Saturday Sampler applique

The pieces are fused down and ready to begin the hand blanket-stitching to hold them. This will join the other floral applique blocks and the pieced blocks in my Saturday Sampler quilt. 

The basic color scheme of this one is red and aqua, but the applique blocks have a touch of green and gold too. The heart shaped sections were supposed to be 2 layers, but I decided to make them using just the red stripe with no small heart on top. So I cut the center out of them. 

I think we'll get the final block in January. 

An Old UFO

This is one of my oldest UFOs.  This top has been hanging in my closet for about 5 years, but the pieced blocks are actually from a 2003 Saturday Sampler.  That is 13 years!

And I know exactly why this became a 13 year old UFO - it is flannel, and I really don't enjoy sewing on flannel. It stretches, it creates a ton of fuzz, and it's heavy.  In this case I made it twin size wide but extra long. 

A couple of days ago I did some cleaning in my sewing room and found 3 yards of a black flannel with tiny pink flowers and green leaves. Digging further revealed 3 yards of a forest green flannel. The 2 seemed to be coordinating colors but come from different manufacturers. Did I purchase these for backing? I have no idea. But those 6 yards were just enough to make a pieced backing for this quilt. 

This will go to be quilted sometime in the next few days, and I'm hoping this will be the first finish of 2016.

Allietare clues 4 and 5

Today I am working to catch up with clue 4 and starting clue 5 for the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. 

I am amazed at how many people post pictures to the group showing they are completely up-to-date. And others are just starting. 

All I know is that there are a zillion pieces so far. So it is stretching my skills and my attention span. 

Busy, busy, busy

This whole crew just left our house a few minutes ago and it is sure quiet. 

Mason, Olivia, Jonah, Jack, Sophia - all under 5 years old. You can imagine the noise level for the last 3 days at our house. What a blessing!

Merry Christmas

From our house to yours - blessings of the season. 

More small mistakes

The small version of my Saturday Sampler block is done now too. And I had a mistake in this one too. But this time I did take it apart and fixed it after I took this picture.  The blue section on the bottom center was turned the wrong way. GRRR - I was so close to having this one conquered! 

Oops!

My mistake is obvious - now. But I didn't notice it until the block was sewn, pressed, and laying alongside the big version. Oops!

The big block is Winter Star from the Farm Girl Vintage book. The little block is what happens when the "slanted" sections are sewn together wrong. I should have matched the sides with the lower part of the slant, but did it just opposite. And it's interesting how that creates a whole new block.

The result is still pretty nice and I'm NOT going to take it apart to fix it. These may - or may not - even end up in the same quilt, so it really doesn't matter in the long run. 

Saturday Sampler block 11

This is block 11 for our Saturday Sampler and it is a fun block. I am getting very bored with HST, but am loving the looks of the blocks as I've finished them. The small version is partially done and just as cute.

Design Wall Monday - Allietare clue 4

All 720 little pieces are cut and organized for clue 4 of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt Allietare. 

No wonder it took me so long to cut these - 720 little individual pieces!  When I took this photo I had 3 of the sets of 4 blocks completed, 26 sets ready to sew, and 1 set of 4 under the needle. I did finish that set, so now I have 4 sets done and 26 left. I'm guessing these won't all be sewn together when the next clue comes out next week. But that's OK because I refuse to stress over keeping up with this one. There is no rush. 

Check out the other design walls at http://www.patchworktimes.com .

Stash report

Last week I forgot to do a stash report, so this one will cover 2 weeks.  Last week I bought fabric for Olivia's apron, plus some fat quarters for the stash. Nothing was added this week. Olivia's apron used up a touch more than 1 yard, and the new pillow shams used up another 4. So a bit of positive progress was made on the stash.

• In this week:  3 yds
• In this year:  223 yds
• Out this week:  5 yds
• Out this year 198 yds

Status of the Stash:  Stash is still winning by 25 yards. Not bad, and I really thought it would be worse because I know that I buy a lot of fabric every year. The really good thing about this number is that I had at least this much FREE fabric this year from The Pin Cushion because my generous husband gave me a BIG gift certificate for Christmas last year.   

