Linda's Joy of Quilting

A Little More Mary Simon Progress

2012-02-14T08:56:00.001-06:00

I decided to jump around instead of working in the order of the pattern. Here is my progress on block C-3. This block has less pieces than the last block, which is nice. Also several of the pieces are much larger than the ones in the 2 previous blocks. I was not sure how the air holes on the horn were supposed to be done, but I reversed appliqued them all. Also, I am going more scrappy in this block. As an example, I am using 5 or 6 greens for the leaves instead of only 1 or 2.

Mary Simon Block 1B is done

2012-02-06T08:18:00.003-06:00

I'm glad to be able to say this one is done. Parts of it were tedious. For the rest of the blocks, I've made a decision to skip around a bit instead of doing them in order. The reason for this is because I am not sure I have enough of certain fabrics to last the entire quilt, so I want to spread them around.

Eyeballs! I still need to put eyeballs on the birds. I appliqued a tiny eyeball on one of the birds and after I got it on I realized one side was starting to fray. So I ripped it back off. I may starch the eyeball fabric and cut it with a wider seam allowance and give it another try.

A Little More Progress . . .

2012-01-30T13:41:00.002-06:00

Here's what MS block 2 looks like today. Getting there. I'm hoping to have it finished up in the next week. There are many little idiosyncracies in the pattern. Of course those are also in the original quilt. I have chosen to leave them as is. A place I have trouble is when the pictures of the original quilt show the color in certain patches completely faded away to a brownish color. Then I just have to wing it and hope I am keeping with the spirit of the original. A couple of the buds showed as white on the original white background. That seemed counter-intuitive to me. I made those in a gold color.

Mary Simon Block 2 Progress

2012-01-24T08:11:00.002-06:00

This is how far I am on the second block. Lots of little pieces. Lots of overlapping and underlapping pieces make figuring out construction order a little challenging.

Mary Simon block #1 applique done

2012-01-15T10:13:00.003-06:00

I need to ink in the details yet. I'm a little nervous about doing that, in case I would screw up with the permanent ink. I did not want to attempt to applique an eyeball on the bird, as the head of the bird is only a half inch high. Melinda suggested to me that I embroider a French knot and Julia mentioned using a bead instead. I think these are great ideas :)

Still Plugging Away on Block #1

2012-01-12T08:54:00.002-06:00

This is where I'm at today. Just finished basting more of the grapes on. Also a couple of leaves and one more cherry are ready to applique. Next will come some fruit that are split by 2 different fabrics. I think I will applique the 2 fabric fruit together off block. That seemed to work better for the one grape leaf that has 2 fabrics in it.

More Mary Simon project progress

2012-01-07T10:30:00.002-06:00

Here is where I'm at as of this morning. I'm not sure if the yellow for the pineapple is dark enough, but it seemed the best choice of the fabrics in my stash. I struggle with figuring out what patches need to go next. Lots of the pieces have a half dozen spots where they either overlap or go under another piece. I have had to rip a couple pieces loose to put the edge of another piece underneath it.

Mary Simon Block 1A Progress

2012-01-04T10:02:00.002-06:00

This is where I'm at with my first Mary Simon block. I'm trying to figure out how best to approach the fruits and leaves that come next on the rim.

Figuring out how to load the Flynn Frame for handquilting

2011-12-29T13:15:00.009-06:00

With lots of help from my friend and partner in our Handpiecing and Applique Yahoo Group, Julia, and also a few tips from members and friends, Patricia and Anymart, I was able to get my Aunt Millie's Garden quilt on the John Flynn frame that I purchased used online. Thank you, Ladies!
I snapped a few pictures, hoping that this will jog my memory on how to do this for next time :)
In this first picture, Rod A is in the foreground. The backing is loaded wrong side up on Rods A and B. The quilt top is loaded right side up on Rod C.

In this picture I have turned the frame around so Rods B and C are closest to me making it easier to pull the batting up between those 2 Rods.

The quilt is all loaded in this picture and the top, battting and backing are all wound back on Rod A. I wanted to remove Rod B at this point for easier basting, so after basting the layers together right in front of Rod B, I loosened the tension, unpinned the backing from Rod B, removed one end of the frame and pulled out Rod B. Then I put the frame end back on, tightened up my tension knobs to prepare for basting and flipped the frame over to make the quilt be on the top of the frame for easier basting.

EDITED TO ADD: I think I just figured out why it might be better to leave Rod B in. When it is taken out and you go to roll the quilt, the top layer shifts and needs adjustment.

Dear Jane washed and dried by machine

2011-12-26T08:47:00.007-06:00

I washed and dried Dear Jane last night. I allowed the washer to agitate for about 5 minutes. Then I put it in the dryer and let it run until the quilt was just dry. DJ came out slightly crinkly, which is exactly how I love a quilt to be :)

I laid it out on a bed for now until I figure out how to store or display it.

Sorry I am not a better photographer. I took these pictures without the flash so the definition of the quilting lines would be more visible.

Finished the Binding on Dear Jane

2011-12-09T08:45:00.003-06:00

I am doing a little more quilting to fill in some sparse areas, but for all intents and purposes, she's done!

3/4 of the DJ scallops binding on

2011-12-05T08:11:00.005-06:00

For those following my Dear Jane saga: This is the corner still left to finish.

