Search This Blog

Friday, January 29, 2016

Check It Out

Recently  a "new to me" customer dropped off a few tops for me to quilt.

Exciting because these will be used/shown/ hung at a retreat house  

Two Chatelaine's Farm  New Glarus WI.

Late last night I completed the first of 4 tops:

An adorable wall hanging:    60.5x60.5

back - did not photograph with true color  the color is the same blue as on the front.

Now because I'm always interested in retreat locations - I'm going to deliver this top instead of having customer pick it up.

Road trip Sunday - anybody interested????   

My good friend Candy is coming along for the ride but have room for 2 more if interested.


Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Just Doing A Little Practice Quilting

On occasion I will use some "down" time to do some practice quilting.

This is a small wall hanging I made from scraps and ends of a larger bed quilt.

I love a tone on tone look and its a good chance to do some custom quilting.

Practice practice practice is needed to master some stitching.


Because I do free motion quilting I'm in need of many hours of practice.



back


Saturday, January 23, 2016

Not Your Average Baby Quilt

I had a request to make a baby quilt - one that the baby can grow into 

No problem, right?

Unless the fabric requested is totally not what you would think you would use for a baby boy.

But given the challenge I went to work, first ordering the fabric on line because this fabric you wont find in most quilt shops.

Waited a good week and the fabric arrived.  Oh  this wont do at all -  too stiff, in fact it felt like plastic - something that would not be very comforting for a baby, or even an adult for that matter.

Returned fabric and reordered again on line this time taking into consideration it has to be soft for a baby.

What is all the fuss - well here is the request by the customer - it has to be Orange Camouflage fabric.

Are you kidding me ?    Nope that's what he wants for his grandson.

OK if that's what you want.


I purchased Minky fabric.  If you aren't familiar with minky, its a very soft low loft furry fabric.

This fabric cant be cut into tiny pieces and re sewn as in a lot of piece quilts.  The best solution to cut squares and add flannel sashing.

Here is the quilt that came of all of this.  Mind you the pictures really don't do it justice.  Because, with all my doubts, it turned out quite cute and oh so very very soft.  I even used the minky for backing.

back

close up

front


I quilted using a very large meandering.


Minky is quite stretchy and I had to be careful not to pull or move the fabric too much to avoid puckers 


I have quilted with minky before and have learned to go very very slowly while quilting.

Although it is so simple squares and sashing it took a while to sew - I had to pin pin pin to keep squares from stretching.


50x60 will allow the little guy to have his blankie for a long time



Monday, January 18, 2016

One Down Many More To Go

Like a cobbler that never repairs his own shoes, so is a quilter doesn't always get her own quilts finished.

My Goal:  to quilt all of the quilts I have hanging in my closet starting with this one by end of 2016



The pattern is Reproduction Chain (not mine)

It was a good stash buster 95x100  It took 3 months to complete the piecing;  Only because I didn't stick with it on a daily basis.  It hung in my closet since April.

There are other quilts in that closet older and need attention, but at least its a start.

When I quilt my own I never know for sure what I'm going to do with them, this is where I tend to do some practice free motion quilting.  So this was a just for fun and lets see what happens.

Here is another project that took over a year to complete -  After seeing a demonstration of needle punch, I came up with a brain storm of an idea or was it a brain fart.  Not sure.


Needle punched center added fabric borders that I quilted.  Because I had looked at this piece for over a year I was quite bored with the look of it, so to spice it up, I added hot crystals for bling.

So now I have completed to UFOs as of January 2016

If I'm really good and don't make another quilt I might get the other 7 done.  But wait a minute that would mean not going to any sew days or retreats.   Well we know that's not going to happen - but maybe I can restrain myself and just make smaller wall hangings instead of bed size.  I seem to be collecting a lot of bed size lately.,

After all how many bed quilts do I need

And then there is the rag quilt I just finished for my everyday/winter quilt
'

Oh my goodness do I need an intervention.  Nah - my kids will have to deal with all of this when I'm gone.  Its going to be their problem not mine.

