Shipshewana Quilt Retreat Next Month

I am  packing my project boxes for the Shipshewana Retreat next month. It begins in just 5 weeks. I can hardly wait. The little boys will be home in their own home for 2 whole weeks and I get to play with my friends. How does one decide what projects to pack into a car and drive 7 hours into the next country 2 states from the border? Five whole days of stitching. I have limited space in my mid sized car with 2 others and their stuff and room for all our shopping.

I have my BTCT box for some hand work. This is the Beyond the Cherry Trees Quilt block of the month that sentimentalstitches  had a few  years ago. I bought the whole digital pattern and started in June 2014. I have 20 blocks complete. Five almost done and 2 not yet started. Then there will be the borders. Four of them. My OMG for this month is to complete these 3, then I will pull out the other 2 that are half done and get them ready to have some hand work for next month.

Dear-daughter-block-of-the-month launches this week. There are over 800 members in the facebook group. I rummaged through my fabric cupboard and came up with a whole bin of reproduction fabrics dated 1830s and 1840s. I am using a Kona Snow background because I have enough and years ago I bought the rest of the bolt of a blue print from one of the Sturbridge Village Blues collections I can use for the sashing.  There are broderie perse options here. Still undecided if I will do hand applique or raw edged machine applique.

I think I will be taking 2 machines. One for applique and one for piecing. I cannot sit at one for hours or days at a time but have to change up what I will be doing. I thought I could take a whole bunch of Bright Jane blocks. But all that foundation piecing takes its toll on my arthritic hands. My best to date total is 7 blocks in a day.

I had initially thought I would take the 150 Canadian Women box and see how many of those 6 inch blocks I could make. Still thinking about this since I only made a few blocks last year after cutting out lots of pieces with my GO cutter. There is no foundation piecing on this one. Have to find the box first.

I have all the machine applique to do on these Huguegnot Friendship Quilt . I am still considering using silk thread and doing a very simple straight stitch. Some doing these laser cut blocks are doing elaborate painting and machine embroidery. This is a "squirrel" quilt to be made quickly.

Not to forget my Morrell Quilt. I have all the saw-tooth blocks prepped with foundation patterns ready to go. I plan to add a few broderie perse appliques from Di Ford-Hall's Bally Hall Birds collection. The colours are perfect.

In the meantime, I have been machine quilting on my Dear Jane quilt this week. Not excited about how the thread tension is behaving. The Brother rebelled and would not drop its feed dogs nor pull all the bulk nicely. So, I switched over to the Bernina.

I bought tickets to see the musical "Half Stitched". It is a quilting themed story set in Shipshewana Amish country. I saw it a couple of years ago in Ohio with a bunch of Guernsey dairy farmers. One of the guys said he was watching me as I watched the show and he said I was having way too much fun. And I was. Really. This time I got us front row seats. Hope that is not too close. They had a whole array of antique quilts decorating the set but we were not allowed to touch any of them. Check it out here. 

Blessings,

Chris

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Needle Turned Hand Applique and a UFO

My goodness!!! Is it March already? How the time flies when we are having fun. It flies when we are busy too. Actually, it just keeps ticking away one second at a time regardless of what we are doing. I was away twice this week and got substantial progress on 3 of my BTCT blocks.

This bud or whatever you want to call it was supposed to be red on top of yellow like in the original. It was a bit challenging to figure out the sequence but I got it and it does look good. But then, the bottom of that one leaf missed getting tucked inside the wreath. That will be easy enough to fix.

More buds with reverse applique. I think that was the easiest part once I got to there. I made a small cut in the middle and stitched that first then did the ones on each side. I think I like the feel of turning the fabric in with the needle in this way better than from the outside.

This block is similar to the one above and simpler. I still have a few buds to add. I took my whole stitching box with me but forgot to check for bits of red or cream fabrics. I had lots of green.

Now, what more can I say about this block. That red marker will never come out. Dear Baby David got it on his shirt that day and his mom could not wash it out. So, there will be a little red bird. Soon. I also noticed a bit of red marker in the bottom left corner. It will depend on how much gets trimmed away when I square up the block.

The patchworktimes - 2018-ufo-challenge  ufo number for March is 8 and that is doable. Shades of Pemberly. I started this one in 2006 at a local quilt shop but it was one of 5 that I started that year and 1 of 4 that are still on my ufo list.

I have to decide pretty quickly if I will add some borders to this or not. Jane and Cassandra Austin had a lot of 70 degree diamonds surrounding theirs. I will think about it only until I have the top complete. It really should have something more. But what?  Stay tuned. I will post about it at the end of the month. And the picture is upsidedown.