This is the corner I'm currently working on. I've got the binding sewn to the front. I'm in the process of turning the binding to the back and hand sewing it down.

These last 2 pictures show the corners that are complete.

Like the comedian says . . . .

2011-12-03T08:51:00.002-06:00

. . . . . just get 'er done!

I was doing a lot of ripping trying to get things perfect, but finally decided that was never going to happen. As they say, done is better than perfect LOL :) I've got the binding on about a quarter of the way around the quilt. I'm planning to do a little each day until I can put this one in the 'done' category.

Getting Ready to Bind Dear Jane

2011-11-30T16:47:00.003-06:00

I thought I would show the steps I am taking to bind the scalloped edge of my Dear Jane quilt. In the photo below I am stay stitching 1/4 inch outside the drawn line of my scallops. Above I am cutting just outside the stay stitched line.
Next I will need to cut my binding. I am still waffling over which fabric/color to use. I will make double fold bias. I will start by cutting 2 inch wide strips and folding those in half lengthwise. Actually I make continuous bias binding, so it will be one long strip. Hopefully, I will be able to start making the bias binding in the next few days. Stay tuned . . . .

Dear Jane Progress

2011-11-17T08:50:00.003-06:00

The hand quilting is pretty much done on the center section. I say "pretty much" because there are a couple of spots I will go back and add a little more. Right now I am trying to figure out how to proceed with the borders and scallops. I am thinking I should draw the scallops first, then quilt the plain tris before doing any quilting in the pieced tris. I am a little nervous about getting the scallops just right, especially the corners. Would love to hear suggestions :)

Thimbles I Use for Hand Quilting

2011-11-11T08:22:00.004-06:00

These are the thimbles I use for hand quilting. The 2 on the left are ones I use on my thumb to quilt away from myself. The first one is the Dritz Fingertip Thimble. The second one is called The Comfort Thimble.

The 2 on the right are Roxanne thimbles I use on my middle finger to quilt towards myself. The reason I have 2 of the same style of Roxanne thimble is because my fingers swell sometimes and so I bought one in a size 4 and one in a size 4.5.

In my experience it is critical to have a thimble fit snugly, but not too tight. It's a study in frustration to have a thimble twist on your finger or fly off at inopportune moments LOL :)

I only use these thimbles for hand quilting. For hand piecing and applique, I use the cheapy metal ones from the fabric store. Fit is still critical, though, so sometimes, I have put a bandaid on my finger or a piece of masking tape inside one of my thimbles to make the thimble fit more snugly.

I've heard people say they "can't get used to wearing a thimble". It didn't feel natural to me in the beginning, either. To get used to it, I wore a thimble around the house all day while I did my housework. After a couple of hours I didn't even remember I had it on anymore :)

Some Quilting Progress

2011-11-09T10:13:00.004-06:00

I've quilted more than 3/4 of the center section blocks of my Dear Jane quilt. I have been putting some quilting in each 4.5 inch block, but none in the half inch wide sashings. In this picture I am showing the thumb thimble I use to quilt away from myself and also the needle puller tool I learned about from Anymart on the blog "Quilting the town red". The needle puller has really come in handy for pulling through the thick seams, as my hands are not as strong as they used to be.

This is the scene we woke up to this morning - heavy, slushy snow!

Aunt Millie's Garden quilt top is finished

2011-10-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

I struggled and struggled with how to do the corners on this quilt top. I finally decided I really wasn't all that interested in this project anymore and just finished them. It's done and time to move on. Back to quilting Dear Jane.

It's Autumn here and the temps are dropping. The farmers are harvesting and the strong winds are knocking the colorful leaves off the trees. Pretty soon we'll be buried in leaves :)

My next quilting project will be a big one for me. I've decided to attempt the Mary Simon quilt. A few of us on our Handpiecing and Applique Yahoo group will be starting this quilt the beginning of January.

Grandson's Racing News

2011-10-08T20:48:00.004-05:00

These are the 2 junior dragsters that Josh has been racing up til now. Papa decided to sell them and put Josh into a different car.

Josh is moving up into a big drag car to race at the track. He just turned 16 this summer.

Don't be fooled by the Camaro body. Papa Steve is still a Ford man. The Chevy body is covering a big Ford engine :)

I want to know where those years went. It seems just yesterday he was my little snuggler and now he's over 6 feet tall.

Started Hand Quilting Dear Jane

2011-10-03T14:58:00.002-05:00

I dug out my sandwiched Dear Jane quilt today and got started stitching. I have been wanting to get started, but other things kept getting in the way, plus I wanted to wait for cooler weather. Well, cooler weather is here. I was unsure how to quilt it, also and that was another reason I kept putting it off. Well, I'm going to just jump in and start outlining some of the block patterns. Here you can see I've outlined the star.
I have a feeling that if I wait until I've got it all planned out, I will never start :)

AMG - working on the borders

2011-09-15T13:43:00.002-05:00

I finished attaching the 2 side borders. I switched the ones in the pattern with the top and bottom ones. Now that I am to this stage, I realize I don't like the way the corners come together in the pattern. They just kind of run to the end of the border and fall off LOL :)

I've been prepping the top and bottom border strips today. I'm not sure what I will do with the corners yet. I will work on the applique in the center of the borders and try to work up a plan for the corners in the mean time. Maybe I will leave them as is or maybe not :)

Another Barn Quilt Block

2011-09-09T09:16:00.002-05:00

The neighbors across the road put up another Barn Quilt Block. This one is harder to see from my house, as we are directly east of them and the block is on the south side of the barn. Plus, with the trees in our yard . , , ,

Quilting-wise, I'm working on the borders of my Aunt Millie's Garden quilt. Looking at the pattern, it appears that 2 of the borders use the same fabric for all the flowers. The other 2 use assorted fabrics. I've decided to do mine the same, though I've swapped the top/bottom borders with the sides.

