A Finish and an Almost Finish

I've finished my guild challenge quilt.  I finished the binding this morning, then stitched the buttons on.  This is a Black & White Plus One challenge.

2020 POP Challenge quilt

I also did the machine quilting on the board game quilt.  I added the last gold star (hand stitched) after I did the machine quilting.

top is quilted

A while back I found this great fabric for the back of this board game quilt.  Unfortunately, I only have enough for one of the board game quilts (there are 5 more waiting to be basted and quilted).

backing for this board game quilt

Isn't that great fabric, with all of the different board games on the fabric?  Now I need to make the binding for this quilt. 

Both of these are for my guilds quilt show.

If you will be in the western Chicago area March 14-15, 2020, please consider coming to the Pride of the Prairie Quilt Show.  I'll have some of my vintage sewing machines at the show.  Our show always has over 300 quilts, so lots of eye candy!  We also have 'Strip Search' (our fabric booth), raffle baskets, a raffle quilt, bake sale, VENDORS!, Magazines, Patterns & Books for sale, and a Silent Auction. We'll be at Richland Grade School, 1919 Caton Farm Road, Crest Hill, IL. 

Not much stitching, I've been sick

Last weekend I got a lot of the hand quilting done on my Challenge quilt, but then I came down with the flu, and all stitching stopped. 

As soon as I thought I was going to recover from the flu, I found out that I have pneumonia.  I've barely moved out of my bed all week. 

I'm finally starting to feel better (still a ways to go) and I finished the hand quilting on the Challenge quilt.  I was 3/4ths of the way done when I got sick.

hand quilting is done

I had thought about using some of my quilting notions stencils for this project....

But decided that this just needed some simple quilting.  I quilted 1/4 inch inside the base and handwheel of the Featherweight, then I stitched inside the 'Singer' letters.

hand quilting on a block

These blocks are only 11 inches each, so I don't really need to do a lot of quilting on them.

The binding is fussy cut, and ready to be stitched on. 

I had planned on adding buttons to each machine in place of the machines brass medallion.   I can't use brass, only black, white or the same color purple as in the purple fabric.  I'd bought white and purple buttons.

My original plan was to use a white button on the purple machine, and purple buttons on the black machines

I could also use white buttons on all of the machines (yes, I need one more white button)

On Saturday, before I got sick, Marilyn and I went to Joann's and I found these purple buttons.  What do you think about them instead?

matching purple 'jewel' buttons

So, what are your thoughts?  Purple on black and white on purple?  All white buttons? or Purple jewel buttons? 

Let me know your thoughts.

Now I think it might be bed time soon.  All this sitting up all day has worn me out.

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. 

Grandkids, New Machines and Block Exchange

Happy New Year!  Yea, yea, I know I'm a bit late, but I've been in Alaska, meeting my new grandson and playing with my granddaughter.

Gwendolynn & Korin sliding

Korin

Gwendolynn

The trip was last minute, and poor hubby didn't get to go with me.  The only sewing I got done was on the plane to Alaska.  

 A lady at guild gave my name to someone with a vintage sewing machine she wanted to find a home for.  I'm a good home for vintage machines ;)

The lady had her mother's machine.  Her mother is named Rita, so, meet 'Rita', the 1949 Singer 66.  This machine has Godzilla/Krinkle finish, as was common around the war years.

1949 Singer 66 #AJ157757

accessories with the Singer 66

This machine was made at the Elizabethport Factory in Elizabeth, NJ.

After talking with the lady, she mentioned another machine in a case.  This was Aunt Teresa's machine.  Meet 'Aunt Teresa', a 1955 Singer 99k.

1955 Singer 99k #EK950909

accessories for the 99k

back side of the Darning or Embroidery plate

I've heard of Darning/Embroidery plates before, but this is the first one I've seen.  Hubby liked it too.  He was checking out all of the attachments.  I have a feeling that next time he makes some camping gear, he'll be asking me for some attachments.

This little lady was made at the Kilbowie Factory in Clydebank, Scotland.  It has a grass case.  

My Treadle On group had another block exchange last Fall.  My blocks arrived while I was in Alaska.  I turned in 4 sets of 8 blocks for the exchange. These are the blocks I made.

blocks I made

Usually I get some of my blocks back, and also some matching blocks.  Not this time!  All 32 blocks I got back were different.  The blocks came from 12 different people, 11 different states, and were made on 20 different (people powered) sewing machines (some dating as far back as the 1890's).  Here are the blocks I got back.

2019 Fall Basic 4 patch blocks

2019 Fall Basic 4 patch blocks

If you will be in the western Chicago area March 14-15, 2020, please consider coming to the Pride of the Prairie Quilt Show.  I'll have some of my vintage sewing machines (including Aunt Teresa above) at the show.  Our show always has over 300 quilts, so lots of eye candy!  We also have 'Strip Search' (our fabric booth), raffle baskets, a raffle quilt, bake sale, VENDORS!, Magazines, Patterns & Books for sale, and a Silent Auction. We'll be at Richland Grade School, 1919 Caton Farm Road, Crest Hill, IL. 

2019 in Review

I have a few things that got completed in 2019.

Here are the table runners I finished.

6 reversible table runners

I also made a few mug rugs.

I made several baby quilts in 2019.

1st Churn Dash

backing on 1st churn dash

2nd churn dash

yellow (not white) backing

I made 2 of these

satin & flannel blankets

I made a few project bags.

backs of the two below

I made a pillowcase and a bag/purse.

runner's pillowcase

bag/purse for my mother

I made some matching pin cushions.

4 pin cushions

I made 3 fabric books.

And I made some quilts.

Crazy Ladies quilt

String Star

smaller Hobbit/Lord of the Rings quilt

larger Hobbit/Lord of the Rings quilt

Fat Cats in the City

Not too bad.  Hopefully I'll get even more finished in 2020.

Happy New Year!