First OMG Goal for 2018

This is a tough one to decide. But first, I want to thank Patty for hosting this one-monthly-goal Linky Party. I won the $25 gift certificate from fatquartershop.  My first goal will be to decide how to spend it. They have sales all the time. Will it be fabric? precuts? thread? a new fabric collection? Decisions decisions.

In the meantime,
Rainbow Scrap Challenge colour for January is light blue.  There is no light blue in my Dear Jane 2 quilt and the lightest blue I can find that I have not already used for Serendipity is this Jinny Beyer Pallet colour, so I will only be making one row of eight 3 inch flying geese.

Also,
the 2018-ufo-challenge  number is 10 so I should be working on this Biblical Blocks quilt that I want to complete this year, but there is so much to do on it and I am just finishing day 2 of 5 days of little grandchildren sleepovers. The parents all have to work or be in school and the school kids are still on Christmas holidays.


I had intended to switch this month's pick with the 1857 album and I just might



since I have a flimsy!!!!!

But then,
I just realized that it is the 300th birthday of the 1718 Coverlet that I started 3 years ago.
www.facebook.com/1718coverlet/
Why did I stop? I went to Australia, and a bunch of other places and was away 70 days that year, and started the first blocks of the Antique Wedding Sampler, was working on the Ben Biggs, GORF, BTCT, and trying to finish CCCQ. Oh yes, I was sick at least 5 different times with a  bronchial thing, was applying revisions to my book and had a new grandchild.

And why did I not put it on my ufo list for 2018??? I can still change that. Or will I?

Even though I had 17 in for a turkey dinner yesterday, I still found time to look over some of my ufo challenges for the coming year including putting Serendipity up on the design wall to see what blocks still have to be made and what colours  I have to choose from. I also took a few minutes to put in a few hand applique stitches on 3 BTCT blocks I had prepped back in Nov. Don't get too excited. I did not do much house work ahead of time and they helped set the tables, peel potatoes, brought salads and desserts AND washed up most of the dishes. I put all the bones on to simmer overnight and set them on the snow covered porch to chill at 6:30 this morning when the first of 5 grand children got up and the pot is still there probably frozen solid with the deep winter freeze here the past couple of weeks. 

We are having all our employees (at least 10) and most of our grand kids for our annual Maplehurst Farms staff Christmas party here tomorrow night. We order in pizza and play Pictionary to recall highlights from the past year and it is a lot of fun. There are little Paw Patrol pups, Chinese checker pieces, green tractors and cracker crumbs all over the house but, since all our grand children are somewhat OCD, we can get them to do all the pick up, vacuuming and maybe dusting if I remember to pull out the disposable duster thingies. My grandsons LOVE to vacuum and dust and the little girls are really over the top organizers. I could learn a thing or two from them. I can bribe reward them with pizza. 

So, yes, my OMG for this month will be to get that flying geese strip made for Serendipity. 

Blessings,

Chris

Linking with    one-monthly-goal  lovelaughquilt  mid week makers  BOMs Away  let's bee social  needle-and-thread-thursday  can I get a whoop-whoop  slow sunday stitching  needleandthreadnetwork  esther's WOW   patchworktimes 2018-ufo-challenge  pomegranateandchintz 2018-challenge/  

Love Entwinrd: 1790 Marriage Coverlet BOM

I first learned of this amazing coverlet in June 2013 and promptly joined the group and started collecting the free patterns for the next 18 months. I initially thought I would use many of the Morris fabrics that I have but thought they needed some more colours. I bought some bright prints that I saw used for some of the applique and Broderie Perse.  I obsessed about background fabric and bought a few rest-of-the-bolt options. I even considered taking the class when I was in Australia last year. Sigh.

 In the end, I never started the thing because I could not decide what colour to make that center mariner's compass. Now I have made one mariner's compass in my quilting journey, but this one is much more detailed. Speaking of details, quilters around the worked posted their progress and each one was more beautiful then the previous and I was still in a quandary. I could not decide so never actually started it. Instead, I started the CCCQ, Ben Biggs,  1718 Coverlet AWS, Dear Jane 2  BTCT, Morrell and 1857 Album and  GORF. However, I did complete my Dear Jane quilt and CCCQ.

