2022 Update of Progress

 I have been subbing since school started back up in January and have not accomplished much this year.  I did complete a couple of tops for donation and a baby quilt. 

I am hoping that now that school is out and my long-term sub job is done I can get some more sewing done this summer while working on the house and doing some remodeling.  I am also still working on putting my sewing room back together and washing every piece of fabric I own before putting it back in my sewing room unless it is a precut. There is a lot of fabric and I still have a lot to wash and fold. I did not realize how much fabric I have until I packed it all up.

I moved pretty much all of my precuts and kits up to my sewing room and have them organized for the most part, there may be a few more hiding downstairs in a bo I have not unearthed yet. I still have to figure out where I am going to put the rest of the fabric and my batting.

I am also going through all my UFOs and trying to decide if they are worth finishing or if I want to repurpose them into smaller quilts. I may do that with some and there are a couple that I simply need to bind or attach the borders so I can finish the top.  I have one I need to piece the backing for and it will be ready to send to the quilter.  I have others I think I will just let go to someone else.

I did finish getting the bindings made for two king-size quilts  and trimmed them last week. I have the binding attached to the front of both and ready for me to hand stitch down in the evenings when I complete the one I am working on as a gift for a friend.

I also started attaching the borders to one quilt that I am doing multiple borders on, it will have two one-inch black borders, two 2 1/2" borders on either side of the Seminole border that I have already pieced, followed by the outer border.

I have also been busy working on attaching interfacing to the backs of the tops my niece selected for the memory quilt of her mother that I am making for her. I have all of the pieces ready to cut and piece.  

I also interfaced the shirts I have set aside for a memory quilt of my mother. It was the first time that I have pulled out the shirts and not cried, in six years.

I have also been busy helping my husband go through everything in one bedroom in preparation to pack up the room so he can start painting, stripping the ceiling, and pulling the carpet to put in new vinyl flooring. We have purged a ton of trash, recycle/burn, and donated about six bags of stuff. He is now packing things up and moving them so he can start the next stage.

Hand Applique:
I still have ten projects in this category and they range from small wall hangings to a large quilt. One I take with me when I travel and am making slow progress on it. Another I need to cut out more pieces to complete the border, a third one has all the blocks pieced but needs the leaves appliqued on to each block. I am slowly making progress on these, but I cannot do handwork for an extended time due to issues with my hands.

1) Mouse Pads
2) Cherries
3) Wild Berry Vines
4) Batik Leaves
5) Apple Quilt Leaves
6) Tulips
7) Hawaiian
8) Pumpkin
9) Morning Glories
10) Chicken

Embroidery/X-Stitch:
I have five projects in this category including a beaded tree wall hanging. Two of them will someday be large quilts.  Again I cannot do as much as I use to so they are what I consider to be long-term projects and I just hope to move them forward and finish a block or two this year.

1) Red Winter Wonderland
2) 2012 Aurifil BOM
3) Snowmen on Blue
4) Birds
5) Beaded Tree

6) Under a Quilt

7) Hufflepuff

8) Starry Night

9) Harry Potter

Embellishment:
I have one quilt that I need to finish the embellishments on and finish the binding to be done.  Again this is all handwork so it is slow going.

1) Flip Flops

Block of the Month:
I have a couple BOMs that are in progress.

1) SLH BOM

2) QC BOM - Ribbon Candy

3) Celestial Stars (not started)

4) Fancy Forrest (all blocks done)

Hand Piecing:
This category has a friendship star quilt I started years ago when I was teaching my students to hand piece a block as part of a math project. They each made a small wall hanging and hand quilted them.  I also have a couple of Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts in this category that are done in different ways and an English paper pieced star quilt as well as a few blocks for my No Cats On My Quilt Sampler.

1) No Cats on My Quilt - a) Hexagons, b) Tumbling Blocks, c) spools
2) Friendship Star
3) Grandmother's Flower Garden - a) stamped, b) English Paper Piecing
4) English Paper Pieced Stars

Paper Piecing:
This category has 5 projects, one block for my No Cats On My Quilt, a Mariner's Compass quilt that I need to finish one more block, and then decided if I want to make more. I also have my Tottenville Toads and Iced Saw Blades that I have just one or two blocks done on and need many more, as well as my curved Flying Geese quilt that needs several more blocks made.

