Finishes and getting close to finished....

I  finally put a clothes line up along the fence for taking pictures of smaller quilts (been wanting to do that for a long time). 

Here's the first picture using it.

and the back.

Aster Manor it done too even the binding.  

I've had some days off in a row and have been keeping my nose to the grindstone!

When I needed a break from quilting, I blanket-stitched the last 6 Dresden plate to their background.  

This is it-seriously-no matter what I am not making anymore of these dang blocks.

Remember these?  They're from March/April.  I started them on a whim.  I really wish I wouldn't do that.

I pieced another 3  X blocks.  After I sew them on the layout will be 3 x4 and approximately 72 x 96. No idea what I will do with this one-perhaps take it to 'Camp diamond in the rough'.  

Which isn't quite so rough anymore--Paul and I've stayed over twice this month, but that's another post for another day.

I hoped the X's would use up a lot of strip scraps; alas, they did not.

I have a couple customer quilts to do and then I'm hoping to get 2-3 more of my own quilts quilted in September.

Aster Manor is quilted (bad weather and bad timing) so no finished photos yet...this week...

After taking it off HQ I made the binding and sewed it and the label on! whew!  

I even have about 24 inches of the binding hand sewn to the back.  

The label says "finished August 2013" so I better get busy. :)

A couple weeks ago I had been looking over my 2013 goals--it's starting to look like I won't get everything done again. 

One of the things was to finish the two embroidery pieces I have.

They've been sitting on top of my bookcase next to HQ all year, well at least since maybe March (?)

They caught my eye and before I had time to overthink anything I loaded them and got them quilted.

Now they're pinned to the 2nd design wall.  

Wonder how long they'll stay there!

I'm finishing up an adorable quilt for Libby and then my signature quilt goes on HQ.

I really like how it turned out. I'm going to quilt all over feathers on it.

The pattern is Basic Math by Debbie Grifka. 

The layer cake I used is from French General, but I can't remember the line right now.

Yesterday, the bike gang went out again!

We left at 9 am and got home at 9 pm.  We were some tired puppies!

Paul, Scott, sil Mary, bil Ed 

Scott behind us on Rt 59 a few miles from the dam

 Our destination was Kinzua Dam.  I'd never been there before and it was so cool.

 I even saw an eagle!! so excited about that!

Kinzua Dam

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Today I needed to really give the house a good cleaning but I still spent some time sewing.

I took a picture of the Modern stack n slash that I finally got the binding done on.

50 x 53

After this picture I washed it and it crinkled up wonderfully.  I just straight line quilted it but I didn't use channel locks just 'eyed' it. So it's not perfectly straight and I just estimated the distance between the lines too. I quilted it one way then reloaded it the other way and quilted it that way.  I really like how it turned out.  

I got another row of feathers quilted on Aster Manor.  I'm using wool batting on this one. It's the first time I've ever tried wool.  It really shows the quilting.  I'm quilting it very close, doing all-over hooked feathers and hope that is OK with wool to quilt it so densely.   

I've been working on piecing the diamond (triangles on the corners) of the Medallion blocks.  I was having trouble seeing the cutting line I drew because the overhead lighting casts a shadow on my cutting table.  I was getting a bit frustrated when it hit me that my Ott Light is sitting in the corner unused.  

So I dragged it out, plugged it in and 'wah-lah' no more shadow.

Here are my medallion blocks.  

just 6 more to add the triangles too

As I'm piecing these, I started a new Leader/Ender project.  I stopped using the L/E method a while back, it just sorta happened.  But I've been saving my binding triangles and even cut some from 2.5 inch squares to make this quilt.  I don't have near enough triangles yet but what the heck it's a start.

in no time at all I have over 20 made. only need a couple hundred more. This will take some time. :)

Change of plans

Yesterday was suppose to be a Dr appt. shopping etc. But a morning call from the Dr's saying they needed to reschedule changed all that.

I decided to turn it into a sew day for me! woo-hoo!

Here are my 16 completed Metro Medallion Blocks.Of course, I'm going to make it bigger! 

Why would I ever just follow the plan and be happy that I'm ahead of the schedule?

The blocks are big 13 x 16, so this layout

 (4 x 4) makes it 52 x 64. 

If I add one more row each way (5 x 5) it will be 65 x 80.  

I have the pieces for 9 more blocks cut and I am going to add a small triangle shape to the corners of each block to make a diamond where the blocks come together. This was an option added to the QAL after it started and it really adds to the design.  

I've also been slowly sewing the blocks for my twister jack  pattern. As you see below right now he has a splitting headache ~ackk did I just say that?? 

yep! I did.  ha!

As soon as I get the top together, (maybe today) it's coming down as I have another signature quilt project started...I'm using this pattern and a layer cake of 

Chateau Rouge and I need the design wall space for that.