Tuesday September 6, 2011

2011-09-06T08:35:00.005-05:00

I finished the Princess Feathers block. It's 16 inches square. The individual feathers are approximately 6 inches long by 2.25 inches wide.

We live in the country on a major highway. Right across the road from us is a farm. As you can see, they are putting up a Barn Quilt Block. It makes me smile each morning to look out my kitchen window and see this :)

Princess Feathers block in progress

2011-08-29T10:46:00.005-05:00

Here is the block I'm currently working on. I've always been fascinated by the Princess Feather pattern. I actually bought a version by Kim McLean, but decided those feathers were much to big for my liking, so I drew my own in EQ. This block is 16 inches square.

Remember the wonderful Infinite Variety Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts Show that was held in New York City this past Spring? Check out this blog to see a gorgeous tribute quilt:
http://cupcakesndaisies.blogspot.com/2011/08/red-and-white-tribute-quilt-final.html

I love that she shows how she figured out how to piece all these different sized little quilts into one large quilt.

Here's the completed block . . .

2011-08-24T20:39:00.002-05:00

I laid one of the silhouettes inside the center to try it out. The silhouette really should be made a little smaller, but I'm not sure I want to do that as you lose clarity the smaller you go. I'm still thinking about what to do.

Block I'm currently working on . . .

2011-08-22T10:23:00.002-05:00

This is another papercut block from Elly's Papercuts and Plenty book. It is 12 inches square. I sure am glad I used a batik because some of the seam allowances are extremely tiny.

I've been toying with the idea of making some blocks with my grandchildren's silhouettes in them. Patricia, from Texas, gave me some great tips. She said to take pictures of the kids standing in profile in front of a bright window and then cut out the image for a pattern. This idea worked great. I've got my little patterns ready to go. They are each about 3.5 x 4 inches. One MIGHT fit in the center of this block. We will see LOL :)

Lightbox

2011-08-18T08:04:00.002-05:00

I thought I would show how a lightbox can be made using a cardboard box. I used a piece of plexiglass for the top. The light source is an under-the-counter flourescent light that I velcro'd to the bottom of the box. It's pretty basic and easy. I think you can tell how it's done from the pictures :)

Papercut Block done

2011-08-14T18:54:00.002-05:00

I got this pattern from the Elly Sienkiewicz book Papercuts and Plenty. Elly recommends tracing the design on the right side of the fabric with permanent pen. I don't know if I would do this again because that's very unforgiving if you make a slip LOL :) This block is 12 inches square.

More Christmas blocks

2011-08-08T10:31:00.004-05:00

I also squared up my AMG blocks to get them ready to sew together. That's kind of a hassle when your largest ruler is not big enough LOL :)

12 Christmas Blocks so far . . .

2011-08-02T10:04:00.003-05:00

Crispy, Here's the blocks I've finished so far. You should recognize a couple of them, because you drew them for me in EQ :) They are all 8 inches square.

A quilt block and my grandson

2011-07-31T20:30:00.004-05:00

This is the block I made in the last few days. It's another 8 inch one for my Christmas quilt project.

This cutie is my grandson. He must really LOVE racing because it was 95 degrees here today and he is sitting in the staging lanes in his extremely hot fire suit, waiting for his turn to race. Before he gets his turn on the track, he will have to don his helmet and gloves, too. The report was that the temperature on the track asphalt was 150 degrees.

Fleur de lis block for Christmas quilt project

2011-07-28T10:53:00.003-05:00

It's 8 inches. I'm not a very good photographer, as the block looks distorted in the photo. Sorry about that.

Latest Papercut Block

2011-07-20T20:55:00.002-05:00

This one I had to freehand draw because the pattern in the book was for an 18 inch block and I needed an 8 inch one. The pattern in the book was a circle and as you can see, my version is not :)
I spent several hours today finishing up the basting on my Dear Jane. Thank goodness that part is done. Now I will set it aside for cooler weather.

A Papercut block and a Doll Outfit

2011-07-18T07:41:00.005-05:00

We're having very hot and muggy weather here in Iowa, so I stayed inside and sewed this weekend. I finished the Pineapple Hawaiian block and then made a dress and shoes for one of my granddaughter's dolls. The quilt block is 8 inches square. The outfit is for an 18 inch doll.

I did make 2 doll outfits last week, too - a pink top and pants, and a tan dress for the little girls new dolls.

