Fiddle Sticks

I've been busy the last few days quilting up a few quilt tops for a friend, they were donated to her Quilt Ministry. They are both wonderful, scrappy quilts; my favorite kind! The first one is bright and spring-like in its coloration. Working on it was like a ray of warm sunshine. (Something that has been desperately needed in our neck of the gloomy, rainy woods lately). My friend told me that this one would go to a lady from her church who's a shut-in, she's very spunky and positive.

This is the quilt, my friend included a hot pink flannel backing and I thought that hot pink quilting thread might add a bit more "punch" to the overall look; I believe it will fit a spunky and positive lady!

The next quilt, below, is to go to a home bound gentleman. 

Here it is, before, during and after quilting. I used a pantograph called "Calm Water" by Anne Bright in a sand-colored thread. I'm inspired by this quilt design; all of the "bricks" are 2" X 6", the inner border is 4", the brick off-sets are all 2" squares and the corner squares are 6". I drafted up the design in EQ (above, left), so that I wouldn't forget, and named it "Fiddle Sticks". Guess which bin of precut scraps I'll be raiding next? My friend's Quilt Ministry is blessed, indeed, to have some fine piecers in their group. 

I began quilting on my own Star Flowers low volume quilt yesterday. The sun has returned and the days have warmed up nicely, such a change from the cold rain that we've been plagued with for weeks on end. That didn't stop me from quilting "Puddles" though. This is a new (to me) pantograph, I love the effect.

Life is Good! 

YAGOF

YAGOF = You're A Grand Old Flag! Yep, the Flag-A-Day project has progressed into YAGOF. This flimsy is made from the "Stars and Stripes" Thimble Blossoms pattern by Camille Roskelley, it measures 56" X 71". 

I used a mushroomy beige/gray setting fabric; this quilt will be used on our new screened in porch this summer, it will live on the back of the sofa out there for comfort on chilly nights or early mornings.  

I'm eager to quilt this one up. I have a custom quilt on the rails right now, this will be up next!

As I pieced YAGOF another tumbler quilt grew beneath the needle, leader-ender style. At this rate, I'll have a stack of these quilts to donate come fall. 

This is the magic scrap basket which sits at the base of my Accuquilt cutting table. It's a "loaves and fishes" basket, it never empties but continues to provide-- with leftovers! I feed it with pieces too small to reshelve: anything smaller than 12" X 18" inches. There seems to be a constant supply, and SEW it goes...

Life is Good!

Up next: Chain Reaction

Flower Power

I have another tumbler quilt off the rails, this will be a donation quilt.  I used a new (to me) Pantograph (thanks, Santa!) for this scrappy quilt;  "Flower Child".
It worked out perfectly for this project and is super easy and FAST! Like my old FAST favorite: Loop de Loop, this one is forward motion all the way, no points or starts and stops until one gets to the edge (or runs out of bobbin thread!). Its speedy and fun to do.

Scrappy Charm Tumbler quilt ~ 56" X 64"

The flowers were just the antidote for the lousy, rainy weather we've been inundated with here in North Carolina. We've had ran, rain, and more rain (at least it's not SNOW!) with a rainy forecast for this week to come too. Sadly, this is really impacting the progress on our screened in porch project. 

Raindrops seemed like the natural choice for the backing fabric, "showers and flowers" go together. 

I stitch the tumblers together Leader-Ender style while stitching on other things; they sit in two small baskets beside my machine one for lights, one for darks. I precut the tumblers with the die cutter from a huge scrap basket- leftovers from projects past.  Nothing gets wasted. This system leads to more being sewn together at the same time. SEW-- while that Scrappy Sixteen* comes together (on the design wall) so do more tumbler tops (on chair, under Hannes); we (he shares the sewing chair with me) almost have another one done and ready to quilt! 

* Interesting side-story explaining the delay on SS: I used leftover Essex Linen (from the background of "Dogs in Sweaters", photo below) for the light background fabric in this scrap quilt. I didn't have quite enough. I mail-ordered an additional yard to complete this project after carefully consulting my color-swatch card. Apparently I didn't consult the card carefully enough! The fabric came and it was too creamy, a whiter substitute has been ordered to replace that and the creamy non-match has been shelved. So much for using what's on hand, I feel a little defeated by this blunder but am moving on!

My sweet sewing companion and every day-brightener. 

The power of flowers to cheer on cold, dark and rainy day. 

What's brightening up your space at home today?

Life is Good!

Up next: "In the Loop"

Transitioning

I teased with this picture of stacked stars in a previous post. This quilt is a welcome transition from all those bright fabrics used when making Frank.
This is a long-abandoned project that needed to be brought to the front burner. I am inspired by Country Threads and their "Dirty Dozen" challenge this year. (The premise: identify 12 UFOs and give each a unique number from 1-12. Each month a number is selected and announced on their blog; that is the "assignment" for that month.) With determination and focus, the years' end will bring twelve completed projects! When I began collecting low volume prints I made a series of quilts for family members and cut this one out for myself. It was promptly forgotten. (I still collect low volumes; they're so appealing in their own, quiet, way. Sigh. Some habits are hard to break.) I absolutely LOVE this quilt and it is growing, it easily could become a master class in set-in seams!🙄 I have named it "A Kind of Hush" in honor of a old favorite Herman's Hermits song.

Eventually it will measure 56" X 72" when squared up, a good size; I'm already excited about quilting this one too! With all those set-in seams, though, there are lots of starts and stops. Quiltkeemosabe reminded me that I could make this without the set-ins by dividing the hexagons in half and sewing it in straight rows. yes, I could. But, I already had this all cut and ready. If nothing else, I am tenacious. 😉

Which means, with all those set-ins, that a bonus(!) quilt is growing at the same time; Leader-Ender style. You might remember that I cut oodles of tumblers this summer when cleaning out my charm square bins. I am in no danger of depleting the still-burgeoning tumbler basket! One can only use so many tumbler quilts, this one will be donated to a worthy cause. Waste not, want not. 

Speaking of using up what's on hand: a handful of leftover WOF scraps from the most recent nap blanket workshop (and a free afternoon) yielded enough to make this Streak of Sunshine child's quilt; another donation in the making. Yes, the machines are humming around here. We're finally transitioning, albeit VERY s-l-o-w-l-y, into fall and cooler temperatures here in the south. 

I discovered this friend when transitioning our front porch planters to colorful fall flowers!

Have you said your prayers today?

Life is Good!

Up next: leaving it all on the table.