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.
I am so happy to have finished the following projects that I had schedule for January for OMG!
Circa 2016  – Modified version of the quilt – quilted and binding completed.Miniature  Jane Quilt – quilted and binding completedPat Sloan’s Sewing Machine Pattern  – quilted and binding completed
Christmas place mats for Doug and Jean – quilted, binding completed, and mailed.
Block 6 of A Bountiful Life
I joined the Ocean Waves Quilt A Long (QAL) only to decide that Ocean Waves is not a quilt that I want to continue with so I made a little quilt out of the one “practice” block I made.
My Ocean Waves Quilt – Miniature
I also wanted to participate in RSC 2017 this year.  I have started with purple 4 Patches.  I will continue with this project in February, and make a decision by March if I continue on.  I may find another pattern that  I really like and start over.  Time will tell.
January Purple Blocks for RSC 2017
Last but not least, Oh Glory quilt. Â It now loaded on the long arm ready to be quilted! Â My goal is to have it completed by Tuesday 31 Jan.
Oh Glory Quilt – Embroidered Stars – Ready for Quilting
Well! Â After retirement I began to have time to listen to my “gut” feelings about things. Â I try to act on them and then sometimes I have to let them play out either all the way to see the issue to the end, OR I let the ‘issue’ play out for a bit – then I lower the boom!
Tuesday was a day that I had a gut feeling that my newly hired monthly housekeeper was not going to work out (she was due to clean on Tuesday).  She called 45 minutes before she was to arrive to tell me she had not put my address in her GPS (1st thing).  Then she showed up at 9:40 (not scheduled 9:00).  I began to have the feeling that this lady would not work out, but wanted to give her a chance.  It took her 1 hour to clean a room that should have taken 20 minutes or so (2nd thing).  Then she had to make a personal call (3rd thing).  Then her daughter called (4th thing).  Then she told me she had not eaten breakfast and her stomach was growling (5th thing).  Now while all this was going on I was cleaning 11 blinds in our den because I felt that something was not going to go right in this new hire!  Now I have never watched the Apprentice, but it did not take me more than 1 hour and 45 minutes to tell the Lady – Your are Fired!  I paid her for the time she was there and sent her on her way!  I was so “upset” (mild word) that I knew I would be cleaning my house that day and until I cannot get out bed! I finished at 4:30!  Thank God for my new brace.  I will now continue on doing the house once a month myself and leave the house keepers to find another person to lie to!  I just had to get this off my chest.
OK – now on to my favorite thing – quilting! Â I wanted to do Ocean Wave QALÂ and RSC 2016 this year just to have a couple of slow projects. Â Well, I have finished Ocean Wave quilt! Â I made one block and quickly decided – whoops – do not think I want to spend time doing all of these blocks – lots of work and detail to precision sewing is imperative to make this baby! Â I can do it, but other projects would be more fun! Â I followed the grid sheet and made a practice block to make sure that it would be accurate and if I really wanted to do this project. Â Â Here is my finished Ocean Waves!
My One and Only Ocean Wave Quilt
I finished Block 6 of A Bountiful Life – YEA – I will not say how long it took me to finish this block – I just had “applique block” problem! Â Hopefully that is over with as I have a lot more applique waiting for me to get with the program. Â I am not real pleased with the “looped vine” in the center – I may have to redo that. Â It is embroidered.
A Bountiful Life – Block 6
I made numerous 4 Patches (purple) for an RSC 2016 project, but have now decided that I am not going to participate in this project this year. Â Maybe next year.
A LOT of 4 Patches
Now for One Monthly Goal Update: Â I have met all of my goals!
Small Jane Quilted
Circa 2016 Quilted
Pat Sloan’s Sewing Machine  Quilted
Christmas placements for Doug and Jean (2) Â Quilted
Started RSC 2016 – Started but decided not to participate
Ocean Waves – Completed
If you would like to see pictures of my quilts, check out my earlier posts this month! Â Tomorrow I will quilt Oh Glory and that is the last of the monthly projects I wanted to complete. Â I am now at a point where I am going to review some Australian Designer quilts that I had wanted to start in 2014. Â I will make a decision on which one I will start in a day or two.
I hope that everyone has a great day and enjoy sewing! Â On to my February schedule – whatever that is!
Shock and Awe!!!!! Â I have finished my goal for the week, well OK, I am 24 hours late, but they are completed.