And then it occurred to me that I could start with the next stages and add the center compass later since it is appliqued on. A logical thought I have is completing just one block per month per project. That is about 2 blocks per week. It also occurred to me that if I keep starting more quilts, the likelihood of actually completing them gets dimmer and dimmer. And then in the middle of the night I think about stopping work on ALL quilt projects and take a month to focus on other things, like completing the coursework for my doctorate. Remember that? It is self paced with no deadlines. In a week and a half, I am flying out to visit my daughter and the little boy grand babies and this time I am taking 8 year old Ava with me. I figure that she can entertain Jonathan, I can snuggle David and my daughter can get some rest. Maybe. 

1857 prep

I prepped a few more 1857 blocks and stitched down corner melons. These are going to look great when all 64 blocks are eventually connected. Some of those appliques have to be layered so I have the first 6 on the go. I finally moved a card table into the living room and have been stitching while watching tv with my Sweetie. Actually, I was home alone the other day, sick and bored spitless with no internet so watched some daytime tv sit coms. And finally found where to watch American idol since CTV did not pick it up this year.

1857 blocks in progess

 Another project this week has been machine quilting the Blue Roses quilt. So far, I have been stitching in the ditch around all those blocks using the walking foot. Not my favourite part of machine quilting. I moved two 8 foot tables to make an L and have the Brother machine in a craft table in the  middle so there is a flat surface. The tables support all that weight making it easier to move the quilt around.

Blue Roses

Another challenge I am in the middle of is the 40 Bags in 40 Days of getting rid of stuff. So far I have filled 7 really, really big bags with stuff from the back kitchen; got rid of the bread maker I never used and the juicer; several hundred quilt magazines are going out in this week's recycle bins and many items that have an expired best before date. Several bags of unused clothes and  finally threw out my barn clothes since I have been retired from that for more than 4 years. Whew! That's a lot of stuff. 

So now that I have had my rant, a cup of hot honey lemon and a reality check, I do not think I will start the LE BOM right now after all. Esther's progress on LE will be posted on her blog the first Friday of each month and I already belong to the facebook group so can follow along, again. 

Blessings,
Chris

Completed CCCQ

So, without further ado, here is my completed Chester County Criswell Quilt. It finishes about ( I forgot to measure) 79 inches square. The blocks are 12 inches and I put a 3 1/2 inch border all around.

Part of the fascination with this quilt is the numbers that popped out. The original was made in 1852 as a wedding quilt. I was born in 1952. It was made in Chester County Pennsylvania. My father's name was Chester. And Mar 9 showed up somewhere and that was his birthday.
  
I started the BOM a bit over 2 years ago and kept pace with 1 1/2 blocks per month for a total of 32 twelve inch blocks and one 24 inch center block. I decided to do needle-turned hand applique. I love how relaxing it is once you get into the rhythm of it.

I started the center block as I was planning my first trip to Poland in Sept 2013. By golly, that is exactly when I started this blog! I was listening to hours and hours of Polish lessons on-line as I stitched that center block. Then I prepped several blocks and took them with me to Poland to meet my father's family for the very first time. I stitched throughout my visit. My then 88 year old aunt asked me what I was doing. Stitching says I. Why do you do that? To keep from biting my nails I replied. What are you going to do with it when you finish? Check out my first visit.

Now, I start far more quilts  than I ever finish, but I was determined to complete this one. I only had 2 years to do that. It was on my second visit last year that I decided to complete it and give it to my aunt for her 90th birthday. At Christmas last year, I had all my family that came to celebrate here at the Farm sign their names and birth dates. That was 23 of us. One of my sisters living in England came to visit in June so she signed her name and those of her children and grand children. I added our parents names and machine quilted the thing in 2 days just before flying out to Poland 2 weeks ago. I used a gray on cream toile for the backing.

As the quilt was being presented to my our aunt, I told the story through an interpreter and then invited everyone at the party to sign their names also. 

She loves it.

Happy 90th birthday Ciocia Albina
Chris

Prepping Some Blocks for Slow Stitching

 I had another day home alone last Saturday and cannot for the life of me remember what I did all day. I recall that it rained. And then 2 of the little girl grand children came over for a sleep over. That was exciting and exhausting. I submitted the revised manuscript to my editor Friday and now await the next editing round.
Now I recall what I did all day. I completed the machine quilting in GORF blocks. But something is not right with the tension. It was good on the block I did a year ago but different since it was in for repairs for 3 months. I had to re-draw all the lines because they all disappeared with the humidity.
 

GORF Machine Quilt as You Go

 I am trying to do a bit of hand applique every day. Not much, but some. With the completion of all the blocks for the CCCQ, I ran out of prepped blocks, so I am prepping a whole bunch of them right now before I remember something more important that I should be doing.