Ironically I've done quite a bit of sewing on the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt in the past month, and have used a significant amount of the fabric so far in the 4 weekly clues. I just have a good start on clue #4 so far and that one will involve 120 small blocks (approx. 4") with 6 pieces in each. But I can't count any of it until at least the top is done.

Pillow shams

These pillow shams are from about a dozen years ago in Thimbleberries Club. I didn't have a plan for them until recently so they just hung in the closet . . . waiting.

I had them quilted this fall and today I finally added envelope backs to both of them. So they are ready to be wrapped up as a Christmas gift.  They are about 18 x 22" and counting the fabric for the backs, and for the inside of the quilted fronts I'll be adding 4 yards to my used stash. And checking off another UFO.  

Olivia's apron

It's done! I just sewed on the buttons and tried out the 2 mini spatulas in the pocket.  This is going to be wrapped up for Christmas along with some "play" kitchen items to add to her little play kitchen. Or she can wear it when she helps mom in the real kitchen. I'm kind of liking the paisley.

 

To Do list

Many of the state's school districts have a snow day today, but I'm not so lucky.  I'll be headed to a nearby school for the afternoon. So, my "to do" list will have to wait until I get home.  I'm going to make granddaughter Olivia an apron for one of her Christmas presents. 

This pattern is so easy and has 3 different sizes for kids to adults. I've made several of them. Plus it's a great way to showcase some beautiful fabrics.

Design Wall Monday

What a fun weekend. I had a couple of "quilty" events on Saturday followed by my husband's company Christmas party. And we had friends (we hadn't seen in a couple of years) who stayed at our house on Saturday night.  The best man at our wedding 39 years ago is joining my husband's company and so he and his wife came for the party and stayed to visit. It was so good to see them again and catch up.

I finally fit in a little sewing time Sunday afternoon after our friends left for home.  I made another Farm Wife block.  These cute little 6" blocks are all named after women and are from the 1930's Farmer's Wife book. Not sure how many I'll actually make, but I have been enjoying the stories and the blocks from this book. 

Then I worked on Clue 3 of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt Allietare.  I've cut all of the pieces for all 3 clues. Clue 1 is done (294 HST).  I have sewn half of the Clue 2 sections (40/80 "santa hats") and have sewn 1/4 of the Clue 3 sections (30/120 four-patches). Actually for Clue 3 I have all of the two-patches sewn and ready for become four-patches. And 30 of the four-patches are done, so I guess I'm more than 1/4 of the way through those.

Check out what others are working on this week at Patchwork Times' Design Wall Monday.

Just a little progress on clue 2

I'm trying to do the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt called Allietare. A new clue will be posted every Friday until we are done, but I'm realistic enough to know that I'll not be keeping up with every clue. But I'm going to do my best. Find her mystery quilt info here, including the fabric requirements and first 2 clues. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/allietare-mystery.html

I did get clue 1 done last week (295 HST) and clue 2 has been started. This week we are making 20 sets of 4 little sections (4.5" square). I have 5 sets of 4 made. The pieces are all cut and ready to sew for the other 15 sets.  And I have the additional 2" squares cut for clue 2 out of black and the green. The only color we haven't touched yet is the gold.

I'm linking up to Freemotion By the River's Linky Tuesday. Go check out what other quilters are working on today.

A family Sunday

My youngest grandson, Jack, was baptized this morning and I'm so glad that I was able to be there. 

Laura and Jamie were spending the weekend in Sioux Falls and had contacted their former church to see if they could get Jack baptized. They haven't found a church in Rapid City yet so they were delighted that this worked out.  Jamie's mom and grandmother came too, even though it was about a 3 hour drive for them. But my husband couldn't be here because he is away on business.  

Can't wait for the weekend after Christmas when we'll all be together again for a couple of days. These kids grow much too fast.

Busy week and weekend.

This has been a crazy busy week with not too much to report on the quilting front. And not much time this weekend either.  It is that time of year isn't it? And I've decided not to stress over what I don't have time to do - and just enjoy the things I do have time for.

But on the positive side, the contractor finished our porch yesterday. The new railings and square posts really make the front of the house look finished. That porch was just an open slab of concrete with 4 skinny round posts and always looked so naked. I love the new look and couldn't wait to hang the lighted Christmas garland and bows. Maybe in the spring I'll add a couple of rocking chairs.

