Mug Rugs

   Today instead of sandwiching a larger quilt for quilting, I needed to do something more free so I pulled out some fabric for mug rugs.
    I had promised to make a mug rug for a friend of a friend with many cats.  I thought this large print fabric was perfect and it let me practice free-motion quilting. I did not focus on stitch length but following lines and drawing with the sewing machine.

I also pulled out some specially fall fabric and enjoyed free-motion quilting to enhance a couple of them. 

In all today I finished 4 mug rugs for gifts.

Another Child’s Quilt Finished

     I feel very good that I have accomplished a lot in the past few days.  Today I quilted and bound another child’s quilt for my church group.  If it looks familiar it is because this is the second duck quilt I have made.

  The quilting is different though.  I tried a meandering free-motion design that I hoped would look like water ripples. 

    I also sewed the rows together on the string hearts and added a narrow border.  Right now the top measures 40 by 46”.  I am thinking of adding a scrappy border of red, blue and purple squares to make it larger.  I’m not sure.   It can wait awhile so that I can get another top quilted. 

Using Scraps

      I finished a couple of small quilts today.  I sewed on the binding for my class sample for the Beginner 2 Block Quilt class.  It will make a nice comfort quilt for a child and it was ALL from my stash. 

I had a few 2 1/2" strips and some other scraps left over so I decided to use up as much as I could making more 12 1/2" blocks.  I used one 4 1/2" square from another fabric and finished 4 blocks.

They are a nice start for another child's quilt and the only bits of these fabrics left are very small pieces that will go in crumb blocks.

I also bound the quilt with the cheater fabric center. 

Two down but there are more tops waiting to be quilted.  I am determined to get more finished before I start a new project. 

The Week's Activities

      I have neglected posting but I have been busy this week.  Here is some of what I have been working on. 

Monday night my guild bee Quilt Mavens met. Instead of posting here, I posted on the guild blog.   You can read about it on the guild blog at http://gcquilters.blogspot.com/2012/10/october-quilt-mavens-meeting.html .

Tuesday morning was guild comfort quilt sew day.  I spent the time cutting fabric for quilt backs and also cut some squares from large print fabric to be alternate blocks with some donated pieced blocks to make a nice size quilt.

Wednesday morning was church comfort quilt sew day.  Instead of sewing, I spent about 4 hours cutting scraps of fabric into usable size pieces like 2 ½”, 3 ½”, 4” squares and 2 ½” strips or strings.  I did not make much of a dent in our scrap bin so it was really needed.  I need to spend another session doing that, but I am careful to wear my support glove so as not to strain my left wrist.

Thursday evening was the last class meeting for the Beginner Quilt Class.  Michele and Vanessa both had their quilts quilted.  They squared them up and sewed the binding to one side.  They did not quite finish sewing the binding to the other side but they should be finished soon. They have done a great job.  They have both started on their next quilt too.

Today was the deadline to submit paperwork if I want to teach a class for summer 2013 at Midlands Tech.  I have been designing a large block for a beginner machine appliqué class using my favorite technique that uses freezer paper templates and liquid starch along with the blind-hem stitch or blanket stitch on the machine. Here is my block design. 

Here is my sample in process.  I still need to make the grapes and do the machine appliqué.  

Sewing for Dolls and Charity

    Today was mostly a day of fun sewing.  I had a lot of sparkly tulle leftover from my granddaughter’s fairy dress and had the idea to use up some to make a fancy dress for 18” dolls.  I made 2 just alike.  

They looked great until I tried one on a doll.  The shoulder straps were way too long.  I had to unsew sections on the back, cut off about 1 ½”, insert and resew.  I machine top-stitched to hold it closed.  That was the unfun part.  I used Simplicity pattern 3547 so I made a note on the pattern in case I use it again.  

I plan to keep one and I'm not sure about the second.  I still have sparkly tulle leftover.

In the afternoon I did some quilting on a cheater fabric charity top using the walking foot.  I’m not finished but getting there. 

