All In

As you know, if you have been reading my blog for the last couple of months, that I have been working on some older unfinished BOM's.  One of these is called the Land of Lincoln Sampler, and I have been posting a block about once a week showing the progress of getting the BOM done.  Well, the other night, I realized I only had three blocks left to do, so I cut them all out and have gotten them all sewn up.  Here are the last three blocks in the Land of Lincoln Sampler:


This is block 11, and it is called,  Army Star.  Not one of my favorites...

This is block 12, and it is called, Star of Valor.  This one looks too Christmas for my liking, so hopefully it will fit in better when the quilt gets put together.

And this is block 13, and it is called of course, Log Cabin.  Again, looks more Christmas than I would like, but we will see...

These are the setting blocks that will be placed between all of the 13 blocks I have been making over the last couple of months.  There are 12 of these, and will be placed going in one direction in one row and then the opposite direction in the next row.  I have all of these setting blocks completed,  and a couple of the rows already sewn together, so I should have the whole quilt top done by Monday evening and a post about it on Tuesday.  This weekend I am at a trade show with my husband, and that leaves little or no time to sew.

If you would like to see all the other blocks and past posts, just click on the label at the end of this post "Land of Lincoln Sampler", and all rest will come up for your viewing pleasure (smile).

Warmest...

Top is Done - UFO Project #3

The borders and sashings have been added and the UFO #3 project top is completed.  See, I told you the framing of the sections was awesome!  I thought the saw toothed border would take forever to complete, but I was able to cut it out, sew all the triangles (90) and sew the squares into strips and then sew them onto the quilt top sides all in one evening.  It gives the border a different look and a nice touch that you don't see too often.

Here is a close up of the corner of the pumpkin section, showing off the framing borders.

More of a close up of the pumpkin and the leaves.

Close up of the other pumpkin and leaves.

And a downward glance at the bottom leaves in the pumpkin section, and the maple leaves section.

I am going to be machine quilt this project, because I started hand quilting the last UFO #2 project, and that is going to take more time than I originally planned, and I don't want to delay getting projects done and up on display.  I plan on using a burnt orange thread for my machine quilting of this project.  Lynette Jensen, who designs all Thimbleberries, also came out with a line of thread to match her fabrics.  Years ago, when I was participating in these clubs, I purchased quite a bit of her thread, so I have the matching burnt orange that matches the pumpkins in this wall hanging.

Stay tuned for the final completed UFO #3 project.

Warmest...

Better Look at UFO Project#3

Here is a better look at the different sections of the UFO Project #3.  These sections will be put together with some awesome sashings and borders to make a wonderful wall hanging.  This is the third in the Thimbleberries club 2003, representing the fall season.  When I have all of the seasons done, I will post the finished results.  

This is the pumpkin and oak leaf section

And this is another leaf section, the pattern called it a maple leaf, which is a stretch, but still fits in with the overall look of the wall hanging.

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Sneak Peak at UFO Project #3

Here is a sneak peak at the next UFO project I am going to be working on the next few days. This is the third quarter project from Thimbleberries Club 2003.

A little hint, it's all about fall...

Did the pumpkins give it away?

Warmest...

New Addition to the Sewing Room

While out and about the other day, I stopped in the Goodwill store and came accross this too cute new sign. I have a a special area in my sewing room dedicated to wool crafts. And, i am always on the lookout for "wooly" kind of knick-knacks.  I saw this wooly sheep hanging off a Welcome sign, and knew it would fit in oerfectly in my wool area.

The only thing I didn't like was that it had '80's country look blue ribbon tied around it's neck and used to hang off the welcome sign.  So, I pulled out my wool strips and found a muted tan/off white piece to hang off the sign and around it's neck.  Aahh, so much better, and more updated.

Here it is hanging under my "Wool,Wool, and More Wool" sign.

Here is the close up.  Isn't it just too cute?

Warmest....

New Sewing Chair

I don't know about you, but I have been sewing on a leftover office chair for over 15 years.  I have recovered it twice, added more seat padding twice, and even tried to put foam on the base spokes for some comfort when resting my feet on them.  

I have been toying with the idea of purchasing a new chair, because the one I have is become so broken down, and had started causing some serious back pain while sewing.  I looked at the Koala brand chairs, but they run in price around $300 (Yikes).  But, I tried to justify the expense because of the back pain, and would probably not have to buy one again for the rest of my sewing years.

Well, hubby and I went into our local office supply store (not a big box one), to get him some stamps made for his business, and I went on a walk about the store while he was giving the clerk the specifics about his stamps.

