Hand Quilting a UFO

Back in early 2011 I made a quilt with Lori at her blog Humble Quilts. She begins each year with a fun little doll quilt tutorial--it's a fun, laid-back sort of project, and I always look forward to them.

It is called Cheddar and Crackers and that little doll quilt has camped out on my design wall for nearly 3 years, unfortunately. Once I finished the flimsy I just left it hanging. Fast forward to 2014. The Frankfort girls decide to devote the year to finishing UFOs with a friendly challenge. Finishing this doll quilt made it onto my list, and I've removed it from the design wall at long last. It is now safely tucked into a quilting frame that I can carry with me to work on when handwork is warranted.

Let me talk to you a little bit how I am quilting this. I was inspired by that talk at the Laurie Simpson trunk show last month at Old Town Fabric Shop. She explained that she hand quilts many of her creations free-handed. Yes, you read that right - free-handed. I saw some of those quilts with my own eyes and they were lovely. So I decided that a little doll quilt might be just the right quilt to experiment on with my own free-handed quilting.

The object is to make bigger stitches than you might normally think is acceptable, and to not worry about everything being even and symmetrical. The quilt below is one of Laurie's from the trunk show. If you click on the picture and get an enlarged version, I think the stitching will show up more clearly.

Okay. I am giving it a go. Laurie says it is a faster way to get a big project hand-quilted. With just the little bit that I have done, I can concur that it is faster. I think I am going to like it!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Riddle - Cheddar Cheese Style

What do you get when you take 13 of these:

And add 12 of these:

Plus 8 of these:

And 8 of these?

Well, of course, what you get is a beautiful little doll quilt called Cheddar Cheese and Crackers!

Mine is pieced, but not yet quilted. I am so pleased with the results. I love scrappy quilts. This quilt was, for a time, featured in the header of a blog I follow called Humble Quilts. Apparently several Humble Quilt followers asked about it, so Lori, the blog owner, made and shared instructions for it! Instantly, I found myself a part of a quilt-along, something I'd never done before.

I made this doll quilt entirely from my stash. The blocks which include the 'cheddar' are all hand-pieced, while everything else is machine-pieced.

I've never machine-quilted, so I'm thinking I will attempt that on this quilt. I will just do straight diagonal lines, so it should go well. Since my Bernina is newly serviced, I should think that I would get along with flying colors.

Progress on Cheddar Cheese and Crackers

Working a bit in the evenings, I have managed to finish nearly all the cheddar blocks for this darling doll quilt.

Having a lot of fun putting these together, and looking forward to adding the 4-patch blocks.  While I have done all stitching so far by hand, I will likely do the 4-patch blocks by machine.

Cheddar Cheese Doll Quilt

I have thrown away scraps that are bigger than the pieces I am now stitching!

The allure of Lori's (Humble Quilts) precious doll quilt had me upstairs going through the stash, pulling a boatload of fabrics. I enventually found myself cutting a 1 7/8-inch square diagonally. Do you know how small that is??? That is a teensy-tiny  peice! So small that I couldn't even see myself sitting at the sewing machine to make these blocks. For me, hand-piecing is the only way to go when pieces are so small.

I have not enhanced these pics with PhotoShop, so you're seeing them as my camera saw them.)

So, I hunkered down, fully expecting these to be quite a bear to piece, but guess what?! It's easy! I couldn't believe how quickly I got my first block finished.

So, I am happily picking up needle and thread whenever a moment presents itself. This is the beauty of hand-piecing -- a seamstress can do it in the family room, socialize with loved ones, watch tv, or fill a few extra minutes while waiting on the roast to finish or the dryer to buzz. I am going to get a bunch of squares ready to sew and take them with me to the Friday morning quilt group get-together that I've joined. (This group really needs to have a name...)

I am also working on a back for a quilt that has long needed to get to the longarm gal. Plus, tomorrow begins the Ben Franklin sale, at which time I intend to buy 8.5 yard to back my Snowflake at Dusk quilt.

Decisions, Decisions - and a Few Loose Ends

What will I work on next? Now that the Snowflake at Dusk quilt top is finished, I am in a quandary as to what to focus on next.

I ought to get the backs ready for 2 quilts that have been waiting to go to the long arm quilt lady.

I ought to finish those 2 pillow tops. I intend to give these to 2 friends who have barn quilts.

I ought to make a bag for my laptop and one for Erin, too, while I'm at it.

I ought to start one of those charity quilts I agreed to make for the James Cancer Center at Ohio State.

I ought to go back to cleaning up and re-organizing my sewing room. I was on a roll a couple of nights ago, but now I am sputtering out of the mood.

My indecisiveness will be the end of me, honestly. I must get my act together if I am to use up the stash the way I hope to!

Instead, do you  know what I think I want to start? The darling little cheddar cheese doll quilt that Lori over at Humble Quilts is demonstrating. It finishes to 24" square, so it shouldn't take too long to complete it, right? And it would be great fun to select the variety of fabrics. And what's retirement for if not for cutting loose and doing something on the spur of the moment?? And wouldn't it be sweet if I made 2, one each for the twin nieces to play with when they come to Aunt Jayne's house?

Okay, I've talked myself into it!

The loose ends portion of this post is to add a  pic that should have been included in yesterday's post. My 2nd picture yesterday was of the snowflake block in its setting or alternate blocks. I should also have included a picture of the fabric used in the half-square and corner-square triangle blocks that surrounded the center. This outer edge was paisley, as well, and it complimented perfectly, IMO, the navy paisley in the pieced blocks.