Quilt-In @Farm Today

We had our first Quilt-In @ Farm and it was a lot of fun. I think 5 of us, if I can remember, joined in on facebook and chatted and stitched. Two were not able to join in because they did not have camera options on their devices. Must get that sorted out for next week. Yes, we will do it again next week but just for the morning. And all of us with little children at home had them visit us throughout the day.

I did some hand stitching prep work for several blocks for the Ella Maria Deacon QAL.
I am calling it Ella for short.

This pattern is from Gay at sentimentalstitches.
Four block patterns are released every month on the 15th and they cost $2.50 US.

I also am hand piecing this block for the Hand Piecing QAL book-club.

This is as far as I got with Louisa today.
I have lots to keep my hands occupied for Kathy's slow-sunday-stitching. and Monday and Tues and Wed and probably even Friday.

Blessings,
Chris

linking with:
quiltingismorefunthanhousework. design-wall-monday.  needleandthreadnetwork.  wednesday-wait-loss.  midweek-makers.  myquiltinfatuation.
wendysquiltsandmore. off-wall-friday

Quilt-In @ Farm

This Sat April 4 I am hosting a Quilt-In here at the Farm. I have invited all the friends on my Quilting @ Farm facebook group to join me in staying at home and quilting. We will be connecting on facebook chat live and doing our own thing in our own quilt rooms.

Once I gave myself permission to start making blocks for the Ella Maria Deacon Quilt, I was hesitant to actually get started. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush of the anticipation of wanting to start it that kept me wanting to start it. Maybe it's the wanting to complete my doctorate that has slowed me down. I have submitted 2 courses so far this year and 3 others on the go.

I have foundation patterns printed off and background fabrics chosen. After looking long and hard at the wonderful tone on tone cream fabric I was considering for the background, I think I might now use a variety of creamy prints and solids. I had to reprint the foundation patterns because I had printed them off at fit instead of actual. It is the difference between making the block the right size and being too small

This week I pre-washed some fabrics. I just like how they feel for hand applique. I had not intended to use turkey red or poison green or chrome yellow. There are a lot of those colours in the original. Instead, I plan to use softer reproduction colours. That stripe on top is for the sashing strips. I will use the lighter stripe and not the darker brown. I might add cornerstones.

Then I prepped several blocks so I could back baste the fabrics on ready to hand applique later.
This will be my project for Sat so I can sit at the computer desk all day and still be productive.

I told my friends to remember to comb their hair and that we can see everything behind them when on camera. PJs are totally appropriate. Well, appropriate ones are. We begin promptly at 9 am, assuming I get out of bed by then and comb my hair.

Blessings,
Chris

Linking with: needleandthreadnetwork.  off-wall-friday  frombolttobeauty. wendysquiltsandmore.

April 2020 OMG Goal

is to turn all this into a flimsy.

Now to reconcile all the corners. 
Each one will be unique.

Bottom Right Corner

Top Right Corner

Top Left Corner

Bottom Left Corner

Blessings,

Chris

Linking with: OMG,  wednesday-wait-loss, myquiltinfatuation. midweek-makers.
put-your-foot-down  frombolttobeauty.  wendysquiltsandmore. devotedquilter-tgiff.

Last of the Aqua Blocks

These are the last 7 teal/turquoise/aqua blocks

for my Bright Jane Sampler

bringing the total to 20. 

I have started making other simpler blocks 

instead of the complex ones in the original Quilt. 

I can do this. It is my quilt. 

Besides, I have already made every single one of those

169 blocks and 52 triangles and 4 corner kites

that Jane Stickle made.

That one on the far right still needs some appliqued circles.

I ordered some new circle gadgets. 

About 500 BTCT circles too late

but we will give it a try. 

And I accidentally made 2 of that star on the left.

One in aqua and one in green. 

I think I might just make a few more accidentally in every colour.

I wonder what the colour will be for April? 

Blessings,

Chris

linking with: superscrappy. needleandthreadnetwork.

March 2020 OMG Completion

My March goal for OMG was to complete the applique birds on these BTCT blocks. I know. It was such a simple goal but I have discovered that the hand applique that I have loved so much over the years is now hurting my fingers too much so I have been doing machine work instead.

Blessings,
Chris 

Linking with: elmstreetquilts.

Hand Piecing QAL

I cannot believe people do this for fun. Now I have done thousands of hours of hand applique, but this hand piecing is giving me a challenge. Like I need another challenge right now.
This process is hurting my hands. I realize that I am pushing the needle across instead of toward me and this makes a difference. I did prewash to soften the fabrics.

I am doing the on-point version because the birds fit into the shape better this way. These come from a Blackbird fabric from Moda that I got for some of the fussy cutting Broderie Perse that I have come to enjoy so much. I am using different fabrics than I usually use. I wanted different colours.

The dark teal above is Rambling Rose and the turquoise Atelier. Both from Moda.  The creamy background pin dot is a Di Ford-Hall fabric from Andover. It does not look quite so yellowy in reality.
I am thinking about a dark sashing to frame the blocks and maybe cornerstones. I will probably sew them together by machine but that is a few weeks away.

We have grandkids here in lock-down as they call it. March Break is officially over and the schools are closed for another 2 weeks but probably a lot longer than that. Living on the farm, we are normally socially distanced. We love it. We have lots of room to move around and the calendar tells us that Spring has officially arrived. The flowers are popping their heads up in the flower beds and the snow is pretty much gone, including the 2 inches we woke up to yesterday. I know it is spring because I have ants on my desk.

Blessings,
Chris
linking with: needleandthreadnetwork.  midweek-makers. myquiltinfatuation. elmstreetquilts.  frombolttobeauty.

A Few More Blocks

Eight teal blocks to add to the pile.

There are still 4 green and 5 pink, so 18 more blocks to go. For some reason, there was no red in the bundles. Either that or I found something else to do with the red fat quarter. I think I have 80 completed blocks.
This will either be a really big quilt or possibly 2 smaller ones. I am considering letting the little girls do the layout. If I make 2, then they can each design their own.
Linking up with Angela at so scrappy..
Blessings,
Chris
linking up with: oh-scrap.