Oh Glory – Ready to go to the Long Arm!Circa 2016 – Miniature Size
Pat Sloan’s Sewing MachineDear Jane – Miniature
Remember when we were in school and we had the summer months off to play and dump the memory bank??? Well, guess what happens when one does not quilt a quilt, much less put binding on……….A mess! Hubby told me that everything one needs to know is on You-Tube – so I found this video and found two small new techniques are on the video that I was not aware of – corners and endings (doing it a different way).  So now I have to remember this video as I will be quilting quite a few quilts in the next few months and they cannot be “messed up”.
Now I plan on getting Oh Glory pinned on the long arm and tomorrow I will quilt it! Â In the meantime, I really need to finish sewing those 25 + grapes on Block 5 of A Bountiful Life – will try to hold my nose and complete it tonight!
Tomorrow is the first block for Two-Step Mystery Quilt so I will be deciding on fabrics for that project.  I like it because it is one block every 3 weeks! Next I will have to decide on pattern (and get going on it) for RSC 2017.  I have a few patterns in mind, but just not sure yet!  I am also thinking THINKING about working on the Mystery Quilt in this months Quiltmania.  It is reverse applique and I think I would love to work on that one.  There are only 6 issues in a year so I can slip a little on the start time on this one.  It would be another “fabric” decision.  Darn – looking like I will be having to really put the ole’ brain in action for the next week.  Maybe I need to check my 2017 list – I am sure that I had selected others.  Oh for more hours in a day!
I feel great as I have now completed 5 quilting projects, and applique again at night!  YEA for me!  I thought many times over the last year to just give up on my passion and sit in a chair.  Boy am I ever-blessed to have pushed the Doctor limit for my back!  In the last week even without the brace I can stand up straight again but will continue to use the brace which evidently is helping me to tell my brain to get with the program!  TENS and Braces are my favorite thing to have.  In fact, because I am not sitting so much, I THINK I am beginning to lose a pound or two out of the 8 pounds I have gained in the last 6 months due to the back hurting!  Joy to me is being able to do my walking and quilting and put in a full 10 hour day of fun!
Tomorrow my guy is going to become the President of the United States. Â I never thought that what is about to take place in this great Nation tomorrow with the transfer of power would have come while I was still alive!
May the Lord Bless President Trump and the First Lady (who is such a beautiful Lady) and his entire family!  And continue to bless this Nation.  Bless all of his nominated Cabinet Members and our Congress – even those  who are so nasty and hateful at this time and chose to not attend the Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States of America.  We are all of God’s children!
I first wish each and every one a Blessed New Year and a belated Merry Christmas! Â I am starting mine off with a Big Bang and a bag full of happiness! Â My back is doing extremely well with the TENS unit so I am good for now.
During this month we were so blessed to have sold our 36′ fifth wheel and our Dually truck to a very nice couple who will continue enjoying trips like we did.  Clay and I decided to shop for a new vehicle to replace the truck for future trips (shorter than 3 months at a time – and no loading and unloading) and purchased a beautiful Lincoln Navigator.  It is like driving a computer – what an experience.  It will be great for trips, plenty of room for suit cases and all the necessities when on the road!
Last Thursday as I sat in my Studio having my morning coffee, I realized  that things had to change because I had (again) stuffed too many things in nooks and cranny’s was overwhelmed with the clutter.  I would have absolutely no place to put the birthday fabrics I purchased in October!  No wonder I lost my creativity and desire to work on a project (well, OK maybe a few other things had gotten in the way) the last 2 months.  Clay and I discussed the problem and thought about purchasing a portable building to use for extra storage space, but that idea went away when I started thinking seriously about doing that.  It would have ended up being a 2 month project and I was not going to start my new year that way!  So we discussed the idea of changing our music room into a “quilters storage room”.
This would mean selling guitar amplifiers and speakers and totally cleaning out the closet that had been such a mess for quite awhile.  Long story short, we ended up cleaning out the storage units in the Laundry Room (where I had stored 15 years of quilting magazines), cleaning out the Computer room file cabinets (anyone else keep paperwork on things purchased in the 1990’s?), and the wall to wall 4′  deep closet in the “now old” Music Room. We also cleaned out some of the “things” in the Barn and what a difference!  This project was a tremendous amount of work, but we are finished and it so nice to have space to store things OR just great to open a cabinet or closet door and see organization.  I have now cleaned out the closet clutter in the entire house and it feels great going into the New Year with that chore completed, rather than starting off winter cleaning at the beginning of 2017!  Hope the Garbage men do not hurt themselves – those magazines were heavy.  We caught up with them and gave each of them a small Christmas gift and profusely thanked them.  I have kept the Quilter Newsletter collection hoping to find someone who wants them – otherwise – they are going in the trash can!
