Festive Churn Dash

That cute little churn dash block from yesterday's post is now stitched up with 8 others into a happy, festive little table topper. I am just loving it!

All the fabrics are from the existing stash. The red setting fabric was from my friend Kay's sewing room. The backgrounds were just random fat quarters collected over the years, and the three browns used for the churn dashes are scraps from quilts made over 20 years ago.

The inspiration for this little quilt (pictured below) is one I've saved and come back to time and time again. I don't think there's any one specific reason I have been so taken with it. I love the cute little dashes; I love that it's on point; I love brown and red together. To me it simply screams "make this!" 

And so finally, I have!

I've added a tag onto the picture indicating that I do not know the source for this quilt; likely it was saved from Pinterest or Instagram, my usual two sources for inspiration. If any reader knows the source, I'd sure love to acknowledge it, so let me know.

I see that my churn dashes are evenly divided whereas the inspiration quilt has smaller center squares separating the corner triangles, making the churn dashes look chubbier. I might return to this and make another one with that chubbier churn dash. 

I do love the churn dash, in whatever form it appears. A couple of years ago, I was in a major churn dash frenzy. Click here to see the exchange blocks project of the the Frankfort Girls. The quilt from those blocks is pictured below. Also, click here to see True Blue, a large churn dash quilt. And click here to see a navy and poison green example. 

I'm sure I've got a scrap piece of batting for my festive little lovely; I will do a stash dive for backing. The binding has to be brown, like the inspiration. I can see this being finished off in short order.

Only two more sleeps till Christmas!! 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Slow Sunday Stitching

With some measure of embarrassment, I share the project I've worked on the past few days. Many of you long-time followers will have been assuming that it was finished, as my last post (in 2018) about this little project indicated that I was super-close. Inevitable!

No, not inevitable. The smallest of stumbling blocks is sometimes all it takes for me to just stop. The stumbling block facing me with this was losing track of my quilt markings. The plan for large-stitched Baptist fans became a "suggestion" of fans the further I quilted toward the borders. 

This week, I decided that regardless of how messy my fans looked in this table topper, done is better perfect. So, I've free-handed some semblance of quilting lines around the entire border of this quilt. I remind myself that perfection is not the goal. Finished is the goal. 

Still recovering from the week-long sinus infection I've had, this type of stitching is all I've managed this week. So many near-finishes await me, but this one will have to do until my head clears up.

I'm linking up with Kathy and her Slow Sunday Stitchers.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

An Unplanned Finish

Yesterday, I went to work preparing to complete my number one goal for the week. I want to finish the T-shirt quilt and let my customer know that it is ready to be picked up. The quilt top has been finished since the end of February, so all that remains is to get it onto the long arm and quilt it.

Long arming is becoming somewhat less intimidating with each quilt I quilt on the machine. It seems as though practice really does help, as I knew it would. Having less time lapse between quilts is also good, for it keeps the skills fresh.

The last quilt to be completed on the long arm was Meadow Lily, the wedding gift I made for our neighbors' daughter. I knew when I took that quilt off of the frame, the entire machine needed a thorough cleaning of lint and dust, a needle change, and oiling. These things HAD to be addressed before doing a quilt for a paying customer.

As I completed these maintenance tasks, I had the idea that instead of loading the commission quilt, I ought to do some little quilt of my own first. Working out the kinks on my own quilt is preferable to doing that on a customer's quilt. Turns out, this was a good idea; I need to deal with some tension issues that make stitches that look like eyelashes on the quilt. 

This looks pretty bad, but it only began getting this bad toward the end of the quilt. At the beginning, it was pretty decent, as you can see in the next picture.

I will get my manual out, make whatever adjustments it recommends, then I might just do one more little trial quilt of my own before going ahead with the commission. 

Now, the happy news is that these 'eyelash' stitches don't bother me in the least on my own little quilt. Made from leftover fabrics, this little quilt has been awaiting quilting for years; I can live with little imperfections on my own quilt. All good - and it get one more thing finished and removed from the sewing room.

