3030 Quilt

Well, my Ellie has been at Brookside Quilt Works for her spa treatment.  She will come home next Wednesday.  Machine piecing hasn't happened as my Grand Dame (1971 Elna Super) told me to leave her alone, go do something else.  

I was going to sandwich the Eagle Runner but 3030 Quilt was yelling at me.  She told me that she had been neglected long enough.  A written record has been kept of the hours that I have hand quilted on her.  She was last stitched on in January 2024!!  That truly is neglect.  There was only one row of blocks to do and then the final border.

So, 13 hours and 50 minutes of stitching has been placed this week.  The end is so close that I shake my head.  Why did I stop?  

Here is my set up.  (The baskets under the frame in the picture have been cut out, a total mess.)  The phone is there as I listen to Podcasts as I stitch.  (The one I listened to today was The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe.  He had Master Bladesmith, Josh Smith on talking about knife making.  Really interesting.)  My thimbles, thread, scissors, bees wax and rulers are all close.  My tray moves around to where I am working.  

This is the pattern that has been used on the blocks.  A wave pattern will be stitched across the red sashing and then piano keys stitched up to the edge.  A little bit needs to be stitched on the right and then across the top begins.  This will be finished, there will not be another pause.  

3030 Quilt should finally come off the frame by the end of this coming week.  You now know where my slow stitching will be tomorrow and the rest of next week.

Enjoy your threads and may you be better at completion than I.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Flimsy

When we returned from Maine, the first thing that I worked on was my July table runner from Piecing the Past Quilts.  The stars were appliqued on and then the three pieces stitched together.  Then, oh so carefully (with measuring twice or more), it was cut to proper size and the border placed.

Here is a closer up of the Eagle so that you can see the material change of his wings.  

I am so pleased with how he came out.  (Also really pleased that he was begun and became a flimsy in a rather short period of time.)  This will be sandwiched today, and I will begin the machine quilting.

Enjoy your day with threads.  I have some count work for later today.

Linking with Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Surprise Doll Quilt

We were up in Maine last weekend visiting Daughters #2 and #3, Son-In-Law and Grandbaby.  I did not bring anything to work on in the car or at the house.  I am in between project steps and didn't have anything ready to travel.

Daughter #3 enjoys threads as much as me, so we went to Annie's Teeny Tiny Quilt Shop in Limerick Maine.  I was looking for sashing for my second potato chip quilt and she was just looking.  I did find what will be used for sashing.  Now I need to get it washed and cut.

She was looking in the "scrap baskets" at Annie's.  The baskets (yes, it is plural) have different size and shape material left over from projects, big and little bits, ends.  You put what you want into a plastic bag and if you can close the top of the bag, it is yours for $5.00.  

This panel of blocks caught her eye.  We only used half of the panel for this doll bed quilt.  Super simple to do.  Just a layer of the material, batting and some of her left-over material from another project for backing.  The she did stitching between the blocks and a left-over material binding was sewn on.  

Moxie is showing how much she likes it.

Enjoy your threads today.  The beginning of Grandbaby's Christmas Stocking will be my slow stitching for today.  A decision has been made on a color change.  Shall see how it goes.  

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

 

Squirrel, again

I only had ten blocks left to make on my little potato chip blocks.  I set up all ten and then finished them over two days.  (Everything else in the land of threads stopped to get them done.)  Here are eight of them waiting for me.  

Now all 64 blocks are done, the sashing color has been picked.  The little chips need to be sewn into larger chips, blocks of four, and then the sashing made and added.  (Had a video call with the youngest and showed her possible colors.  She liked the darker sashing colors.  Husband is color blind and was no help.  Friend came for lunch last week and we had a bit of a discussion.  We agree.  It will be the lighter color for sashing.  Here's hoping it works.  Need to look local first, maybe send for material.)  

Monday the mail came like it is supposed to.  But a squirrel was found in the mailbox!!  Delivery from Piecing the Past Quilts Tablerunner Club.  The July runner came in the mail and WOW.  Wow in that I really wanted to start it ASAP and wow in that it is almost together.  

Usually, I do needle turn applique but somehow a new to me product just jumped into my shopping cart a bit back.  Hand-Applique Paper by Masako Wakayama.  I tried it.  I had a longer bit ago bought the Apliquick tools and paper.  Only the tools had been used and I really like them.  

This picture shows the feather on the left ready to stitch.  The feather on the right has the paper ironed on, one side turned.  The blue that you see is Sewline Fabric Glue that holds the material nicely in place.  I have now added a new tool to my applique.  I am so excited.

The runner center is now stitched, (except for the Eagle's eye) and you can see the lay out for the sides.  Would you believe that I always need to be reminded to read directions carefully.  I mucked up on taking a piece out of the blue so the sides can't be done properly.  Waiting for replacement material to come in and then I will stitch the stars on each side.  This is the fastest I think that I have ever finished a stitch.  

