I love to share my Quilting projects with other Quilters. My goal is to share my progress on projects that I am working on. I would love for you to follow along with me during my endeavors. I hope you enjoy watching me tackle new techniques and projects. Hopefully you can learn from my "hiccups" and mistakes and make your journey easier.
Happy Tuesday – we just had a nice rain shower and more on the way this afternoon. Of course the chairs are on the delivery schedule from noon to 3PM! Murphy’s Law. I am taking 2 days off from walking! Nice break and start September with a bang and hopefully cooler weather.
I have finished the 2nd border for My Surprise Quilt! I will be adding a 1” dark blue border before the next border, but this time I will wait until I am ready to add the next border. I had a few issues with the 1” border flaring and not sure why, so I will wait so that it won’t flare.
I like the way the corners look. Most quilters do the Sawtooth borders differently, but I prefer to have the corners looking more uniform. I have a couple of ideas for the next border, but as usual, I will have to take time before I make the decision, and will make sample blocks.
I finished Block One of In My Garden!
This week I will be back to appliquéing on In My Garden and working on My Surprise Quilt. I am thinking about a couple of other projects to start on since I have finished all 80 Churn Dash Blocks for Chookyblue’s SAL – just waiting to decide on the Setting!
Other than that, I will just enjoy all the stitching and hopefully a lot of rain this week. Here comes the down pour – hope they do not delay the delivery of the chairs!
It is a quiet Sunday here in Hotsville Texas! I thought that the heat would settle down, but no the humidity had to come in the door along with the heat! Today is 103, so far! I have switched to a morning walk and boy is it a hard thing after 3 months of the indoor exercise bike, to a nice walk in the early AM to release the Endorphins. After 4 days of walking again, it is beginning to become easier adjusting to the heat/humidity and using my walking muscles again! So onward and upward – when I hurt I walk and appear to be much happier because I feel better! Yea for that one.
I am not working on any hand work, but I did finish Block 1 of In My Garden this week. We are awaiting for the new Recliners to arrive Tuesday – the glider is not the thing for me to try to sit and do handwork. No wonder we switched to Recliners about 12 years ago! I also need to get with the knitting program for some more dish cloths! Hurry up Tuesday!
Today I am working on My Surprise Quilt in Blues! Continuing on with another border. Since it is a surprise quilt, I will showcase the next border when complete! This is where I left off last week.
I am really having fun on the development of this Medallion Quilt. So far, I am doing great with the measurements for borders. Hoping it continues on until the final border.
I really am missing Kathy’s email notifications on Slow Sunday Stitching and her saying posts. I hope she gets a link set up soon. I will have to make a mental note each day to check her blog. Maybe I will just leave it up in Safari so as to not forget!
Have a wonderful week, and we are supposed to be in for some more much needed rain this week.
Greetings from still warm South Texas, but 2 days ago I decided that I was going back to walking for 20 minutes in the morning around 7AM. If anyone tells you that riding an exercise bike keeps you fit just turn around and go the other way! I think I gained 4 to 5 pounds since I quit walking! The heat is not too bad, a bit humid (LOL), but boy the legs and feet do not like the torture of walking again. I am starting with the 20 minutes and doing it in 22 minutes. I get my mile in, but it will be torture for at least 4 more days until I get the legs and back going in the right direction again. The Endorphins are really kicking in – great Mood Boosters! My goal is to lose 8 pounds before Halloween! (Fingers crossed).
On to Quilting Projects! I had decided to make the last Churn Dash SAL 40 blocks (finished at 6”) this month, and I have completed them. In fact, I made 4 extra ones. I am not sure how I will do the setting for the top so I will wait for September when Chookyblue provides the setting.
Now I will be picking up My Surprise Quilt and deciding on the next border. I will first add another 1” dark blue border and go from there! I have some ideas but first I will make a few practice blocks to see how they work with the floating stars border.
My Surprise Quilt
We are counting the days until our new Reclinders arrive! My idea to regift my recliner and sit in one of our Glider Rockers was not the smartest thing I have done, but we only have to wait until Tuesday! Yea!!!
I do believe our heat wave of over 100 days has been broken. We received a little over 1.5 inches of rain last night! A welcome sight, but now the humidity is almost unbearable. But fear not because shortly September will be here and I may start trying the outdoor walk again! But only if it reaches 60’s in the AM.
I have been very busy this month and getting back in my old quilting routine which is about 6 to 7 hours working on my piecing projects and maybe I will start up the long arm if we have a permanent change in our weather (I always have more energy when it is cooler).
