So Close!

I am so to a finish! In some of the places, depending on how far I reached in from the top section, I was able to link up with the quilting from the top section. 💥 I'm not finished yet but another week should finish the center of the quilt. However I do need to unroll and stitch the background of the applique border.

Here are the pictures from left to the right. The pictures show the entire part of the quilt so you can see where the quilting connects to the top section. You can also see where more quilting is needed.

Left side outside border, there are two feathers that need to be quilted. See the V on the left side of the background quilting? That marks the center of the quilt.

There are two rows of quilting needed in this patchwork section.

The blue leaf with the pin is not quilted. It was just too far for me to quilt those curves. I'll quilt it after I roll.

Again there are two rows that need diagonal quilting.

The center applique, the one flower in the center that curves to the right is not quilted yet. Some directions just stitch easier which probably makes no sense to most of you but a hand quilter understands.

The center flower is rather large and the blue was too large of a space to not be quilted. I added some curves to give the illusion of petals.

I had looked at my Lady Jane quilt to see how I quilted that flower. Adding the curved lines is how I did. Now I'm trying to remember if I added the curved lines on the corner flowers? I'll have to add that quilting if I didn't for continuity.

Another section of patchwork. This time there are three rows that need quilting.

Border applique, the flower with the pin is not quilted and I need to quilt the background lines in the top flowers already quilted.

More patchwork, again three rows need diagonal quilting.

And the outside right outside border. I had reached in farther when I quilted the top section so the quilting is finished on this border!

It is such a feeling of accomplishment when you connect the quilted sections! But I am not finished yet, I need to keep quilting in the evenings.

Just a reminder, I did not do the applique on this quilt. My friend Elaine did the applique, she is one of the ladies who taught me how to applique.

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

Fire Island Hosta Queen

I've finally started the Fire Island Hosta Queen quilt, I've been wanting to piece this quilt for years but just didn't make the time. The first time I blogged about this project was in December 2022.

Four partial sections of leaves have been completed.

These leaves may not look like much but they represents many hours of careful stitching. There will be a stem at the bottom where the uneven blue fabric is. I trimmed off the excess fabric but there is still more fabric that will need to be trimmed.

Here is a picture of the backside of the leaf section. There are 40 pieces in this leaf, 160 pieces in the 4 sections.

After the stem is attached, another pieced section will be attached then a pieced section will be added to the outside portion. I'm not looking too far ahead, just piecing a section at a time.

This is not a fast project, I hope to have all the leaves completed by the end of the year but that depends on how many other quilts I work on. I have an applique project that will require intensive preparation, the actual applique won't start until next year. 

Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself but I always enjoy watching the quilts grow and being completed. 

Linking to To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Put Your Foot Down, I Quilted This!, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Rhapsody in Blue

More quilting across the quilt! Here are the pictures starting with the left side border.

    

This is the applique border. All winter I've wondering if I should go ahead and add background quilting or wait until it's finished and see what Elaine says. I've decided to go ahead with the quilting, the quilting is so much easier in the frame. These are straight lines across the background, from square to square in the patchwork borders. The lines are 1.5" apart.

There are a variety of quilting designs in this quilt. I think a variety of designs adds interest to the quilt. The simple diagonal lines in the patchwork section are a nice contrast to the curvy background triangles in the center applique section.

The right side applique border, again straight lines have been added.

And the right outside border. I love this feather design. This quilting design will be used in other future quilts.

People keep asking how much more there is to quilt. See the tape measure on the left side of the photo, there is a 9" swath across the center of the quilt to be quilted.

After the center is quilted, I'll unroll and quilt the rest of the background of the applique border. That will take several more weeks of quilting.

I was in Wakarusa last week, the quilt garden has been planted! The name of this year's garden is Wedding Garden. There is a new sign in the background.

There are doing some work on the side of the flowerbed, they're putting in pavers. I don't know what is going into the center, perhaps another flowerbed? I'll keep you updated.

Here is a link to information about Quilt Gardens Along the Heritage Trail.

I didn't go to Grandma's Pantry so I didn't get a picture of their garden. I'll get there soon and take a picture to show you.

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

Awareness & Butterfly Beauty

The last of the basted flimsies are quilted and the binding is finished. 

The first quilt is called Awareness because it's made from a 3-yard pattern called Awareness which was designed by Donna Robertson and Fran Morgan, owners & designers of the Fabric Cafe. I pieced this flimsy last January during a snowstorm while retreating at the Essenhaus Inn, I am so glad winter is over 😉!

My finished quilt measures 45" by 51" which is a little smaller than the patterns says. 

Fabrics from the stash were pulled for the backing. Of course some fossil fern fabrics have been used but I have no memory of purchasing the other fabrics. They were 1/3rd yard WOF cuts but they were anywhere from 10" - 14" wide after the edges were cut straight. 