Another bonus from the entire effort is that I got to practice my freehand stippling. I tend to always do a loopy freehand design and I wanted to stretch my repertoire. I am rather pleased with the results. There are a couple of rough spots, but overall it looks okay.

While I was at it, I went ahead and put the binding on, finishing it completely. It only measures 22.5x26.5 inches; done in no time.

The backing is quite pretty. I wish I could identify the fabrics used in this, but it has been too long ago. Perhaps I will peruse the blog to see if it is recorded anywhere; if it is, I will add the info.

That's all I've got for now, Peeps! Wish me luck in completing the T-shirt quilt!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Finishing a Small UFO

Instagram has many benefits for crafters of all sorts, and quilters especially make excellent use of the program. I recently had a comment from someone who'd seen a picture I posted clear back on December 22, 2018, of a table topper I'd made. Icopied a design that I'd seen Frankfort Girls' group member Sheryll share at one of our get togethers. The fantastic simplicity and striking beauty really motivated me to make one myself. So I did! Check this post to see the flimsy. You'll have to scroll to the very end. Below is Sheryll's topper.

My version has fewer borders and has wider borders. I like them both ways. Mine was certainly faster, but Sheryll's has more space for stitch-in-the-ditch quilting. It's all a matter of choice, I suppose. The photo below shows my quilting stitches in the ditch.

I worked on this last evening, and thought I would just do the quilting, yet it went so fast I decided to find some suitable binding fabric and finish it all off. The topper measures 21" so really, a finish was easily accomplished.

It was late, so I did not remove my blue table cloth, but here is my little finish in the center of the kitchen table. I am glad I was prompted to pull this out and finish it. I have dozens of these small creations stacked up in the sewing room. It really needs to be a goal for me to finish some more.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Continued Slow Stitching

My goal of having this table topper done by Christmas is beginning to concern me! This slow stitching business is just that - slow! However, it continues to be a work in progress, and it is nearing completion.

It may have been ignored for too long back in the earlier fall.

Lately, I have been keeping it on my footstool so that whenever I sit down, I can easily access it and get to stitching.

For the most part, the center portion is quilted. I have a few small places to stitch - like when I ran out of thread and such. Then it's on to the borders. Since I don't have a plan, I guess I will continue with the Baptist Fan motif all the way out to the edge.

A couple of good long evenings - maybe with a movie queued up - and this can finally be done!

Linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching party. Is everyone facing deadlines?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Slow Stitching

I am determined to finish quilting this little Roman Holiday table topper - before Christmas! I am doing big-stitch quilting on it, yet like I so often do, I get side-tracked by other projects, and it sits ignored in the quilting room. I have recently brought it back out and leave it on the footstool near my chair in the family room. While I watched both Buckeye basketball and football on Saturday - two wins!! - I worked on this topper.

Those big stitches are becoming rather haphazard. I think that comes with the infrequency of my work on it. If I were more focused, I would know where I was going with those markings made however long ago.

Maybe you can guess my attitude concerning the haphazard quilting - no big deal! Done is better than perfect, for sure. This attitude keeps me plugging away on this little beauty.

I am linking up with the friendly folks partying over at Kathy's Quilts for the Slow Sunday Stitching event. I wonder how many  more quilters are trying to finish things in time for Christmas??

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Summer Style

I finished off a little hand-stitched project this week. The UFO for this month was to finish the large hexagon table topper that I began last summer. I took a few hours here and there this week and finished it off with the Frankfort Girls here on Friday. A quick binding and off to the screened porch for the dining table.

It is nothing fancy, and the edges are a bit wavy, but I like how colorful it is and it works well on the porch. This is a wonderful little bonus quilt as I bought nothing new for it. The hexagons were pieced from scraps on hand. The batting was pieced from two small pieces, as was the back. Even the thread used to quilt it was purchased for some previous project. I love when just a little bit of my time can result in a sweet little accent piece like this.

