Keeping on track…

January 12, 2016January 12, 20165 Comments

Even though it is only the second week into the new year, I am still

on track with my resolution to work on-and complete- some of my

own personal projects.

I have 3 Advent Calendars on the frame right now. You could say

that I am either really late or really early; it depends on which way you

look at it.

This is the center of the Advent Calendars. They are pretty cute and stitch

up really quickly. I am getting ready for Christmas, 2016. Please, don’t send

me any hate mail for that last comment. The panels were purchased at

Fabricland and several borders were added to enlarge the panel.

Besides completing these 3 projects, I have actually found time work on

my Monarch wallhanging.

Monarch wing

The wing is broken up into 2 sections and I used some fusible webbing

to cut and paste the pieces onto the black wing. I actually found a dead

Monarch and kept it in a plastic bag for a few years. I copied the

Monarch and enlarged it for the shape of the wings. My kids think

I am crazy; sometimes, I think I am too.

Now, I just have to decide what color for the background. I am hoping to

have it on the frame by the end of the week.

This octopus has been waiting for several months to be put together.

I don’t like some of the fabrics I picked-the purple-but it is

staying that way. The block is paper pieced and is part of a BOM,2015,

from Quilt Art Designs. I only have 1 more block to complete and

then I can put the quilt together.

I do have an idea of how to put the 9 blocks together but hopefully, the

picture I have in my mind, will look good in reality.

Dale is quite the quick quilter. Here is another quilt that she has

completed. She wasn’t sure of what type of stitching but I thought

that the piecing spoke of a modern quilt.

The backing

We can’t forget the backing of the quilt. I used a polyester thread

for both the top and the bottom of the quilt.

Eva was in a recycling mood when she completed this quilt for

grandson. The fabric came from a friend who was getting rid of

some fabric and Eva stitched it together. What a great

idea!! Free fabric and a completed quilt.

Here is a funky backing .

I hope that you are finding time to work on and complete some

of your own projects. It feels so good to actually complete

some of your own things.

Have a great week.

A seal pup

February 16, 2015February 17, 20155 Comments

Despite all the cold weather lately, I am managing to get some

quilts finished.

This quit belongs to Eva. What a great idea to use up all those

scraps. It never ceases to amaze me of how simple patterns,

the square here, looks so neat when it is used.

Eva is quite the quilter too. She loves hand work and I think

that she even hand stitched all these small squares onto the

black background. Wow! A very patient person indeed.

She wanted a panto, an overall design on the top. And since

she loves beige so much, that is what we used for the thread

color on the top and the backing.

The backing is read and it has all kinds of sewing items on it, such as

needles, thimbles, and thread.

It is funny how color changes depending on what color its neighbour is.

The beige thread I mentioned above does not look like beige on this red

background, it looks more like cream to me.

This is a sweet baby panel that I bought at Fabricland. I know, I am not supposed

to shop there for quilting supplies but this baby quilt is for a silent auction

coming up at my Church. I didn’t want to spend a ton of time on making

an original quilt so this one fit the bill perfectly.

I really do think it will make an adorable baby quilt. I used a white thread

and quilted all around the motifs.

Here is what the baking looks like. It looks like a plain white backing

but it is really a pale plaid backing. Both the top and the backing are

flannel as well, not cotton.

I have just completed my block #2 in a Quilt Along over at

Artquiltdesignsblogspot.com.

This is totally paper pieced and I didn’t use any freezer paper this time.

I completed it alot faster and the paper tore off quickly at the end. I am

a bit disappointed with the fabrics I chose for his face and the water.

The water is a little too dark for the seal pup and his face reminds me of

a lion. What do you think? Can you guess what is missing on his face?

I will take another photo when I get him totally completed.

I did have alot of fun creating him. Paper piecing reminds me of completing

a puzzle. After I choose all the fabric, it is so exciting sewing all the pieces

together and wondering what it will look like when it is totally finished.

I know, I have issues.

Keep warm and have a great week.

A Beach Theme

January 20, 201514 Comments

As some of you know, I am working on this BOM, by Roxanne,

over at Quilt, Scrap, Stitch. I felt like I needed something light

after completing and quilting Lily of Rosenberry last year.

This seems to fit the bill and it seems that the theme for

this year is one dealing with beaches and water.

This is what the BOM looks like, although the house in the

center left panel has been changed to a boardwalk scene. I

really fell in love with it and decided I needed to create it.

Here is what one of the blocks look like. I can’t wait until

the whole piece is together and quilted so that I can add a pair

of sunglasses as an embellishment.

This is the first block in another BOM I have decided to

participate in this year. Yes, I am crazy! Quilt ArtDesigns

is hosting a free BOM this year and the theme is “Oceans.”

It fits my theme perfectly. I was a bit apprehensive because

I am not a fan of paper piecing. Tearing out all that paper

drives me crazy.

I have figured out a way to avoid all the paper tearing though.

I used 2 layers of freezer paper, ironed it together, to make it

stronger and not so water absorbent. Then I ran it through

my printer and printed off all the templates for the Turtle

block. It is kind of the same method quilters use for applique.

Then, I ironed the templates onto the fabric I had chosen, cut it

out and sewed it together. Sounds fast but sometimes the paper

came off, especially the smaller pieces. Not to worry though, just iron

it back on again.

In this photo, you can see what the back looks like. I kept all the

paper on until I had to sew the whole thing together.

This is what the completed block looks like. I did keep the freezer

paper on the 19 sections that make up the block but next time,

I think that I will take it off. I do have some paper tearing to do but

I am still working out the kinks in this system.

Overall, it was a lot of fun. It felt like I was working on a puzzle and I

love puzzles. I did struggle with choosing the right colors for the turtle

but in the end, I just had to push myself a little to get started.

There are 109 pieces in this turtle,isn’t that crazy? I am wondering

how hard it will be to stitch through some of the pieces that have

multiple layers of fabric. That thought will have to wait until a

later day and time.

Have a great week.

Stitching Impressions

All aspects of longarm quilting

Tag: Block of the Month

Keeping on track…

A seal pup

A Beach Theme