An old UFO finished!

What may have been the oldest UFO in my quilting room is now a real quilt!

I started this Baltimore Album quilt in a year long class with Mimi Dietrich back in 1992.  I lived in Baltimore so it seemed like the right thing to do!

Anyway, over the course of a year my fabric choices changed significantly and after my "real" quilt was finished I had almost a dozen blocks that didn't make the cut.  They traveled with me for many years.

Last year when I was packing to move I debated letting them go but instead they went to the top of the "to-do" list!  This is hand appliqued, hand and machine pieced, and hand quilted.

Goldie...my 18 year old quilt cat

In the sewing room...

So much is stressful right now...Korea...Virginia...my move...falling!  I know they aren't all equal but they are all keeping me awake at night!

So I am spending more time in my sewing room.

When Goldie, my 17 year old cat, gives me a bit of space.

small quilt I machine quilted...still have quite a learning curve but getting there!

I am making miles of binding...have 4 quilts to bind for our show in November and three wallhangings that need binding for the silent auction.  Wouldn't it be nice if they all just used the same fabric?!  Never works that way..

Just a few more feet of binding and the Picasso in Paris quilt will be ready for my sister.  This is a Bonnie Hunter pattern from her website.  I took her scrappy trip around the world blocks and put them on point.

I am really happy with the stripe I used for binding!

My biggest "finish" is my Baltimore Applique leftover top!  I started this 25 years ago...vintage before it is even quilted.  I was happy to find I had enough of the background fabric to piece a back for the quilt.  A friend is going to hand quilt this one for me.

So perhaps a few more quilts and a couple more days of limiting the number of  hours I listen to the news and I'll be back packing up the house again...until then I'm hiding in the quilt studio....

Back from the quilter!

Today two quilts came back from Patty Lennon, a local longarm quilter who is in my guild.

First is a quilt I am making for my sister.  I used Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trip Around the World pattern only I put it on point!

Changes it a bit.  I've made at least 4 of the regular so wanted to try something just a bit different!

Of course then I had a table-full of 2-1/2 inch strips from making my sister's quilt-top so I played with another Bonnie pattern...think this one is Carolina Chain?  (Can't get to my books right now...)

This is really a fun pattern and uses a lot of scraps!  Now I just need to make lots of binding!  Plus set up my old Bernina...that machine just powers through binding!

Which is helpful.  As I said I can't get to my books...mainly since the MS has crept up on me.  I went to the guild bee feeling a bit weak.  By the time I got home I could barely make it into the house.  Right now I am back to using a walker.  It happened that fast!  Hoping it turns around just as quickly!

Busy Weekend

Estate sales and quilting made for a busy weekend!

I was looking for a spinning wheel for my niece and saw a couple listed at a local estate sale.  In the end I didn't get either of them.  One was way too large and the other I wasn't sure was working properly.

I did get some fun little things for me...silver spoons with delft shoes on the bottom (yes, I have a thing for Delft...started with a tea set my cousin gave me when I was 5 years old!), a fun container for sewing stuff in my sewing room,

and a cute little children's handkerchief.

I have no idea how old it is but the colors are great!  So all that fun for less than $10!

Then I went to my guild's "Mystery at the Masters" quilting day.  Now I'm not usually a mystery person (except for Bonnie Hunter's mysteries!) but I thought it would be a fun day.

It was a full workshop with over 40 quilters in the room!  We used a mystery pattern from Debbie Caffrey called O sole Mio.  I got as far as step 9...pretty good.

Except by 3:00 in the afternoon I was fried!  I ended up spending Sunday frog-stitching (ripping out stitches) from the blocks in step 9 and am resewing today.  My left arm had gone numb and the seams from step 9 had gone all cattywampus leaving me with wobbly edges and about 1/4 inch difference!  Not acceptable!

As I press the redone blocks I also realized why I don't do 3 fabric quilts...I get fabric-bored.  Since it was a mystery and didn't have scrappy suggestions I went with the pattern.  I'm sure it will be a pretty quilt but I don't enjoy the process as much.

On the Watson front...still no fence!  We had heavy, heavy rain this morning so I doubt they will be working on it today.  He is doing a better job of accepting it though...lots of walks and treats seem to be helping!

On the cutting table...

I'm learning that typing with a broken baby finger is tough...heck a lot of things are tough!  (washing dished one handed...the worst!)

But I have a deadline to get the kits out to the guild members for our 2018 donation quilt so past couple of days I've been cutting fabric very slowly and carefully!

We are making Kaffe Fasset's Vases and Bowls.  Naively I thought working with a kit would make the process faster and easier then last year when I drafted a pattern and we picked out the fabrics ourselves.  I was wrong.

I have a pile of leftover fabric...which makes me nervous...sort of like when you put together flat-pack furniture and have extra screws and bits left over.  You wonder if the furniture will collapse the first time it is used!

The there are the fabrics that there is no-way you can get all the pieces required cut from it!  I made multiple templates and laid them out on the fabric...not going to work!  Went online and ordered another 1/2 yard.  That is also the challenge - the local quilt shops do not carry much if any Kaffee.  Closest is s 2 hour drive!

I am close to halfway with the kitting...now what to do with all these pretty bits of leftovers?!

Donation quilt top finished!

It has been a crazy month already here in Georgia....heat has been over 95 degree every day...had to have a procedure to take care of some aneurysms before I could have my gallbladder surgery...and we had to finish the guild donation quilt.

The first two are really not interesting (except for the fact they are cutting into my photography time...need to learn to like studio work more!)  The donation quilt however has really turned out nice!

