Slow Sunday Stitching~March 2, 2014

While scrounging around in my fabric room, I came across 16 blocks of lavender candle wicking I did at least 30 years ago for my daughter. She was in Sigma Sigma Sigma at UVA and these are the colors...purple and white. Some of the muslin is spotted, but all in all they are in great shape. I have decided to finally make her quilt, and this one will be done all by hand. These are the things I have been working on for the last few days and today in particular. I switch back and forth from one to one. I wonder if others of you do this.

 This is the first one I put together.

 As of today  I have completed four.

My happy hand stitches.

When doing it by hand, where my seams meet always turn out so much better.

I am also basting the binding onto my son’s birthday Crazy Chicken Checkerboard quilt. I will stitch it and then whip it by hand.

 A group of us are making monthly table runners, and this is my outline stitching. 
This is so relaxing.

Here’s the way it should when completed. The fabric is green and beige tho’ the camera does not show it that way.

This post is linked with Slow Sunday Stitching over at Kathy’s Quilts.

Jack and Cuz Buster

Poor Jack...he did not know what to do with his frisky cousin that wanted to jump about and play all weekend. It is sort of like he is saying...”Please just leave me alone. You are barely one and I am 13.”

This post is linked with:

Camera Critters 

Saturday’s Critters

Crazy Chicken Checkerboard Quilt

Well, I got the quilt completely pieced and to Sandy yesterday afternoon for her to long arm quilt it. She called this afternoon to tell me it was done so here you have it. The quilting looks like a puzzle. T’is a shame I cannot go outside and hang it on the square foot garden fence, but it is just too darn long. The floor will have to do. The finished size is 64” X 74”, and all I have left to do is sew on the binding and WASH IT!!!  That’s the best part because then I get to see it all puff up and really look like a quilt. You will see I could not resist putting in one red bordered block. The next time you see it, it will be bound, washed, and ready to give to my wonky 43 year old son...Eloise’s daddy. What you wanna bet Eloise claims it??????? His birthday is the 18th of March. 

I had some blocks left over so am toying with the idea of adding them here and there to the backing. I used some of the chicken fabric to add width to the back so was thinking the 3 chickens might add a bit more whimsey.  Let me know what you think.

This post is linked with "Can I Get a Whoop Whoop" over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

More Slow Paper Piecing

I continue to work on my Vintage Block Quilt and am finally down to 6 left to do, and they seem to be the hardest. Partial seams plus paper piecing is a bit much for my to learn at 75. 

TILTED STAR

And here are pictures of what I am having to do to make sense out of all the angles in these last PP’ed blocks. I color the sections with colored pencils, pin them according to the pictures in the book, and then add scraps of the fabrics I think I want to use to try to make a final decision.

DOUBLE WINDMILL

 Back...this has to be the MOST confusing one for me of all the blocks...

This is the front of the paper.

EXPLODING STAR

GEOMETRIC STAR

The other remaining blocks are all cut and not paper pieced.

This post is linked with:

Paper Piecing Party at Quiet Play
Sponsored by Kristy

Blue Skies over Virginia

This post is linked with Skywatch Friday.

Two WIP’s This Week

I am sewing frantically trying to complete a quilt for my youngest son’s 43rd birthday. While at our quilting shop, I spotted the cutest fabric ever. Gene loves chickens as do Bud and I so I could not resist it. I have broken my New Year’s Resolution of not buying any new fabric...but it was for a very good cause.

I cut out 30 chickens in 4 1/2 inch squares and  used all different black and white prints to create an interior border. Then I sewed alternating black and white outside borders and one red one. I have done nothing but work on the blocks for 4 days. These are the thirty blocks.

Tonight I got rows one and two stitched and then was able to stitch the two together. It is sosososososo cute if I say so myself.

This is the backing fabric.

Now here comes the corker. Out little quilting shop is moving locations starting Sunday so I have to have the completed quilt top, the backing, and the batting to the store on Friday in order for my dear friend, Sandy, to long arm quilt it before they start moving everything out on Sunday. I only saw the chicken fabric on Friday while attending an embroidery class, so I have had to push to get to this point. Now, all the time I have left is  all day tomorrow to sew together 4 more rows of five blocks each and then sew the rows to the rest of the quilt...cut out and sew the panels for the backing...cut out the batting...and get it to Sandi on Friday. The final quilt will be 60 X 72...just the perfect size for Gene to snuggle under as he falls asleep on the sofa watching TV. 

 I have also finished piecing the baby pinwheel quilt with the scrappy border for my dermatologist’s new baby, and it has been quilted with the long arm. All I have left is to hand sew the binding.

This is the backing of the Pinwheel Quilt.

This post is linked with:

Work In Progress Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

My Weekend Quilting Projects

 Back in 2007 I made this child’s Pinwheel Quilt from a pattern I found on the Moda site (http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/03/pinwheel-baby-quilt.html) using the Snipets fabrics. Well, when I went to my precious dermatologist at UVA last week, I learned she was going to be moving to NYC and that she had had a little girl since I saw her last year. I knew immediately what I had to do. I remembered this quilt and decided to make one with smaller 6” pinwheel squares. I started on it this afternoon and have competed 4 squares...from the stash! I did have to run to my quilting shop to get some good off-white for triangles and strips, but I guess that’s still staying true to my resolution to stick to the stash except for needed backing, binding, and emergencies.  All my whites were prints, and they looked horrible.

Sorry my photos are so crummy. Terrible lighting in the house at this time of the day.

I am using all of my 30’s baby fabrics plus others I can find. Am still looking thru my buckets, but here are some I have pulled. Hope to get at least another 4 squares done tonight.

I posted this runner on Wednesday, but I have now made a small “heart” templet which I am going to hand quilt on the white strips. This is my Slow Sunday Stitching for the weekend. It’s the kind of handwork I love to do. It is so soothing and downright FUN!

 These are some of the felt and fabric stuffed hearts I’m making for friends again

 this year.

I am linking up with Sew Darn Crafty at Karen’s Sew Many Ways and Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy’s Quilts. Be sure to check them out. They are both filled with wonderful pieces and inspiration.

WIP ~ Valentine’s Day Runner

 Here are the 4 blocks before assembling the runner.

I AM NOT REALLY CRAZY. JUST WANTED TO SHARE THE NEW SNOW WE GOT LAST NIGHT.
WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE COLD TEMPS BUT NO SNOW!!!

 I have finished putting the runner together and hand quilting along the major seams and around the hearts. Only a bit of the embroidery is finished, but I will continue with it each day. I’ve button hole stitched the hearts and embroidered down the centers.

I backed the runner with the cutest tiny vintage gingham print from Cottonwood Quilt Shop in Charlottesville, VA. It is a Civil War red. I am not buying new fabric unless I need backing. Am sticking to my resolution to use up as much of my stash as I can this year.

It fits my table so well, BUT the hearts really should have been turned two to the left and two to the right like some a Christmas tree runner I saw online. That way they wouldn’t have ended up all facing in one side directions. Since this was my first, and I was making it up as I went, I'm happy with the outcome. It washed and the hand quilting puffed up perfectly.

This post is linked with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced. Just click on the “WIP Wednesday” and you will see how many fab things are under construction this week.