I'm not very patient....

I may have said that before. My one sister has soooo much patience.  I think she got mine. Well, since I'm older I figure they forgot to give me my dose and so she got a double.  She's the one who refinishes furniture and makes is sound easy....

before

I'm hear to tell you it's not necessarily hard to do this, but dang it's hard to wait around for paint to dry, and then sand again, and paint again and then wait again and then sand again and polyurethene and wait for it to dry and sand again and a 2nd coat of poly......AGGGGGGHHHHH. 

Oh and now that the 2nd coat is on I have to wait another 24 hours before I can  "use gently". 

How do you use a dresser gently???

I'm not patient and I'm not real gentle either. 

 I move fast and bang stuff around. 

Paul said the 2nd coat of poly was necessary to help make a stronger finish and resist chips. (yes I called him to see if I REALLY HAD to follow the directions and put on the 2nd coat).  Besides after the first coat the finish looked fantastic; I was afraid to mess it up.

Sigh.

The 2nd coat isn't as good as the first, I'm hoping it's cuz it wasn't completely dry yet. 

So tomorrow I have to put 2 coats of poly on the mirror frame and the little drawer and its handle from the nightstand, that is already done but I've still haven't taken a picture of because I'm a goober. :)

drying....

In between drying times I've been working away at the 9-Patch project.

It's all together (woot-woot). I do believe I have enough 2.5" squares sewn together in strips for the border. I'm putting a single row around all sides and calling it done. It will measure 73ish x 89ish--I think... 

Design Wall Monday (week 35)

9-Patch Project

Well it almost looks the same as last week's picture.  But now there are another row of 9-patch X's along the bottom. See how they lay on the floor- I need to get them up soon.  Annie thinks I leave them there for her to make a little bed in. 
The 2.5" strips on the left are for the borders. I've continued to  piecing them leader/ender style while working on making 20 more 9-patch blocks.  

I thought I was going to get this all together over the weekend as Paul was going to be gone.  But with the cool weather we had  seemed to spark this need to change things in my house.  So I started sanding and priming and painting some old, old furniture. A small night stand first; I don't have a picture forgot to take a before one. And the drawer is not done so it's too soon for an after. 
I started on the dresser this evening.  Here is a picture of 2 of the drawers (almost forgot to take one again)!

This furniture was my mom's when she was a girl.  It's red maple and in great condition but the finish it ka-put.  

My wall this morning, with several of the 9-Patch rows together (yea!) and on the left side my strips of 2.5" strips for a border (I was thinking just putting them on top and bottom to make this square quilt rectangular) and then a final outer border all around.

Yesterday Libby came over to sew for the day.  (yea!)  She's doing the 9-Patch project too. 
Well at some point I opened my cupboard where I have my stash and found a 6.5" wide piece of the setting fabric for this quilt-where did that come from? I had earlier told Libby I didn't have any left (scary!).   I was happy I found it although it wasn't enough for even a tiny border. I set it to the side for "just in case I need it later" and forgot about it and we had a great rest of the afternoon sewing and catching up.

So,  I went back to my sewing room in the evening and thought. (dangerous, I know!) I wonder if there is enough leftover setting fabric to make another row? I would need 10 (6.5" blocks & 2 setting triangles for the ends) so I could make a complete set of 9-patch "X's".
Well, amazingly I did have just enough.  I had to piece leftover chunks together to get a piece big enough for a 9 3/4" square to cut the side setting triangles-but it worked!  

So now, this morning I spent it unsewing all the bottom setting triangles from the rows that are on the wall and have cut out and matched up more 2.5" squares to make 20 more 9-patch blocks.

I'm going to like this quilt much better this way.  And I will probably be able to just sew a border of 2.5" squares around the entire quilt-not just top and bottom.

*******

The Knifty Knitter project is coming along.

I'm getting faster and having fun!!! and this yarn is so so soft.

*******
And I got my block-a-days done through 8/30. I have 8/31's cut out and will probably get that done today in between sewing 9-patches together. 

I also pieced together leftover binding for the 2nd Quilts for Kids quilt and if I get that done today and can wash the 2 of them and get them in the mail. (yea!)

