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.

 

 

Sewing Day!

I have had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon.  No grandson to watch so I've been catching up on laundry and bill paying and sewing!

I completed the last of the nine blocks for the Quiltmakers Swap Party,  I like them so much laid out like this I almost hate to give them away.... but I look forward to seeing what I get in return.

The pattern is Birthday Girl by Bonnie Hunter in Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Volume 2 #174

I have also been working on Orca Bay as a leader/ender project.  I decided not to make the queen size quilt that the pattern calls for. I'm aiming for a smaller lap size quilt requiring far fewer components to make.  I  plan to make approximately half the number required for the original quilt and see what it looks like.  I can go back and make more of whatever is needed to make a nice size quilt.

As you can see, I'm doing a different color-way... instead of black and white I'm doing purple and gold.  These are the colors of the local college TN Tech.  My girls were attending when I started this and I thought maybe one of them would like it.   They both have dropped out for now but both are saying they want to go back someday. I guess whomever graduates first gets it!

Step one requires 224 2.5in hourglass blocks... I made 21/112 so far.

Step two requires 72 3.5in string blocks... I have made 20/36 so far.

Step 3 calls for 350 2in HSTs... Today I whipped up 120/175 quickly and easily!

When I started this project I did not have the specialty rulers that Bonnie suggests using... the Easy Angle Ruler and the Companion Ruler.  I now have both rulers and am amazed at how much faster it is to make these components.  I'm anxious to see what this will look like so I'm not making all the necessary components right now... just some of each step until I have everything to assemble the blocks and see what this colorway looks like. 

Next up is Step 4 requiring 64 5.5in string blocks.. but only 32 for me!

The Problem with Chain Piecing

I love chain piecing... it is an efficient way creating identical block parts one after another... mindless work that quickly gets the job done.

The problem  is when I do something wrong... like stitching the yellow square on in the wrong direction.
And since I'm chain piecing I do it wrong multiple times  (in this case 72 wrongly sewn blocks).  I sewed.  I pressed.   I should have double checked before cutting off the bonus triangles... but nooooo!

And of course, I have no more of this fabric!  I bought it last year when I was in East Tennessee.  It was one of those sales where there is a pile of assorted scraps and you fill your bag with whatever you want for a few dollars.  I don't have time to spend the day driving back East in hopes of finding more, so I gave my husband a fabric sample as he headed out the door to work and if I didn't find anything in town... as a last ditch effort... I would call him and he would go to the quilt shop near work to look for something for me. (Isn't he the best!)  So I spent way too much time this morning driving around town looking for a replacement... willing the fabrics I saw in front of me to match.  Unfortunately, the local quilt shop is closing soon and is down to bare bones with nothing even close. I found some near misses in  Hobby Lobby, Hancocks or even Wal-Mart... but nothing that spoke to me like the original fabric.  I called my husband at work and he went over on his lunch hour and came home with  a couple possibilities.

Here are the 3 best alternatives

I'm not really loving any one of them so I'll make several blocks with each alternative and that will be that.  They don't look bad, they just aren't as good as the original to me.  (sigh)

UFO Update... Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there.   It's been just a year since we lost my Dad... but we will celebrate with my husband... my children's Dad and I'm sure Pop will be with us in spirit.

POP

Yesterday I was up early and got all the cutting done for my swap blocks before my grandson was up and running.

I stayed busy all day with my grandson... who is a very busy, non-stop three year old. 

Putting some of that energy to good use!

We got out to the garden and picked blueberries and blackberries with a minimum number of dropped berries and stomped plants!  Then came in for some berry topped ice-cream YUMM!

Last evening while he watched Scooby-doo and settled down a bit before bed I drew the lines.  I still haven't figured a more efficient way to do this... If anyone has any ideas, please let me know as I have 144 squares to mark.

This morning... I was up at 5am and while everyone slept (especially and including the grandson) I spent two hours sewing....

chain piecing

Using Orca Bay string blocks as a leader/ender

Chain sewed the squares on each side of the rectangle

Chain sewed each one a second time to make Bonus Blocks... Bonnie would be proud!

Snipped off the Bonus Blocks

First section and Bonus Blocks all pressed neatly

Now to repeat with the second section

But first, since it is Father's Day... after church...   Since both daughter's work evenings we decided to celebrate with a family brunch rather than dinner... and my grandson just had to help with the cooking!

We made vegetable quiche and ham and egg pie... named as such because "real men don't each quiche!" but they do love pie! LOL

I forgot to take the after pictures, but we all enjoyed our short family time together before my youngest daughter headed off to work and the oldest took her son home.  Now I have some time for more sewing as Dad has requested pizza for dinner to be delivered by our youngest daughter later this evening! 

Hope you are all enjoying your Father's Day celebration!

UFO Weekend

This weekend Pat Sloan is hosting a UFO Busting Challenge.  You can read all about it here:

http://blog.patsloan.com/2012/06/pat-sloan-a-little-ufo-busting.html

I planned on making 9 blocks needed for the Quiltmaker Party block swap in Williamsburg, VA that I will be attending in August.   Here is my first block laid out....

Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Vol. 2  Block #174 Birthday Girl by Bonnie Hunter

I spent spare minutes all week long cutting fabric...

9 blocks... 52 pieces each... that's a lot of cutting!

But as life goes, I have my grandson for the weekend again, so there will not be as much sewing time as I had hoped.  So I got up early this morning (5am!) and managed to assemble two blocks before he needed my attention.

So now while we watch Scooby-doo and eat our cereal I am drawing lots of lines!

Let's see... thats 144 lines for the purple/yellow block.  Then more lines for the orange/yellow hsts!

I am sure there must be an easier/quicker way to streamline this, but I can't think how right now.

Hope you all enjoy your day.

Quilt-A-Long

Ok, my lack of techno savvy is showing... I can't figure out how to add the logo so here is the big long link for a quilt-a-long by Pat Sloan over at the Quilting Gallery.  Let's hope you can just click on it to get there.  If not copy and paste and that should work...I think. (sigh)


 http://quiltinggallery.com/learning-center/beginners-quilt-along/


Each week directions for a new block will be posted and by mid September you should have a completed quilt.    Now I'm off in search of fabrics and start sewing!


Oh, and here is my half square triangle top all pieced and  waiting in line to be quilted.





One more UFO to finish this month and I'm back to working on Orca Bay designed by Bonnie Hunter.   I'll be starting three new quilts designed by her during classes in August at the QuiltMaker Party in Williamsburg!  Check it out here...
http://www.quiltmaker.com/events/quilt-along-with-quiltmaker.html