Quiltville's Quips & Snips!!: Tools of the Trade for the Serial Quilter!

If you have not read Bonnie's blog today, it is a must read. Not only is there humor, but she has a few new gadgets that are definitely going on my Christmas list this year.

Quiltville's Quips & Snips!!: Tools of the Trade for the Serial Quilter!: A very funny thing happened on the way to --- Doesn’t that line just draw you in? Stories like this have to be good if they start with “A f...

Quilty Weekend

I was a busy bee this weekend quilting away at the LQS with friends all day Saturday and Sunday.

I sandwiched and quilted both tree skirts and got the binding sewed on to the front of both. This took most of the time as it was a lot of work, and I had to mark and trim the top and bottom of the tree skirt opening to make sure it was even.

I finally got all the borders sewn on to my purple quilt and now have to figure out what to do for the backing so I can drop it off to be quilted. It is a huge quilt and will fit our four poster bed with a drop down to the bottom of the wood frame. I believe this is "Good Night Sweetheart" by Debbie Caffrey.  It was a mystery I started a long time ago, and misplaced the border fabric, so was at a loss as to how to finish it.  I found the border fabric and put it in my UFQ pile to finish and today it moved in to topsville.  Hopefully it will soon move off to visit the quilter, as I have a couple of ideas for backings, but for the moment it has moved down the list as I have some things to finish for Christmas, first.

I also sandwiched and quilted 15 pot holders, and started quilting my kitchen sink jacket. More pictures to come later.

Here is a picture of my good friend and quilting buddy, Jan, and the quilt she finished this weekend.Jan did all the piecing, quilting, and binding herself.  She also mailed it to her sister-in-law.  The pattern is from a quilt magazine, and I do not know the name of the pattern or the magazine.  I will have to check with her.



It was a very productive weekend.  If I can keep this up I will be rocking my UFQs. 

Lily's Quilts: Christmas Gifts for Quilters 7 (+ mahusive giveaway)

For my quilting friends out there. Here is an awesome chance to win not one but two Kona Bounty of Basics Boxes. One is the lights and the other is the darks. I know you are like me and hoping you can be the lucky winner. Click here to find out how to enter:

Lily's Quilts: Christmas Gifts for Quilters 7 (+ mahusive giveaway)

Christmas Tree Skirt

The tree skirt tops are done and the batting is cut.

Tree Skirt One

Next on the list is to buy backing. I had a couple of pieces of Christmas Fabric that I thought would make nice backings, only they are short.  I need 3.5 yards of backing fabric to do both tree skirts and of course there is not enough of either one.  I though of doing one on each, but I one does not really match the binding and if the skirt is used in reverse then it will look tacky, so I threw that idea out.  One of the local quilt stores has some 108" backing fabrics and they have a couple of reds and a bright green that would work, so am planning to look those over on Thursday night when I go to my hand work class there.  If not I am thinking I can just get a Kona cotton in green so it will go nicely with the binding fabric which is red.  I have included pictures of the tree skirts laying on the batting with the binding off to the side so you can see how they look at this point and will post them again when they are quilted.

Tree Skirt Two 

Though they both may not be done by Christmas as I have a few other things to get done as well.

My UFQ Pile

The pile of UFQs at my house is growing. I think it is multiplying while I am not home.  It is like hangers, growing one step at a time.  I have quite a list and am posting picture of each to try and motivate me to Get'er Done. As one local quilt shop refers to the marathon type weekends of sewing.

Done Stripping

When I texted this to a friend of mine I thought how funny it sounded. Done Stripping, man can that give the imagination a run for the money.  For a quilter the meaning is very different than what a man thinks it means.

I sewed 88 strips in the last three days, as well as subbing all three days.  I am making a Chevron Christmas Tree skirt, well actually the pattern makes two because of the fact that cutting with a 9" wedge ruler requires you to flip the ruler for every cut and this gives you two different Chevron designs.  One going up and one going down.

I started with these fabrics: 

 

Then cut them into strips ranging from 1 3/8" to 4 1/2".

 I sewed them into sections either left or right, which are each made of eleven strips.

The strips are then pressed and cut into wedges:

Then the wedges are sewn together.

I have sewn together a few sets of two, as I am currently pressing the rest of the sewn strips so I can begin cutting them into wedges.

Hopefully I will get them all cut and sewn before class on Sunday, or at least enough to have one skirt sewn.  Then I need to buy either flannel or batting and figure out my backing. My goal is to have one done before Thanksgiving, or at least by the time we put up the tree.

I think I figured out the binding and I need to cut the square so I can make bias binding at class on Sunday.  It is a new fabric, not in the skirt.  I will keep you posted on my progress, and post the finished tree skirt, and if I am really good both finished tree skirts.

What Was I Thinking?

I signed up for another mystery and I never finished the last one, now I have a new UFQ. I also have a list a mile long of things I want to make and projects waiting to be started. What is wrong with me. I have a pile of UFQs to finish and gifts to make and I started another long term project that will take me awhile to do. I must be a glutton for punishment.

I think I am one of those people who function well under pressure, but sometimes I put too much pressure on myself. I do the same with my quilting by overloading myself with projects that have deadlines. I also have a lot of UFQs that need to be finished and really should not be starting any more new projects, but start them I do. For
example last weekend I started a new mystery. I picked out my fabrics:

Then I spent over six hours cutting strips, rectangles, squares and triangles and another six hours sewing triangles together to make squares. I then sewed those together with squares and rectangles to make sections of the quilt prior to class. Then on Saturday I spent six more hours sewing and cutting and have only completed two panels of the quilt.

 I still have the last mystery I signed up for to finish,

and now I have added the one to the list.

I also have a baby quilt to finish and the baby is due very, very soon. I have to top done, but need to piece the backing and quilt and bind it.

Then I have a class on Sunday to start a Christmas Tree Skirt.

I also want to get my Kitchen Sink Jacket quilted and got put on the back burner when I broke my arm last spring.

Please tell me what was I thinking? I know I retired, but that did not mean I was suppose to fill every waking hour. I am still teaching as a substitute and working two to three days a week, and there are only so many hours in a day. I have hit the point of feeling overwhelmed which I was not suppose to do when I retired. Now don't get me wrong I love subbing and I love quilting, but sometimes I need to say NO! I have friends who convince me to take classes, which I love doing and I have a great time, but sometimes I just need to say, NO!  The good thing about subbing is it pays for my habit, quilting.

I need to rethink things and get some of these UFQs off my pile and onto beds or couches or walls, and I need to get more focused on my blog. Except that today my blog is frustrating me as I am having technical difficulties posting pictures.

I am working on the process of getting myself more organized and setting a schedule for myself that allows me to focus on both my blog and my quilting. I started out a plan and then got lost along the way. I just need to get myself back on track and stay on track. It will just take will power, which I do have. Now should I buy that batik kit Schoolrn1 posted that she bought, it is a beautiful BOM.........