I also want to finish painting the shed (project interupted because of rain). 

Paul is gone for the weekend....up to 'Camp diamond in the rough' for heavy labor with my brother, nephew and my dad. 
So I'll have plenty of sewing time with no dinner making time. 
woo-hoo.

Progress

Ta-da!   There is about 3" coming out of the bottom of the loom.  I did 3-4 rounds while watching a 10 yr old (looked and sounded like it anyway) do a demo on YouTube!  After everyone went to bed, I did all of this. 

Judy D told me in an email that her grandaughter made one in a few hours!!

I'm in awe since I did this much in about an hour.

 

I am having Fun, fun, fun!

Design Wall Monday (week 34)

9-Patch project

The first 3 rows are sewn together! 
I cut out a big stack of 2.5" squares (again) and am sewing them as my new L/E for a border. I want to at least add a bigger(extra?) border to the top and bottom.  This is a square quilt now and I like 'em more rectangular :)

Here is my other design wall.

The 6 blocks on the right are my block-a-days.  The 3 on the left are examples of my fabrics and block sizes for the block-a-days that I'm working on currently;  (if I put them all away I tend to get confused and have used the wrong fabric before), so I leave one sample of each up. 
I also have a little scrap of paper pinned to the sample block with a tally of how many I've made of each. 

My 9-Patch Challenge

I've been participating in Karen's 9-Patch Challenge.   We were to make a 9-patch block every day for 80 days starting on June 1 to August 20.  I cut out 2.5" batik squares and made mine as a L/E project.  

So yesterday I first sewed my donation quilt top together to get it off the wall.

Then I put up all the 9-patch blocks.

This is a stash quilt. 

 I didn't think I had enough of any one batik for the setting squares etc so I was going to go buy some.  I checked my stash before I left for the quilt shop and dang I mean "eureka" I had enough of this blue batik, JUST enough.  

 I went to the shop anyway!

I had to pick up my new sewing chair I ordered and I also bought a brown fabic (from the sale shelf) that I thought might work too.

I liked them both but just kept thinking the brown was a little too dark. Although I think the blue could be a little lighter too, so after waffling for about 1/2 hour I decided.

I played around with the block arrangements for a long time trying to get a nice balance. I think it measures 68" square right now.  I have no more of that background and I remember getting it years ago so I won't be getting more.  I would like to maybe add an extra top and bottom border of the 2.5" squares-I certainly have enough left- to make it a bit longer than wider. And then a larger border around that...will think about that when the top is together.

A Sassy Baseball Bag!

(Paul took this picture with his cell phone, I wish I would have brought my camera the view was amazing from where we were.)

 We were invited to the Pirates v Marlins baseball game last night. 

I have on my "2010 to do list" to make a Sassy Bag and I had leftover baseball fabric from a Town Purse I made a few years ago.  So I made one to use at the game!

Front

Back

It was a 'hit'...one of the few of the evening since the Pirates lost big time. 

 It was a fun night out.

Design Wall Monday (week 33)

Here is my wall.

On the right are my block-a-days, I think up until 8/15. I'm not sure as I only stepped into the room a few minutes ago to snap the picture. 

The squares are laid out for a 2nd Quilts 4 Kids quilt. 

Last week my sister invited me to go to NYCity for the weekend! 

I'm working on editing my pictures from the trip.

view from the Stattan Island Ferry:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Brie, Sam and me in Times Square!

I finished quilting this quilt a few days ago.  The quiltmaker is a hand-piecer!!
 I used to be a hand piecer.....long, long time ago. The whole time I quilted this I kept thinking 'holy moley, I can't believe she hand pieced this'-- all 94 x110 inches of it-- mitered borders and all!

******

I'm going to NYC this weekend, well actually tomorrow!  I've never been there before, I'm very excited. 

We're going to see Mary Poppins  and do some touring-- I'm very excited!

Quilt 4 Kids

I found two partial used charm packs: one is Boutique and the other is Clementine.   I started putting all these charms on the wall. And I had enough for a Quilts 4 Kids donation quilt.  I timed myself  and it took me 1 hour 10 minutes to sew this together.