Tottenville Toads

1) No Cats on My Quilt - a) Trees
2) Mariner's Compass - I have four blocks completed and need to decide if I am done or want to make a few more blocks to make the quilt lager.
3) Tottenville Toads
4) Iced Saw Blades
5) Curved Flying Geese

6) Wicked Wahini



Machine Piecing:
This is a big category. I have 21 projects I have started in this one. Several have all the blocks done and simply need me to put them into rows and complete the top, while others have one block done or have the rows pieced so they are all in various stages. One or two also fall into the Hand Applique or Paper piecing category, like the apple quilt and the No Cats On My Quilt, so they are counted twice.

1)Voices of the Past - all blocks completed and layout designed
2) Purple Saturday Sampler - blocks done, border/sashing fabric bought

Voices of the Past

3) Yin Yang - one block done, plan to continue making blocks
4) Valdez Mystery - one block done, all blocks cut out - top done, needs to be quilted.

Valdez Mystery

Flower Power

5) Flower Power - in progress
6) Wandering Star - one large block is done, sections of small blocks partially done

Black Tie Mystery

7) Black Tie Mystery - three sections done
8) Apple Quilt - all blocks are done, needs applique done
9) QMU 2020 Samplet
10) Alaska OBW
11) Black and Cream Quilt - some blocks completed
12) Mom's sweatshirt Memory Quilt for me - sweatshirts are interfaced
13) Hockey Quilt - in pieces
14) Two-Step Jelly Roll Challenge - 81 blocks  four baby quilt tops done.
15) Screwed up Fall Swap Blocks - 16 blocks done

16) Floral OBW

17) Farm House Chic 3 yd

18) Simplicity 3yd
19) Breakfast Club

20) Star Swap

21) Royal Ensemble

22) Gypsy Wife (blocks done)

23) Memory Quilt - for Danielle

Needs Borders:
I have 5 quilts that are in need of borders at the moment. One I have done the Seminole border strips and need to double check the length before attaching

Tiffany

1) Tiffany - borders pieced
2) Flower Basket - needs borders

3) Bryce's Bunny - needs last border (center pieced by my youngest son years ago)

4) Wonky Two-Step 1

5) Bermuda Sunrise (Need to order hand-dye fabric)

Other Projects:
I have 13 projects in this category ranging from a Professional Tote to an elf, to pot holders and table runners and pillowcases. I have a box of pillowcases cut out that I pull out and make randomly to donate.

1) Professional Tote - cut out, quilted, and partially pieced
2) Sew Together Bag I - cut out
3) Sew Together Bag II - cut out
4) Butterfly Purse - hand quilted
5) Space Purse
6) Alaska Tote
7) Log Cabin Tote - 1" strips cut
8) Elf - partially put together
9) Amish Doll Dress - Need to find this one as the doll is made.
10) Pot Holders - I have a bunch cut out that I pull and make randomly for gifts or donation
11) Floral Braid Runner
12) Orphan Blocks - a) stars, b) red and cream pinwheels - not sure yet what I am doing with them.
13) Friendship Star Table Runner - needs backing and quilting
14) Lake Tote

Topsville:
I have 5 tops awaiting quilting, that I need to find or piece backs for.

1) Good Night Sweetheart - need to piece backing
2) Bonus Table Runner form my July Mystery - needs borders and quilting

3) Two-Step 1

4) Two-Step 2

5) Wonky Two-Step 2

6) Pinwheel Stars table runner

7) Cookies's Star

8) Valdez Mystery

9) Emergency Vehicles baby quilt

10) Race Car baby quilt

11) Peach Log Cabin Quilt

Hand Quilting:
I have two tops in this category and pull the smaller one out as a take along project.

1) Snow Boarder - partially done
2) Slice and Dice - partially done

3) Skier

Needs Binding and Labels:
1) Winter Solstice

2) Burgundy and Gold Squared Stars

3) Peach and Blue 3yd quilt

4) TQR Mystery 1

5) Blue and Beige Squared Stars

6) QC Mystery

7) Batik

2022 FInishes:

1) Salsa Hot Pad Runner

2) Six Salsa Hexie Placemats

3) Six Salsa Hexie Potholders

4) Two face masks

Early June Update on Quilting Progress

I worked on finishing my Granny Square quilt. It will make a nice baby quilt. I added three inner borders on the Granny Square and an outer border. It has been mailed off to the quilter.

I worked on piecing the rows for my Argyle Quilt. These blocks were left over from a quilt I made my niece Lauren several years ago and were just waiting to made into a top.  I still need to finish this one and figure out a border for it, but I have moved the quilt forward which is always the goal.

I also finished the top I was making using my leftover 9 patches from a past quilt. I set them on point, added sashing, and set them on point and did a narrow inner border, along with another border of the white and a wider outer border of the sashing fabric which I love. This is also mailed off to the quilter.