 This is one of the Antique Wedding Sampler blocks. I chose this one since it had large leaves that were easy to prep. I will eventually find myself having to deal with a lot of tiny pieces but not right now. I signed up for the Block of the Month from Homestead Hearth and they have sent me 13 kits so far. The fabric in the background is the first print that was sent out for the broderie perse. The colours are beautiful and blend nicely with the different colours in the kits. However, the design does not lend itself well for cutting out a variety of interesting motifs to applique onto the blocks. There was a huge outcry in cyberspace and HH sent out a replacement fabric 

AWS block # 5

 I have been giving serious thought to using this fabric for the setting triangles instead of doing the broderie perse there. We shall see. I do not yet know what HH will send for the sashing strips.

 In the meantime, block #1 has the blue circles cut out but not yet stitched in place. I think I will try Karen Kaye Buckley's method since I have had her circles for years. I had to track down a can of spray starch. I had tried the method before with sizing and Best Press but it was not working for me. Need to figure it out and practice. 

AWS Block # 1

 I had cut out the leaves here for block 9, again, because they were large and easy, hoping for a serendipity effect. The fabric behind it is the replacement fabric, Mary Koval's Tree of Life. It is quite a bit brighter in colour. So far, the greens and oranges have not shown up in the kits. Not sure if they will,. I think I will  wait awhile before getting to the broderie perse. Actually, right now it scares me and I am afraid to make a mistake. Sounds kind of silly I know.  The design elements here are more varied and looks like lots of potential.

AWS Block # 9

 I have not done any work on BTCT since my trip to Australia. I had run out of prepared blocks so I prepped the vase for block # 15. I had been collecting Jinny Beyer border prints for a number of years in anticipation of making one the quilts in her book. Did I mention that I met her at the AQC in Australia? Forgetful me. I had my camera but did not remember to take it out and take some pictures of anything at the quilt show. This one has the correct reds in it and a tiny splash of orange. I had tried to do this block with a red stripy civil war print hoping to mimic the tattered and faded original, but it did not look right so I started again. I hope it is not too formal and intimidating for the rest of the block. If it is, I might have to simplify the flowers that will be layered into this.
 

BTCT Block # 15

 I cut out the vase out of freezer paper then ironed it onto the top of the fabric, then traced around it with a chalk pencil. Cut it out leaving a scant 1/4 inch all around. Hope I don't regret this. Usually I cut it out much bigger then trim away as I am stitching. But this time I wanted to make sure that the design is perfectly centered all around.

BTCT Block # 15

Ta-da! It was fun trying out different options.

BTCT Block # 15

It is the time of year for our National Guernsey Cattle Show which is held at the local fairgrounds just 2 miles up the road from our farm. My Sweet Farmer has been clipping cows for more than a week now in preparation. We will be taking about 18 or 20 animals. One had a baby last night so she will be staying home. She had her baby at the fairgrounds last year. I still have some planning for the display that we always do to promote our cows and farm.

Autumn blessings,
Chris

Home Alone

I am home alone today for the whole day all by myself with only me and no where that I am supposed to be but here. I checked messages and emails, had a long phone conversation with my daughter. Jonathan climbed up into his own high chair today to mom's total surprise and he also climbed up onto the top bunk in the spare room. He is 15 months old. The cats are no longer safe up there away from the little boy who just wants to love them.

I was supposed to be writing on Wed and managed to clear out and re-organize the book shelf behind the door in the quilt room. I still have writing to do, but I am home alone. Yesterday I drove an hour to judge canning at a fall fair. That's where my Sweet Husband is today. Showing cows. He has lots of help this time so I stayed home alone. Last night he was hosting a 4-H Crop club that he has been leading for 42 years, so I did the house cleaning all by myself after I came home from judging. The girl that came in to clean for the summer has gone back to school, so I have to do my own cleaning. It didn't kill me. But I was tired so stitched last night instead of writing.

I have Q@F tomorrow and my GORF girls will begin their machine applique, so I have to have the room ready for that. But I am home alone and no one here to remind me to do anything, so I decided to prep an AWS block.

I traced the pattern for Block # 9 onto freezer paper and decided to just fold the fabric in fours and iron on the leaf then cut it out. Lets go with the serendipity effect. Sounds simple. I like simple.

There will be no drawn on stitching line. I will just needle turn the edges as I go. So what are the chances of just folding the fabric over twice and cutting out 4 shapes at the same time and getting 3 of them almost identical and the fourth not?

