Teal Crumbs are Quilted

I just pulled Sydney's Teal Crumbs off the quilting frame.  If I hustle I can get the edges trimmed up before the pizza shows up.  Sunday is pizza night in our house.  It has been for as long as I can remember.  I think it started in college when the cafeteria didn't serve dinner on Sunday.  So now I'd better get busy on the binding.  This one is going to have zebra stripes and Smith Mountain is just plain blue.  If I get them machine sewn today I'll have evenings to do the handwork this week.  I would have gotten more done today, but the girls wanted to go see a movie while the boys were off doing Dungeons and Dragons.  I didn't bring home any school work this weekend, but if I focus this week I think I can get most of it in during the school day.  I think I can......

Xmas Wonky Logs are Done

I just took the last stitch in the binding for Xmas Wonky Logs.  These bits of fabric had been sitting in a tub that was left for me by a nice neighbor who moved away two years ago. I've been in a bit of a clear it out mood as of late, so all the oldies some attention. 

The majority of the quilting is just a plain meander.  Ribbon candy graces the inner border with some practice feathers in the outer.  Someday I will get really good at feathers, until then I'll just practice some more.

Speaking of clearing it out,the back is a collection of 10 inch squares from all sorts of Christmas fabrics.  I am enjoying moving stash out on the back of quilts.  It is getting harder as I keep finishing up quilts, but there are always stores to sell more fabric when I start to run low. 

Slow Stitch Sunday - Binding Edition

 I just have this much left to do on the binding for my Christmas quilt.  SO close. 

These are the next two blocks on Dear Jane. 

I also have the binding picked out for Smith Mountain, that shouldn't take too long.  Also, Teal Crumbs are ready to be loaded on the frame.  Little bits of lots of stuff looks like the plan for the day.  Be sure to head over to Kathy's blog to see what other slow stitching people are up to on Sunday.  How about you?  Any handwork to settle in with and sit a spell?

Done with That One

 Smith Mountain Morning just came off the quilting frame.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love quilting on my HQ16?  I used to wrestle with quilts for days.  Now I seriously enjoy the process of finishing quilts. 

The Baptist Fans are all freehand -- this is such a quick pattern and I think it has a nice traditional feel to it.  I need to make some binding, but first, the pieces of the back for the teal quilt are still getting sewn together.  If I can get that done I'll get one more quilt loaded up so it will be ready when I have some time. I am remembering a cool circuit board kind of quilting patter I saw somewhere.  I wonder if I can find it again?

Busy Bees

 Anna sews a quilt she just decided to start which she will forget about by the end of the day. 

 Ryan programs his Lego Robot before the practice starts this morning.  The theme this year is elderly people.  Can you see the Lego quilts near the front of the board?

Mom quilts Smith Mountain Morning using freehand Baptist Fans. 
Sydney is sleeping off a sleepover and Dad is slow smoking a pork butt on the new grill. 
What are you up to this weekend?

Scrap Happy Saturday -- Last Orange Saturday

Today is the last orange Saturday.  Time to finish off all the odds and ends.  I was pretty sure I was out of orange scraps pretty early in the month, but I did find these partial crumb blocks hiding in a drawer somewhere.  Then I made a few more scraps during the geese sewing for Hawaii Sunset.  All in all, there are probably enough bits and pieces here for a few blocks.  What are you up to today?  Use the linky below to share your progress. 

Happy Friday Quilt Parade - Flamingo Bay

 Here is a finished daylight view of Flamingo Bay. 

 The quilting is a freehand swirl with some echo quilting. 

 It doesn't show up all that much on such a busy background, but it does add a nice texture to the finished quilt. 

The back was a huge length of pink from a clearance sale at Joann's stretched out with a bit of teal that I bought to redo Sydney's room before she decided on a zebra themed. 
I am now officially done with last years Bonnie Hunter mystery and free to start the new one in November.  I really should resist, but I don't know if I can.  I have been trying to get things finished off lately, but new projects keep adding themselves to my list. 