Friday, July 15, 2011

2011-07-15T09:07:00.005-05:00

I finished my Christmas Cactus block last night. Now I'm looking for another Papercut block to work on. I'm thinking of experimenting with making papercuts and see if I can come up with anything reasonably interesting :)

My friend, Pat, http://quiltsandotherhobbies.blogspot.com/, mentioned that she uses cuved needles to baste. I tried this out on my Dear Jane and they do help to reduce the stress on my hands. Thanks, Pat :)

Baskets Doll Quilt

2011-07-11T08:46:00.002-05:00

After adding 2 more baskets at the bottom, the quilt looked too long and narrow to me, so I added some strips on the sides. It's now approximately 16" x 21".

My granddaughters got American Girl dolls about a week ago. I promised them I would make some doll clothes for them, so that is what I will be doing today.

We had a big storm roll through last night. I had to get the ladder out this morning and put the gutter guard back in some of the eave's troughs. It's been very hot and humid and looks like that will continue for the next few days at least.

More Diamond Basket blocks

2011-07-07T16:14:00.002-05:00

Does this need 2 more blocks at the bottom? I am tired of these little blocks and want to move on. I'm planning to combine them into a doll quilt for my granddaughters.

I stopped at Joann Fabrics today and bought batting with my 50% off coupon. I will be using this for my Dear Jane quilt. I need to wash the backing fabric and then I can get started basting it.

Quilted Diamonds basket blocks

2011-07-03T09:14:00.002-05:00

These patterns are from Linda Franz' Quilted Diamonds books. She has about 15 basket blocks between the 2 books. I'm think of making some of them into a doll quilt.

They are hand pieced, except for the handles which are appliqued. They finish at 4 inches wide and 7 inches long.

Last AMG block done!

2011-06-27T14:55:00.002-05:00

I'm glad to be done with the blocks. There's still the setting to figure out and the borders to do, but I'm tired of working on it, so will set it aside for now.

This past weekend our Yahoo Group had it's first "virtual retreat". It was a lot of fun. The messages were flying fast and furious for a while :) There is already talk about the possibility of a "next" one.

11 AMG blocks done so far

2011-06-17T16:15:00.002-05:00

I guess I'll have to figure out how to arrange them so I don't have similar colors next to each other.

AMG T-12 done

2011-06-16T08:37:00.003-05:00

Only one more block to go - T-11! I skipped over T-11 because I was struggling with my color choices. I think I need to just choose and get going :)

I'm looking to cut my strips for the scallops on my Dear Jane. I'm trying to figure out how deep the scallops should be, as it doesn't give this information in the book. My thinking is that since the base of the tris is 5 inches wide, the scallops should be half that. But then I saw on Linda Franz' site that she made hers 1.75 inches deep. I guess I'm going to have to make up some paper templates of different sizes and see what looks right to me :)

Granddaughters' Dress Rehearsal for Dance Recital

2011-06-11T14:15:00.014-05:00

I smartened up LOL! They don't allow pictures to be taken at the dance recital, so I went to the dress rehearsal today and took some pictures there :) Maddie is 7 and Izzy is 4. Last night all the grandchildren stayed overnight, Josh, too. Papa was telling them that his grandmother was an American Indian. The little girls thought that was so cool they decided to give themselves Indian names. Papa suggested Pretty Flower for Izzy. She liked that, so then Maddie decided she wanted to be Graceful Butterfly. Then, since Izzy likes to be like her sister, she changed hers to Graceful Flower LOL :) Never a dull moment with the grandchildren :)

AMG Block T-10 is Done

2011-06-04T19:43:00.002-05:00

Only 2 more to go :)

The last few days . . . .

2011-06-01T08:22:00.006-05:00

I had to share these adorable pictures of my granddaughters. They will be in a dance recital in a couple of weeks. Mommy brought Maddie's costumes over because they needed a little sewing attention. She did not bring Izzy's costumes, but I will get pictures of those soon, I promise :)

Here's my last Aunt Millie's Garden block. Only 3 more to go :)

DJ top done except for the scallops

2011-05-13T15:28:00.002-05:00

I got the final side attached yesterday. I know I need to add the strips for the scallops, but I'm kind of tired of working on this right now, so I folded it up and am putting it away for a while.

I've starting working on my next AMG block. It's block 9. Which reminds me, I found an end table that works for a light box at the thrift store the other day. The glass surface is about 6 inches bigger in both directions than the one I was using before. My old one is a cardboard box with a sheet of plexiglass over the top. I love it when I can find a bargain and also re-purpose something :)

DJ 3rd side of border is attached

2011-05-11T11:50:00.002-05:00

I've got the 4th side of the border sewn together and need to attach it next. I really dislike this part of making this quilt - getting everything lined up and attaching it to that extremely skinny (1/4 inch wide) sashing strip. I keep telling myself I'm almost done :)

Weatherwise, we went right from chilly to hot and muggy. We are supposed to get storms today.

The Last of the Dear Jane Blocks

2011-05-02T09:34:00.003-05:00

My Dear Jane journey has reached a milestone - I've finished making the blocks. It feels kind of odd to not have any more of these little blocks to do. I have to attach those last 2 sides of the border next.

First I think I am going to prep my next Aunt Millie's Garden block (block 9)and get it ready to work on.

Only 5 More to Go!

2011-04-26T10:02:00.002-05:00

I think I can finish up the last 5 blocks in the next week. I will still have to sew the 2 sides of the border together and then add the strips for the scallops, but at least I am getting close. I am ready to be done and move on to something else, though it will seem kind of strange, too, not to be working on these little blocks anymore.

