Design Wall Monday

My strings and stars top has the inner border on now.  I just chose a fabric from my 2.5 inch drawer and used that. And the 3 outer string borders I already had made are on too!  I need to piece the rest of the 4th string border and this will be a flimsy.

After looking at the 'leftovers' quilt for Kids blocks I had up in a previous post, I decided there was too much going on. 

So I pulled out the red blocks and a few others and cut the blue batik for the solid blocks and now I can get 2 more Quilts for Kids from the leftover blocks-much better use of my fabric and much nicer to look at.

This is looking like a really busy week (again).  I had way too many 'irons in the fire' so last week and this week will be more of getting that under control before my head spins off.

So I only need to hand sew the binding on these three:

Sorry about the glare.

The binding is done on the Corn Toss runner, last night at 11pm- tonight is guild so just got that finished.

I have a lot of quilting to do-it's the time of year.  

I am so thrilled with this.  

I want these shoes~!!!

Check out other design walls here.

I'm here

slaving away  having a good time!

What a crazy busy week, appointments, lunch out with my sister, sewing.

Two days of deconstruction renovation.  They got more wiring done and now I have light switches where I need them! yeah! They made a lot of noise  and now my laundry tubs are moved and the drain is moved and I have more room in what used to be a laundry room.  But it's not a room now as they took the walls down too. Whew!  It looks pretty bad- noooo pictures! 

I spent a long time cleaning (again) after they left.  I cover everything with plastic that I can't move out but it's still a dusty mess.  I've probably cleaned the basement more times in the last 3-4 months than I have in all the years we've lived here.   ewwww, maybe I shouldn't reveal so much about me.

We went to the Penguins home opener! So much fun, but dang Paul and I yawn a lot in between rooting them on!  

I'm still working on piecing Quilts for Kids.  The leftover one is #9 for the year + the 2 NI CU one's I donated earlier this year makes 11.  I had set a goal of 1/month so I'm a little ahead. 

Wow that's different.

this one is with all the leftover blocks from the others!

I finished the baby quilt for my friend's daughter.  She had her baby girl yesterday! whew!

I wasn't able to attend the "newbies" class for guild last week as oldest son came home for fall break and visited!  (I thought he was staying at school) So it was a nice surprise.  

In the class, we were making this little runner.  I made it last night (late-apparently I can no longer drink decaf coffee in the evening; even the shot of Bailey's Irish creme( 'yum') in it didn't have any affect.  I have the binding pinned going to try to do that tonight.  

Would you believe that's the 1st time I used prairie points?  Easy peasy!

I quilted Witchy-poo and the 2 new little jacks quilts.  Witchy-poo is destined to be a pillow and the 2 little jacks I want to put those corner thingy's on the back for hanging-like you're suppose to do for AAQI quilts. I'm definitely gearing up to make one or 2 of those in the future. I think the technique is cool-for the little triangle/hanger.
EDIT: The correct term is "Fast Finish Triangles" .  

I'm also about 1/2 way finished with the blanket stitching on The Witch is In,  

I can not wait to get this on my front door.  

2nd edit:  The blanket stitching is done! woo-hoo!

Oh Strings & Stars is STILL on the design wall!  The center is sewn together I really need to take an hour add an inner border and the 2 side star borders and then I'll be able to see how much more I need to add to it....just an hour....or two.

My to do list is crazy long and I'm not starting another thing until it's caught up.  

Winner!

So I did the number generator thingy.  I was scared but it was easy.

It picked #2

That's Darlene from Quilting Daze.

Congratulations!

Thanks to all who entered. 

If at first you don't succeed...

...go out to lunch with a friend and her little granddaughter, visit a quilt shop.  

And then you will be ready to tackle

"the witch".

The background is way more orange than this washed out picture, same with the outer border. 

She's a little wonky, but then again she is a witch. 

"Fixing" her wasn't as difficult as I thought.  But then I was doing regular block unsewing and re-sewing not paper piecing-much more in my comfort zone.  

I almost want to make another one......ahhhahahahaa! 

Meghan and Paul wanted to know what I was going to do with it-make a pillow?  I said I thought a little wall hanging and got some static, good nature d of course but still,  about 'another wall hanging'.  

sigh. (they're right) 

 I think I will make it into a pillow.

*******

I finished hand sewing the binding and label on Irene this afternoon.  I actually thought it was already done, oops!

I love the sun light on it.

OH MY GOSH!

This must only happen to me!! 

 OH MY Gosh

.Let me start at the beginning.

Last night I began paper piecing a little Halloween witch.  I have looked on-line for a picture and can't find one so look in this photo and you will see the pattern picture.  

See it up there in the right corner?

OK, so it took me (and I am NOT exaggerating, an hour+) to do that one little section that looks like the witch's hat -it's below the pattern picture in the photo above. 

I sewed backwards, I ripped out, I sewed correctly but instead of trimming off to 1/4" I forgot to fold back the just added piece and cut the whole thing off and was just left w/seam allowance.  I ripped it off and did it again.  I sewed a piece on correctly-going in the right direction (yeah) but then when I'd press it out I would only have a smidgen of a seam allowance at the outside of the block or where another piece would align. 

Have I completely lost you?  I know I've lost me.

So that picture above was how I left my sewing table last night.  

And no I did not sit and drink heavily the rest of the evening :). 

