Random Pincushion

I see the most adorable pincushions in my Instagram feed, and I just can't help myself - I have to make one right now!

It's insane, I know. It's like I have no control.

So, Monday, when I should have been preparing for class and doing many other things, I did this, instead.

You know I've been working on that July UFO made entirely with a variety of Minick and Simpson fabric collections. Those scraps are definitely being saved, and some of them ended up becoming this pincushion. It measures about 4" square. 

This makes the fifth random pincushion now, and really, I do not need them! (Links to pinnie #1, #s 2 and 3, and  #4.) The fun is that they finish so quickly - you actually have a finished product in your hand in about an hour. That is very gratifying. Also, you use what normally would be wasted - trashcan material. There was a time when I threw away the cut-away corners of my flying geese units. No more! Look what can become of them.

The back of this pincushion is pretty, too. I have a stack of HSTs that may or may not be used in the medallion project, so I just grabbed one to use for my back.

Yesterday, Sharon was here to sew and we accomplished so much! I will try to get back to posting more regularly, as blog topics are piling up here! Hope you have a great Wednesday!

I am linking today with Let's Bee Social. You have got to see the gorgeous table runner she has just made. I may have to make one, as well. It sure is pretty. I've also just discovered Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrications. I am linking; let me know what you think!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Baby Quilt Finish

Forcing myself to do something after posting yesterday's blog, I dug out the smallest of the three baby quilts I quilted last Thursday at Mendelbrights. You can read the details of that endeavor here.

After trimming the quilt, I took the strips from the edges and cut, ironed and added the binding. It was probably the neatest job I've ever done as far as machine-stitching a binding. I took my time - that was important, but the bigger issue in making it so successful was that the smaller size made it so much easier to maneuver through the sewing machine. I had the binding finished in no time.

And just like that I have my first finish of September. This quilt will go to Ali and Paul for their second child born back in March. The quilt measures 40"x 40". Quite small, but snuggable, I hope!

Here are some posts that recount the history of this quilt: finishing the quilt top, starting the quilt top. It actually started with their first child's baby quilt - all the fabrics used in this one were the remnants of it, including the backing! How nice is that?!?

Hope you have a great Monday!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Progress on Lake Effect

I've been in a blogging funk lately, readers, and that accounts for the lack of posting from this quilter's realm. It could be because I have not really done much of significance lately, or that I am just having a mood. Or a combination of both, perhaps.

I have forced myself to at least work on gluing hexies while I watch sports on television. We are in that happy place in which baseball is getting exciting - especially if your team is still winning - and the beginning of football. This makes for lots of options for fans in our house.

An easy project to work on while watching games is prepping the hexagons for Lake Effect, a Minick and Simpson pattern I recently bought with the idea that it will be a 10-year effort. Bit by bit, I will get it done, I hope.

All of these hexies are glue-basted. A recent rough count puts me in the neighborhood of 450. I figure that's about halfway.

One evening of moderate effort can result in about 50 prepped hexies, so it will get done if I continue this type of effort.

Yesterday, I read through the directions in the pattern; how nice that it can easily be broken down into manageable sections when the time comes for stitching. It can be portable, too, which means I can work on it when meeting with the Frankfort Girls, or when we are off on a random road trip.

In other news from my quiet world, DH and I got up early for a walk this morning. Such cool, crisp weather we are having! Quite pleasant for walking, if not just a bit on the nippy side. I keep in mind to be grateful for this quiet, peaceful world as so many are in the path of Hurricane Irma.

One would never imagine by looking at this idyllic picture of southern Ohio that not so very far south, folks are facing an entirely different reality today.

I will link up with Kathy's Quilts for her Slow Sunday Stitching linky party. Hope you'll go have a look around! In the meantime, I will look around to see if I can locate my quilting and blogging mojo - it's gotta' be around her somewhere!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

I'm Excited!

Today is a much-anticipated day! I am taking not one, not two, but THREE baby quilts to Mendelbrights in Cynthiana to quilt on Rita's long-arm machine. I have had the task of quilting these quilts on lists since the beginning of the year, yet I was forever "kicking that can down the road" as I really feel quite inadequate with quilting on my small domestic machines.

When I found out that I could rent time on a long arm, I was intrigued, but it still took me several months to finally bite the bullet and do it! (Such a procrastinator!)

You've read about Mendelbrights in two earlier posts - my initial visit and then my maiden voyage, as it were.

Today, I will be tackling the baby quilt for Adam and Jenna, whose son Wyatt was born in January, I believe.

It's an OSU Buckeye quilt that will have a soft flannel backing. The whole family is crazy for all things Ohio State. I'm sure they are raising their boys to be fans, as well. *wink*

The next quilt will be for Alison and Paul, whose son Parker was born in March, if memory serves.

I am hoping this doesn't look too feminine for a baby boy. I made a quilt for this family when their first child, a girl Jackie, was born, and I used all the leftovers to make this. Even that gray polka dot backing is leftover. Perhaps the novelty of having two quilts connected in this way will take away from the possibility of its being girlie.

And finally, I am quilting for Erin and John, whose son Robert was born just last month. I made this quilt top awhile ago before Robert was ever expected, and since I know this family has a penchant for diving, this water-themed quilt using Neptune fabrics seemed fitting. Made in the well-known "jelly-roll race" method, I had a matching pack of charm squares which I used as a border.

Quilting three quilts in one day - to say this is exciting is to put it mildly. I am ecstatic!

