August Stitching and Something NEW is Coming!

I went 40 days without sewing on a sewing machine.  I've been busy hand quilting instead.  Speaking of hand quilting, I'm now up to over 237 hours of quilting on this quilt so far (over 114 hours since July 11th of this year). 

I finally got up to my sewing room last weekend.  I needed to make exchange blocks.  I pulled out some matching sewing themed fabrics, and made enough HST's for 16 blocks.  I sewed a set together, and OOPS!  Silly me picked 2 fabrics with no contrast between them. 

no contrast

Nice fabrics, but I needed a nice contrast.  Oh well.  These will make some low volume blocks for some project down the road. I pulled some more fabrics, and started over.  Why do things like this happen when you are in a rush?  Here are the new blocks (16 in a stack).  These are for the Virtual River Rat TOGA (Treadle On Gathering & Academy). 

exchange blocks

I also needed to finish the last 4 blocks for my Spool Block exchange (also with Treadle On).

Spool blocks for exchange

I made a total of 37 blocks for this exchange, but I only needed to send 32 blocks.  I'm keeping the other 5 blocks.  Here are the rest of the blocks that I've made.

I finished the last 18 Striped Circle blocks (Woohoo!)  Now to get them sewn together.

Last Thursday was our grandson's 1st Birthday.  We Skyped with our son and his family to watch Korin open his presents from us.  During the Skype call, one of my son's friends (from junior high, etc.) came by with a cake for us from my son and his wife.

We're going to be grandparents for the 3rd time!  This baby isn't due till late April, so I have some time to make some quilts.

Hopefully I'll have more to show soon.  I have several quilts that need to be made in the next few weeks or before Christmas.  I also need to finish hand quilting, and bind the quilt that I've been working on since early July (actually since 2010).  And no, that isn't my oldest UFO.

Some Finishes, Some Progress and a Cutie!

I quilted 2 more baby quilts over the weekend, and got them bound, washed and delivered to the new babies on Wednesday.

Alphabet letters

blue Minkee backing

Monsters

up close of the monsters

polka dot backing

I still have one more baby quilt to quilt. 

I stitched more string blocks last week.  This time I made them the correct size and direction.  I didn't get them trimmed until today.  I already had 4 string blocks made (the correct size). 

28 string blocks

5 more string blocks

Now to start making the spool blocks for the exchange.  I think I figured out the math to make half size blocks with the strings that I stitched the wrong size. 

I also finished 8 more striped circle blocks.

Striped circles

I think I'm over half way done with these now.  These are my hand project that I stitch at work.  I usually get an hour a day to stitch.  I haven't been working every day since Covid, since my home health care client's wife hasn't been working very often.  I'm not needed if she is at home.  (More time to get my sewing done when I'm off).

Vicki over at Vicki's Crafts and Quilting has been knitting sweaters for kids.  I had her knit a sweater for my granddaughter.  My son sent photo's when the sweater arrived yesterday.

Gwendolynn in her new sweater

Gwendolynn making 'squishy face'

Yes, the sweater is large, but she can grow into it.  Since she lives in Alaska, she will get lots of wear out of the sweater.

Squirrel Stitching

I got distracted this morning with a 'squirrel' project.  Sew4Home offered the cutest pillow this morning in their newsletter.  They have some of the cutest projects.  This one is a Ukulele pillow.  I knew my grandkids would like a Ukulele pillow to play with.

I did do things just slightly different than their pattern called for.  Instead of cutting the interfacing, then ironing it on, I decided to iron interfacing to the material, then cut it.  I figured it might make the seam a bit stronger.  Also, I sewed the buttons on before I sewed the front and back pieces together.  It was just easier for me that way.

1927 Singer 15 hand crank

 I stitched this on one of my hand cranks.  Instead of using a zig zag stitch by machine on the brown felt parts, I hand stitched the blanket stitch on those two pieces.  I did use my Janome to stitch the strings.  I had never used the stitch that they recommended.  It worked great!

ironed, before stuffing it

finished Ukulele pillow

This was a fun project.  I was supposed to be hand quilting one of the Toilet Paper quilts today.  Oh well, I'll work on that quilt tomorrow.

Last week I did finish more of the striped circle blocks.  I now have 52 of these blocks.  Until last week, I hadn't stitched on those since March.  I only stitch on these blocks at work, and I only got to work 5 days in April (and I stitched on the TP quilts those days).

striped circles

I did make more of the black circles this week.  I ran out of them.  I still have lots more to make. 

I get to work 3 days this week, so, after the TP quilt is quilted, I'll work on the striped circle blocks.

This Week's Stitching

I'm finally recovering from the flu and pneumonia.  I'm well, but I'm still trying to get some energy. 

I have been stitching.  I finished the binding on the board game quilt.  Sorry for the lousy photos.  I just kept adding layers onto my design wall.

Olde Game, board game quilt

I had some burgundy binding already made, so I used it instead of cutting some black.  I think I have enough of the burgundy to bind the other 5 board game quilts when they are quilted.

I stitched the hanging sleeve on the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings quilt.  I also made labels and stitched them onto all of the quilts for the quilt show, along with all of the pillowcases that the quilts have to be in when we drop them off.  Woohoo!  All the quilts are ready for the quilt show. 

I stitched a set of blocks for one of my Treadle On Block Exchanges.  I kitted up 3 more sets that I'll stitch on some of my vintage machines at the quilt show next weekend.  I also prepped blocks for another block exchange with Treadle On.  These are the blocks I finished.  They are made with 1930's reproduction fabrics, and it's the Monkey Wrench block.

set of 8 Monkey Wrench blocks

signature label attached to the back of each block

Earlier this week I finished another 10 blocks of the striped circle blocks.  I now have 32 blocks finished.  Sorry, but my design wall is full at the moment, so you just get to see the blocks stacked.

