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.

Weekly Update - February 3

This week I cut out a couple of more of the blocks for the Gypsy Wife.    I am using my scraps and fat quarter or quarter yard pieces for the blocks. I am waiting to cut my strips when I am done with the blocks as I have not yet decided what fabric I want to use for the strips. I am thinking of using my black and white prints for the strips.  I have enough I could probably use one strip of each fabric and not have any two be identical.

Colour Wheel

Hope for Hartford

I have five of the larger blocks left to cut out for my Gypsy Wife quilt and then I will start cutting out the smaller filler blocks, though I do have some of the triangles cut out for them and one of them is done. I am having fun with the Gypsy Wife Quilt and look forward to seeing how it turns out. It is a long term project so will see how things go along the way and what it looks like when it is done.

I also worked on the heart blocks to finish the second ugly fabric challenge baby quilt. I completed the blocks and cut the sashing, cornerstones and borders on Wednesday afternoon and after dinner out with my hubby after I burned the onions for French onion soup because I was sidetracked I finished the top.  I can also share the first ugly fabric challenge quilt this week as the reveal was on Thursday.

I ordered a 16.5" ruler from Amazon that arrived earlier this week with a crack in it, so I had to return it. I am waiting on the replacement ruler so I can trim the memory quilt blocks as I hate trying to mesh two rulers together to trim larger blocks as they often slip and that causes worse problems. Hopefully, the replacement ruler will arrive later this week.

Wishing you a quilty week!

Wanda

Ugly Fabric Challenge II

Last fall a group of us in one of my online groups decided to do another Ugly Fabric challenge and I picked the fabric. Now I know that for some the fabric is not something they would consider to be ugly. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.  The fabric I picked I am not even sure how it ended up in my stash. To me, it looks like a baby's bib after they have eaten when it is spattered with food.

Last time we did this I made a purse from a pattern I designed.  The floral was the ugly fabric that was sent to me.

This year's fabric is below:

I spent a lot of time thinking and looking for fabrics to use with the challenge fabric and trying to figure out what to do.  I saw a quilt with hearts and decided that would work, but I knew I had to find a pattern or design a pattern that would work with my 1/8th of a yard of challenge fabric, so I sat down with paper and pencil and began sketching out multiple designs. I finally came up with the design you see below.  I am not sure if there are others out there that have come up with the same pattern, but mine uses 2.5" strips. I made a test block using fabric strips left over from a quilt I made my niece.

After I figured out the number of strips I would need I went shopping for fabrics that would coordinate with the ugly fabric.

I pieced six hearts and have thought of using two of them on the back of the quilt or seeing if I can find more of the peach-colored fabrics I used to make a couple of other blocks and make another baby quilt.

I pieced the quilt top using 2.5" strips and the few squared I had left of the ugly fabric, plus two squares of the lightest color as cornerstones. The background is scrappy white on whites.  

I added the borders and pressed the top.  It is 50" square and will be put aside for the next time I need a baby girl quilt. It came out very nice and I am sure someone will love it.

Because I had the two extra blocks I had to go in search of a fabric that would work to make two more hearts that would coordinate with the first two and after a false start I found this fabric and was able to make two more hearts and then complete a second quilt top.  

It was more peachy or coral and the lavender in the hearts on the heart block and in the ugly fabric went well with the lavender that I used for a border.  I like both quilts and they will make great baby gifts next time someone I know has a girl.

I enjoyed this ugly fabric challenge and hope to do it again in a couple years. Who knows what bright ideas I might have for what to do with a FQ or straight 8th of fabric.

Weekly Update January 20

This last week I completed my first finish of the year.  I finished the binding and the label on a baby quilt for a dear friends new baby boy. I need to get it in the mail soon, as the baby arrived January 2nd. It is her third boy.

It is a scrappy quilt made from a jelly roll that I bought at Back Yard Fabrics in Kentucky a few years back. If you ever get the chance you should stop by her store. I loved my visits there. May need to go back that neck of the woods again, just so I can stop in there.

I am also working on binding a quilt for a gift. which I hope to finish this next week so I can mail it and a quilt I finished before Christmas off to the recipients.


I spent time this weekend finishing my Ugly Fabric Challenge quilt top and working on the memory quilt for a friend made with her mother's pajamas. I cannot reveal the Ugly Fabric Challenge until January 31st, so stay tuned for that picture in another week or two.  I am also not sharing pictures of the memory quilt until it done so the pattern will be a surprise for my friend. 