Last night I joined 3 friends for supper and a high school show choir concert to celebrate a birthday. I'm always blown away by the talent these high school kids have. I had goose bumps during some of the songs. These girlfriends are all retired teachers and have the right attitudes. They are making the most of their retirement to spend time with friends and family and doing things they enjoy. The evening was a good boost to my own attitude.

This afternoon is our guild Christmas party so I get to spend a couple of hours with a bunch of great gals, enjoying some good food and friendship. This morning I'm baking some Christmas cookies for a work related cookie exchange. These will go into the freezer later today so I can't eat them before our staff party. 

And tomorrow morning I'll head to Sioux Falls for my grandson Jack's baptism. My husband won't make it there as he is still on a job site working hard. But I'll get to see all of the kids and grandkids at least for the morning. Kissing a baby and hugging a kid is always good for the soul. 

Looking back at November & ahead to December

I was thinking that November wasn't a very fruitful month for quilting.  But then I looked back at my blog - which is my journal - and discovered that I did quite a bit of sewing.

I finished 2 small UFOs including the Hawaiian applique table topper that had been folded up in a zip lock bag for years. And the background for the wall hanging is made of the 12 cream/off-white blocks from an old Saturday Sampler. I made some holiday towels, a couple of table runners, and lots of pillowcases. All in all, it was a good month.

Most of my November goals were achieved plus some new projects:

• Saturday Sampler blocks - pieced blocks DONE
• 1930's Farm Girl Vintage blocks - made a couple more
• Sew Vintage blocks - - not yet
• RSC15 quilt top - DONE
• Hawaiian applique - DONE

Thinking ahead to December - I'm thinking I need to keep it simple again because there is so much going on this month.

• Saturday Sampler blocks (pieced & floral applique)
• Sew Vintage blocks
• 1930s Farm Girl Vintage (make 5 blocks)
• red/black/cream 60 degree table runner hand quilted and bound
• finish pillow backings for quilted Thimbleberries pillow shams

Half square triangles are piling up

There are 295 half square triangles (2") in this mess. Only 70 of them were pressed and had the dog ears trimmed off when I took this photo yesterday. The other 225 of them were pressed, trimmed, counted, counted again - and again - and finally zipped into a baggie after supper last night. Clue #1 of the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt is done.  It's called Allietare.

I know I didn't need anything new to work on right now and I know that I may not be able to keep up with this mystery quilt as the clues come out each week. But I am going to give it a try.  Good thing we are having a 2 day winter storm right now - 10" so far. Otherwise I might not have had time to get these done. Clue #2 comes out on Friday.

Check out Bonnie Hunter's website with the 2015 mystery quilt info.

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2015/10/quiltville-winter-mystery-2015-allietare.html

Design Wall Monday

Only 1 more month for Saturday Sampler and that is always exciting. These are the November blocks - one full size (12.5") and one half size (6.5"). And I will admit that the small one this month gave me some trouble.

Check out Design Wall Monday at http://www.patchworktimes.com  and see what lots of other quilters are working on today.

Week 48 status of the stash

Just  little finish for this past week - a 60 degree runner and an octagon made from the trimmings of the other.  This cute santa and pine tree border print was hiding in my stash. The binding fabrics are also from my stash. And actually, so is the batting. These will be gifted or donated.

I did buy 2 yards of a rich green to substitute for the grey in my Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. I decided that I just didn't like the grey in with the other warm colors.

• In this week:  2 yds
• In this year:  220 yds
• Out this week:  3 yds
• Out this year 193 yds

Status of the Stash:  Stash is winning by 27 yards.

Saturday fun didn't include sewing

No sewing on today at all but I did play Candyland, put together a few puzzles and enjoy a day spent with these 3 imps.

My daughter and I did a little shopping this morning and had a nice lunch together.  Then she and her husband went to a movie and out for supper, while grandpa and I babysat.  Mason is 4 1/2, and the twins Olivia and Jonah are 2 1/2.  I must report that Mason cheats at Candyland, Olivia likes her purple tutu, and Jonah loves to race his match box cars on daddy's freshly painted wall.  