Blessings,
Chris

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Time For Slow Stitching

Most days I am in a hurry to complete something.

 Anything. 

But that seldom happens except in my head. 

Today I am continuing work on my BTCT appliqued blocks. 

Yesterday I prepped a few more leaves using my new favourite back-basting technique. 

Why do I work on 3 or 4 blocks at a time? 

I usually take them along with me when I travel or visit my daughter for a few days. 

I prep similar elements like stems one time leaves another. 

These blocks all have many layers and it has been 

challenging to get them figured out in order. 

However,

 I did miss the instruction about the red flower with the yellow under it and made it green. 

I am not going to change it.

 I still have quite a few of these reverse applique buds to do. 

There are a lot of reverse applique buds on these 2 blocks. 

I was working on this block last weekend before all the grand children came over and little David found the red marker and was drawing beautiful pictures on the floor and rolls of masking tape that Devan had been using to make decorations. 

Grampa discovered him helping me with this block.

 If it does not wash out, I could add a bird or something to this spot. A red one.

My OMG for March will be to complete these 3 blocks. 

That is doable. 

Linking with slow sunday stitching.

Blessings,
Chris
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End of February 2018

We are at the end of another month. I did complete my OMG goal but not the 12 ufos for 2018. My plan was to machine quilt the 1857 Album Quilt. I got it layered and ready to go but then layered the Dear Jane Quilt while I had the 2 big tables together and had room. The next step was to dust off the machine, put in a new needle and test the tension. On the first try the top thread was too loose so I tightened it. Then tightened it again. I did samples for both. My intent was to begin some free motion quilting on the 1857 quilt but discovered that the feed dogs on my Brother would not drop. Sigh.
So move to plan B. I put in the walking foot and tested the tension on the Dear Jane sample and it was perfect. On the sample. When I moved the whole quilt under the needle and started to quilt, I found that instead of the 6 stitches to the inch I was expecting, I had about 60. The machine was not advancing the quilt. I thought about taking the machine in for servicing, but I did that a year ago when I was quilting up those 5 quilts that I took to Poland. I ended up using the Bernina for all of them. I had not used it all year except to assemble the 1857 quilt. I did not need the feed dogs for that so did not notice then.

So, I shall move the Bernina to the craft table here and get testing the tension. I still have 5 days this month but the little girls are coming over for the weekend and we all know how much work I will get done. Actually, my plan is to get them to help empty out the kitchen cupboards and read expiry dates and help me reorganize the cupboards after they are washed out. After all, I have 3 beautiful granddaughters who are all a bit OCD. Well, maybe more than a bit. The middle one is very thorough with a cleaning cloth. And the oldest knows how to read both in English and French. And the youngest is the most  . . .  Wait until she discovers that I have popcorn in that cupboard. She knows how to make it herself but always asks first. And there are several cake mixes. They all like making those.

Again, I did not get any RSC blocks made this month even though I have the fabric and foundation patterns ready to go. One thing that I did do was go through the box of kits for the Antique Wedding Sampler (AWS). I was looking for something in the fabric cupboard upstairs yesterday and ended up bringing the box down. I have been thinking about what I will take with me to the Shipshewana Retreat in April. I am going with a high school friend who also quilts. I spent a couple of hours photo copying insane small pieces for all the compass - star burst designs for several blocks onto heavy duty freezer paper. I am planning to do some EPP. At least that is the plan for now. I took the box back upstairs. Now I remember what I was looking for. Some left over background fabric for the Dear Jane quilt to use for a sample to test the tension. The little boys went home Wed night so I had an extra day to myself.

I have 27 / 36 blocks prepped for the Huguenot Friendship Quilt. Only 9 to go. I cannot be machine appliqueing and machine quilting or foundation piecing with the same machine on  3 quilts.

So I will put them all aside for a few days and get back to my hand applique. I prepped a few more buds and leaves and the bow on one of the blocks. I don't need a machine or big tables for this.

Maybe if I focus on just one of these blocks I could have something finished this month.

Blessings,
Chris

How In The World Am I To Quilt This Thing ???

My Feb one-monthly-goal was to get my first Dear Jane quilt 

layered and ready for quilting. 

Done.

From the beginning

I wanted to put on the scalloped border

in blue 

like the original.

Using  the scallop tutorial from Linda Franz for guidance,

I marked 5 inch scallops onto the 

 border before layering. 

I just used a pencil to mark what will eventually be the cutting line.

I hunted for years

then found this mini scallop ruler.