Happy Friday Quilt Parade - Irish Chain

It is officially the first time I've been home during daylight hours this week.  That makes it the perfect day for a Friday finished quilt parade.  Here is a daylight view of the Scrappy Irish Chain. 

The quilting on this one was feathered wreaths in the open squares. 

The back is an wild assortment of floral prints that cleared out my stash and prompted my husband to ask if I wondered whether anyone ever looked at the back. 

Big Wednesday Woohoo

I just took the last stitch on the binding for this quilt.  It was Bonnie Hunter's mystery last year and was called Orca Bay.  It is also in her new String Fling book.  Hers was in red, black and white.  My version is pink, teal and purple and is called Flamingo Bay.  Though the top has been finished for  a while, it was supposed to have a pieced border, and the pieces for that went missing for a while. 
I have been sewing bindings in the evenings and by the time I finish, it is always dark.  The next time I am home during daylight hours I will try to take them outside and get some better photos.  Evenings have been busy with school things.  Monday is Academic Team and Thursday I have a class for three hours.  Speaking of class, I have homework to do and lesson plans to think about. 

Tiny Tuesday - Railroad Crossing

This one was perfectly straight forward and easy to do. Just 21 pieces in this 4.5 inch block. Though I first realized when I was uploading to blogger that the middle square was supposed to be yellow.

Lizzie thinks it looks fine in cream. How about you?

Design Wall Monay September 24, 2012

It was a busy weekend with little bits of progress on lots of projects rather than lots of progress on one.  Made quite a few geese and finished up two more Hawaii Sunset blocks. 

There are 108 Midgets up on the wall.  Its full now, so I'll have to add another section to get the extra three rows that I would like to make fit.  I am thinking that a square quilt would be nice in a 12 by 12 setting.  I should really sew those together, they keep falling off. 

Last night we settled in to watch a movie as a family and I finished (finally) hand sewing the binding on Irish Chain.  I got a good start on Orca Bay binding as well which got quilted Saturday, but no photos of that till I take the last stitch. What else?  Cut a scrappy back for Sydney's Teal Crumbs.  Loaded Smith Mountain on the frame.  Didn't even get my school work out of the car.  I'll be regretting it later today I am sure, but I enjoyed the weekend full of quilting fun.  Head over to Judy's blog to see what everyone else is up to on Design Wall Monday.  There are always lots of fun projects for inspiration. 

Sunday Binding Stack

 I was so happy to finish quilting Flamingo (Orca) Bay yesterday, but even happier to get the binding put on today. 

Now I can add it to this scary stack of bindings to be sewn down.  In a stroke of perfect timing, the menfolk came home from their afternoon of D&D with The Princess Bride for everyone to watch.  I'll be stitching away while we watch.  Settling in with a bit of handwork is a perfect way to say goodbye to the weekend. Head over to Kathy's blog to see what handwork everyone else has found to keep them busy today. 

Bouncing Around

I was already to quilt Smith Mountain this morning, but didn't have any of the caramel colored thread I like to use on scrap quilts because it blends so well with most things. 

So while waiting for everyone to get up and around I pondered the backing for Sydney's teal crumbs.  It is amazing how skinny my stash is getting.  Definitely time to do a little shopping!  Sydney helped me decide on this collection of black prints which I cut in 10.5 inch squares. I love using things up.  So much more satisfying than going to the store and buying a big hunk of generic yardage in just the right color. 

Orca Bay is patiently waiting for binding. Maybe teal?

Still haven't made the binding for the Christmas quilt either. I am thinking of the same red from the inner border. 
Now the hard part -- deciding what to work on!  Bonnie is on with quilt cam, so I'll find something I can do with her. 

Ta Da!

I started quilting bright and early this morning.  Well, first I ran out to the store for dog food, then I started quilting.  And Quilting.  And Quilting.  With all the strings and little bits in this quilt, I thought it needed fairly dense quilting.

I went with a swirly doodle in lavender thread with pink in the bobbin to go with the pink backing fabric.  Now I am going to go sit and sew for a bit.  I have two quilts waiting for binding and two more waiting for a turn on the frame. 

