The second border for the Pastor's Attic quilt is finished and I've attached the two borders to the center body. I'm very pleased with the way the border looks.
I've started working on the next two borders.
I haven't been hand quilting my quilt since my last post about Spring Fever. The hand quilters from my guild have been working hard at finishing up the quilt for this year's Michiana (Michigan/Indiana) Mennonite Relief Sale. The sale isn't until September but we want this quilt finished so we can work on our own projects.
The quilt stitched hard and my fingers got so sore. By the time they didn't hurt anymore, it was time to go quilt again.
Saturdays were all day quilting. Yesterday we finished the quilt! Happy Dance!! I finally remembered to take my camera along so I could take pictures.
The quilt is queen sized and has 800 yards of quilting thread. Rhoda and Kathy, who pieced this quilt, put 2 patterns together and came up with this design. I don't remember the name.
It needs binding and other tweaking but my contribution is finished. Now I can quilt again on Spring Fever.
Linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Quilting is More Fun than Housework, Show & Tell Monday With Bambi, Em's Scrapbag, Love Laugh Quilt, BOM's Away
I wrote this post in late September but didn't get it posted. Since being written, 4 of the 12 projects have been completed. I may repost this post occasionally during the winter to share the progress I'm making.
In January I read in many blog posts about the projects planned for the year. My life is different and my quilty season starts in the Autumn. Not on September 1st or the 22nd but when the end of the summer activities end. The garden needs to be put to bed, all the canning/freezing needs to be completed, the fall house cleaning needs to be finished and, hopefully, the flowerbeds are cleaned up (that hasn't hapened this year). When these tasks are completed, I can dive into projects with no guilt.
I'm sharing a list of the 12 projects I'm planning on tackling this season. They are in somewhat order of importance.
Some of the projects are small and will easily be completed. I will not finish all the larger quilts but I hope to make some progress toward completion.
1. Pastor's Attic Quilt - still appliqueing blocks. 16 completed, 9 more to applique for the center. I try to applique every evening, block 11 is under the construction right now. I'm not appliqueing them in consecutive order. Updated November 15 - 17 completed!
I started the Pastor's Attic Quilt in November, 2015 so I've been working on her for a year. My goal . . . to have her sewn into the flimsy stage ready for quilting by November 2017. I plan to hand quilt her.
2. Sweet Surrender - Inside applique blocks completed. Need to piece the triangle blocks. Foundation papers are copied.
I started Sweet Surrender in January 2016. My goal . . . to have her sewn into the flimsy stage by sometime in 2017. Pastor's Attic quilt has higher priority.
3. Nearly Insane - She was my One Monthly Goal for October. I added a row.
I started piecing Insane in January 2016.
My goal for Nearly Insane . . . to have all the center blocks pieced by January 2018. This is a really slow project.
4. Postage Stamp Quilt - I decided I need to piece 10 blocks a month to get this quilt finished. (I dream kingsized!) When I got the blocks out, I realized why I had put it away; I had used all the yellows and oranges and there was only one purple 4-patch to be used! I went ahead and pieced 5 more blocks so now there are 10 completed blocks. The blocks without yellow and orange just jump out at me though!
I pulled fabrics and had a marathon cutting session. I cut different sized strips besides the 1-1/2" needed for the postage stamps. I also cut a stack of 5" squares for some other projects. I'll keep sewing the 1-1/2" strips until they're all sewn. Then I'll cut them apart and sew 4-patches. Hopefully I'll be able to piece more blocks starting in January. My goal for this quilt project? . . . I have no idea when she'll be completed.
5. Tractor crib quilt - This is my One Monthly Goal for November. We have another grandchild arriving in December. (Wow, two in one year!) We won't know the sex of the baby until he/she is born. I have a Sunbonnet Sue quilt I made several years ago so I'm prepared for a girl.
I have this cute tractor pattern I've been wanting to make, perfect for a grandson of farmers. I have the fabric, just need to get the pieces cut and get started sewing. The pattern is available through Counted Quilts. They have a lot of cute patterns.
My goal for this quilt . . . he needs to be finished by the first of December. The baby is due the 8th! Update - Finished November 11, 2016 & the baby came early!
6. Wilfred & Cloves - This is the center of Wilfred & Cloves from the Creating Heirlooms, One Stitch at a Time by Carolyn Konig. I've been want to make this quilt ever since I bought the book several years ago. I appliqued the center of this quilt in the fall of 2014 and nothing has happened since. I have the fabrics pulled for the pieced blocks, just need to get them cut out. My goal . . . again, I have no idea. I need to finish up other quilts first.
