A Girl Guide t-shirt and sashing quilt

In late November I was asked to do a special quilt for a women's granddaughter.  She is elderly and her eyesight is failing, so she could no longer quilt her own quilts.  That and her mid-arm set-up was broken.  She had been calling around trying to find someone to quilt her quilt for her, but people were either not interested or never called her back.

What made this quilt special to her, was that her granddaughter brought her a bunch of misc. t-shirts, swimsuits, a girl guide sashing and vest and asked her to do something with it.  Her granddaughter is in her late teens.  She really wanted to make her granddaughter happy.

This woman, now my customer, cut up all the various items and started to applique them onto a yellow background material.  The quilt was to fit a twin bed.  The top was set to read the Girl Guide group name with the sashing cut in half with half facing/pointing up and the other half facing down, so the badges would face in the right direction.  She even added iron on words to spell Girl Guides of Canada.  She sewed on the background fabric for the sides to fall down the side of the bed.  On these pieces, she added the t-shirts, shorts and swimsuits with labels facing upright.

She gave me this top with a flannel backing fabric and asked me to just quilt it with stippling.  I would normally do what the customer asked for, but in this case there was sooooo much background fabric, that I couldn't just stipple it.  Instead, I asked her if she would be ok, if I did some sort of grid design on it.  I drew out what I was thinking and she thought it was great.

Above is a section where I started the grid work.  I used the side seams as my guide and started with an echo line to define my grid area, and on the side panels, between the appliqued pieces I did some stippling.  Below is a picture of the echo line with one half grid work and the other half stippling.  You can also see the strap sewn into the seam of the two sides that is part of a t-shirt/camisole.   

She gave me this quilt with instructions that there was NO rush, that she was just very happy that she found someone to do it for her.  I told her that I did have other work that did have deadlines, as we were approaching Christmas, but she said again there was no rush.

Well, wouldn't you know it, she called me a week before Christmas and asks me how it was going and when I thought I might have her quilt quilted, as she had decided or hoped that she could give her granddaughter the quilt for Christmas....lol.  Never fails....

As it so happened, I had just loaded the top on the longarm the day before and was waiting for some time during my Christmas holiday to get started on it.  Because it was almost Christmas, I was very busy with shopping, cleaning, finishing the decorations, coordinating everything and dropping off other customer quilts.  I tell you it was crazy around here!  BUT add to that this quilt top that I now felt obligated to at least try and get done, before Christmas.

I worked on it daily for a couple or a few hours each night, until 11:00 pm most nights, after my full time job (who were asking for overtime due to the busy season...I did that too), plus trying to finish everything here at home.  Again I will tell you it was crazy around here....very crazy.

Christmas this year was on Tuesday.  Keep in mind too that even when the quilt top is quilted there is still the trimming and the binding to attach.  She called me again on the Thursday evening, asking if there was a chance it would be done.  I responded with, there was still a fair amount of work left, but that I felt strongly I would be able to deliver it to her, on the way to my Mother's house to finish a few things there, on Saturday afternoon/early evening.  She was so happy.  This would have left her with Sunday and Monday to put the binding on.

I worked on it, burning the midnight oil, as they say, and finished the quilting Friday evening (really it was the Saturday in the wee hours of the morning, but who's counting....).  I went to bed and in the regular hours of the morning, I trimmed the quilt, checked it over and took the time to bury all my starts and stops.  By afternoon I was finally done.  Wow!!!  That was tight!

I prefer not to have that happen again!  But I am sure it won't be the last time.....lol.

Enjoying a relaxing day of quilting

New Year's Eve I had the day to myself, to relax and enjoy the aftermath of the Christmas gift giving, dinners and family get togethers.  Later that evening I had to get ready for a New Year's Eve dinner and bringing in the New Year, next door at my niece & her husband's home, but for that morning and afternoon, I had it all to myself.  

Hubby was relaxing with his paper and something on tv, my daughter was working, my son had taken to sleeping in until past the noon hour and my four legged little girl was curled up on her bed, that I brought into my quilt studio, so she wouldn't feel alone.

So......I set up my tablet to play Bonnie Hunter's Quilt Cam reruns while I sat to sew.  I was feeling content and happy to finally get some real time to sew.

I worked on some more 6-point star hexagon blocks.  I am finding some of these blocks very colourful, you could even say loud (lol), but the more I make and put up on the design wall, the more it seems to work.  The loudness of each block, starts to blend in with their neighbours.  It may be a bit difficult to see what I mean in the picture below, as it was taken in the evening, so the colours are not quite true.

With the making of more 6-point star hexagon blocks, came the making of more 9-patches as my leader/enders.  This time I got 19 of them done.  Not too much, but still progress.  A little here, a little there and soon they will be done.

I look forward to seeing both of these quilts done.  For January I need to really try and finish the star blocks for the challenge.  I haven't even started my label for another older quilt, that I also have listed to be done for January.  

Yikes!  We have only begun January and already I feel like I am behind, though at this point, it is only in my mind.  I'll have to change my mindset.  I don't want to feel like I am constantly running to keep up, but that seems to be the way or the reason that I get so much done.  Lol, I cannot win, as I cannot have the best of both worlds.  Oh well.  I will try though....

Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) week 2 for 2019

Well...I know it's not Tuesday here, but it is in Australia.  That is where Sharon the hostess of Take a Stitch Tuesday lives....lol.  I was thrown off when I saw the email come in this evening, until it dawned on me.  

This is the second week of TAST.  Visit the site for full details here:  https://pintangle.com/2019/01/08/tast-week-2/

The stitch for week 2 of TAST is the Fly Stitch https://pintangle.com/2012/01/02/take-a-stitch-tuesday-week-1-2/ , my version is the blue stitches in the picture above.  I did four different sizes to check it out.  They can be combined, overlapped, made in a circle formation, plus lots more.  There are many uses for them, but most commonly you would see them to make stems for flower buds or pretty leaves when overlapped.  Fly stitch is also know as ‘Y’ stitch, and open loop stitch.

The stitch for week 2 of Beyond TAST is the Italian Border Stitch https://pintangle.com/2012/10/16/take-a-stitch-tuesday-week-41-3/ , my first version is the light green stitches.  This stitch is another variation of the fly stitch above.  They are usually closer together and instead of a stitch at the bottom/base of the "V" it is a single knot.  

My second version is a copy of what you will see when you go to the PinTangle site.  Sharon shows this variation as an option with beads.  This design is made up of 2 separate rows of Italian Border Stitch, almost meeting at the top tips of the "V", with just enough space to allow for a bead.  To me, it resembles a row of smocking.

I strongly suggest you check out the site, as my samples above, do not do this stitch justice.  There are many uses for it, which makes it another versatile stitch.

Enjoy.

Beginning the TAST and Beyond TAST challenge

Look what I started......  I have been gearing up to do a true crazy quilt with fancy stitches, lace, ribbons, beads and all.  I've wanted to do one for a long time, many years actually.  I just have too many quilts right now on the go, so I am still holding myself back from starting it.

Instead, I have decided to join the TAST and Beyond TAST Challenge, which is an online group.  The event is called "Take a Stitch Tuesday" and can be found at https://pintangle.com/2019/01/01/tast-week-1/ .   The moderator/hostess is Sharon Boggon.  Sharon is an expert needleworker and the author of her new book called Visual Guide to Crazy Quilting.  

This past week, Tuesday, New Year's Day, the first stitch came out.  The chain stitch is the first stitch for TAST https://pintangle.com/2012/02/20/take-a-stitch-tuesday-week-8-2/ .  Mine is the top row in the picture above, in orange.  The chain stitch is good for both straight or curved lines.

The stitch for Beyond TAST is the linked chain stitch https://pintangle.com/2014/01/21/take-a-stitch-tuesday-95-and-96-linked-chain-and-beaded-link-chain-stitch/ .  The linked chain stitch is an extended version on the chain stitch.  Mine is the middle row in pink.  When you are doing the linked chain stitch, it also gives you a second variation using beads.  Mine is the bottom row in the picture above, in yellow with blue beads.  I especially like this version and think I will incorporate it in my crazy quilt.

