Slow Sunday Binding

Binding a quilt means that things are getting finished around here, and I am mighty glad for it. I actually have binding for two quilts to share today. 

Yes, they are small, but never mind that.

First to be tackled was my 4-Patch Delight. I made it at the very end of last month on a whim, and now it is quilted and bound! Hallelujah! 

I also quilted my recently finished Lunch Box Social finished back in December, and that is what I am stitching today. It is just 40" square, so the binding will go quickly. 

You may notice that the same beige/white dot fabric backs both quilts. Yes. Quite a lot of my recently quilted quilts have this backing because I bought an entire bolt of 108" wide fabric to expedite the backing of quilts. I am awful about measuring and piecing backs, so this has been a wonderful alternative. 

I have used nearly the entire bolt, and will have a new backing fabric to share soon. One has been waiting on reserve in my quilting room; it has a shirting look - white with tiny black flecks. I have also ordered two more bolts - grays and taupes - very neutral and hopefully will serve a lot of different looks. They are on delayed delivery; something to do with availability. All good.

See what the other Slow Stitching gals are working on this week by clicking over to Kathy's Quilts for her weekly party. I am joining in on the fun. I see some knitting, some EPP, some quilting, more binding (like me), and embroidery. All the slow stitching fun! 

Happy next-to-last-day of February! Hope you are having a great Sunday!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Temecula Basket Flimsy

I am proud to show off a flimsy this morning! Feast your eyes on Temecula Baskets! I finished off those last 8 seams yesterday afternoon, and have this stunning beauty pinned to the design wall. I am so very happy with the finish.

I suppose I could go back into the archives to see when I bought all my Temecula fabrics. Who has time for that? I sure don't. The colorful fabric for the baskets came in one online order; the background fabric came in another; the red fabric for the border came just recently in one more order.

The pattern is one I dreamed up. I thought I'd like to use the bright colors for simple baskets, so I found Baby Bunting, a block I found in Judy Hopkins' book 501 Rotary-Cut Blocks. I love that book and refer to it often. I took the less colorful gray fabrics to make the double 4-patch setting blocks. 

For more complete details and links, check out my last post.

 

At the time I was making the blocks, I didn't really have an idea for how I would set the quilt together. I tried out a couple of layouts, and this one seemed most pleasing to me - especially after ordering that red bundle. It just sorta' worked itself out. 

I am glad for this finish. It allows me to check an item off my goals list for 2022. That's a nice bonus. It also allows me to more actively consider starting a new project. I have a gazillion ideas for 9-patch quilts, and I have a hankering to make a Kaffe Fassett quilt in blues. Which direction will I go???

Here's another look at Temecula Baskets. She's just so darn pretty!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Temecula Baskets Progress

As much as I am itching to start something new, I am making myself finish at least one WIP (work in progress) before I do. I don't dislike the quilt I am attempting to finish; I just really like starting new things more. 

So, follow through is the name of the game this week. And here is where things stand at present with my Temecula Baskets. I laid out all my blocks on the bed and made the extra blocks I needed. For baskets, this has six vertical rows of baskets with seven baskets in each vertical row. I next needed to cut my side and corner triangles.

Earlier this month I'd seen a timely sale advertisement from Hancock's of Paducah on this bundle of Temecula reds. What perfect timing! Red triangles to surround this quilt will look great. It took me about 10 seconds to get the credit card and order this fat quarter bundle. I pulled the darkest of the reds from this bundle to make my triangles.

I started stitching rows, and gosh I was loving how the red works so well to set off my baskets. Here's a sneak peak of the first few rows.

I stopped last evening after getting all the diagonal rows stitched, and some of the shorter rows joined. With 8 more seams to sew, I am definitely in the homestretch and will have a finish this week, God willing. I am pinning a lot - every intersection and any other places that warrant. It takes longer but I will be more pleased with the results, I believe.

Click here to see information on the very beginning of this quilt. I have worked on it since around Thanksgiving, as it was on my goals list for 2021. Click here for an early progress update. It may not have been finished in '21, but it's not going to linger too far into '22, by gosh. Bonus: a finish here will take care of an item on my goals list for 2022!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Is Spring Right Around The Corner?