One thing at a time though, SO happy to have this one quilted

Pumpkin Colored Plans

Though I was low on orange scraps this month, I have been whipping up flying geese and midgets in order to generate some more.  Didn't want to be a big cheater and just cut some new scraps.  I really am making good progress on my scraps after all this time.  So now I have a gaggle of geese, a few new quilt blocks AND some orange scraps to sew together.  I haven't made any tiny log cabins this month.  I think that might be first on the agenda.  How about you?  Still working on your pile of orange goodness?  Use the linky below to show us what you are up to. 

Just a Thought

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Dear Jane. 

Tiny Tuesday - Cowboy's Star

 This may come as a BIG surprise, but this weeks Midget Block is NOT applique.  It is hand pieced and is the final block that I  hand stitched on our big family vacation this summer.  It is from the Dear Jane BOM series and is called Cowboy Star

The middle doesn't look quite perfect, because I couldn't get it to lie flat.  I may be able to go back and trim some tips to get it to behave better.

I have all the Midgets so far sashed and hanging out on the wall.  I should think about sewing them together, but it seems like a big commitment.  What if I want to balance the colors better later?
Now for the really big decision, how many blocks should I make? There are 125 blocks published.  I have made106 so far, but because many are "extra" blocks, I still have patterns for 38 unfinished blocks.  The original quilt is 11 by 17, which is 187 blocks.  If I make all the blocks published so far I will only be at 163.  An 11 by 15 setting would put me at 165 blocks needed.  That would make the quilt 66 by 90 before borders.  A 12 by 14 setting would need 165 blocks and end up with a quilt 72 by 84 before borders.  The top of a queen mattress is 60 by 80.  Maybe that could be my target size?  Dear Jane is a square quilt with a 13 by 13 setting.  That is 169 blocks.  Mine are a bit bigger, but I could do 12 by 12 for a nice even 144 blocks.  That would be 72 inches square before borders.  In any case, I guess I should keep making blocks for a while. I would love to finish this year though.  It could happen........

Mini Monday - Grandma 3

 I didn't have time on Saturday to make the Grandmother's Choice block of the week.  It is just three weeks in, and I am avoiding long term commitments, but for now I am making one midget sized grandma block each week to add to my collection.  This one was easy to resize by drawing it out on graph paper.  The middle nine patch is made of 1.5 inch squares. I think the corner squares are about 2 inches, but I just cut them big and trimmed them at the end to make them square up while keeping the quarter in seam allowance along the edges. 

 The closer it gets to the end of the year, the more anxious I get to get this quilt done.  I haven't decided yet how many blocks to make, but I'll have to call it quits some time, and after two years, I am already starting to work on  new schemes and plans. 

How about combining the Rainbow Scrap Challenge with a Dear Jane quilt?  I could focus on a new color each month and work my way around in a beautiful rainbow bulls-eye.  Just a thought.  No new projects for now.  But maybe for the new year? 

Design Wall Monday September 18, 2012

The weekend is never as long as it seems like it is going to be on Friday afternoon.  I had a great all day quilt marathon for charity on Saturday though and then made a little bit of progress on Hawaii Sunset today.  Just 4 blocks completed, but lots of bits and pieces in the works.  The geese are definitely the logjam step. Just about 20% of those are done, but all the other subunits are sewn and ready to go, so the blocks will come together quickly as soon as the geese are ready to fly.  Now that I have all the cutting for those done I hope the rest will go smoothly.  AND Orca Bay is now loaded on the frame!  Maybe if things are calm this week I will be able to quilt a row or two in the evenings. 

Slowly on Sunday

After reading Kathy's Slow Sunday post, I went to move my hoop over to a new section on Dear Jane.  She just had a wooden hoop break, and after having the same thing happen more than once, I switched to this plastic hoop, also available from Joann's.  I just checked on their web site and it is a Dritz hoop listed at $25.99, though I am sure I used a coupon.  It is flexible and comes in several sizes.  This one is 14 inches in diameter and seems to expose a reasonable amount of quilting space while still fitting in my lap.  I haven't tried any of the expensive floor or lap frames, but this one seems to work just fine for me.  Head over to Kathy's blog to see what handwork other people are taking time for on this slowpoke Sunday. 