There will basically be two stitches each week, one from each challenge.  Shouldn't be too hard to keep up.  The first TAST is for beginners and the second one, Beyond TAST is for those who have some experience.  

This is going to be fun!!!  Why don't you join in?

American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge quilt for November

As mentioned in my last post, my schedule for November and December got a whole lot busier.  With my full time job asking for overtime, my own longarm quilting business picking up for the gift giving season, preparing for Christmas and finishing some last minute renos for my Mom.  I still found bits and pieces of time, to do some of my own sewing, but unfortunately writing posts got dropped.

I did try to remember to at least take pictures along the way to share on my blog.  This would be one of them.  For the month of November, this was my quilt for the American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge.  This quilt is one of Bonnie Hunter's patterns called Tumalo Trail.  I love the grid it makes across the quilt when completed.

This quilt is special to me.  The blocks for this quilt are mostly fabrics from men's shirts and some ladies' shirts.  I have been collecting these shirt for many years, from my husband, my brother, my son and nephews.  I even have some shirts coming from as far as St. Augustine near Labrador/Newfoundland from my aunt and Quebec from my sister-in-law's brother-in-law.  My sister's mother-in-law, who is currently the eldest in our immediate family, also contributed some of her shirting material from when she used to make her own shirts, back in the fifties and earlier.

Some of you may remember from a previous post, that this is where I left off.  I had, I believe, just over 300 nine-patches left to do.  I could assemble all the blocks.  Well life got so busy, that this is where I ended the month.  When December came around and the next quilt came up, I decided that I wanted to continue going with this one.  I may have gotten another fifty nine-patches, but that summed it up and where I am now.

I haven't put this quilt away yet, I haven't given up on getting it done. I am loving how the blocks are turning out and I'm anxious to see it completed.  Some of the men, who know I've started this quilt are asking who is getting it....lol.  I may have to come up with a time share system for the quilt for everyone who contributed......lol

3-way BOM Traditional version coming along

I am trying to catch up on the 3-way BOM for the Traditional version.  I have ten blocks of the twelve done.  The directions are all out for the complete quilt, but timing is key and my schedule for November and December got a whole lot busier. 

Now that the hustle of the Christmas season is done, once I put all the decorations away, things will settle down some and I will be able to get the last two blocks done and complete the top.

Here are the last four blocks that I completed, to get to this point.  I chose to do this quilt with four colours plus the background, but trying to use all the colours in all the blocks sometimes got difficult.  In the end some blocks just looked better with the two colours, so for these ones I may need to rearrange the layout of the blocks to separate the colours across the top.

This next block was an obvious for using all four colours.

Two more blocks to do.  I'm thinking I will try and get them done, in between working on my January's challenge quilt.  I will be able to practice the different quilting designs a bit, before actually finishing off the quilt.

January's 2019 American Patchwork and Quilting UFO Challenge

Today is the beginning of a new year for the American Patchwork & Quilting UFO challenge.  I look forward to another year.  Last year I completed 7 of 12 UFOs and that was great, as most of them were queen size.

For the month of January the number that was selected was #3.  My #3 is the reconstructed bright 6-point star quilt.  I purchased the top on eBay for less than $10 back in 2007.  The top was not completed and the top was more of a diamond shape than a rectangular quilt top, so I carefully took it all apart and recut the diamond shapes.  

I  started to put the diamonds together to form the hexagon shaped blocks, but soon found out that I did not have the skills needed to do the Y-seams at that time, or maybe it was the lack of patience.  Either way this project got put away for a while.  I took it out sometime later to try again, but again I was not pleased with the intersections of he Y-seams.

Since this is the number that has come up for the month of January, I am determined to give it another go.  As you can see from the picture above, I now have the skill level needed to do the Y-seams.  I think it looks good now.  The block lays flat. Yay!

I am starting out the month with these four blocks above, and I have another seventy-two more to do, plus eight half blocks.  In order to get the blocks done, with enough time to assemble the top, I have to make four blocks per day.  It sounds doable, but we all know how it usually turns out.,,,lol

I am determined though to give it my best!!!  Wish me luck.