Good Monday Morning, Dear Readers! 

This fine day finds me in a cheery mood due in large part to the gorgeous day. I stepped out on the front porch earlier and noticed a couple of hopeful signs. First, it was really warm for 7:30am. The sun shone clear as can be, and the front porch was cozy and inviting. Second, birds were chirping! Yay! A real sign that spring is on the way! Such delight for the ears and hope in the heart! These hints of the coming of spring definitely put me in a cheerful mood.

I know that Ohio weather still has some wintry stuff to come, but these promising signs are definite indicators that soon we will be celebrating the return of spring.

So, let's have a look at a cheery, spring-inspired quilt, shall we? I have this currently on our bed, and the flowery nature of it beckons those spring-time vibes. This is an oldie, but one that is quite special to me in several ways. Most special is that I hand-pieced it and my grandmother hand-quilted it. Now when this was done is sort of a mystery, but I will guess the early 2000s. 

It cannot be older because this pattern, English Elegance, is on the cover of a magazine from February 1999. I have shared it here before; click here for the post. Bonus: there's a pic of Grandma with this quilt in her frame!

A second reason for it's being special is that I sorta'-kinda' count this quilt as being  the one that really jump-started my industriousness with quilting. I'd been collecting fabric with the intent of making quilts, but I hadn't been overly productive about it. At the time our kids were still young and I was working - life just didn't afford great amounts of time to be devoted to quilt-making. As the kids got older I found more time for quilting, and seeing this magazine cover was just about the best, most inspiring beauty ever. Talk about timely.

So, all the florals in this quilt now adorn our bed, and I am loving all the feels of spring that it brings to the space. It won't be long before Mother Nature is adding her own supply of florals. The birds and the sunshine this morning promise - it's coming!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Antique Beauties

Earlier this week, DH and I along with another couple took a day to go antiquing. We are looking for a particular type of mirror to serve in a small remodel of our half-bath. We also just enjoy looking for things of interest to us - and that varies week to week, whim to whim.

Of note for you readers of a quilt blog, I thought this trip on this day afforded quite a nice assortment of antique quilts - most in very good condition.  I just knew you all would like to see them.

I am very likely going to be making a red and white double Irish chain this year, so when I saw this beauty, I was quick to inspect it. Just look at that gorgeous quilting. And note, in just this small section, you see how the quilters used an "almost match" for one of the squares. I just love the make-do methods of our forebears.

The tag tells the size, and the briefest, most general description. At $180, a collector of antique quilts should be thrilled this beauty. Just look at those sweet little prints - so charming!

In the same stack with the red and white Irish chain, I found this Double Wedding Ring quilt. So neatly done, and the green trim was unexpected; I think that I normally would see red or blue trim/binding. Again, I suspect that our quilt maker was using what she had. Pairing it with orange is certainly unique, don't you think?

This quilt is bigger (84" x 100") and appears to have very little wear. Click on the photo to see a closer view of all the details on the tag.

 

One last quilt in this booth was this lily quilt. I am guessing when I say that I think the vase or urn was not really beige when it was made. I believe the fabric has faded over the years leaving one to wonder what the original color likely was. My guess is green, as the stems are also faded, and typically this block would require green stems for the pink lilies.

Obviously, the dealer at this booth does not know his/her quilt blocks! The tag calls it a tulip quilt, but clearly this is a Carolina Lily. No size is listed, and I couldn't fully unfold any of these quilt due to crowded space; I have to think that it is rather large, or one pays a little more for applique quilts - or maybe a little bit of both.

In a couple of other booths, I found more gorgeous quilts. Again, unfolding them fully was impossible due to such limited space. I tried to get pictures that suggest an idea of what the entire quilt would look like.

My grandmother made a gazillion Lemoyne Star quilts and the only difference of any significance here is that it has a center circle appliqued to it. Grandma never did that. Another more minor difference is that Grandma used just two fabrics per star - a print and a matching solid. If you click on the photo, I believe you should be able to zoom in on the tag details and price.

The last quilt in my little show and tell is this Bursting Star quilt. Just imagine how gorgeous this would be fully laid out on a bed. It has such presence! I have always love the Bursting Star, and I have such admiration for those long-ago quilters who hand-pieced and hand-quilted them. What a time-consuming effort! 