Low and behold I came upon this beauty.  First off, it is rare to find a chair that doesn't have arms,  I find that the arms get in the way with table I sit at, and catches the fabric in ways that really frustrate me.

On top of that, this chair sits higher than all other office chairs because it is a drafting chair, designed to adjust to the high slanted tables that architects sit at to do their drawings.    Which is just perfect for me, because I am a tall long legged woman (been called an Amazon more that once in my life) and it fits my body and sewing set up to a tee.

And the cost was not bad either, as it was on sale from $389 down to $195, and as an added bonus, my dear sweet hubby bought it for me!!  I am one appreciative woman!! 

I did some sewing last night and I can't believe the difference!  The height is just right, as I don't have to lean over as much and the back pain was so much lessor than before.  And the ring at the bottom is just right for placing my feet, a nice resting place.  I am hoping to spend long hours for the rest of my sewing life in a very comfortable chair.

Warmest...

More UFO BOM Progress

I have to remind myself when I write posts that seem mundane, that I really started this blog as a way to chronicle all my sewing and crafting endeavors.  With that said, I have once again made some more progress on the two UFO BOM's I am working on these past few months.  I am more than three quarters of the way through each BOM and I'm getting excited to get the blocks done, so I can get them all sewn together.

This is the finished four 12" blocks of "A Civil War Tribute" BOM, month 8.

And this is block 9 of the "Land of Lincoln Sampler", called Corn and Beans.  So fare this is my favorite block in this sampler.

Thank you for following along, even with the mundane!

Warmest...

FQS Designer Mystery BOM Block 9

That time of the month has rolled around again, because when I returned home from my Quilt Run 101, the next block for the Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery BOM came in the mail and was waiting for me to get it opened and completed. I get so excited receiving each block, because one I don't know what it is going to be and to see how so darn cute it is time and time again.

This is block 9, which as you can see is another house. Cute, cute, cute...

To recap, so far there are three basket blocks, three star type fill-in blocks, and now three house blocks. Now it has me wondering what the last three blocks will be, and how it will all come together for the final top of the quilt.

So much fun!!

Warmest...

New Favorite Book

When I first started quilting, I bought almost every quilt book that came out on the market I had in mind of creating a huge quilt library, that I could go to at anytime and find a specific pattern. Well, all that did was begin to take up a lot of space, cost was getting to be a factor, and it wasn't as easy to go back and find that "pattern" I wanted at a later date as I once thought it would be.  So I slowed down my book buying about eight years ago, and in the last couple of years I only get me one or two a year.  Most of the time, If I really want a book, I wait until it is a couple of years old, and buy it second hand on Ebay.

But.  While I was on the quilt run this year, I spotted this book and looked through it, and liked it, but put it back and went around the store looking at other things.  While checking out, I thought I should take another look at the book, as I hadn't seen it anywhere else along the trip.

Looking at it again, I realized it had 40 patterns in the book. Most books don't have more than 7 - 10. And each pattern is so different from the others, and again, many of the books today have a pattern, and then different approaches for that one pattern and counting it as a separate pattern.

I also looked at getting this book, because I have so many scraps left from every BOM I have ever done, and want some various patterns to begin to use them up.  The Title caught my eye, as it says projects for 5" scraps.

This this the cover of the book.  Even the cover project is a good mix of scraps, but balanced nicely with a light to give the quilt some class.  Most scrappy quilts can look a little trashy to me.

Here is what one of the patterns look like when you open the book, with easy to read instructions and material lists.

If you expand this picture, it shows what the pattern would look like in different sizes.
This is done for every pattern in the book.

All in all, I really like this book.  I already have a couple of patterns in mind to use soon.  After looking through the whole book, I found I liked more than 90% of the patterns.

Warmest...

Yuwa

I have been absent for the past three days, as I went on the annual "Quilt Run 101" here in the Pacific Northwest.  You can read about how it works here, where I have written about it before.

Today, I am sharing my most favorite find.  This piece is by Yuwa, which is a Japanese manufacture of much sought after, buttery soft cotton available on the market.  This piece is called, Inspirations, and is a hodge podge of yummy rose prints, and all kinds of vintage sewing pictures.  My favorite part is the "R" monogram in a yellow square.  The shop did not have any of the other pieces that go with this, so I paired it up with a panel print of rose inspired hankies.  I'm thinking of making me a new I pad cover using this fabric.  Tomorrow I be back with a fantastic book I found on the trip.

Warmest...

Civil War Tribute, Month 8

Again today, I was able to work in some sewing time, in between canning more green chili.  I had the next month's block for the Civil War Tribute Block 8 already cut out before traveling, so all I had to do was sit down and begin sewing.

