Finished!!

Yesterday I sewed the binding onto the front of Rhapsody in Blue, Elaine will add a label then finish the binding with hand sewing.

Here is the quilt displayed on the carpet in the basement.

The left bottom side.

And the right bottom side.

Then I took some pictures of the quilt on our bed.

A side view.

A close up of the center. I tried to find a stencil showing this curvy triangle design. I couldn't find it on the Stencil Company website. I have this design in a couple sizes, the one stencil says #W1004W, Overall C.L. Design, 1996 Sten Source Intl. When I typed in the information, it took me to this website.  I have no idea where or when I bought the stencils, apparently before the turn of the century?

The quilting started on Rhapsody August 20, 2025 so quilting took a little less than 11 months. Slightly over 1000 yards of thread were using in the quilting. The finished size is 115" square. 

Elaine did all of the applique. The center applique is from the Lady Jane pattern which was designed by Nancy Rink, the applique border is a variation of the design. We did not buy any of the blue fabrics, we used what we had in our stashes, guess that makes Rhapsody a 'scrap' quilt. We did buy a whole bolt of the gray background fabric. There is background fabric left, I see a gray background quilt happening in my future.

The batting is a Hobbs Tuscany 100% wool batting which I probably bought at Connecting Thread during a batting sale. I don't use wool batting except when I hand quilt 'special' quilts. For quilting thread I use YLI hand quilting thread, it costs more but it's a quality thread. If you are going to go through the labor of hand quilting, don't use a cheap thread. Years ago I used Coats & Clark hand quilting thread but the thread they manufacture now isn't anything like it used to be. I've had trouble with it fraying and tearing.

The backing fabric is a white floral wide backing that I purchased at Calico Point. I like white on the backside of quilts, it shows the stitching.

I'll take another picture when Elaine has the binding finished but that won't be until fall. I'll keep the quilt here until October. This quilt will be donated to the 2027 Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale, it's finished a year ahead of time!

I'm taking a blogcation until August. July has been an extremely busy month and it's just going to get even busier, the blog has to take a backseat.

The only time I used my sewing machine last week was to attach the binding. I'm enjoying time with family, especially the grandchildren. I've been restocking the freezer and hopefully the black raspberries I picked in June will be finally be made into jelly. No black raspberry jam here, the farmer does not like seedy jam so jelly it is. I'm enjoying the flowers while they're blooming, I'll have plenty of time for sewing and handwork in the winter.

I'll be back in August, happy stitching everyone!

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, July Favorite Finish

Rhapsody in Blue

The quilting is finished on the applique border in the bottom half of Rhapsody in Blue. Don't you just love this texture?

Here is the applique border. I just connected a bottom square to the top square with a straight line. The lines are spaced 1.5" apart. This applique is a variation of the Lady Jane center.

Here is the center applique. This applique is the center applique of the Lady Jane quilt. We have permission from Nancy Rink to use her design in this quilt.

Here is a close up of a corner of the applique border. The lines are diagonal to the bottom line. That pin is there because I didn't notice that there was a loop in the thread. When I roll this side backup toward the center, I'll stop and remove that loop. I try to watch for those but I don't always catch them until I've knotted off.

I was at Grandma's Pantry last week but forgot to take a picture of the quilt garden. Sorry 😞, but I will share this cute picture with you. I've noticed something has been munching my hostas so I've been spraying deer/rabbit spray on them. Here are the culprits, who can be upset at these cuties?

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

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

Rhapsody in Blue

The bottom border of Rhapsody in Blue is quilted. Sorry there are shadows in the pictures.

This first picture is across the bottom border but the quilting doesn't show.

The next section to be quilted is the 9 patch patchwork.

Elaine did the applique work, the applique is based on the Lady Jane quilt designed by Nancy Rink.

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

Stonefields

Section 8 from Stonefields has started. First are these four blocks which are very appropriately called The Hexagons. I'm not the perfectionist that Rebecca is, I didn't spend that much time EPPing my hexies. You can see my stitches but you have to look very closely at them. 

The flower print is border fabric left from the Lady Jane quilt. I really like those flowers!

Another blue floral fabric.

I tried fussy cutting the leaf fabric. It didn't work like I had intended but you can see the leaves.

I also tried fussy cutting the dark blue fabric. Those little flowers aren't quite centered so I sewed them all closer to the center hexie so they would look more symmetrical.

The hexies are the 3/4" size which is the same size as the hexies that belong on the border. I haven't decided if I'm going to make the border the way the pattern says or not. I'll decide that when the blocks are actually sewn into the center flimsy and have the flying geese border.

Next are two blocks called Bull's Eye.

I've added a lot of yellow to these blocks in this section. They'll be interspersed among all the other blocks in the quilt, the yellow will just add some contrast to all the blues.

Here are a group of blocks named Hyde Park. These blocks are the same pattern as the very first four blocks pieced for Stonefields except that these four have little applique circles added.

