Helpful Grandsons and Bountiful Harvests

I decided to bring in one of my wall hangings to spice up the office.

Storm At Sea #1 Wall Hanging

I love it.

Of course, my DGSs needed to help me with my quilting. Got to love the little monsters under my extension table! I'm working on quilting another Storm at Sea, this time in blues.

It is that time of year when the harvests are arriving. We have been having fun learning what edible mushrooms are available in our yard. The eggplants and tomatoes are kicking and a few of the sweet peppers are coming available.

Then the important harvest! Our wine grapes. DH and the grapes, getting ready for crushing.

Loading up

Ready to start crushing

The beginning of the results

Tied Completion

I finished my inherited UFO. This quilt was started by my Aunt Margaret. She had layered it and pin-basted it. I decided to tie it and use buttons I already had. (I have WAY TOO MANY buttons!) I used only white and red buttons. I love it! It went immediately on my bed.

Finished 8/24/17. 

Pieced Backs

I finished piecing a quilt backing yesterday for my 16-patch Jewel quilt I am quite happy with it.

Searched for the batting this morning and I think I have found it. I still need to measure it. Good Grief!

My grandchildren are coming for dinner tonight so I'm not layering the quilt top YET. As a reminder, this is the quilt top:

16-patch Jewel Quilt top

No new critters in the trap this morning. We are up to 2 raccoons and 1 opossum.

Pictures!

Ok, I was good last night. I dragged a bunch of my quilt tops out and took pictures. I really like the afternoon the best for pictures.

Variable Christmas Roots

Close-up of the center of Variable Christmas Roots

Straight Furrows Lap Quilt

Streak of Lightning Lap Quilt

Storm at Sea in Blues Wall Hanging

Shadows of Fall Wall Hanging, mostly quilted

Fade to Black Miniature Wall Hanging

Double Irish Chain - Still needs borders

100-Patch Quilt

 My 100-patch Quilt is a pattern by https://weddingdressblue.wordpress.com.

Still working on another pattern by the same author, Film at Five. I have about 7 or more of the 25 blocks that are needed. They are 25-patch blocks at 2.5 inches. They seem so huge compared to the miniatures I have been creating.

New Project

Started a new project this week. I am working on Film At Five. I have a ton of 2.5 inch scrappy squares and this will be perfect for those.

I already wiped out most of my 2 inch squares when I made my 100-Patch quilt. I know, I know. Need to take a picture of the completed top.

I also have Growing up Odd in my sights for a quilt soon. But my 2 inch squares need to build up some first.

I have recently been working with miniature quilts for a challenge group but I am not allowed to post any photos anywhere on them. <POUT>

It feels really weird to be sewing 2.5 inch squares are the miniatures. They are huge compared to one-inch strips I was sewing. Well, they ARE huge in comparison. What I love about the miniatures is that they come together with very little fabric as they are so small and it is different seeing the quilt come together "in person" so to speak as opposed to on the computer.

I use EQ7   -- A LOT. But it is not the same as seeing it in fabric in front of your eyes. EQ7 is like a preview but it's not the same at all, really.

I'm having so much fun doing all the piecing on my Featherweight.

I was having a bunch of issues loading bobbins from my Superior cone thread. I have figured out a method that works now. I actually let the thread run through my pinched figures as it goes around the spindle, in the thread guide, and on to the rest of the mechanical process.

I still need to take a picture of my wood surround for it. I totally love it.

Caught One!

We caught one of the little buggers that have been lurking around our backyard. Some critters have already completely stripped our three apple trees bare and are now going after our wine grapes and tomatos.  Well, one down!

Ok. Not really down. He is going to be relocated. We believe in trap-and-release. We baited the trap with peanut butter. Look at those wicked little paws/hands. We have had to bungy-cord the trap down or these critters roll the trap down the hill. That's an old grape vine trunk that the cord is attached to.

Then I as I was leaving the house this morning I saw a bit of a snake's tail slithering into the shrubbery at the steps. Hopefully it was just a baby black snake.

Here is a test slideshow of my quilts. Trying to help Bonnie Hunter find an alternative to Youtube slides which are going away. It was pretty easy to do it. Never done it before.

View my Quilting Slideshow

One Picture -- a bunch of X!X! Words

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Mine is worth some expletive-deleted words!

Yup. Did not see the block going the wrong way until I was admiring the freaking picture!! There will be un-sewing in my very near future.

The blocks are fairly large and it was interesting to see them in a variety of layouts on the conference table at work.

Love this one.

Love this one too.

Didn't like this one. Not symmetrical enough for me.

Did  not like this one. The pale blocks are too prominent. I want the green ones to rule.

Update: This is my very first log cabin.

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!