Prepping

I'm in between projects right now. Dresden Stars is a flimsy, the table runner is finished and delivered so instead of starting a new project, I decided to prep for the April retreat.

I've been prepping fabrics to piece the posey blocks for Bonnie Hunter's Garden Party quilt which is found in her book, Addicted to Scraps. Click here to review the quilts in the book.

I sewed two blocks just to show you what the posey block looks like. Of course I'm making my quilt larger. I want bedquilts to hang down  the sides, not just lay on the top.

I know the blocks need to be trimmed. I'll do that when all the blocks are pieced. Please don't ask me what size the blocks are, check the book for details.

Garden Party is one of the quilts on my 2024 list of quilts.

I mentioned in January that I'm going to be foundation paper piecing a pineapple quilt at retreat but I wanted another project to take along. Working on the same quilt for four and a half days can be done but it gets very boring, trust me, I've done it several times.

I also want to trace off an embroidery project for handwork when I'm tired of sewing. April will be here before we know it!

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Hearts & Wreaths

The first row of applique blocks in the center section is completed! Since there are four rows in the center section and two borders, there are 6 rows total. Two have been completed so 1/3rd of the quilt has been completed!

The pictures are from the top of the first row in the center. I did quilt from the blocks above into the bottom row in several of the blocks.

The diagonal line background quilting adds so much interest.

Two stencils have been used in the corners of the applique blocks. The first one is this double heart design.

The second design is this one called feather design. I wrote about the stencils I used for marking Hearts & Wreaths in this post.

I'm using white thread for quilting. The quilting designs are very subdued and aren't going to jump out at you when you view the quilt from a distance. Applique is the focus of this quilt, the quilting designs are secondary.

The pin at the top of the border shows me where the quilting for the vine ends. It's hard to find the end if it's not marked.

Another amaryllis is blooming, isn't this red absolutely beautiful? She has only one bud and the bud has just three blooms instead of the normal four. When this amaryllis is finished blooming, she's finished for this winter. 

There are two more amaryllis with buds. The one will probably be blooming by next Sunday. 

The other bulb is way behind, it will be a month before that one blooms. See that tiny little bit of green picking out of the center?

I turn the amaryllis plants every day, it's not hard to do. When I plant the bulbs in the fall, I insert a small stone on the bottom of the pot. I don't have a problem with top-heavy plants toppling over when they're blooming.

 Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Design Wall Monday, Craftastic Monday, Monday This 'N That,  Monday Musings, To Do Tuesday

Blue & Yellow Tablerunner

In January I pieced a tablerunner for my friend Nathalie and forgot to take a picture before we delivered it to Calico Point for long arm quilting. They said it would probably be the first of April when it would be finished.

Last Friday afternoon I got a call from Calico Point, the runner was quilted! Nathalie picked it up and dropped it off at my house for binding.

This time I remembered to take pictures before I sent it home with her. There is snow for the background since we had snow overnight last Friday.

Here are sideway pictures. The individual stars finish at 12". The tablerunner itself is 20" by 75".

The first two stars . . .

The center star . . .

Right side stars . . .

The quilting shows nicely on the backing fabric. Gray thread was used for the quilting

Nathalie texted me a picture of the runner on her dining room table. This was supposed to be a gift for someone but now she's reconsidering and may keep it for herself.

I did not have a pattern for this project, I made it up as I sewed.

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Patchwork & Quilts, Favorite Finish

Hearts & Wreaths

I haven't gotten tired of quilting Hearts & Wreaths yet which is a good things because I'm going to be doing this for several months!

The center section with the hearts quilts faster because there isn't as much detail.

This picture is to show you how the quilting design looks in between the applique. I really like how these diagonal lines meet up. Next week I can show you more of the quilt design in the corners of the blocks.

Here is a link to my first post about Hearts & Wreaths. And here is a link to the source of the Hearts & Wreaths pattern. 

Another amaryllis has started blooming, this pretty salmon color. There is a 2nd bud but it won't be blooming for several weeks. That extends the flowering for a longer period of time.

Another view of the same amaryllis with the Peppermint stick amaryllis in the background. Both buds are blooming on that flower.

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Design Wall Monday, Craftastic Monday, Monday Musings, Monday This 'N That, To Do Tuesday

Dresden Stars Flimsy!

Dresden Stars is a flimsy and now measures 94" by 105".  As we all know, this flimsy will shrink during the quilting process and no, it is NOT going to be hand quilted.

As you can see, this quilt is long enough to drag in the flowerbed! I shook it well after I unclipped it from the clips. I cannot pull the flimsy tight at the top.

