Sewing Day with the ladies

Every Tuesday that we are able to get together, myself and 5 of my dear friends have a sewing day.  We bring our own lunch.  The hostess just has to provide coffee.  We work on hand projects and each is different.  There is some embroidery, some English paper piercing, applique or hand piecing.  Week after week we all slowly finish our projects.  We talk a lot, laugh a lot and have a good time.

I've done similar things over the years with various people, some the same as now, but I think this is my all time favorite.

Anyway, I have been working on applique cats for a Halloween quilt for months.  I also have been working on an English paper piecing project for many months.  Yesterday I made progress on both.

Handwork from Sewing Ladies Day

In my sewing room on Monday, I reworked some hourglass blocks that didn't suit me.  I also added a few blocks to the Baskets.  I'm at the point now I need to have a cutting session for both these projects.   

These Hourglass blocks are much better with contrast.

More Baskets

One other project I worked on was putting the to together for the Puss in the Corner quilt which was a swap from Happy Scrappers.  Go here to http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2017/01/one-monthly-goal-january-goal-setting.html

 

putting together a scrap quilt

"Old Blue" top is done

Blur Ridge Mountain or "Old Blue"

This has been a big project after all.  Lots of sewing and I have been working on this a while.  Naturally, it's not been the only thing I did during the months I worked on it, but I stayed pretty steady.  I had trouble deciding on the border.

One choice

the selected one

There were many neutrals I tried, finally realized I needed more color so it wouldn't bleach out, then I had to look at the two outside choices until I was satisfied.  I do have a big back for the backing and will see about getting this quilted soon.

One of the next projects

Our Happy Scrappers groups had a swap of signature blocks. The challenge has been to think up a way to make a quilt.  I knew I wanted stars and settled on the Sister's choice block.  I have all the blocks set up with neutrals and this brown for the points.  I want to put it together with sashing too, but haven't selected that yet.

Possible setting

Putting the rows together

An update on the quilt from Kathy brown's class.  This started with a jelly roll.  Have cut and sewn the blocks and now in the process of putting rows together.  This has been going on between other things.  I do have two borders to add to this.

I've been working on the X blocks and will take a picture later.  My current Leader and Ender is a log cabin with centers of red at 2.5 blocks.  I plan on 100 blocks and will be working on this for a while  

Lots of Sewing Room activities

It's not one thing, it's a lots of things.  I've spent a good amount of time trying to clear the ironing board, sort and put up fabrics from the various containers in the room and just clean.  As of now with the new shelves I brought back from Lewisville, I've gotten a lot of this done.  The ironing board looks great and I can iron a quilt top again.  I got the cutting table cleaned of all fabrics, either found homes or cut these up with my Go cutter.  While all this was going on I was making 4 patches for the blue quilt.Took quilt a few days.  Got a pile done too.

Makings of 4 patches

Can't resist saving bits from trimming a quilt.  Lot of times I have to use seam ripper to take quilting out.  Worth it to me!

I consider this hand work too!

 My twenty Honeybee swap blocks finished.

Progress on Blue Blocks of the month

My Blue Ridge Mountain quilt in progress.

Apple Crisper's monthly installment which served as leader ender during putting quadrant of Blue Ridge together/

Done and Done

Got that box of cut pieces sewn up and the final count is:  81 Mary's blocks and 121 half square triangles.  I'm planning to store the Mary's triangles, but use the half squares and a drawer of other half squares to start making blocks.

Mary's Triangles

Half Square triangles finishing 2 in

A block from Lynn Roddy Brown's book to use these half square triangle

Also continuing to work on the Honeybee blocks.  Almost finished with 10 of 20.  The wings take the most time.  I am finding that fat quarters will yield 3 blocks with a bit left over. 

Honeybee blocks with a few wings missing

Last of all,  made it to knitting group yesterday, and found out the best way to finish off the headband.  So finished with a knitting project.  Doesn't sound like much, but a UFO is finished.

Doing the Simple stuff

Sometimes I think I am the Tortoise, the progress I make in the sewing room.  Or slow as molasses, that would do it., good Ms saying.  I have two swaps I need blocks for.  One is the current Apple Crisper's swap of black and white and the second is one for Happy Scrappers.  We have choices and the one I want to do is called the Honeybee block.

First block I did

My thinking was that I could use 2 fat quarters and the white I needed with my Go Cutter to get this done in short order.  That was fine until I got to the 
wings. We got a template and as you can see We need twelve of these wings.  each wing has soft fuse that has to be donut holed before applying to material. Takes a lot of soft fuse and a lot of fabric, plus a lot of time.  Now this isn't due until June, thank goodness.

4 out of 20 after working for two days

 I have a number of pieces that aren't fat quarters that I can use, but I'll be doing lots of cutting, then preparing wings to complete blocks.

My next simple quilt will be the Blue Ridge quilt which uses simple blocks of half square triangles and 4 patches.  I have to do 448 total of half square triangles to make the quilt, but I could use more and enlarge.  I'm working on two patches now.  I need 448 of those too.  I'm really anxious to put together some blocks.  My usual MO I'm not patient at all.  I want to see my quilt start growing instead of working on parts only.

Trimming more half square triangles

These turned out real close to true

Over two hundred done so far

Machine quilting

Haven't done this in a while.  I needed a table runner for the Happy Scrappers' Christmas party.  You only get a present if you bring one.  I like getting a present, makes the party more fun.  Anyway, it needed to be quilted, so I broke out my latest tool.

The Steady Betty worked great, better than great.  I felt I had more control and it came out better than usual.

I did a simple meandering stitch.  So far so good, then I decided to machine stitch down the binding.  I really didn't think I had time to hand stitch, but as always, I had trouble getting it stitched down and look good at the same time.  But finally, finished it and was pleased with the results.  I'm looking forward to the party.

