Summer Fun

This has been the summer of fun.  We've visited the grandkids, worked in the garden, canned peaches, and I did some sewing.  First off, I want to show you a beautiful treadle sewing machine my friend Jean told me about and then sold to me.  Her sister had picked it up at a sale.

It needs a throat plate, a belt and a good cleaning, but I am so excited to get this running!  Such a beautiful machine.  More tomorrow.  I promise!

Retreat Fun

This past weekend two friends, my sister and I had some Retreat fun at Log Cabin Quilting in Exira,Iowa.

I was able to finish this top, "Quiltin' til the Cows Come Home".  The pattern is another Villa Rosa Design.

This stash fabric has been around in my stash for a long time.  Not sure why I bought all the cow fabrics other than I love them.  I guess no other reason is needed sometimes.  Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but the right person will come along.

I also got the borders on "Red White and True", pattern by Jean on Craftsy.  Link is here.

I did this as a quilt along last summer and I did so well until the last border.  But it's all sewn together and ready for a backing.

My sister finished a quilt top for her son.  All of his favorite things.  So nice to get things to this point.  Love the colors.

How's your summer so far?

A Fun Weekend

It's been a fun weekend.  It all started on Friday when a few of us took Nancy's Featherweight class.  We learned how to clean, grease and oil our machines.  I took this class last year and again this year.  It's amazing how much better and quieter my machine runs. Maybe after a few more times I'll remember how to do it.

Our challenge this month from Cut Up and Quilt is a pattern from Villa Rosa Designs called "Arctic Flame".  June is also the "All Iowa Shop Hop" and the pattern was made into a kit using the shop hop fabric.  So I bought the kit and am working on it.

I'm squaring up the HST blocks.  Not one of my favorite things to do, but a necessary job for a nice quilt.  I have a second one going, out of stash.  Need to use up that stash!

Forever

I know, I've been gone forever!  Sad excuses, but here they are:

I've been having trouble with my Dropbox.
I have not finished anything for months, lots of starts though.

I did go to the American Quilts Expo in Des Moines, Iowa May 28th.  My friend Jean had a quilt displayed in the "Be Creative!" quilt challenge.  It's called 'Shortcut".  I love the modern look of it.

Over the weekend I made about 30 bookmarks for the kids in the classroom I work in.  I found the tutorial here.  I loved how they turned out and the kids loved them too.

I used my 2.5 inch stirps and leftover scraps of interfacing from making bags.  Perfect way to use up the scraps of interfacing.

More Deep Stash

I used some more of my deep stash.  If you have read my past few posts, they have been about the monthly challenge that Cut Up And Quilt has for CUAQ Therapy.

This month's Villa Rosa Design is "Honor".  I love novelty fabrics and so I had some Easter fabric that worked up great in this pattern.  The gold fabric is "Millennium" by Jinny Beyer.  Not the oldest, but getting up there.

My husband was trying his best to help me with this picture as the wind was so strong.

Here it is at CUAQ Therapy, no wind.

I also made this one with the same pattern.  I love the silly little squirrels.  This pattern works so well with fabrics you just can't cut up.  Now I have more quilts to get quilted!  And maybe one more quilt to make....hmmmm

Spring

Spring has really been blooming here in western Iowa.  The new growth makes me want to sew!

 I did get "Lillian" pinned a couple of weeks ago when the Guild had a sewing day.   The fabrics are Kate Spain "Solstice" from a couple of years ago.  They are bright and cheery but not spring-like. But it will be ready for use for 2016 Christmas season.

I have been quilting on it.  I'm quilting around all the bigger white rectangles.  And it is taking me a while.  But that's OK, slow and steady like the turtle.  (But I am pretty excited to get this done soon.)

What Do You Mean, Jelly Bean?

                      Yup, that's the name of my newest quilt, "What do you mean, Jelly Bean?".  

This quilt is another Villa Rosa Design called "Granada".  I used my older floral fabrics and the frames and centers that look solid are Grunge fabrics by BasicGrey for Moda.  It just reminded me of a jelly bean, so Spring-like.

So yesterday I got the backing made and the binding.  This Saturday when I meet up with my sister to sew, I hope to get it pinned so I can finish the quilting.  It feels so satisfying to use up some deep stash.

What I'm Working On.

I've been working on a number of projects.  I finished the quilting and binding on a top I made for CUAQ Therapy.  The pattern is called "The Lady" by Villa Rosa Designs.

The fabrics are a from 2015 All Iowa Shop Hop, a jelly roll and yardage.  I love that fabric.

None of the other projects are ready to be shown.  Soon!

Progress

I've been working on 100 patch blocks for this quilt by Wedding Dress Blue.  The patches are done and I started sashing the blocks.

I've been making the blocks as leaders and enders.  I bagged up 100 two inch sqares last summer from my stash of squares.  I tried to have each block have only one of a kind and for the most part it worked out.  (A couple of blocks have 2 squares that are from the same fabric.)  After I finish sashing with white, I will bag up the next round of squares.  Love how this uses those little bits!

Time Gets Away From Me!

Wow!  I can't believe how time gets away from me.  I have been busy, busy, busy.

First off, at the beginning of February I took a class learning how to use the Bloomin' Cogwheel Ruler.  Fun!  Look what I have started.  Hoping to get back to this soon and finish it up.

I love how the little cats seemed to be fussy cut for the cogs.  They weren't.  Just a happy chance they ended up that way.  I am planning on making a table runner and the goal is for it to be finished this year!  It's here in writing, so I'm going to hold myself to this.

Fun Idea

I saw a fun idea on Facebook some time this past month.  It used the squares from old calendars to make labels for your quilt blocks when putting them into rows.

I cut the number squares out of the calendar and label each one.  I added two holes to put the pins through.  I love how it worked!  

January

The first weekend in January my sister, Deb, came over and we sewed together.  Actually she sewed!  She was working on some cute pouches.  I love how her hair has come back in after her Chemo.  She had such straight hair and now it's curly!

I decided to take my bin of muslin fabric and cut the "scraps" into squares to use for foundation fabric for string blocks.  I've been cutting on those scraps since summer and I'm really tired of them in hanging around in the sewing room.  LOL  So I finished cutting them.  A project completed even though it isn't a quilt or anything.  Sometimes that background work gets forgotten when we're working on a project.  This is part of what I have ended up with, 6.5 inch squares.  I have no idea how many squares are in there, but I bet at least one, maybe two, quilts worth.

Does any one else love recycling those plastic boxes for quilt projects?  Some of them are the perfect size for temporary storage.

I'm Back!

I'm back!  I've been under the weather with a health issue, but am feeling better and back on track for 2016.

A little catching up to do.  First, had a wonderful time at my September Retreat with Quilts From The Bluffs.

Sea of Blue

                                   

I finished sewing "Hard Tack and Coffee"! 

Now to get it quilted.  I've been toying with the idea of hand quilting it with perle cotton.  

More to come,  I promise, I will be better.  I have so much to show you!