More Leftovers

I was looking for some backing pieces that I knew I had stored in some of my fabric bins out in the garage, so I as I was looking for these backing pieces, I came across a UFO that I had already cut out, but for some reason did not go ahead and get it sewn up.  I did get this stitched up before Christmas, but I have hit a little snag.  Read on and I will further explain.

The pattern called Fresh Tradition comes out of the magazine "American Patchwork and Quilting" in their February 2007 issue by the designer Darlene Zimmerman.  Darlene Zimmerman is famous for using 30's reproduction fabrics and has several fabric lines of her own.  Since I so like 30's reproduction fabrics so much, I really enjoy her patterns and fabrics.  In fact I have a lot of her different lines over the years.  As I have mentioned before, I have a large storage bin full of these fabrics.  

It is a simple four patch and what I call half a snowball block as seen in this close up picture.  

The pattern of the quilt top comes in the arrangement of the blocks.  I like the vintage look of the solid dark blue.  The dark blue at the bottom of the quilt top is the backing peeking out, as this picture shows the it all sandwiched together ready for the quilting I need to do next.

I

It should have had solid blue bindings, but then I would have had to piece the backing.   Now that I have it sandwiched and see a hint of what a blue border (it is the backing peeking out), I might have to change my mind and un-sandwich it, put on the blue borders and then piece the backing.  Sigh, I do so dislike doing double work.

Hint:  Bonnie Hunter has complete instructions to do this quilt pattern on her site "Quiltville" that you can fine here. She does hers in red, white, and blue, which gives you a different look of the same pattern.

Merry Christmas

I can't believe we are ready to celebrate Christmas, but here it is right now.  

See you after the first of the year!  Maybe sooner.....

Allietare Mystery Quilt Part 3 and 4

During the Christmas week, I have been working on keeping up with this years mystery quilt.  I have completed parts 3 and 4.  If you are interested in finding out more about this mystery quilt you can go here.



Part three picture:

Nothing special, just a simple 4-patch.

Part 4 pictures:

So there you have it, all the parts are done, and I am caught up!

Below is just for me and my keeping record of the fabric I am using in this quilt:

 For the red I am using Victorian Portrait by April Cornell for Moda.

The yellow is Urban Indigo by Joanna Figueroa and Lisa Quinn with Fig Tree Quilts for Moda.

The green (black substitute color from the Mystery colors chosen by Bonnie Hunter) is Back Home Again by Kaye England for Wilmington Prints.

The peach (gray substitute color form the Mystery colors chosen by Bonnie Hunter) is Urban Indigo by Joanna Figureroa and Lisa Quinn for Fig Tree Quilts by Moda.

And my neutral is Memories of Love by Maywood Studios.

Now waiting for part five.  The parts come out on Fridays, and since Christmas is Friday, not sure if we will get a clue before, on, or after Christmas.

Warmest...

Star Struck Quilt Done

Please Note:  I'll start out by saying the pictures are very good, as the lighting is poor this time of year in the Pacific Northwest.  We have had overcast and rain for days on end. Sorry, but I still wanted to get a post out, as I am pretty excited to have a completion under my belt.

Well it took me a few years (from 2007) to get this finished and on the bed.  Our bed it king size, and it only overlaps a couple of inches on each side.  

I wrote some about this quilt here, but not revealing much about it, only because I might not have gotten it done, and it would be just another half done project.  My resolutions this year was to get quilts done, and only do few new things.

Here are two closer views of each side of the quilt.

This is the borders and binding.

This is a close up of the quilting.

And of course the kitty found her way right away to find a nice spot on the new quilt.  I don't know how they know when you have new fabric, towels, clothes, etc. laying around, but they find it very fast and settle in nice and comfy.

Warmest...

Trying to keep up

I think I might have overextended what's on my plate.  I mean as far as taking on tow online projects, one sew along and the mystery quilt.  These are the next two blocks I have finished for the Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt.  I am currently 3 blocks behind, but hoping to get caught up this week.  I want to get them done before this Friday as the next part comes out for the Mystery Quilt.

When this block was assigned, I could not for the life of me, see a daffodil.  Really a daffodil?  I made it anyway and will always look at it and wonder.  A Daffodil????

Warmest...

Quiltville Mystery Quilt Allietare Part 2

I worked on this all day Saturday and finished this step.  It was a good day to be inside to sew, as it was a rainy cold day outside.

I had my partner in crime helping me while working:

You can see part two all cut out ready to start sewing in a cardboard box next to him.

I took my time, watching Downtown Abby (for the first time), and was able to accomplish getting the step completed. Actually part two is at the top of the picture and part one is at the bottom.

If you want to find out more information about this mystery quilt and see all the others who are participating you can go here which is a link to Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville blog and the post about this part.

Warmest...

Quiltville Mystry Quilt Allietare Part !

I posted awhile back that I decided to do this Mystery Quilt that Bonnie Hunter does every year.  I posted here about the material and colors I chose to use this year. The first clue came out the day after Thanksgiving and I was able to get all the required pieces cut out and all organized into units of 10.  This helps to keep track of the amount you need for this clue, which is 294 pieces!

I have three cardboard sheets holding 10 sets of 10 units for a total of 300 units.  This way I can a few extras if needed.