This morning was a new day, all fresh and lovely.  I have (had) a smile on my face.  The plan, which I thought was a dang good one, was to sew this sweet little block together and take pictures as I go so I could  post about it.  

This is the first seam I sewed. It is wrong. The orange should be on the left side.  I ripped it out.

Now it is correct. The orange piece (#1) is on the left and the black piece (#2) is on the right.

What I should tell you is I thought about this seriously... before I sewed it.  I was sure I was right-and was FLOORED when  it wasn't.

I think this picture is OK-just so proud I got it together.

 :)

And now for the big reveal~

TA DA!!  

...wait do you see it??? 

And I'm not talking about the fact that the edges aren't squared-I was just going to square it up as best I could.

Yes, is she an anorexic witch?....

 or could it be that the triangle piece under her hat (behind her arm) SHOULD BE BLACK!!!

Oh for goodness sake.  

I'm frustrated.  But not too badly. I KNOW I am directionally challenged and I'm actually amazed that it looks like a witch at all.

 So what to do, what to do...well I am going to un-sew some more and try to salvage this.  

I am not looking forward to it but I will try.  

BECAUSE:  

IT CAN'T BE THIS DIFFICULT!

I can not be this...what?

Slow, bad, dumb, challenged?  

I don't want to paper-piece a bed size quilt, I don't want to paper piece ever again.  But I want to finish this little project and be happy with it and be able to say. 

 "Yes, I can paper piece but it's not my cuppa tea."

I WANT to learn this technique.  But I want it to be easy!  

Aha, there it is.  

I don't want to be challenged today, am I in a rut? Am I too comfortable? Is that a bad thing or a good thing?  Hmmm, a lot to think, food for thought as they say

....hmmm.

And speaking of food, as I was getting ready to sew that little witchy-poo together, Libby called.  Would I be able to have lunch with her and her sweet little granddaughter and then travel to a quilt shop for a quick fabric fix? I most certainly would!

****************************

Here is a picture of the four (yep 4!) Quilts for Kids quilt pieces I cut out last night.  

Mindless sewing-it's a good thing.

  

But  a sewing challenge is good too. 

Thanks for listening. 

I'm going to have a little giveaway and no it will not be that little witch! :)

What's it going to be?

One of my little jack's quilts....a finished one tho' I promise!

Leave me a comment and I'll draw a name  on Saturday, if I remember. And if I forget, I'll do it on Sunday...

Fun times, fun times. Life is Good! 

Edit: Drawing is now closed. 

A sewing day

Yesterday morning I decided to make it a sewing day.  I quilted most of the day and evening on Monday and needed a break. 

 It felt good and I got a lot done but as always thought I should have accomplished more.

The binding is on the baby quilt I made a little label for it too.

I printed out updates for my photo journal. I still need to print out pictures of finishes. Perhaps today or tomorrow.

I wrestled the big bear put the binding and label on My Christmas quilt.

I put together this Quilts for Kids top.

  I took a few minutes before I started assembling it and wrote down the amount of fabric needed for one.

And then last night I went to Jo Ann's and bought some fabric for another one. It's all been washed and waiting to be pressed and cut.  

I have the center rows sewn together on my string quilt. 

(same ole picture, forgot to take an updated one).

I just realized I didn't think about a stop border fabric for this quilt. I could have picked that up last night too. Dang, I'm going to have to go shopping again! Dang!

 ;)

I did not get to my 1/2 bushel of apples for apple butter yet.  

Today I must clean. 

 I think I can put off grocery's for a few more days. 

Then I'm going to try for another sewing day. 

I finally got this kit in. I ordered it a while ago but it was on back order.  I remember I wanted to get it last year, but the same deal (back ordered) so I just forgot about it.  I'd seen a sample when I was on that "Spooktakular Bus Tour" a few years ago and was really sorry that I didn't purchase the pattern then. It's been one of those things that kept bugging me: " you should have got it when you had the chance, you should have got it..."  

I also have a paper piecing block of a witch that I downloaded who knows when last year that I found and was going to attempt yesterday but I had no solid black fabric in my stash!!  I couldn't believe it.  Isn't that a staple or something? Like sugar and flour in the pantry. 

Oh and I don't think I showed this picture.

I finally made pillowcases (using that cool tube method). 

I know everyone has been making these for e.v.e.r.  I'm just late to the party. Two of these have been gifted but the rest will be donated for one of  my guild's community service project.   

I took a kit home from the meeting last month and after making it went and got all this fun fabric to make more.  

Oh, the sun did come out yesterday.

 I'm hoping it shows up again today. 

 I missed it.

Fun times, fun times. Life is Good!

My Design Wall

These were to be two different quilts. A string quilt and a strips and stars quilt.

I decided to combine the two. I put these up on the wall on Thursday.

 I think it needs a dark (read solid) border probably around 2 inches finished in between the strings and outer strips and stars border. I only have 3 outer borders so that will need taken care of.  My goal for this week is to just get the center string rows together. 

I also have loaded my Christmas quilt and that I want to finish quilting it this week.  I'm using bottom line in the bobbin and Connecting Threads, Essential Pro in the top, I think it's called "honey".

I did a piano key border and quilted the spine for the all-over feathers.

I 've started the feathers and am almost ready to roll the quilt forward for the 2nd section. 

The baby quilt is together. I really like it. 

I pieced the back with the leftover fabric. AFTER I made the binding!

To see other design walls in blogland, go here.