Sewing Vacation Part Deux

Friday was my day to drive up Paducha and search Hancocks for backings and borders for my projects.  

I found this blues/white geometric fabric that will make the perfect backing for Cracker Barrel



 I had to search long and hard for a border fabric for the blue baby quilt.  I walked up and down every aisle in search of something perfect.  I thought  the clamshell design in this fabric mimicked the circular dots in the blue sashing.  Also the variety of colors seemed to blend with the colors in the toile.

 

Next I needed something to bring all the colors of the Quiltmakers Block Swap quilt together.  I think this pink floral fit the bill nicely.  I draws on the floral shapes of the center block, the pink of the border and the pale orange and green throughout.  I even found another small piece of pale green on the discount table to use for binding.

I spent a lot of time browsing through the discount table at the front of the store...looking for nothing in particular.  These fabrics struck me as pretty and I will be making placemats with them when I get home.

I also found this beach themed fabric... perfect to use for a backing or borders for my Happiness Key wall hanging designed by Pat Sloan a couple years ago.  That is another project that I must pull out and finish one of these days.

It had been a day of threatening storms... nothing happened here at the cabin but I drove through some heavy downpours both to and from Paducha.   I quickly cut and stitched the newly acquired borders and now have 4 tops ready for quilting..(pink baby, blue baby, quiltmakers and cracker barrel)

 

Just before sunset the sun peaked through the clouds and gave us a spectacular rainbow!  I hope the pictures on my camera capture it better than this phone picture.  It only lasted a minute, but it was gorgeous!

A Sewing Vacation

I have really enjoyed my vacation this past week.  We rented a cabin on Lake Barkley in KY.  One bedroom, a couple of pull-out couches... just perfect for the three of us.  It was a bit crowded when my daughter and grandsons came for a visit mid-week, but we're family and it's good to be close... once in a while...for a short time.

Although I've taken pictures with my camera, I forgot the cord to connect and download to the computer, so for now, these pictures are emailed and downloaded from my phone..a bit blurry, but good enough.

I set up my little 221 featherweight in the corner behind the kitchen table and had a blast sewing away on UFOs that I never could find time to complete at home.

    

The most important project of the week was to embroider a face on Bunny.  I had made this bunny as an Easter present for my oldest grandson from one of his receiving blankets when he was 2.  He was always carrying his blanket around and tripping over it.  So, rather than have him looking like a bruised up Linus, I decided a stuffed toy would be easier to carry.  Now that he is 5, he has been asking me to give Bunny a face.

 



He was thrilled to arrive at the cabin for a visit to find Bunny with a face laying on his sleeping bag.

I also made both boys a pair of Lightning McQueen pajama pants.  I have more fabric to make a matching top, but that will have to wait.  They have gone home and I have no T-shirts of theirs to use as a pattern.

First quilt done was Cracker Barrel... a UFO from 2007.  I had been working on these blocks as a leader/ender since January.  The rail fences were made and all the white triangles sewn on.  Several hours  of happily chain-piecing while also  watching the World Cup games and the blue triangles were sewn on too.  The blocks and rows were quickly assembled, borders on and call it done (except for the quilting!)

Next up was my Quiltmakers Block Party swap blocks from 2012. I had gone to Williamsburg, took Bonnies three classes and participated in the swap and haven't touched any of it since returning home.  

I had made and received 12 blocks, but some of them just didn't seem to fit the designated color-way and I just couldn't include those odd-balls in this quilt.  I  raided my stash and found the pink for sashing.

Next was to sew together another pink charm-square quilt.  These are my most popular item I have made and sold for the last 5 years...and I need a few for the upcoming shows in the fall.  I collect various pale pinks, cut 5inch charms, a white inner border and then find a final outer border.  It's an easy quilt to piece together in just a couple hours.

 

 

This next project is a BOM designed by Pat Sloan.  I made the first block back in January when the sew-along began... and then just never found time to make each additional monthly block.  I am really happy to be able to get caught up with these.  The first block is a 24in center and other blocks are 10in and will surround the center block.  I am all caught up  now and ready for the new block in July.