On another note, I decided to quit one of the groups I was in.  I'll miss seeing the people, but I wasn't that happy with the activities of the group.  And I want more time to do quilts I've wanted to do for so long.  Time to quit putting them off and just get started.

Lotto block ends

Seems this died this last quilt guild, the Lotto block only had three takers this time.  Our treasurer pointed out it was costing us, so we quit.  We do this last block though.  I ended up with 4 blocks because I needed a table runner to trade in Happy Scrappers Christmas party.  It's a lot more fun if you participate.  I used fabrics from another 

Table runner made from 3 blocks

I found I had enough green for binding and I have to quilt this myself. 

Back in the sewing room

 

So back in town from a wonderful visit with the kids for Christmas.  So much fun to see the grandkids too.  Ashleigh and I visited the yarn shop Woolie Ewe in Plano, Tx.  She's interested in taking knitting or crochet lessons this summer.  The nice lady at the shop gave her a crochet flower.  Then I made her another.  I was surprised that I still remember how to crochet.

After we got home, after putting stuff up and doing the laundry I got into the sewing room and put the final border on the quilt from a mystery hosted by Pasty in Happy Scrappers.  This is such a big quilt, I really have to pay attention to size and make things smaller from now on.  I have no place to keep these large quilts anymore.  I am going to get this quilted and maybe use it in the summer time.  So the next thing to do is get a back and binding made.

Tall and Skinny

 A challenge by Joyce Sias in our Happy Scrappers Group, Tall and Skinny.  Too bad it's not quilted yet, however, I'm bringing it tomorrow to our Christmas meeting.  We are also exchanging the table runners for those of us that brought them.  Our course, there will be food, Pasty always makes wonderful soups and everyone else bring things to go with that.  I'm making my Mississippi Mud cake.I'm glad I went on and used the block with the background going a different way.  Once I put it on top and it worked for me.  The sashing and border on top and bottom added what it needed.  I may go ahead and make a lap quilt with my pattern too, but there is so much I want to do.  I would need to buy more Kaffe Fassett materials...hmmm.

On the Wall

I recently have been working on a challenge called Tall and Skinny.  Requirements are to be 18 by 60 inches.  I had bought this Kaffe Fassett fabric and decided it would be a good choice for a challenge.  This is outside my box as far as type of fabric and color than I usually use.  I'm also not a big fan of machine applique, but didn't have time to do it any other way.  Blocks one and two went real well.  Block three I really like the colors, but the background is turned a different way and I can't decide if I like the look.  There have been several days of thinking on this.

Block one and two

Block three

  All the blocks together

 

As you see if I use the galloping horse rule, I could live with this.  But this morning I gave it some more thought and I might redo the third block.  Problem is I'm not doing anything since I can't make up my mind.  Meanwhile, I'm working on the sashing and top and bottom borders to come up to my 60 in.  The sides will finish 18 inches as they are.  Writing it out may help.

 

Latest knitting finish.  I like my Christmas stocking.  Maybe I'll do Paw Paw one next year.  Sure got me in the Christmas spirit and I put out Santas for the first time in years.  You can't see them all, but won't put up a tree. 

all I'm doing to decorate this year.  We'll be doing Christmas in Dallas with family.

On the design wall

My life seems to run on what project for a group I'm working on. I'm presently binding the table runner for Happy Scrapper's 
  I have now started the Tall and Skinny challenge. Granted it's due this month, but I may make it in time. It's in progress anyway.  It's going to be done with Kaffe Fassett materials and the backing will be on this stripe I picked up at the HQS and a black swirl on white.  Definitely out of my box.  So far, I'm enjoying getting better at my machine applique.

Tall and Skinny block one 

On another note, I took these pictures of orchards given to me by a friend Betty.  Her husband had raised these beauties in his hot house.  Aren't they lovely?

Knitting wise, I'm working on sock two for my first pair, and I've almost finished my Christmas stocking.

Wow is all I can say!

Well, I've been talking about what I was working on for my groups, now you get to see what

they have been doing for me. Eliska got my name in Slightly Bias bee. I had given her the pink and brown fat quarters and you see what she did. The picture does not do the beautiful quilting justice that she did on this quilt. Just gorgeous.

Happy Scrappers Row quilt project started with my row of Churn Dash blocks, and five people worked on it. I really liked what they did with the fabrics I put in there. I like the addition of the green, it's the perfect accent color.

All the work all year is worth it when you see all the creative quilts everyone has worked on. The two parties where we revealed the quilts for each other were wonderful. This is why I love my groups. Plus you grow so much in the process.

More about June

This is "Yea" last installment of blocks we are swapping in Apple Crisper's. The block are pretty, but I'm tired of them We didn't swap but every other month and it seemed to drag on forever. The process started with my 2" Accuquilt die, then cut to the pattern, then put together by that tiny little picture you see. It's appears bigger in real life. You could get off base pretty easily with this on. Will eventually get those blocks put together.

This finished set did turn out pretty.

In Slightly Bias group we are making one block a month. This month was for June and the theme was beaches. I tried to do water colors. Batiks worked very well for this. July is 4th of July colors, but haven't gotten that done yet.

These are the Carrie Hall hand applique that I've done so far. I just finihed one more and decided to piece the blocks I need to put the rest of the blocks together.

The first block you see I just finished this past week. I will be working out a plan to stop with these blocks.

This month the row by row is due in Happy Scrappers and I decided to add the rows of log cabin blocks. I do like this quilt!

I guess that all my to do this month. I really have a hankering to do a red and white quilt, but first my granddaughter will be down to make a quilt. So hopefully will get more posting will get done as we work on that.