10 more blocks finished

Today I stitched the pieces together for another baby quilt.  This is like the one I made in February but in pinks instead of blues. 

baby quilt top

I have 2 more baby quilts to make by early May.  I also have to quilt all 4 baby quilts.  March and April will be busy. 

If you will be in the Western Chicago suburbs next weekend, please come to my guild's quilt show.  I'll have a booth with 14 of my vintage sewing machines at the show.  Pride of the Prairie's quilt show will have over 300 quilts.  We also  have 'Strip Search' (our fabric booth), at least 50 raffle baskets, a raffle quilt, bake sale, magazines, patterns & books and a silent auction.  We'll also have VENDORS.  We'll be at Richland Grade School, 1919 Caton Farm Road, Crest Hill, Illinois.

February Stitching (so far) and a question for you

I've been stitching, I just haven't had time to blog about it.

First, I finished one baby quilt top.  I still haven't had time to stitch the 2nd top together yet.

baby quilt top

I've also finished the last 3 board game tops.  I need to quilt one of them for my guild's quilt show in March.  I'd better get a move on.

board game top

last 2 board game tops

I've also finished another 10 of the striped circle blocks.  I now have 22 blocks finished.

10 more blocks finished

I finally got started on my guild's challenge quilt for the upcoming quilt show.  I've known what I wanted to do for a long time, I just hadn't had time to get stitching on it.

Years ago, back in 2012, I learned how to paper piece with this block.  Here is the block I learned on.  I've never done anything with this block.  I didn't even have a Singer Featherweight until 2016.  Back then, I fused the needle and needle bar, and drew the spool top and bottom on with a marker.  The pattern mentions applique (way too small to applique those parts).

first paper pieced block

Well, the guild challenge is a Black & White challenge.  We can use one other color (has to match the paint chip) as long as it is 25% or less of the quilt.  Well, having a purple Featherweight, I decided to make a Featherweight quilt.  I couldn't use the original block, since it isn't all black & white (it has other colors). 

The finished quilt has to be 24 inches (each side) or less, so a 12 inch block also wasn't going to work.  I reduced the pattern to make a 11 inch (finished) block.  I also wanted 4 blocks.  Here are the 4 finished blocks.

4 Featherweight blocks

I paper pieced the entire thread spool on each block, and added a spool pin doily to each one.  I took 2 spool pin doilies that I had, and threaded some purple embroidery floss thru each of them, then stitched on either side of the middle, and cut them apart. 

one spool pin doily threaded with purple floss, one waiting it's turn

I also wanted to use different black & white fabrics for each machine.  I also embroidered the needle bar and needle on each machine.

Now, my question for you is, should I just sew the blocks together? or, should I put a tiny sashing between the blocks?  I can't add a border, since it would make the quilt too large.

un-shashed

sashed

The sashing fabric shown is scissors.  I'd fussy cut it.

I need to decide quickly, since the quilt show is March 14-15, 2020.  I'm thinking of hand quilting this.  I don't think it needs much quilting, and my machine quilting skills are limited to straight lines. 

A Little Bit of Stitching

I've finally gotten some stitching done this month.  I get about an hour of hand stitching done at work most days.  I've been working on my striped circles project.  This is what I have so far.  Hopefully the Optical Illusion effect is working.  It's a circle version of Attic Windows.

I have at least 4 baby quilts that I need to make.  The babies are due in April and May.  There are 36 Half Square Triangles in the pattern I chose to start with.  I'm making one in blues and one in pinks.

some of the HST's waiting to be stitched

I'm enjoying getting to stitch on my hand crank.  I'd missed my machines while I was in Alaska.

HST's made on 1927 Singer 15 hand crank

I actually got a couple of rows of one of the quilts stitched last night.  I'll show it when I have more done. 

Hubby will be gone most of the weekend, so I'm hoping that I get a good start on some challenge quilts that have due dates.  One is due for my guild's quilt show in March, and the other one is due for my other guild in May.  I also have a mini quilt to get finished for the quilt show in March.  Lots of stitching needs to get done around here. 

Fat Cats in the City is Done

I finished stitching the binding down on Fat Cats in the City on Christmas Eve. 

my quilt holder hubby

up close

This is the 2nd completed Fat Cats in the City quilt I've made.  The first one was for a special friend, Ms. Betty. 

Ms. Betty with her quilt

The pinks in the quilt are different, but everything else is the same.  Here are some up close shots of the cats.  Each cat is wearing a different tie.  I couldn't get a good photo of the hand quilted cats in each of the brown squares.

I started the Fat Cats in the City quilts back in 2011.  The quilt tops were made pretty fast, but I stalled on doing the hand quilting on them.  Betty's was finished in 2013, and Kay's languished until this November. 

 I finally took a photo of one of the board game quilt tops that is done.  All of the circles and stars are hand appliqued, along with the semi-circles in the center square.  There is still another star to be appliqued on the center square, but I want to quilt the semi-circles before I add the stars.  I'll add the stars when they are quilted and bound.  I still have 3 more board game tops to stitch together (six board games in all).  One of these has to be finished before March, since I've entered it in my large quilt guild's quilt show.

20" x 20" board game quilt top

I came up with a new idea to use with all of the striped circles I've been making.  Some of them will become a shadow box quilt.  Christmas afternoon I cut out the non-fusible interfacing and the black squares for the 117 black circles I need to make.  I got the circles traced onto the black and pinned the interfacing on yesterday.  They are now waiting by my sewing machine to be stitched for the next part.

117 black circles waiting to be stitched

Hopefully I'll get some stitching done on these after work today.