Sarah's Quilt

I'm entering a quilt, in the bed quilt category of http://amyscreativeside.com/2013/05/17/bloggers-quilt-festival-spring-2013/

  This is Sarah's quilt, start to finish.


Sarah loves fun, bright colors.  I found most of these material years ago, at a quilt store that has been closed for some time now.  I was going to make a 'Take 5' quilt, but, I changed my mind.  Instead, I decided that I wanted a quilt with pinwheels. 

Triangulations

I started out with Triangulations.  I just LOVE Triangulations!  I purchased the disk years ago, for a class I took.  These are so simple to use, and fun, too. 

Here are the first pinwheels.

Sarah's pinwheels

I was going to set the pinwheels on point, but, later changed my mind.  Isn't it great to not follow a pattern and do your own thing?  I decided to keep it simple, and just add sashing between the pinwheels.  OK, I seldom keep anything simple.  I decided that the sashing needed cornerstones, and, not just any cornerstones, but, pinwheel cornerstones, of course.

more half square triangles, waiting to become mini pinwheels

I was also told that I HAD TO HAVE purple in this quilt.  Ok, sashing will be PURPLE!
(oh yea, I also wanted to keep adding 'dots' to this quilt, can you tell?)

Sarah's quilt

OK, the first part of Sarah's quilt top was done, but, it wasn't big enough to fit her dorm bed.  Now to figure out borders.

1959 Singer Spartan hand crank

Oh yea, all of this was sewn on my 1959 Singer Spartan (192K) hand crank sewing machine.  This was my very first hand crank.  It came with a motor, but, I took it off and converted it.

I messed up the tension on the Spartan hand crank only an hour after finishing the sashing and cornerstones.  Oops!  (still haven't tried to work on it, bad girl)!  So, what's a girl to do, but switch to another hand crank sewing machine!?!  What?  You don't have several extra machines sitting around, waiting for their turn to be used?

1925 Singer 99 hand crank, stitching the backing for Sarah's quilt

OK, now that I've switched machines, it's time to design borders for this top.  I decided to use some of the extra large and small pinwheels in the borders.

Sarah's quilt top, with borders

Now for the SCARY part.  I am a hand quilter.  I've never paid someone to machine quilt a top for me.  EEK!  Scary to turn something over to someone else to quilt.  Thank goodness there are several machine quilters in my large quilt guild.  I'd been watching Julie Karlak's work for a few years now.  I know she is good.  Still scary to hand over this quilt.  Hubby even came and told her what he did and didn't want done to this top.  Julie handled us both, like the pro she is.  She even came up with a great overall pattern that made my pinwheels 'spin' with joy!

Sarah's quilt, quilted

up close of Julie's quilted swirls

up close of quilting on back of quilt

I finished the binding on this quilt, shortly before my son's college graduation ceremony.

Sarah's finished and bound quilt

I even used an extra pinwheel as a label on the back of the quilt.

label on back of Sarah's quilt

I even made a pillowcase to match this quilt.

pillowcase to match the quilt

This quilt is now waiting at my inlaws, so that they can give it to Sarah in early June. 

Starts, Progress & Finishes for Jan 2013

A lot of 'shuffling' went on here in January.  Both my son's were home over Christmas, so, nothing got sewn while they were here.  When my youngest son went back to college, I took over his room.  I've never had a sewing room before (still don't, technically).  I'm only getting to use his room until the end of the semester.  He 'says' he's coming home, we'll see if he does.  Till then, my biggest 'Start' (NewFO) of the month is moving into his room, and starting to get my sewing stuff organized for the first time EVER.  I'll be nice and NOT show pictures of my stash/sewing stuff in the basement.  OH MY!  It would scare the pants off you, it's such a disaster!  I've been organizing in this room ALL MONTH long, off and on. 

my new sewing space (borrowed from my youngest son)

I've been 'improving' the area all month long.  I added a cabinet and plastic drawers, to hold scraps, in the last week.

scraps for my next major project (and a few others, too)

scraps in the cabinet

Now, most of these 'scraps' are fat quarter size to half yard sizes.  NO, this is not all of my stash.  My stash won't fit in this room.  I have buckets of fabrics and projects in the basement.  I just wanted to get these ready for my next major project that starts TODAY, the Harry Potter Project of Doom paper pieced quilt from Sewhooked. Terri, from over at QuiltNCards, and I will be working on this project together. 

Early in the month, I took these pinwheels

pinwheels for Sarah's quilt

sewed and made these mini pinwheels

mini pinwheels for Sarah's quilt

and turned it into this

Sarah's pinwheels quilt top (so far)

I still have to figure out borders for this quilt top.  I have extra pinwheels of both sizes left over, and I'm thinking I'll use them, with yardage, in the borders.  I just need to sit down and design the rest. 

While going thru some of my buckets of fabrics and projects in the basement, I found an almost finished top for Quilts of Valor.  Oops!  I'd brought it home to add something to either end of the top (to make it long enough) and somehow it got set aside and forgotten.  Well, I finished it, and will hand it over shortly to be quilted. 

top for Quilts of Valor

The center was already finished, but, I added the stripes at the top and bottom, using 'leftovers' that were cut away.  This is an X Block quilt.

I also found a mini flag quilt, that I'd quilted (by hand), but had never made binding for.  Well, it is now finished, too.

mini flag quilt

you can see the hand quilting on the back

I've made several of these flag quilts over the years.  The first flag quilt, was my 2nd quilt ever made.  It is framed and hangs in my hallway.  My mother has one, my aunt has one and hubby's aunt has one.  This one is for another of his aunts. 

