by Karen on May 20, 2013
in quilts
Yes that is right the quilts waiting in line to be quilted is getting too big! I started to keep them in a nice box – and really I could probably keep them all in it but I have the backing fabric tucked in bags with two of the quilts and that fills up the box.
So what all is waiting in line – more than I like 
From the left in the bag – the Red and Green Applique with a bag that contains the backing and binding fabric that will be on the frame in a 2 to 4 weeks – the zig zag quilt just needs a couple thin borders and it is done – next to the is the Not So Common Bride which shouldn’t be in this pile either as it is a work in progress which like the zig zag quilt got put in the wrong pile next up is Carousel, then the Scrappy Nine Patch, and then a Pinwheel that I made last year sometime – in the middle is the Red/Cream Dear Jane which I called “Insanity Revisited” quilt with a bag of the backing, binding and thread already picked out.
As I said the Red and Green applique goes on the frame next. At the same time I am quilting that one I will pick out one of the smaller quilts and put it in the hoop. I will possibly quilt two by hand in the hoop one after another. The Dear Jane goes on the frame when the Red and Green comes off of it – ok so that leaves — ok who knows how many – because by then the Patchwork of the Crosses will be done – one hopes anyhow. And round and round we go and we never get caught up because by next year I will have started how many more LOL.
A never ending cycle of stress free fun!!
At least I have the area cleaned back up and organized
I worked on the hand quilting Friday night and finished one section and it was ready to crank down in the morning for more work. I normally spritz the lines out a bit and let it dry overnight and then it is ready the next day for more work. (always remember just spritzing the blue lines out isn’t good enough it still needs to be washed when quilting is done).
I got it cranked down and ready to mark the border areas as I have to make sure to see if the design needs a little adjusting so the corners go right.
I remembered that when I first began this quilt that I barely had to do any adjusting of the stencil pattern to fit this border and it worked out really well. One section of the lines on the side is a little bit longer than the rest but such a small difference that I couldn’t even remember where it was when I settled down to quilt last night.
I think it will move more rapidly now that I am getting so close to the finish – I’m always more anxious to finish and start a new one! It might still be several weeks off though but it will be finished in June for sure!
I was busy with hexagons yesterday – first our Friday morning quilt group meets at 9 AM and I am keeping my plastic storage box handy with all my cut out hexagons for the Diamonds are Forever quilt – everything is in the box ready to grab. It is coming along nicely considering that I am mainly just working on it Fridays and the once a month group that meets the first Thursday night of the month. I now have 61 diamonds finished – way to go – only how many left to go – well I need about 230 of them and then all the white pieces that go with it – one day this quilt will get done! I guess I should have kept track of my time for this one – would be interesting to see how long it takes to finish it – well I can always just figure out how long it takes to make one and multiply right. In fact I might get a book of facts gathered up to keep with it now! I never got around to pressing the ones I made last week so when I got home yesterday I got the two weeks worth pressed and put in the box.
I will be running out of this fabric of course eventually so I will need to start pulling from the stash – the color variety will vary greatly but I think I will stick with small prints – what I have right now are mainly brown, beige, red and blue – but because I need so many this will indeed be a very scrappy quilt. Other fabric I pulled from the stash yesterday to maybe mix in are these–
Work was done on Patchwork of the Crosses as well last evening during the news. Most of the row is now attached to the bottom of the quilt and then when that is done I need to get the row of blocks put together for the side – the blocks are made just not made into a row as of yet.
Now seeing as this blog post is all hexagons of one shape or another – I want you all to check out this blog post from Linda at Gum Valley Patchwork in Australia. This is a special quilt that she made and she has a whole blog post about it which is this link that I am giving you all to check out. Now I think everyone will agree with me that this is a very challenging quilt!!!! I have made two Dear Jane quilts and this one is beyond that level I do believe – what do you think? Do you want to make it 
not I – too many things in the works right now for me! Now maybe if it was 1 inch hexies I would consider it – but what are these 1/4”?
Just right for visiting! Really, in the house in the morning – rain began to clear and we – Mike, our daughter Melanie and I too off for lunch, a little shopping and then home again to continue talking – of which we do almost non-stop when we visit. She with Petite Point – stitching on a homemade frame – work is done on fine canvas or linen?– hmm guess those old frames come in handy huh.
I with my applique for “Floral Fantasy” purple done now on to the red pieces.
Melanie is changing over from dyeing vintage fabric to Petite Point I thought she was doing counted cross stitch at first and never knew the difference – I think she might have found the craft she likes now – it sure is occupying her spare time! Instead of dying fabric she is dying her thread organically instead.
Off to quilt group this morning – I think the rain will be gone sometime this morning – good thing – everything got watered very well with rain on Wednesday evening and off and on Thursday.
I do hope none of my readers were near that terrible tornado in Texas on Wednesday evening – it sure looked like horrific damage to a small town on the news last night.
by Karen on May 16, 2013
in quilts
I spent a lot of time at the sewing machine yesterday to get all the strips finished to get the Carousel quilt finished and I did – I don’t remember the exact measurements but I think it is something like 62 x 72? around there. I still have to press it, but I just laid it out on the floor to see what it was like – I will put it aside now in the “to be quilted” stack which is growing by the day it seems. This quilted ended a little differently than the book in that I added the red squares in the sashing strips-I didn’t want it to be exactly the same.
No more new tops for awhile! I have to finish what I have started or at least some of them. Last night I was able to get started attaching the row that I finished to the Patchwork of the Crosses – I hope to work on that more today – it is supposed to rain – maybe I will get a little done while visiting with our daughter who well be out later today visiting?
by Karen on May 15, 2013
in quilts
For those of you that paper piece here is a cute pattern I saw on Bonnie Hunter’s facebook page – here is a link to the site – Charise Creates she has more than paper piecing, I find her blog a variety of things. The pattern link that I have given is on her creates blog site is in a setting of 9 patterns – this one is the last in the second row.