We have more rain here today. My Spring flowers are bursting :) I'm thinking I may try to grow a couple of tomato plants in containers this year. Would love to hear if you've tried this and have any tips to share.

Only 10 left to do!

2011-04-21T09:29:00.001-05:00

My goal is to finish the last 10 by May 7th. I better get moving!

Still Working on Tris

2011-04-18T16:49:00.001-05:00

A few more to show :)

3 More Tris Done

2011-04-16T12:25:00.001-05:00

Getting there!

5 More Tris Completed

2011-04-13T08:04:00.002-05:00

Last night I managed to whack one of my toes on a chair. Boy did that hurt. This morning, it's black and blue and all swollen. I can barely walk. I'm so mad at myself! Could I be any less graceful?

A few more tris . . . .

2011-04-06T11:55:00.003-05:00

Glad I'm done with the one on the right, RS3 LOL :)

I didn't have a fabric that was close to the one Jane Stickle used for RS3. She used a gold and blue print. I auditioned several before settling on the blue.

2 Sides of the Border are on Dear Jane

2011-04-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

I finished putting the second side of the border on last night. Only 2 more to go YAAAAYYYY!

31 More Blocks to go . . .

2011-03-21T15:19:00.002-05:00

27 more tris and the 4 corner blocks and that will be it for Dear Jane! I can not wait :) I love this quilt, but am getting antsy to get the top done.

I got a few more tris done this week

2011-03-18T08:22:00.003-05:00

We're having warmer weather this week, so I need to get outside and clear away the dead vegetation from last year. The daffodils, tulips and hyacinths are already above ground. Soon we'll have flowers :)

These are the tris I've finished this week.

Working on the Left Side Triangles

2011-03-13T17:25:00.002-05:00

I've finished 5 on the left side so far. Hoping to get another 5 done this week. I've been hashing around quilting ideas for DJ. I see the software has interesting quilting ideas by Linda Franz.

DJ bottom row Triangles attached

2011-03-07T08:47:00.003-06:00

Last Friday was my last day of work. So glad to be able to retire :) DH had another medical emergency that day, but thankfully they figured out the problem and he is on the mend.

When I was preparing to prep more Triangles, I noticed an error in the DJ book. If you look at the bottom of pages 151 and 157, you see the same block photo. The patterns are correct, it's just the photos. I am currently trying to figure out how to work LS4.

2 More Tris completed

2011-02-24T13:58:00.002-06:00

I stopped in my LQS today and got to pick out a free yard of fabric. They have a FQ card there and when you fill it up you get a free yard of the fabric of your choice. I picked a green batik to use for applique. A little birdie told me that my co-workers are planning to give me a gift certificate to my LQS for my retirement. Now that would be a great gift!

More Tris finished . . .

2011-02-21T21:22:00.003-06:00

Last night I was sewing in my chair and all of a sudden my clamp-on lamp/magnifying glass fell on the floor. The dang clamp broke! Now I'm back to a floor lamp that gets hotter than blazes.

First Group of DJ Tris done

2011-02-16T19:09:00.002-06:00

These are from the bottom row. I am trying to decide what I should do for the plain tris. Should I go with all the different prints and colors like the original Dear Jane or should I do something different?

DJ Center Section All Sewn Together

2011-02-11T16:46:00.003-06:00

I was so glad to get this part done. Julia mentioned something that I never thought of. Her tip was to keep track of the milestones with this quilt by writing the info directly in the book. I thought that was a great idea :)

I have a big milestone coming up in my personal life. I will be retiring from my job next month. After 25 years, I am definitely ready to go. Life is short. Let's make sure we make time for the things that are really important to us :)

Last 3 Blocks of DJ Center Section Completed!

2011-01-29T08:35:00.002-06:00

I feel like I've reached a milestone even though I still have sashings to attach and the last few rows of blocks to sew together. I'll prep a few of the triangle blocks so I'll have something to alternate with the tedious rows sewing.

Getting closer . . .

2011-01-10T21:32:00.004-06:00

M-3, bottom right hand corner, was a pain. I had to rip it a couple of times to get it to line up right.

And a few more . . . . .

2011-01-04T16:47:00.002-06:00

I feel like I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I think I only have 22 blocks left to complete the center portion of Dear Jane.

On the home front, DH injured his shoulder several weeks ago and will be having rotator cuff surgery. We learned last night that one of our daughter's dislocated her shoulder at work yesterday. I think that's enough of the shoulder injuries LOL :)

Plugging away on Dear Jane

2010-12-28T08:36:00.004-06:00

Here's the latest 6 blocks completed. Only one has the sashing attached.

Last week, our granddaughters had their school Christmas programs. Izzy is in preschool, so hers was pretty simple and cute. Maddie is six and in first grade and was part of the rest of the school's performance of Handel's Messiah. It was so beautiful it sent chills up my spine. They go to a church school. We had to sit in the balcony, so I was not able to get any good close-up pictures.

