Elegant Garden, Block 4

Block 4 in the Elegant Garden quilt is finished. Sometimes a block just doesn't turnout like I hoped which is what happened with this block. The fabrics looked nice in the civil war box but just rather blah in the block.

The bright gold/orange fabric definitely added color but the flower and buds really needed help.

For help, I embroidered the outside edge of the flower and buds. I used a slightly darker thread on the edge of the light lavender. 

The fabric in the buds and flower center has a small mulberry colored motif so I outline the edge with a mulberry thread while the bud leaves and the bottom of the flowers were embroidered with a dark purple thread. 

The block still needed help so I added the gold french knots, that helped the most.

I used 12 weight Sulky thread for the embroidery. I'm going to keep the box upstairs, more embroidery might be happening in the future.

Fabrics always blend so well and compliment each other in fat quarter bundles, that doesn't always mean they're going to play well together in a block.

Elegant Garden is an older quilt designed by Edyta Sitar from Laundry Basket Quilts. 

I am taking a blogging break until the middle of December. Chat more later and hope you find some time for stitching during the rest of this year!

Linking to Kathys Slow Stitching Sunday, Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Handmade Monday, Sew & Tell, Craftastic Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings

Three Flimsies

I spent the last week finishing several projects. 

First on the list were the Twinkle blocks I pieced at retreat. They've been sewn together with sashing then finished with a red floral fabric from the My Summer House fabric line. Of course I changed the pattern, my twinkle quilt has 16 blocks and the sashing finishes at 4". The finished flimsy measures 94" square.

This flimsy will have to wait until the new year to be quilted. There are two flimsies at Calico Point waiting in the quilting queue while a 3rd quilt is at Lori's. Lori is still doing physical therapy, recovering from the broken bones in her right arm. It takes time to regain mobility when we're in our 60's. Lori was in the process of quilting my quilt when she fell last August, that quilt is still in the frame waiting for it's finish.

Back in June I was finishing some quilt tops into the flimsy stage but they still needed borders. Two crib quilts were listed in the post.

While at Caroline's, during my July birthday outing, I purchased fabric for the borders of the crib quilt a granddaughter embroidered the blocks for. 

Of course Caroline no longer had the original floral print but I thought this border fabric looked good. I also sewed the binding for this quilt. I like to sew bindings immediately after finishing a quilt top, that way the fabric isn't accidentally used in another project. This flimsy measures 48" by 59", a nice size for a crib quilt. 

I pulled this lovely periwinkle floral yardage from my stash to use as the borders on the jewel box crib quilt.

These blocks were leftovers from a big girl quilt I pieced for our oldest granddaughter many many years ago, she's 21 now. And again, the binding is pieced and ready to go. This little quilt measures 43" by 52".

These two little quilts will be quilted during a quilting marathon sometime next summer. I'll save the embroidered one for my granddaughter while the other one will probably be a donation quilt.

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

Elegant Garden, Block 3

While at retreat, I  finished the applique on Elegant Garden Block 3 and that happened Sunday morning.

Elegant Garden is an older quilt designed by Edyta Sitar from Laundry Basket Quilts. The fabrics I'm using are from my civil war fabric tub and I'm determined not to buy any new fabric for this project.

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

Home From Retreat

Or this post could be titled 'What I Sewed at Retreat'.

I worked on several projects at retreat. First I pieced Indian Hatchet blocks.

I hadn't intended to start another Indian hatchet quilt but those triangles keep accumulating. I didn't trim the blocks at retreat, I'll do that at home. Here are a few blocks that have been trimmed.

At every retreat, Clothesline Creations gifts everyone a Villa Rosa card. Several retreats ago, the pattern was the Twinkle card. I thought it was really cute so I made blocks for a Twinkle quilt. Of course I made more blocks because I want a larger quilt. Instead of two charm packs, I purchased a layer cake at Clothesline Creations last summer during my birthday outing. I cut the layer cake into 5" squares then pieced the HST's at home so they would be ready to sew.

The fabric line I used was My Summer House by Bunny Hill Designs. The above picture is not a good picture but you get the idea. 

For my third project, I pieced 36 posey blocks for the Garden Party quilt. I had the pieces prepped for last spring's retreat but never got to them. 

I think Garden Party will be a retreat project and live in the retreat bag until next spring. The blocks have not been trimmed, I'll wait until they're all finished to do that.

Garden Party is designed by Bonnie Hunter and can be found in her Addicted to Scraps book.

Lolly's Fabrics provided door prizes during show & tell Friday evening. My name was drawn for one of the prizes, it was a project basket filled with all sorts of goodies!

I always have a great time at retreat but there is nothing like coming home and sleeping in my own bed. 😉

Since I've returned home, the farmer and I switched the east wall quilt, Radiant Blues is now on display!

Someday I want to make this quilt again but make it large enough for a bed. I'd change the feathered star size to 18" finished, or maybe even the 24" size. Colleen did an excellent job with her quilting.

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

My Name Was Drawn!

Do you read Melissa Cory's Happy Quilting blog? Tuesdays are her Tuesday Terrific Giveaway Day. Online fabric stores provide gift certificates for her giveaways. 

My name was drawn and I received a gift certificate of $25 to Lou Lou's Fabric shop.

I selected a Fresh Fig jelly roll, something with no blue fabrics!

I have no idea what I'll be making with this jelly roll but the fabrics are very pretty.

Thank you Melissa and thank you to Lou Lou's fabrics for this lovely gift.

Linking to Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss

Blueberry Pie, 2nd Applique Corner

The 2nd corner of Blueberry Pie is appliqued. You will have to settle for an indoor picture, it's been very breezy this week then it rained. I didn't want the flimsy outside in those conditions.

And, in case you are wondering, no, I never did find the missing fabric. You can't tell it though in the picture, the substitute fabric is the same value as the first fabric.

I want to add a dark blue border to the outside of the gray borders but I haven't decided how wide to make them. Originally I had planned to have all four corners appliqued but I've run out of applique energy. I can quilt faster than I can applique. I haven't measured blueberry pie because I need to trim off the selvage before adding the blue border.

The pattern for Blueberry Pie is found in the Red, White and Sometimes Blue book but it's not called Blueberry Pie, you'll find it listed as Writer's Block. I thought the name was rather unimaginative so I changed it to reflect the blues used in my quilt.

The pattern in the book does NOT have an applique border, this is my addition. The border is a variation of the center medallion from the Lady Jane pattern, designed by Nancy Rink.

I was informed by someone in the 'know' several years ago that floral couches are out of style. I don't have the patience to keep up with trends, our grandsons love that couch and would miss it if we got rid of it.

I'm getting ready to leave for the Jane Stickle retreat Wednesday so there won't be a post next Sunday. 

Here is a picture of another one of my Christmas cactus. It's a very pretty variegated salmon and white.

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