Completed Quilts So Far in 2017

I was busy earlier this winter and spring completing five quilts that I took to Poland with me to give to my cousins as gifts. I made the right choice for colours. They were completely surprised and delightfully pleased.

This first one was made about 20 years ago but I misplaced the fabric for the backing and finally found it, pieced it together and sandwiched the quilt a few  years ago. I simply quilted curves diagonally starting with the corners. Robert and Krystyna love it.

This was one of the $10 quilts I had made blocks for several years ago. I bought a variety of blue and brown civil war reproduction fabrics in anticipation of completing. Ella loved it.

I had a different plan for this cousin, but my Sweet Farmer, in his great wisdom, said to quilt this one for Beata instead. I love this quilt. I used a variety of solid fabrics for crazy patch blocks and machine embroidered as many different designs as I could using variegated threads. I used the walking foot to straight stitch around the borders and sashing. Then, I made ties using some black perle cotton I found in one of the stuff drawers. The backing is a wide tan flannelette.

I have shown many pictures of this one since I started it in Shipshewana last November. Upon receiving it, Anya commented that she loved that it was a modern quilt. I had to chuckle since it is based on an antique quilt owned by Linda Collins. I started it at a workshop in Shipshewana. I believe there are 3248 pieces in this quilt. But who is counting?

Now this is the first quilt I thought about making when I had the idea more than a year ago to take quilts for my cousin  in Poland. This modern quilt was going to be perfect for a house that was decorated in basic black and white with zebra curtains and a touch of red. It is perfect - on their bed. Andrje and Ewa redid the living room with blues and yellows.

Here I used a variegated black and white thread and did large curves though each of the intersections. I like how the variegations look. I used a wide flannel backing.

 I think I deserve to start a brand new quilt. But I don't have time till May. Sigh.

Blessings,
Chris

linking with omg-one-monthly-goal
mid week makers
Moving it Forward Mondays
Let's Bee Social
Needle and Thread Thursday
needle and thread network
whoop-whoop

 

April Goals

How do we choose which project to start next? I have been busy this past month completing several quilts and thoughts of starting at least five new quilts  have been dancing through my head. I could not give in to them because I was on a mission to complete quilts.  I had to use the Bernina since the Brother machine messed up  and then I broke the acrylic darning foot from the Bernina. Fortunately, I had a metal one that I used to finish the free motion quilting for my 17-ufosin-2017 challenge. This month I will be working on beyond-the-cherry-trees-album-quilt. I am packing my bags to go to Poland to visit my family for Easter. She is not well. At 91 that is no surprise. I am taking 9 year old Ava with me. I plan to take some hand applique with me and at least one text book.

I have the entire pattern packet for the Caswell quilt from sentimental stitches in a box with fabrics and shirting  backgrounds waiting.

I also have all ten months of Susan Smith's stonefields-quilt-block-of-the-month that I bought when I was in Australia two years ago.  I have an old collection of fabrics and various backgrounds ready in a project box waiting until I get back from Poland. These have been pre-washed because they were so wrinkly from sitting in a few boxes for years.

After I get home I am going to babysit the little boy grand children for four days and doubt I will get much stitching done. But who knows, I won't get any done if I do not prep some blocks and take them along,  

I see so many interesting patterns and projects  in blogland and am tempted by many of them. I have at least 80 blogs on my blog list. Most post weekly, some monthly. And some days when I am avoiding doing any real work I will wander off on rabbit trails and see what else is out there to see. I follow lots of blogs that are doing some of the same projects I am doing so I can get encouraged. But right now it seems that they are over whelming me with so many options.

I started talking about how we choose which quilt to make next. I am drooling over  the  150+Canadian+Women weekly quilt-a-long.

And I have  been collecting the patterns while they are free to make this tribute to Canadian women as we celebrate our 150 birthday as a nation. I have fabric. I bought some of the Northcott collection at Lens Mill Store when everything with red in it was 25% off. I like sales. I spend more than $200 on fabric that day. And I already had some in my cupboard with the Canadian national anthem and some with maple leaves. It is going to be a spectacular quilt. I am only 57 blocks behind. But I have a plan. I will pull out the GO cutter and some dies with one inch and one and a half inch options and blitz them.  They are all pieced with none appliqued. I like applique, but have enough of that in project boxes.

