Sunday, April 30, 2017

Tulips and Churn Dash

I've returned from my retreat. As always, I had a wonderful time. I will give a more detailed post about the retreat later this week. 

My Tulip quilt is finished! I sewed the binding on at the retreat.


I also took a straight photo so you can see it more clearly.

The light green in the picture is too light.

I also sewed a sleeve on the back. I couldn't wait to hang it up so the first thing I did when I got home was to hang it, except my sleeve wasn't big enough. I had measured but not correctly. I'll unsew the stitching this evening.

I had a great time and will post later this week about the retreat.


I finished quilting the 5th row of the white blocks on my churn dash quilt before I left on retreat.

These are a repeat of blocks you've already seen. Left side border.


Left two quilted white blocks.


Center two blocks.

There are 7 white rows in this quilt. Rows 3, 4 and 5 are exactly the same. These two blocks won't be in the next two rows.


Right two quilted blocks.


And the right side border.

Just a reminder, I don't do slow stitching only on Sundays, every day can be a slow stitching day. Every little stitch is an accomplishment towards being finished.

Linking to - Kathy's Slow Sunday StitchingQuilting is More Fun than Housework, Quilter's MondayEm's ScrapbagLove Laugh Quilt, Show & Tell Monday with Bambi, BOM's Away, Fiber TuesdayEsther's Wednesday WOW!, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished Or Not FridayCrazy Mom Quilts

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Spring is Here!

In several posts this last winter, I talked about the projects I was working on. In November 2016, I started out with a list of 8 projects.  Then in January 2017, I updated the list. Now it is spring and my wintertime sewing is over. Most of the same projects are still on the list but I've made progress with most of them.


1. Blue Churn Dash Reproduction Quilt - She is in the quilting frame being hand-quilted. The quilting is more than halfway done.


2. Pastor's Attic Quilt - The center has been completed. I need to get the borders prepped for applique. This will happen after I finish quilting the blue churn dash quilt.


3. Sweet Surrender - Haven't touched it. I'll get those pieced triangles pieced sometime, maybe this summer if there is time but Nearly Insane is more important. I'll work on her rows first.
4. Nearly Insane - I pieced 4 rows this winter including the center row. Each row will now decrease in the number of blocks. I hope to have time to work on more rows this summer. I would really like to have the center of this quilt all pieced by the end of this year.


5. Wilfred & Cloves - This is a pattern from Carolyn Konig's book Creating Heirlooms, One Stitch at a Time. I appliqued the center medallion of this quilt several years ago. 


The fabrics have been pulled, pressed and prepped. I sewed 4 of the square blocks together just to see what they looked like. This project is going along with me to the Jane Stickle retreat this week-end. I'm hoping to come home with the all blocks pieced and rows sewn together.


6. 182 Day Solstice Challenge - I haven't posted about this quilt in a long time. I have many of the blocks pieced and fabrics pulled for several of the others. I'll get back to her sometime. 


7. Rainbow Challenge blocks - I have 2 separate blocks I'm making for the challenge. 

The stars are for the Star Dance quilt


The 4-patch blocks are for a Summer Quilt.

People often tell me I accomplish so much. I don't think I do, I just try to keep focused on my projects and not be distracted by all the other wonderful quilts out on the internet.

Winter is over and spring is here. The outside work is calling; sewing/quilting will happen when it does. I don't know if I will make much progress any of my projects this spring/summer. I also have some smaller quilts I would like to make if there is time.

Every growing season is different on the farm. We'll see what the spring/summer is like this year.

Linking to - Em's Scrapbag, BOM's Away, Fiber Tuesday, Esther's Wednesday WOW!, Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHOW, Sew Fresh Quilts.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Blue Churn Dash Quilt, Halfway Finished

I'm over halfway finished with the quilting on the blue churn dash quilt! The very center row of white blocks and the row 5 of blue blocks are quilted. Now I'm working on another row of white blocks between blue rows 5 and 6. There are a total of 8 blue churn dash rows so I have a ways to quilt yet.


A close up of where I am working right now.

We have actually had some warmer weather last week and I could work outside without a sweater or sweatshirt. I've put a towel along the edge of the quilt so if my shirt has any dirt or anything on it, the quilt won't pick it up.


Quilting is going to go slower now since I have outside work again. I love the springtime and all the beauty of springtime blooms.

