The New Hand Quilting Project

The next quilt to be hand quilted is in the frame. I purchased this quilt flimsy for $20 from the resale table at the Jane Stickle retreat last November.   

The label on the quilt said 72" square. The seller said she bought it at a garage sale, I didn't think to ask the location of the garage sale. Theresa is from the Indianapolis area so maybe it came from there. I am hoping to have this quilt quilted and bound by the time of the Jane Stickle retreat in November . . . if it happens.

I don't know the name of this quilt design but I know one of you readers knows and will tell me, thank you!

This quilt reminds me of the Simply Sensational Summer Scrap Quilt sew along Kevin hosted last summer but it's not entirely like his quilt. I had planned to make a quilt from Kevin's instructions someday but now I don't need to since I have this quilt!

I just love the colors of this quilt. When I first saw it, I immediately thought 60's, but I don't know if it really is or not. I do know the white fabric used for the sashing and borders is cotton/poly fabric.

As you have obviously noticed, the quilt has definite puckering issues.

I'm so impressed the person who pieced the flimsy actually pieced the turquoise squares too. I would have just cut a turquoise strip and called that good enough. The squares in this quilt finish at 1-1/4".

Because of the puckering issues, I decided to quilt this quilt in my old sticks and stands quilting frame instead of the usual Grace quilting frame. I think I can quilt the puckers easier in this frame. The puckers won't be entirely gone but they won't be as obvious, besides, after washing, don't all quilts become rather puckery?

I'm using a Hobbs poly-down polyester batt, the backing is a lovely aqua whole cloth fabric I purchased at Calico Point.

Linking to Patchwork & Quilts, Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching,  Oh Scrap, Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away

RSC Blues

The blue RSC blocks are sewn, again I made 2 blocks for each pattern.

A light and a dark scrappy sprouts blocks.

Also a light and a dark circle of squares blocks. The squares in the dark block are all different fabrics, guess they're just too dark to see the differences in the picture.

I found the background fabric when digging through a box with lights. I love the soft little blue flowers.

The barns on our farm are old barns, built in the mortise & tenon style. They're perfect for the barn swallows to make their mud daub nests. The other morning when I went into the west barn to feed the young heifers, the barn swallows were having an absolute tizzy! Such chittering chattering and flying in circles! What was going on, there were no cats to be seen? I walked towards the north end of the barn and saw the reason for the excitement, these little guys were ready to spread their wings and fly.

It's interesting that all the adult barn swallows who have nests in this barn, were coaxing the birds out of the nests, not just their parents. By noon the young birds had taken flight, the nest is empty for a short time until the swallows lay eggs for the 2nd hatching of the season.

We have so many barn swallows on our farm. Whenever we're working in the hay fields, mowing, raking or baling, the swallows come swooping and gliding in their figure 8 glide eating the insects as they fly. They're amazing to watch and they never fly into each other!

Linking to  Peacock Party, Put Your Foot  Down, Whoop Whoop, TGIFF!, Finished Or Not Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, UFO Busting, Scrap Happy Saturday

Needlebooks

Last summer, the summer of 2019, I worked on small projects most of the summer and finished up some long time waiting projects.

I hand quilted a wallhanging made from a panel called Weeds N Tweeds. I embroidered, pieced and hand quilted a small wall hanging called Miss Jane's Best. I pieced and machine quilted a small Flying Geese quilt which I had been wanting to make for years. I finished 2 small table runners called Give Thanks which also had been on the to be quilted waiting list. I pieced and machine quilted a crib quilt called Summer Sun/Spring Splash and I machine quilted my Patchwork of the Crosses which turned out to be a 6 block small quilt.

Another small project I had planned to finish were Needlebooks. If you go to the highlighted post, you'll see that it's dated October 2018. I also said in that post there were 6 more books to be made but I had run out of steam making them.

The embroidery and other pieces for these books have been laying on a tray in my sewing room ever since. Every time I see that tray I feel guilty. 

I finally finished those 6 needlebooks this week. These were made slightly differently than the first group made. I didn't use binding this time, I just sewed right sides together then turned them. 

One evening of watching TV and I had the openings stitched shut. The next day I top stitched and sewed the felted wool to the center. Now I have an empty tray and no more guilt!!