I had already cleaned out the room in the Studio where I keep my books and patterns, so the very last thing to clean out was the larger room that had become a mess!  I have one of the original Husqvara Designer 1 sewing machines (with the floppy disc) and never use the embroidery unit.  So I am selling it plus all of the software designs and extra hoops that were never used!  I used the unit 4 times and quickly decided that was not for me.  I am now thinking about selling one of my Featherweight sewing machines since I cannot sew with 2 at a time (LOL).  We have a lot of things that we have listed on craigslist and hoping to sell them.
We finished the 2016 clean up yesterday and it is so nice to have open spaces and more organization. Â I believe that when we reach this stage of our lives it is time to do this type of “cleaning” and try to weed out things that can be passed on to others who might need them.
Here are some pictures of the finished product!
My ironing board and Elfa Storage SystemNice to see the table a little cleaner. Â I will be cutting up the batting scraps into small 4″ x 4″ squares. Â I keep them in a drawer and use them to clean off my cutting mat when trimming HSTs, etc.
All containers and other things away from the long arm table and by the TV!
This area held a LOT of batting and bolts of fabric and muslin. The flannel and black card boards are for the new storage shelves. I now have 2 more electrical plugs to use!My favorite spot in the room – my bay windows. I can watch the deer and the birds eating and the seasons as they change! How spoiled I am.
Here are the pictures of the new “fabric storage room”.
The piano will stay and maybe I will take some time this year to play!The “For Sale Corner” Hope they go quickly. I convinced Clay to not sell his Taylor or Dean Guitars.The Closet. Clay built this room in 1995 and there is sound soak on the walls (a type of carpeting).Found a place for those big rolls of batting and there are 4 boxes of knitting yarn. I could not part with our record collection of ’78’s or our cassettes. Just too many memories, along with my music books.Found a place for my quilts and Clay has a beautiful telescope on the bottom shelf that will always stay. I may move some of the remaining yarn to the shelves, but that will be later.The new storage shelves! The bottom rows hold yarn and my 109″ muslin and backing fabric. The fabric on the top 2 shelves on the left are fabrics that have to be washed. The “birthday” stash! I was shocked to see how much batting packages had been stored behind the ironing board and under my sewing table!
The next important project is to clean the house.  My cleaning lady is having back surgery, so now I have to do what I can until she comes back, or unless I am lucky enough to find another person to clean for me.
As of now, my goal is to finish preparing 4 more CWB (Bird of Paradise) blocks, Ms Potts, and another section of Stonefields. Â I am going to make one more attempt at Circa 2016 and if I do not have a good feel about it, the blocks will go to a young lady who sent me an email last month!
Have a safe and Happy New Years, don’t forget the black-eyed peas and cornbread (I forgot but my cousin Kay reminded me as I was headed to the store the other day – Whew!).
Greetings to all.  Although I have not done a blog for a while I have been busy (I guess you could call it that).  First of all I am so very excited for our country with the election of Donald John Trump.  May God bless him and his family and keep them safe throughout his term.   God Bless America and all of the Deplorable individuals who were in the basket with me!
Now on to the important things in our lives – QUILTING!  The last thing I remember about blogging on my blog was to show off my birthday fabrics and beginning to assemble my Circa 2016.  I am beginning to think that 2016 was just not my year for my quilting!  It seemed to start in January with the mess with Sitar’s basket quilt – which is still hanging on the rack waiting for the trash can or stems/flowers to be put on the basket, or just quilt it!  Then there was the Legacy one!  What a nightmare.  Why not throw in Grammy Squares – wrong color used for the final round!  So needless to say when I started Circa 2016 I just knew this would be a winner and a great quilt to enter into the San Antonio show next year.  I have been trying to decide how to write a funny blog on the Circa 2016 Saga and so here goes – remembering a picture can say a thousand words!  LOL
I loved making the blocks for this quilt. Â Here are a few pictures showing how I put it together. (Some of the pictures are not the best, but you will get the idea as you go forward).