The next quilt is one I named Butterfly Beauty. I bought this fabric at Calico Point, probably in the winter when I really need a touch of summer. There was only one yard of the butterfly fabric, I tried to use every bit of it.

Butterfly Beauty is my own design. The border fabric is a pinstripe light gray fabric. As usual I used simple quilting.

I definitely had to use my math skills for this quilt. I would have used the Awareness pattern if I would have had more of the purple fabric but I only had a small piece, enough for the two corners.

The outside border was piano key quilted with diagonal quilting in the corners.

The quilting used a pastel variegated thread which doesn't show the different colors in the thread. The gray border fabric looks rather wrinkly for some reason. I do wash the quilts after they're quilted to remove the markings and the spray adhesive. The borders are quilted approximately 2" apart, maybe it should have been closer? Oh well, the quilting is finished and I'm not going to do a redo.

The backing was this cute floral periwinkle fabric I pulled from my stash. 

It looks a little dark in this picture but it isn't, it's cute and springy!

Butterfly Beauty finishes at 42" by 51", not a huge quilt but large enough to give someone a quilty hug.

There are several flimsies waiting to be quilted for compassion quilts hanging in the 'to be quilted' closet but I've reached my goal of 6 finished compassion quilts. The rest will have to wait until next year.

Besides the 6 compassion quilts, 2 other quilts were finished which are gifts. I already gave the  Fabric Vortex to our grandson and the Turquoise quilt will be gifted this summer. I'm pleased with my quilting this year, none of the quilts had pleats in the backing fabric and my lines were straighter. It was challenging to quilt butterfly beauty because it was hard to see the diagonal lines on the fabric. I used my quilting guide for the first time. I've tried to use it before but it always dug into the seam lines then made a zigzag which I didn't like. It worked perfectly on whole cloth.

Linking to -To Do Tuesday,  Wednesday Wait Loss, Put Your Foot Down, I Quilted This!, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

2025 Designer Mystery Quilt

I can't believe I made a mistake again on the last block! It's good I have you guys to critique my piecing. Don't worry about letting me know if I have a block pieced incorrectly, it would annoy me more if you see a mistake and don't let me know about it then mention it AFTER the flimsy is quilted!

Here is block 11 with the mistake corrected.

And here is block 12. I looked at this block several times and didn't see any mistakes.

Now it has the sashing attached.

I examined these blocks several times and didn't see any more mistakes so I went ahead and sewed the blocks into rows then added a narrow border and the outside border. Then I sent it to Dana to be quilted.

I did make a change. When the inside section of the quilt was on the display floor, I thought those ugly pinkish beige fabrics just sucked the color out of the quilt, even the orange fabric! The quilt just looked blah when the border fabric laid beside the center, it needed some contrast so a narrow brown bordered was added for some zing. The fabric was intended for the binding but oh well, my quilt will have scrappy binding.

The floral borders aren't cut as wide as the directions dictate, I wanted to have the flowers showing, not partial flower bouquets. Why have a floral border if you are just going to cut those flower sections in half? I measure and remeasured, I could cut 5.5" strips length of fabric and keep the flora bunches intact. The yardage wasn't long enough to miter the corners but that's okay.

Having full flower sections in the border looks so much better than partial flowers. In this close up you can see I fussy cut that narrow brown border which finishes at 1".

I took the flimsy to Dana on Monday and it was returned to me 10 days later. I selected the Daisy Daze pattern for the quilting, I think it's a cute design.

I did NOT use fabric from the mystery fabric collection for backing. I thought this green sunflower fabric looked springy and worked well with the flimsy. You can see the darker fabrics from the front showing through to the backside.

My finished quilt is 71" by 88".

There are plenty of fabrics left from this quilt including 5-fat quarters of the white background fabric. The larger pieces are all back in the box the finishing kit came in. I'm adding fabrics from another quilt that are similar colors, these fabrics will make a nice future compassion quilt(s) but not this summer.

The smaller strips and pieces have been cut to size and placed in their appropriate box.

This quilt was the 2025 Designer Mystery Quilt from the Fat Quarter Shop which has ended with the final block received in May. I am not participating in the 2026 mystery.

To Do Tuesday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Put Your Foot Down, I Quilted This!, TGIFF!, Finished or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Rhapsody in Blue

I rolled after last week's post and quilted across the quilt again. Starting at the left side is the left side border. The applique in this border is completed so it's all quilting now.

There should be a pieced patchwork border before the next applique border. I don't understand where it disappeared to! Oh well, it looks like the patchwork border that appears in the right side.

This border is around the center applique. I stitched in the ditch on both sides of the border.

This is a close up from the above picture so you can see the background quilting design. This curvy triangle design is unusual, I like t better than straight triangles.

Here is a patchwork section from the right side.

Another applique border.

Another patchwork border.

And the right outside border.

I'm ready to be done quilting this quilt, this is my evening stitching and Sunday afternoons also.

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