Giving thanks

This morning - as I was making 50+ deviled egges - I was thinking how blessed I am and how much I'm looking forward to spending the day with extended family.

My children are celebrating with their in-laws this year but we're going to join a large group of my husband's siblings, nieces, nephews and their children. There will be over 50 people there. It will involve some wonderful food, people we don't see oftern enough, some loud competitive card games, and more food. Wishing my own children and grandchildren could be there to enjoy the day but I know they will be among people they love too.  

We are very blessed. 

Status of the stash

My accomplishments for the week were 6 pillowcases for donation and adding some Christmas-y fabric trim to 2 dishtowels. I decided my infected eye wasn't allowing for accurate cutting or accurate stitching. The eye isn't getting much better so I'm guessing another visit to the doctor is going to happen this week.

• In this week:  0 yds
• In this year:  218 yds
• Out this week:  6 yds
• Out this year 190 yds

Status of the Stash:  Stash is winning by 28 yards.

First snow

We are getting our first snow of the season this morning and can expect about 4 inches here.  Yesterday my lawn was just as green as it was in August and today that green is hidden. It looks so quiet and pretty out there.

I have to admit that I actually like snow. Shoveling that snow isn't my favorite thing, and I'm also glad I don't have to be on the road today in this snow. The school I would have been in today is cancelled which is good - because I have a nasty case of pink eye and look absolutely dreadful.

My left eye is swollen nearly shut and as my eye got worse over the past few days it has cut into my reading and my stitching as my eyesight is a little blurry. This makes me appreciate having good eyesight in normal circumstances.

I went to the clinic yesterday and have some eye drops to use 4 times a day for a week. Hope it clears up a lot over the weekend because I have to be in schools Monday-Wednesday next week and no one wants to look at this face.

More pillowcases started

Six more pillowcases have been started. Last night I got the top cuff sewn onto all 6 of these. Hope to finish at least some of these after work tonight. I used the same rust colored fabric for the cuff of 4 of these and had enough left for the narrow strip on #5.  

I use the "sausage roll" method and French seams. The French seams keep the seams from splitting from use or fraying in the wash. There are absolutely NO exposed raw seams.  This is such an easy process and there are lots of tutorials online. Just google "roll up" or "tube" or "sausage roll" and pillowcases.  

More hand quilting

I'm doing some minimal hand quilting on this new 60 degree table runner. Sometimes I question whether or not to bother with the hand quilting. In this case I'm mostly just quilting along the lines of the print, so it isn't going to take a long time or show up a lot, but it will give it some texture. And of course it will hold it all together.

This border fabric was a purchase from a few years ago with the 60 degree runner in mind. But I just never seemed to get around to it.  One evening last week I spent a couple of hours in my sewing room pulling fabrics from the drawers that I knew had been sitting for awhile and did a bit of planning.

I made 2 of these 60 degree runners plus one small octagon one from the trimmings (the other fabric), and set aside enough fabric for 4 more pillowcases.  This runner will be hand quilted, but the other one will be machine quilted.  The octagon one is already done - quilted and bound.

I just HAVE to use up some of this beautiful fabric lying in my stash. Last night after work I cut and pinned the pillowcases and pulled enough fabric for at least 2 additional ones. They will all be donated.  

Thinking ahead . . .

I saw this on Facebook this weekend and it really made me laugh. Someone else had left a comment asking if anyone had gotten to her stash before the family put it all in the trash.

Way too much truth in this for a lot of us. I don't think I could live long enough to use up my fabric stash. But I am sure enjoying it now and I guess that is OK. It's my only real vice, and it's pretty harmless.

Although my daughters are worried about the task of cleaning out my sewing room when that day comes. Hopefully that is 30 years down the road.

Sunday status of the stash

I purchased some neutrals, reds and golds this week for the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt and I added some neutral backing for some table runners I'm working on. So it was a big week for adding to the stash. But I finished a couple of small projects too.  And I finished the flimsy for my RSC15 project so I'm counting 5 yards for that flimsy.

• In this week:  17 yds
• In this year:  218 yds
• Out this week:  9.5 yds
• Out this year 184 yds

Status of the Stash:  Stash is winning by 34 yards and there is little hope of catching up before the end of the year. Oh well . . . I'm still pleased with the 184 yards used this year.

