Sunday, March 17, 2024

Hearts & Wreaths

As usual, more hand quilting from Hearts & Wreaths.

Here are pictures of the blocks from left to right.





Last week someone asked if my fingers have callouses? Yes, my finger tips are fairly calloused but I have dry skin and I get cracks sometimes. Then I use a light coat of super glue. That seems to take care of the cracks.

Also, when I do any kind of hand stitching, quilting, embroidery, applique, I use a thimble on the middle finger of my right hand. I don't buy the expensive kind but a metal one from the fabric store. Interestingly, I need a smaller thimble in the winter than the summer. I don't understand the reasoning behind that but it's true!

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Anniversary Quilt

The Anniversary quilt is a flimsy, Plan B was a success!


Sunday was a windy day but I didn't realize how windy until I tried to take pictures. The quilt on the glider went fine. It's up against the wall so the wind doesn't blow there unless it's directly from the north.


The quilt hanging from the display line didn't go so well. You can see the farmer standing behind the flimsy tried to keep it under control. I took it down to try for pictures another day.

I was gone all day Monday so I tried Tuesday around oneish. Again it was too windy so I took the flimsy down and took a picture displayed on our bed. 


The farmer told me let's try again around 7 pm when the wind dies down. We did but it was still windy!

Wednesday morning I checked to see when sunrise was forecast, 7:45. I hung the flimsy on the display line and took the pictures at 7:55. Success!


Here is what the back of the quilt looks like.


After I took the picture of the back of the quilt, the flimsy started to slightly billow and float upward, the picture was taken just in time!

The border around the carpenter star is 9 patches, both kinds. Nine patches worked perfectly and the border looks like random squares which was the effect I was going for.

I pulled all the purples I had and strip pieced the blocks. If the fabric had purple in it, it went in the quilt. The turquoise (there are purple blotches on that fabric) adds a nice contrast to the purples.

I used the 5" Moda Love pattern for the carpenter's star in the center. I did buy fabric for the star because I wanted it to be a single color.

The outside border is a dark blue batik that has blotches of purple in it. I have no memory of buying this fabric but it was perfect for this quilt.

This flimsy measures 96" square. I'll get it to Lori sometime this summer for quilting.

Another project crossed off my 2024 list. Now I actually get to start a NEW quilt!

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait LossNeedle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot DownTGIFF!, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Hearts & Wreaths

Another week of hand quilting on the Hearts & Wreaths quilt. It's probably boring for you to see the pictures each week, you don't really see a lot of progress but it's happening. I'm half-way finished with the 2nd row. When the 2nd row is completed, the quilt is halfway finished!

I'm showing the pictures differently today, I'm posting them from the right side to the left. I'm not show the outside borders because I showed them to you last Sunday.







For some reason all the above pictures show some pink on the yellow fabric. It's not there is real life, the fabrics have NOT bled!

Here is a link to my first post about Hearts & Wreaths. 

And here is a link to the Hearts & Wreaths pattern in Quiltmania magazine.

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Design Wall Monday, Craftastic Monday, Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Anniversary Quilt

I want to start a new quilt project in 2024 but again, I'm going to finish piecing a project started in 2023.

When I published my list of quilting projects for 2024 in January, I included a gift quilt to be made for an anniversary happening in 2025. Yes, I know that's a long time away but I don't like to be scrambling at the last minute, that's not how I work.

I am using the 5" Moda Love pattern for the center of the quilt. I haven't used a charm pack though. For the center, I purchased purple fabrics so the star would be the same color.

Since I had sewed the HST's at the November retreat, it was a simple matter to arrange the various pieces on my display wall.

Then I sewed the individual blocks together into the star.

The quilt is going to be a medallion style so borders were added. It measures 48.5 now.

I thought I had done the math correctly and it would work to add 8" finished log cabin blocks. I did not do the math correctly, log cabin blocks are NOT going to work.

I've come up with a plan B which I will show you next week. 

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait LossNeedle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot DownTGIFF!, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Hearts & Wreaths

Last week I had finished the first row of the center. This week I'm going to show you what I've accomplished on the next row.

First I quilted the side border on each side along the next block. It's easier to quilt down toward me than straight across. This is the left side border.



This is the right side border.

If I could figure it out, I would have the written information with the borders on the sides of my writing. However, I don't know how to do that so the pictures are kind of spread out in this post.



The bottoms of the blocks are completed. After I roll, I'll be quilting the larger hearts in the center.






There are two alternating designs in the corners of applique blocks. This design is called Heart Block.


The second design is called Feather Design.


The next two picture are the same designs along the edge of the border. First picture is the right side border.


This picture is the left side border.

Of course I have to have all the link! Here is the link to my first post about Hearts & Wreaths way back in August 2021.

This is the link to the pattern in Quiltmania magazine.

Here is the link to when I started the quilting. This post includes information about where the stencils can be purchased.

I include all these links because I like it when bloggers give detailed information.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Prepping

I'm in between projects right now. Dresden Stars is a flimsy, the table runner is finished and delivered so instead of starting a new project, I decided to prep for the April retreat.

I've been prepping fabrics to piece the posey blocks for Bonnie Hunter's Garden Party quilt which is found in her book, Addicted to ScrapsClick here to review the quilts in the book.

I sewed two blocks just to show you what the posey block looks like. Of course I'm making my quilt larger. I want bedquilts to hang down  the sides, not just lay on the top.

I know the blocks need to be trimmed. I'll do that when all the blocks are pieced. Please don't ask me what size the blocks are, check the book for details.

Garden Party is one of the quilts on my 2024 list of quilts.

I mentioned in January that I'm going to be foundation paper piecing a pineapple quilt at retreat but I wanted another project to take along. Working on the same quilt for four and a half days can be done but it gets very boring, trust me, I've done it several times.

I also want to trace off an embroidery project for handwork when I'm tired of sewing. April will be here before we know it!

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait LossNeedle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot DownTGIFF!, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts


Sunday, February 25, 2024

Hearts & Wreaths

The first row of applique blocks in the center section is completed! Since there are four rows in the center section and two borders, there are 6 rows total. Two have been completed so 1/3rd of the quilt has been completed!

The pictures are from the top of the first row in the center. I did quilt from the blocks above into the bottom row in several of the blocks.

The diagonal line background quilting adds so much interest.

Two stencils have been used in the corners of the applique blocks. The first one is this double heart design.


The second design is this one called feather design. I wrote about the stencils I used for marking Hearts & Wreaths in this post.

I'm using white thread for quilting. The quilting designs are very subdued and aren't going to jump out at you when you view the quilt from a distance. Applique is the focus of this quilt, the quilting designs are secondary.



The pin at the top of the border shows me where the quilting for the vine ends. It's hard to find the end if it's not marked.

Another amaryllis is blooming, isn't this red absolutely beautiful? She has only one bud and the bud has just three blooms instead of the normal four. When this amaryllis is finished blooming, she's finished for this winter. 

There are two more amaryllis with buds. The one will probably be blooming by next Sunday. 


The other bulb is way behind, it will be a month before that one blooms. See that tiny little bit of green picking out of the center?

I turn the amaryllis plants every day, it's not hard to do. When I plant the bulbs in the fall, I insert a small stone on the bottom of the pot. I don't have a problem with top-heavy plants toppling over when they're blooming.

 Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Design Wall Monday, Craftastic Monday, Monday This 'N That,  Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday