Finally I got the binding on my little mug rug and I’m using it. Turned out great just the right size for a mug and if you do not center it you can put a couple cookies on it too. I got the binding stitched while watching the evening news last night.
I have read on some blogs that some glue baste their binding down instead of using clips or pins so I thought on this little project I would try it out and it works great but for quilts I would go with my clips.
I finished the machine quilting of the sashing on Bird Brain Tuesday afternoon and now on to the hand quilting – I just think this will be much easier and more relaxing for me to do the rest of this by hand – I do not plan to do a lot of quilting in each block but I do plan to outline the block and then around the bird and add accents on the bird itself – I don’t remember off hand how many birds I have 56? something like that I hope to do more than one bird a day but we will see how it goes won’t we! I want to get this done before the heat of summer of course as I really don’t like working with a hoop a lot but better than machine!
I cleaned up the sewing table and then got it busy again – these jelly roll strips will make a rail fence quilt for a donation quilt for Sarah’s Confessions of a Fabric Addict yearly quilt drive – Hands To Help. She has three charity’s picked out again this year, two in the states and one in Canada. I plan on making two quilts- one for each of the charities in the US like I did last year. I think this will be the third time I have participated. I will make one child size around crib size and one lap size both will be machine quilted out of necessity not because I enjoy it ever so much. These strips will make the child size quilt. I haven’t decided a pattern for the next quilt. I plan on pressing the strips today and cutting into 6.5 inch pieces.
The quilting on Tumalo Trails from Monday night
And I started to stitch some of the pieces together for the Hertfordshire quilt Monday night as well.
The rose bushes are all beginning to leaf out and the redbud trees are too – that surprised me I didn’t think they would be doing this for another week or so – I will get a photo of the redbud when it opens fully, it has barely started yesterday when I was out taking photos.
All around town and out in the countryside you see trees blooming and some early trees even have their leafs open now. The tulip trees are blooming – I don’t have one, must get one some day they are very pretty. The last two or three nights we got down to freezing but now it looks like we are moving into a spell of warmer days – 60’s to 70 daytime and 40’s to 50’s at night – the ferns well be on the porch by Friday I think. I have a lot of bulbs to plant also that are to bloom in May and June. I will need to get busy planting on the weekend. Linking to Sew Fresh Quilts — Jo’s Country Junction — Mama Spark’s World — Midweek Makers — My Quilt Infatuation —
Karen… I LOVE how your mug rug turned out and glad you are already putting it to use 😀
I love your Bird Brain quilt is getting started on quilting by hand now that the machine quilting is done…. I enjoy things done both ways too!
Hertfordshire is just an amazing quilt to me… I will have to get some of that Sewline glue once we get settled to try that kind of glue instead of just the Elmer’s glue stick I have tried with applique in the past….
Tumalo Trail is just looking awesome too girl! You are making great progress on that as well! Not sure how your fingers keep on going like that.
And starting a couple new quilts now for donation to Sarah… that is GREAT!
We have roses we think in our new property… will be closing on Friday morning if all goes as planned… if so may be sending you some pics of flowers… there is not a North Carolina plant history I can find but I do see a few books I may have you look at 😀
Kathi
I have a Fons and Porter glue stick I don’t know if it is cheaper than SewLine but it came out first I think, I have had it for many years, I have found that the glue sticks for either fit in my pen. great that closing is still on schedule!! so glad for you on that. I will need to take a sewing break eventually from quilting to give my fingers a break but they are ok for now.
Your mug rug is so cute and your mug is beautiful! I collect pottery mugs. All of your hand work is coming along so nicely. Things are blooming here, too, even with the snow we had the other day.
I seem to find a new pottery mug almost every time we travel, we always find so many nice shops when we wander that I do not have here at home. I hate clothes shopping but love wandering through shops that sell handmade pottery and things like that
Just signed up also to do a quilt for one of the charities. Thanks for the heads up!
And my yard seems to have most everything budding even with 33 degree lows for a couple of nights in central Alabama! I am ready for warmer weather. I want to be outside.
glad you signed up for Sarah’s yearly drive – I like to be able to do a couple quilts a year like this – I really need to start doing more of them as we have plenty of quilts at home and my kids do not really need more!! it has been about 32 most nights here too lately but glad there is a warm up coming – of course that means bugs and they have been here for weeks now
Amazing things are perking up in your yard – we had 18″ of snow yesterday. I am about ready for winter to be over!
I wondered if you had gotten any of that snow from the 3 blizzards in the NE – it is kind of late in the year for this isn’t it? or just that it is one after another maybe – maybe it will melt fast now and you will see green coming in soon
I love your mug rug, the colors are so pretty! Bird Brain is so lovely in your hoop, just waiting for your hand stitching. Melanie is just going to love it, what a good mother you are! This Herfordshire round is taking me a long time, even though I have been working on it diligently. I’ve got to finish this round and move on to working in the yard and getting ready for my daughter’s visit the first week of April. What kind of bulbs are you planting? Your sewing room is so clean, organized, and pretty!
I don’t remember off hand the names of the bulbs – one is bleeding heart the others are names I don’t remember how to spell – I also have some canana bulbs stored away in mulch I need to dig them out and see if they survived the winter. This morning though I am busy prepping fabric for one of the charity quilts and chatting with younger daughter in WI at the same time – had to quite that though as it was time to cut and have to pay attention!
Your mug rug turned out great! That was the perfect use for that block. I’ve never made anything round – do you have any special tricks for the binding?
make sure to cut binding on the bias – I was surprised at how easy it went on and folded over perfectly – I cut a 1.5 inch strip for the binding did a quarter inch seam and folded over, it seems like the binding should have been a little wider on the back but when I folded it over it was pretty snug – I didn’t double fold first like you do with quilts.
It never ceases to amaze me at how many projects you going at once, including hand quilting. Love seeing all that you’re working on!
I need variety I guess although I must say sometimes I get too many going and then some sit aside longer than I want before progress is made on them.
Hi Karen…I’m enjoying watching the progress of your birds and bet the hand quitling will be a fun, whimsical accent. I’ve noticed on my afternoon walks our plants starting to graudually bud too….I think your jelly roll fabrics will make a happy donation. I need to get thinking what I’m going to create for my Happy Chemo donation this year. PS: I love your idea of a round mug rug and need to make one for me and my cooperating teacher to use at school as we drink tea all day long.:)
the round mug rug turned out really great and the binding went on much easier than I thought it would. I have fabric cut and that is about all the further I have gotten today!
I’ve enjoyed watching you stitch all those birds together, so now I’m looking forward to seeing you quilt around each one, that will bring them to life. One bird at a time, and you will get there in the end. No doubt a lot quicker than me and my hand quilting.
I’m going to try for at least one bird a day – but I bet I will fail a couple days here and there!