More traveling stars

I have fallen way behind making these star blocks from the "traveling squares" shared by guild members.  It's a fun tradition in our guild to share fabric when we travel.  I've been making these star blocks for about 4 years now and have 63 of them counting these 3 new ones .  They are about 11" blocks made with a 6" center square (5.5" finished).

Hawaiian applique

My Hawaiian applique table topper is finally finished and gracing my dining room table. And I love the way it turned out in spite of how long it took me to finish.

This UFO is old, old, old - with the needle-turn applique started about 10 years ago. But unfortunately I got bored with the hand applique work (I am so slow) and set it aside.  

Then about a year ago I pulled it out and finished up the needle-turn applique center. But then what?  

At Sew Vintage one month Cindy taught us how to do a scalloped binding and that was the incentive I needed to add the border so I could do the scallops.  Now months later, the hand quilting is done, the scalloped binding is done and I'm thrilled. 

Pinwheels

It was my turn for some sewing on the group charity project that my friends Kelly, Marilyn, Pam, and Sylvia (and me) are working on.  We all got together and cut the fabric for this one evening, then Pam, Marilyn, and Kelly sewed the pinwheel blocks and then sewed the blocks into sections.  I made the binding last week and this weekend I sewed the blue border sections onto the center, then added the pink pinwheel borders, and finally the green with blue pinwheel borders. 

It's ready to go to the quilter and then Sylvia plans to do the binding. When finished it will go to a local gymnastics group to raffle for a fund raiser.

RSC15 rows are done

Sunday morning sewing gave me a chance to finish the last RSC15 block and then sew the blocks into rows.  I'm hoping these rows will become a finished flimsy in the next few days.  Here is the final block - with the unusual name of Swamp Angel Star. I'm not sure where that name originated but the block is great.

I'm connecting to http://www.patchworktimes.com for Design Wall Monday. Check out what other quilters are working on this week.

Sunday stash report

No new finishes to count this week and I made some purchases that added to the stash. 

I'm considering doing the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt this winter, and I picked up some yardage for it yesterday. I stopped in our local Ben Franklin Crafts to look for some embroidery floss and ended up with 5 yards of fabric purchased on sale.  3 yards of dark red batik (even though the photo looks purple) for $8.99/yard and 2 yards of a nice rich gold (not washed out like the photo) for $5.99/yard. Score!!  Plus I found a Christmas gift for my youngest grandson in their great children's toy selections. Double score!!

And if I don't end up doing the mystery quilt I've added some lovely pieces to my stash for a future project. No guilt. 

In this week:  5 ydsIn this year:  201 ydsOut this week:  0 ydsOut this year 174.5 yds
Status of the Stash:  one step forward and two steps back! I'm falling further behind.

OK - I got distracted

I've spent the past couple of hours in my sewing room and yes - I got distracted. On the bottom shelf of my bookcase are more than  a dozen years worth of these books, beginning with 1987.  They were published each year by Oxmoor House and contain some wonderful patterns, quilt designs, and photos.  I was actually looking for a block pattern for a house or cabin, but found so many other fun things to look at. This one has a great applique cabin block but it's too big so I'm debating about sketching up a smaller version.

I did get some sewing done too, including adding one set of borders onto a group project. My task is to finish the top this weekend and I have 2 more sets of borders to add. Pictures coming tomorrow or Monday. 

Another UFO complete

This wall hanging is approximately 48 x 36, with the background made up of 12 Saturday Sampler blocks from 10-12 years ago. The blocks are really beautiful cream/white/off-white pieced blocks that I had just never put together into a quilt top. Inspiration just hadn't hit me until this year. 

So after all of these years, I decided to put them together and applique something on them. The floral pieces are Silhouettes - bought with the fusible webbing already on them and they are laser cut. I machine appliqued them onto the background. The fireflies that I added as a last minute idea are simply jewelry pieces.

The bigger firefly is a large pin and the 2 smaller ones are actually earrings.  I have noticed in the photos that the subtle shades of cream and white don't really show up, but on the actual quilt the block piecing looks great as a background with lots of depth of color.

