Blue Stars, Starting the Center

After I rolled the last time, just to change things up a little, I quilted the left side borders then the left side block.

This is a closeup of the fussycut center of the block.

Then I moved my chair to the right side of the quilt and quilted the right side quilt block then the right side borders.

A close up of the fussycut center of this block.

Now for the exciting part I've been looking forward to, I started quilting the center of the quilt. The quilting design was given to me years ago from an employee of a quilt shop. She just gave me a printed piece of paper, I don't have a name for this design, I call it curved triangles.

The quilting lines are marked with a light gray pencil which doesn't show in the photos. This looks so nice with the variegated blue thread. The blue thread is Sulky 12 weight and the white is YLI regular hand quilting thread. I am quilting on a Grace quilting frame.

Most of my Amaryllis have quit blooming but this beauty just opened. It's bud had 3 flowers and is a little darker red then the other ones I've shown you.

There is another Amaryllis which will be blooming for the first time in March. I'll show you that one next week.

Some commenters have asked about the embroidered quilt in the background. This is Grandma's Embroidered Blocks and you can read about it here.

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

Yellow Dancing Stars

Five yellow Dancing Stars were made to finish out February's yellow. They look so bright and cheerful! The blocks finish at 6".

Dancing Stars is designed by Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative Side. 

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday.

Another String X Finish

Another string X quilt top has been finished. The centers of these blocks were pieced while working on other quilts. They piece fast! I used old muslin instead of paper for stability.

The white specks and smears are snow flakes. It was snowing hard when I took this picture several weeks ago and it was cold!

I quickly shoved the quilt in the tree for the tree picture, my hands were starting to turn numb.

I was just trying to take some interesting photos.

I'm trying to use up a box of 1.25" strips but all the brighter strips have been used leaving the dark dreary strips. I cut up smaller pieces of bright fabrics to help alleviate the dreariness but now the box doesn't go down very fast. Oh well, there are probably at least 2 string x quilts left in the box.

I pulled various smaller cuts of blue yardage from the solids box then used larger pieces as needed. I also used various strips for the borders.

This flimsy measures 60" by 86". I  don't need to quilt it because it will be knotted at the MCC  Comforter Bash in November. I'll be counting this as a quilt for Hands 2 Help 2021.

String X is a Bonnie Hunter pattern found on her website.

Are you tired of me talking about my Amaryllis yet? I'm still thrilled to have them blooming so well this winter. At one time I had 7 different plants with flowers!

I don't buy all new bulbs new every fall. I admit I did buy the red & white ruffled one but the others are bulbs I've had for years. The old bulbs develop baby bulbs. When the babies come unattached from the mother, I simply pot them and keep them growing until they start blooming. That is one reason I have so many. I have noticed the salmon/pink ones are the most productive in producing baby bulbs. 

Unfortunately the apple blossom Amaryllis and the white Amaryllis bulbs aren't multiplying this way.

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

Framed 4 Patches

Since the wedding quilt is finished, I'm working on some scrappy charity quilts now. Here is the first one completed.

In the summer of 2019, Kevin the Quilter had a mystery quilt sew along on his blog called Simply Sensational Summer Scrap Quilt. I chose not to participate in his mystery because I don't do mysteries. I want to see the finished quilt before I spend my time piecing something I may not like.

I loved his finished quilt and pulled fabrics to make the quilt. They are still bagged, ready to go, I'll get started on the quilt someday.

Nanette had started piecing blocks for the quilt but lost interest along the way. When she found out I had pulled fabrics, she mailed me the 4 patch blocks she had completed. They were lovely batik blocks, she had even spun the centers! But there was more contrast between the darks and mediums than what I wanted for my quilt. She had said she didn't care what I did with the blocks so I repurposed them into a charity quilt.

I don't know what the name of this block is, I just call it framed 4 patches. I added 4 patches of my own left from other projects and came up with this flimsy.

I had been concerned the batiks wouldn't blend with the regular fabrics but I think they look fine. The flimsy measures 62.5" by 81.5" and will be donated to the MCC comforter bash. 

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Oh Scrap

Making Progress Quilting Blue Stars

Another narrow border on blue Stars Around the Garden has been quilted. After I roll, I'll start quilting the center applique section. It seems all at once I'm making faster progress!

The applique has disappeared into the bottom roll.

I didn't take more pictures of the cable quilting in the blue border, it all looks alike!

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

Yellow Circle of Squares

Two soft yellow blocks have been made for the RSC. I didn't realize how much soft yellow I have until I needed to pull fabric from the box for this month's blocks. Never fear, I have an idea in mind to use those yellow but I digress.

I'm using background fabrics left from other projects. My favorite fabric is this blue and muted white fabric.

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday.

Climbing Jacob's Ladder Flimsy

Climbing Jacob's Ladder is a flimsy! The center was rectangular the last time you saw the center. I removed the bottom row of blocks, it was just going to be too long after I added borders. The quilt now measures 94" square.

I had pulled the fabrics for this quilt several years ago and forgot about them until I needed to make a neutral quilt for a wedding present. 

The red tulip fabric was the triangle fabric in Floral Triangles and is slightly darker than what shows in the picture. A small amount of batting was inserted into the small circles in the applique just to add a little bit of texture.

