  It is normal for me to always have multiple project going, I tend to get bored so switch back and forth between them.

I finished Week 1 of my Autumn Nights Mystery Quilt Along this week.  These are fun and the Fat Quarter Shop offers the patterns free along with Youtube tutorials.

The points on these stars are fussy and small finishing at 1".  If one pins on the star fabric piece they often shift while sewing them on the drawn line.  I discovered that if you use a glue stick it holds so much better and you are going to trim off that underside anyway so it doesn't cause any sticky issues.

My second project I just  have just started, again is a free pattern and instructions at suzyssitcom.com.  The pattern is a monthly offering and there are several different appliqué patterns offered.

This is  block number 1, where I am so far.  I do not plan to add the cup and tea bag and probably not as many of the flowers either.  I have a good deal of experience doing appliqué projects.  My method is machine appliqué with a small buttonhole stitch with matching colors of thread.  Suzy's patterns are wonderful, but they are not beginner friendly to my way of thinking either.  Instructions and layouts are sometimes scant and a bit confusing at times.  But if you do enjoy appliqué by what ever method you prefer it is definitely worth taking advantage of them.

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ANTUMN NIGHTS MYSTERY QUILT ALONG

At last with just having finished off 2 more charity quilt tops I am finely getting on to some fun projects of my own.

Last week I stumbled on to this Fat Quarter Shop Autumn Nights Mystery Quilt Along.  The patterns come out once a week.  I was able to print off the first three, and purchase fabric for them and started it this past week.

I got the three pumpkin blocks done in no time at all and they were fun.  They measure 7.5" by 8.5".  I only ran into one problem.

You need to cut the fabric strips after joined with a 7.5" square ruler on the diagonal.  I don't have one, I have an 8.5, 9.5, 10.5,12.5 and a 16.5.  I tried using the 8.5" planning to cut down to 7.5", but that didn't work.  I am not going to run all over town looking for one.  So plan B was to make myself one.  A quick trip to the recycle can in our back yard, pull out a wine box that we had just tossed in there after restocking our wine refrigerator and I made myself one, thank you Trader Joe's.

This is the last baby quilt top I made for my charity group when they requested baby/children's quilts.

This quilt is also going to the charity group, however it originally was not planned for that purpose.  I have been working on these blocks as a wedding gift for a family member and was ment to be king size, 100 ten inch blocks.  I had 30 done when the couple decided to end their engagement.  So decided I wasn't going to have them sitting around for who knew how long.  No one in the family close to thinking or old enough to get married.  I had exactly the number of blocks needed for a 50" by 60" quilt top and was able to cut a binding and off to the charity group it goes.

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DE-STASH FAILURE

 I have spent the last 5 months or so working on charity quilts with my guild's Warm Wrappings program.  At least a good part of my motif has been an attempt to de-stash some of my old fabrics that have hung around in the bins and closet for years.  Frankly it has not been all that successful but well worth the try.  

I think this is number 17.  Most of these are left over William Morris fabrics.  My plan was to keep this one, but once I got down to the last row to finish have decided I am not that excited about it.  I am sort of done and have plans to do something else for a while in the sewing room.

De-stashing has really not worked very well.  This is the reason why.  I went on a bit of a shopping spree.

And a second shopping trip as well.  The Fat Quarter Shop is addictive, and my oldest daughter helped with a Mother's Day gift card from Connecting Threads that I have been saving, and another I just got from her for my birthday.  Now just have to dig up a pattern or two and get busy.     

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