Joining Up

Melissa Corry is having a summer quilt along. The Summer Solstice Quilt Along. And I am joining her. Her blog is here. You should check it out and join up too.

Here is my fabric pull:

I am going to use a grey as my background. I just have to purchase that, but the rest is from my stash. I will use a Kona cotton grey, I think. So check it out and join us!

I think I can, I think I can

Sometimes I feel like that little engine and only if I keep "thinking I can" will I accomplish anything.  This is a tough work week for me and I am tired already, mentally as well as physically.  For my mental well being, I am trying to sew every spare minute I can.  So to that end, yesterday before I had to go to work, I got a couple of quilt tops finished.

The first one I got finished is my 36 Patch Quilt Along that I did with Crazy Mom Quilts this summer.  I am so glad to have it together and now I will begin piecing the back.  I already know what I want to do, so I just gotta do it.

The next one I finished is on my brother asked me to make for a special little girl on his wife's side of the family.  I had wanted to make a simple strip quilt, and that's how I started out.  But anyone who has quilted for awhile knows that sometimes a quilt wants what it wants and your best option it to go with it.  So this is what happened:

My strips needed a bit of something else, so I made some small strips going the other way and put them in.  This is good, I thought. I continued adding more strips and then WHAM! the quilt needed something else. So I gave it this:

Since there is a pinwheel print in it from Children at Play, it seemed to fit.  I like the scrapiness.  And then it seemed happy and fine with the progress.  I ended up with a thin green border and a larger pink border.  I measured all the leftover fabric and I think I have enough to piece the back without buying more fabric. YAY!

 I was also able to finish piecing these blocks and got the layout done.

And I did all of that in just about 3 hours before work.  So today when I got home, I pieced my October Birdie stitches block and started putting the hometown squares together.  Sewing soothes my mind and my soul somehow.  I can still think about problems, but they seem less urgent somehow and I feel calmer.

I hope you all get lots of sewing time this week so you can feel it too.
Have a great week.

The Journey Begins With a Single Stitch

my first quilt

Last week I got to thinking about my quilting Journey.  Now the quilt above is actually my second quilt.  My first quilt was a small 36 inch square wall hanging that took me about a year or so to complete.  This quilt is queen size and took just as long.  How did I get here?

I was long fascinated with quilts and how pretty and colorful they were.  I loved how they were made from scraps or old worn out clothing.  I always said I would like to make a quilt some day.

I began by checking out books from the local library on quilting.  At that time, there weren't a lot in the library.  Georgia Bonesteel had written a couple about her technique of lap quilting.  This is quilting blocks or small sections of a quilt separately and then later, putting them all together.  It makes quilting portable.  Since I thought all quilts were large bed size quilts, I thought this was a great idea.

I studied her method avidly for awhile and then finally drew on graph paper, my idea for a quilt.  We lived on Amelia Island then and so I had to wait until we drove to Jacksonville to shop for fabric.  I loved calicoes and there was only a Hancocks to shop at, so it was what I bought.

can you tell how worn it is?

I didn't prewash...the green bled.

my "signature"

I cut with a rotary cutter, since the technique was explained in the book.  I was able to make the blocks fairly quickly, sewing on a card table in the corner of our bedroom.  I used muslin for the back, and double the batting for a full "fluffy" feel and look.  I hand quilted each block and ended up adding the extra border to make it fit the bed.  By the time I finished it, I was worn out.  But happy to have done it.

Looking back, I can't believe I picked this design for a first quilt and all the other crazy things I did as a novice, with no one to ask whether It was right or even if it was possible.  That has been my method ever since, so when I say I am self taught, I mean it.

There were so many quilt blocks I wanted to make, so my next quilt was a sampler.

my signature in the block

another queen size

This was 3 years later (1996) and I had learned a lot and even taken a class or two to try out some techniques.  I also took a hand quilting class to learn to correctly do the hand quilting stitch.  Lordy when I think back to that first quilt and all I didn't know.

This is where my journey started and I am planning to document all my quilts with their full stories.  I think it will be nice to remember, any maybe some day someone else would like to know all this stuff. 

But now on to my weekend.  I finished one more block, did some yo yos and napkins.

I think this makes 18

I cut out lots more strips for blocks

I am saving the selvedges...planning a give away.

Now for the count: quilt along blocks-22
                               yo yos-171
                               napkins-89

Such good progress!  Have a great week.

Just Peachy

So one of the things I love to do when I'm not quilting, is to bake.  And when summer fruit is in season, why not?  So yesterday, I baked.  I bought a bunch of peaches on sale and all I could think of was pie.

before

after

 

It came out very nice.  And after dinner, we dug in, after adding some vanilla ice cream.

I did do a bit of sewing over the weekend.  I was able to get some more of my 36 patch blocks done for the quilt along  I am participating in.  I did a few yo-yos and then, because I have been wanting one, and I needed some instant gratification I made a mug rug. 

Now this flowery fabric I have had for a long time.  I am sure I bought it at my local quilt shop, but I have no idea when or who the designer or manufacturer are.  I do know I love it and have used it sparingly over the years.  I wish I could have a big piece of it, but I am sure I only bought a quarter yard at the time, maybe a fat quarter.

I love it!

So here is the progress on the  quilt along:

I have 5-6 more strip sets cut and ready so soon I will have more.  I need 36 blocks to make the size I want.  I am having so much fun with this project.  I am really taking a walk down memory lane with all the different fabrics I am using.  Some I haven't seen an 10 years or more!

A quick update on the yo-yos...I have 147 done!  And on the napkins for the wedding project I have 78 done and 19 more to go!  I think I might just make it.
Have a great week!