31 Dec 2010 3 Comments
in Blogging, Friends, Longarm Quilting, machine quilting, Piecing, quilting, Quilts
I promised my new blogging friend Carol that I would post my scrappy Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt. This is just for her. The quilt is hung across our loft rail.
The lights are up all year, but they are on for New Year’s Eve. Happy New Year to new friends and old!
Gayle
PS, make sure you visit Carol’s blog at the link above. She has some beautiful quilts!
29 Dec 2010 5 Comments
in Life, Longarm Quilting, machine quilting, Piecing, quilting, Quilts, trapunto
Today was another whole day to myself in the studio while Steve cut wood. I got both trapunto projects through the first step on the machine. That means I sewed around the areas that will have trapunto batting (20 oz. batting) underneath that area. The next step is to cut away all the excess batting under the areas that will be flat, not fluffy. And for those of you who don’t quilt, the blue marking will all wash out. You will never know it was there.
This is the first one:
And this is the second one:
And I finished the larger stars for my border on my feathered star. I love these stars inside the stars. I love the center medallion of the quilt. But I am not sure I like them together! Until I have the rest of the border blocks done, I won’t know for sure. If I hate it, I plan on having a wallhanging and a second star in stars quilt. That’s what is so great about quilting…if plan A doesn’t work, make up a plan B.
28 Dec 2010 1 Comment
in Life, Longarm Quilting, machine quilting, Piecing, quilting, Quilts, UFOs
Judy L is having her UFO challenge again, so I decided to participate this year. I did get lots of UFOs done in 2010, so hope to continue and maybe improve on that progress. To read more about it, or join before Jan 1, you can go here to learn more.
This is my list of what I hope to finish:
This list is not in order really, and is VERY ambitious for me. I will be thrilled if I get half of it done.
28 Dec 2010 3 Comments
in Birds, Longarm Quilting, machine quilting, quilting, Quilts
Yesterday was the first day we saw turkeys since mid November. They usually hang out over in the neighbor’s cornfield and roost in our woods. Yesterday they were scratching for food in the snow.
Sue, these are for you!
Today I had a hard time getting work done because I was watching Miss Personality for so long. I love her jaunty hairdo!
On the quilting front, I took a break from the regular sewing machine and fired up my Gammill. I started this little wholecloth using a hand embroidered tablecloth that I bought at an antique store. This is the very beginning of a long process…. but I already love it.
27 Dec 2010 3 Comments
in Friends, MQX, Piecing, quilting
The quilt that I have been working on is called Spanish Rose, by Pear Valley Designs (Ronda Beyer and Jill Kroll). I took a class a few years ago at MQX and started it before I went to the class. I came home with the feathered star and white background completed. And then it sat on the shelf until last week.
Now I am up to the star borders. That border requires LOTS of cutting. Several others who were in the class have also stalled on their quilt… and are now encouraged to drag it out and get it done.
To help those folks (especially Gretchen), this post is an effort to make their cutting experience a little quicker.
I read all the directions and figured out which pieces could be cut from 2 sizes of strips. This simplifies the cutting so you can cut ALL the colored star parts at one time, rather than cutting out each individual star.
Cut the background fabric as directed.
Choose 16 different fabrics. I used fat quarters. Then realized I had lots more fabric than I needed. There are 16 Large stars with a Small star inside. By using 16 fabrics, I get a large and a small of each color. I also used those same 16 fabrics to cut the Small Single stars. I cut 2 of each which is 8 too many. I will be able to play with color placement that way and may use the extras on the back. Or in something else. Whatever.
I made little paper tags to pin on each stack of color pieces, once cut. I used the same numbers as in the directions, but prefaced it with L for large, S for small and SS for small single. (I also labeled my background pieces with the same system)
Cut 2 strips from each fat quarter that are 2.5″x18″.
Cut 2 strips from each fat quarter that are 1.5″x18″.
(note: you could cut 1 strip of each wof, but will need to figure out yourself when to open it to one layer.)
Using the pathetic chart below, subcut your strips into the pieces listed.
I hope that helps. If it is as clear as mud, make sure you let me know where I failed.
26 Dec 2010 8 Comments
in Birds, Color, Friends, Piecing, quilting, Quilts, Recipe, weather
Hey, are you snowed in? To those on the east coast, I feel your pain. We have had 50″ of snow in December, so I really do know how you are feeling. But really… keep it there. We aren’t expecting much snow, but WOW, it is windy out there! I thought the birds were going to blow away!
At least his mate had the good sense to take cover and fluff her feathers.
Everyone have a good Christmas? Ours was wonderful. Quiet, happy and full of surprises.
The biggest surprise was when my friend Shirley stopped Christmas night with a plate of her famous home made sugar cookies. Let’s just say that I could NOT get them all the way to the table without swiping one! (I am too ashamed to show you what the plate looks like now.) I hope she shares the recipe with me, so I can use my new mixer.
I spent most of Christmas day cutting out stars:
Yesterday I started putting some together. I sewed for 3 hours yesterday, another 8 hours today. And only have 8 blocks to show for it. This quilt will take some doing!
If I don’t report in for a few days, you will know I am still working on stars! It’s going to be a wild border I think.
And if anyone else who took this class at MQX with me is looking for the easiest way to cut out the stars, let me know. I got it down to a system!
**Remember that you can click on any image to make it bigger.
23 Dec 2010 4 Comments
Anything you need me to beat?
The new Kitchen Aid mixer is no longer a virgin. I made 9 dozen oatmeal raisin cookies today.
I have no idea how I ever baked and cooked for 50 yrs with only a hand mixer.
Pretty sure Steve had ulterior motives when he ordered this. You think?
21 Dec 2010 6 Comments
in Life
All is well. Really. Thank you for caring about us.
The laundry marathon has begun. I was gone for 6 hours today while Steve aired out the house some more. I am on load 5 of laundry.
The worst effect of the chimney fire is that it has kicked up my asthma. I have had 3 asthma attacks in 24 hours. I am resting as much as possible, taking my meds and doing ok. It does make me more tired than normal. I expect to be feeling much better tomorrow.
All of the bedding on my bed is freshly washed and dried, so tonight I should sleep better.
To answer some questions:
We do the chimney sweeping thing twice a year already. We are looking into some other preventative measures to make sure we stay safe.
My late husband and I once had a chimney fire and the fire department put water down the chimney, which cracked the chimney brick and liner. We had to replace the entire thing and it cost a bundle….. financially and time and mess. This is why I was reluctant to call the local volunteer fire company. If it had been worse, I would have made the call.
Someone asked if the fireplace is a wood stove or insert. No and no. Just a fireplace, but it opens on 2 sides. And the mesh screen is just that… mesh. There are no glass doors or anything on it to shut off the air.
Off to do more laundry…. but again, thank you for all of your kind thoughts.
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