Top and Bottom SectionsTop, Bottom, and Side Panels
But WAIT – After sending the pictures to my dear buddy Wanda (who also has an eagle eye) sent me a text and told me to really look at 2 of the blocks – Can you guess which ones? I knew that it had to be corrected because I had not paid attention to color placement! Â Then I realized that on the bottom right there was a problem with puckering – made my day!!!
The Oops Block (wrong color placement)
So back to the thing I love most – RIPPING. Â Yes, I could not let the blocks stay in the quilt as it was a harmless error in color placement. Â They looked great when they were not on point (at least I did not catch the problem then). Â Then I realized that I had another problem – Fabric just does not “ease” in for me!!!!! Â Now the quilt was beginning to take on a life of its own with nothing but problems for me (caused by me).
Big Big Mistake – Puckering of Seams
OK so now I have removed 2 blocks and tried to get the puckering out of the bottom left. Â Then I began to realize that there was an issue with the very center medallion…..You had to be up close and personal to see it.
OK – On the Road Again – Corrections Made!
Not so fast – the pattern called for 1 1/2″ HST border. Â This is where I realized that my quilt was not SQUARE! Â And it mattered – BIG LEAGUE (good saying). Â Here is a picture of what happened next and yes – I ended up ripping the entire quilt apart knowing that this quilt was headed to the trash, or the “never-never-never” drawer. Â I figured the problem existed in putting all the squares together on point – SOMEWHERE!
What the Heck Happened to My Quilt?The Joke – I thought the problem was the 2nd border fabric!
Being the Type A that I am I was not going to let this quilt beat me – although I had ripped out the entire quilt which took more time than I wanted to devote to the project and maybe some STRESS. Â So I decided to make up my own pattern. Â One thing was to put the 1 1/2″ HSTs as the border after the hourglass blocks and go from there.
Success!
I had even selected the block patterns that I liked from the Circa 2016 pattern to make a few more borders:
Candidates for the next few borders
BUT – if you will look closely at the top left of the remake of the Medallion – you will see there was another PROBLEM that would make me re-think everything about Circa 2016!  I studied it and tried to see what I had done wrong.  Bottom line?  The problem started when I put the Medallion together back in April or May.  The Antique Muslin (Moda) fabric for some reason (probably the black cat theory) was stretching and it caused me issues that are not correctable!
See all the nice wrinkles? Â Additionally, I went back to the pattern, called the quilt store that put the pattern out, and my final analysis is that I was doomed from the beginning. Â My next action is to rip out the blocks and put them in the “never-never-never” drawer or the more I write about this mess I am sure that someone will receive the blocks or the trash can will be full this next Friday! Â Either way, I have decided that I am done with Circa 2016 and as happy as I am with the election I am DEFINITELY not pleased with my quilting endeavors this year. Â What a mess!
OK – you may ask – what lessons have I learned this year (again).  NO MORE ON LINE FREE PATTERNS!  I must not forget my own rules because as soon as I do I end up in a mess.  I really did like my quilt, but it would not be worth my time to remake it because when you rip out quilts with 1 1/2″, 2 1/4″ and 1 1/2″ blocks your fabric will not hold up and it is just insane to continue repeating something and ultimately end up with the same bad results – No MATTER WHAT.  I feel that there is an issue in the fact that the blocks finished at 2 1/4″ rather than 2″.  Most of problems I have experienced this year in my quilts are designer flaws, but then I must take the credit for NOT reading the patterns close enough or making a test block before starting.  I do believe that my mind was elsewhere!  So my 2017 Resolution is to never have a year like this one AGAIN!
Anyone interested in the blocks can send me an email and the first one I receive will get all the blocks – free shipping!
Well, there have been many times this year that I was ready to just sell all of my beautiful fabric, all of my lovely patterns, and books and get my knitting out and the rocking chair and become an old woman! Â But alas, blogging makes the world go ’round and such a great way to make fun of one’s self in life’s little boo boo’s! Â New and difficult quilting projects provides me the challenge I need to continue on with my passion.
I have now prepped the 3 blocks for Ms Potts (3 months behind on that project) and working on prepping the next 5 blocks for Bountiful Life.  I am almost finished with Block 6 and hopefully can be through with that one in a few days.  I am now thinking of 2017.  It has to be a better year for me because 2016 was the worst year in producing quilts than when I started quilting in early 2000.  It is time for me to start working on more complex quilts to enter into quilt shows.  I need that challenge of making a quilt for show that requires precision and 100% accuracy!