Of course I had to fussy cut the circles for at least one of the blocks. These circles are the same fabric that I tried to fussy cut for the hexies.

There are several other blocks prepped for section 8 but these are the only blocks completed so far.

Stonefields is designed by Susan Smith.

Except for some of the background fabrics, the fabrics used are from my extensive blue stash.

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

Stonefields, Blocks 30, 31

Blocks 30 & 31 are named Cara's Surprise Block. Block 32 was also supposed to be a Cara's Surprise block but I thought two blocks of this design were enough. I'll show you what I substituted for block 32 later.

Here is block 30 . . .

And block 31 . . . 

Blocks 33 & 34 are pieced blocks and were displayed in this post.

I'm going to be slowing down on appliqueing the Stonefields blocks, I've put the relief sale quilt, Rhapsody in Blue, into the quilting frame! I had originally said it would go into the frame in October but it is marked and ready to go so I decided to start quilting. This quilt has a deadline so I've got to keep stitching!

I don't think I've shown you the flimsy since Elaine has completed the applique corners. 

The corner applique is based an adaption of the center applique which is from the Lady Jane quilt.

The corner applique is the same applique I used for my Blueberry Pie flimsy. Elaine is a very precise person, I'm sure she was rather appalled with the cobbled together design I put together for my pattern but it worked!

There is a quilting design marked on the outside border which doesn't show in the pictures. When you mark on light fabric, you mark lightly, just so you can see the design when hand quilting. I took a picture of the stencils so you can see what the design is, a cable of feathers.  There are diagonal background lines so there aren't empty background spaces.

Here is a picture of Rhapsody in Blue in the quilting frame which is in the basement of my home. I'm thankful to have the space to put this large quilt into the frame, it's 118" by 118".

I am using my old sticks & stands frame for quilting. I think this setup has much better tension on the sides than the roller frame I used for several years.

You can see on the left side that the frame isn't large enough for the whole quilt top. Once I've quilted just past the center medallion, I'll move the part hanging off and onto the frame. This is going to take a long time to quilt so I've covered the top with a sheet so it doesn't get dusty.

I've been asked if I don't feel out of touch with my sewing studio located in the basement? No I don't, I'm thankful to have such a large studio. I don't have a huge social life, I like being by myself and doing what I enjoy, sewing and quilting. 

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

Stonefields, Blocks 26, 27, 28 & 29

I've started section 3 of the Stonefields quilt. Blocks 26 & 27 are both the same design called The Semi Circles. I looked at that design and thought no way, not in my quilt! I think Susan was struggling to think of something pretty when she came up with the semi circle idea.

I changed block 26 to an embroidery design I came across several weeks ago. Those are little 1/2" hexies around the center. 

I tried to fussy cut the hexies, they didn't turn out like I had planned but I'm not changing them. I might substitute this block again for another disliked block but I'll add circles instead of hexies next time.

This cute little embroidery was designed by Karen Styles, Somerset Patchwork. You can find the Somerset Patchwork website here then click Love & Hugs from Australia.

For block 27, I appliqued this floral circle onto background fabric. 

I really like this floral fabric, I've used it in several other blocks in the Stonefields quilt. The hexies in the embroidered block came from the same fabric, this is border fabric left from the Lady Jane quilt.

Blocks 28 & 29 are named Paper Flowers.

I wish now I would have added leaves, they look rather stark.

I used the same stems for both blocks, it's bias vine left from the applique of Blueberry Pie. I hadn't intended to use this dark of blue fabric in this quilt but I way over estimated the amount of stem needed for Blueberry Pie. Waste not! I think that blue bias will be seen in future quilts also.

As a reminder, these blocks will finish at 6". Stonefields is designed by Susan Smith.

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

Elegant Garden, Block 11

Block 11 didn't take long to applique.

I have challenged myself to use civil war fabrics I already have on hand. Sometimes I don't think a block is going to look right but then it comes together when it's finished. Adding the pink and yellow/orange fabric really adds zing to the block.

Elegant Garden is an older quilt designed by Edyta Sitar.

I stopped at Elaine's last week to drop something off. She showed me her progress on  the applique borders for Rhapsody in Blue.

The blue vine will go around the corners when the borders are attached to the center. This is a modified version of the applique from the Lady Jane pattern designed by Nancy Rink.

Rhapsody in Blue is the quilt we are making together to donate to the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale. We won't have it finished in time for this year's auction, we're aiming for the 2027 sale. This quilt will be hand quilted and I'm planning on putting it into the hand quilting frame this fall.

On another note, I don't know if Mail Chimp is delivering my blog posts anymore. If you have subscribed to my blog but it isn't being delivered, you'll have to bookmark it or search for it. Sorry about that but I don't know what to do to solve the problem. I normally link up to various linky parties during the week also.

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