Catching Up

I have been working on a few things, just not enough to get done and get posted.  Life and circumstances have a way of changing things a bit.

I have a few projects that I have been focusing on and off for the better part of 2019.  Mostly projects that I started and need to get finished.  I am planning on doing that for the rest of the year as I want to get all my UFO's done.  My past UFO's have included both actual projects I started and then there were programs that I purchased in the past and never started.  I am going to concentrate on working on only UFO's that I have actually started, for instance, BOM blocks are done, but need the assembly (sashing), borders, quilting, and binding, or projects that have been cut out and need assembly.

My first UFO is a Leader and Ender (by Bonnie Hunter at Quitville.com) from 2012 called Cheddar Bow Ties.  I have been working on this since 2013.  I wanted to have a total scrappy look, by not having any repeats in the blocks.  I planned on making two twin bed sized quilts, but ran out of the Cheddar I was using as the background fabric, so I found a solid cheddar fabric to continue to use, and ended up making a king size.

I ended up assembling them by alternating the printed cheddar background and the solid cheddar background.  It is now ready to head off to the long arm quilter.

The second UFO project that I have been working on this year has been the Leader and Ender from July 2018.  It was called Jewel Box Stars once again from Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.com.  Once again, I have opted to use my abundant amount of Thimbleberries scraps to do this project.  

I still have some assembly to do, and a border to add, and this will be off to the long arm quilter.

My third, fourth and fifth project is not really a UFO,  but projects I work in while working on my main projects.  I make Quilt of Valor blocks for a FB group.   Starting last fall,  had a mystery block program, and I had been keeping up with the blocks until recently.  I have three left to do.

Each month the fabric layout changes, but the pattern is the same each month. It was quite surprising how the block looks so differently just by changing the fabric layout.   This is a sample of a couple of the blocks:

Then I did a presentation of a quilt made with donated blocks from this FB group, and one of the members quilted it and sent it to me to finish it.

As soon as I got it bound and the label put on, I was able to present it to the Veteran.

The third QOV quilt is for a friend of ours that I took his army uniforms and made two memory stuffed animals (one for his wife and one for his daughter), and then I also made a quilt for him.  More about the stuffed animals here.

My fourth UFO is completed to the quilting phase.  I still need to cut the binding, bind it and take final pictures.  This one is from a monthly program back in 2009 for the month of June.  Each month the online shop Main Street Cotton Shoppe (no longer in business) would send a complete quilt kit that matched one in Lynette Jensen's book "Celebration of Quilts".  The program was called "Anniversary Club".  This month's quilt was called "Child's Play".  I did have a start of posting about it here.

Then the last project I have been working on is the annual Quiltville Mystery Quilt, called Good Fortune for 2018.  Usually, I have this done during the time the mystery is going on, from Thanksgiving to New Year's, but I am still working on getting the piecing done. Again, I am trying to use up my Thimbleberries scraps on this mystery quilt.   I have one more border to do, and then it is off to the long arm quilter.  

As soon as these are completed, I will do an individual post with more information and pictures, because I am using the blog mostly now to document my different finished quilts.  

2018 Finishes - Garden Party #55

This is a table runner from the Thimbleberries program "You're Invited" for the month of March 2007.  When I am typing these dates, I think wow, that was a long time ago, many years ago.  There is no feeling like getting all of these projects finished.  The baggage of unfinished projects can be heavy and discouraging in our quilting world.

Take this table runner for example,  I put it aside this top as the pattern called for quite a bit of appliqué in and around the center blocks.  I don't really like doing appliqué, so I put it away.  When I set out to finish my UFO's, I told myself that I didn't need to do my projects like the pattern, and could do without the appliqué!  What a feeling of control and freedom.  This project turned out simple and something I really like without the appliqué.  We need to learn to do what we like and what it takes to complete projects.

It is a fairly large table runner, measuring 27" X 52".  I have a table it will fit, but I haven't used it yet.  I'm thinking of using it a gift for a distant friend who really appreciates the work that goes into these projects.  