It measures 41 x 46.  I used up all the charms (yea!) and the border fabric was all leftovers too.

Design Wall Monday (week 32)

This is my finished Jelly Roll Sew Along top.

Yesterday, I changed out the dark brown fabric in the churn dash block (lower left corner of layout)

and I'm much happier.   

I sewed this together. It measures 44 x 44. So now I'm thinking about making some more blocks maybe 10 more 8" blocks to add a row on top and on bottom.  A border all around and it will be a better size for a throw.  

I also put up my Jelly roll blocks and thought they would be my DW Monday post.  But once I had the sashing fabrics picked and started putting it together I didn't want to stop and it went together so easily--wonderful!  I had a one yard cut of one of the Daiwobo fabrics that I wanted to use for the outer border, but of course was about 1/4 yard short.  So Saturday evening I decided I would go to the quilt shop that carries this line and see if she had any more-or pick something else out.  Well, this morning after I got home from church and a quick trip to the grocery store. I went back into my room and thought it was silly to go buy more when I have enough leftovers to piece a border.  So that's what I did.

LUV it.

The jelly roll was Evening Mist from Moda with a few leftover (and the sashing and pieced border) DAIWABO selection for EE Schenck Eo.--it says so right on the selvege!

I also pieced and pressed the binding for this quilt and for the Morris quilt.

Quiltathon Day 2-final update

Well, this was a fun and productive 2 day adventure. 

 I am tired. 

This evening at 7:15 I finished the final border on Morris (we're on a first name basis now that we've spent so much time together).

I didn't have enough yardage of Morris wkshop fabric for the outer border but I did have something in the stash that works well.  The top measures 81.5 x 90.  I have the binding strips cut but will sew them tomorrow. 

I didn't get to my Jelly roll blocks.

But I did get these arranged.

I brought the big churn dash block up with me (block in lower left)-I just can't take that dark brown---toooo dark.  So I'm going to un stitch the block tonight while staring at the TV and re-sew it with a less dominating fabric tomorrow.

Spineless Feathers

Ok this is just real basic.

If you look at the top diagram; that's how I start them. 

The first one went to the top (or left) then the 2nd one I made on the bottom side. You can touch the feather to the previous or just come close it didn't matter when I stitched it out.

In the  2nd diagram I tried to show you how I curve them, I put a little bracket to show where as you're going along and want to curve up make 2-3 feathers on the bottom side.

 Count my numbers 8 was on the top then 9,10 and 11 were on the bottom then 12 back on top and then continue top, bottom, top, bottom.

If I would have made that #12 feather curve back on the #8 feather more I would have had a deeper turn or curve.

This 2nd picture is just another one of the curving, I think I curved better this time.

Oh dang, I just realized I forgot to show how you can shoot off in a different direction. So I will just say it. 

Ok, you just finished stitching that #28 feather, which I put in the center and ended that line of feathers.  You can back track along your spine (or where the spine would be if you had one, just follow along the feathers.)  The nice thing is since you don't have a spine there already, going back doesn't cause a bunch of thread buildup, which I don't like if I'm using a contrasting thread.  And since these are informal feathers, you don't have to stress over hitting the feather lines perfectly.  (yea.)

If I went back to the spot between feather #16 & 18, I could start a new line of feathers from there and either head back towards the beginning or out and around the end to the right.  It would depend on how much room I had left before I needed to roll the quilt.

Quiltathon Day 2-update

Ok, first a picture of the Snow bound blocks.  I put them away--enough of them for a while.

I went down to sew at about 10am.  First though I spent about 10 minutes drawing out the "spineless feathers" I posted about a few days ago.  I'm going to do a separate post after this one. 

Then I just started to sew the 2.5" squares together. 34 per strip, 3 strips on each side, 2 strips on top and bottom.

I've stopped for lunch and COFFEE.
 I have the side borders sewn on and the top 2 strips pieced but not sewn together yet.  Whew!  I'm loving it! 

So, ok a little blog surfing while the coffee brews, the other post about the spineless feathers and back to fun, I mean work.  :)

I'm going to eat a sandwich today--the brownies are all gone! Dang!