Also, I thought it would be a good time to impulsively pre-wash some white background fabric for BTCT so I can cut out the 4 borders and 2 extra squares since I messed up a couple as well as the border fabric for CCCQ.

It was a good idea until . . .

 I took it out of the washing machine and found this . . .

It appears that living on a farm, in the country, using well water for 120 cows, in this incredible heat, with the well running dry several times a day trying to keep up with the demand . . .

. . . but it turned cooler and there is lots of water . . .

. . . but there is also lots of sand in the water. . .

So, I pulled out the white fabric and rinsed it out in the kitchen sink, which was clean since I did house work yesterday.  And this is what was left in the sink.

I get the hint. Don't clean house  Get back to the writing . . . even if I am home alone.


Blessings,
Chris

Life After CCCQ

 And here she is!!! Well, almost. I still want to attach a narrow border around the outside from the same fabric as the background before quilting. Somehow I ended up with more red blocks than green blocks.

Completed CCCQ Top

 I have this 72 inch by 18 inch ironing board thingy that I lay on top of my table. It makes it easier to lay out a quilt top to press. I so carefully pinned all the seams to go alternating directions and only missed one. Oh well.

The last CCCQ block was not yet cool after pressing, when my hands were itching to do some more applique. Well, maybe I was avoiding doing something that I should have been doing like completing the re-write on my book before submitting it back to the editor tomorrow.

This is block #1 of Di Ford's Antique Wedding Sample. I joined the block of the month group with homestead hearth last winter. Because I live outside the USA, I get 2 months of blocks (4 instead of 2) mailed out every other month. Not the best plan for continuity. I started the first block before I left for my trip to Australia back in April. My goodness! That was nearly 5 months ago.

 I have had very little experience with hand piecing. In the past, my hands did not like it, but this time it was okay. The patterns and directions given for these blocks are in Di Ford's book Primarily Patchwork. It is not for the faint of heart or a total newbie because there is so much here that I have to figure out for myself. 
 Like, where is the pattern for the center circle? There is none. I reversed appliqued the center and did not get it very round.

It looks less bad on point, which is how all the blocks will be when set together. I will have to remember this when I fussy cut some of the center motifs. There will be a center broderie perse applique there when I eventually decide which chintz fabric I will use. They sent 2 different ones neither of which matches so far.

Those brown star points stick out past the circle.

After I cut out all the pieces and had them half stitched together, I wondered if I could have cut that circle out as one whole piece, but was not going to start over. I got 2 out of 3 points stitched down pointy. Now to get the others done pointy.

 Appliqueing that down was tricky. I had to turn under the seam without catching the seam from the brown star point. I took this next picture with the light shining through it. Perhaps next time I should pay closer attention the pressing the seams to get them out of the way on both sides.

There is still lots more to do on this block. In the meantime, a couple of months ago, I had cut out the first motif for block # 5 because they were big and easy. One of those leaf tips is right on the selvage. Oops.

 Problem here is, there were 2 different pictures of this block in the book. One had the leaves all going in the same direction and the other had 2 reversed. Looks like I cut 2 reversed. They will be on point when set into the quilt.

 My oldest granddaughter Ava, who is nearly 8, was visiting and her daddy insisted that Gramma help her make some needle craft thing for the local fall fair coming in 2 weeks.

 So, we started to make a pillow case. Gramma cut, she pinned and sewed and we both pressed. Well, she pressed and I had my hand over hers on the iron since it was her first time and that thing is hot. She knows now. She touched it by accident. Ouch!

Blessings,
Gramma Chris

And Just Like That

 all 33 CCCQ blocks are completed

It took 2 years. I signed on at the start of year 2 of a 3 year BOM. The blocks were released 1 per month and I tried to keep pace as well as catch up the first 12 blocks. I tried several different approaches to the applique and eventually settled in with tracing the design onto the top of the fabric with a frxion pen and needle turning the edges under. There was a lot to learn and skills to perfect with all the inny and outy curves. I found myself doing at least 12 stitches to the inch in most areas and more in those tight inny curves. Those stitches will last a lifetime. I know. I made some mistakes and tried to unstitch and they did not want to let go easily.

CCCQ Block # 33

I did not realize that I had not centered the design onto the background. Oops. I guess this will just add to the whimsical charm of this reproduction quilt. The journey is not over yet as I still have to decide how I am going to quilt it. The original quilting was outlining each block design and a quarter inch in from the seam on each block.  The quilt will finish at 72 inches square.
Because I have a specific plan and timeline, I want to machine quilt it. The original did not have any borders. I might add a simple narrow one to make it easier to handle without stretching out the edges.

