Mary (quiltin' grandma's blog) and I had talked about swapping small quilts back in 2017, but mutually agreed that "next year" would be better for us. When 2018 rolled around we scheduled our swap for September. As the deadline drew closer--again, by mutual agreement--we scooted it into January of 2019. But as my January progressed, I knew it wasn't going to happen. We pushed it into February, and I'll admit that at one point I wasn't sure if I was even going to make that--but I did. This is what I "finally" sent to Mary. She has received it now, so I can share it with you. Her quilt is due to arrive here in a few days, so I will share it in my next post.
Our swap was not real specific, other than the fact that we would use fabric from thrifted shirts to make a small quilt. I tried to choose colors I know Mary likes, and other than that I was flying by the seat of my pants. I made the HSTs with a specific design in mind, but as I laid them out, it didn't work for me in these fabrics. I must have changed the layout about 5 times before settling on these sampler star blocks. I think this finished at 14 1/2" square.
Most of the quilting was SITD. I often do that on minis, and throw in something else in the border.
I always enjoy playing in the plaid fabrics from shirts. This was a fun challenge, Mary. Thanks for joining me! :)
This is also my February mini-of-the-month for the challenge with Wendy (the constant quilter blog). How unusual for me to be posting it before the very last few minutes of the last day of the month!
This is another 2 year old "finally." When my Dad passed away the end of 2016 I took his plaid shirts to make a throw quilt for Mom. In 2017 I made the top, but the shoulder issues I was having made pushing it around under the needle of my HQ Sweet 16 out of the question. I thought about "quilting by check," but I wanted to do this one myself. After the shoulder surgery last year I thought I would be back at it before the year was out, but I had setbacks in healing on multiple occasions and I have just recently felt like I could make an attempt at quilting anything larger than a mini. So Friday I did this...
...and then this...
...and most of this.
Today (Saturday) I finished the quilting...
...and now I have the binding cut, sewn together and pressed in half. It has been so long since I have bound anything but a mini quilt that I almost forgot to cut it wide enough for double fold binding. Whew! That was close!
Monday I will attach the binding and I will work on hand stitching the other side in the evenings next week. It will get a label and a good wash to remove all of the markings. I am anxious to get this finished and delivered to Mom--hopefully before the week is over.
My last little progress report is not a "finally." I just started it last month. It is the first of the six little quilts that are part of the Circa 1880 Club. These little quilts all use some of the same uneven 9-patch blocks that are in the featured club quilt. You can click these photos to get a better look.
I switched to a different border print than I had been auditioning in my last post. This one is a Pam Buda fabric called Ditsy Trio. I think it worked beautifully. I plan to feather in the border and possible bind with purple, pink or red, for something a little bit flashy. :)
The
second photo shows the quilting and the backing fabric, which I LOVE!
I drew a name from the 25 interested in the Kim Diehl project--well, actually I drew 3 names. The first two were "no-reply" comments, so I can't make contact. I appreciate it if you include your email address if you aren't sure whether or not you are "no-reply". Marj (eclectic quilter blog) was the winner of the drawing and I will get the kit on the way to her as soon as I confirm her address.
That about wraps it up. Thank you all for your kind comments and faithful reading. I really appreciate the friendships I have made here. It is always a bright spot to check in with your blog, or hear from you via comments or email--or even texts.
Until next time,
Janet O.
Yep, you read that right--I said 2017. So what, if it happened in January 2018?
Early last year I had set up 4 swaps with blog friends, and Julie and I would be ending the year with a November swap. For a variety of reasons, we each needed to extend the deadline, more than once. This week it finally happened. Look at this beauty that arrived at my house!
Can you believe it? Those little 9-patches are only 1 1/2" finished! And it is hand quilted, to boot! Here is a glamor shot.
Julie has made an entire big quilt out of those tiny blocks! What was she thinking? LOL You can find the pattern for it on her website, here.
I'm thinking I am pretty lucky to have this sweet thing. Take a peek at the gorgeous backing fabric.
There were some other goodies in the package, too.