Linking to - Kathy's Slow Sunday StitchingQuilting is More Fun than Housework, Em's ScrapbagLove Laugh Quilt, Show & Tell Monday with Bambi, BOM'S Away, Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHOW, Fiber TuesdayEsther's Wednesday WOW!, Sew Fresh Quilts

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Nearly Insane, Halfway There!

I've finished the center row of Nearly Insane so I'm halfway through the piecing of the blocks of the center section.

I normally take a several week break between piecing rows but I wanted to get the center section completed. It wasn't fun and I had to force myself to keep going. Just a reminder, these blocks finish at 6".


First of all, the replacement block from row 4. This block fits in with the rest of the quilt. So much better than the previous block.


And the blocks in the center row.

Some blocks are brighter than others. That makes the quilt more interesting.

If you have a good memory, you will notice the octagon block is made with the same fabrics as block #18, the one with over 200 pieces. Remember, I've told you I can't seem to be able to count. I way over cut triangles for the other block so I used them up in this block. This beauty has 100 pieces in it.


The star in the top right corner has 87 pieces but it took hours to sew. She turned out pretty nice.

The bottom left block is just one of those weird blocks Salinda threw in to use up fabric scraps. That's my opinion anyway.

The bottom right block has the largest number of pieces in this row, 112. I am very tired of 1/2" HST's!


The top block has the fewest pieces, only 9. Quick and easy. I've been looking for a small striped fabric to use in this quilt and used it in this block.

The bottom left is another different block. 

The bottom right is one of my favorite blocks. The pinwheel had more 1/2" HST's though.


And these are the last two blocks in this row.


I am so glad to be halfway finished with the center of the quilt. Now I will be decreasing blocks in each row. 

The next section will be sewn separately then sewn to this section.

The triangle blocks on the center row will be added after the next section is attached but they are already pieced. I am so glad to have gotten this much completed this past sewing season!

Linking to -  Show & Tell With Bambi, Fiber Tuesday, BOM's Away,  Esther's Wednesday WOW!, Sew Fresh Quilts, My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Crazy Mom Quilts, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework!

Sunday, April 9, 2017

A Week of Quilting

Much progress was made this week with the quilting on my blue churn dash quilt and the 3rd row of white square are completed.


Left side borders.


Left quilted squares.


The two center squares. 


Right quilted squares.


Right side borders.

I rolled and then quilted row 4 churn dash blocks.


Left side border. It doesn't look very different the above photo.


Left 2 churn dash blocks.

You can see I am quilting part of the white square block in between the churn dashes.


Next 2 churn dash blocks.

The only thing different is the quilting in the white squares.


Churn dash blocks 5 & 6.


And churn dash block 7 and the right side borders.

I rolled again after taking the pictures. The next row of white square blocks is the very center of the quilt. When they are quilted, I will be halfway finished with the quilting!

Linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday StitchingQuilting is More Fun than Housework, Em's ScrapbagLove Laugh Quilt, Show & Tell Monday, BOM's Away, Fiber TuesdayEsther's Wednesday WOW!, sew, stitch, snap, SHAREMy Quilt Infatuation, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished Or Not FridayCrazy Mom Quilts

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Tulips & Quilting

I've been working on the tulip wall quilt this week. I think she's going to make a lovely spring wallhanging. Three of the five sets of tulips have been completed.

These blocks are set on point so I took the picture that way. Edith and Janis did such a great job pulling the fabrics for this kit.

I want to get the hand work completed so I can send her to the long arm quilter. I'm not even considering hand quilting this one, too many layers of fabrics.


I took it easy hand quilting this week. Row 3 of the churn dashes has been quilted. I forgot to take a picture before I rolled, but the quilted churn dash blocks look the same as the other times I've shown you before.

I did go to the center of the row and quilted the new quilting design. It looks a little off center, but it's OK. I don't think you'll notice when the quilt is out of the frame and, as I have often said, perfection is over rated at times. Hopefully next Sunday I'll be able to show you all the white squares in this row are quilted.

Linking to - Kathy's Slow Sunday StitchingQuilting is More Fun than Housework, Em's ScrapbagLove Laugh Quilt, Show & Tell Monday With Bambi Fiber Tuesday, BOM's AwayEsther's Wednesday WOW!, Let's Bee Social, My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday, Confessions of a Fabric AddictCrazy Mom Quilts