All of these new little families go way back with ours. Adam and Alison are the son and daughter of our long-time friends Harold and Judy; Erin is the daughter of equally long-time friends Bob and Vickie. Our three families have celebrated New Years since the early 1990s. Our children and theirs grew up together, attended school together, attended the same church, all one big extended family, so to speak.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sewing With Nieces

If anyone thinks kids would have absolutely no interest in sewing, then let me introduce you to Anna Rose and Mary Jean, my soon-to-be 10-year-old nieces. They have appeared here on the blog in a few earlier posts, but it's been awhile. (See them at age 2. Or at age 5. Or at age 7.) On Sunday, we met at my mother's house (Grandma Jeannie, to the grandkids). She set up two card tables in her sunroom, I brought both my machines, some fabric and supplies, and we had a day of sewing. What fun!

About a week ago, I received a text message from them asking to sew with Aunt Jayne. We set a date for the Sunday of Labor Day weekend to meet at Grandma Jeannie's for an afternoon of sewing. That gave me time to shop for colorful, kid-appealing fat quarters at JoAnn Fabrics, which had a great sale going on. I'd determined that we would be making headbands, so I also picked up some elastic.

Anna Rose cutting her fabric.

Mary Jean tried cutting with snipper scissors.

She found that she could cut faster with big shears.

Anna Rose with her blue-green headband.

Mary Jean with her purple polka dot headband.

My cutie-pies look adorable in their new headbands!

Their cousin Emma (my younger daughter) stopped by to help.

I was grateful for Emma's assistance! And the girls adore her!

 After the headbands were completed, they wanted to play in the fabric (I know the feeling!), so I just let them cut and create. Neither girl grew tired or bored, which I half expected as the afternoon wore on; I figured their attention span would at some point be ready for something else, but they remained engaged all afternoon and were actually sad when the time came to put all our stuff away. I am fairly certain we are going to make sewing together a regular activity.

Mary Jean is putting stuffing into a little doll pillow.

She made two pillows. 

Anna Rose wanted to cut shapes and put them on the fabric. I told her this was a real quilty thing called applique. Don't you think she did great?

By late in the afternoon, I wasn't needed to hover over them; they were capable and comfortable using the machines, and were completely engaged in creating little bags or pillows or applique panels. I made 4 more headbands while they created. These can be shared between them or given to friends.

As we headed home after a very long day - we'd gone to an 8am service at Chapel in the Woods, and finished off the day with a cookout at long-time friends, Jim and Shirley's - I remarked to DH that I hoped the day was one the girls would remember long into their old age. Some days from my childhood are seared into my memory; I'd like to think we accomplished that with these dear sweet nieces.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Playing With a Full Deck

My "full deck" is my full-to-bursting sewing room closet where I have hanging all my quilt tops that are in need of quilting. Curious as to just exactly how many I had accumulated, I made the count, and the magic number is 52. Whaaaat? If I'd dared to estimate, I would have sworn that there couldn't have been more than 30.

I'd better win the lottery if I'm going to have all these tops quilted, as it will cost me a small fortune. Some of these are quite large, some are small-ish, but most fall into the range of full or queen size. A handful of them are hanging with the backing on the same hanger which makes me sound ultra-organized, but no, do not ever accuse me of being organized! I did this so that I wouldn't forget that I had the backing and use it for something else.

The closet has gotten so full that I have 5 quilt tops hanging outside the closet on the sewing room door.

Three of these are baby quilts and have a date at Mendelbrights next Thursday for long-arm quilting. I am looking forward to that! (See item #1 on the to-do list in the last post.) Swoon and Elizabeth are probably headed to the closet to make that door look a little more presentable. If I can squeeze them in, that is.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Hello, September

Well, gee whiz. Here we find ourselves greeting the 9th month of 2017 - I swear it was just no time ago that we rang in the new year, true?

The picture above is one I took on a recent walk on the Greenfield bike path. We looked up the name of that pretty purple wildflower - Blue Lobelia (lobelia siphilitica). This is one of many varieties of lobelia; this one is noted for being a late summer bloomer.

I have created a collage to wrap up some of the highlights of August, and I have made my list for September. First, the August collage.

The Sunbonnet Sue quilt and the T-Shirt quilt were commissions that I finished and delivered. The center picture in the top row represents the longarm quilting I dabbled in when completing the t-shirt quilt. That day was possibly a highlight of the year, so far. Then I included the fantastic concert we went to at Riverbend - we saw Foreigner, Cheap Trick and Led Zeppelin Experience. In the second row, I've got a few of the stars made for our block swap, a picture taken during the eclipse, and our Frienzies party for the month. We went to Susan's where we painted sunflowers and swam. Love those girls, and I love that we make a real effort to get together every month. The last two pictures are UFO-related. The hexie table-topper is my August UFO, completed, and finally, the unfinished June UFO, still trying to become a medallion quilt.

From the accomplishments (or near-accomplishments, as it were) of August, let's move to the goals for September. Without the pressures of commissions, I ought to be able to get most of these done.

Items 1-10 are going to be all the fun stuff; that daggone item 11 is the one that will give me grief. I am such a clutter-bug; I have no trouble at all with working in clutter, and stepping around and over things. Two little piles can be plopped into one big pile, just as easy as can be, and then more piles added to that. I've always been this way. It has gotten to a point, however, that even I am finding it to be difficult to work efficiently. So I have taken one space - the desk area on my left as I sit here at the laptop, and I have tidied it up. I've put much of it in the trash (yay!), and I've put quite a lot in a more suitable place. For example, I had random spools of thread that just needed to be put on the shelf behind me. I had all manner of notepads and sticky notes; they are now contained in a basket dedicated only to note paper. I do expect it will take me a whole month to make any headway on this project, but one bit at a time will be my plan of attack.

Before

After

September is off to a good start, and I sure hope I can see most of those list items checked off come month's end. I hope your month is a productive one, too!

Happy Quilting, Friends!