Happy Mother's Day

 I hope all you Mom's out there have had a good day.  Mine was very nice, with dinner here at the house, my daughter Jennie brought over some delicious brisket, mac & cheese and roasted potatoes.  I fixed fried okra, cookies and rolls and my daughter in law, Holli, brought a delicious lemon cake and green beans.  It was a very nice family gathering.

APIP #2 - Bloom and Sew:  I received the 5th block instructions from Gail Pan yesterday and got the stitcheries all prepped and ready to embroider.  Started on one this morning.  Nice one to do today, as I am very happy to have had my family here today!

APIP #14 - Bright Hopes Quilt:  I have primarily been working this week on the Bright Hopes quilt, completing all 36 of the Bright Hope blocks and getting the blanket stitch around several of them,  I had to go back and re-read the instructions a couple of time just to figure out how the blocks will go together, and I think I have it straight now.  I am not to the point of putting the blocks together yet, but its nice to at least think I know how to do it.

APIP #1 - Meryton: I had to order the quilt backing and batting and they arrived this week.  Now to get the quilt to the long arm quilter and maybe get it in my hoop and start the hand quilting this week - or maybe next week.

Meryton Quilt Top completed

 I completed the quilt top this morning.  After much debate, I decided not to add a final border primarily as I have not been able to find a border fabric that I think would enhance the quilt.  Katrina's design is so beautiful, I am happy with it just as it is.  I hope to get it long arm basted in a week or so, and then I can start hand quilting :)

APIP # 13 - Bright Hope:  I completed one block just to see how it would look.  Have not had much time to do much else - well I did get all the blocks cut out .

A little off schedule

I missed another Sunday, but have been steadily moving on.  

APIP #1: Meryton  - I have made some good progress on the Meryton.  All the outer border blocks are made, but I do still have to applique the Whirligig blades to the pieced blocks for the outer border.  Three are complete, 5 more to go.  Then I can start putting the top together, have it basted and then start the quilting.  

These are two of the completed blocks.  They are machine pieced and I am right proud I got them to come out right with all the points in place.  I had to make 4 of each.

The are the four outer border blocks together,  The border with have 4 of each of these blocks.

APIP #2: Bloom and Sew - I have completed blocks 4 of the BOM.  Block 5 will be here May 11, so I have a couple weeks to work on other projects.

Completed Block 4

Blocks 1 - 4 together

APIP #14 - Bright Hopes with Crochet Sashing:  Not sure what to call this quilt.  Bright Hopes is a block I found in the Quilt Maker's Gift book and have chosen this block to use in a quilt that is in the May 2025 Magazine, called Leaping Fences.  This quilt had 5 1/2" rail fence blocks with a crochet sashing.  I had been wanting to do a little crochet lately, and this quilt just caught my eye.  I am using a Bright Hope block instead of the Rail Fence.  I think it will be fun and different from any quilt I have made before.  The blocks are quilted as you go, then a blanket stitch added around the border as a base for crocheting a sashing to hold the blocks together. 

Thread I will be using for Crochet

Bright Hope Block

AQ Magazine Picture of Quilt

Catching up

I have missed two Sunday posts now.  I took a bad fall Thursday, April 10 when a cart I was pushing down the hall simply collapsed and I fell over it, face down.  It was the kind of cart that folds flat, and I pushed it over a threshold in my house, it folded flat with me on top.  It was  a painful fall, and for about 4 days I could barely walk or breathe, but remained confident that I had not broken any bones.  Fred finally convinced me to go to the hospital, and no broken bones, but I had sprained all my ribs and sternum and the muscle tissue around these bones were inflamed.  A true blessing that I did not break anything, and the doctors gave me some medicines that relieved the pain. 

So I lost about a week of sewing just lying around the house.  By the time I got better, Easter was upon us  and I needed to get a scavenger egg hunt together for the grandkids as well as getting groceries and cooking for Easter dinner.  My granddaughter, Tess, helped me get the groceries and egg hunt together and my daughter, Jennie, helped with the meal - so it all got done, and we had a blest Easter.

APIP#2 - During this time, I only worked on the Bloom and Sew project.  I completed four of the stitcheries for BOM Block #4 and have two left to go.  I hope to get all the stitcheries done today and get started putting the block together.

APIP #13 - Tulip & Rose Applique block.  I have the pattern for this block up on my design wall and stare at it a lot, trying to decide what fabrics I will use and how I will use the block.  I had decided to make a pillow out of it to go with my Meryton quilt (APIP #1) but I was befuddled if I really wanted to do this.  In the meantime I finished a block I had made to demonstrate how to use Bolar fusible to Stitchin' Friends.  I really like the sample I made with batiks and have decided to make the Tulip & Rose block with the same vibrant batik colors.  I have been wanting a tote bag to carry my projects in, and voila, I decided to do this.  I will be demonstrating to my guild's First Friday sewing group how to use Golden Thread paper for an applique underlay and I plan to use the Tulip & Rose as my example.  I already have the pattern traced onto the paper, so now to prepare the fabrics for applique.  Its so nice to finally have a plan!

This is the block I made to demo this technique to my quilt club. These are the vibrant colors I will use in my applique and I am thinking of using a black background.  I want the bag to have sides and a squared of bottom, but not too big.  Maybe just 3 inch sides made like the piano key border on the block and using some of the bolar fusible to make the sides. 

Here is the pattern pattern for the Tulip & Rose block, and behind it is the Golden Thread paper pattern I traced for the underlay.

We shall see, I have been know to change my mind, haha.

Rose and Tulip Block

 Well I am day late with this post, but honestly was so tired yesterday I took a long nap and then forgot to post. This past week I have been busy preparing a demo for my club meeting this Wednesday (9th) on how to use Bolar Fusible grids for block making.  We will just be doing a small block using a 6x6 two inch grid which yields a 9" block.  They can then make a hot mat, pot holder or add a border and make a pillow.  I think it will be a fun meeting and I hope they enjoy making the block.