Only 34 of 169 Center Section blocks left

2010-12-17T09:01:00.002-06:00

The top block in this picture has the sashing attached. Haven't done the other 2 yet. I want to finish the center section so badly I can taste it LOL! I finished sewing the sashings on 20 plus blocks and now need to sew those together into rows. I keep telling myself I can finish this quilt. Just need to keep focused :)

A Few More Blocks Done

2010-12-05T13:50:00.002-06:00

The blocks in this quilt seem forever etched in my mind. Even seeing a picture of a small part of this quilt brings instant recognition.

Thursday December 2, 2010

2010-12-02T15:05:00.003-06:00

These are more Dear Jane blocks that I've finished recently. Only 40 more to go :)

On our Handpiecing and Applique group we were talking about the Carrie Hall blocks. I mentioned that I was thinking of purchasing the Barbara Brackman book and one of our members emailed me and said she has the book and was willing to part with it. We agreed on a price and now the book is on it's way to me :) I can't wait to see it :)

My 4 year old granddaughter wanted to sew a purse the other day, so we took one of my orphan blocks and made it into a totebag style purse. She loves it. I should have taken a picture. Maybe next time she brings it over here with her :)

A Few More Dear Jane Blocks Finished

2010-11-21T17:14:00.003-06:00

I really disliked appliqueing the tiny triangles on the top block in the second photo.

ONLY (LOL!) 50+ blocks left to go for the center section :)

November 15, 2010

2010-11-14T18:48:00.002-06:00

I finished a couple more DJ blocks last evening and then picked fabric for about a half dozen more. I am off work this week, so hope to get a few more blocks finished.

The block on the left was my first attempt at reverse applique. I enjoyed the process, but need work on keeping the points sharp and straight.

This morning it's in the upper 20's here in Northeast Iowa. Definitely feeling winter coming on.

November 11, 2010

2010-11-11T19:31:00.004-06:00

Happy Veteran's Day to any veterans who may be reading this. Thank you for your service to our country :)

I finished 2 more Dear Jane blocks and am attaching a picture. I'm not sure why the off whites in the picture look pink. Must be my wonderful photography skills LOL :)

I haven't felt much like sewing the last few days, as I've had a nasty cold and the flu. I'm finally starting to feel a little better :)

One more picture of the little girls in their Halloween costumes :)

2 More Dear Jane blocks finished

2010-11-03T20:39:00.003-05:00

I started working on another one, but since I've got more than another row of blocks complete, I decided to start sewing the sashings on and sew the next row of blocks together.

I started coming down with a sore throat last night and am dragging today. I hope it doesn't turn into a full-fledged nasty cold :)

I've decided to work on my Dear Jane project for a little longer before starting the next Aunt Millie's Garden block. We'll see how long that holds out LOL :)

AMG block T-8 completed

2010-10-28T15:21:00.002-05:00

Only 4 more to go, thank goodness LOL :) I'm trying to think ahead as to how I will finish this quilt. I don't think I want to use sashing between the blocks, but maybe sashing wouldn't be so bad if it was narrow. Hmmmm . . . .

The 2010 AQS Des Moines IA quilt show

2010-10-07T15:36:00.003-05:00

My daughter accompanied me to the quilt show yesterday. My feet and legs were aching by the time we left LOL! Tons of vendor booths, though one I was looking for from last year was not anywhere to be found this year. Lots of beautiful quilts to see. I did not take any of the offered classes, though some were tempting.

I made a few purchases, but all in all, I kept things under control. I bought another pair (smaller) of serrated scissors, a metal stiletto that I thought might work for applique, some Bohin applique needles, a Lori Smith applique pattern, a Superior Threads Frosted Donut & a Bohin blue fineline washable marker. I think that's all, but with my memory I'm never quite sure LOL :)

I looked at many books and seriously thought about buying a few, but then put them back. My bookcases are overflowing and there was not really anything there that I didn't already have covered at home. I have been trying to be more conservative with my buying. I really think it is wasteful when I buy things and then never (or rarely) use them.

More Sewing Done

2010-10-05T09:32:00.004-05:00

This is Dear Jane block I-4

More Dear Jane blocks.

Our Yahoo group, Handpiecing and Applique is doing a BOM. This month's block is the Peony drawn by Becky Phillips of Florida. It combines applique and piecing. Thanks so much to Becky for doing this for us :)

I'm trying to think of colors for the next Aunt Mille's Garden block, T-8. I probably won't get much quilting done in the next few days, as I have outside work to do, plus the big Des Moines quilt show runs through the end of the week and I am hoping to get to that, also.

The Grandkids

2010-09-25T16:12:00.002-05:00

My granddaughters went shopping with daddy today. Can you believe they had Halloween costumes in the stores already? Well, of course, they had to pick out costumes LOL :) Miss Maddie chose Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and Miss Izzy wanted to be Ironman. My little tomboy looks pretty ferocious, doesn't she? LOL :)

Last night we went to our grandson Josh's football game. They won big, 28-6, against the cross-town rival YEAHHHH!!!

Aunt Millie's Garden block T-7 completed

2010-09-22T15:37:00.002-05:00

Only 5 more to go LOL :) I'll start working on my Dear Jane blocks again until the end of the month. At the first of the month our Handpiecing Group will start another BOM. This one will be the Peony block drawn by my friend, Becky of Florida. It combines piecing and applique and is such a sweet block. I am really looking forward to it :)

The big Des Moines quilt show is coming up in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to see what new and exciting I can find there. I pre-ordered Elly Sienkiewicz' new book the other day. It won't actually be released until around the beginning of November, though, so it's going to be a bit of a wait for that.

