Old and Older Projects -September

I took this really old UFO to work on at the Undercover Bee last Saturday.  Even I find it hard to believe that I made it back in 2006 and it has been waiting this long to be finished.  And even then I didn't finish it (too much gabbing I guess).

  Truly finished at long last - cross this off my list!

My older sister, Janet, gave me several yards of this fabric.  She saw it in a store in New York and thought I would like it.  She like to sew but was always into so many other activities she rarely got much sewing done.  I think I have used it all by now.

Another UFO.  I have wanted to make a version of this pattern since the first time I saw it on a blog years ago.  In 2019, I saw a tutorial on a blog called "Elsie's Girl".  I made four blocks and for some reason or another haven't touched it since.

This past week I finished the top.  It is about 42 by 54"

Think I will leave it at that and see if I can find a backing I like among the fabrics I already have.

Summer Sewing- August

Looking on Pinterest is always a source of good ideas.

                        A fun way to pass the day - perhaps I'll make a pillow - or not!

                                                                       It's about 16" square.

 

August Blocks


And here it is the last day of August and I made it just under the wire with this month's blocks for the Color My World Quilt.  They are considerably larger this month.  The floor is littered with all the trimmings from the paper piecing.

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Other than that I have been sewing bindings and making some labels for finished quilts and 
reading or listening to audiobooks.  
We have met at the church kitchen twice this month to make bread (Brown Sugar Bread) to deliver to new families in town.  We are so behind because of Covid.  We made 40 loaves for delivery last Friday.  I was so glad I had recovered my sense of smell as the kitchen smelled magical!

A learning Process, Borders and A Mystery

A Learning Process

I haven't been able to find a fabric I loved for the binding for this so I decided to dig out some of the fabrics from the stars and see if I could piece this by color around the quilt.

It took me two days to piece a section then pin it and sew it on.  By the time I was on the third border I had figured it out.   Rather fun but time consuming.  Made the label today.

Borders

 Sewed borders on the Marco Polo II.

The pictures are not good representations of the colors in the border fabric.

Used a 1 inch inner and 4 inch outer border.

Made a backing and then binding from the blue.

Add to the quilting queue.

Love the center of this quilt which was just laying in a box with the border fabric.

I added borders to this quilt (pattern: Scrap Sensation)which I started in 2018.

It now measures 84 x 97"

I found a backing fabric and added some blocks from a block exchange with friends in 2005 to make it large enough.  Thinking of using the border fabric as a binding but will wait until it is quilted.

Quilting Queue!

A Mystery

 

A couple of weeks back, while checking out some of my older project boxes, I opened up this box.

I took them out and counted them  - 19!  I counted them several times - 19.

I remember making them but for the life of me I don't know why I would make 19.

I thought maybe I was planning to set them on point and drew up a simple plan to set them on point.

There is extra background fabric in the box.

While looking for something else today,  I came across two older zippered tote bags.

One was a red work embroidered tote made by a friend in New York.

The other a Vera Wang style print in blue with this among other things in it!

It also had some medical papers and procedural information pertaining to John from 2012.

Mystery solved.   I remember choosing the simplest pattern to think of to appliqué so I could have something portable to take to John's many appointments.

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I have been recovering from a very mild case of covid this week.

Today I spent a couple of hours out on the porch just watching the grass grow - so to speak.

 

Summer Sewing and Activities - July

 

I finished make the 110 exquisite star blocks and sorted them by colors.  I had made 55 each of light and dark backgrounds.  I wasn't sure I wanted to crawl around on the floor to arrange and rearrange them so 

I gathered 110  - 2" squares of similar colors and lated them out on my cutting mat.

Then I transferred the pattern to the rows as I played them on the floor in my sewing room.

I had just enough room to lay out four rows at a time.  Sew them and do four more rows.

Rows 5 through 8.

It's pretty colorful -  Exquisite Star X.  

90 by 99".  I'm pretty sure I've never made any other pattern as much as this one 

and I never tire of it.

My CMW blocks for June and July - this is the beginning of the outer rows of tall buildings.

