Finishing Class October 2013 and more...

This weekend was a finishing class.  I was busy on Friday night at my Snowman quilt class, where I worked on the trees.  I had the three snowmen and fourteen stars done already.

snowflake

snowman

On Saturday morning I finished the five sections of the Snowman quilt, as my goal was to finish that quilt that day.  I was able to accomplish my goal at the finishing class Saturday afternoon, and I also finished the backing, which was a fabric I found in my stash with snowmen and snowflakes on it.  It is already to send off to the quilter.

two panels put together, three more to go.

 

 

 

The top and bottom halves of the snowman quilt with borders.

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On Sunday, the second day of the finishing class, I finished borders on my Day Dreamer mystery, and cut the borders and attached two to the Flip Flops of Summer quilt.  I also made backings for Q is for Quilter, Flip Flops of Summer, the Day Dreamer mystery, Simply An Illusion mystery, and the Rainbow Stars with piano keys border.

Q is for Quilter Mystery before borders

 

After adding borders

Flip Flops of Summer.  Once it is quilted I will add the ribbons back on and permanently attach them.

Borders Added!

Day Dreamer Mystery before adding last two borders.

Day Dreamer Mystery after adding the final two borders. The borders are purple not blue.

Six backs pieced, pressed, and ready to go

The two tops that were done that I also made backs for are Simply An Illusion and Bright Stars with Piano Key border.

It was a very productive weekend.  All are ready to mail off to the quilter so I can move them to the next phase.

Next up is cutting and sewing the bindings so they are ready when the quilts return home from the quilter.

I also finished the bindings on these three quilts in the last few weeks.

Finished binding this one in September. One More Time Mystery

 

Finished Binding this one this month. I thought I was done and realized and I had skipped a section because I started binding twice in two different places and missed the in between section. 2010 New Year's Mystery.

I finished binding this one today.  2011 New Year's Mystery.

I have one more quilts with the binding ready for hand stitching and at least four more waiting for me to make the bindings, plus at least one table runner that needs binding, and probably more.

Now I have to go figure out which of the one on the list of UFOs I need to get to work on next....There are at least 15 of those, and that does not include the ones in need of borders or my applique projects. Yikes!  I need more UFOber!

The Second Ruffled Purse from Beginning to End

I cut out the 64 squares of fabric after deciding on what fabric to use for the purse for my niece.

I traced 32 ruffles and sewed the outside edge of all 32 with very tiny, 1.5 stitch length.  I started cutting out the ruffles, so I can flip, press, and top stitch.

 

I finished cutting out the ruffles, flipping them and pressing them.

 I  top stitched all the ruffles so they are now ready to pin once I get the background strips cutout. I really hope my niece likes this purse.  I am loving it and all I have done at this point are the ruffles.

I have slowly been pinning and stitching ruffles to the strips that form the outside body of the purse. I love the look of the ruffles on the  green background, which I had to change to when I realized that I miss cut the blue because no one had any of the blue in town.  I like the green background also, so no big deal and will use the blue for pockets on the inside. I do not waste fabric.

 I added the inside with pockets and then attached the tube for the cording.  The fabric shown in two different views as it was part of the print.

I braided the cording because I could not find cording that was the right size or color. Being a quilter I made my own.

Here is a view of the purse out in the sunshine, though the colors are not clear.

This is a view that shows the colors better and you can see how well the colors in the cording match the colors in the purse.

Still need to get this in the mail, but am really hoping that my niece likes her gift.

I has fun making this purse and am thinking that I may make another one or two.  I am wondering if I could do more ruffles to make the bag deeper. It would be great for carrying shoes in this winter, or even as a lunch bag.

Crocheting and Knitting UFO

When we were cleaning up after adding insulation to the attic we did some rearranging of furniture and I went through my crocheting and knitting projects that were stashed under our antique table.

One is this crocheted blanket, that I need to take a part and redo as I have more white than green yarn so I need to modify the pattern.

Then there is this one which is a different shade of green, and is about half done.

And this baby quilt which is about half done.

Then there is this knitted baby blanket that is about half done.

These two are for me. The first one is about half done and the last one is barely started. I do not remember when I started it of any of them, but I pull them out to work on randomly.

I have difficulty knitting any more as my wrists are so damaged from when I have broken them and my right elbow. If I knit for to long I pay for it for a couple days afterward, just like I do if I spend to much time on the computer. Crocheting is easier but I still don't do it as much. I spend most of my time working on my quilting.  One day I will pull these out and work on them again. They are low on my to be done UFOs list, but they are on the list. I have a few other knitting projects on the list also, a hat, a top, and some other things, including a pair of mittens that may never get done as I cannot get the thumb gusset to work.

Voices From the Past

On the QuiltMashUp site they were discussing a quilt-a-long on line that used the pattern Women's Voices.  It reminded me of one that I had started and not listed on any of my UFO posts, so am adding it today.