For those of you who are new or as a reminder, this quilt was made from 2 kits I purchased almost 20 years ago.  I've had to substitute some of my fabrics in place of the kit fabrics. The border fabric I used here is NOT the striped fabric from the kit. 

The stripes themselves were perfectly fine but there was an added design and it didn't run straight! I took one look and just folded it up. It will be used some day as fabric backing or cut up into smaller pieces where the design won't be at noticeable.

The border fabric came from my civil war fabric tub and looks fine to me.

I did not have enough of this fabric for binding so I used a piece from the kit (not the striped fabric!) that was intended for binding. 

I am very relieved to finally have this quilt flimsy finished and crossed off my list of quilts for this year. Dresden Stars is now hanging in the 'to be quilted' closet until I decide what to do with it. It may end up with a grandchild or it may be donated to a charity auction, time will tell.

Here is a link to the Dresden Star pattern designed by Edyta Sitar. I made several design changes to this pattern because I wanted a larger quilt. The kit I purchased did NOT come from Edyta but a local quilt shop.

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts, Favorite Finish

Hearts & Wreaths

The applique blocks for Hearts & Wreaths are 14" finished. The bottom halves of the first row of blocks are completed. Here are closer up pictures of the blocks from the left side border to the right side border.

I've added a picture of the length of the quilt in the frame. Do you see how the diagonal lines of the background quilting of the blocks meet at the block side seams? That makes a design too. I really like the diagonal line for background quilting. I've never seen anyone else use this design but perhaps people think the 3/4" apart lines are too close.

Yes, it's going to be months before this quilt is finished but I'm enjoying myself and it's relaxing! 

I watch programs/movies on my Ipad while I stitch. First I binged watched this season of All Creatures on PBS.  Then it was all the episodes of Miss Marple on Brit Box, now I'm working through the Poirot episodes on Brit Box.

I normally spend at least 2 hours in the evening quilting.

My amaryllis bulbs have been slow to bloom this winter. This striped peppermint stick is the first one to bloom. It also has another bud which will be opening soon. 

I don't keep track of the color of each bulb after it  flowers so it's rather exciting to watch them slowly open and see what the flower looks like.

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Design Wall Monday, Craftastic Monday, Monday Musings, Monday This 'N That, To Do Tuesday

Dresden Stars

Dresden Stars has grown to the 83.5" by 95" size. All that is left to add is the outside border. That's going to take some time since the border fabric is a stripe. The mitered corners need to be matched and the border itself is pieced so that is another challenge. Hopefully the completion will happen next week.

Here is the progress on Dresden Stars so far.

These pictures were taken on a bright sunny afternoon so this picture has a glare.

The bottom and top borders have 2 rows of scrappy pieced 1" finished squares. The narrow borders also finish at 1".

I know I took a picture of just one of the side borders but that's disappeared into cyber-land somewhere. The patchwork square blocks are made with 25-1" finished squares. Some of the fabrics were in the original kit but I also pulled fabrics from my civil war fabric tub. The light blue inset triangles are from my stash. The fabric colors in this picture are more clear than the first picture.

Of course I had to show you the backside of the flimsy. If I were going to hand quilt this quilt, I would have definitely cut out the background fabric from behind the dresdens. I don't think it makes a difference for machine quilting.

This picture of the flimsy draped on the porch glider shows the true colors. Did you notice there is a narrow red border on the outside of the flimsy? The outside border is a blue that looks slightly faded, that seems to be the style of civil war fabrics in the early 2000's. The red will add some zing to that fabric.

Here is a link to the Dresden Star pattern designed by Edyta Sitar. I call the quilt Dresden Stars because there are multiple stars, not just a star. The pattern is for a quilt 53" by 73" but I wanted a larger quilt. 

I purchased 2 kits years ago because I knew I wanted a larger quilt.

The pattern looks so much prettier in the brighter colors that Edyta is using nowadays. I like the brighter fabrics much better than these civil war fabrics. Just to clarify, the fabric kits I purchased many many years ago, came from Lolly's in Shipshewana, Indiana, not from Edyta Sitar.

Perhaps someday I'll make another dresden stars quilt in brighter colors. If I do, I'll probably won't add the light colored triangle things to the dresden plates.

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Put Your Foot Down, Magic Crafts, TGIFF, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts

Hearts & Wreaths

The bottom of the first row of applique blocks has been quilted.

Here are pictures in order from the left side border to the right side border.

In this picture you can see the quilted design in the corner of the blocks.

Sorry there is a shadow in some of the pictures.

I'm pleased with my progress.

Here is a link to the first post about Hearts & Wreaths. In that post is also a link with information about the pattern.

Linking to Hugs & Kisses, Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Design Wall Monday, Craftastic Monday, Monday Musings, Monday This 'N That, To Do Tuesday