Also, I had to get creative for the backing.  This is a different color value that Thimbleberries tried (and failed in my humble opinion), but it then cause difficulty in getting a matching or a close to matching fabric to use on the back.  Then, I remembered that during the participation in this program, they sent me two of these kits by a mail mix up, when I called about it they told me I could just keep the second kit for free.  I dug through my bins of kits and found the duplicate, and I had enough to create a backing using two of the fabrics from the front.  Win! Win!  The rest of the kit went into the scrap bin for future scrap quilts.

Warmest...

Size: 27" x 52"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Red, Yellow, Blue, Green

Pattern:  Garden Party (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 03/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Farmer's Wife #52

Going back to July 2011, another blogger started a quilt along doing the Farmer's Wife sampler quilt.  This was really popular around that time,  and several bloggers and local quilt shops were doing it either as a quilt along or a BOM.  I had already purchased the book several months earlier (you can purchase one here on Amazon, or anywhere else you want to get a copy.  The local library might have one too.  This sampler is by Laurie Aaron Hird, and has a total of 111 sampler blocks.  The book comes with an accompanying CD rom with all of the templates.  Marti Michell also has most of the templates in acrylic to use with this sampler.

In the book, the first half of the book shows a completed block along with a letter from 1920's wives that inspired each block.  The second half of the book has a page for each block, showing cutting instructions and construction diagrams.  

I jumped all in, really excited.  I printed all the templated out on card stock, cut them out, and started cutting out each block. I blogged about each block I made.  I was so into this sampler, that I opted to do it in two separate color ways.  One in civil war reproductions and the other with a fabric line called Breath of Avignon by American Jane from Moda fabrics.

I used both the acrylic templates and the card stock templates to get each block, then placing the cut pieces in an individual zip lot sandwich baggie for construction at a later date.   Little did I know, until I was in too deep of construction, that the card stock templates were copied at normal printing (which is at about 98%) instead of setting my printer to print them at 100%.   So, many of my blocks were off up to a quarter of an inch.

Some of my blocks came out 6.5 inches and some came out at 6.0 inches.  Panic time!!!  I gave it some serious thought.  One, do I trash the whole project and move on, wasting all that fabric, or two figure out how to make it all work together. 

I took option 2.  I took the framing fabric and added an additional 1/2" to the blocks that were too small, and then framed all the blocks according to the directions.  Anyone looking at it would not see the correction.  It takes only me to know what happened and the fix.  Especially after it was quilted, there is no glaring or even an easily noticeable fix to the error.

I am still working on how to fix the other color way to get that quilt done.  I am guessing this one will fall under my 2019 Finishes.  

To read about my finished quilt on the blogger who started the quilt along, please go here.

Here are some up close pictures of the different blocks and the finished framing and cornerstones, and you can't tell.  

I opted not to add any borders other than the offsetting triangles and bound it with the same fabric I used in framing the blocks.

I tried to get a picture of all the blocks used in the sampler.  Just a note about the blocks done in this sampler.  Remember they are only 6.5" square, and some of them had up to 65 pieces per block.  Sometimes it would take about 2 to 3 hours per block to make.  

This quilt requires lots of time and planning.  

Warmest...

Size: 72" x 84"

Fabric Lines Used:  Civil War Reproductions

Colors:  Black Gold, Orange, Green, red, blue, purple, yellow

Pattern:  The Farmer's Wife

Designer:  Laurie Arron Hird

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2011

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Sugar Pines - #51

This finish is another quilt from the Thimbleberries program called "You're Invited".  It was a kit for the month of July back in 2007.   I believe it is a table topper, but if I had given it more thought, I think it would have been a great Christmas tree skirt.

The piece measures 46" X 46", with four focus blocks that have an embroidered leafless tree in each block.  

I opted to do the embroidery on my domestic machine. using a simple zig-zag stitch.  Once it was quilted, it looked just as nice as if I had done it by hand.

This kit was done in darker Christmas colors and a border with a Christmas flower.

I the binding is done in red and the backing has all the colors of the front of the kit.

Warmest...

Size: 46" x 46"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors: Gold, Green, Red

Pattern:  Sugar Pines (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 07/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Star Blossom - #49

I am working my way through the programs that I have kits from, and this is another one from the Thimbleberries program "You're Invited" for April 2007.  It is called "Star Blossom" and is a quilt / table topper.   This one would look nice on a table because of the way the five stars are laid out in the middle.

This has a fall look about it with the colors used in the top.