I included a few other quilts in the box for her to quilt for me and have put the pictures below.  We enjoyed our cruise and are now busy packing up the living room so that my husband can strip the popcorn ceiling, then we will paint. While he is busy stripping the ceiling I plan to hide in my sewing room and work on moving other projects forward, as I am not helping him with that part of the project.

Finishing Off a Few Things

I am finishing off a few things this week so that I can mark them as done!  One group I am in has been doing a two week finish things up the challenge of sorts to get us motivated to get-er-done.  I have finished two quilt tops and am working on finishing more before Monday, including the memory quilt for my best friend from high school.

I discovered that some people were finishing pillowcases and post them as finishes so I threw in a couple of those that I needed to finish as well.

I am working on binding a few more quilts while I am at it and hope to top off my rain gauge soon.

Busy Week of Quilting

Crazy Anne 2

This week I have been busy in my quilting room. I finished binding one quilt, worked on my Gypsy Wife and started binding the memory quilt, while also working on the second memory quilt.

I finished binding Under Cover in Houston early this week and started in on the binding of the  memory quilt, which will be revealed next week.  Under Cover in Houston is a quilt I started in the 1990s or early 2000s when Debbie Caffery was still living in Alaska. She designed the pattern and taught the class. I love her patterns and she is a wonderful instructor.

 I took it as mystery class.  For those that are unfamiliar with quilt mysteries, you know what fabrics and how much, but not the pattern design, just the name. In this case, we needed a light, a dark and a couple of medium prints if I recall correctly with set amounts of each. Prior to the class, you are given cutting directions and sometimes some pre piecing directions as well. You show up to class with your fabric cut and any pre-piecing completed and are given the first step or if there was pre-piecing the second step and you go to work stitching away. As you finish each step you are given the next step and this continues until near the end of class or until someone is near the point of finishing. Then there is the big reveal. The instructor then brings out their finished quilt to show you.  Every quilt is different since no one knows what the quilt will look like. My quilt is different even than the designer’s as I decided to set mine on point, rather than in rows.

I picked my fabrics to go with my background fabric as I wanted it to be fun.

One of the things I always like about mysteries is that no one could copy the instructors color way. Too often in quilt classes, there are multiple people who copy the instructor's colorway and all the quilts look the same or very similar. There was only one time I came close to that and it was because the colors were the colors of the person I was making the quilt for.

I attached the binding to the front of the memory quilt and have been working on hand stitching it down off and on this week. I have about one and a half sides done. The label is on and I hope to have it finished before I head down to Los Angeles for my cruise on the 22nd.

I have been working on the second memory quilt, which is for her sister. I am doing it in a variation of a log cabin. I started with a center block and have been adding logs around the outside. I have several more to add before I will be done, though it will be a smaller, lap size quilt. I have to interface almost all the pajama fabric as it is knit and then piece the logs to the centers, so it takes more time than just cutting and piecing.  I am not sure if I will finish it before I head out in a week. Please forgive the toes, but with all the interfacing because these are knit fabrics it keeps curling up on the edges.

Today I wanted to relax so I pulled out my Gypsy Wife blocks that I had previously cut out and also cut out a few others to go along with them.  Over this last week, I pieced the From the Heart block, two Crazy Anne blocks, the star block, and a couple of other blocks I am adding to the quilt as I am enlarging it to fit my bed. I believe I have most all the blocks pieced for the quilt, except for the filler blocks, though I may add a few more blocks to enlarge the quilt once I start playing with the layout and piecing the sections together.

Crazy Anne 1

Heart Block

My Extra Star

The Star Block

I also have pictures of the infinity scarves I made last week. This is a gift for my friend to keep her warm when we are at the glaciers.

I apologize for being late getting this out. Life got in the way and I forgot to transfer my pictures until now, so I could post.

Wishing you a quilty week,

Wanda

This Weeks Quilting Report

This week I subbed four days so did not get as much done as I would have liked, but I did make progress.

I completed one quilt, almost finished binding another, and got the binding attached to the front of the memory quilt as well as the label.

I finished the binding on my July Mystery.  This quilt is one I designed and shared as a mystery with a group of friends last summer. I also have a mini quilt or table topper that I shared from the scraps. I still need to border and quilt it.  This quilt was quilted by my wonderful quilter Shirley Jackson.

I also finished the two infinity scarves I started last week.

My goal for next week is to finish the binding on Under Cover in Houston and work on binding the memory quilt and my Gypsy Wife quilt.