How do I choose which quilt to make next? I usually jump in impulsively and blitz it for a while. Starting quilts is so much fun, but I have tasted what it is like to complete not one but 4 quilts this past month. I could put off starting anything new for a whole month and complete another one or two. Maybe. But I have a plane to catch  Friday and  . . .  the power just went off . . .

It was off for a couple of hours so we went to bed really early since it was dark and very quiet. Eventually we heard the furnace come on so knew the power was back on. I have a family wedding to go to today and it is overcast and gloomy this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out this afternoon.

I do not have to worry about what I will start next since I do not have time this week which will be filled with appointments like dentist, massage, chiropractor and the little boy grandchildren are coming for a sleepover just before we leave. But I do have to decide what my omg-one-monthly-goal  will be for April. I will try to complete one, just one BTCT block. 

The RSC colour this month is multicolour. Since I am doing this challenge with my Bright Jane  and there are no multi colour fabrics I plan to make more aqua blocks since I prepped a whole bunch that did not get made in Feb. 

Come back at the end of the month to see how I did.

(I just received news that my 91 year old aunt passed away last  night so we go in sadness)

Blessings, 

Chris

 linking up with needle and thread network  
 http://estheraliu.blogspot.ca/  

17-ufosin-2017 

omg-one-monthly-goal 

needle and thread thursday

confessions of a fabric addict

let's bee social 

sew fresh quilts  

rainbow scrap challenge

sunday slow stitching

 midweek-makers

moving it forward mondays 

March Finishes

There is something magical about trimming the borders on an almost finished quilt. 

I do it so rarely that I feel it. Well, I felt it four times this month. 

This magical trimming the edges thing.

Trimming Borders

I did the simple straight line stitching in the ditch around

the borders and sashing on this quilt.

But wasn't sure how to quilt those blocks. 

Then the thought popped into my head to do a simple spiral.

So I did. 

Machine Quilting

 I completed not one, not two, not three, but FOUR quilts this month.

My omg-one-monthly-goal 

was to finish only three.  
This makes four 17-ufosin-2017 
complete so far and I have worked on

three others. 

 Time to celebrate and start a couple new ones. 

Well, maybe just one. 

For now. 

I still have to do a few ties on the crazy patch on top.

Completed Quilts

I also made five Bright Jane blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

The power was out two different days and I had to do something 

that did not take electricity, so I prepped these blocks. 

I sewed them up another day. 

In the meantime, Devan came over to visit and 

removed all the wonder clips that were holding the bits together.

I still love her. 

Bright Jane

Not much Slow Stitching  

going on this month. 

But I did get just one more grape stitched on. 

One of those Devan added.

 

BTCT

And I finally and completely finished Simple Simon. 

 I did a simple straight machine quilting stitch 

 through all the white squares with the walking foot.

 I was so proud of myself, until . . .

Simple Simon

I found the oops block. 

Blessings,
Chris
linking up with needle and thread network  
 http://estheraliu.blogspot.ca/ 

OMG February

I can't believe I just wrote the word February. But if it is almost February, that means winter is almost half over. My OMG will be to machine quilt Simple Simon on my Brother. There will be a two inch border all around and a reddish binding.

And the  RSC colour for February is aqua or turquoise so now I can pick some Bright Jane blocks to work on for the next month.

Linking with
http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/p/omg-one-monthly-goal.html
http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/
http://estheraliu.blogspot.ca/

Blessings,
Chris

 

January 2017 OMG Finish

I did complete the Simple Simon top. This was one of the workshops Linda Collins gave at the Shipshewana Retreat in November. It took about two weeks longer than I had intended, but I did not plan to take the three hour drive my daughter three times in the past two weeks to help with the boys who were all sick and she was not getting any sleep. I did shush the baby each night and he even slept through the night twice in a row the day he turned one. But no more after I left.

Simple Simon Flimsy

I have yet another helper in the quilt room. Devan is three and a half and certainly has a mind of her own. It was her idea to put the blocks on the design wall. But this after I had suggested it and put the blocks on a chair in front of the empty wall and went to do something else in another room.

