Check Out Martha's Quilts

    I have been busy this week but don’t have much to show for it.  Tuesday morning was Comfort Quilt Sew Day for guild.  I spent most of the time cutting 2 ½” strips.  I brought home an adult top and got it sandwiched and ready for quilting. 

    Wednesday was sew day for my church quilt group.  The time flew by.  Martha turned in 2 finished quilts.  Both are lovely.   The Carolina Chain was her first on-point quilt and the Vegetable Swirl was her first “stack ‘n whack”.

 

       Today I sandwiched the baby bug quilt top.  I need to get if finished in February.  I am pleased with the made-fabric red border. 

Hope you find a few minutes to sew/quilt each day.

Student’s Blocks

    I recently taught a new quilter for the Block of the Month class at JoAnn Fabrics.  She easily made the 2 classic blocks even though she said they were her first. 

For the Anvil block the focus was learning to make half-square triangle units.

For the King’s Crown the focus was on making no-waste flying geese units.

She did a great job on these classic blocks and bought enough fabric so there will be many more in her future. 

With the cold rain and threat of ice and snow, I hope you stay inside and warm and find a few minutes to sew or quilt. 

Playing More with Black, White and Red

     While overseeing work on new floors at my “Grandma’s Place” (small condo about 4 miles from granddaughters as home away from home),

 I played with my stash of black, white and red scraps.  Some were small and some were strips of various sizes leftover from various projects.  Since I had some strips left over from a class, I decided to use as many as I could to make several of the same 10” finished blocks. With other smaller scraps (crumbs) I free-pieced; sometimes in a logcabin or courthouse step style.  As of this morning I have 4 paper-pieced heart blocks leftover from a class (which are smaller and may get frames) plus 17 various 10” blocks. 

I still have a pile of strips and scraps for many more.  I don’t yet have a plan for how I will use them in a quilt.  I have just enjoyed the free-piecing.

Hope you find a few minutes to sew or quilt.

First Finish of 2016

     For my first project of 2016  I tackled a top already sandwiched and waiting. 

I decided that the piecing lent itself to using several FM motifs – different for each third. I love the feathers I quilted in the top portion.  

I don’t really like the sharp grain lines in the colored part; however, they create a good contrast to the other parts.   I do like the echoed drops in the bottom portion.  The loops in the border were too spaced so I went back and quilted another line sort of echoing the first loops.

Overall I am pleased with the finished quilt and think it is a good sample for quilting class I will be teaching in February and March at Creative Sewing Machine Center in West Columbia.

Enjoy a few minutes of sewing / quilting each day. 

Ready for 2016

     As 2015 drew to an end, I sat down to take account of my quilting projects.  I began the year with a list of 9 major UFOs. That was not all of them but ones I chose to focus on. I’m not ready to give away unfinished projects.  I even accept some from others. 

     In 2015 I finished 3 queen size quilts and 1 lap quilt on my UFO list.   I tried very hard to not start a new project unless I finished a quilt on my UFO list, but I LOVE to explore new techniques and designs in magazines and online.  

     For 2016 instead of focusing on my list of unfinished projects, I plan to approach my UFOs in a new direction.  I made a list of 6 quilt tops that are just waiting to be quilted. They are stacked with their backing.  Another 2 only need a border or 2.  Since I don’t hand quilt, I hope to finish all of them this year with much quicker machine quilting. I would like to feel free to start a new big quilt project for myself (there are a few on my wish list), but not until several of those on the list are finished.

    I enjoy sewing many types of items – not just quilts.  In the new year I hope to spend more time sewing doll clothes and handmade dolls - one for each granddaughter.  My granddaughters love clothes made by Grandma.  Here is Lily in her princess dress at Christmas.  I expect my sewing machines will get a good workout in 2016.

Wishing you a wonderful New Year with time to sew and quilt!