Finishing UFO's and making more....

So today I finished quilting my Batik 9-Patch quilt.  I have to put the binding on so it's not "technically" finished but that's ok.

It's one of the 11 UFO's I have on my list for 2011 and the 5th one finished. 

the leftovers backing....

 

The quilting I just did rows of C-hooks across the blocks in both directions and in the outer border

and this little swirly design in the setting triangles around the outside.

  I used King Tut thread in the top and the stitches really show up.

Awhile back I started making flying geese blocks as  leader/ender's since I didn't want to start another leader/ender quilt as I still have the crab apple one to put together....  The little triangles that get cut off of the flying geese I sewed into HST and then into pinwheel blocks. 

The flying geese blocks I was able to incorporate into my CW Repro top as filler blocks. That was very nice having them already made and amazingly the right size too.

(You can see them in the first round of blocks and in the outside row.)

and  no, I still haven't sewn the final borders on yet...

Well, after letting the pinwheels grow on my wall for a while I got tired of making them and didn't want to make more flying geese so I  switched to making 9-patch blocks.

 (are they called

puss in the corner blocks?  or something else...I can't remember but seems to me there is a name for them.)

I have over 50 of them now and am starting to think about how I want to put them together.

And then I thought, well what the heck am I going to do with the pinwheels? First things first and all that. 

During the last few weeks when the projects I'm working on haven't held my interest, I played with the pinwheels. Yesterday I finished piecing this little top it's about 23x27.

 I have it ready to quilt.  I'm going to quilt it with small free hand baptist fans. Just not sure whether I will hand quilt or put it on HQ.  Earlier this week I was slicing bagels and I slipped and cut my pointer finger...rather nasty actually.  I was able to get the bleeding stopped and a nice snug bandage has done the trick but it's impeding my doing stuff. 

**quilt-y stuff, I mean...I'm taking full advantage of not being able to do 'domestic' chores with such a terrible boo-boo.**

 Threads get caught in the adhesive at the edge of the bandage and it snags on everything.  I am able to quilt on HQ with my finger pointing up in the air;  as if I'm having a constant "ah-hah!" moment.

At some point I have to re-load "oh Man!...".

I have it hanging in the living room for now and the other night I noticed that I missed a section of quilting. It's in the top right side setting triangle around the center block.

  I have only "squiggle stitched" 1/2 of that triangle!  How the heck did I do that! I'm actually thinking of donating it but not sure if it's OK. (it's the right size for Quilts for Kids) I mean obviously it would be for a girl but I'm going back and forth about it. Is is 'little girl-y' enough, appropriate enough?

Your thoughts?

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I've finally got the IPod figured out and all the software working (oh knock-on wood--please do not jinx me).

I'm L-O-V-I-N-G listening to books on it.  I have an account set up with the library and my 'wish-list' is really long.  I'm trying to walk every day and having these to listen to while I'm walking is fantastic.  If only the silly weather would improve even slightly I'd probably be giddy with happiness about trekking through the park near our home.  When the kids were in school, I walked every morning after the bus picked them up. I started when Meghan was in kindergarten (she'll be 24 in July) but then when they got into high school something changed, I can't remember what exactly, if anything, got in the way but walking left the schedule.   I've tried over and over to get it back into it but always fall out of the habit before it's cemented in....so I try again.

I've been quilting...

64 x 84

Finished my first leader/ender quilt. I really like it--wish I would have made it queen size for my bed.

A close up:

I just did a meander in the blocks and a spineless feather in the outer border. 

And the pieced backing using some of my 'extra' block-a-day blocks.

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I quilted "OH man! This is gonna be bad" quilt yesterday.

It's not so bad after all.
These are a bunch of random block-a- day blocks that I didn't think would work as I was playing around with them on the design wall; hence the name of the quilt.

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I'm still working on sewing the outside row of blocks on my CW Medallion. It's slow going as I've been concentrating on quilting on HQ lately and enjoying it. 

Tonight I loaded my 9-patch challenge quilt and started on the outside border I hope to get it done this weekend.



 

Not quite Wordless Wednesday

Ta-da!

73 x 90



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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.