 

 

 

 

This next quilt I made from some blocks I had in my stash.  I had made these blocks several years ago, but not really liking them, I put them aside.  I decided now was the time to do something with them. I am sure I had more of this fabric to finish the quilt, but it has disappeared over time.  While I don't love this it is done, and maybe someone will have a little baby boy that can love it.

  

 



There are more pictures and projects to show... but I'll save that for another post.

 

 

Totals for June 2014

This birdhouse quilt for a customer was my custom quilt this month... made by the sister of the donkey quiltmaker.  This was a bit quicker finish than last month's donkeys...  I guess the more of these types of quilts I do the easier and quicker they finish.  There was some stitch-in-ditch (SID), outlining of shapes and then a small stipple meander for background fill-in.  

I have three more custom quilts to work on this summer... the third one being another donkey quilt!  The two sisters make the same pattern together (although one is a bit faster at completing than the other).  I won't be getting the second birdhouse quilt though... she decided to make one block at a time and quilted it on her DSM before assembling into a quilt.  Not to fear... they have other projects in the making for me to quilt for them!

My dancing 9patch for my great niece is now quilted and bound and ready for delivery.
I quilted and bound the pink squares babyquilt that I started to sew along with Peggy while she made her first quilt for her granddaughter.
I pulled out 6 red/blue placemats I made last fall and got the binding done on them.  
I also pulled out a quilt-as-you-go tablerunner kit that I purchased at an FCE craft camp and stitched and bound that.  I'd never done quilt as you go before.  It's a good option for those that don't have a longarm... but I prefer to quilt on my longarm :)

I am working on organizing a bunch of UFOs to take on vacation in hopes of completing at least a few of them.  I think I've found 10 so far! 

After vacation I'll get back to working on my Celtic Solstice and I think I may use Talkin Turkey as a leader/ender for that one.  Hopefully I'll get at least one of them assembled into a flimsy before Bonnie's next mystery in November.

WORK COMPLETED IN June 2014
 ....03....customer tops quilted (YTD  30)
.....02.....customer quilts bound (YTD  8 )
.....00.....flimsy completed waiting for quilting (YTD )
......02.......quilted flimsy (YTD 4... OB, Owls, pink squares, dancing 9)
.....15.....hand-work hours (85TD )

Bonnie Projects in Progress

............... Celtic Solstice Step 1 blue triangles cut( 350 of 380 pairs)
............... Celtic Solstice Step 1 white and orange star points cut (380 of 380)
..............  Celtic Solstice Step 1 orange star point units sewed (50 of 140)
............... Celtic Solstice Step 1 white star point units sewed (100 of 240)

.....00.....cheddar bowties blocks hand-pieced (YTD  6  of  81in 2013)   ...  (81 of 162 in 2012)
.....00.....cheddar bowtie rows stitched (YTD  0 .... 9 of 18 in 2012)
.............. Talkin Turkey..... 2 blocks complete plus parts
.............. Midnight Flight....1 block complete plus parts
.............. Winston Ways... 2 blocks complete plus parts

UFOs – WIPs

2006 Barn Blocks
2009 1950s Santa

2009 Sunbonnet sue …prairie point borders

2010 Swartz Creek Quilt
2010 Vicksburg BOM 

2011 Cheddar Bowties 
2011 Happiness Key

2011 Novelty Quilt (pat sloan)

2011 Dear Jane/Hot Momma Rose

2012 Basic Class Wall Hanging…. Borders, quilting

2012 Winston Ways

2012 Turkey Tracks

2012 Midnight Flight 
2012 Pillow Cover …assembly

2012 Red/White D4P…assembly

2013 Daisy placemats/runner (sept)…. needs binding

2013 Florals & 9Patch (aug)

2013 Maddie Bea Sweet & Sassy (becky’s barn)

2013 Spring Wall Hanging (WSS project)

2013 Becky’s Barn Basket wall hanging… borders, quilting

2013 Celtic Solstice (nov)

2014 Cracker Barrel - Blue/White strip quilt (jan)… L/E for CS

Waiting to be Quilted

2006 Rosewood Cottage.. quilting by hand

2007Monkey Wrench BOM ...for sale

2014 Completed Projects

march..Orca Bay (started nov 2012)
June....Pink baby squares (started may 2014)
june....Dancing 9 (started march 2014)

june....blue floral placemats (started sept 2013)

