A Quick Finish!

I needed to make a baby quilt.  I didn't have time to figure anything out for it before I left home, so I went to a local quilt store in Texas and found a panel and some coordinating fabrics.  They didn't have enough coordinating fabrics, so I headed to the Hobby Lobby a few doors down and found a few more fabrics.  The quilt top is finished, waiting for me to go home and quilt it (it's hard to quilt something larger than a placemat on a hand crank sewing machine).  

finished quilt top

up close of the center panel

cute little bee's in the panel

fabrics I found to use with the panel

fabrics I will use for Faux piping binding

I have enough fabric left to make another baby quilt, if I go get another panel.  I do need more of the pink swirls (above) to make faux piping binding for the baby quilts.  I'll get both of those later today.  I bought a light pink minkee for the back of the baby quilt.  Once I get back home, it shouldn't take me very long to get this quilted.  

Radiant Suns

 My Treadle On group is having an advanced block exchange using the Radiant Suns pattern.

I finished all 48 blocks on Sunday.  I can't show all of the blocks because my design wall isn't large enough, but you can get the idea from the photo.  There are 48 blocks total.  The colors didn't come out very well in the photo.

my blocks that fit on my design wall

some of the blocks up close

Since the block exchange is with Treadle On, the blocks have to be made on either a treadle or a hand crank.  I used my 1927 Singer 15 hand crank to make my blocks.

stitching one of the blocks

1927 Singer 15 hand crank (at the MO TOGA)

I'm out of state, helping my mother after her knee replacement surgery, so I haven't been getting as much done as usual.  I made these blocks in just a few days (a few hours here, a few hours there..).  String piecing them made it much easier, as did using batiks, since the bias edge doesn't stretch as easily with batiks.  Curved piecing wasn't has hard as I thought it would be.  I just stitched slowly, and everything worked out well.

I still have to make signature blocks to go with each of the 48 blocks, but my scraps of batiks are at home, so that will have to wait.

Notebook Cover

One of the demo's from the Missouri TOGA was a notebook cover.  The pattern was Scrap Lab Notebook Cover from allpeoplequilt (free pattern).

I fussy cut some of my sewing themed fabrics for this notebook before I left home.  I think it turned out cute.

front, showing front pocket

I decided that the inside pockets could be the same, instead of different (like the pattern).  It sure saved fabric doing it my way.

front inside pocket

back inside pocket

Dorise told us how to add a piece of elastic to hold the notebook closed, if we wished to.  I added the elastic.  The elastic folds over the front, but when it isn't in use, it folds over the back, where it isn't seen.

elastic on the back of the notebook

If I were to make this again, I'd leave the batting out of it.  It makes it hard to sew thru all of the layers, and also to get the corners to turn nicely.  If I want it stiff, I'd just add some stiff fusible to the back of the cover.  

I'll be taking this to the hospital tomorrow, in case I need to take notes after mom's surgery.