This is the front and back of the sample I made.  The class I took clipped the seams a little differently, but I really prefer to press mine open and have a simple method for doing this.  I will demo both methods and let them choose what they want to do.  I also provided them with sample designs I drew in EQ to give them ideas of how they can make their own designs. All they have to bring to the meeting is 36 two inch squares and at least 36 straight pins.  I will set up ironing stations and they can use my two machines for the little bit of sewing necessary.  Most like to do their sewing at home, but they can get at least 3 seams sewn at my house and cut so they know how to press the seam open, or to the side, which every they prefer.

APIP #1 Meryton - I completed the third Star Flower block, just one more to go and I can start working on the machine pieced blocks.

APIP#2; Bloom and Sew; I completed block 3 and should receive the fourth block in the BOM from Gail Pan on the 11.  

APIP#13; Rose and Tulip Applique Block  (NEW APIP).   My guild has an open sew day on the first Friday of each month at a local church.  It is open to all that want to come, and visitors are welcome.  I was working on one of my Meryton blocks and they asked if I would do a demo at the next meeting.  I use a Golden Thread paper to make an "underlay" of the pattern and this is primarily what they want me to demo, but I will also have to explain "prepared edge applique" as that is an important piece of the process.

I have chosen a Rose and Tulip block, from a book titled Rose Sampler Supreme by Rosemary Makhan.  This book was gifted to me by my wonderful friend, Darlene, and I have always wanted to make some of the blocks in the book.  I plan to turn this one and maybe two more as bed pillows to use with my Meryton quilt.  I am not going to use all the same fabrics that are in the Meryton, but the colors will coordinate.

This is a picture of the block I took from the book.  I have the pattern and underlays completed, and hopefully by next week I will have more to share on the blog. When I have a demo to do, I like to get it all prepped and ready to go asap, just incase life happens between now and the meeting and I run out of time :)

2014 UFO - Finished!

 APIP #12; Debbie's Table Topper - This project was started in October 2014 when I took a class in wool applique.  I thoroughly enjoyed the class and completed the applique within a week after I took the class. Then, like so many others, I set it aside to hand quilt later, hopefully in time for a Christmas Gift for my sis-in-law Debbie.  Sooooooooooo, here I am, eleven years later, and I completed it this week.  Wow, I have my first Christmas Gift for this year :)  It really turned out nice and now I want to check out a local antique/consignment shop we have here in town to find a pretty candy dish or bowl of some kind to put with it, filled with chocolates.  They have beautiful glass pieces and I will probably come out of there with more than one selection.

APIP #2; Bloom and Sew - I prepped all the stitchery last week and hoped to get two completed this week.  Well I got all six done!  I find hand embroidery relaxing and these are all simple basic stitches and small enough I can finish one in 2 - 3 hours.  Now just to get the block pieced - will get started on that this week.

APIP#1; Meryton - I did get some applique done on a Meryton block, but not quite finished.  Hope to get it done tomorrow.  

So I guess that is it for this week. 

Meryton and other project progress

 Its been a good week, accomplishing many goals that I had set for this week.  Having my APIP list (Active Projects in Process) is really serving to keep me on track.

APIP#1 - Meryton; I do love working on this quilt and this week I was able to complete the applique prep work on the remaining three Star Flower border blocks. Here are all the pieces I got prepped.  The stars for Star Flowers are English Paper Pieced.

APIP #2; Bloom and Sew, Gail Pan 2025 BOM;  I had thought I might get to do some of the actual stitching today, but it has been a little crazy.  I did get all the prep work done for the Block 3 stitcheries and hopefully will get at two of the stitched this coming week. My prep work involves printing the patterns on Stick and Stich by Sulky, Cutting out the back ground blocks and adding the light weight fusible to the back of the background pieces, sticking on the patterns to the background, and then sewing on the embroidery extenders so the pieces will fit by embroidery hoop.  

I was excited to receive a new embroidery stand in the mail.  I let my daughter try out my older on and she found it so helpful to not have to hold on to the hoop that I let her take it home (she lives in NC) and I was just going to order another just like it for me.  But I found one I like better, and I am really enjoying using it.  I used it in finishing up my Christmas Ornaments (APIP#10)

APIP #4; Joseph's Coat of Many Colors; This afternoon I had the joy of gift this quilt to the young lady I made it for.  She was thrilled to receive it and we were both (as well as her Momma) teary eyed.

APIP#11 - Quilt Maker's Journey Quilt; This is  a new project that I have started. I am heading up a quilting presentation at a local library this coming weekend and I wanted a very simple block for someone to be making at the presentation.  Since it is a library, I decided to use something from the Quilt Maker's Journey children's story book.  This quilt is on the cover of the book, and in the book they call it Bright Hopes.  The presentation will talk about how quilts can be used to reach out to the community.  So I thought this a good choice.  I had to write my own pattern as for the block, but it is a simple block to make.  We will be making a baby size quilt and donating it to our guild's outreach program.

APIP#12; Wool Applique Table Topper;  This is not actually a new project.  I did the applique at a workshop in October 2014, but never got around to quilting it.  At the library demonstration I mentioned above, I will be doing a hand quilting demonstration, and I needed something to quilt.   So I started looking through my UFO's and found this little table runner - perfect for what I needed.  I got it basted together and did a little stitching just to make sure I remember how, haha.

APIP#10; Snowflake Christmas Ornament;  Yea - I finished these four ornaments!

So that is it for this past week.  Its been fun having different projects to work on.  Funny, I completed two project on my APIP list, and I added two more.