And I'm super excited that I finally decided to put my Aster Manor flimsy on HQ.  It's 86 x 98 and a block-a-day top. I'm going to quilt my all-over feathers in the center and do the borders separately. The back is ready too. I have a little note pinned to it saying I finished the top in Sept 2010 and I prepped the back in Aug. 2011!  

  I'm going to load it today.  OH MY Gosh binding?? I don't have anything written about making the binding...

fun times, fun times!

Life is good.

January 8th

My house is almost un-decorated but that is another story.

At the beginning of 2012, I thought I had made  a very do-able goal list.  But as the year wound down I could not finish (quilt) the 3 tops that I have had on the list for the last two years now.  I'm bummed about this but hey that's how it goes!  

They are:

Chloe

Aster Manor
I can not find a picture of the completed top--yikes!

Jonquil & Stars

They are all big quilts full/queen size and I have the backing and batting ready too.

Chloe was loaded on Saturday.

I was back and forth over how to quilt it-always a dilemma! The thoughts of custom quilting it just makes me tired.  Of course I really wanted to do feathers on it but was thinking it was too busy.  Then I was making my bed later, um I still have my Christmas quilt on it.

I did all over feathers on it and it's a darn busy quilt and I love it.  Love the texture, love the feathers.  Decision made!

So now I just need to get started on the quilting.

My goal list is much smaller this year.

4 tops need quilted. The 3 above and Modern Misfits too.

I have 5 WIPS:

2 embroidery pieces – finish as pillows, frame etc.

Swirled Christmas tree wall quilt (applique)

Bunny Hill Designs BOM “Dresden Plate”

New York Beauty

Curve it Up Quilt Along (Blog) BoM

I did get my Christmas Swirls top fused.

I may save this for the quilt guild retreat. It might be a good little project to take along in case I get tired of one of the other things I'm working on.

For "NEW" projects this year I just have 

"use my Quick Curve Ruler." 

I've started making Urban Candy already. 

I have 10 blocks made.  It calls for 90.  

Making these modern quilt patterns is so far out of my norm and curves so out of my comfort zone that I shake my head over this change in me. A few years ago I would never have thought I would ever make a quilt like these.

So I start this year hopeful that I will finally finish up my UFO's and WIP.  I didn't even mention the 70+ block a day blocks that are still aging to perfection in a box under my cutting table (oh yes! I know exactly where they are) don't want to overwhelm myself. *wink*

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In other aspects of my life I need to

- get back into a routine; this creature of habit needs it ....badly. 

-continue my walking and good eating; got away from me a bit this holiday season

but I'm back in the saddle again.

-s.l.o.w. down  

I'm a fast person, I do everything fast. Not as warp speed fast as when I was younger but still pretty fast. I move fast, I talk fast, I eat fast, I get ticked off fast (but I also get over it fast)

 :)  

I'm starting to get a little tired.  

*****

fun times, fun times.

Life is good.

The Scarf, Aster Manor and Crab Apples

My first scarf is finished!!  It is going to keep me very warm.  It's about 60" long.  I just kept knitting and knitting, figured it was better to use it and have a very long scarf than stop and have a little ball of yard leftover and nothing to do with it.

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In between housework and other stuff I've been working on A.Manor. The sashing strips are all together along the right side.  The 2 bottom rows are already sewn together. I did that right away to get the bottom row off the floor, since Annie thinks fabric of any kind on the floor is her cue to make a nest!

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I only put together 1 block a day this week, the log cabin one on the left; hoping to catch up on those today and tomorrow.

The block on the right is my sample block for my next L/E using 2" squares. The quilt is called Crab Apples by B. Hunter. It's in her latest book, Adventures with Leaders and Enders.   However, the blocks in her quilt are smaller since she used 1.5" squares.   I wanted to use 2" squares to make the blocks finish 12".  So that meant re-sizing the paper piece pattern for the trunk part of the block!

It actually worked and since the p.pc. section is only 4 fabrics I was able to make it the first time correctly!  :)

 

Friday Finish and a start

The dresser and nightstand are done.   They look way better in real life!  Paul hasn't had a chance to put the mirror back together and onto the back of the dresser, which is ok since I'm not sure if I'm going to re-arrange the bedroom furniture.  Where I have the dresser right now, under a window; I'm not sure it would look right with the mirror.  I'll need a few days to get used to this and then decide.

*****

On the quilting front, I started the Aster Manor 10" Block-a-days.

In this 1st picture that one block in the bottom row was just too dark and stuck out no matter where I moved it.

  So it's out of there and I made a replacement block. (bottom row 1st pieced block on left in picture below) 

I also felt that the chain setting blocks were a little busy looking. So I cut 2" x 10.5" sashing strips from a light fabric and 2" setting squares from the same Moda 'crackle' brown.   This is one of the few times I actually had enough fabric for such a change! I have about a 3.5" strip of the light fabric  and THREE 2" squares left! 

Much better, I think. 

They aren't sewn together and I may play with the block placement a bit...looking at this picture -I'm thinking it's pretty good.

Not quite Wordless Wednesday

Ta-da!

73 x 90



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