Forest green quilt top complete

A few days ago I needed to do a small quilt, to get something done.  I needed the satisfaction of having something accomplished.  I have been quilting all day and though it is coming along, it will still be some time before I can call it complete.

So....I pulled out a box that contained the squares to do this forest green quilt.  It is not much, but it is a finish.  At least to the quilting stage.

Someone give this to me to complete.  However, due to the poor workmanship, I had to take it all apart and recut the blocks to re-sew them back again.  I have a backing already.  Now it has to wait it's turn to be quilted along with three other small NICU quilts.  Wonder what quilting design I can practice on this on?

Now that I also cleared that off the design wall, I can get back to figuring out what to do with my 150th Canada birthday fabric.  I want to design a horizontal panel to be used as part of a backing, for my Canadian Northwind quilt.

But.........today, I have some work to do.  I have to get back to plastering the ceiling in the livingroom.  Fun, wow.....NOT!!

This is what is under my needle

I am working on my purple stars quilt.  I am trying to get this one ready for the show.  I loaded the quilt on Sunday and managed to get one and a half rows done, of a total of six rows.

I am using a 60 weight thread in a cream colour, so that I do not have to change out the thread with each colour in the blocks.  This colour will blend well with all the colours.  In the purple sections, depending on how light the purple is, you will barely see the quilting.   This way you will see the texture of the quilting, but the quilt pattern itself will be the focal point. 

In the purple star points, I quilted two ends of a twirly ribbon.

In the middle of the star, on the deeper green, I did a double half moon all the way around the block along each corner.

Not shown in the post is the corner unit of the star block, which is the chain for light green that goes from corner to corner.  In them, I did a loop chain, and in the cream colour background fabric I did loop-da-loop, also known as a cursive letter l or e depending on size.

It is coming along well.   Hopefully before long I will have it done and ready for binding and a label.

Finished quilting my Mom's Rick Rack Nines

I almost forgot to post about my finish from last weekend.  I finished quilting my Mom's Rick Rack Nines quilt from Bonnie Hunter's book, Adventures with Leaders and Enders.  My mom is still trying to use up all of her scraps, that she has from making clothing and household items.  She has since started making quilts and accumulating more fabrics from borders backings and bindings.

My mom saw how quickly I can get quilts put together when I go into my pre cut fabrics, similar to what Bonnie does, but with the sizes that work best for me and the types of quilts I make.  So, one day she decided to go through some of her fabrics, to cut pieces for her Texas Braid quilt, another one of Bonnie's patterns.  For that pattern you start out with 2" strips.  While doing it, I told her if she only had a little piece of the strip left, to cut it up into squares and put them aside.

She thought, ok, I can do that.  So she cut and cut and cut some more.  By the time she had the Texas Braid pieces all done, she also had more the half of these squares cut, but at that time she did not know what she was going to do with them.

When she came over to look through Bonnie's books that I had, she found this one.  It so happens to be in the same book as the Texas Braid quilt.

I didn't remember to take the quilt upstairs to get the whole quilt shot, but the first picture above shows a good portion of it.  The next picture below is a close up.  For this quilt I was practicing this curved design in all the nine patches and I did some ruler work for all the white square.  

I have to say that I am getting more comfortable with both free motion and ruler work on the longarm.  It is quite different than quilting on my domestic machine.

For the borders I did some more ruler work with my circle templates.  I had to use five circle sizes to complete each Baptist fan pattern.  I did the Baptist fan all the way around the border.  It looks pretty good and it helped take care of some of the fullness that was in the borders.

It's been pretty helpful that my mom has been letting me quilt her quilts for her.  I need to continue to practice different techniques and she lets me do whatever I want.  I think I have this free motion design down pat.  Next quilt is going to be my purple stars quilt, that is going into the upcoming quilt show.

There are a few new techniques I want to do on this one.  Just hoping I don't mess it up, being that it is going into the show and all.  Putting my quilts into the show is the best form of advertising there is.  People can actually see samples of my work.  Mom is putting some of her quilts, that I quilted for her in the show too.

Another one bits the dust

Another one bits the dust..........and now there are four.

This block finish is kind of funny.  You can find inspiration everywhere, you just have to pick up on the clues.  This one was a BIG clue.  I started off this morning taking care of emails catching up on Facebook and so forth.

While I was reading Facebook there was a post from American Patchwork, saying happy August.  It went on to ask if you have joint the challenge. The UFO (UnFinished Objects) challenge and saying that it wasn't too late to join.

I know I read about it, at the beginning of the year, I believe.  Basically, it was to make a list of twelve UFOs that you wanted to finish this year, and every month they would pick a number.  You would work on trying to finish the quilt that corresponded to that number.  That is about all I remember of it, but I thing there was more to it, like sending in your finish and stuff.

Anyways, this Facebook notice said August was number five.  I didn't sign up for the challenge when it started, as I had enough on my plate to deal with, but I did have a list of twelve quilts of my own.  So.........just for fun I got off my tablet and looked up my list, to see what I had listed for number five.

I bet you guessed it!  It was my Dresden plate quilt.  So I quickly finished my tea and got started on my block.  The challenge gave me a direction.  Another block now done and the other three are sewn down in the centre round.  Maybe I will take them up for the challenge of August.  It my help keep me focused.  I seem to be scattering all over the place again.

More Canadian Northwind blocks done

Periodically I have been working on my Canadian Northwind blocks.  A few here, a few there.  Last weekend I even got 16 of them done.  So, now I am half way done the blocks.  It's looking good on the design wall.  With every block, I am getting more motivated to getting it done.

Love the variety that I have going, even though this is only a two colour quilt.  Just red and white.

Yesterday I was working on the label for my Vintage Machine wall hanging that is going into the show.  I have two and a half rows complete and need three and a half more to go.  I am going to be working on that this morning, as it is a late start for me at work today.

Enjoy the day and make the most of it.

Converting a placemat pattern, top done

Since my last post, regarding this placemat, I finished the placemat portion of this little NICU quilt and scrounged around in my 1 1/2" blocks to come up with the first border section of blue and yellow blocks.  I added them to only the top and the bottom in order to make the quilt square.

Like a drawing or a colouring book, that has the black lines to outline the separate parts, I decided I wanted to do the same with these parts.  It also helped to make the quilt come up to the right size.  Once that was done I added the last border of 2" finished checkerboard squares in blue and gold to match the inside placemat.

All and all I think it turned out nice.  I like when I can make something pretty, with what I have on hand.  Now to quilt it, bind it and hand it in.

It was nice working on something for a special cause.  I also enjoyed just playing around and letting the process just happen, without a plan in advance.  I've had that placemat for a while.  Now it has found a home, in a quilt instead.  You could say the placemat graduated to a higher purpose.....lol.

Another Dresden plate block done

Another Dresden plate block done.  This means I only have five more to go.  Yay!  I am getting there.  

I've had a pretty busy schedule lately.  I have been able to slip some time in here and there, but haven't had much time to sit and write the posts to go with the pictures.  

I think that many people are in the same boat, during the summer.  Many are on vacation, away or at the cottage.  During the summer there are more get togethers, BBQ, gardens to maintain and always more of the renovations.  The days and nights are full, and before you know it the summer is done.

My kids remind me that the summer holidays are already halfway gone.  

Non-quilty related, I thought I would leave you with a hydrangea tree I have in my backyard.  The variation is called strawberry.  The blooms open as white, fade into pink and mature to a deep pink when the cooler whether comes.  Very pretty whenever it is in bloom in all the different stages.  This is what I look at, through the window, just outside my quilting room.

Enjoy what we have left of the summer!  Make it count.