I have ordered some Kaffe Fasett fat quarter bundles for my Sweet Surrender.  I wonder if this was a mistake as I originally thought I would use my 1930’s fabric (remember the Farmer’s Wife pattern that never got off the ground?).  I am beginning to look ahead and thinking that I will delve into my Australian quilt patterns and work on them next year.  But I must finish up Stonefields and my Brinton Hall and continue on with Bountiful Life.
I pray that each and every one of you have a blessed Thanksgiving and enjoy your family – we have so much to be thankful for this year!
Happy belated Halloween.  Everyone celebrates this day and it just so happens that it was my Birthday!  This year for my birthday I wanted to do a mini shop hop since I missed the McKinney quilt store.  My plan was to go visit the Blanco Textile Store ** in Blanco, Texas; One Quilt Place in Fredericksburg, Texas, and Creations in Kerrville, Texas.  All of the shops are located in the Texas Hill Country.  I have been to Creations numerous times, but not the other two shops.  Of course, I meant to take pictures of the shops and fabrics, but duh…. just having too much fun!
** Sorry but for some reason I cannot hyperlink to the Store – If interested, just google the Blanco Textile Store in Blanco Texas!
I did not find any fabric that I needed at the Blanco Store.  They have some great fabrics, but I was on the hunt for Civil War fabrics. I  hit pay dirt in Fredericksburg at One Quilt Place.  They have a fabulous selection of Civil War.
After the Austin Quilt Show in September Jan and I visited the B&B Quilt Store in Buda, Texas.  At the Austin Show I purchased a few pieces for Rowdy Flats and some more stash building to go with the black and white toille from Material Girls Fabrics located in San Angelo, Texas.
When I arrived home I received my birthday care box from Jaydee and what a great birthday gift she sent me.  Two great books, a Chicken Block, some coordinating fabric, and 2 Marti Michell Log Cabin Rulers!  What a wonderful gift from a very dear friend.
One Quilt Place has a very large selections of fabrics from the Reproductions to Civil War, Batiks, and others.  This was a first time visit and I really enjoyed it.  Creations is well known for having almost any fabric you would want.  From a very large selection of batiks to a ton of Kaffe Fasset and Civil War.  It is such a fun store to visit just as One Quilt Place.   Be sure to check out Material Girls Fabrics on-line.  I always enjoy talking with Kristina whenever she is at one of the local quilt shows.  She specializes in Reproductions, Toilles, and other goodies.  Very pleasant and wonderful customer service from all.
This was the best birthday I have ever had.  A big thank you to Clay for suggesting that we do this on my birthday when the McKinney quilt store fiasco happened last month.    I know that he enjoyed the day as much as I did and I loved shopping and looking at all the new fabrics.
I have been working on my Circa 2016 quilt and plan on putting more of the blocks together today.  I am hoping to start working on quilting the backlog of quilts that are hanging in my Studio.  I would love to hand quilt my Circa 2016 and show it next year in the San Antonio Quilt Show.
Thursday I will finally get my RF back treatments (they cauterize nerve bundles that stop sciatica pain) and will be back to my regular schedule and no more pain for another 6 months! Saturday I will start my walking routine and finish Circa 2016.  It is so tempting to move to other projects, but I am determined to finish this quilt and get some more quilted!!!
I am going to work on my hand applique while recuperating and of course watch the political happenings. Â Better than a movie (LOL).
Happy Friday!  We are still enjoying the lovely hot and humid weather.  But no complaints because we have received 30″ of rain on our hill this summer and the majority of it was in August.  Our planned trip to Choctaw Casino has now been delayed until October!  Life’s unforeseen requirements have gotten in the way – darn it!  But there is always a reason for everything good or bad, so we just go on.  At least it will be cooler in October (fingers crossed).
Last week I was searching for toille fabric for the Rowdy Flat Library Quilt. Â I had found a very nice piece on Etsy, but waited too long to make the purchase. Â One of the Blogs I follow was talking about some fabric from Robert Kaufman called Betsy’s Basket by Darlene Zimmerman.
This fabric has a very nice toille in red, navy, and blue denim. Â I found a fat quarter bundle on Etsy, some of the darker blues at the Fat Quarter Shop, and the shirting and red toille at Hancocks of Paducah. Â Thought you might like to see the nice colorways. Â I think that with this stash and what I already have on hand it will make a nice Rowdy Flats Quilt. Â This will be a 2017 project.