Blessings,
Chris

Last Block for CCCQ in Progress

This is the final block for CCCQ. I have been working on it for several days now. It is probably the most challenging of the entire 33 blocks in the quilt and Sharon saved it for last. I suppose if it had been first, I may not have made it this far. There are 8 of those whirly gig things on the block. I am doing needle turned hand applique and this is the ultimate in reverse applique and perseverance. I had traced the design onto the fabric with a frixion pen then stitched the zig zaggy outside first, then the center circle. So far so good. Then I did the reverse appliqued jelly beans around the center circle. Okay. Got that done. 

CCCQ block #12

But how do I approach the next step? I cut out a bit of the center of each quadrant, clipped the curved seam and into the tight corners. Then, as I began stitching, I realized that it was a mistake to cut into all 4 sides. The middle strips moved around and I had quite a time of it trying to keep them in place. 

So, next time I cut out a tiny triangle in 1 section at a time. Crossed under the center and did the opposite one. This worked much better. I have 4 1/2 done and only 3 1/2 to go.

Will I miss this thing when I am done? Not sure. I am using some of the same fabrics for the Ben Biggs quilt. Block # 21 was released on Sept 1 and, since I was so far behind, I just printed it of, traced and cut out the fuseable wash away shapes, ironed them onto the back of the fabrics, glued under the seam allowances and then machine appliqued them into place, all in about an hour.

I have also been working on Beyond the Cherry Trees in reds and greens, but different ones. And, my GORF quilt is in Civil War reds and greens. So, no I will not have time to miss working with reds and greens for a while. But I am not quite done with CCCQ yet.

Blessings,
Chris

And Another One is Done

Crazy thing happened to blogger tonight. All my stats have disappeared. I wonder why. Maybe posting twice in the same day was over load. Numbers keep us left brain function people checking things out all the time and then some more.

CCCQ Block # 12

Maybe by the time I quilt this and its washed, no one will notice that the wreath is not perfectly round.

Blessings,
Chris

CCCQ Block # 12

Almost done

CCCQ block # 12

Not too excited about the outcome of those very tiny little reverse applique rose buds. I should have it completed today. I am hosting and teaching the Second GORF retreat here starting today with dill pickle soup for lunch.
I remembered the potatoes this time. 

GORF Blessings,

Chris 

And Still More Work On CCCQ

This is what I have been working on for the past 2 days. I listened to no less than 9 lectures and kept my hands busy as well as doing the required test for the Ethics course I am presently working on.
I did not like working with this particular fabric. It was hard to see the stitching lines that I drew on with a frixion pen and the fabric is quite soft and moved around more than others I have worked with. But it is complete and not the worst looking block.

CCCQ Block # 32

 This next one is the last block released. It is challenging my skills. I did not enjoy making all those jelly beans. As a matter of fact, I found a whole jar of jelly beans that one of our granddaughters won at a picnic here at the farm last year. They had been put away so she would not eat them all at once. Humph. I ate some the other day and had a dreadfully upset stomach, so made sure the rest of the jar went out with the trash yesterday. I think they look more like tiny hamburgers. Or maybe yoyos.

CCCQ Block #33

There will be 7 more of those round thingies reverse appliqued after I finish that first one. Not as daunting as it might have been at first thought, but then, I did have my mind engaged in ethical issues while  my hands were busy stitching.

I can't believe that I am almost done blessings,
Chris

And More Work On CCCQ

 I completed another CCCQ block. That leaves only 3 more to go and they are all in process. On Sunday  I took time to lay all the blocks out on the design wall in order then stacked them up. And because I was avoiding doing some homework, I started squaring them up to a nice neat 12.5 inches. The center block is supposed to finish at 24 inches. I hope I got it correct.

 I love using the great big cutter, but need to be more careful next time.

Three year old Elly is learning to use the really, really, really sharp Dear  Jane scissors. She will be totally spoiled for cutting when she enters junior kindergarten in 2 years time. 

And Devan loved the new game of putting all the pins in the pumpkin pin cushion. We did not leave any pins behind but we did get caught eating cookies in the family room. Mommy found a few crumbs we missed. Oops.