There were Deb Strain note cards, and one of those wonderful spray bottles that you are going to want, if you don't already. I just purchased one at retreat last month for water. Now I have one for my Best Press, as well! You can find them on Julie's website.
Thank you, Julie for a marvelous swap!
And what did I send to Julie? This mini feathered star went to her house this week. The star finishes at 5 1/2". I can't recall for sure, but I think the whole thing is around 12" square.
Here is the glamor shot for this little thing.
This was made with a foundation piecing pattern designed by Cindi Edgerton. The pattern was sent to me by my sweet friend, Annie M., and I have been wanting to try it for some time.
I knew her patterns were printed on tissue paper, and I was interested to see how well it worked. I have to say that it didn't work well for me. The tissue paper wasn't stable enough for the precision I was seeking. So I copied the pattern onto sheets of newsprint. It is solid enough to be stable, but easy enough to tear away when you are finished. I bought a pack of 500 sheets on Amazon 4 years ago, and I don't think I am even halfway through it. Very reasonably priced. You can find it here.
You can see to the right how wrinkled the tissue paper pattern was after pressing--and I didn't even use steam. You can also see how flat the newsprint paper foundation is after stitching and pressing it. I ended up having to draw a foundation for the border I wanted, and copied it onto the same newsprint.
Got the top completed November 8, 2017, and ditch stitched it soon afterward, but the rest of the quilting didn't happen until this week. Just couldn't decide how to quilt it.
I tried a new-to-me thread for some of this project, which I will report on later. This is too long already. Also, I took photos of the binding process to answer some questions I have received over the years about binding minis. That tutorial will be coming up.
Thanks, again, Julie, for such a great swap. I am thrilled with my little 9-patch quilt!
Until next time,
Janet O.
It was cloudy here when the eclipse of the super moon occurred, but the evening before, I caught the moon coming up over the mountains.
Kim Diehl's Porchside Garden is finished. It currently hangs in my dining room.
The plan had been to hand quilt the center and machine quilt the rest, but hand quilting won out in the end.
It is quilted a little less densely than the first one I made, but it is enough.
Secretly working on a little quilt for a Challenge swap with Randy. We are swapping 12" quilts, like we did last year. The one I am making involves this stuff...
...a book of foundation patterns, a copier, and sheets of newsprint paper. Sounds like there is some foundation piecing involved (there is).
When I am piecing minis (whether foundation pieced or not), I use lots of pins--the extra fine, glass-headed variety--and I sew over them! Do you sew over pins, or do you always remove them?
I have never had a problem doing this. Yes, I have winged a pin or two, but they have only been slightly bent.
Well, as I have been working on this little piece, I have hit more pins than I can recall doing on any previous project. Look at the results of one such encounter--the pin on the left! Have you ever had that happen?
In spite of the mishaps, the little top is assembled. Now to remove the papers and get it quilted.
Aside from these projects, I have done a little bit of quilting on the beast, and I have been cutting up Dad's shirts to make a simple quilt for Mom. Can you tell he had a thing for blue plaid shirts?
There are some green ones in there, too, but blue definitely is in the majority!! He had a few favorites that were fraying at the collar and cuffs, and worn a little thin at the elbows. Dad wore a suit, white shirt and tie all his professional life. When he was working around the house he would don a plaid shirt. After retirement he only wore the white shirts and ties for church meetings, and plaid shirts everywhere else. I don't know that I ever saw my Dad in a t-shirt. Well, at least I don't have to worry about making a t-shirt quilt from his clothing. As I cut up these shirts I recall times Dad wore them and relive some of our experiences together. They are all good memories. He was a very good man--and still is, just on the other side!
If you have any ties to Canada, you may want to get in on this offer from canuckquilter. She designs wonderful patterns and has created this design for Canada's Sesquicentennial. If you click the link above and scroll down her post, you will find a link to this pattern, which is free if you move quickly. Joanne has even posted a suggested timeline to have the quilt done by the July 1st Canada Day celebration.
Until next time,
Janet O.
