Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Well, this is not where I was headed...but this is where I went!!

I was intending to work on the borders of the Alphabet quilt, in my previous post.  I am stuck on that...so I pulled out the string bin, and started piecing some string blocks.  I just ended it here...a table mat, for a candle and my little decorative pieces for Saint Patrick's day.  It will be fun to hand quilt this one!!!


When I am stuck on a phase or a decision surrounding a quilt, I hate to just dwell and dwell on it...it wastes my time, and I don't have that much time to waste.  Strings is something I just love, and so I turn to them for fun and inspiration, sometimes!!


Hope each of you is having a marvelous day!!

Julie

Sunday, January 29, 2017

The mystery of the disappearing quilt blocks!

 In 2014, I made these alphabet quilt blocks, from a Temecula sew along.  Then?  I carefully pressed and wrapped them up in the remaining white background fabric, and put them away for safe keeping. I could not find them anywhere!! Because they were all wrapped up in the background fabric, they stayed safely anonymous...
 Until now!  This is project 3/17, for the 17 in 2017 finish along.  I am auditioning a vine border, but am undecided on it.  Since it is close to Valentine's day, hearts are involved!!  I will have to think about this one, and decide on a plan of action for that applique border.  At least the blocks are all together, which is great progress from where they were!
This is just a little heart quilt for February.  Hearts, hearts, hearts!  I love them!!


Have a great day, everyone!!!


Julie

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Slow Sunday Stitching.

 I have been spending 30 minutes each night, hand quilting...many of you may recognize this very long, long term project.  I almost have all the blocks quilted!  Yahoo!!
 Rosie likes it.
 My binding project for this week, 30 minutes a night, is this quilt...started in 2011.
And it is done!  I am so amazed at how much I can get done, in 30 minutes a night!





Linking to Kathy's blog...slow Sunday Stitching post!  She always has so many lovely people linking their slow stitching projects, and it is great fun to browse.  enjoy!!

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2017/01/slow-sunday-stitching_22.html




Julie

Ok, last pictures of this one...I promise!!

 My splendid sampler (American Sampler!) is complete, at least the top is complete.
 Red, red, red...a lot of it!!  In the pictures, it looks rather overpowering, but I like it, in real life!!
I may rethink this border, but for now, I am leaving it.  I am just glad it is in one piece!!


The blue lab coat, that is used in the sashing?  I used every inch of it!!!  Sleeves, pockets, everything...just barely the right amount of fabric.  Hurrah!!


Thank you for hanging with me, for this one!!!


Julie

Friday, January 20, 2017

Plugging along...2 of 17 in 2017

1
 I am still piecing the sashing and nine-patch cornerstones for this quilt...

And here is where I am!!  Still quite a bit of piecing to go, but all the pieces and parts are cut out, so I can just grab and go to the machine whenever I have some time. 


Pearl of Wisdom!!  Or maybe just my observation...:)



I really love the idea of using everything up, for my quilts.  I used an old lab coat for the blue in the sashing.  It is a little heavier fabric, and it is not 100% cotton.  I don't think I will do it again...because!!  My needle has had to be changed twice, and the fabric just does not handle or feel the same as 100% cotton.  Any thoughts?

  I am going to finish out this quilt with it, so it all matches, and I love the sentiment of the lab coat, wearing it last while helping in cardiac surgery, but maybe I will be more selective about 100% cotton in the future!!!

*****************Nurse's Notes******************

I have had the weirdest illness!  I just got a sudden, harsh, deep cough...no sniffles, no sore throat...just this horrible cough!  I then developed a heck of a fever...101.5 and above.  This lasted about 36 hours....then the fever was suddenly gone, and the cough much improved!  Just a lingering hack, once in a while.  What in the world hit me??  Nothing like I have ever had!!!  Have you ever "enjoyed" anything like that??




Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie






Sunday, January 15, 2017

2/17 project in progress: The Splendid Sampler!

Well, our big computer is gone...I think.  It is years old, and just will not function...so?  I am posting from the Apple computer, instead!  This is project 2 out of 17, for this year.  Here is my Splendid Sampler, in progress.  I have all the blocks sewn together, and some of the sashing made.  I have really enjoyed this project, for many reasons.

 First, I made it in red, white and blue, for America, in the midst of terrible terrorist attacks here and in France, Germany and elsewhere!  Second, it was a connection to Lyn, my friend in Australia, who paper pieced several blocks for the quilt, who knows that I don't like paper piecing, much.  I love those blocks!!  Third?  The blue fabric in the sashing is from my torn lab jacket from my work; torn on a day that I got to go down into the operating room and help with an open heart surgery.  I will never forget the surgical magic that happened that day...a dying man, gray in color and with very low blood pressure...and the next day?  Pink, drinking clear liquids and sitting up in the chair!!  Went home in four days....yahoo!!!