Month 8 block is a 12" block, and the pattern calls for  4 of them to be made.  I managed to only get one done today.  Even though only one was made today, it still gets me in the sewing room for a while, and gets me my sewing "fix" for the little addiction I have when it comes to spending time in my sewing room!

Warmest...

Land of Lincoln Sampler Block 9

I returned home mid-afternoon, Saturday, took a day of rest, and then hit the ground running today.  You see, I visit my parents who are in New Mexico.  While I am there, I always purchase large amounts of frozen red and green chili, and then stuff it all in a seprate suitcase and bring it home.  This time was no exception.  I brought back 45 pounds of green chili, and 50 pounds of red chili.  So today, I had to begin putting it "up" (which means getting it canned), so we can use it over the next couple of years.

Today, I woke up and started the long day processing/canning the some of the green chili into a sauce with cubed pork.  Each batch (6 quarts or  12 pints) takes about 3 hours to process .  I did 4 batches today, and  the next two days I will be busy finishing up the remainder of chili.

I did this block this evening, while the final batch was cooking in the pressure cooker, I stitched up Block 9 of the UFO BOM, Land of Lincoln.  This block is called "Yankee Puzzle".  Fortuntally, I had the block cut out before leaving town, so I was able to just sit down at the machine and just start sewing.  This block is super easy, using just half square triangles, and flying geese units.  Placement of the units and the placement of the fabric, makes the block look like a pinwheel.

Warmest...

More Antique Quilts

Yesterday, I spoke about the wonderful antique quilts found in the Oncologist's waiting room.  After we were called back to the patient rooms,  we were genuinely surprised again with more quilts.

This was hanging on the wall in the area where the patients get weighed.  It is all done is silk squares.  As we all know, silk from back then did not hold up well through the years.  This one was not exception.  There is more shredding of the material at the top blocks than the ones at the bottom of the quilt.  All in all, it is still a fabulous piece using silk for the material.

This just lovely log cabin quilt was hanging over a love seat in the second waiting room (one for patients getting chemo.  If you look real hard there are some bed runners draped over the chairs opposite side of the love seat also done in the log cabin blocks and the same materials.  I think it is a complete set for a double bed.

This is a close up of one of the blocks in the above quilt.

The final surprise came when we were seated in the patient room.  The fabric looks like it came from the 30's.  At least the green borders look to be from that time era.  I not sure what the pattern is for the blocks, but it wouldn't be too hard to reproduce, if one would want to try this quilt.

Tis is a close up of the block used in this quilt.  

All of these quilts were hand stitched and hand quilted, making them more meaningful.  And, I still think these quilts are at home in this office, bringing comfort to those having to come for treatment.

Warmest...

Nice Doctor's Waiting Room

While visiting my folks these last two weeks, I had an opportunity go on a visit with them to see a doctor.  Let me tell you it was such a pleasant surprise to see the decor in this waiting room.  There were old, antique quilts everywhere.

These are not the best picture, but I wanted to show how they were hanging on the walls in the waiting room.  As you can see the ceilings are very high with windows way up high letting in the perfect light.

Here are the close ups of both quilts respectively, and it looks like the first one is a friendship quilt, where individuals made a block and stitched their names in the center, then bordered it with half square triangle blocks.  

The second one, each block is embroidered with each of the states flower and the name of the state below the flowers.  And, it looks like each block is bordered by flying geese blocks.

 This nice, scalloped quilt didn't appear to be as old, but it was all hand stitched and hand quilted.  This was one of my favorites in the waiting room.

This quilt was also hand stitched and hand tied.  It consisted of different kind of wools.  The backing was just a plain white muslin.

This piece was odd to me, as the dresden plate block was padded and sewn on a strip of fabric.  

Here is one on the back of another waiting room sofa.  It was just a hodge lodge of pieces sewn together, with not particular pattern.

I asked the receptionist about the quilts in the waiting room and she told me that the doctor's family had collected them over the years, and decided to display them in the office so they could enjoy them daily and share them with the patients.

This is a Oncologist, a cancer doctor, so I think the quilts bring great comfort to those going through this painful and heartbreaking times.

More tomorrow...

Warmest...

Hand Quilting

Remember when I said I would be doing some hand quilting on the UFO Project #2 wallhanging?  Well, I haven't been getting much done, in fact, none.  But during the SuperBowl, I did manage to go around once on the outside border.  I started out using dark blue thread, but it made the wallhanging look dirty.  So I switched to a red thread, actually it is a top-stitch thread by DMC.  I think it looks much better.  

Warmest...