I must say again that the shot cottons that they recommended ravel terribly. I'm trying to be very careful with them but just removing them from the freezer paper patterns is sketchy!

The aftermath of all that paper piecing and trimming.

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We are back to meeting in the ZUMC Fellowship Hall for our Undercover Bee!

Hurrah! - We had a great turnout last Saturday and even two new members.

 I had my little crosses quilt - with binding on.

 And my last  pandemic patriotic panel quilt also with the binding finished!

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Enjoyed celebrating my 82nd with a train trip to Charlotte with the girls. 

And a visit to the Van Gogh Exhibit among other things.

Summer Sewing and Activities - June

I finished the Campfire Friends Kit and it is 48 x 54".  I bought a backing for it but I'm not sure it is the one.  I'm thinking of putting Logan's name on the back with block letters.  But first I want to look at a few more backing options.

Very excited to pick up my Friendship Circles quilt after being quilted. 

Love the circles Carol used in the quilting.

 Couldn't get the entire top in the frame while on the floor.

Now to find or make a binding. 

Thanks to Carol for her excellent quilting.  

Getting all the Patriotic and other donation quilts  ready to take in the next time I attend Pine Tree Quilt group.  I have received a few more since this was taken.  Will take and updated photo when  I take them.

Started another Marco Polo when I met with C & S.  Have missed sewing with them during the lock down time.  They inspire me and our get togethers are always bright spots in my month.

Quilted this little donation quilt.  

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And in other goings on 

 Enjoyed a short vacation with these three handsome guys at the Greenbrier.

Logan was a happy little diner as long as we plied him with croissant crumbs.

And my youngest grandson, Benjamin, graduated from high school.

His Dad would have been so proud of him. 

 Hard to believe he began life weighing in at 1 pound 14 ounces.  Close to six feet tall now.

Commitment - Enough Angst - Just Sew It

In 2013 I took a class with friends C & S to make this quilt.  

I exchanged 2" batik strips with friends.

I used about 75% of them in the Confetti Quilt.

In 2018, I trimmed the leftover strips to 1.5" for use in this quilt. 

 I had purchased a pattern called Satellite by Claudia Pfeil.  According to her directions, I was supposed to end up with 8 3/4" blocks.  I ended up trimming mine to 8". 

  I put the blocks away for a while and the got them back out and tried to sort them as she had suggested.  Flustration ensued and they went back in the box.  Last year I got them out again and sorted them and made a few more blocks.

Last week I made a commitment to sew these blocks together.  So after 3 days of rearranging them and numerous trips up and down the step stool, I committed to this layout.

I need to sew more border pieces.

All sewn  - approximately 56.5 by 71.5"

One step closer to being really finished.

Now I can add this to the need backing and quilting list!

Joining friends for lunch and games today.

Happy Memorial Day!

 

Courage - Just Do It!

 

Here it is halfway through the month and I have finally gotten the courage to tackle the road borders on my CMW block of the month. I decided to use a charcoal grunge rather than the black woven recommended by the instructions.

 I didn't have to worry about shreds of in in the off white sections.

   As directed, I started with the inner road.  Then I watched all the videos again before starting the outer road.  I forgot to stay stitch all my edges - found out it helps a lot especially with the woven solids which shred very easy.

Trimming and marking each of the 48 pieced sections - tedious but necessary.

I stay stitched each quarter road section as I made it rather than wrestle with it once it was sewn into a circle.

Attaching it to the outer edge went quite well  but I see that I have some excess fabric at the inner edge??

Later that evening  - not thrilled with where I eased in the fullness in a couple of places.

Last night I took out four places and adjusted the house width a tiny bit too.  This helped a lot. There is a bit of puffiness around the treetop edge but not enough to worry about - quilting will take that in.

Well the instructor said this was the toughest month - I certainly hope so!

Ready for some relaxation sewing!

 We are looking at some very warm temps by this weekend. A prelude to summer!

 Grateful for friends coming for a visit, not wearing a mask at the grocery store and a good book to read!