Monday, October 28, 2013

Faithful

Final border added to Faithful this weekend. Not quilted, my plan is to make more blocks and HSTs for sashing. This block has bright colors, scraps from two BOMs last year.

Faithful in progress...
Faithful ~ Steps one and two
 Center block is Peace and Plenty. When I re-sized it to a 6 inch block it came out too small so I added an extra row of sashing.
Faithful ~ Step three
Great way to use up scraps and HSTs, or trade HSTs with other quilter as Lori of Humble Quilts did for her Big Top. Thank you Lori for another great SAL!
Here is a link to Lori's blog with pix of more blocks made.
Take a look at Lori's blog header, it's her Big Top made with 9 blocks, each sashed with additional HSTs for a finish. It's what I plan to do with my block.

Also worked on my Tree of Life project. Last two Pine Tree blocks finished. 
Center tree blocks are sewn together in a medallion. I am planning two 1/2 inch inner borders with a row of HSTs between them before I sew on the corners. Not exactly sure yet what size this will finish out at, close to 50 x 50 depending on the size of a red outer border, if I add one, may just bind it in the red.

Very frustrated with my longarm business right now and the reason I haven't posted the last two weeks. Mom is doing OK. She will be 98 this weekend! We had unexpected rain last night, a quick downpour, enough to make a mess of newly fallen leaves. Will have some clean up and sheltering plants today. Forecast is for night time temps down in the 30s this week. Fall has arrived here in Northern California! 
Enjoy your day!



Sunday, October 13, 2013

UFO and a SAL

Working on my October UFO ~ making Tree of Life blocks this weekend. Two more trees to finish, they take some time and patience. Drafted new trunks as the new corner blocks are larger than the blocks in the center. Started with some ideas for the final layout, adding a saw tooth sashing around the center blocks.

New corner tree blocks in progress...the HSTs are squared to 1 3/4, finish at 1 1/4 inch.
The first tree trunk I drafted, the branches were too big and the roots too small. This one is just right...


This is my quilt where all the HSTs came from, the corners from all of the snowball blocks...

I've also started on Lori ~ Humble Quilts SAL ~ Faithful. Part one was to make any 6 inch block for the center. I decided on a Peace and Plenty block. First one made was in my Civil War Sampler with Barbara Brachman's BOW. It was 8 inches and I needed a 6 inch block for this project. Using Quilt Genie I made the block but it finished at 5 inches so I added the purple sashing. Part two was adding sashing and HSTs around the center...
and part three is adding another sashing and 44 more HSTs this weekend. Four of us had a conversation at dinner before a guild meeting last week about how different random means to a mathematician and a quilter. Sew I can't say this is random... it's organized chaos :0)
All the fabrics and HSTs are scraps and cut offs from two BOMs I made in 2011. Mostly from Flying Geese blocks. I make a habit of stitching a second line of stitching before cutting off the triangle corners. The sewn cut offs get thrown in a container with more HSTs, ready to be pressed and squared to size when needed. Also how I ended up with so many HSTs for my Tree of Life project above. Great for scrappy projects and Saw Tooth borders too. This SAL with Lori ~ Humble Quilts was the perfect project to use up more of them. Check out Lori's quilt top made with HSTs she traded with friends, it's Lori's header right now.

I love it when I see vintage quilts and the owner says "I remember that fabric in a dress". It happened just the other day when someone brought a vintage quilt in to my studio. A Dresden Plate quilt her grandmother made in the 30's. Since I haven't made cloths since my teens, I don't have scraps from dresses and such. This will be a fun way to remember past quilt projects.

Now to get out and enjoy the fine Fall weather we are having in Northern California. Hope you all get to do the same! Enjoy your day, stitching away. Thanks for visiting.

Groetjes, Jo



Thursday, October 3, 2013

UFOs for October

Back to business now that Annie's Star quilt show is behind us, it took me about three days to recover. Lots of work, sweat and tears but I think it's one of the best shows we've had. Thanks to Brandie and Suzanne leading a herd of guild members and committees. Job well done to all!

I am sew looking forward to starting some new projects, especially with all the goodies I purchased from our vendors at the show! But I am going to be good and work on UFOs. Not going to pretend there won't be any new projects started as I already know I will be joining in with Lori's new SAL 'Faithful'. It's perfect as I have a tub of HSTs. I always make an extra stitch and keep the cut off from previous projects with snowballs and flying geese. Wait... does that make them UFOs?! ;0D

First on my list is a Tree of Life quilt. It will be a small quilt and it's made from HSTs, all the cut offs from the snowballs in my big red and white quilt that I had in the show. OK, my name is Jo and I am frugal, OCD, fabric hoarder, fabraholic... you pick! Yes... but... is it worth it?...

#2 is a really old UFO...  it's even made with old vintage calico from the 90s (refer to above)!

#3 A blue and white quilt started last year. Oh, oh, more HSTs... (again, refer to above ;0)
I am linking up to A Passion for Applique ~ Carrie's Nothing But UFOs.

Check out what other quilters and projects are 'in the works' for October. Hummmm, I don't have any Fall projects started to work on. May have to fix that. Hopeless. Thank you for visiting!

Enjoy the day, stitching away

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Blogger's quilts in ASQG quilt show


My Medallion quilt hanging at Annie's Star Quilt Show

A quick post with pics of quilts done by fellow bloggers. I've also posted about our guild's quilt show on my longarm site, Moonbear Designs and Quilting. The first post are pics of quilts made by my customers. This morning I posted quilts made by fellow bloggers Brandie ~ ABC and Esther ~ Threads on the Floor... here are our quilts displayed at Annie's Star Quilt Show this weekend...
 
This is Brandie's ~ It Started with a Seed

Esther's ~ Chocolate Covered Caramel Apple Storm at Sea

Brandie ~ Cat in the Moon
Esther ~ Celtic Knot of the Three Cords

Esther ~ Grandmother's Flower Pots
My red and white ~ Red Feathers

My mystery quilt ~ My Garden Grows in the Sun
Here is a link to this mornings post with more pics and details along with our challenge quilts.
Thank you for visiting. Enjoy the day, stitching away!