New Start

I got tired of the teeny tiny piecing so I have started a blue double Irish Chain with 2.5" strips and two different blues. Gorgeous! 1 block is done and appears to be about 10.25" square.

Worked on my Featherweight to make sure my seams with a scant .25" and not too much less. It was much less before the adjustment.

Had a wonderful weekend, celebrating our 17th anniversary. SO, not much sewing happened.

Potato Covering

I had a lot of fun this weekend creating a cover for our pototos that sit on a wire rack.

I brought my upholstery skills to bear in creating it. I used a piece of denim that was about 4 inches or so wider and longer than the shelf and then cut the holes for the legs and sewed down the flaps of denim. I then added rectangles of denim to the front and back at the same width and then larger (by about 3-4") on the sides to extend it almost to the floor. I top-stitched where I added the additional fabric.

Then I created a  TON of binding in a cute red and white using just full lengths of fabric, about 6 lengths of 2.5" cuts and bound all the edges. It turned out GREAT!

This was brand new denim that someone gifted me a long time ago. So all of it was made from my STASH! That's a big win. Took me most of Saturday to make it but I love the results.

O! I forgot to add that I made this with my Singer Featherweight. Sewed like a champ through the thick layers of the denim. Even the top-stitching through two layers of denim went together easy-peasy!

View from the back

View from the side

View from the front

A view of the potatoes!

Mini #4 is completely together and I am thinking about how I want to quilt it.

Mini #2 is still being pieced. I changed machines and now my scant quarter-inch is even scant-er. So my new blocks need to be trimmed down. Humm...

I had an issue with my Janome 9000.  I was sewing along when the needle fell out and jammed in the bobbin case. Now the machine makes a weird noise when the bobbin turns and I may need to get a new one. I do have an extra; I just need to find it.

So now I am using my Singer 221 Featherweight. I also got out my new hand-made wooden surround for it that I purchased at the February MAQF. So lovely. That's the next picture I need to take -- to show you my set up.

Mini #3 has more pieces per block and is also suffering from the change in machines. It is making me crazy!

Sewing -- ERROR!

So this weekend, I was sewing merrily along and WHAM! My needle dropped out and jammed in the bobbin case. UCK! Now my machine is making an awful sound every time the bobbin spins around.

So I cleaned it out, reassembled, did this a couple of times. NOPE. Still making the bad sounds.

Time to swap machines.

SO I brought out my Featherweight and set it up. Also opened up my new surround for it. Bought it back in February at the MAQF (Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival). O wow, this is fantastic.

This is a lovely handmade wood surround and it is so lovely. I am really enjoying using it.

So my mini #1 is on the back burner, waiting for me to get better with free motion quilting. It's already half quilted.

Mini #2 is stalled in the thought process. I have 8 of those blocks together but need at least another 8.

Mini #3 is slowly coming together. It sure takes a lot of ironing.

Mini #4 is speeding to the finish line, as far as the piecing goes.

Miniature Quilts

I have plunged into the world of miniatures! Unfortunately the nature of this particular challenge requires that I not publish any pictures. 😡

SO I may have to write my comments privately and not show anything for like a year! Wow. Humm...

I am part of team 220 in the IMQE from The Quilt Show. My quilt will not be due until Jan 2018.

Some quilting occurred

Cleared off the kitchen table, set up my newest machine, and got some quilting done on my mini shadow blocks quilt that I have named Reflections of Fall.  I really like how it is coming along.

Took pictures of the farm Kalido blocks on my design wall. But still need to cut the corner blocks but I haven't decided what I am doing for the corners. Also need to cut a new strip of the John Deere fabric. Need more of the striped cows too.

Did not get a chance to baste the Blue Storm at Sea wallhanging but I have the backing and batting cut and ready.

I'm very happy with how it looks.

New Storm at sea

I started a kit I have had for a couple of years last Monday. As of Sunday, it is now a filmsy! YEA.

Here is the last pic before it got sewed together.

En Provence!

Here she is in all her glory!

En Provence is a Flimsy!

Whoo hoo! En Provence is a top! So happy. It looks so wonderful. Unfortunately it's too late to take a picture. Tomorrow! Yea!!

En Provence - slow progress

Well, my bee meets tomorrow but I don't know if I can stay for more than an hour as I will also have my two young grandsons over for the weekend. However, I have GOT to go!

I am diligently sewing on En Provence. All of the separate clues are made and now I am assembling the sashing and the 16 blocks. Only one block is currently made but quite a few of the sashing strips. 

It has been so much fun to see all of the completed quilts but a little disheartening too because I work and there is no way for me to do that much sewing right now. So many of the quilts look like my pieces and parts but OF COURSE they should since I am using the same color scheme that Bonnie picked for us.

I have several UFOs just poised to be finished but my attention was captured by En Provence so they are stagnating.

En Provence - Block reveal!

Here is my first block of En Provence, the Bonnie Hunter Mystery. I love it!

With our weather (8.5 to 9.5 inches of snow and 2 degrees F), it was easy to sew up a storm!