Saturday, December 1, 2018

A Tardy Mini of the Month--and more

Others have said they barely squeaked under the wire with their entries in Wendy's Mini-of-the-Month challenge. I don't even qualify for that. I tried to get this posted before November came to an end, but it just didn't happen. My mini Dresden Plate flimsy became a finish in November (well, almost finished--binding needs stitching down). This was made using mostly the Wild Orchid line of fabrics by Blackbird Design. Being the proud owner of over a dozen orchids, how could I not love that fabric for it's name alone?
All of the stitch-in-the-ditch was done by walking foot on my domestic machine, and the outer border was done via free motion quilting on Gidget (my HQ Sweet Sixteen).

But the echo quilting around the plates was done by hand. When I can, I like combining hand and machine quilting in my minis, placing the hand quilting where it will shine, and letting the machine do what won't be as visible.
I marked the echo line with a ruler and a water soluble pen.

Here are front and back shots of the quilting. They can be enlarged for a better look.
 













You can clearly see on the back view that the binding is being held down with pins. Why is it that most of my Minis-of-the-Month have been posted in that condition? Can I never fully meet a deadline? Apparently not.
I opted not to stitch between the blades of the plates. The seams were pressed open, so ditch stitching wasn't an option, and there were too many layers and overlapping seams there for any hand quilting.

It feels good to have this finished (almost). Though I am always cutting it close--or entirely missing the mark--I have appreciated that Wendy's challenge has helped me get a few small finishes in a year that has seen a minimal amount of quilting time.

I know many of you have seen or even participated in the fun Temecula Christmas mystery SAL. Isn't that a great little Burgoyne Surrounded in holiday colors? Made me think of the red/white Burgoyne Surrounded that I began years ago. I had to hunt a bit to find it, and when I finally did, the contents practically exploded out when I opened the bin.
This will be a 9 block mini. The blocks finish at less that 4", and with 97 pieces in each block, they are some mighty small pieces, and it takes concentration to put a block together.


After opening up this project box I took the time to trim up the 4, 6, and 9 patch units needed to make one block. Then I laid it out next to a finished block.

It never ceases to amuse me to see how much mini blocks shrink when assembled. The rotary cutter is there to give perspective on the size.

And while we are on the red/white theme, I got one more X block ready to stitch down. If you missed my last post about the 70273 project, you can click here to see what this is all about.


A parting shot from my recent birthday. My youngest son celebrated his birthday just a month prior to mine. This balloon his boss gave him was still inflated enough that he brought it to add to my celebration. I think it is a hoot!

Prayers go out for all those who have suffered loss recently, through natural disaster, or senseless violence. Sometimes it is hard to know where your resources can best be used. But doing good anywhere is better than doing nothing. I hope if you are able, you have chosen a way to help. And if you are not able to give, I am a firm believer in the power of prayer, and that is anyone's to offer.

Until next time, 
Janet O.
 

29 comments:

  1. Happy belated birthday! Love that balloon too! Your mini is exceptional, especially with the combination of hand quilting and machine quilting. As for the Burgoyne surrounded, that is stunning right now! Wow!

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  2. HBB, looks like you had fun. Your minis always amaze me. Beautiful and very well done.

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  3. Janet, you are so pretty! I love the birthday photo and the balloon. Happy belated birthday!! Your orchid quilt is pretty and the colors are so soft and feminine. I love that you used hand quilting and machine quilting together. Beautiful!

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  4. I love your mini. The quilting is beautiful. Your Burgoyne Surrounded is so darling. You are a fantastic craftsman. I always look forward to your posts. Hugs

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  5. Your Wild Orchids fabric looks so beautiful in your sweet dresden mini. Such a lovely quilt!
    I also love your red and white coming along. That was a wonderful inspiration from Temecula Quilt Co. Your birthday was well celebrated with that funny cat balloon! I hope it's a grand year as well :-)
    and as you mention prayer...I'm doing that this morning for all those affected by the fire in Paradise. I'm prepping the blocks and can hardly fathom the challenges all those individuals are experiencing.

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  6. Oh, Janet, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your November mini!! And I too loved the Wild Orchid collection. And giving is so soothing to the soul. A dear friend of mine over here has her husband's parents' staying with them because both her husband's and her parents lived in Paradise and both lost their homes and EVERYTHING they owned!! I have the blessed privilege to help bring some comfort to a few families in Paradise in time for Christmas!! I am grateful for your sweet friendship!!

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  7. Oh my - a lovely Wild Orchids Dresden Plate!! Everything about this sweet mini is perfect...and love the Burgoyne Surrounded in the works...such a classic two color quilt and the scale on which you are piecing this is over the top!

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  8. Your little mini is adorable! I have a charm pack of that line of fabric but haven't found a project for it yet--so pretty! You just have to keep going on your Burgoyne Surrounded! It's going to be beautiful--love that red fabric that you are using. I didn't know you had a Sweet Sixteen. I'm sure that makes it a lot easier to maneuver your tops.

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  9. Wow, the Burgoyne Surrounded is amazing! Love working small.