2014 Totals - May

This month I made a new quilty friend... teaching her how to make a quilt for her granddaughter from baby clothing. 

 

I worked on a pink squares baby quilt along side her to give her confidence and reduce my stash a bit.

It took me quite a bit of time, but I finished my first custom quilt of the year... donkeys!  Lots of stitch-in-ditch and free motion background quilting.  3 more customs to go!

I made progress on my Dancing 9 and it is now a flimsy ready to load on the quilter. I hope my new great niece will love it!

I worked on Cracker Barrel as an L/E ... all of the white triangles are attached. Now I need to cut the blues to sew on the opposite sides.  I'm ready to get back to working on my Celtic Solstice again.

I did some studio cleaning and organizing as well as household organizing with help from my grandson.  Now most of his toys have a place to be :)

Last but not least, I did work on my Spring Wall Hanging and have all the flowers stitched down.  Next.... the leaves! (I thought I had a picture but can't find it right now... will post one later)


WORK COMPLETED IN May 2014
 ....05....customer tops quilted (YTD  27)
.....01.....customer quilts bound (YTD  6)
.....00.....flimsy completed waiting for quilting (YTD )
......00.......quilted flimsy (YTD 2... OB, Owls)
.....10.....hand-work hours (70TD )

Bonnie Projects in Progress

....done..Orca Bay
............... Celtic Solstice Step 1 blue triangles cut( 350 of 380 pairs)
............... Celtic Solstice Step 1 white and orange star points cut (380 of 380)
..............  Celtic Solstice Step 1 orange star point units sewed (50 of 140)
............... Celtic Solstice Step 1 white star point units sewed (100 of 240)
..flimsy..... Dancing 9s  9patches made (YTD 64 of 64)

.....00.....cheddar bowties blocks hand-pieced (YTD  6  of  81in 2013)   ...  (81 of 162 in 2012)
.....00.....cheddar bowtie rows stitched (YTD  0 .... 9 of 18 in 2012)
.............. Talkin Turkey..... 2 blocks complete plus parts
.............. Midnight Flight....1 block complete plus parts
.............. Winston Ways... 2 blocks complete plus parts

UFOs – WIPs

2006 Barn Blocks
2009 1950s Santa

2009 Sunbonnet sue …prairie point borders

2010 Swartz Creek Quilt
2010 Vicksburg BOM 

2011 Cheddar Bowties 
2011 Happiness Key

2011 Novelty Quilt (pat sloan)

2011 Dear Jane/Hot Momma Rose

2012 Basic Class Wall Hanging…. Borders, quilting

2012 Winston Ways

2012 Turkey Tracks

2012 Midnight Flight 
2012 Pillow Cover …assembly

2012 Red/White D4P…assembly

2013 Daisy placemats/runner (sept)…. needs binding

2013 Red blue floral placemats (sept)…. Needs binding
2013 Florals & 9Patch (aug)

2013 Maddie Bea Sweet & Sassy (becky’s barn)

2013 Spring Wall Hanging (WSS project)

2013 Becky’s Barn Basket wall hanging… borders, quilting

2013 Celtic Solstice (nov)

2014 Cracker Barrel - Blue/White strip quilt (jan)… L/E for CS

Waiting to be Quilted

Rosewood Cottage (since 2006) quilting by hand

Monkey Wrench BOM (since 2007) for sale

Pink baby squares
Dancing 9