The class was called Women's Studies. We discussed and studied historical figures in our countries past and the quilt blocks named after them. We looked at what was going on in the world during the time they lived and their roles and activities in society.  The series was put together by Kaye England and we started with her Voices of the Past Martha Washington block. I want to get the rest of the blocks in the series. We also used her book Voices of the Past Volume II and A Civil War Legacy.

I decided to do my quilt in red, white and blue and have three blocks completed. This quilt was started in 2007.  I have done nothing since the class, but have everything all together and have since ordered all of her Voices of the Past booklets, and her Voices of the Past book.

The Martha Washington block represents the many start qualities of our first president's wife, "...her natural talents, her humbleness, her devotion to George Washington, and her love of our country." ( Voices of the Past Martha Washington). Kaye England quotes Martha Washington in her booklet as saying: "I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances."  I agree whole heartedly with this statement, because we make our own happiness, not others.

The Louisa May Alcott block is my favorite so far. It is from the book Voices of the Past A History of Women's Lives in Patchwork Volume II. Louisa May Alcott cared for her father until just before her death, two after his in 1888.  She said "...my books are my children and the pen is my husband." She never married but always cared for others, including her sisters who Kaye England represented with the four stars in the corners, while the center star represents her mother, Marmee. Kaye England included a quote by Louisa May Alcott that I like. "You have a good many little gifts and virtues, but there is no need of parading then, for conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long, and the great charm of all power is modesty."  This statement is very true and I believe we all need to live by it. We do not need to brag about ourselves, as our actions speak louder than our words.

Union Square comes from the book A Civil War Legacy. It is named for the square where the courthouse at Appomattox is located and represents the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and the ceremony that restored the Union. President Lincoln later began the healing of our country when when he said that the dead did not die in vain, but to give birth to new freedoms in our nation, so that a "...government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." (Gettysburg Address) Kaye England also quotes a poem by M.C. Bisbee entitled Always Stand on the Union Side in her book.  I think the poem is appropriate even today, considering all that the current president is doing to destroy our country and tear it apart. We need to stand strong as a country and fight back against his tyranny.

ALWAYS STAND ON THE UNION SIDE
By M.C. Bisbee
Always stand on the Union side,
And battle for the right.
With conscience clear, we’ll laugh at fear
In the midst of the boldest fight.
Why turn against our native land,
The mother whom we love?
Who ever rules with gentle hand,
Till children recreant prove?
CHORUS:
Always stand on the Union side,
And battle for the right.
With conscience clear, we’ll laugh at fear
In the midst of the boldest fight.
Always stand on the Union side,
And “keep your powder dry.”
We’ll soon rejoice both far and wide
To see secession die.
‘Tis better in defense of truth,
To be both brave and bold,
Than side with traitors and at last
Be left out in the cold.
CHORUS
Always stand on the Union side,
‘Tis better, as you see,
Heav’n will crown our gallant arms,
With Union victory!
If you would have your children learn,
To speak with holy pride,
Of this their dear beloved land!
Stand on the Union side!

Now that I have pulled this out I am thinking about which block I would like to do next.  I have a multitude to choose from.  There are 11 other Voices of the Past blocks, 19 other blocks in Voices of the Past A History of Women's Lives in Patchwork Volume II and 11 other blocks in the Civil War Legacy book.  How many blocks I complete will depend on how much fabric I have and if I want to incorporate other reds and blues into the mix. I am thinking Julie Ward Howe and Eleanor Roosevelt might be the next two I tackle. A few of the others I like will require me adding a fourth and even a fifth fabric so I need to search out what other fabrics I would like to add to my quilt.

Sew Every Day in July

Pat Sloan issued a challenge. She challenged us to sew everyday on her blog. 

I took her up on the challenge. Yesterday I worked on my Daisy Days hand applique. I am on the last block and have seven pedals and four centers to finish it.

 Please excuse the wrinkles as I am not pressing them, again, until all four blocks are finished.

I am also braiding the cording for the drawstring for the ruffle purse I am making as a gift.

I am planning to work on my Wind Blown Tulips hand applique project and hope to make a big dent in it over the next couple of weeks.

Please excuse the wrinkles. I started this years ago and could never find an arrangement of the tulips I liked until about a year ago and this it was put away as I was working on Daisy Days.

I have started a strip quilt using 4" strips and have drawn out the design for the applique I will be putting on it. I have the fabric ready, I just need to trace and cut out the applique, after I decide it I want to it by hand or machine. I am thinking machine but it will be bulky considering that the top will already be put together, but I think I can do it. I will try one on a scrap of fabric to see how it does with all the turning before starting on the quilt itself.

The fabric I am using is an ombre. It is one piece of fabric folded back to show the Variations in color.

I will probably also do some embroidery and other sewing as I have a few other UFQs I am working on that need some machine stitching to finish the tops, but these are the ones I am primarily focusing on this month.

I challenge you to take up Pat's challenge and sew everyday.  If you do not sew, pick a project to work on everyday until it is done.