There is an invitation to a new QAL. I impulsively signed up and bought the pattern at 12:17 this morning. I have more than enough left over fabric from both CCCQ and Ben Biggs so will not have to buy any if I decide to go with those colours and I even have background fabric. Now to decide which size I want to make it? 9,16 or 20 inch blocks? I like the idea of reproducing original antique quilts. But I also jumped on board with  hugs 'n kisses  for an EPP QAL

There was a noisy murder of crows hanging out in the back yard this morning. What a racket!
Fall will soon be here Blessings,
Chris

A Bit of Work on CCCQ

I finally had a whole evening babysitting just the 2 little girls at their own house the other night. The 7 year old is away at her aunt's for 2 weeks and Mommy and Daddy are getting back into a routine with hockey. The past month was topsy turvey for them with the move to a new house in a new city. The distance from the Farm is exactly the same but in the other direction. It was easier to have them come to the Farm as they are settling in..

Three and a half year old Elly tried out Gramma's sharp scissors for the first time. I was so proud of her. I did not have my camera along to document the journey. Too bad. I gave her a scrap of red fabric and, using both hands, she cut it into a thousand tiny pieces then picked up every one that fell onto the family room carpet. In the meantime, two year old Devan was content to take all the pins out of my applique square. I counted before to make sure I go them all back. She picked up all the ones that fell onto the carpet. Then she put away all her princess toys and informed me that the tiny cup belonged in the lego box. Now I know.

CCCQ # 31

 I got one more CCCQ block complete leaving only 4 more to go. Not sure why I chose cheddar for this block other than I could.

CCCQ # 12

This is the only wreath design in the quilt. It kind of scared me off for a while with the reverse applique inside those buds. So now I am getting practiced up for the jelly beans in the last block.

Babysitting at their house now includes the dog who is not supposed to be on the couch, but I'm not going to tell him that. He ended up laying at my feet for 3 hours as I sat up to the new kitchen counter on a stool to do some serious stitching and even wrote a few pages of notes for various projects that I have been neglecting. That's where the light was best. 

Summer's almost over and the cricketts are singing Blessings,
Chris

Life After House Guests

CCCQ # 31

The last of the house guests left early this morning when I took our daughter, son-in-law and the miracle grandson to the airport for an early morning flight back to New Brunswick. I  may not see them now until January when the newest grandbaby is due. But who knows, I may fly out to visit them later this fall. Maybe. I am planning a trip to Poland in December for my aunt's 90th birthday and  in November I am going to the Just Takes 2 quilt retreat in Shipshewana in  Indiana. And I will be leading another woman's small group Bible study for church this fall. Also, yesterday I set the date and am drawing up the plans for a new beginner's quilt group at the Farm twice a month staring in October.

I was looking at the 2015 goals list to see how I am doing so far. I have not been able to focus on school work and writing the two extra chapters for my book. That means the release date may not be before Christmas  now. We shall see. I have done very little applique lately since I had the little girl grandchildren here overnight often instead of babysitting at their house. So, since I will be babysitting at their house tomorrow, I think I can plan for at least 4 hours of me time to get going on the final CCCQ blocks.

I have a GORF retreat booked here in two weeks. I still have not completed mine. So much for the "real fast". I can work on it while the new girls are making theirs as I demonstrate how to do the raw edged applique.

Full of Optimism Blessings,
Chris

200th Blog Post and a Give Away

I have reached a milestone with 200 blog posts in the almost 2 years since I started blogging. What a journey that has been. I looked through some of my bookshelves and picked out 4 books that have been great reads but it isn't likely that I will ever make any of the projects in them. So I will share. In order to win, please leave a comment telling me which book you would choose if your name is drawn. It would be fun to see names from each of the 6 continents that I see on my stats page and each of the many countries around the world where readers of my blog come from. The draw will take place in 2 weeks.

Bed and Breakfast Quilts by Mimi Dietrich

 

Dutch Treat by Judy Garden

Threads from the 30's by Nancy J Martin

Fancy Applique by Elly Sienliewicz

My 5 week quilting drought has ended as I prepped CCCQ block 27 yesterday. I had to cut out 3 more background blocks since I gave away 2 and messed up one when I first started this block of the month nearly 2 years ago. This block came with some detailed instructions on the order to prepare the little bits. I started with this little tooth comb shaped flower by pinning it along the stem where it will sit under the stem. The teeth finish at about 1 cm. So a bit tricky in stitching them in. I am not able to write beside each picture so just scroll down to see what I did.

The leaves. I traced around them with a frixion pen.

Placed the leaves over the stitched down comb.

I began the applique on the comb to make sure that it fit.

And that is as far as I got. Don't forget to post a comment for a chance to win one of the books above.
I am linking with quilting readers garden and slow stitching Sunday.

It's good to be appliqueing again Blessings,
Chris