Hand Quilting Progress

The row that was started a week ago is finished. The blue curved triangles are quilted and the stitch in the ditch around all the leaves was completed.

The left side block was finished and the left borders also.

Someone asked a question about turning the cows out on pasture. Here is an April 2020 post about the occasion. Who knew we'd still be dealing with covid a year later?

Last summer I had a toad that lived awhile in a flower pot on the steps. He disappeared during the hottest days of July and August then returned when the temperature dropped. 

He was hopping around in the flowerbed a week ago. He's about 3" long from nose to opposite end, whatever that part of his anatomy is called.

I assume he digs a hole in the flowerbed to winter over.

Linking to Link Your Stuff!, Patchwork & Quilts, Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away

Blue Circle of Squares

Two light blue circle of squares blocks have been pieced. 

The blocks are slowly accumulating. Click here for the Circle of Squares pattern.

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday.

Climbing Jacob's Ladder Finish

The Climbing Jacob's Ladder quilt has returned from Lori Null who long arm quilted him. This is a wedding quilt for my youngest nephew and his bride.

Lori Null of Bristol, Indiana did the quilting. I don't know the name of this design.

Now the quilt is displayed on the bed.

My sad attempt at a quilt swirl. I'll keep practicing.

But my quilt rolls have improved.

The back of the quilt is a beige floral. This picture was taken outside from the back side of the quilt. I thought it looked interesting. This quilt can do double duty, pieced side up for a pieced quilt or the back side up for a wholecloth quilt.

This quilt is 92" square. My nephew is benefitting from my years of quilting. Now days my quilts are more interesting than those quilts pieced 20 - 25 years ago.

I wrote about the the flimsy here. Click here for the pattern.

Linking to Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop Party, TGIFF!, Finished Or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, UFO Busting, Oh Scrap

Jumbo Granny Squares

I have a new quilt project I would like to start but I keep getting sidetracked. When I saw Becky's jumbo granny squares I just had to make a block which then led to another block which led to another block . . . you know how it goes.

I thought I had the pattern memorized so I didn't look at the master pattern when I arranged these 2 blocks. The corners are incorrect but I'm not changing them, call it artistic license!

There will be sashing and cornerstones in between the blocks. The blocks finish at 18", I only need 12 blocks to make a throw.

I've been using some older greens and brown in these blocks. Gives me a sense of satisfaction to be using them finally after all these years.

Daffodils are blooming, I have several varieties around the farm.

The grape hyacinths are starting to pop up too.

The cows are so happy to be out  on pasture again.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Put Your Foot Down, Needle & Thread Thursday

The Last 2 Weeks

Our daughter double masked and hand sanitized her way from Phoenix to northern Indiana for a two week stay. It was wonderful to have her here. She waited to visit until both the farmer and I were vaccinated. Thankfully neither one of us had any side effects from the vaccine.

I decided to take a vacation/break from hand quilting and just enjoy our time together. I also read a couple books, sewed binding on quilts, pieced some easy crib quilts and embroidered quilt labels. I've actually got the label ready for blue stars around the garden but no picture.

After a week of no hand quilting, I started again and made a little progress.

The center is slow going. I still need to stitch in the ditch around the leaves and stem on the right side of the big flower. And I need to get the stencil out and mark the space where I missed a line.

I also worked outside in the flowerbeds and the yard. The older grandson was on spring break so he got to spend time picking up sticks.

The crocuses are blooming, they're so bright and happy.

I wasn't home when the farmer put the cows out on pasture so no pictures of the celebration.  They enjoyed a lazy sunny Easter afternoon on the grass. The grass isn't very long, we're rather dry. 

Linking to Link Your Stuff!, Patchwork & Quilts, Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away

Blue Scrappy Sprouts

Two blue scrappy sprouts blocks have been pieced.

Click here for the pattern.

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday

Quilted Baby Quilts

The baby quilts I pieced in March have been quilted. Machine quilting is not my favorite thing to do but I kept after them and they're quilted.

Some quilters are able to free hand quilt beautiful quilting designs with their sewing machine. I'm not one of them, my quilting is basic. 

You can see on this quilt the border is baptist fan. The pieced center is quilted 1/2" from the seam line both horizontally and vertically. Those red blocks are actually pink blocks.

The center of the lavender quilt was quilted in the ditch vertically and horizontally then diagonally both directions.

This dark yellow quilt was quilted 1/2" from the seam line in just one direction and carried through the outside borders.

The center of the light yellow quilt was quilted with a clam shell design then baptist fans for the outside border.

I had a large cable stencil I traced overall the green quilt. It was harder to quilt those curved lines than I anticipated but it's finished!

Last fall I bought some new king sized flannel sheets. We use regular sized pillows on our bed so I didn't need the pillowcases. I removed the stitching then sewed them together for the backs of two of these crib quilts. I thought the backs looked nice mixing the two fabrics together.

You can see the cable quilting on the back of the left quilt.

I had an extra top sheet so I used that for two quilt backs. 

I needed to get a new set of sheets for the warmer days that are coming. Again I used the pillowcase fabric for backing.

I used striped fabrics for binding on all the quilts. They all measure 40" by 46" and have been donated to the daycare center at my church.

Linking to Put Your Foot Down, Needle & Thread Thursday, Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop Party, TGIFF!, Finished Or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, Let's Make Baby Quilts,  Free Motion Mavericks, H2H 2021, Oh Scrap