I am excited to have younger daughter Emma here today. Her 25th birthday is later this week, so I am planning a big dinner of some of her favorites. While we visit, I will very likely have a stack of 2.5" squares to stitch - haven't done any in ages. It will make for the perfect activity while chatting and catching up - Slow Sunday Stitching style. I may end up with 4-patches, or 9-patches - who knows? I"ll be spontaneous. *grin*

Have a great Sunday and a great week!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

August UFO

Here we are in the 8th month of our 12-month UFO challenge, and this month's task will be a pleasure to finish. After a few months of really big-deal UFOs, this one is gonna seem like a cakewalk. Yay!

Last summer, just on a whim and with no particular goal in mind, I began stitching large hexagons. I must have needed some hand-stitching to take to Friday morning sessions with the Frankfort Girls. Well, I finished this little table topper and then just stopped. I knew it would perfectly accessorize the screened porch table; instead it has hung out in the quilting room. I had the good sense to put it on the 2017 UFO list, and now it will finally be done. Above, you can see that I trimmed the edges. What I'm left with is a long, hexagon-shaped table topper.

I prepped the backing and the batting last night (used scraps, so I had to piece them!). The layers have been spray-basted, and the materials for big-stitch quilting have been gathered. I am ready for some Slow Sunday Stitching!

This work should go quickly; with all the baseball we've been watching lately, I need a project like this in my hands; otherwise, I idly play iPad games, which results in nothing worthwhile.

I will link up with Kathy and her Sunday Stitching link party; come on over an take a peek! I've just visited and discovered that my name was drawn in a give-away she had last week. How sweet is that!?!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Welcoming Autumn

Most years, I welcome the change of seasons; as a 'glass-half-full' kind of gal, I enjoy what all the seasons have to offer. But this year I have been a bit melancholy at the prospect of the end of summer. It was rainier than usual this year and I didn't get many pool days, so that may have prompted my mood. Getting out some of my fall things has helped; I'm ready to embrace the new season, and wave a fond farewell to long, lazy days.

A couple of years ago I made this little table topper. It fits the center of the kitchen table perfectly, and looks nice with my candle centerpiece. I had it out for the card club on Thursday night and it got several compliments. I have several small pumpkins and gourds, along with Indian corn and popcorn displayed around the house. I don't go all out for Halloween decorating, but a few fall things here or there suit me fine.

Table toppers and table runners are an easy way to change out the seasonal decorations. JoAnn recently finished two UFOs at a sewing day we had at Terry's.

I just love seeing the variety we always seem to have. The Maple Leaf quilt was a kit; I think she will be quite glad to have these two projects finished so that she can use them immediately.

Today is my mother's birthday; a little later we will be meeting her and several of my siblings at a restaurant for a celebration. Tomorrow is my husband's birthday, so we might double-up on the celebrating! *wink*

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Finished UFO!

Rare. That is what I'm about to announce. A rare finish. Yes, it took me all of about an hour to finish this little table topper. So easy. I'd done all the complicated stuff about 15 years ago.

This little gem measures out at 15" square. I placed it on my UFO Challenge list for 2015. It was supposed to be finished in June. So I'm 12 days late, technically.

Yesterday, I made the sandwich, machine quilted and bound it. DONE. It is a Thimbleberries pattern made with a mish-mash of fabrics from my stash.

My list from this post continues to be whittled down. I can now mark off #5.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Border Attached

The choice for the border on Mom's wall hanging was blue. Everyone who chimed in with an opinion agreed. Unanimous!

This little quilt measures 21.34" x 27.25". Mom will likely use it as a wall hanging, but it would also make a pretty table topper or doll quilt.

That's all for today, Peeps! I will be sewing for the day over at Terry's. Perhaps I will have some pretty stuff to show you - if we have a productive day!

Happy Quilting, Friends!