Di Ford's Mystery Quilt 2014

So this finally arrived into our area and I had to buy a bucket of chicken wings and a fruit tray before I found it at our local fancy grocery store. I usually shop at the discount grocery store because it is cheaper but the fun food is across the street.  I have been eagerly looking for this issue since I saw the promos for Di Ford's new mystery quilt back in November.

I have been seeing the center medallion on line since late November and joined the facebook group in December where I have been drooling over the progress of many quilters around the world who had the foresight to pre-order the kits when they were available.

Di Ford Mystery Quilt 2014

 
 I purchased some dutch Chintz last summer in hopes of using it in the Love Entwined 1790's wedding quilt that I have not yet started because I could not decide on colours so I am still collecting the free patterns.

 However, I did buy some of the border print from Sentimental Stitches before Christmas because I could.

Now to decide on the colours. I will have to look into my new fabric purchase stash from last summer. I think I have enough for everything except the blues for the swags. But then they do not have to be blue do they?
But first I have to finish a course for school and then there is patient Dear Jane waiting . . . waiting . . . I actually woke up this morning dreaming about making 4 1/2 inch blocks in a very bright colour . . . then woke from my afternoon nap dreaming about Broderie Perse  leaves . . . sigh
Blessings,
Chris

WOW !

Its been a whole six months since I started this blog 

and I have had over 5000 page views 

and none of them are mine 

since I figured how to turn that off. 

So, 

 thank you to all of you who have been reading my ramblings

and looking at my pictures

and especially to those of you who have returned again and again. 

I really, really appreciate every one of you.

Blessings,

Chris

Ben Biggs Block #3

Cherry Wreath

This is block #3 of the free BOM from Sentimental Stitches and Dear Jane that I dared to start this year. it is a 26 month project. each month one of the 25 blocks will be released for free. Last month's block goes into the online store to be purchased. So, it pays to stay current. I am still scratching my head wondering how I will get these stems done with the machine applique I have chosen to do for this quilt. I have 30 days to get it figured out before the next block is released. You can find the pattern here:
  http://www.dearjane.com/just_takes_2.htm

Blessings,
Chris

Dear Jane Patiently Waiting

I was just walking through the hall to the quilt room when I chanced to see this sitting patiently in a pile. I had given a 15 minute presentation of  my quilt journey (which actually began 40 years ago) at my local quilt guild last week and I took DJ off the wall. She is not going back up there again until she is completely finished.  I put the suitcases away but there is still a pile of quilts waiting for me to return them to their proper places, like on beds.

What is it about seeing all these little blocks sewn together neatly with sashing that makes  me smile? Not the same feeling I had looking at it on the wall. It hung on the design wall for 2 1/2 years as I added blocks once in a while. I could sit here and look at it by the hour, enjoying the accomplishment, seeing the errors, plotting how I will teach it next time which will be in September.

At lunch today, I was just reminiscing about the fall of 2009 when I started making this quilt that was supposed to take 2 years. I had just returned from 3 weeks in India where we had dedicated the school for orphan children that my husband and I had donated, spoke at a women pastor's conference, dedicated wells and a lot of other interesting activities. The day after our return (my 13 year old red headed, blue eyed niece and I) house guests started arriving for our son's wedding. After all the guests left, I returned to fall classes for my second year at seminary and some routine blood work. My husband flew off to Wisconsin for a cattle show and the boiler on our furnace cracked as we joyfully started our first 10 DJ blocks. The doctor suggested that I might have had a heart attack since my heart enzymes were over 2000 (whatever that means). The following week was Thanksgiving and a major cattle show so I had to  milk cows morning and night for 5 days straight, had 6 new babies, broke 2 milking machines and I was judging the junior exhibits at one fair and canning at another. And it rained and rained. My husband flew out to visit our daughter and I had one assignment (among many) due  for New Testament History and Literature on how the author of the Di Vinci Code used sources to portray the historical Jesus in his novel. Needless to say, every time I picked up a book to read, I started crying - no idea why.  Went back to the doctor and she suggested that I should reduce stress in my life since my blood pressure rose for the first time ever from 102/70 to 139/86 whatever that means. So, I dropped out for the rest of the school year, slept for a week, eventually put in a new furnace, saw a cardiologist and a rheumatologist who both politely told me I was fat and so I took a Baltimore Applique course.
I have started 11 big quilt projects since then and only completed 2. Guess I should get busy. I could play the mind game of planning to complete 1 quilt this year - no wait - how about 1 per month - no - the ADHD will kick in and convince me that I could complete ALL of them this week . . . and its only Friday . . .