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Clever Chameleon, Needle & Thread Thursday

Grandma's Embroidered Blocks

Grandma's embroidered blocks quilt is completely finished!

I love the texture the circle quilting adds.

A view of the back.

This is a view of the circles I free handed in the center of the lilac block. Actually that's not too bad!

Of course I added a label.

After the photo shoot, I washed the quilt then partially dried in the dryer. I took it out before it was completely dry then spread it on a sheet upstairs to finish drying.

It has the lovely texture of an antique quilt.

Before quilting, the flimsy measured 68" square, now she measures 64 1/2" square.

And here she is hanging on the wall in the bedroom. Finally, after at least 60 years, these blocks are a finish!

Linking to Patchwork & Quilts, Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Oh Scrap, Show & Tell Monday, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, BOM's Away

Summer Stars

Summer Stars is finished and measures 61" by 72". Joy from Calico Point was the long arm quilter. 

The jelly roll and border fabric came from Calico Point too.  

Some of the pieced square don't look quite right but I can live with it. The 8 year old granddaughter will be thrilled.

This year I decided to subscribe to Block magazine from the Missouri Star Quilt Co. The first issue came February 20th, the same day I was leaving for Phoenix. I stuck it in my bag so I could peruse it while relaxing on my vacation.

The first quilt I chose to make from Volume 1, 2020 of Block is Summer Stars. MSQ has the pattern for sale but you can watch the tutorial for free. Just click it and watch.

This pattern has wonky stars. I didn't understand the Block directions for piecing the stars. I finally cut some strips 2-1/2" by 3" and cut them diagonally. These diagonal cuts worked much better for me.

The backing is the same large dotted whole cloth fabric that was used on the back of Calico Stars.

Two final pictures of the finished quilt.

Linking to Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop, TGIFF!, Brag About Your Beauties, Finished Or Not Friday, UFO Busting

Calico Stars

Joy, from Calico Point, has finished the quilting on Calico Stars. Calico Stars is a pattern from the 2020 Volume 1 issue of Block Idea Book. Here is a link to the digital pattern for Calico Stars. I couldn't find a tutorial.

It does look kind of long and skinny in the photo but it's just fine. The pattern in Block is for a larger quilt but I wanted twin size, my quilt finishes 63" by 89".

The fabrics are from an older Summer Breeze layer cake. Since I made the quilt smaller, I had layer cake squares unused. I cut them in half and used them for the border.

Several years ago I made a crib quilt using a Summer Breeze charm pack and some yardage. The yardage fabrics found their way into the border too.

I did make a mistake in this quilt which a commenter pointed out to me in April. I had already delivered the flimsy to Calico Point for quilting so I just left it go. I've always said I wasn't a perfectionist.

The quilting design is called SS-DBD-Daisies.

For backing fabric, I used this dotted fabric. I thought it looked like happy fabric.

More pictures of Calico Stars.

For the binding I used blue and green strips left from the crib quilt I pieced so many years ago.

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Favorite Monthly Finish, Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Clever Chameleon, Put Your Foot Down, Needle & Thread Thursday

Almost Finished

I've finished the quilting on row 5 of Grandmother's Embroidered blocks. I also stitched the sashing between the top of the row and the outside border.

You can see the border in the top of the picture.

Lovely daffodils.

Another unknown flower, any ideas?

I was unable to mark the center circle in the lilac block so I just did a free hand circle.

When the quilt is out of the frame, I'll show you the back so you an see how crazy my freehand circle looks.

This tulip is a cutie!

These are Chinese Lanterns.

Last Sunday I said I had a project that was top priority for the week. That project is completed and here's a photo to show you. (I've blocked out the personal information.)

This is a counted cross stitch wallhanging to celebrate the birth of a friend's first grandchild. She did the stitching but didn't want it framed so she asked if I would finish it for her. 

She ok'd the fabrics I pulled and this is what I came up with. I'm very pleased, so was she! It measures 15" by 18".

I've made great progress with the new blogger format. One thing I haven't learned is how to delete a photo from the post. Open for answers here!

 Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Kathi, Bella, Daisy, Connie, Monica and 

Sherrie

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