Block seven from my A Bountiful Life Quilt has been started.  The leaves have used the paper technique, the little stems were made over a template.  Next will be the branch which I will do needle turn.  Nice to add different techniques in the same block.

Have a grand day with your threads.  

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Little

This has been a busy week, and I don't have a finish to show.  Not good.

So, I will show you Little #245, Christmas Star.  (Little Blocks 365 at Sentimental Stitches.) Here is my table with the trimming bits after it was done, just before I swept them into the garbage.  (Some landed on the floor, sigh.)  This block was made after two 10-inch chip blocks and two nine-patch.  It took longer to make than the previous four.  

This block has 53 little pieces and will be a three-inch block when it is in the quilt.  Foundation paper pieced.  The only way to do something like this.

The next one, #246, has only eight pieces.  Maybe I will have two waiting for me today.  Maybe not.

I only have 12 more 10-inch chip blocks to make and then I start putting it together.  Should have all the blocks finished this week.  Nothing on my schedule at this time.

Have a great week with your threads. Need to get some slow stitching going and soon.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Completion

There was a problem back around June 24th.  Little Block #243 was made wrong.  The purple on the outside row was stitched in the wrong place.  There wasn't any more of the purple to remake the outside row.  I tried to take it apart, but the pieces are too small.  It did not work, and I was frustrated.  Little #243 sat until this morning.  There is an agreement with myself that I had to finish a Little if anything else was going to get started.  

Here is where I messed up the last rows, top and bottom.

Here is the new Little #243 finished.  The material was picked out this morning and made.  Two 9 patch blocks were also stitched as leader/enders while making this.  

A pincushion was also finished.  The project bag for this had been stitched long ago.  The scissor fobs were complete and in use.  The pincushion was just waiting.  It took 45 minutes.  That included the filling and stitching it closed.  

The 4th of July Trio runners by Laundry Basket Quilts are complete.  The hand stitching of the binding was done in the evenings. 

When I make my bindings, I work with 2-inch strips on the bias.  The pattern directions mentioned 1 3/4-inch strips, not on the bias.  I decided to try to see how it would work (hadn't done it that way in forever).  I prefer the bias and the 2-inch strip.  It is just a bit wider and easier for me to turn over the edge.  Always good to reconfirm why you do something the way that you do.  

My Tea and Cookie mats from Shabby Fabrics for February and June.  February was shown before, but I wanted to show the heart stitching that I will be doing on all of the Tea and Cookie mats that I will make.

Glad to be able to show completions.  Now I can get back to the little Chip blocks, more of the Littles and set up my next slow stitching.    

Enjoy your threads today.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Major Problem

This week (and the week before) has been a hot and humid week.  Not as hot as other areas, but we are in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts and don't get this weather, usually.  Have been out in the gardens first thing in the morning, 0700.  I have let them go as long as I could, and the weeds are not nice.  The only good thing is that the rain has gone around us, and the ground is so dry the weeds come up easily.  The really bad thing is that the rain has gone around us, and I am having to water the gardens.  I'd rather have the rain.  Weeds come up easily from wet ground also.

Gibbs is one of my most important supervisors.  He is watching very carefully what I am doing.  

Ziva is on the plant stand in front of the window trying to catch a breeze.  She wasn't as interested in me.  The pictures were taken during clean up moment.  

A moment that moved into setting up my list of stuff waiting for completion in the next 12 months.  Last year I joined Mary's Dirty Dozen at County Threads Chicken Scratch.  I wasn't super successful.  She is not doing it this year, but I made my list and will shake out my own numbers.  I have a major problem.  The problem of not completing anything.  (There has to be a name for this disease.)

Making the list was procrastination but it kicked me a bit.  

Great intentions but a short mind span.  I am so glad that I was able to stick to the chips quilt and keep working on my littles.  The heat and the big chips becoming a flimsy has slowed me.  What now.

Squirrels have been around and not to the point of completion.  So.  Here is the June Tea and Cookies Mats from Shabby Fabrics to almost done.  I need to do machine quilting of a heart on the white side and a little stitch in the ditch of the log cabins.  Then they are done.

Another squirrel; 4th of July Trio Table Runners from Laundry Basket Quilts.  They were made over the last week or so.  They are now sandwiched and will be machine quilted over the next few days.  Hopefully sooner.    

I am not sure that any slow stitching will be done today.  I cannot start anything new until I begin the Santa stocking.  There are a few stitching squirrels calling me to start them, but they have to wait.  There are many stitching projects that need that final finish.

Shall keep a record of my list getting smaller here.  More needs to be done than just keeping that LONG list on the wall.  If anyone read this, thanks for listening.  Now to put words into action.   

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  

Please stay cool and enjoy your threads.