On Saturday I finished piecing four blocks and put four blocks together with sashing. I have two additional blocks I had already pieced that I am planning to either use on the back or combine with something else to make another quilt. I have to see if I can get more of the fabric that I used in the blocks to complete a second quilt as I do not have any more of the colors used in those two blocks. Sunday I added the borders to the Ugly Fabric Challenge quilt which you can see under my needle, but you can't see much other than the colors I used with the print.

I also worked on completing all the subsections of the blocks for the memory quilt on Saturday and completed one block, so that I now have two of the sixteen blocks completed. Sunday I finished piecing 10 blocks and have six blocks that need one more seam, and then I have to press them all and trim them to size.

One block will go in the center of the scrappy quilt I making for her sister from leftover pieces of her mother‘s pajamas. I am trying to decide on the border. I’m going use red minky on the back. Red was her mother's favorite color and I used the silky red pajamas as the focus fabric in every block.

I am making progress on my goal of moving my UFOs forward this year and plan to continue to do so every month.  Any progress is positive.

My goal for this next week is to finish binding the one quilt, finish piecing the blocks and put the top together.  I also need to make labels for two quilts and finish two pillowcases. Once I get that done I will have four quilts ready to mail and can contact the quilter about quilting the memory quilt.

WIshing you all a great quilty week.  Hope you have scheduled in some quilting time.

End of 2015

I just realized that though I started several posts for 2015 I never actually posted any of them. They were all in draft format.  I spent 2015 doing some reorganizing of my sewing space and finishing up or making progress on my UFOs, as well as starting a few new quilts and other projects.

PROJECTS STARTED and WORKED in 2015

Wandering Star Quilt (in progress)

Blue Marti Michelle Log Cabin (4 blocks done)

Hexagon (English Paper Piecing)

Six pillow cases (incomplete)

Anniversary Waltz - blocks completed

 

 
  



Caravan Sewing Machine Cover ( needs seam hand stitched)

Mini Tree Quilt for Joel (pinned and ready to quilt)

Strip Quilt

Large Tree Table Runner (two blocks in progress)


COMPLETED TOPS:

Summer Solstice

Christmas QMU Swap

Daisy Days

Granny Square

Olympia

Split 9-Patch

Hedge Hogs

Crazy Hearts Lap Quilt

2015 PROFESSIONALLY QUILTED AWAITING BINDING:

Split 9-Patch

Doreen Speckman Fabric Mystery

Daisy Days

Lemoyne Stars

June Strip Club

Romantic Get Away

Blue and Yellow Mystery

DONATED QUILT TOPS:

Spirit of the West

Monet Print Swap

Hole in the Barn Door Swap

Pink and Teal

Clay's Choice


2015 FINISHES:

Argyle Beauty - completed 1/24; gifted to Lauren Boone 7/2

16 Patch Swap Quilt - donated

Hedge Hogs = completed in 5/11; gifted to Sarah Chaikin and Baby Tessa in June

Olympia - completed 5/15; gifted to Carolyn Costanza and Baby Christian in May

Simply an Illusion in Teal - completed 6/30; gifted to Theresa MacKay in July

The Road to Paradise is Paved with Bumps - completed 7/26 - for me.

Old Books and Scattered Pages - completed 8/2 - gifted to Judy Kern 8/2

Hexagon Pot Holders - completed 18 for Christmas gifts and the ski club auction 8/30

Three fleece scarves for ski club auction

Four Table Runners - completed for the ski club auction 8/30

Six pillow cases for Christmas gifts

Oak Leaves Quilt - completed 9/5 - set to side for gift.

Snowman Quilt - completed 9/19; for me

Olivia's Quilt - completed 10/12; Flannel Commission Quilt done for Katie as gift for her sister

Mini Tree Quilt - completed 10/20; gift for Bryce

Mug Rugs x 2


Overall I think this is pretty good considering that we traveled for 9 weeks this summer and I have not been able to sew since October 28th because of hand surgery and then falling and breaking my right wrist.

I have several other quilts not listed that are also awaiting binding. The binding is attached, I just need my wrist to heal so I can get back to hand stitching.  There are many other projects in progress, from past years that I plan to work on moving forward in 2016 along with the ones listed above.