I had a large stack of batiks that I had ordered this summer and some a couple of years ago (purples) that needed to be washed and ironed. That took me a day to get them all washed (2 to 9 yards each) and then I ironed for 7 hours last week-end. I told Clay to shoot me if I ever start buying anymore batiks or for that matter any more fabrics. But I did order more of the Michael Miller White Couture fabric for my Churn Dash SAL. I mentioned it in my previous post. If there is a need I might purchase some, otherwise, forget it!
I then worked on my Surprise Quilt and have the Floating Stars finished this last week. I will go forward with a dark blue 1” or 2” border. It will depend on the next “block “ border that I will do. For now I am in the “studying” phase for the next border. On my last post I discussed how I reduced the Floating Stars from 6 1/2” to 4 1/2”. I forgot to talk about how I had to do a lot of reducing the star point section of the block block. The best part was when I had to trim the star sections from 2 inches to 1 and 7/8 inches – For the final trim I had to trim a 1/16th off each side – Fun Fun Fun
Taking a break from my Surprise Quilt, I am working on the last 20 of my Churn Dash SAL project. I had hoped to have them finished today, but it was HEB day and now I am tired, but ready to press the strip sets and the HSTs and then finish them. I am not sure how I will set the quilt. If I put them on point it will make 2 quilts. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.
I have 60 completed and ready to finish after deciding on a setting.
I have finally gotten the applique bug again! It has been a year or two since I worked on a project. I started on the Bunny Rabbit blocks and finished it Sunday night. I mistakenly called this pattern “In The Garden” but it is “In My Garden” by Dawn Heese, so I wanted to correct that error! Blame it on the Heat! LOL. Here is Block One Completed!
Well, that is all I have to show for the last week. Goals for next Tuesday are:
Churn Dash complete, along with a decision on the setting.
Border Number 2 for Surprise Quilt
Loading two quilts on the long arm quilter and FINISH THEM!
Thursday we visited The Lazy Boy Store and purchased 2 leather power Recliners. They arrive on the 30th of August – counting the days! About 18 months ago we tried to purchase new Recliners but it would have been a delivery time of 12 to 14 months! AH remember those times?
Greetings – August is almost over with, along with the 110 degree weather. Although San Antonio has cooled a bit, we are still getting 100 to 108 degrees! I just love it (LOL). Signs of weather changes are close at hand. We might get a Hurricane in September. I remember one that hit on 10 September 1971! To me it was a late storm. I am looking to getting back to walking in the morning…. SOME MORNING.
I had posted about Web Fabrics (Carly) selling her business to a new owner last month. The new owner has changed a few things. For one, I lost my 10% discount due to all the fabric I had purchased over the 20 years, so reconsidering my go to places for fabric. I recently purchased some fabric from Hancock’s of Paducah and today I looked and they have a link for FREE patterns. I downloaded some just for examples of borders. There are some neat patterns, some for panels, and others for easy quilts. The patterns are from the different fabric designers. Click on their name above and check it out. Also, you can get some great deals if you purchase in larger quantities. This is great if you have a need for backings, or have a quilting buddy who wants to split the order. I am using Michael Miller White Couture fabric for my Churn Dashes and needed some extra yardage for my CD’s other projects. I ordered 11 yards at $7.64 a yard, then I signed up for SMS (text) and received another 20% off my order – this included free shipping. I do believe that Hancocks is helping Quilters during Inflation. Check them out. Note: I DO NOT get anything for providing this information on my Blog.
A note to all who blog on Blogger. Last week I noticed that I was not getting my email’s for Posts from the Bloggers I follow. I figured out that I have to go back and try to sign up again. I discovered this when I quit getting updates from Kathy and Linda (To Do Tuesday). I subscribe to Bloglovin, but I prefer to get emails! Just a heads up if you use Blogger and are not getting comments on your Posts.
I have started appliquéing again this week. Seems like forever that I did any needle turn applique. I am working on In The Garden Bunny Blocks.
Ready to go in June (Yup a little late starting on them)
The blocks are easy and if I become more dedicated I can finish them all within a week or two. Here is the first completed block. I have two flowers and the centers and she is done! Yea!
I have finished the center of Boo’s and Bat’s Cross Stitch project. I am going to work on the outer border next. Just need to DO IT!!!
Enjoy Slow Sunday Stitching today, I worked on my rabbit block and now I am going to finish up my Churn Dash blocks for August. I have 15 ready to sew the blocks together and I will be done. I am thinking that I will finish September blocks this week. I have the fabric cut out but still have to do the HSTs and strip sets!