This quilt turned out great, I really like it. I have to admit I thought this was going to be a dreary quilt but it isn't, it has a quiet elegance. I can see making this pattern again someday.

Here is a link to the pattern. I altered the pattern to make my quilt larger.

Linking to Midweek Makers, Clever Chameleon, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop Party, TGIFF!, Finished Or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, UFO Busting, Oh Scrap

Quilting Blue Stars Around the Garden

 This week I finished the quilting on the bottom row of blocks. I took individual pictures of each block so you could see them close up. I had fussy cut the center of each block when I pieced them.

This is the right side border.

I'm attaching a picture of the quilt flimsy so you can see the progress I've made. Hand quilting is not a fast process but I have made progress over the past 8 weeks. I'm estimating I'm a fourth of the way finished. I'm working from the bottom towards the top. Those bottom four blocks are what I finished last week and I'll be quilting the narrow blue border this week. I doubt I'll be quilting into the center by next Sunday but who knows, maybe I will! 

The pattern for Stars Around the Garden can be found here.

I have to finish with a picture of another Amaryllis. The 2nd bud of this lovely red Amaryllis has opened. I'm still enjoying the winter color!

This 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, Deb, Nanette, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Daisy, Connie,  Monica and Sherrie

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

Yellow Sprouts

Last year I used darker, brighter yellows for the sprouts blocks. This year I went for softer, more subdued yellows and made 2 blocks.

I also pieced two 16 square blocks, they'll finish at 8".

Linking to Scrap Happy Saturday.

Amaryllis in 2021

Nothing about quilts today, it's about flowers which are brightening up my day during this cold weather.

I have a lot of Amaryllis bulbs and this winter has been the best ever for their blooms. I've already shown you several that were blooming earlier, here are the ones that are in bloom now.

This is the only one that has ruffles. The white really sets off the red. There are two stems blooming but I can see way down in the center, between the two stalks, there is a third bud ready to pop up.

The pink and white Amaryllis is definitely considered a Apple Blossom Amaryllis, I think the light salmon/pink colored ones are too. Their sharp brilliant color is so pretty!

There are several more pots to bloom in the coming weeks. These flowers make me very happy.

Some people have a problem with the plants tipping over because they become top heavy when blooming. I solved this problem by picking up small stones in the summer. You want stones a little smaller than your fist. I washed them, let them dry then set them in a small pail downstairs in the cellar. When I potted the bulbs last November, I put a stone in the bottom of each pot before adding the soil. That took care of that problem.

I also have a Christmas(?) cactus that bloomed last October then again the end of January. I like plants that bloom in the winter.

Linking to Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop Party, TGIFF!, Finished Or Not Friday, Off the Wall Friday

Back to the 30's!

When I last posted about the 3030 quilt I had 55 blocks pieced. Even though this project has been out of sight, it hasn't been out of mind and I know how I'm going to finish it.

The first step was a no brainer, I pieced one more block so the blocks will be set 7 blocks by 8 blocks.

The next decision was how to set the blocks, straight set or diagonal set. There are more blocks than are on the display wall but you get the idea.

I'm going with the KISS method for finishing so straight set it is.

I had been planning all along to put sashing in between the blocks, no way was I going to try to sew block next to block, just way too many seams.

I toyed with the idea of using a light blue fabric for sashing with yellow cornerstones but decided against that and went with the blue background fabric. This way the blocks float.

For the finale, I added a 6.5" border which will finish at 6". The flimsy measures 60.5" by 67.5". Now I need to decide hand quilting or machine, 3030 is back to time out again while I think about it.

The 3030 quilt was a BOW from Sentimental Stitches. Gay provided both instructions for regular piecing or a foundation paper piecing pattern. All of my blocks were foundation paper pieced. I did not applique the applique blocks.

We got snow when the big snowstorm went across the US several weeks ago but nothing like the northeast states did. The snow has to go somewhere so when the farmer cleans out the driveway, he pushes a pile in the yard north of my kitchen.

This makes a good mountain to climb. He's only 4 so I'm sure it feels like he's scaled Mount Everest!

In the winter the cows can lounge in the free stalls in the shed or eat balage from the hay feeder in the shed lot. Sometimes they stand outside, lazily chewing their cud with their eyes shut. I'm sure they are dreaming about long summer days and nights in the bottom pasture.

Linking to Midweek Makers, Clever Chameleon, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down

Blue Stars Around the Garden, Quilting the Blocks

I started quilting the blocks of blue Stars Around the Garden. I decided to not custom quilt the individual blocks but quilt them using an overall design. Here is the quilting from left to right.

The bottom corner applique is finished. It will be stencil design quilting until I am up to the top of the quilt.

You can see the texture of the grid quilting on the quilt blocks. I could reach a little farther then the center. I'm pleased with the way the grid looks.

The right side border, again the applique has been quilted. Stitching in the ditch around the applique just makes it pop.

The stencil is called Baltimore Grid and was purchased from the Stencil Co. It measures 16" and is #SCL-268-16. 

Two Amaryllis started blooming this week, happy bright red. Their picture was taken in front of Grandma's Embroidered blocks wallhanging.

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