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  10. Mini Dresden is very sweet and good to see it finished...I think its perfectly acceptable to pin the binding down and take the photo, afterall your 99% done!
    Loved watching the Temecula mystery unfold, kept telling myself I was too busy, but once revealed, I wanted to make it in the opposite colours, so think that is very funny that you actually did have a UFO in white on red! I have a blue on white version that is hiding in a box somewhere, thanks for the inspiration to dig it out and put it on the to do list NOW!

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  11. Your mini's are always beautiful, but this Burgoyne surrounded is going to be spectacular! I tried to resist the Temecula QC sew along too, but caved when I saw the reveal. I have all the components made and it is calling to me to get it together. Your quilting choices on the mini Dresden are wonderful. You inspire me.

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  12. another birthday is always good...wishing you many more and that red/white is a precision challenge i'm sure...but you make it look easy!

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  13. Another lovely mini! I agree about combining hand and machine quilting for efficient finishes that feature the hand stitching. I am sewing the Temecula mystery so am totally amazed at the size of your blocks... so tiny!

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  14. Your Dresden Plate quilt is beautiful, and your quilting is fantastic! I can't even imagine 97 little pieces in a less than 4" block! Can't wait to see the finish on that one! ---"Love"

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  15. I love the picture of you and I wish you a happy belated birthday !
    Your purple mini is gorgeous !
    Your Burgoyne mini is going to be terrific with these all tiny pieces ! WOW !

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  16. Love that monthly mini! Just because you posted on the 1st, doesn't mean that you didn't finish on the 30th! lol! Wild Orchid is a favorite fabric line of mine...I have the Raven quilt all kitted up...just need to get stitching! :-) That Burgoyne surround is amazing! You are a very patient person! :-)

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  17. Happy Belated! what a funny balloon.
    Of all your minis this year, I think this is my favorite. It is so charming and lovely. The photo is pretty too with your orchid and thread. The teacup quilting is perfect. I really appreciate that you use both quilting methods to their best advantage.
    your BS block is still a wonder to me and I'm happy to see it again!
    fun filled post!

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  18. Your mini Dresden is very darling. I like to do a combination of hand and machine quilting, too! Your Burgoyne Surrounded is a-ma-zing. Boom. :)

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  19. Your mini Dresden is lovely, I like you how mixed up the quilting, with hand and machine quilting. And what a lovely vignette you created to show it off. That balloon is a blast!
    Kiwi Quilty Hugs xoxo

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  20. Happy belated birthday. I was thinking of making the Burgoyne quilt retroactively from the mystery and now you are having me think of a whole different colorway. Maybe I should do both!

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  21. Happy belated birthday! Love the giant balloon. Your mini is gorgeous and the quilting is perfect. You do a marvelous job machine quilting and I like your plan of combining both hand and machine stitching. I've done the Temecula's mystery too and have always admired the Burgoyne block forever. Glad you found your little treasure and are working on it again. I've pulled some fabric to start a big one after the new year. Thanks for your motivation.

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  22. A Happy belated Birthday to you! I adore your little mini! I'll update my post today. November has the same amount of letters as December so it doesn't matter which month you finished it in! That mini Burgoyne Surrounded is amazing!

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  23. Happy Birthday, just a little bit late! I love your little November finish! And those Burgoyne blocks just leave me shaking my head with amazement. Happy December! How did that arrive so quickly?

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  24. Your mini Dresden Plate is lovely with all that quilting! So pretty! Love the Burgoyne Surrounded project. The pieces are so tiny! I don't know how you do it. A belated Happy Birthday to you! That balloon is a riot!

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  25. Love the mini Dresden plate in those colors, so cheery and light. Your Burgoyne Surrounded will be stunning. I like small quilts and it is now on my list of must makes. I like the Temecula one too. In your layout picture, the top row middle piece is upside down, but you have probably discovered that before sewing it together. Thanks for your blog, I enjoy reading it.

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  26. Yes--I am always surprised at the shrinkage when I start sewing the quilt together. You are turning me into a fan of purple with that beautiful Dresden plate--beautiful quilting. I have all the ingredients for making a Burgoyne Surrounded except time.

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  27. Happy belated birthday! The balloon is hilarious!!
    I've always been a fan of the Burgoyne Surround quilt and your little one is so cute! and small!! Yowsers!!
    Love your monthly mini.
    Couldn't agree more about helping when and where you can.

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  28. Those Burgoyne blocks!! Oh. MY. GOODNESS!! They are so tiny and so perfectly precious. Of course, that Dresden is drool-worthy. I agree about adding hand quilting where one can, such a nice touch! Your party face is much more celebratory that grumpy cat's-- happy belated birthday, my friend!

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  29. I love how you used the plaid in two ways for the sashing and the binding. It adds so much interest to your beautiful tiny quilt. And your Burgoyne! WOW! Such tiny, tiny pieces. It's fun to see the colors reversed from the Temecula quilt-along. That's a great photo of you with the party cat, Janet. Happy Birthday!

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