Class Quilt Tops

    Tonight in class we missed Laurie who was not feeling well.  Michele came to class with her borders on and her top ready to sandwich.   She need to add a strip down the backing for width.

Vanessa needed to add her borders and then got her top sandwiched. 

They both did a little quilting with the walking foot but have lots more to do this week. I will be looking forward to seeing them next week.

     I mailed fairy costumes to my granddaughters.  They arrived and the girls tried them on.  They sure look cute.

I also made some small pink slipper for the baby.  This is my first time using this pattern and it was interesting.

Small Costume Work and More

      I have one more fairy costume to make for Halloween.  My 4 1/2 year old granddaughter said her 3 month old baby sister would like a pink fairy costume like hers.  I am using part of the other fairy pattern and adapting another infant dress pattern.  I just need to add the skirt and buttons on the back.

For the larger costume the wings are held on with Velcro.  I guess I will do the same for this one.

Even though I have plenty of UFOs and several tops waiting to be quilted, sometimes I just have to sew on something else so I used a little time this weekend to add a few string squares for this comfort quilt.  Since a member of SQG made a lovely string quilt, I have wanted to work on one. The remaining blocks with be yellow and gold.

Beginner Quilt Class Project

  Last night for class my students sewed the Friendship Star blocks.  Here are their blocks.

Their home work is to finish all their blocks and sew them into rows and a top center.  I spent this evening sewing on my class sample. 

Next week we will add the border, sandwich and begin quilting with a walking foot.
I had planned to use a darker pink for my border but now think it does not have enough contrast so I went looking in my stash and came up with 2 possibilities.

 

OR

I think I like the blue better.

Fairy Dress Finished

     One fairy dress for Halloween is finished. My older granddaughter asked for one for her 3 month old baby sister also.  This dress was more complicated to make than I thought it would be.  I have bits of glitter spread around.  I did take the dress outside and shake it really well.  It rained glitter.   I hope I shook out most of the loose glitter.  The glittered tulle looks good but I would NOT use it again.

I like view of the back.

Halloween Paper-Pieced Block

   My Halloween block is finished for the guild monthly challenge.  It was a lot of work but I love the results.  the ghost eyes are inked.  Maybe some day this block will be part of a wall-hanging, but not in the near future. 

I did go back and look at the original design for the block.  It was designed by Cynthia England for "picture piecing" which is different from paper-piecing in that you don't sew through the paper.  You can check out some of her work at www.englanddesign.com .

Costume and Paper-Piecing

    I finally feel like I made some progress on my granddaughter’s Halloween costume.  The bodice is together with only one redo for the sleeves.  I bought tulle and organza for different parts of the outfit.  First I cut the sleeves out of the sparkly tulle but did not like how they were sewing up so switched to the organza and they are better.  Sewing on neither is my favorite. The pattern also called for 2 different shades of organza.  I could not find a dark pink.   They only have magenta, which I did not like with the pink, so I chose the sparkly tulle to use in contrast.  Today I hope to get more petals made and the skirt.  She should be an elegant fairy. 

     I have also started on the GCQ last monthly challenge, which is paper-piecing.  I enjoy paper-piecing and was excited when I found a Halloween block in one of my old paper-piecing magazines.  At first glance I thought it would be easy with only 3 subsections.   When I started working on it, I found it actually has MANY more.  Sections A and C are together.  Section B has 13 subsections.  That is my task for today and then I will reveal my finished 12” block.  

Quilt Class Homework

      It seems like I have been doing a lot of non-sewing things recently.  I have made some more pumpkin quilted postcards and used up more scraps with fusible.  

     After lunch I took one quilt to the building for fair entries.  I only entered one this year.  I did some sewing on blocks for the Beginner Two Block Quilt class I am teaching.  The homework for students is to finish 6 nine patch blocks so I had to do my homework.  Then I sewed to prepare for the next block which is the friendship star. 

  I have cut out the fabric for my granddaughter’s Halloween costume but that is all so far.