That's all, folks. I did see other quilts, but for whatever reason, these were the only ones I thought to photograph. I hope someone who loves quilts and who know how to care for fragile antique textiles will purchase these. I have to believe they were special creations once upon a time. 

We did not find our mirror, but the fun is in the hunt! We shall continue our search.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sharon Meets Tin Lizzie

Tuesday was a red-letter day here. Sharon came to sew, and the plan was for her to bring a quilt top for loading onto the long-arm. 

Yes, she has been making quilt tops as much as I have, and neither of us has been very busy in getting them quilted, so having her learn how to load and operate the Tin Lizzie was essential.

Interesting coincidence, she brought her zig-zag quilt - she, too, was on the receiving end of Jan's generosity all those years ago. This picture shows Sharon very near the end of quilting. Yay! First voyage was a success!

Click here to see my zig-zag quilt; and click here to see the post about Jan's gift. 

Sharon had all the normal things occur - running out of bobbin thread; top thread breaking, 'easing' some edges to avoid puckers, and stretching the backing to avoid a fold (it happens!).

And lesson #1 is complete! She prepared her binding, and went home to finish. Next week, I suspect we will be back to our sewing machines, but we must not let too much time pass before we get her back on the long arm. Practice, practice, practice.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Labels

Quilters have been told for years to always attach labels to their quilts, yet it is something I rarely do. It typically becomes just one more thing to fuss with when one is so near finishing. A way to rectify this is to always have ready-made labels on hand.

 

I asked Santa for help in this regard. When the daughters were collecting Christmas lists last November, I included a link to Ever Emblem, an Etsy shop out of Michigan. I'd seen her products sprinkled across quilting accounts I follow on Instagram, which gave me the idea that perhaps this is the route I should go. Santa came through for me, and I am super-thrilled to have these sweet little labels to incorporate into my finishes.

My first label was to be attached to the primary-color baby quilt I made earlier this month.  I've since used a second one - on French General Charm.

You can clearly see that my application method changed from the first to the second. Through trial and error, I am sure to come up with a preferred method - one that is easily doable, and not a hassle. 

I didn't really want the label stitching to show on the front, but this is really very unobtrusive, so I guess I don't mind it so much. 

On the baby quilt, I tried to incorporate the edge of the label into the binding. That was way too fussy, and the fabric of the label is glue-backed, so hand-tacking the binding through it was challenging.

The other problem encountered with this method was positioning it just right to hide what needs to be hidden, yet show what needs to be shown.

I was not entirely successful with keeping my text out of the binding; this method proved way too fussy. I don't want to have to work that hard to position a label every single time I use one.

I have plenty of quilt tops to finish on the long arm, and now I am equipped with plenty of labels to put on them. Problem solved, right? Well, we shall see. Ninety percent of problem-solving comes in the form of follow-through for me. 

This label does not address all the needs some quilt-makers ought to include - date, most especially. Maybe I can come up with a way to solve that on my next Ever Emblem order. For now, I have 98 labels at my disposal, and I plan to use them!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Checking In With the Frankfort Girls

Oh my gosh, it has been since December 17 since we quilty girlfriends were all together, and how I have missed them! With my being gone in January, and then weather postponing one meeting, we finally reunited this past Friday morning at Terry's. Let's see some show and tell offerings!

Jan was binding this golf-themed quilt for a recent high school grad who was a state contender from her district. Since Jan and her hubby own and operate a golf course, they have a special bond with this young woman. I think the quilt will be a huge success when gifted.

Sharon O. shared this little beauty with us. All hand done, it was a gift from Becky (I think!) in our group. It looks like it would have been quite fun to stitch and put together.

The final share is one that Terry had for us. She has a long arm and quilts most of her own quilts, but this quilt was special and she sent it out to be custom quilted by a friend in her guild. The finish is magnificent! I took several pictures in hopes that you can adequately see the detail.