March Wound Down and April Sprang into Being

March was a slow month for me quilting wise as I was gone for a week and subbed about three full weeks so my quilting time was minimal.  I did make some progress though.

I completed the memory quilt top for my friend Theresa and sent it off to the quilter. It returned and trimmed it and cut the binding.  No pictures until I deliver it later this month.

I worked on binding Under Cover in Houston, an old Debbie Caffery Mystery, that is not quite done but will be done this month.

I also trimmed eight other quilts and cut binding for five of them.

I bound "No Such Thing as Too Much Fabric" and added a hanging sleeve to it.

I also pieced and pressed the binding for another quilt and started to attach the binding to it.

I made two infinity scarves using the leftover minke backing from trimming one quilt.

I have to pick the binding for the four other quilts that I trimmed and get to work on binding them as well as the rest of those I trimmed. Since I only completed on binding in March I have to complete three in April to stay on track as my goal is to get two bound a month so I can move the ones I have waiting into Donesville.

Progress over the Last Week

This week was very productive overall.  I did a ton of work on the house with regard to decluttering and getting stuff organized for our trip over spring break.

I finished the binding on  Barbara's Antiques, my second finish for the month, fourth for the year.  It is bright and colorful and was fun to quilt to make. It was an old UFO from, many years ago. I took the mystery class from Debbie Caffery in the 1990's

I also pieced several blocks for my Gypsy Wife quilt.

This is my second ColorWheel block. I really like this block so decided to incorporate a second one into my Gypsy Wife quilt.

This is my hatchet block. 

This is the Pershing block and it is a little oversized, but I think I can make it work. If not I can always make a second one and still incorporate this one into the quilt, even if it is on the back.

There are several square-in-a-square blocks in the Gypsy Wife and this is just one of many I will be making.

I also made several pinwheels 

 

 

  

I also completed two triangle blocks.

 

I made a few filler blocks as well. I am changing things up a little on the filler blocks, as I do not want 23 square-in-a-square blocks as I want some variety in them.

 

I ordered backing and borders for the Memory Quilt. I have the center of the quilt done. I used pajamas that belonged to a very dear friend's mother.  She has not seen the complete center of the quilt yet. I am debating sending her a picture or wait until I put on the borders or even better wait until I finish it and deliver it to her. I will post a picture of it later, as I don't know if she reads my blog or not.

I also ordered a couple of other Jen Kingwell patterns that I would like to try. 

I have had a nice quilty week. This week I am picking out two quilts that need a binding for the month of March, and planning to work on more blocks for the Gypsy Wife. 

The Last Two Weeks

I apologize for not posting last week but when I woke up on the 11th I was wiped out and felt like I had been run over by a truck. I ached from head to toe and had no energy, just climbing the stairs wiped me out. I had subbed all week doing testing and fighting the crud that was going around the school I was at. It hit me like a ton of bricks on Saturday morning and I was out for the count for about four days. All I did was lay on the couch and veg.  I did not have the energy to do more than about 10" of hand stitching on a binding. I spent a lot of time just laying on the couch and doing nothing.





Over the last two weeks between subbing every day for the one week, two days the next week, and a day of appointments and errands, and being sick, I did not accomplish much, but I did make some progress.

I picked the fabric for eight pinwheel blocks and actually cut out and pieced the 36 HST for the eight blocks. I pieced one heart block and worked on binding Barabara's Attic. I also cut out six other blocks and pieced a total of eight blocks for the Gypsy Wife quilt.

I should add that I am using scraps and small pieces of fabric less than a quarter or a half yard from my stash for this quilt. I did buy a couple of quarter yards to add in a little more color, but almost all of the fabric comes from my small pieces scrap box or my fat quarters.  To prove I am using up fabric this picture shows all that I had left after I made the block at the top of this post. This is all that remains of this fabric. Originally, I had bought a couple yards of it and used it in a couple of quilts in the past. I think I had maybe an 1/8th of a yard when I started on the Gypsy Wife if that. This is all that remains of the fabric. I think I can get a one-inch square out of that larger scrap.  It would work in the center of a block.  The other scraps are going in the trash.

I trimmed the blocks for the memory quilt.

I also had a few quilts come home to roost that are waiting on bindings.

March Winds

Winter Quilt

Christmas Star Swap

QMU Christmas Star Swap

Waters of Kauai

This next week I am not subbing except maybe a half day for one teacher so my plans are to work on putting the memory quilt top together, to finish the binding on Barbara's Antiques so I can have my second finish for February, and to piece some more blocks for the Gypsy Wife.  

Wishing you all a happy quilting week and good health.