My guild makes a quilt each year to raise money for Camp Rainbow, a medically supervised camp for children with cancer.  The inspiration for this year's design came from Indigo Quilts, by Kay and Lori Lee Triplett.  In their book they have a an antique "Irish Chain with flock of geese border."  (love this border but it isn't for the faint of heart!)

Since we have found that applique quilt tend to raise more money we added the applique.  I drew the 6 applique designs myself based on traditional motifs.  The fabrics include yellows to orange, dark indigo to powder blue, and a few browns and tans.  There are at least 100 different fabrics in this quilt!  Most of the fabric came from members's stash...we purchased the background and a couple of fatquarters of indigo.

So now it will go off to be quilted by another guild member...

(Just a note...this is in no way soliciting ticket sales for this quilt.  We offer tickets at an Art event, a Home Show, and at our Quilt Show.  They are also available from guild members sometime after November this year.)

More hand stitching...

Earlier this month I took a "conquer the curve" workshop with Pepper Cory.

my sleepy "fabric guard"...

So far I've finished one block.  I do however have the rest of the blocks all cut out.

finished block..string of pearls

These blocks are not for the faint of heart!  The five blocks are listing in order of difficulty so I hope by the time I stitch this strawberry block together I will not be quite so intimidated!

I did "cheat" a bit and put together the 4-inch star blocks by machine.  The blank spots have drunkards path blocks....those I'll sew by hand!

I chose fabrics to go with the southern folk paintings in my kitchen.  My eyes are doing well right now so I can "see" the red...

when I started piecing this zig-zag top my eyes couldn't see red so not a lot of red in it...either I'm going to pull the red and orange pieces or add more so they don't look so orphaned!

It is way too hot here to do much in the garden.  The daylillies are in full bloom.  The red one above was given to me by my friend Paula last year and is doing well in my front garden!

What is on the design wall...

In addition to going to workshops I have been trying to do some sewing and even a bit of "designing!"

My sister requested a quilt for her cabin up in Maine.  I started to make a Scrappy Trip Around the World from Bonnie Hunter's website.  I've made that pattern several times and I knew it would work up fast and use some of my overflow of 2-1/2 inch strips.

But of course midway I thought...why not put these blocks on point?  And maybe turn them different directions...oh no, then I have to piece the sides

ok, so I made a very simple project into a real pain!  But at least it is almost finished!  (btw...Goldie my cat is not making this process any easier...one block went missing and still has not been found!)  Thought for sure once I remade it the block would show up!

The other quilt I'm working on is just starting!  Each year my guild makes a quilt to raise money for a local camp for children with cancer, Camp Rainbow.  This year the quilt is based on an Irish Chain with flying geese borders in the Kate Triplett's Indigo Quilts book.  Of course it was only a photo so I had to draft a pattern (with Kate's permission.)

Then the committee thought it would be good to have applique in the open blocks...because my guild loves to applique.  So I drew some designs.  Now the blocks are starting to come in and it is sort of exciting to see them!  Saturday is the deadline for them...should have a photo of an "almost quilt top" then!

Workshop day two

Once again I tried my hand at free motion quilts...this time it may just work.

So why now?  Well, Amanda Murphy who taught the workshop did a great job.  She has a book out called Free-motion Quilting Idea Book published by Stash books.  I liked her process and she is a high energy instructor.  Amanda designed the fabric panel for Bernina that helps folks learn different fm designs.  Would definitely recommend her as an instructor!

Second is the stitch regular which is a bit like training wheels for free motion quilting!  Makes it just a bit easier for me to focus on the pattern and get usable results.  We used the 700 series machine in this class.

I have not bought a machine with stitch regulator yet...I'm going to give my current machine another go.  But now I know what the S.R. does and how the dual feed can make it easier for me to move the quilt through.  Anything that makes it easier on my arms is a bonus!

Have to admit I was exhausted at the end of the day...constant information and practice.  But tired in a good way...thankfully lots of coffee was available!

Also got to try out the Bernina sit down machine.  Really liked this.  I am definitely a move the quilt sort of quilter.

The long arms is impressive but it just isn't how I "think."  Also standing for long periods of times isn't in the cards for me.

Now I will continue to hand quilt...just need an option for quilts that need to be finished quicker beside "quilting by check!"  I did a recent inventory of quilt tops that I have waiting to be quilted...74!

More on Day three tomorrow!

On a side note...made and awesome birthday cake for a quilting friend!

This cake has two layers of carrot cake with the middle being cheese cake...then frosted with praline cream cheese frosting!  It takes decadent to a whole new level!  I found the recipe on the internet!

Bernina Quilt Seminar

I'm at the point of needing a new sewing machine soon...my Viking is doing a slow death.  I can't complain since I've used it so much I wore the feed-dog out!  Something my repair guy had never seen happen before!

The three day workshop gave me a chance to work with several different models...Day one was piecing and machine applique with Nancy Mahoney.  She is a very good instructor.

She has a nice book on paper-piecing coming out.  One of the samples is on the wall over my right shoulder!  I've come to like workshops where the kit is supplied.  It makes the instruction easier (everyone pick up the dark pink...) and it is much faster since I don't spend workshop time debating fabric choices.  It allows me to focus on the technique.  In general I am not a kit person so this is a big "turn-around" for me!

Also loved that I had a finished top by the end of the day.  Not a lot of workshops that happens in!  I'm going to quilt it up and give it to the little girl next door who is in her "pink" phase!

I'll post days 2 and 3 in my next blog posts.

I am trying to keep my garden under control this spring...the primrose has taken over a large part of the flower garden.  Adding them to the list of the plants for lazy gardeners!

Health wise it has been a tough spring...MS is cyclical for me.   I'm hoping to be on the up side right now but have to take it easy.