It's so funny - I used to avoid applique like the plague. Now that I've figured out some ways that work for me, I love it :)

More blocks finished

2010-09-06T14:42:00.004-05:00

Terri, from our Handpiecing and Applique Group, is heading up a pieced BOM for our group. This is the first block she chose. I've always loved the Nosegay pattern and couldn't resist making it up in Christmas colors :)

These are 4 more Dear Jane blocks I finished recently. I pieced all of them, but if I had it to do over, I think I would applique at least the outer pink arcs on the top, right block.

Football Friday night!

2010-08-28T21:38:00.007-05:00

We spent Friday late afternoon/evening at the football stadium. Grandson, Josh, is #67. Granddaughter, Maddie (Josh's cousin), was busy cheering him on. Granddaughter, Izzy, was also cheering, but unfortunately, every picture I got of her, she either had her back turned or was behind a post LOL :)

Our team got creamed, but we had lots of fun anyway :)

Dear Jane H12 & H5

2010-08-24T15:16:00.002-05:00

A couple more Dear Jane blocks done.

We have gotten a little reprieve from the heat and humidity. Today is a beautiful day and I have my windows open. I sat out on my porch earlier and read for a while. The breeze feels so refreshing :)

DH and I went to watch the little granddaughters in gymnastics class last evening. I think it's been very good for them. They seem to enjoy it and have been developing new skills, not to mention building up their upper body strength. I never had much upper body strength LOL :)

AMG T-6 Finished

2010-08-21T18:40:00.002-05:00

Our grandson, Josh, came to stay with us this weekend. This morning I went and saw his first football scrimmage of the season. He is in 10th grade this year. They were trying him out on both offense and defense. Next Friday night will be the first game of the new school year and we will all be there to cheer him on :)

This afternoon I went with my daughter and 2 granddaughters to sign the little girls up for another year of dance lessons - ballet, tap and jazz. They seem to have lots of fun in the classes.

Possible Breakthrough on EQ Issue

2010-08-14T20:52:00.002-05:00

Today I was trying to draw a block in EQ7. It started out working ok, but pretty soon it was freezing up every time I would save to sketchbook. And, of course, that made me lose my block. After several attempts, I had a thought. I turned off the Norton Firewall and viola - the problem disappeared.

I contacted Symantec via "live chat" and told them about the problem that was occuring. The tech took over my computer and changed some settings to "allow" EQ and to keep Norton from scanning it. So far, so good. EQ appears to be working again :)

Progress on AMG T-6

2010-08-12T10:41:00.002-05:00

We've been having some torrential rains here lately. Actually, the last few years the weather here has been more severe in summer and winter.

I bought a couple new books recently. One is the EQ Applique Drawing book. I'm hoping to learn some tips from it. I also bought both of the Red and Green books by Nancy Hornback and Terry Clothier Thompson. Each book has several patterns that I adore, plus the pictures are wonderful. The only drawback for me is that they use templates instead of whole block drawings for the patterns and since I like to backbaste I would have preferred the whole block drawings.

I Changed My Settings For Comments . . . .

2010-08-08T11:34:00.000-05:00

. . . . . so hopefully that will take care of the issue. Comments should post right away now. If they don't, let me know. I remember changing this to moderation last year after some people were spamming me. Does anyone else have a problem with this type of thing? Maybe I should ask what settings you use, cuz I'm kind of a computer idiot LOL :)

Computers can be a pain LOL!

2010-08-08T09:49:00.000-05:00

I was so annoyed yesterday! A very nice lady commented on my blog and I tried to publish the comment. It didn't go, so I tried again. Then it came back and said it rejected the comment. AAARGH! So far I haven't been able to figure out how to retrieve the comment and post it, so I want to apologize to the lady who tried to post the nice comment and let her know that I appreciate her kind words :)

Some More Dear Jane Blocks Finished

2010-08-07T09:40:00.002-05:00

I re-made the block with the ink leakage and finished a few more. Now it's back to another Aunt Millie's Garden block.

Things have been busy around here. Never enough time LOL! We just celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary. My, those years flew by LOL :)

2 Issues

2010-07-27T10:25:00.002-05:00

As you can see in this picture, there is ink leakage. I was having trouble seeing the sewing lines marked on the back of this orange and black fabric, so I used a Zig permanent pen that I have used many times before with no problem. THIS time I sprayed the block with Mary Ellen's Best Press before I pressed and this is the result. I don't know if something in the Best Press reacted with something in the ink, but I will be very cautious of using the Best Press again. Now to remake this block :)

Electric Quilt offered 2 Rose of Sharon files to EQ owners. I downloaded them. There was a problem with the first file, which EQ replaced. I downloaded the replacement file, but still had problems. I could open the files and look at them, but when I would try to print a pattern from the block worktable, my computer would freeze up. I tried different things, but each time my computer would freeze up and I would have to restart. I finally gave up and deleted the files.