7. Churn-Dash Quilt - This antique quilt was pieced and quilted by the farmers great-grandmother, Fannie Baumgartner Kauffman. I've always wanted to make a reproduction of this quilt. The plan is to use the blue fabric left from my Dear Jane quilt. Now I need to get the blocks prepped so they can be pieced at the Jane Stickle Retreat in November. My goal for this quilt . . . I would like to get her completely pieced and in the hand quilting frame by January. Will it happen? We'll see.
8. Summer Quilt - Several years ago, the farmer told me we need a light quilt for summer. I've been turning that idea over in my mind ever since. This winter it is going to happen. I have 12 quilt blocks I embroidered years ago. I need to come up with an alternate block in between them and some borders to make it large enough for king size. I will have her long-arm quilted so she will be ready for the 2017 summer season.
9. Quilt - 3 Star Bright crib quilts - I don't know on which blog I saw this crib quilt, but I went to the link they provided and downloaded the free pattern. It's designed by Katie Blakesley and called Star Bright. How could I resist? Of course I couldn't sew up just one, I made three tops. Now just to get them quilted. Goal . . . to be finished by May 2017. Updated - finished 12-27-16.
10. Grandmother's Flower Garden EPP crib quilt - I would like to possibly start another EPP project the first part of the year but I need to complete this crib quilt first. Update - Finished October 30, 2016 and I've decided I am NOT starting a new EPP project in 2017. I'm going to keep working on the applique quilts.
11. Blocks for 2018 Guild Charity quilt - Every year our guild provides a quilt for the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale. The members of the guild piece the blocks, the committee puts the blocks together into a flimsy. Then the guild hand quilts the quilt top. Finished October 23, 2016
12. Block for Marie Troyer, 2015 Guild President - Every year the members of the Maple Leaf Quilt Guild make a quilt block for the past president as a thank-you for their leadership. The past-president specifies which block they want. Marie designed the pattern. Finished October 24, 2016
Linking up to - Esther's Wednesday WOW!, Sew Fresh Quilts
I love my grands but I am ready to return home after a week away. Boy, it sure felt good to sleep in my own bed. Now onto quilty things.
I met my One Monthly Goal for October which was to sew another row for the Nearly Insane Quilt. I showed you 3 blocks before I left for Pennsylvania. Here are the last four blocks in the row.
I'm sewing the rows together as I go. I like to see the progress, it is slow progress, but progress none the less.
I can attach one more row then the partial flimsy will be too wide for the display wall.
I actually had two monthly goals. The second goal was to finish a block for the Pastor's Album Quilt. I posted about completing that goal on the October 9th post.
Not all the projects on my list of 12 are BIG projects. This week I've crossed 2 projects off the list of 12.
The first project are these little baskets. I had started appliqueing these blocks, completing two of them, before I left. I finished the other two Sunday evening.
I turned them in at the guild meeting Monday evening.
Every year our guild makes and donates a quilt to the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale.
These blocks are for the 2018 Relief Sale quilt.
The pattern is Victoria's Garden from Blended Quilts by Marcia Makosky and Sharon Evans Yenter.
The quilt committee has put their own spin on the pattern.
I think she is going to be a lovely quilt, different than most of the quilts in the auction.
These blocks are maybe 6 1/2" now but will be trimmed smaller. I don't know the final size.
The background fabric is the same for all the applique blocks. There is an alternate pieced block between each basket block.
Some of the alternate blocks were turned in Monday evening also, this quilt is going to be so cute.
This block is my favorite of the four I appliqued. The soft green batik leaves add a touch of color.
I decided to take kits for the same block. Once I've made a block, the others work up fast.
The second project is this basket block. Every year each members of my guild make a quilt block for the past president. The past president selects the pattern and size of the block.
Marie came up with this scrappy pieced basket block. I'll let her trim it. I know it looks like a spot on the fabric at the bottom of the basket. There is no spot, the camera just added it to irritate me.
These two projects were on the pile of small projects to be made last summer. Neither one took very long but that pile was pretty big!
I've started working started working on block 11, Floral Vase Arrangement from the Pastor's Album Quilt for my evening handwork. I think this block is going to take longer than a week to complete. Two flower buds and the vase have an underlay for the reverse applique. A new technique to learn.
Linking to - One Monthly Goal, Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Quilting is More Fun than Housework, Em's Scrapbag, Love Laugh Quilt, Esther's Wednesday WOW!, Sew Fresh Quilts, My Quilt Infatuation, A Quilting Reader's Garden, Crazy Mom Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Show Off Saturday
