Frienzies Making Magic

We made some magic and had a magical day doing it. We'd been scheduled to meet this month at my house, and when we learned that a wedding would be in our futures, we turned our get-together into a quilt-making session for bride-to-be Kenly.

Mother-of-the-bride Susan with Sherrie who kept us organized.

 

Lots of pics were taken, and certainly there's no need for me to include a bunch of words. You all know the drill - we eat, we sew, we visit, we laugh, we press and rip, we lay blocks out on the floor. All good! Here's a few glimpses of the fun.

Four of us sewed blocks - Sherrie, Sharon, Pam and myself. Hettie, Lyn and Susan did the pressing and any necessary seam-ripping (and yes, there was a bit). Lyn says she came for "comic relief," and we all need that, too! We had an honorary Frienzie joining us as Hettie brought her out-of-town friend Abby. It just so happens that Abby is a quilter, and honestly, she fit right in. 

Here are a few shots of the nearly-finished quilt - it is monochromatic - very light in the middle with gradually darker fabrics moving top or bottom.

All the diagonal rows are sewn together and those are here with me to sew into the final quilt top. Then it will need to be trimmed. The final quilt will be king-size, so yes, this took up most of the middle of the front room rug. Look at how everyone is studying intently to make sure we have all the blocks correctly placed. It was tricky, for sure. 

What a great group - eight women who taught together at CHS for years and as we retired, we felt we needed a way to stay connected. We have met monthly as "The Frienzies" for over 20 years or more. We sure miss Kay who now resides elsewhere, but the seven who are still local make the effort to remain in touch. And we do make frequent trips to connect with Kay over in the Dayton area.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday! We had the most incredibly dense fog this morning! Finally now the sun is shining and blue skies are peeking through.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Another Wedding Quilt

I'm making up for lost time on this particular wedding quilt. You see, the wedding was in 2019. I am only a year and a half tardy in gifting. Good grief.

Meet the Everhart Weathervane quilt. You saw snippets of it here when I was stitching the binding. I wanted to wait until that was done to show the full reveal. The quilt is one I've had on the to-do list for a very, very long time. As these various fabrics began coming together - quite by accident - the idea to make the quilt with them solidified, and in 2019 I made the top. 

Finally, it is quilted, bound, wrapped and ready to deliver to Seth's parents for eventual delivery to the couple. 

Here are some more views of the quilt.

I admit that practice on the long arm is paying dividends. Each quilt I finish moves me closer to a comfort zone. My confidence with my free motion quilting is growing, and I'm 'listening' to the machine. It is very similar to the regular sewing machine in that a new or different sound is an indication of something - a bobbin running low or another thread issue of some sort. There's also a 'feel' that the machine affords and I'm learning to be attuned to that, as well.

Here are some closeups of the quilt while it was on the long arm. I like studying these to see how my meander stitching looks, and how I might improve it.

So, yes, practice is the game-changer, and I am becoming more willing to get right back to it and put another quilt on. Basically, every single one is practice, and Lord knows I have a few quilt tops hanging around needing quilted. Practicing over here for the foreseeable future, right?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Slow Sunday Binding

Slow stitching for real this Sunday, and it is NOT Lake Effect, for a change! The quilt - Meadow Lily - which came off the long arm on Thursday night is getting its final side of binding tacked down today. Then, I plan to drive over to the neighbors' and drop it off for their daughter and new son-in-law.

A little over a week late on the gift. Not too bad, I guess. My track record is improving, at least. I have another quilt intended as a wedding quilt, and that couple has celebrated an anniversary and a baby. *geesh* Still needs to be quilted. Then bound. *double geesh*

Room for improvement, eh?

Of course, I am linking up with the weekly hand-stitching party over at Kathy's Quilts. Today's installment of Slow Sunday Stitching talks specifically about binding, so it is fitting that I am posting this today.

Have a great Sunday, dear peeps! 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Matthew and Lindsey's Wedding Quilt

Last month a sweet couple got all hitched up, and now I can finally give them their wedding present. I took forever in deciding which quilt to give them, and once I thought I'd decided but then at the 11th hour, I changed my mind. I really should have had this all done prior to the wedding - I definitely had plenty of time. I was just so indecisive!

I shopped the quilt closet here in the quilting room for this gift. I made the pinwheel quilt using a Thimbleberries pattern. This quilt is small-ish; I will refer to it as a nice picnic quilt or a back-of-the-couch quilt.

I used two fabrics and pieced the backing. I have always loved this little quilt top, and now it will go to live with two happy newlyweds. I hope they will love it, too.

I finished the binding Saturday night. Later today, my friend Cheryl, the mother of the groom, will stop by to pick it up for delivery to the couple.

Today is sewing with Sharon! I have a little project to finish for Christmas and I hope to continue working on the December UFO - those Kaffe Fassett tumblers. It will possibly be getting its borders today! woo-hoo!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Beautiful Bride Receives A Quilt

On September 21st, the daughter of close friends married her high school sweetheart. After some deliberation as to a gift, I decided that I would finish up a quilt for Elisa and her groom, Kenny.

Our beautiful bride, Elisa.

The happy couple, Kenny and Elisa.

Elisa is surprised when she opens her quilt. They were just back from their
Punta Cana honeymoon, and opened gifts at her parents' house.

I am told that the quilt is perfect, and they are happy to have it adorning their family room sofa. This quilt was a kit that I made earlier this year. At the quilt-top stage, I hung it in the closet. After mom Cheryl selected this one as most likely to match Elisa's style, I took it to be quilted. I am pleased with the results, and especially pleased that the newlyweds like it.

A happy quilt in a happy home! Yay!

Happy Quilting, Friends!