I plan to hang this above the bed in my guest bedroom.

RSC15 progress - Ohio Star

Only 1 more RSC15 Sampler block to go now that I've finished #24. This is the Ohio Star.

The last color is lime green and there are 2 star blocks and 3 alternate blocks in that row, plus 2 yellow blocks on the ends.

The yellow blocks are done, and I finished up 1 of the 3 alternate blocks along with the Ohio Star. The other 2 alternate blocks are partially done and just waiting for the green sections.

I have a goal to have this quilt top complete by the end of the month.

Goals, goals, goals

I did better than expected on my October goals but my November goals are not going to be very ambitious. Since my work load has increased by about 50% I'm guessing it will cut into my sewing time. 

November goals are going to be simple: keep up with Saturday Sampler blocks, 1930s Farmer's Wife blocks, and Sew Vintage blocks. Finish the top for RSC15 with the lime green blocks. And finish the last of the hand quilting on the red Hawaiian applique project.  And maybe . . . just maybe . . . I'll have a chance to start my round snowman table topper.


October in review . . .

• Rainbow Scrap Challenge - 2 brown blocks + 3 alternate blocks  - DONE
• Rainbow Scrap Challenge - sew together the brown row blocks - DONE
• Saturday Sampler - pieced blocks for October - DONE
• Saturday Sampler - applique block from September - almost done
• bind the Halloween quilt - DONE
• Farm Girl Vintage blocks for October (1 big, 1 small) - DONE
• 1930s Farmer's Wife blocks (catch up - only 1 made so far) - only 6 made
• hand quilting finish on red Hawaiian applique - almost done
• Santa's Delivery - stretch onto canvas, and embellish with crystals - can't find the staple gun, so this is on hold

Design Wall Monday: Quilting for a cause

These pinwheel blocks form the main focus of the charity quilt that my friends and I are working on currently. We met for coffee Sunday afternoon and brought all of the pieces each person worked on. My part was easy - I only made the binding. Now this week the other ladies will work on various sections of the top and then we'll get together again and put the sections together to finish the top. 

Stay tuned for updates. And check out what other quilters are doing at Judy's Design Wall Monday at http://www.patchworktimes.com .

Sunday status of the stash

Two weeks worth of status to report since I forgot to do it last week.  It has actually been a more productive couple of weeks than I thought it would be.

When my husband is gone for work I tend to get more sewing done, and he has been gone for 2 weeks straight on a job site. He came home Thursday night late and will leave again early this afternoon for another 2 weeks. 

So in these 2 weeks I finished 2 UFOs: my Halloween block swap and a wall hanging. That will be 8.5 yards total for the quilt backing/binding and for the wall hanging. I'll post about that later this week. I also used up 3 yards on new pillowcases, 1 yard to make scissor cases, and a 1/2 yard on binding for a charity quilt. Total of 13 yards in 2 weeks. Yay!!!!

In this week:  2 yds

In this year:  196 yds

Out this week:  13 yds

Out this year 174.5 yds

Status of the Stash:  still way behind the stash but making progress! Down by 21.5 yards.

6 inch blocks

The 6 inch blocks for Saturday Sampler this year are stretching my skills, which is definitely a positive thing. I now have made both the full size and the 6" size of Oregon Star. My photo is a little dark because it's a dreary grey day, but I think this is my best small block so far.

Oregon Star

The most recent Saturday Sampler pieced block is called Oregon Star. This might be my favorite so far in this series. I don't have the small version made yet, but it is cut out and ready to go. 

My sewing time may be a little abbreviated for a while. My primary job is mostly staff development and data analysis work with schools in my region. But on Monday morning I was asked to team-teach 3 high school English classes with another teacher. The school is a member of our cooperative and lost a teacher last week, so 2 of us will be covering some courses for at least the rest of the semester and maybe all year. I'll be teaching every other afternoon. Yikes!

I've been out of the traditional classroom for 13 years and have only been teaching a couple of online classes. So I'm feeling a bit rusty. Plus this work is actually in addition to my other duties. Luckily the other teacher will be the "teacher of record" and she will be doing the majority of the planning for all 3 classes (9th, 10th, 11th grades). I anticipate that I will have a lot fewer evenings to sew for now.