I have had an interesting week! Still hot as Hell here in South Texas with only 2 tenths of an inch of rain the other day! WOW Record breaking! Still 100 to 112 each day. Ready Refresh Ozarka Water Company cannot even find enough drivers to deliver our monthly order. So Far they are 12 days late and still counting. Then I had 2 dental appointments but all finished until mid September when I go in for a couple of fillings! BUT there is positive news on the quilting front!
I am so very excited about my Surprise Quilt. The Center Medallion turned out perfect. I wanted to continue with Stars for the next border but wanted a ‘floating’ star. In 2013 I had made a quilt called Floating Stars. I entered it in the Austin, Texas Quilt Show. The following paragraph was taken from a 2014 regarding issues with the pattern and the long arm quilter who quilted it.
“Now let’s talk about Floating Stars………..Nothing is easy in the quilting world……… The pattern had a cutting direction issue and it took me about 2 weeks of working with a practice block to get the star to float. Believe me, I have perfected this one! Thanks to Perseverance and Math! Again if it wins a ribbon – any place – I will be so very Happy. I really worked hard on color selection and placement. I am not happy with the professional quilter who quilted it – she must have had a bad week – so again – I think that 2013 was not my best year – hoping 2015 gets better. I will probably go back to quilting my own quilts or find someone who really cares about providing show quality quilting. I had worked so hard to perfect star, I could have cried when I saw the mistakes on the quilting.”
Honorable Mention in 2014 Austin Show
Now for my Surprise Quilt which is a Medallion Quilt that I am designing and making as I go along! I am extremely pleased with how it is coming along. I spent about 3 days working with the floating stars again because I had to do a lot of math in order to reduce the block from 6 1/2” to 4 1/2”. Those nice point pieces had to be re-worked completely. I tried about 3 different ways to get to the 4 1/2” unfinished block and it took a lot of time, but they have turned out perfect! I have enjoyed working on this project all week.
And here she is measuring now at 28 1/2” x 28 1/2”!
I will be working on the next border next week. I want to really study some blocks before I do and I am now going to work on my Churn Dash SAL from Blogger Chookyblue.
I have now finished the Center of Boo’s and Bat’s. Next is to figure out how to start on the outer border! There are some areas where the pattern alls for white but I am not sure I want to use white – maybe a light beige for the background. Plenty of time to decide!
I have a lot of batiks that needed washing and so I am starting that project and you all know what that means (that is if you pre-wash your fabrics) – a lot of ironing.
I leave you with the following political statement – Remember I am A CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN AND DONALD J. TRUMP IS MY PRESDENT – currently he is on a forced vacation but will return on January 20, 2025! These are my thoughts that I have been trying to sit on for 6 days now. Always feels good to say what I feel about the Country! So enjoy if you love America!
WELL! How about a our wonderful Government. I want to thank them for ensuring that My President Donald J. Trump will be elected in 2024! Now if you are one of the 81 million who love Brandon, then you probably won’t want to follow my Blog! I am still in total shock as to how corrupt this administration is! Not one of the Cabinet members know anything about their responsibilities. And Brandon definitely does not know where he is as he told us proudly the other day he is the Vice-President. Along with High Inflation, High Fuel Costs, killers running wild in the country, no one will be safe in this country anymore. Illegals running around all over the country, Polio found in New York, another disease around, and many more. None of these people that were let in OR just slipped in under the radar of the Border Agents. Our country has a cancer and it needs to be cured. So if you love America and our President Trump, be sure to vote IN PERSON on 8 November 2022! I am praying that Wyoming helps Chaney find a new job and that in Alaska Murkowski finds a good fishing job. I am praying for President Trump and his family for strength and safety. It appears that the Evil Swamp Creatures in DC have planned another way to cause them pure HELL!
I am so excited about the project I am working on. You will remember the quilt I made for my Housekeeper Georgia’s grandson Vision, it is the header on my Blog now. Well, the other day after cleaning out some drawers, I found that I had a lot strips cut and some left over blocks from the same fabrics.
I thought I would just go ahead and make me a quilt with the Double Hour Glass blocks after I made more. Then I started thinking about making a Medallion Quilt using a large 18” Star. Using my EQ8 Software I drew the Star out and colored it with 4 blues. I printed out the large block to have as a pattern. I use Elenor Burns rulers for the Flying Geese because you get 4 at a time and I need 4 with Dark and 4 with Medium light blue! I love it! I am truly inspired now to develop this quilt as I go along, so it will be called My Surprise Quilt!