Just a close up of the star, and the other blocks.  I used a scrappy binding to use up the leftover fabric from the top.

I have used this backing on several of my Thimbleberries quilts, as it has the colors of most of Lynette's color palette, and it comes in a 108" width, making it an easy go to fabric for a lot of these quilt kits.  

Size: 42" x 42"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries 

Colors:  Black Gold, red, Green

Pattern:  Star Blossom (Thimbleberries "You're Invited" 04/07)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2007

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - Prairie Primrose - #48

This one is so different from most of my quilts, but is one of my favorites and now has a home on my bed.  This quilt is called Prairie Primrose out of a book called Simple Traditions by Kim Diehl.  The monthly program was through Homestead Hearth for twelve months, starting in December 2006.  You can read more about it here, as I was blogging when I decided to pick up this project and start working on it again.

It is a king sized over large quilt measuring at 104" X 104".  Each appliquéd block measures 20" X 20", before adding on the sashing and corner stones.   The fabric is from Kansas Troubles Bound to the Prairie II line by Moda.

I was able to get the top completed up to the outside border and setting corners.  Actually, I had already appliquéd the setting corners, but the pattern called for a vining appliqué to be done on the wide plain border.  I kept putting it off, as it would be a horrendous time consumer.  Then, I had the bright idea of just finishing with no appliqué on the border.  The borders hang off of  the bed, and it looks perfect with out the appliqué.  I am delighted that I went ahead and finished this way, as it is done and looking lovely!

The below pictures are close ups of each block, each done in a different color, causing the quilt to flow and not look flat.

The overly bright sun doesn't really show the appliqué, but I did it with a blanket stitch on my domestic machine.

I chose to do a scrappy binding, as I had lots of green left over from not choosing to do the green vine appliqué on the border.

The backing is one that has some of the colors from the front of the quilt.  I wished I had gone ahead and used a more matching Kanas Troubles fabric, but the backing rarely gets seen, so I am still happy that it is all done.

Size: 104" x 104"

Fabric Lines Used:  Kansas Troubles Bound to the Prairie II

Colors: Green, Wine, gold, blue, red

Pattern:  Prairie Primrose (Simple Traditions)

Designer: Kim Diehl

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2006

Year Completed: 2018

2018 Finishes - TB Frizzle Frazzle - #46

This is a quilt top that I finished all except the borders, back in 2006 or 2007.  My memory gets a little fuzzy about projects, mostly because I didn't start tracking in writing about what I was working on until around 2012 when I started this blog.

This is another yearly program, where you get a kit a month, by Thimbleberries called, "You're Invited", and this kit is for June, 2006.

This quilt is made with flannels and homespun plaids.  The two plaid prints that are the square in a square sewn on top of the flannel square.  I used a zig zag to stitch on these squares leaving the raw edges exposed. All I had to do to finish it this year was to add the borders, find a close matching backing, get it quilted, and get it bound.

I gave this quilt to my husband to use in the mornings during the winter, while the house is warming up.  He drinks coffee and has a bite of breakfast before going to work and wanted something that was warm but not heavy.  This quilt is only the flannel top and a flannel back, with no batting in the middle.  He said it works perfect for him.  It is also long enough for his 6'1" frame, so his feet are covered too!

Here is a close up of the homespun square in a square patches on the flannel blocks.  

This is a close up of the flannel borders used in this quilt, and I used the backing flannel for the binding.

Here is a better picture of the binding of the backing that was used for this quilt.  This is the quilt that I wanted to use #45's quilt top for it's backing, but the #45 quilt was way smaller, and ended up not working as a backing, so that is why I went ahead and made #45 "Campfire".  The backing is by Wool & Needle Flannels by Primative Gatherings, as I had to get a close matching backing, as it is 12 years later that I get this one out to finish.  

My long arm quilter used an all over stipple to do this quilt, and she stippled over the appliquéd square in a square blocks, which will help with the fraying and holding it down better.

Warmest

Size: 68" x 81"

Fabric Lines Used:  Thimbleberries Flannel

Colors:  Red, Green Gold, Brown

Pattern:  Frizzle Frazzle (Lynette"s "You're Invited" 05/06)

Designer:  Lynette Jensen

Long Arm Quilter:  Carol Nelson

Year Began: 2006

Year Completed: 2018