Friendship Stars

We did some serious sewing the other day and got the blocks sewn together. It still needs borders but those will wait until she is back from visiting her daughter. The baby came early everyone is doing good.  I love the bright colors and the black and whites the baby will have lots to look at during tummy time.  —Ann—
 

Tummy time quilt

 My girlfriend finished arranging the stars on the wall early last week. She was so excited, she has a good eye for color. She has always been a classy stylish dresser. Everything we learned from dress revue in 4-H has stuck with her. Next to practice that quarter inch seam………

and start sewing the 2 inch strips for the 4 patches….. Every step gets her more excited about the quilt. She has sewn about half of the half square triangles. We are both loving the results.

Working on this has been like bringing s little sunshine into the house.

Now she is off an a little trip and I took a tumble on the ice. No broken bones just sore joints and muscles lots of reading and knitting time for me so I don’t aggravate my elbow and shoulder more. I wish it would stay cold here. The snow melts from the roof drips on the sidewalk in the shade and promptly freezes. Boom I’m on the ground.  Slowly getting better.  —Ann—

Second verse same as the first

 

Here we go loop do loo

Here we go loop de li

Stitch in a butterfly

Watch them flutter by

And now my rhyme is through.

And so is my quilt. My butterflies improved greatly as I stitched more of them. Some of the first look more like moths like the last picture. Practice makes perfect….eventually.

Finished is better than perfect.  —Ann—

Loop de loo

 

Here we go loop de loo

Here we go loop de li

Stitch in a butterfly

Watch them flutter by.

Free motion machine quilting.  --Ann--

One ta da done

 

One done! That sweet feeling of completion! A great tummy time quilt. And all but the backing from the stash.  Just simple half square triangles put together as friendship stars and 4 patches.  I like simple patterns and fun fabrics. Free motion quilting just stitching an arc from corner to corner with a variegated thread. I used the backing fabric for the binding because I’m down to small scraps with all these colors, another great feeling, using it up! On to the next.—Ann—

Machine quilting

 It seems like it has taken a long time to get very little done. Slow going on the machine quilting, just the border left I think a feather all around will compliment my meandering concentric teardrop. That design always works on floral fabrics for a traditional look.

 I couldn’t figure out why I had blue crumbs all over the quilt as I was working……then I rubbed my hands / gloves together more blue crumbs. Time for new gloves I used them for 7 or 8 years. The new pair were in a package of 3 and are very stiff, I don’t like them as well but the good kind are sold out for the season, I’ll have to wait until next spring to get a new good pair.

Jump ahead to quilting on the baby quilt even though I haven’t completed the pastel. I’m just quilting geometry………swinging an arc from point to point.  Ann

Friendship stars

Little goals…..one day it was finish sewing the 30 some half square triangles before lunch and since hubby was off fishing my stomach was the only one to be considered. Then to sew the columns of block parts. Think about border options……middle photo it needs a spacer border before the 4 patches and half square triangles my eyes need a little rest from the quilt blocks to the border. Just little goals over a few days and then I was done.  Ann
 

Small steps

 

Small steps of progress but I also stayed home all afternoon! It has been hot and humid here so what better place to spend the day than in my sewing room.  Ann

Quilt recipes

Time to start a new quilt……the thought process………

1. Start thinking about it before the last quilt is done
2. Wander through books and old magazines while thinking what can I do with these leftover strips 
3. Just finish this quilt
4. Scroll through my own blog looking for ideas notice I very seldom include measurements 
5. Aha moment……..find my quilt recipe book. This is my little journal that does have the dimensions and which tools I used to cut the parts for the blocks. Also the source of the pattern so I can find the book or magazine.
   
   
   
   
   
   The recipe and work begins on the next quilt.  It felt like summer yesterday.~~Ann~~

Something new on the design wall

 Something new on the design wall.......as I was gazing at my stacks of fabric I spied a magazine stuffed with fabrics! Some were even cut into the right size strips, half my decisions were made. Dig for a background fabric, do a little math to figure out if I have enough or need to use a couple different fabrics.  There was enough! Cut a little sew a little and cut some more, press a little, sew a little. Don’t you love it when a plan comes together with very little effort.  Cold, wind and rain a good day to sew. —Ann—

Ta da da done the second

 

Another one done!!  Just simple free motion machine quilting from point to point.  The backing fabric is a piece of hand dyed fabric that my mother got some where local it just seemed perfect for this quilt, it was a little narrow so I had to add a strip.  Used binding scraps just sew another strip to the strip and viola' its done.  --Ann--

Another two steps

 Two steps yesterday, the 9 patches and the side triangles on the pinwheels. It was hot again but I’m not complaining the downstairs was cool and full of natural light. Hubby pulls the shades as soon as the first sunbeam comes in the west windows making the upstairs feel like a cave. It does help keep the house cooler but I need light and lots of it so I spent the afternoon sewing.  --Ann--

Small steps

An afternoon in the sewing room……..all my 4 patches are sewn. Next to cut all the 3 1/2 squares to make it a 9 patch. Just one little step at a time. —Ann—
 

Nine Patch Blues

 

A finish last week.  Now to start something new from the stash.  --Ann--

Busy Day

 Busy day yesterday I added the border to this graduation quilt then I basted two quilts, today I put my foot on the pedal and machine quilt. Another chilly overcast day a good day to spend in the sewing room.  --Ann--

Design wall

The next graduation quilt...... this one for niece, she likes blue, but she is not going to the school that has the beautiful blue and yellow colors, the school she chose has brown and yellow for school colors  what kind of a school choses brown for a school color??? I thought I would do the same pattern as the helitrope and hollyhock quilt I finished earlier this year with the navy where the light squares were.  I do not like it.  There is not enough contrast so I moved the 4 patches.... they create a line of interest but still not working.  Its chaotic.  Flip through some books, look at it from across the room, glance at it while I flip the lights off and on, make a cup of coffee.  Rearrange the blocks into a double 4 patch that was boring so I rearranged the 9 patch block so the 4 patches are in the corners and the solid squares are in the sides. 

That is a big improvement.  I had the 4 patches all turned the same direction but like them better radiating from the center of each 9 patch.  That is what a design wall is for arrange the blocks on the wall not on the floor on my knees even though I was on my knees for the bottom row.  Then step back and look, squint my eyes and look.  I have two grays for sashing and a cream which is so close in value to the flannel  you can't tell the difference.  I'm leaning toward the gray but yardage will be the determining factor.  Maybe add a couple yellow cornerstones. Use it up and make do.  --Ann--

out of the cupboard

 

Another little quilt out of the cupboard for Valentine's Day.  Just little 4 patch hearts with an applique vine and leaf border  I must have made this 20 some years ago.  --Ann--

Another one done

 

I chose the easy way of quilting another quilt with my favorite meandering concentric teardrops and feathers, my plain vanilla quilting, it just works so well on scrappy traditional blocks.  I did spend some time looking through the quilting books but the traditional quilting patterns that fit  neatly in a nine patch block just didn’t work in my head with these offset blocks. The colors make me think of heliotropes and foxgloves guess that will be the name of this quilt.  Another one done. --Ann--