And I shared some of my recent finishes, but you've already seen them in earlier posts. I love the diversity of the quilts my little group makes. We keep one another on our toes! We don't really compete for attention, but we do so well at encouraging one another and helping when needed, and suggesting ideas when one is in a funk. To say that we are a close-knit group would be a total understatement. We seem to help each other thrive!

I hope you have the benefit of stitching friends! I have another one coming over shortly - Sharon P. will be here for our weekly sewing day! Temecula Baskets is on my menu. Stay tuned!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Slow Sunday Stitching

I'm rather pleased to tell you that I hand-tacked the binding on two quilts this week. Recent finished quilts had been given the machine-bound treatment, but these two smaller quilts were tacked down the old-fashioned way -  on my lap with needle and thread.

I had an audio book I wanted to listen to, so I needed something quiet to do while it was playing. Some books lend themselves to listening while machine-stitching, but this was one I couldn't follow unless I gave it my full attention. I'll get to the book later; let me get back to the quilting.

The most recent finish was last evening when I finished off French General Charms. I wrote about it in my previous post. I am just discovering that I've misnamed it in that post, though, so here is the correct name -  Chock Full O' Charm.

This morning, I spread the quilt out on the bed and snapped these few pictures. Because it is more lap-size, it just barely covered the top of this queen-size bed. This gives you a good look at the whole quilt, and that beautiful border print. This was the only change-up I made to the pattern. It called for 6.5-inches wide; I used 8.5-inches wide just because that fabric is so very gorgeous.

This is the second quilt finished on the long arm this month, and if I get really industrious, I think I will be able to get myself on schedule for accomplishing my goal of quilting two per month. It helps when I select smaller quilts, but I will have to do some big ones at some point.

My previously finished quilt with hand-stitched binding was this baby quilt you saw a few posts back.

I will link with Kathy over at her weekly Slow Sunday Stitching party. Wonder what all the ladies are up to today? Do you suppose any of them will be watching the Super Bowl tonight? I'll be rooting for the Bengals!

Oh yes, the book! The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is based on the actual events occuring before, during, and after WWII involving rare purebred stallions which were taken by the Nazis in much the same way they took priceless art and artifacts. Click the picture to be taken to the Amazon link. I still have a couple chapters to go; I have found it fascinating. Kudos to Letts who did a tremendous amount of research.

Happy Quilting, Friend!

I'm On a Roll Now

Yesterday I loaded another quilt onto the Tin Lizzie, and after supper I quilted it! My goodness, but it feels so good to have this growing confidence on the long-arm. From the closet of quilt tops, I bring you French General Charms. This quilt top was made in May of 2016 when Sharon and I together, made Charm About You, a quilt that looks like it made with lots of setting triangles, but in fact, is sewn together in straight rows, and then cut - yes CUT! - and rearranged to form the on point effect. One drawback is that points are lost when adding borders, but I'm not too bothered by this. From afar, it's still a beauty and the missing points are of no consequence.

One little thing occurred while I quilted, and it is a very strong indicator that progress is definitely being made. After I roll the first pass up I have learned to always inspect the stitches to make sure the underside looks good. This time, while it didn't look awful, I did think the tension could be improved. So I adjusted by a quarter-turn of the tension knob, and by gosh, that made a huge difference in the beauty of the stitching. I felt so smug about diagnosing and adjusting on the spot like that. Bit by bit, I can feel my confidence growing.

I just love this border print. What a statement it makes with its big sweeping floral design and that deep gorgeous burgundy-red. Luscious. The charms are from an older French General line Rue Indienne; I'm cannot immediately identify the border line.

And VOILA! It's quilted! At 72" x 48", it didn't take long. Despite my growing confidence, I discovered that my learning curve continues. I had a devil of a time keeping track of my stitching on the center portion of this quilt. The center is made with a haphazard placement of colors and squares - quite different from quilting well-defined blocks, such a stars or churns or 9-patches. This will be my next skill to master.

Here's a few more random shots. I have not yet trimmed the sides, so better, full-on pictures will be forthcoming.

Today, Sharon will be here to sew. We've not sewn together since December! Lots of catching up to do! Before she gets here, I have an extremely cluttered, messy quilting room to tidy up. She is used to my messes, but right now it's a whole lot worse than usual. Yikes.

Happy Quilting, Friends!