Applique Tuesday

Another block of WIP #17 done. No more prepped ones.  Will need to try to do the next one. Wish me luck.

Some of This, Some of That Week 49

Not quite ready to machine sew. Can only sit 5 minutes with my bad leg not elevated.   The queen size quilt is too cumbersome to shift around for hand quilting, soI went looking for another hand stitching project. Although I have an embroidery WIP somewhere, I went toward hexies.  I've always wanted to make a scrappy hexagon quilt. However, I have a hard time just pulling out scrap pieces and making hexies and starting to put them together.  Just doesn't work for me.  I need more of a plan.  Karen H help!

So went thru my folders of quilts I'd like to make and found one that may work for this interim project.  I'm still going to use scraps but a more planned effort. I may even pull out a fat quarter or two, although I don't consider them scraps.  Here is the center I came up with:

In the destashing stats, I've used 3 1/4 yards for two baby quilts and 0.1 yard in scraps for these hexies above. What is 0.1 yard?  That's 15 inches. So my new YTD total is 93.55 yards  de-stashed. 

I'm linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching.  Did you get some done this week?  Link up with Kathy so we can all see. Blessings.

WIPs Be Gone Week 48

In looking for some more hand stitching, found my Anna's Garden, WIP #17.
I started this wall hanging about 3 years ago when I knew hardly anything about applique.  I prepped this block a long time ago and spent this last week hand appliqueing.  I learned I used way too much starch when attaching the pieces to the background. It made it hard to whip stitch in the seam fold. What order does one do the pieces?  Does one start on the edge and go inward so it's easier to hold? They had freezer paper behind most of them. Better to take them out as Kerry does at Simple Bird Applique.  Sometimes the least expected color of thread works best with an applique piece. Those gold needles are great for sliding through the fabric.

Any tips you'd like to pass on?  I'd love to read them. Leave me a comment.  I'm linking to Sarah's Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop?, Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, Amanda's Finish it up Friday,  and Lyn's BOMs Away because this block is actually done.  Off to take my evening meds.

WIPs Be Gone #16


This is a little mug rug from last year's Oct retreat.  Kind of a fold and sew patchwork.  You end up with a piece that has folds instead of seams showing - kind of easy because one is always sewing around the edge.  I had only the binding to bring back and be done.  What would have taken me 10 minutes on the machine took me five days in between resting and meds for the broken hip.  Little by little....  And look it has a lime scrap.  Could this qualify for working with lime on the RSC 2015?

What are you up to?  Would love to hear. As this is a hand stitched finish, I'll link up to Sarah's Can I get a Whoop, Whoop? and Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching .

In Only a Moment

Have I shown you this bag before?  I really can't remember right now. In only a moment it went from grocery bag to walker bag.  Yes, walker bag. I fell and broke my hip in two places.  I was shaking out a pair of DGS Alan's shoes so we could go on a walk, then turned and tripped on the threshold of our patio doors. Alan was right behind me about two feet and in order not to fall on top of him, I twisted to the right and took the full impact of the fall on my hip.

In only a moment the rest of the year has morphed into pain, surgery, coming home to recouperate.  The good news is that I don't have a cast, and the pain is manageable (because of my allergies to most pain meds or opiates - I"m only taking Extra Strength Tylenol).  I've been home from the hospital for about 18 hours and I'm so tired as if I'd work in the coal mines all day.  So I rest 15 minutes and move 15 minutes. LOL - today it took me 30 minutes to brush my teeth.  Needless to say, I won't be doing much driving or sewing as it was my right hip, and it's cumbersome moving in the sewing room (and I Don't want to fall). Prognosis is 3 months - yikes.  Oh well, what must be must be.  I'm hauling out my 26 year old WIP that I am handquilting and will work on that.  Its time has come.

Before I fell, I pulled out this quilt top I found in a container to be WIP #15. It has lime green sashing for the RSC 2015 challenge. Don't really have any lime green scraps even though I like the color.  I don't know if I will get anything done on it, probably not, but we'll see.  It's at least working with the color.

This all happened Friday the 13th, and no, I don't believe all that stuff.  For all those of you who've commented on my quilt show post  and WIPs Be Gone post, thank you.  I'm sure you understand that for a while my time online will be limited and I won't be able to reply very much ( this post has taken most of a day to do what with my limited energy - lol). Be right back - have to walk a bit or I will stiffen up.  But I'd still like to hear from you.  Though you won't notice, I'll be keeping up with you through Bloglovin' and Facebook.

Take care, happy quilting, and watch where you're stepping.
Blessings,
Angie in SoCal

WIPs Be Gone Week 46!