I do not remember where. 

It was easy to line up the 5 inch width on the inside curve

and 1/2 inch seam allowance. 

Then I looked at pictures of the original-jane-stickle-quilt

for quilting inspiration.  

I obsessed for  years about how to quilt this thing. 

At first, I was going to hand quilt it. 

I tried a sample but changed my mind since the background fabric 

is a high thread count with fine threads

and nearly impossible for my arthritic hands to push a needle through in a tight hoop.

Then I planned to machine quilt it 

but my machine quilting skills do not compare to some I have seen on-line

done to perfection  

quilted to death

 some quilt-as-you-go

and some 

well, a lot less than perfect. 

I want to be able to look at it in years to come and 

see the joy and satisfaction of the journey

not all the errors. 

Then I planned to quilt using Perle Cotton and 

big stitches and no hoop.

That was a disaster.

I could not push or pull the needle and thicker thread 

through with any ease. 

As I looked more closely at the original,

I see that Jane Stickle did not have perfect half inch

sashing strips framing each of the 169 

four and a half inch blocks in her quilt 

like mine do.

She ran her hand

 quilting stitches 

right through the middle of many of the

coping strips she used to make many of her blocks

finish at the 5 inches needed to make everything fit.

So, I pulled out the Brother and set up the big tables

in an L-shape with the craft table nestled in nicely. 

Took time to clean out the bit of lint,

put in a new needle, 

then tested the thread tension. 

For the life of me,

 I cannot remember the details of tread tension, 

so I pull out one of Harriet Hargrave's books 

and check one more time,

every time. 

Turns out that my top tension was too loose,

again. 

Something about little boys turning nobs.

Then the little girl grand children showed up for a sleepover 

and the little boys came the next day

and we celebrated a 6th birthday with 

pizza and cake. 

(To be continued)

Blessings,

Chris 

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Here a Stitch - There a Stitch - Everywhere a Stitch

I made the long drive once again to my daughter's last weekend with her and the boys after her week here at school. I had the privilege of babysitting, not once but twice, then the drive back through Toronto to not one but 2 dentist appointments with 2 little boys in tow. She had been in a car accident 2 years ago just before little David was born and has incredible pain in her jaw and face from the whip lash and they are trying to figure out what to do.
Jonathan went in with her for the first 2 hours and David and I found a parking spot across the street and we enjoyed each others company. He played with his tablet, had a snack, a drink, another snack another drink another snack, then some of his brothers drink then read books until Mom showed up, totally surprised that we sat there that whole time, then we went for lunch. I had intended to go for some groceries but he was so good. We did not really need anything but we did miss the eggs for breakfast today. oops.Them Mom took Jonathan and went back for her second appointment and an hour later we headed home to the farm. Little David sat in the car seat for 6 of the 7 hours we were out.

I had been stitching on these 2 BTCT blocks over the weekend trying to get to the wreath part so I could sit and stitch in the car without all that starting and stopping needed for all those wretched  beautiful little buds and leaves. They all go on in layers so I had to plan my approach before back-basting the circles on. I still have to do all the reverse applique on many buds, but that can be done after the wreaths are all stitched on. I had threaded 5 needles and did not have to pull out the scissors.
I still have to stitch on the center of the one below after I fix an oops where the stems and leaves come together on the lower right. Sigh.

I finally finished all the notes for one of my courses and am typing them all out now. Over the years, I have discovered that I prefer to hand write all my notes then type them into the computer and I edit as I go. It is slow but works for me. I got about 5 pages done last night and hope to complete the last few today if the boys both take naps. Yesterday the older one slept but the 2 year old did not.

We are covered in a fresh blanket of snow today but the sun should be out later tomorrow.
Blessings,
Chris

February Quilting Goals

I had a dream last night that I was binding a quilt

!!! . . . by hand . . . !!!

Haven't done that in so many years

I forget how far back. 

My Feb one-monthly-goal-february-goal-setting

plan

is to finally sandwich my first 

Dear Jane Quilt

and get it ready to hand quilt.

The patchworktimes 2018-ufo-challenge

number for Feb is 1 which is Serendipity

but I am working on that one monthly for the RSC.

So my focus will be to sandwich and

machine quilt the 1857 Album Quilt 

which is #2 on the list.

No promises that I will bind it by hand or machine.

This months RSC colour is purple

so Bright Jane might come out to play since

it is Feb and winter is half over. 

I am going away again this weekend 

so have 3 BTCT blocks prepped with more buds

and leaves

and 2 textbooks this time.

Blessings,

Chris