It has been a “no quilting/sewing” week for me. Â It is going to be a “slow quilting/sewing” week-end. Â Have a great week-end and happy stitching and quilting!
Today I am taking some time out of cutting and sewing to show the process I am following to make Dresden Heaven by Susan Marth.   I purchased the pattern and the “Tiny” and “Mini” templates to make the Dresden plates which can be used with all of her patterns.  I am using the 1930’s fat quarter fabrics that I had purchased for the FW project that I am not going to make (too many problems with the book).
I cut my 2″ fabric strips for the “tiny” plates and I use my Stripin’ Sews to organize them while I am in the process of cutting the Dresden plates.  I noticed the Stripin’ Sews on  Lynn Wilder’s Blog on one of her posts which showcased her vendor set up at a quilt show and I asked her about it.  (Lynn’s husband makes the Stripin’ Sews so if you are interested in purchasing one, please contact Lynn at sewnwildoaks@gmail.com) I love the Strippin’ Sews for the following reasons, it provides a great way to organize fabric strips, folds down to 3″ x 17″ for easy storage, and is shipped in a heavy-duty cardboard box which is great to have to store the holder when not in use.
Front ViewSide View
And here are pictures of the my first 4″ Dresden plate block!  I plan on making all of the “tiny” plates first and then make a decision on the color for the background fabric for the plates.  That decision will be easier to make after I have them all made.  I do not want to cut up my fabric only to find out my “idea now” would not “be a good idea then”!
First “Tiny” Dresden Plate with Circle to Applique
4″ Tiny Dresden Plate
I originally purchased the Strippin’ Sews to make Lynn’s Grammy Squares pattern Here, but decided to make the Dresden Heaven quilt first (sorry Lynn).  Lynn has a great blog and has some neat patterns to look at on her website.
Grammy Squares Pattern
Today I picked up my new glasses….. OK…. I have learned that when you have a good thing going don’t change it.  I use Verilux Physio progressive lens and have for years because they provide the widest “corridor” without distortion and do not make me dizzy (Meniere’s).  I was advised that the new “S” lens would have a wider corridor, but not for Nanny!  I will have a new set of lens next Thursday (hopefully sooner) made with my  Verilux Physio lens and not the latest and greatest “S” lens.  I believe the old saying is, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”!  I do like the new sun shades that clip on with magnets – now those are cool!
Since I am talking about items that I use and have purchased and providing information as to where to purchase them, I thought that I would provide the following statement. Â This is just to clarify that I am not in business with anyone, I just love to share what I am using and patterns that I really like or dislike.
DISCLAIMER.  When I blog about my projects, I DO NOT RECEIVE any gratuities. I am not running a business, but just a quilter who loves to share my progress and opinions on patterns, etc.  So please do not think I am pushing any products for personal gain –  these are quilting tools that I have found work well for me and my quilting journey.  I felt that I needed to state this because there are some bloggers who do receive things for advertising products.  I Blog about my projects to assist other quilters learn from my mistakes and successes.
OK – one sentence on the weather – The weather has not changed for the good it is now 100 degrees and heat index running from 105 to 109 and this ole’ lady has finally thrown in the towel as far as walking goes for this week. Â Now on to quilting!
I have (again) caught up with Circa 2016 blocks from the 29 July and 5 August! Â YEA.
Circa 2016 Blocks from 29 July and 5 August 2016
I really do enjoy making the 3 1/2″ blocks. Â They go fast and are always a challenge because of the size. Â To me this is a “practice” session preparing me for some of the quilts that are waiting in line for me to make.
This summer the Margaret Potts group from BAS have 3 blocks to work on. Â I have finished 2 Blocks and working on the 3rd. Â The last block has 4 stars and I am using the EPP method to make them so they will be “perfect” (Ha Ha). Â The pieces are so small so I had to set it aside and complete the other blocks. Â I took one look at the circles and thought – OH NO! Â So tiny – no bigger than a dime!!! Â But I started on the block and begin to enjoy the process. Â The stems are embroidered with 2 strains of variegated thread.