I checked the calendar and there are 53 weeks in 2015 because of when Jan 1st falls in 2016.  Only seven weeks left! Wow - where did the year go?  I've been finally getting down to quilting again and have actually worked on a WIP.  Here is #14:
This is a quilt nine years in the making. In fact I gave these 9 1/2" square to my then almost 4 year old grandson, William, and told him to lay them out in the order he wanted and he did. He even picked out the plaid to use as sashing.  This quilt was going to be for him.  Well, he's 13 now and not really interested in construction vehicles, so I'm giving it to his brother who turned five on Veteran's Day. The day before  Alan (the brother) came into the sewing room ( I thought he was watching Wild Kratts) and said, "I like this quilt. Can I have it?" So , I know he likes it.  I told him I'd have to check with the lady who wanted it made.  He's getting it Saturday at his party.  I just have to do the binding now, and that shouldn't take too long.  This has a Lightning McQueen and Mater flannel backing and flannel as batting.  I've learned a lot since I made this top so long ago - like it would have been better if I had used sashing blocks in the middle so the plaids wouldn't look so out of alignment, and better still if I had cut the side sashing on the lengthwise grain to match the crosswise cut pieces bordering the blocks.   I meandered around the vehicles
in the large blocks. Since I SITD all seams I then just quilted some FMQ in the border.  With two flannesl it's heavier than other quilts. I don't think the flannels will shift. I did prewash them.

I'm also quilting the baby quilt I showed you last week.  I'm using FMQ on that also.


What are you up to? Would love to see it, whether finished or WIP progress or an old post, or even about what is going on in your life - not necessarily quilty. Share your goodness. Linky below ends Monday, midnight.  I'm linking to Amanda's Finish it Up Friday, Sarah's Can I get a Whoop, Whoop?,  and Lizzie Lenard's FMQ Mavericks with this surely finished tomorrow WIP.

A Trunk Show--

Soma of Whims and Fancies is having a virtual trunk show. What a great idea! There are even prizes besides all the wonderful eye candy one can see.  Here are a few of mine:
First Quilt of Valor:
Quilted by another QOV volunteer.

 First Home of the Brave quilt
 Given to Don Beld to pass on to a soldier's family.

 First commission quilt I made. This was a baby quilt requested by my neighbor.

 First Service Star quilt for a family who at the time had three sons in the Service.

 First BOM quilt.  This was a Beth Ferrier mystery quilt. I made it for my daughter's 35th birthday.  It took me two years.

 First pillow cover I made.  Went to my Mom. She has it on her sofa.

 First cancer patient quilt.  I asked for blocks from my Guild for a fellow quilter. Then I took the blocks and made a top and quilted it. This was the first time I made a different border of my chosing.

You can see more trunk shows by going to Soma's link party here:
Online Quilt Trunk Show | Whims And Fancies

 Show and Shares are my favorite part of guild membership, and trunk show are my favorite lectures.  At Soma's I get to go see quilt collections any time I like!  Share with us. I'd love to see your quilts.

Not Exactly WIPs Be Gone

Winding down from our trip.  It's taking me longer to get back to normal.  The first day I slept 11 hours - lol.  Then the next day just dragged myself around the house. Yesterday, I started to unpack.
And WIPs? - Hardly stepped into the sewing room.  Finally, last night I did attach the last two borders to a baby quilt.
This block is called Seesaw Block. I enlarged it to 32" from an 8" block and then added 2" borders to get my 36" square for St. Anne's.  I like it but think the block units too big.  Will just have to do some FMQ on it.  I've decided that next year's blocks will have more pieces just so they won't have such large open spaces in them.

I have a favor to ask.  I'm looking for Quiltmania Issue #106.  It has a house quilt on the cover.  Does anyone have a copy they are willing to part with?  I'll pay $8.50 for it plus $3.50 for shipping. Please email me if you want to sell it.  I can pay you via PayPal. You'll find my email in my profile.

So, what are you up to?  Linky party below to share some of your eye candy.  I need a boost in that department, although I enjoyed going through all the categories of the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Thank you all for your kind comments and praise for my entry.  I was gone so didn't have a chance to reply what with the almost 200 emails I had to wade through when I returned.  I'm linking to Michelle's Let's Make Baby Quilts and others on the sidebar.  Blessings to you all as we start to get ready for the coming Holidays.

Some of This, Some of That

I'm back from my trip East to Metuchen, NJ.  What a great time we had.  It was cold (well by my standards - averages of 56-62 most days) and that's cold for me! Our goal was to spend my sister-in-law's birthday with her.  Her four adult kids hosted a great celebratory dinner at an Italian restaurant, Dominics. We were treated to an eight course meal and this beautiful cake:
Those flowers were actually made of icing - they were fabulous and tasted fabulous, too - not sweet and cloying as you sometimes get with that much frosting.  I loved this fabulously decorated chocolate birthday cake.

On the quilty side, I didn't pick up a needle in all the eight days I was gone.  I was going into withdrawls - lol.  I knew better than to take anything because this family group is very talkative and around all the time, so I knew I wouldn't get anything done but talk, eat and sleep. But here's a St. Anne's top I finished just before I left using the RSC 2015 blocks for October.
This will have a brown print as binding - a little unusual for a baby quilt, but I found a darling flannel sorry, no photo) for the back.  I'm linking to some of the linky parties in the sidebar.  Give them a try.  Blessings, friends.

SAHRR Round 5 and 6

  Ready to show rounds 5 and 6. Actually, the prompt for 5 was make 4 of something. So I chose four patch, and actually since that made my q...