I milked cows this morning for the first time since mud last fall and I am feeling a bit giddy . . . the temperature SOARed here today to a sunny high of -17C and frozen water pipes.
Spring is only 20 days away.
Blessings,
Chris

CCCQ #19

This arrived into my inbox today a couple of days early so I have it prepped and ready to needleturn by hand. I like doing hand work even though it takes a while to get a block done.

CCCQ #19

I like to take several blocks along when I travel. That will happening in less than 3 weeks from now when I fly out to the east coast to visit my daughter for 2 weeks. Before then, I get to babysit both of the little girls together at the same time for several days. Not done that before. I usually get them one at a time. Devan is 9 months now and she comes over 2-3 days a week and Elly just turned 2. She usually comes to the farm if she is sick, otherwise she goes to day care every day. But march Break is coming and the daycare will be closed. I wonder if they are ready to try out the 2 antique toy sewing machines that I have here in the quilt room? Am I ready to bring either of them into the quilt room? Ava started "quilting" on the toy Singer machine when she was 3. She is now 6 and using the Bernina since it has needle down and 1/2 speed as well as fun embroidery stitches. She is going ice fishing with Daddy. She loves that. Got her own fishing poles. One for ice fishing and another for summer fishing.

Blessings,
Chris

Ben Biggs Block #2

This is the Benjamin Biggs Wedding Quilt originally made in the 1850s. It is being offered as a free Block of the Month by Sentimental Stitches and Dear Jane for the next 2 years.  It will not be a fast project, but I am doing it by machine applique so it will go much more quickly than doing it by hand. This will give me lots of time to make it since I have several other big projects on the go.

Benjamin Biggs Wedding Quilt

I am using a water soluble fusable web called Florianni. This is the first time I am using it and have to figure out how to iron it on and keep it there until I am finished. It will dissolve inside after it is washed.
I used it on block #1 and tried to machine applique the raw edge but, it was fraying noticeably and the florianni did not adhere to the fabric nicely. I first tried to do it with a polyester invisible thread but that was a disaster. Then I tried using a matching cotton thread using a narrow blind stitch. It still frayed. So, I got my machine cleaned and oiled and decided to start over. 

Ben Biggs Block #1 - Apple Pie Ridge Block

This is block #2. I am making it by machine applique since I want to master that technique. Having said that, I am learning that there are many ways of approaching machine applique. This time I turned under the edge and glued it under. It takes more time than raw edge, but has a nicer finish. I am taking a page from Sharon Peterson and using a very very narrow zigzag stitch in matching Coats dual purpose thread. So far it looks good.

Ben Biggs Block 2

So why am I making this absolutely stunningly beautiful reproduction quilt by machine you may ask? Because the Beyond the Cherry Trees Quilt pattern from the same site went on sale and I paid out real money for it and I plan to do that one by hand applique. It has more colours and I just love the name: Beyond the Cherry Trees. Sounds kind of romantic sort of. Will I start on it anytime soon? I do have enough fabric in my stash (except for the greens) and found no less than 5 bundles of background fabric that would be suitable.

I think there are over 300 cherries and 200 grapes in it. That might take a while. But I think I can use my GO cutter to short cut some of the cherries and leaves. Just saying . . . 

Blessings,

Chris