Margaret Potts BAS Project – Blocks 13 and 17
I thought I would share with all on how I do my circles.  I have 2 sets of Karen Kay Buckley mylar circles, but the time it takes to cut the fabric, baste around the circle, and then spray with sizing and iron, that I decided to take a  different approach when making circles for my applique projects.  I use C. Jenkins Freezer Paper Sheets Here from Amazon.  The paper is 8 1/2 x 11 and the pattern prints out great onto the freezer paper.  It is a little expensive, but the time saved is worth it.  I copy the pattern onto the paper and then cut out the pieces.  On larger patterns I have to be a little more creative, but for this project it is great as the blocks fit on the paper size just fine.  I am sure one could cut regular freezer paper and feed it through the printer, but then that takes time to do that.  (Maybe I am spoiled or getting lazy in my old age! LOL).  I still use Karen Kay Buckley circles, but only to trace around the template like I do with the freezer paper.  Here is how I prepared the small circles for the circle block above.
As always, the pattern is traced on the background fabric for placement purposes using a light box and number 2 pencil. Â I really thought I would have issues with the small (dime size) circles, but after working on two or three, it became easier, and besides, that is what ripping is all about when doing hand work. Â It is not permanent and corrections can easily be made.
I have given up on Dear Jane.  I studied it, thought about the paper piecing, and decided that I have other things I want to work on the remainder of the year and making a quilt using paper piecing technique is not for me at this time!  I have a lot of hand work waiting in the wings to be appliqued and those should go fairly quickly (maybe by September).  I have Blocks 5 and 6 prepped for Bountiful Life, 7 more blocks for Segment 4 of Stonefields, and lots of lovely hexagons to sew together for Brinton Hall quilt.
For piecing projects I went through 5 different patterns and finally chose to make Dresden Heaven by Susan Marth.  It has mini and tiny dresden plates and such a fun project.  I finally found a pattern that I can use my 1930’s fabrics that were originally intended for the Farmers Wife… so I am happy about that, but it will take a few other projects to use all the fat quarters I purchased.
Dresden Heaven by Susan Marth at Suzn Quilts
The 1930 fabrics are not my favorite colors, but I thought that they would look good using this pattern. Â This will be a fun project and one that I can cut out the plates and sew at my leisure, Â remember I am supposed to be quilting on the long arm… if only I would stay away from chicken noodle soup from the can that has MSG! Â I have so many notes on the refrigerator now that say “do not eat” and if only I would remember to read them!!!!!
Oh well.  I hope that everyone has had a great day and continue to enjoy your stitching.  Fall is just around the corner – 30 to 60 days!  Sometime within the next 30 days or so I will be relaxing in the RV,  visiting the Choctaw Casino, and 2 wonderful fabric stores.  I need to complete some projects to justify the fabric expenditures!
Well, here we are the next day and I realized that I did not add anything about my Brinton Hall.  Today is such a better day than yesterday.  I am now certain that Mr Fibro and Mr Weather Changer got me but good this week along with Mr Reflux – darn it! But Zantac 150 saved me today – thinking about taking one a day until Mr Rebound Reflux goes away!!!!!  I hate losing a day to my hobby when I cannot find my brain or my tummy hurts!
So here we go for another update!  My Brinton Hall has been ignored long enough!  All I need to do is to finish the center medallion hexagons and I can go on with my re-design of the quilt.  I would love to have it ready for show next year (being the dreamer that I am).  I have it back on the design board and filling in the remainder of the hexagons to square it.  Then I will sew the medallion to a background fabric – oh joy – another fabric color decision!
Here is a picture of the center medallion hexagon placements pattern that I am now working on. Â This pattern is from a Quiltmania Magazine.
As you can see the top and bottom of the medallion requires 10 hexagons to fill in the “empty” space.  I thought that it would look good to use the colors that were closest to the large flowers (color coordinator from the 1960’s).  I will sew them together last because after working on the corners I may have to change the color selections – we will see.
Brinton Hall Medallion Top HexagonsBrinton Hall Medallion Bottom Hexagons
Being the “UN-scrappy quilter” I am, for the 4 corners, I selected one section and then decided that I would use the same colors for each of the corners. Â I am hoping that the corners will look OK because I am not doing what I did with the top and bottom group of hexagons. Â (Hum I wonder if this is a wrong move – I may need to rethink this) Â (It may look better if I continue on with the “matching” of colors OR go scrappy with the top and bottom hexagons – time will tell.) Â After I selected my colors, I stacked them in 4’s, labeled them (hopefully I will not screw this up) and put them in order in my handy-dandy Plano fishing tackle storage container. Love those Plano’s!
Now I am ready to sew each row together and then the corners (4 times).  If I try to go with different scrappy on each corner  (probably like most quilters would do) it would be too unorganized for me.  Oh well, another technique to work on next year, but so far I am doing much better with scrappy that I used to be.