Quiltathon Day 2

I sewed until about 10 pm last night.

I blanket-stitched all the Snow Bound blocks and even the 8th one I prepared and stitched as well. I really never thought I'd get those done in this 2 day time.

I sewed about 1/2 of the 2.5" squares together for my checkerboard border-not pressed yet. That's were I was last night when my eyes fell out! 

A good night sleep and today I'm going to get that border on the Morris quilt and plan something for the 16"/8" blocks.  Oh and I really would like to get the Jelly roll blocks out too.  Paul will be home for dinner but then he's going to my brother's to help install a 4' pool.  So he'll be gone again-as long as my eyeballs cooperate I'll be at this all day.

Sorry no pictures...I will take some and do an update this afternoon.

Quiltathon update 5:30

Here's what I got done this afternoon.

The 3 SnowBound blocks on the right are blanket-stitched.  The one with the tree has 2 more blocks underneath that still need done and above that is the print out for the 8th blocks-- I printed it out today.  It must have just been put on the Bunny Hill site.  I thought I checked it a day or 2 ago and it wasn't up yet.  So now I have another one to prepare as well!

On the very left side of the picture you can just see 3 stacks of 2.5" squares. I cut them out after deciding on a checkerboard 2nd border for Morris WS top.  I cut 322 squares.  I'm going to do 2 rows on the top and bottom (4-patch) and 3 rows (9-patch) on the sides, that should give me an 80 x 90 finished top-after I add the final 6" border. 

So for lunch I had coffee and 2 brownies!!  I'm starved so time for din-din.  Paul won't be home from work until late tonight and Meg is working.  The dogs are sleeping by the AC vents-it's so hot out they won't go out.  So I have all evening to sew.

Quiltathon

Judy is hosting a quiltathon today and tomorrow.

I'm ready.  I have a long list:

1. sashing on the Morris workshop quilt top and plan the pieced middle border and cut the outer border.

2. Machine blanket stitch my BunnyHill "Snowbound" blocks.  7 of them--I'll never get them all done but a start will make me happy.

3. assemble the Jelly Roll Sew Along quilt blocks--decide on backing for it.

4. Piece the August 22 Block-a-Day block (I have it cut out and ready) it's the 8th 8" block I need to put together with 4 16" blocks and get it out of the way!

the pile of brown 2.5" squares and the rectangles (2.5 x 6.5) are my new leader/enders.  They are going to make the alternate blocks for my Aster Manor block-a-days quilt. I have 3 made already, you can see them on the left side of the picture below. 

The right side shows one of the 4 16" blocks and 4 of the 8" blocks.

I think that should keep me busy and if my chance I get all this done I still have my batik sample Bl-a-days that needs borders or I could decide on a setting fabric for my batik 9-patch blocks and cut them out....

Free hand Feathers

I practiced for  a couple of days on my dry erase board and on paper and finally thought I was as ready as I was going to get.

 "Feathers all over it" was the request.

 I'm looking forward to using this design again. The plain blocks on this quilt aren't white or cream but a lovely light blue.  I used a King Tut blue vareigated in the top and a medium blue Bottom Line in the bobbin.

Design Wall Monday (week 31)

Here is my wall.

12 inch Block-a-Days

  I'm thinking 2 borders: a pieced one next and then a larger outer border. It will depend on the yardage I have how big the outer border can be.

The left side of the wall has my Tisket-Tasket blocks and the right side is my June FFF stitchery from Kaaren at The Painted Quilt. 

block-a-days w/Morris Wkshop fabric

Yesterday I sewed the block-a-day for August 5th, making it the 20th -12 inch block from the Morris workshop fabric (moda).  Of course I had to get them all out and put 'em on the wall. 

I need to decide on borders and sashing so I think I will leave these up for a few more days.

It's a lovely day today with just a small chance of a scattered shower, so Paul and I are going to go for a long bike ride. As long as the weather cooperates our destination is an early dinner at Rachel's Roadhouse. I've been there a few times while on quilting excursions with quilter friends but not with Paul.