I also finished the embroidery for the last mini wedding quilt.  There were 3 weddings last year, my mother's (her's was the first, and made ontime), then our friends who got married during my father-in-laws heart bypass crisis last fall.  I'd been working on the embroidery on it, then just stopped.  I did work on it at the hospital.  Then, some other friends decided on a date, and boy, did they move quickly.  We were only given a month's notice.  So, I started the embroidery, but, just now finished the embroidery this week.

These will wind up looking like this when they are finished (hopefully in February).

mom's quilt

 I know I'm forgetting stuff, but, oh well.  February is already over scheduled, so, we'll see how much I get done.  I need to go practice my paper piecing again, so that I can start the Harry Potter quilt.  I also need to work on Connor's quilt, and finish that top.  Still not sure what I'm doing with it.  It hasn't been a year since he and Sarah graduated, so, I've still got time, right???  Gee, I'm so far behind...... but hey, I can blame it on age, can't I?  Does it improve after 50?  I'll see soon enough (Sunday).

Busy! Busy! Busy!

Since my last post on Sunday, Jan 6th, it's been busy around here.  Monday night, Khristina and I went to my little quilt guild's monthly meeting.  Khristina posted about our 'snack' we had after the meeting here.  We had a great meeting.  One out of country guest, one out of state guest, and a new member!  Woohoo!  I love my little guild because it is so relaxed, more like a 'bee'. 

Tuesday (in the wee hours of the morning) Khristina and Glenn flew off to California.  I loaded up and went to the Quilts of Valor monthly sew-in.  I worked on 'string' blocks.  Someone had donated tons of the ends of fabrics that she uses to make jelly rolls (she sells them online).  I'll be working on these blocks more on Thursday, at my weekly Thursday sew-in.  I'll show pictures of them, then.

On Wednesday, I was gifted a new (to me) Kenmore sewing machine. 

vintage Kenmore model 1941 Zig Zag machine

I still need to clean this little lady up, but, she will be fun to sew on.  She came with the manual and the buttonhole set.  I only have one foot for her, but, I should be able to get feet for her pretty easily.  Now to think up a project to make on her.

On Thursday, I went to the weekly sew-in at my LQS.  We were full!  I love that so many great ladies show up each week.  Just a few years ago, there were usually just 3 of us that showed up regularly.  With so many ladies, we can always get help with whatever we need, to finish our projects.  There is a wealth of knowledge in that room each week.  While I was there, I went shopping at the LQS for some yummy blue fat quarters for a new project with my little guild. 

26 fat quarters and 2 half yard cuts of blues

I want to make the Star Struck quilt that I saw over at Prairie Shop Quilts in Batavia while I was at the Quilts of Valor sew-in on Tuesday.  You can see the quilt top here.

I want to make my quilt in blues and whites.  My blocks will be different stars, but, the layout will be the same as in the picture.  I got the idea of the blue and white blocks from Sue, here. 

I called PSQ to see about purchasing this quilt pattern, but, they are only teaching different blocks, and there isn't a 'pattern' to purchase.  The teacher told me that I could just find different star blocks online, and make them in the proper sizes (12", 6" & 3").  I will make most of the blocks myself, but, members from my little guild will also be making some of the blocks for me.  This will be part of our 'Quilt exchange' that we are starting in February. 

When I got home on Thursday, this was waiting for me in the mail.

winnings from NewFO

 Barbara, over at Cat Patches hosts the NewFO linky parties each month.  I won for December's NewFO's.  Barbara is hosting a new NewFO challenge for 2013 here.

On Saturday, my large guild had our bi-monthly sew-in.  I worked on the lovely pinwheels for my nieces quilt. Remember these pinwheels in the making?

mini pinwheels, ready to be sewn together

Well, I got these sewn together, and, on Saturday, I put this together.

Sarah's quilt in progress

I still have to add borders, but, the end is in sight, thank goodness.  Here are a few pictures of our sew-in.

left side of the gym/sewing area

right side of the gym/sewing area

The sew-ins are from 9am to 9pm.  Ladies come and go all day long.  We bring food to share, and have a great time encouraging each other in their projects.

On Sunday, the same guild had it's Holiday Party.  Our Holiday party is always in January instead of December.  We had the party in the same gym area as we have our meetings and the sew-ins.  We had a great turnout this year.  Ladies brought either a salad/side item, or a dessert.  Oh My!  There was so much yummy food!  There were donations to the local food pantry (this is a regular feature of the party and guild meetings).

food pantry donations

If you brought a fat quarter (we chose red, yellow or blue this year) or a spool of thread, then you got a ticket for the drawing.  There were 4 winners, 3 fat quarter winners and one for the thread.  (nope, I didn't win).  I did win a great zipper bag, and also came home with a lovely bookmark.

zipper bag I won

bookmark in gift bag

PoP Holiday Party!

The 'grand prize' of the evening was 12 lovely blocks, ready to be put into a quilt.  These blocks were made by the Holiday party committee, Marilyn, Jo and Mary. 

 Oops!  I forgot to turn these pictures before I started this post.  It won't let me turn them at this part.  Oh well.  They look the same from any angle.  Aren't they lovely!?!

This was the prize table before they started drawing.

Prize table

 There were quilt books, calendars, block rolls, zipper pouches, and a few other things that the ladies made.  One table of ladies won gift certificates for winning the 'scavenger hunt'.  We had so much fun! 

It was a busy week, but, sew much fun!  This week will be quieter, quilting wise.  I only have a Quilts of Valor presentation on Wednesday evening, sew-in on Thursday, and guild meeting Thursday night.  What do you have planned for this week?