New Helper

She pushed the step thingy around herself and patted, not petted, the blocks to stay on. You pet the dog she told me. Okay. Now I know.

Miss Independence

Ta dah! She even pulled the antique princess feather block off the shelf to add it to her masterpiece. We had to (cringe) pin it on since it would not stick.

I back basted the wreath onto this BTCT block. This is the one I inadvertently pressed the markings off last week. I am stitching on this this weekend watching foot ball with my Sweet Farmer. Not that I care about foot ball (horrors) but I do like to spend time with my Sweetie. And why am I back basting the wreath? This way there will be no seam to join or connect.

BTCT Block # 9

Connecting to https://kathysquilts.blogspot.ca/  
http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.ca/2017/01/can-i-get-whoop-whoop-some-fun-projects.html 
omg-one-monthly-goal. 
 needle and thread network.
Esther's WOW 

Blessings,
Chris

17 ufos in 2017

Here is a new linky party. I like Parties. This sounds like fun. Choose 17 UFO's (unfinished objects). Make a list and post it. Then work on each of these projects throughout the year.

"The idea is to SUBSTANTIALLY PROGRESS 17 projects over the year and if that means a finish along the way, well that’s a bonus!"  https://pomegranateandchintz.wordpress.com/17-ufos-in-2017/

I was not exactly planning on working on 17 of my unfinished quilts, but I have many more than that number to choose from. And I cannot list new projects I have not yet started. Okay. So here goes:

1. Simple Simon - 2016
   
2. Brown Crazy Patch - 1994
   
3. $10 Civil War Blues - 2011
   
4. Crazy patch  2002.
5. $10 Civil War Stars - 2007
   
6. Disappearing 4-Patch - 2015
7. 1857 Album - 2016
   
8. Dear Jane 2009-2014
   
9. Serendipity - 2012
   
10. Beyond the Cherry Trees - 2014
    
11. Antique Wedding Sampler - 2015
    
12. Shades of Pemberly - 2006
13. Morrell - 2016
    
14. Think of  Me Dear One - 2010
15. Only2 - 2012 
    
16. Bright Jane - 2014
    
17. Ben Biggs - 2014
    

I plan to complete and quilt the first 7 on the list, begin to hand quilt Dear Jane and make some noticeable progress on the rest. Do you like my new helper putting blocks on the wall?

My omg-one-monthly-goal will be to complete Simple Simon since I did not quite finish it last month.

Blessings,
Chris

Simple Simon Progress

It looks like I will not meet my One Monthly Goal of completing this top this month. The little girls popped in yesterday for lunch with pizza in hand and begged to sleep over but no one had an overnight bag. Well! They all showed up later with over night bags and Chinese take out for supper. So that was the end of sewing for now. The two little ones were up early and helped Grampa in the barn and the older one slept in and had to be wakened for breakfast. Right now they are on a computer time out so two are in the kitchen painting and the youngest is in the quilt room gluing scraps of fabric to a piece of paper.

I got seven blocks sewn together yesterday and spent hours uploading photos.  I first learned how to chain piece and assemble blocks from Eleanor Burns and one of her Quilt in a Day books. That first log cabin quilt took me two years to make. In that time learned how to use a rotary cutter and ruler. Later I got a mat to put under them.
 

• First I laid out the 18 four patch units in order.

•  Flip row 2 back onto row 1

•  starting at the top, bring the first pair to the machine and sew together

• Chain piece all 6 units and sew off onto a scrap of fabric. I started using scraps for leaders and enders at least 15 years ago.

•  Lay the chained pieces back to make sure they are in the correct order.

•  flipping them top side up

•  Flip the last row back onto the middle row

•  Straighten and clip.

•  Chain piece then lay out to make sure all are in the correct order. Each block has different colours in random order. Except the top right and bottom left corners.

•  Next step is to join each row to the next one by flipping them right sides together

•  and clipping then sewing

•  then the next 2 rows

•  until all the rows are connected then press

•  and one more block is pinned to the wall

Twenty-one done and fifteen to go. I made a mistake with my calculations and need to prepare enough four patch units for four more blocks. Tomorrow. Maybe. The little boys will be arriving for a couple of days.

Blessings,
Gramma Kiss