Next on my list to select a piecing project to work on during the day. Â I am bound and determined to get that long arm going as I have 6 tops PLUS Â to quilt. Â It is nice to have a quilt loaded and when I get tired I can sit at the machine and sew on another project. Â I have 5 applique projects going now and no time for boredom there, just do not need to start another one although it is tempting!
Have a wonderful week-end, stay cool as winter is around the corner! Â 2017 is 5 months and 1 day away!!!!!!!!! Â Are we happy yet?
Happy Fourth of July week-end! Â It will be a hot hot hot one this year. Â Walking early in the morning at 7:30 AM or so is no better than walking at 10 AM! Â It is called Sweatsville in Hotsville, Texas.
I have a now finished my list of my UFO’s, with the exception of the Texas quilt blocks that are completed but the setting has yet to be designed! Â I am hoping that it will be completed in the next 6 months! Â Of course I did cheat on the house UFO because I sent a nice care package to Jaydee full of 16 each 16″ house blocks along with a few other goodies! Â Now she has another UFO to work on – LOL.
In late 2014 I joined the Dear Jane Bee with the Austin Quilt Guild. Â I had made 8 blocks of Dear Jane when I realized that I needed to select a specific color and fabrics if I were going to show it at a judged quilt show. Â I was not going to do anything special with those 8 blocks, but yesterday I determined that it would make a nice “mini-Jane” wall hanging. I made all of the blocks with machine piecing since I do not like paper piecing (sorry). Â This morning I looked for one more block to make it a 9 block wall hanging and put the blocks on point. Â The blocks are 5″ unfinished – 4 1/2″ finished. Â This is the block that I chose to finish the 9th block. Â The 9 patches are 2″ unfinished – 1 1/2″ finished!
I cut 1″ strips and made 2 strip sets to make the 9 patches. Â It is much easier than cutting 1″ squares and sew them together. Â The Circa 2016 has really helped me in making these small blocks. Â This block is 5″ unfinished.
Here is the layout of the 9 blocks for the Dear Jane Mini Wallhaging.
Next I will select fabric to fill in the blanks and figure out the cutting for the setting triangles.  I will use my “Patchwork Math Using Quilting Design Components” by Lynn Wilder for Sew’n Wild Oaks.  She has a great Blog and I would have set up a link but it is not working on this iPad! This is a great little book with all the quilting calculations that are needed at times like this!
I hope that everyone has a great 4th and remember how great our United States of America is now and how stronger it will be in the future! Â Happy Birthday America and may we always have our Independence from oppressive and over reaching government!
Doesn’t it feel great when we finish (or at least finish the quilt top) a project?  I first started working on reproduction quilts with some great reproduction fabrics in early 2014 with Barbara Brackman’s BOM, Threads of Memory.  The blocks were completed sometime last year (early 2015) but were put in the UFO stack and I moved on to other projects.  The original pattern had flying geese surrounding each block, I was “too lazy” do to all that work, so the project just sat there a little longer gathering dust in the UFO bin!
It felt so rewarding to complete the Belle of the Ball Ladies quilt last week that I had decided to continue on with “catching up” with UFO’s. I really liked the effect that the sashings had on that quilt and decided to continue on with the same type of sashings for Threads of Memory!
Although I am not completely finished, I wanted to post a picture of the blocks sewn together. Â The next border will be the dark crackle brown and a light crackle border. Â Â I am pleased with this quilt.
Threads of Memory 2014 BOM by Barbara Brackman
I have also been SLOWLY working on the May block for Ms Potts BAS project. Â I changed the block to some EPP flowers and used batiks. Â I am hoping that this block will allow me to mix and match some fabrics and incorporate more colors into the quilt. Â Of course, you can see that the next step is to Applique the flowers to the background and then I will be through with the block. Â I just love the colors. Â
I can barely hear my CWB project, block 4 calling in the distant background and hope to start on it soon. Â I also have one more quilt top to put together, but need to decide if I am really going to like the quilt. Â The blocks are 16″ house blocks. Â I had a lot of issues with the pattern and the colors are not really my favorite, so I f I decide that I do not want to put anymore effort in the project, I have the perfect Quilter’s home to send it to for completion.
Have a great week and keep on stitching – it pays to work the UFO Bin every now and then for that great feeling of accomplishment!
Chopin - A Passionate Quilter From Texas 