The patterns for the Splendid Sampler are coming down in about a month, so I think I am wrapping up this project with just the blocks I have.  I just don't want to worry getting the last ones done and the patterns disappearing on me.


So this is what I am working on, in addition to my 30 minutes of binding and hand quilting each day.


Happy Sunday, everyone!!!

Julie

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Borders are on! and on to the next...2/17

 I did get the final two borders on the Bear Paw quilt!  It is a very large quilt, when finished.
 It was hard to get a picture of the whole thing!!
 I learned that I needed to cut the borders by hand, following the plaid, so that they would be straight.  Also, I used the length of the fabric, not the width, and I can tell you for sure, the border is much straighter and stronger feeling than when I cut across the width of the fabric!  So there are my pearls of wisdom for the day!!
 I have been binding by hand, 30 minutes each night, and I finished up this binding.
 Tada!  Another patient quilt ready to gift!!  Hope someone likes bright colors out there!!
 So, what was next, after the big Bear Paw Obsession???  Back to the Splendid Sampler...I am afraid they are going to take down all the patterns for this one, and I am not nearly ready for that, LOL!! I made the above block for my friend Lyn, in Australia.  I love the soft colors she chose, and the cup is hand appliqued.
And I made four more blocks for my own Splendid Sampler!  I made the very same cup for my quilt, as for Lyn's quilt, but I bordered mine differently.


I must confess...that bird?  Was a challenge!!  I guess not really too much, but the pieces were tiny, and cutting had to be spot on.  I love that I actually made it...and it took me two solid hours to finish that one block.  So yahoo!!!


Onward!!

Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

The Bear Paw center is together! Whoop!!


 The bear paw quilt middle is all together!!  These are 14 inch blocks, so it will be a pretty large quilt when borders are applied.
 My favorite wonky block!!!  Love that orange and lime green plaid!
The whole thing, photographed from a perch on top of a living room chair.  I  need to go and buy a border...for I have no piece of plaid big enough for the whole border.


Yahoo!!  ONWARD!!!


How are you doing on your 17 in 2017 challenge???



Have a great day,

Julie

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Marching onward in this New Year!

 I have been faithfully been sewing on binding every night, for thirty minutes.  I am so delighted that with a small amount of time invested (but consistently!), I have finished binding these two quilts!
 Yahoo for a finish!!
 Pink, pink, PINK!
 All done and ready for a patient at the hospital.
This is just a wee little snowman, for January.  It is quite cold here...15 degrees F this morning, but thankfully the roads were OK to go to work at 5 AM.


I have also been hand quilting each night, 30 minutes.  Making good progress, but I really think it will take about 6 months to finish my project. Steady as she goes!!


Hope you are fairing well and keeping safe and warm, where ever you are...this winter weather in the U.S. can be nasty!!!  Of course you Australian folks are toasty warm, right now!


Julie

Monday, January 2, 2017

I have a plan...watch out!!!

 So I stood on the back of the big chair in the living room and got this picture...Hee!!  I bet it was funny, if you would have peeked in.  I have 20, out of 30 blocks completed for the Bear Paw quilt.  I think I like the green one best!
 These are the ones I made today.  Slow and steady wins the race!
 I received a wonderful postcard from Nines!  Thank you so much, I just love it!
As I was cleaning up the kitchen table, I found the makings to sew this block, so I did...at 3 AM.





******************My plan**************************

There has been some chatter in blogland, about 17 projects to finish in 2017. I started listing what I would really like to accomplish in my quilting life, and so...I came up with at least that many quilts!  Some are UFOs, and some will be new starts.  I think it keeps it a little fresher, when I can work on both, maybe alternately.  So I will list them here, and I am working on the first one, first, which is the Bear Paw quilt.


Additionally, I have a lot of quilts still needing binding and quilting.  I cannot hand quilt every single quilt...I just am going to run out of runway!  But, I am not going to make progress unless I commit to working on binding and quilting every day.  For the last three nights, I have bound for 30 minutes, hand quilting for 30 minutes, and then pieced a couple blocks on the machine, for 15 minutes.  So far, so good...making progress feels so good!!!




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Have a great day, everyone!!


Julie

Hexies, rainbow quilts and plaids!

Good morning to all!!!  Above is a hexagon, for English paper piecing.  My kitten Lucky has discovered them, and decided that they are great...