It took most of the week to get this part done, completing them this morning. Here is the finished results:

I then laid another piece of cardboard on top of this top sheet and rubber band all four sheets together, which holds the pieces in place until I am ready to use them to make bigger units down the road in future parts.  I like this better than using paper plates.  Once the pieces are used, I just file the cardboard sheets away until the next project.

If interested in doing this project, finding out more information, or seeing what others are doing with this mystery quilt, you can go here and it will take it you to Bonnie's blog, Quiltville and the tab Allietare Mystery Quilt.

I will be participating on her blog in her weekly linky party for Part 1, and I will be back in a couple of days to post about Part 2, as it came out yesterday.

Warmest...

Picture Day

Today's post will have lots of pictures of the projects I have gotten done, but unable to get pictures.

This was a UFO BOM from 2009, I had the 13 blocks done, plus the medallion pieced center (the pattern has an appliquéd center, but I chose to do the pieced center)

Here is a peek of the folded quilt top and the backing.  It is off to the quilter tomorrow.  

The whole quilt was made using the line called Williams Inn by Nancy Halverson 

The town I live in is fairly small, about 150,000 people, and so our resources are sometimes pretty slim, and there is always a place to be charitable.  We have a small hospice center that has a christmas ornament auction for it's annual fund raising.  They put an add in our local paper asking all quilters to make and donate quilted christmas ornaments for this years auction.  I wanted to make ten, but time got away from me, so I only ended up getting six completed.  They were hoping to get about 500 donated, so I am hoping there are other quilters in our small town that will step up and help them out.

I bought this pre-printed fabric apron pattern quite a few year back.  I wanted / needed a new apron (and yes I use one when I cook, it saves lots of food spots on my clothes), particularly a full body one.

Here is the finished product.  Almost too cute and pretty to use.

Close up of one of the two pockets.  Yes the lace edging was included in the pattern package.

Close up to the bottom ruffled edge.

Finally, this is the "Leftover Quilt" that I made with the scraps leftover from the basket quilt BOM that I wrote about here.  I made a simple nine-patch, and did some even simpler quilting.

I bound it with the same muslin that I used in the quilt.  I found it gave it an older simple look that I really like.  

The backing is also from Moda like the prints used in the blocks, just not from the same designer, but it has most of the colors from the front, and blends really well.  The added bonus is that I picked up this backing at a garage sale for $3.00.  So the whole quilt is nothing but gathered bits and pieces of scraps. 

This is about the best I could do for a full view picture of the quilt.  It quilted up nicely, lays and folds beautiful.  I haven't even washed it yet and it is soft and molds to you when used.  

My new motto:  Simple is better!

Warmest...

A Little of This and A Lot of That

First up is a lot of that, yes, more of those pesky little Farmer's Wife Sampler blocks.  Remember the sew-a-long is releasing two blocks a week, but I am trying to do more than that, so I can be done with this project.

The biggest reason for wanting to get done with this project is I have become to really dislike the technique of making them.  I swear and promise, I have done everything in my power to like this Paper Piecing way of making blocks, but it is just not coming to attrition.  I still have all the same complaints that I have written about before, the waste of fabric, the time it takes to make a block, and the difficulty I am having making the paper pricing to work.  The learning curve should be over by now, as I am a fifth of the way done with the project, and it still is difficult.  Blocks are taking three to four hours to complete, I spend more time ripping out the pieces over and over again, and thinking opposite and backwards in laying down the fabric before sewing is not how my brain works.

I enjoy quilting too much to be spending this torturous time and effort on this project, or paper piecing ever again.  But, if anything, I will see this project through to the end and to do so, I will have to do several blocks a week.  

The weather has been so overcast here, so much so, that I haven't been able to take pics of the other projects I have completed.  I have done an apron, another completion of a UFO BOM that I started back in 2009, and quilt block Christmas ornaments for a charity.  Hopefully in the next few days I can get pictures of these and get them posted.

Warmest...

Leftovers and More

I had lots of leftover fabric from the basket quilt from my last post.  I decided to stitch it up into a nine patch scrappy.  It is under my needle getting quilted this week.  

I have also kept up on the weekly blocks from the Farmer's Wife 30's Sampler quilt along.

Not sure if any of you remember last year when I participated in Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt, Grand Illusion, but it was so much fun, that I decided to participate in this year's mystery quilt.

This year's mystery quilt is called Allietare, based on her tour she went on in Italy earlier this year. if interested, click on the highlighted Allietare and it will take you to her blog and you can find out all the details.

Again, this year, I am determined to use up fabric found in my stash.  But looking into my stash,  I found that I didn't have some of the colors Bonnie recommended (see the paint cards in the picture).  So, I pulled full yardage pieces (as opposed to scraps or fat quarters) and ended up pulling some Moda Fig Tree pieces from various collections.  What is nice with Moda's lines of fabric, that even if it is from several collections, the colors and patterns will generally match and go together just fine.  So this will be more of a matched mystery quilt instead of a scrappy one.  If interested in viewing what other quilters are pulling from their stash and their scraps, you can see lots of pictures on Bonnie's Quiltville Face Book page. The actual clues and sewing doesn't begin until the day after Thanksgiving, and the revel on New Year's day.  I will be posting the progress when the fun begins.

Warmest...