I started with the DHG blocks and as I made more I realized I wanted the blocks to be the last border on a quilt!
A Start of My Surprise Quilt
Then I realized I wanted to use them for a border on a Medallion Quilt!
The blocks and Medallion are on the Design Board and now I will sew the Medallion together and start audition blocks for the next border! Not sure what the size of the quilt will be, but I know that I am really REALLY enjoying this project!
UPDATE – UPDATE! The Medallion went together perfectly! YEA. Now on to the next border – another surprise!
So for now, have a great week-end and see all on Slow Sunday Stitching!
Happy Day – I am posting on a Tuesday! Weather – same – hot and dry. Exercise – Exercise Bike again. Today is our 26th Wedding Anniversary! We are happy and blessed! There is a new Hamburger Restaurant in town, so on Thursday we will go and celebrate our Anniversary. All problems are either being taken care of or completed (the unforeseen problems), so I am really looking forward to a quiet August!
Check out what I have been doing the month and last week. Check out my progress and change in quilting direction here and here.
This week I will be working on my 20 Churn Dash Blocks for August! I am going to cut out the fabric for 40 Churn Dash blocks but only sew 20 for this month! The are easy and fast and cutting is one of the things I love about quilting!
I am also making a Double Hourglass quilt for me from the left over strips and fabric from the baby quilt I made earlier this year. This is very very easy and a no-brainer quilt. Strip piecing and cutting out the sections! Fun Fun Fun!
I do have a very large quilt that I made years ago that needs binding. The long arm quilting (in 2014) sewed the binding on with her long arm and gave me a mess to clean up. I would really like to get the bind on and hand stitch it back in the evenings. So this may be a start this week.
I am also looking through my patterns that I would like to make and reviewing the Designers directions, etc. If the pattern appears to have great cutting instructions and provides the size that each section should be, then it is a good pattern. Those that do not provide that information will be put away never to be made in this Studio.
In the meantime I will be working on Boo’s and Bat’s cross stitch project along with appliquéing Bunny Rabbits from In the Garden quilt. These are evening projects.
Inflation and now a Recession is here to stay for awhile. Be sure to thank the 81 million who put us in this situation! Again, I do hope they are suffering like the rest of us. Karma is a great thing. We have 100 more days before we can stop the Liberal Runaway Train! Don’t forget 8 November 2022! Red Wave Day!
Have a great week, and keep on stitching, but only projects that are FUN!
Good morning! Another wonderful day in the Desert! We are averaging 110 each day! Lovely, but there is some good news – things should calm down by mid-September. To celebrate the coming of rain (some year) and lower temperatures (some year), here is what I want to do this month, they may not be 100% finished, but I plan on working on all of them during the month. We shall see if things stay peaceful and quiet!
First and most of all work on FUN projects! If I am not having fun working on a project then it is trash can time and move forward to something that will be FUN!
I will continue working on my Boo’s and Bats Cross Stitch. I am half way finished with the last Bat!
Next will be to start working on my applique project In The Garden. I want to work on the Bunny Blocks! There are 4 Bunnies – 2 light and 2 dark.
I will be working on my Moda Holiday-Stitch-A-Long, an embroidery project. I just finished Block 4 (done after Block 5).
Cannot forget the 20 Churn Dash blocks that I will complete – This will bring the total to 60 with 20 more to go in September. I have a couple of quilts that will be made from the 80 blocks. They are so much fun to make and the 6” and 3” blocks are my favorite! This is the fabric I will be using this month! More 1930’s fabrics.
Last week I enjoyed cleaning and straightening 5 drawers of fat quarters and scraps left over from previous projects. I sent Jaydee a care package just for her to enjoy or share with others. She was very happy with the fabrics. During the cleaning of fabric drawers, I went through a drawer where I keep left over fabric from quilts. I had made a baby quilt out of blue batiks earlier in the year and found that I still had strips cut out for the project, so now I am making myself a quilt. They are fun, fast, and easy to make! It is a Double Hour Glass! Mindless sewing, but so much fun again! This is a picture of the baby quilt.
I have 2 sets of fabrics that I want to make some Double Hourglass blocks. This will be just for fun as it may not work out like I am planning it to. I will post about this when I start the projects – which may be in September.
My goal for the month of projects to finish will be Boo’s and Bats, Churn Dash blocks, and at least one bunny, and Block 6 of the Christmas embroidery block. The other’s will be for fun!
Chopin - A Passionate Quilter From Texas 