Progress on quilting projects

2010-07-25T13:50:00.002-05:00

I finished block T-5 of the Aunt Millie's Garden pattern. The bottom picture is of the 1st 7 rows of my Dear Jane that have been sewn together. I finished sewing them together a couple of weeks ago, but forgot to post the picture here. I'm sorry that picture is upside down LOL :)

BackBasting Tutorial

2010-07-18T08:45:00.004-05:00

A lady in our Handpiecing and Applique group was asking how to back baste and I typed up this tutorial for her. Then I decided I may as well share it here on my blog as well :)

Back Basting is a prep method for needleturn applique and it eliminates the need for an overlay.

This is how I back baste:
After tracing the pattern onto the back of the background fabric, this is how I proceed:

1. Determine which patches are the bottom layer (which ones go underneath other patches). Start with those.

2. Decide on your first patch and mark the outline with small pins. Now turn your background fabric over to the right side. Lay your patch fabric right side up over the area you have outlined with your pins. The patch should extend at least a quarter inch beyond the pins in each direction.

3. Next, anchor your patch by pinning outside the other pins and remove the pins from the wrong side. Now you will baste your patch on using a large needle and thick thread. Baste right on top of your drawn lines.

4. Turn back to right side and trim the seam allowance to approximately 3/16 inch.

5. Finger press along the basted line an inch or two from where you will start sewing.

6. Clip the thread and pull loose an inch or so ahead of where you will be sewing. Since you finger pressed the line, it should turn under easily for you to applique. Needleturn applique as normal.

Grandson Josh wins a trophy . . . .

2010-07-17T21:39:00.002-05:00

at drag racing. Granddaughter, Izzy, sees it and wants to know if she can have it LOL, so guess who now has the trophy :)

The Last Few Days . . . .

2010-07-15T14:35:00.011-05:00

This is my progress on AMG T-5. A couple of the patches are just basted on.

I've been trying to set aside a little time a couple of times a week to play with EQ7. I have an EQ5 Drawing book, and, amazingly, it works pretty well with version 7. Today I spent quite some time following the lessons for drawing hexagons and lots of variations of the hexagon. I'm not very good at math, so there's no understanding the ratios involved LOL, but at least I'm using the tools and getting more familiar with the program. I did spend time yesterday reading the EQ7 manual, but I think it's more helpful for me if I actually follow along in EQ instead of just read about it :)

Our 2 granddaughters are getting into more and more activities. Aside from dance classes and gymnastics, they have now started summer baseball. Actually, Maddie's group started already. Izzy's doesn't start for another week or so. So far, they have only been doing drills, learning how to catch and hit, etc.

Our grandson spent the day helping my DH yesterday. They went for lunch at a local buffet and decided to have some pie for dessert. Well, our grandson took a bite of his and told my husband that Grandma's was way better than that and he'd just wait for some of Grandma's. No wonder I adore that kid LOL :)

More gymnastics pictures

2010-07-13T10:27:00.002-05:00

My little punkins on the uneven bars :)

Granddaughters started gymnastics

2010-07-05T21:07:00.002-05:00

Here's the little ladies on the balance beam :)

Quilting progress . . .

2010-06-30T09:33:00.003-05:00

I finished AMG T-4 several days ago and then started back in on DJ. Only one more block to finish in row G and then will sew 2 rows together and add to the previous ones.

Life is short . . . .

2010-06-30T09:27:00.002-05:00

A much loved cousin of mine passed away a week and a half ago. It was sudden and very unexpected. He was such a great guy. A Navy veteran from the Vietnam era. Married to the same lady since the early 70's. Two children and 7 grandchildren. He was always an outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish.

John, you will be greatly missed :)

EQ7 arrived and I got it installed . . .

2010-06-12T10:10:00.002-05:00

I am determined to spend more time learning the ins and outs of this quilt design program :)

I've spent the last week or so working on sewing my completed DJ blocks together. The first 5 rows are done and I am working on sewing together the next 2 rows. From now on, I've decided to stop every couple of rows and sew them all together, as it's a pain to wait until you have 90 to start sewing them together LOL :)

The Guys went racing today, so I'm on my own :)

2010-06-05T12:24:00.008-05:00

My DH, Steve and grandson, Josh (along with hubby's business partner) hit the race track today, so I have a day to do whatever I want :)

Here is a picture of granddaughter, Izzy, showing off one of my flower beds.

I just have to show this picture of the inside of DH's racing trailer with it loaded. I find it amazing that they were able to rig it so the junior dragster is held over the top of Steve's race car.

Updated to add: I decided to take a little road trip this afternoon. After visiting the LQS, I called and asked my daughter if she and my DGDs would like to visit the soy candle outlet store about 40 miles from us. She said "sure", so off we went and had a nice time picking out scented candles at a bargain price. There was a quilt shop close to the candle outlet store, so we stopped there, too. On the way home, it started pouring rain, so it wasn't very long after we got home that the races were called because of the rain and DH came back home, too :)

A Couple More Dear Jane blocks done

2010-05-29T21:25:00.003-05:00

Here's the latest two. I've started working on sewing more sashings on the blocks and sewing some of the blocks together. Next week I'll start work on AMG T-4.

We've got some unseasonably warm weather going here in Iowa. I've been sitting on the porch with my sewing.

Dear Jane G-6

2010-05-22T17:44:00.002-05:00

That little star in the center is only 1 1/8 inch square. I hand pieced it, but it was awkward - not much to hold onto and lots of seams LOL :) I love the look of the block, though.