In the meantime I will more than likely continue making more and more quilts because I cant stop myself from seeing another quilt made by someone else, and "i just have to make that one" or coming up with a pattern of my own.

We wont mention how much fabric is in  my house waiting to be sewn into something.


Anybody wanna buy a quilt????





Tuesday, January 12, 2016

After Christmas Blah!!!!!!!!!!

3 hrs and I have all of Christmas stored away again for another year.

Now the house looks blah -  it takes about a month before I get over not seeing all the extra bling - red/greens and shiny things

On the upbeat at least the house is  clean.

Way below zero today - which means its stay home and get working on rag quilt.

All the blocks (hopefully all) are cut and getting ready to "sandwich" them.

BTW - had a great weekend what with play day with Study Group on Saturday and my annual Quilters Christmas party Sunday and The Packers Won - which totally surprised me.














We always enjoy the show and tell and the gift exchange

Well now all the holiday celebrations - settle in for a long boring winter. Yuck

We will have to find another reason for a party and sew days just to get through it all.

Hmm let me think on that!!



Saturday, January 9, 2016

Its Ok To Reveal Now

Been waiting to show you these -  I made
can you see the elephants in the stitching

baby quilts for my 3rd cousins (twins) born 12/21/16  had to mail to IL and now they are they its OK to show them to everybody else


And I quilted a great looking Badger Quilt for a customer.
This is a raffle quilt for Habitat Foe Humanity

clever pieced backimg

pantograph
Touchdown

Today it was a play day at Study Group.  Last week were emailed to make or bring a place mat along with other supplies - I just knew it wasn't going to remain a place mat  -

From place mat to a supplies carrier/bag



How clever is this - I love it - and wont they make great gifts

We had show and tell but I cant show you the pictures yet. not until I get permission (which I forgot to do) that it would be alright to show the pictures -- they might be gifts or secrets for now so shhhhh

A fun day with the girls - a great lunch - and good conversations.  It was a good day and tomorrow will be yet another fun day.

Its my annual quilters Christmas party.  So until then .......




Thursday, January 7, 2016

Another Fold N Stitch Wreath

Now that I know what I'm doing I made yet another wreath from the pattern Fold N Stitch wreath - skipping ahead to July (no fabrics for Valentines day lol otherwise I would be making one)

These can become  addictive if I'm not careful I will have a house full of wreaths

In the meantime finishing up customer quilts


Free Motion Stars and Loops

Now for the other news.......   recent annual check up has given me a wake up call.

Yes I'm overweight, I knew that!!!!!!!!!!   But I didn't know I am coming closer to become diabetic - so doctor has put me on strict orders and calorie regiment to get some of the weight off.

Grrrr I knew I had to get a grip on my overeating but now I have no choice.  Maybe that's a good thing.

So day 3 so far I'm keep to the 1200 or less calorie intake.   The only thing that has helped in the past and will help again is to keep a record all day everyday of the foods and calories I eat - when I hit 1200 I must stop for that day.

Next step - exercise - my really least favorite word.

No you wont see me joining a gym - I'm not a fan of working out along side skinny minny girls or for that fact anyone else grunting and wheezing along with me.

Instead I have an exercise dvd that is suppose to be more of a workout at my level and something I can do at home.

We will see!!!!!

Get out the fit bit - put it on and use each day -   I know how to lose weight the challenge is to DO IT!!

Hopefully I can give you a good report in a few weeks!


Saturday, January 2, 2016

Sew Day New Years Day

Yesterday it was a fun day of sewing and chowing down with some friends - a good sew day for all.

I managed to cut and sew a tree - not assembled yet

Finished sewing all the blocks for my rag quilt.

And started but didn't finish until this morning my Fold and Stitch Wreath -

Now I have to go shopping one day and get more large pearls to put the tree together - I used them for my wreath -  priorities you know.



Poor little tree hehehehehehehe -  hoping to work on the rag quilt this afternoon - but first I have to lay it out on the living room floor to put the blocks into rows

The sun in shining which always give me tons and tons of energy, I for see a lot of things getting done today