Great Day

Today was one of those days where everything just worked out well.  The kids had a full schedule, with a Lego thing, then Girl Scouts followed by a football game.  I really wanted to go to an all day quilt marathon for Quilters Against Kids Hunger.  They make quilts for kids in need which are distributed through the schools.  Last year they made 375, this year I think the total is going to be about 380.  I volunteered to help out with the shuffling of kids, but my terrific and fabulous husband told me he would handle it all so I could go and quilt the day away. 
Sometimes I really like living in a small town.  I lived in Chicago for five years and was shocked to see a familiar face in the grocery store once.  Here, I am surprised if I don't run into friends while running out and about.  I learned long ago never to run out for milk in a grubby T-shirt for fear of being in line to pay behind your boss hoping she doesn't recognize you with the strained peas on your shoulder (true story), 
So first I saw the lady who first invited me to come, her husband works with mine and they go to the same church as my best girl friend.  Our husbands often chat about quilting and pass messages back and forth.  She is always very welcoming and wanted to make sure I wasn't feeling left out.  Then a couple of other Moms who are my age showed up.  I recognized one, though I didn't have a name to put with her face.  Turns out our kids all went to school together before we got rezoned and her husband works with mine as well.  Her daughters were there with her, but her son was at the same Lego thing as Kurt and my kids.  She introduced me to her friend whose kids used to go to my school and we were talking about her mom who teaches with me.  Then we realized that she goes to church with my neighbors who were also at the Lego thing because their dad is our other coach. 
She was hanging out with me talking quilting when Suzy came to sew.  I follow her blog, but we've only met once in person.  So we chatted for a while about quilts and such when the original friend who had worked so hard to make me feel welcomed just looked at me with a puzzled face and asked how I knew Suzy of all people.
I love where I live!  Though it isn't truly a small town, it feels that way. I did sew A LOT today, I did not take a single photo though, or sew a stitch on one of my own projects.  I think I will spend a few minutes tonight doing a little cleaning and organization in the sewing room so that I can have a frenzy of sewing tomorrow to make up for it.  I think it sounds like a great plan.   I hope you all had busy and productive days as well. 

ScrapHappy Saturday - Midpoint on Orange

Another orange Saturday has arrived.  Do you have lots of pumpkin colored plans?  Check out the RSC12 tab at the top of the page if you need a little bit or inspiration.  I have candy corn on my mind.  There is a spot by the front door where I like to hang a seasonal quilt, and it would be fun to have some holidays pop up in the rotation.  Use the linky below to share your own progress in the spectrum of orange. 

Tiny Tuesday - Cactus Rose

 I was out of Midget Applique block that I liked and went searching for other blocks that were the right size.  Dear Jane would work of course, but I plan to make the full quilt someday and would rather find unique blocks. 

I found this one as a BOM from 2010 on the Dear Jane sight.  It is called Cactus Rose. The diamonds were pieced together before getting appliqued down to the background along with the stem.  I love the green of the stem, it has such a nice reproduction feel to it. 

Done!

I facilitated two sessions at today's in-service, attended four others, took the kids out to dinner, polished off this HUGE stack of papers, updated and posted grades as well as catching up on e-mail.  I will feel NO guilt about spending the rest of the evening sewing some binding and meditating in front of some mind numbing TV.  Tomorrow is the first day of a new week and I am already DONE. 

Design Wall Monday September 10, 2012

Though this wasn't a big sewing weekend, I did make a little bit of progress on Hawaii Sunset.  Most of the work was cutting and organizing, so doesn't show up on the wall quite yet, but I did get a few more geese done along with some sashing of nine patches and leader and ender 4 patches.  Slow and steady will get me there some day.  Head over to patchworktimes to see what other people have up on their design walls this week.