Design Wall Monday - 8/19/13

Just a little added to the design wall since last time.  I'm starting to play with scrappy hexies.  Not sure if I want to just go with the flow and put them next to each other, or plan a constant color path running through them the traditional way.  Right now, I'll just keep making flowers.

And while I'm talking about flowers, it's a good time to introduce you to "Floral Fantasy".  This is our raffle quilt for the Bits 'n Pieces Quilt Guild.  It was made by a sub-group called The "A-Team", of which I am a part. The A stands for Applique, naturally.  These blocks are all done by the needle-turn technique. We have around 20 in our group when everyone comes to our monthly meetings.

I showed you a few pictures of the quilting from the back on an earlier post and now, as promised, here are a few more from the front.  I'll be showing a picture of the whole quilt later, but because of it's size 97" x 110", that shot doesn't even come close to doing it justice.  It's best seen up close and personal.  

There are many more intricate and difficult ones to come.  This will be raffled off in March, 2014 at our bi-annual quilt show.  More details on that later; stay tuned.

To see other design walls, visit Patchwork Times.

Stash Report and More

It's time for reporting my used and added fabric.  I am always amazed at how fast the week goes.  I didn't get a lot of sewing done from my stash; however I did use a yard for a pillowcase. Here are the numbers.
Fabric Added this week - 0
Fabric Added YTD - 73.95 yds

Fabric Used this week - 1 yds
Fabric used YTD -  66.66 yds
Net Enhanced for 2013 - 7.2 yds

On another subject, I was privileged to be a part of making this beautiful raffle quilt for our upcoming quilt show in 2014. Here are a couple pictures of the back to show off the quilting.   Come back tomorrow for views of the front.  You won't want to miss seeing all the beautiful floral fantasies we have included.   It is needle-turned applique and was made by our A-Team, which is a subgroup of our guild.

If you have time, stop by Judy's and see what others have done this week on reducing/enhancing their stashes.

A Little of This and That

This week has kept me busy with a little of this and that.  First, I finished quilting a quilt for a friend that made this for her granddaughter. It has cute black cats on a sparkly hot pink background, pink and lime green fans on a black background and lots of hot pink fabric (the granddaughter's favorite color).

Also long arm basted a Civil War quilt for a friend that is going to hand quilt it. She is a great hand quilter so I can't wait to see what she does.  I know it's going to be even more stunning when she finishes.

Also this week I finally finished my ruffle neck scarf that I started last winter.  I don't have a picture of it yet, but now I can try a new knitting project I've been wanting to start.

This morning found me in the kitchen instead of my sewing room hulling Persian Lima beans.  This is what they look like before you hull them.

The green one is not really dried enough for picking.  The next 3 are ready to harvest. They are so much fun to hull.  In fact, if you leave them on the kitchen counter to dry out more, they will actually pop open on their own and the bean inside will fly out.  Ask me how I know this.  One morning I came down and there were a half dozen or more little red beans all over the floor and in places that were not even close to where I had them drying.  The beans are a beautiful deep maroon color with black veining through them. They are shiny and smooth.  They almost remind me of a polished rock or stone.

When they are sufficient dried, the shells get real brittle and twist causing them to split apart.  When they twist real tightly, the seeds pop out and you are left with empty very tightly twisted wrappers.

Can you see a couple beans still inside the wrappers on the left. Those twisted curled ones in the front are empty of their seeds and it is almost impossible to untwist them open again. The beans will fly out of there if I leave them on their own; but I won't because I'll find them in the most unlikely places all over your kitchen later!

We like these to use in homemade vegetable soup.  They are a great substitute for meat if you are cooking vegetarian.  They swell up about 3 times their dried size after they are cooked.  Their flavor is sort of nutty, but most of the time they take on the flavor of the broth they are cooked in.  There are many recipes on the internet using these with Peruvian rice and dill weed, but I have not tried any of them yet.  

I also made up another batch of my steel cut oat hockey pucks.  See previous post about that process here.

Now I have two quilts that need the bindings sewn on, so it's back to the sewing room.   Hope you have a great weekend.  The weather is beautiful here and summer is returning next week.

Design Wall 8/12/13

It's been a bit since I've posted to DWM, but this exercise is a motivator for me, so I thought I'd get back to one of my older projects.  I've added more stained glass to the outside of the first panels that were completed.

Next will come the center and hardest challenge -- applique a cross with a heart draped over it.  Figuring out the dimensions and how best to achieve the look I'm after may be more than I am capable of doing.  Might have to call in a "real artist" to advise me on perspective and size.

To see what is on other design walls, go to Patchwork Times.

Stash Report - Aug 4

Not much change in my stash report this week, but I didn't add anything to it either.  A little was used from my red and blue scraps for my block exchange.

Totals this Week
Fabric Added  - 0
Fabric Added YTD - 73.95 yds
Fabric Used - 1/8 yd.
Fabric Used YTD - 65.66 yds
Net for 2013 -  8.2 yds. added

However, I did keep myself busy by quilting a couple quilts for my friends.  This was a simple 9-patch block and rail fence, but it really looks pretty set on point, don't you think?  She used all black and whites, although it appears gray.

Then there was this beauty.  The colors reminded me of Tuscany. She requested a paisley design for the quilting.  It was a kit with the name Santa Fe in the title.

To see how others have managed their stash this week, go over to Patchwork Times.

UFOs for August

I have listed my goals for August in an earlier post, but they did not include pictures nor did I specify which were UFOs.  Since I signed up to participate in "Nothing But UFOs in 2013 Challenge", here are 3 UFOs that I hope to finish in August.

The first is my string quilt.  It was started at least 3 years ago as a leader/ender project.

The 2nd is Bonnie Hunter's  Easy Street.  I still need 1 more border and then to quilt and bind it.

The 3rd  is the red, white and blue baby quilt that just needs quilting and binding.

Updated with the correct picture.  Those tiny thumbnail photos start to look too much alike when you do this at 1:00 am!.  Sorry. 

I hope to get more things done in the month, but I will concentrate on these.    I'm linking up with Carrie of A Passion for Applique.  Hop on over there so see what others are working on in August.   

Get It Done - August

Well, it's been very quiet here on the blogging front.  It seems like the days roll by so quickly from the weekend to the next weekend and I haven't accomplished a lot in my sewing room.  I totally forgot to post my July Get It Done goals and here it is August already.  To bring you all up-to-date, here's my July list and the results and what I hope to accomplish in August.

August Goals
1. Quilt String quilt
2. Piece blocks for Autumn Plume
3. Finish Easy Street top
4. Get liturgical quilt done
5. Quilt RWB baby quilt

July Goals
1. Continue working on Autumn Plume - did not do anything on this project.
2. Finish Easy Street top - not yet
3. Quilt a charity Quilt - yes
4. Finish putting string blocks into a top - Done

I'm linking up with Judy's Get It Done.  Check it out to see what everyone else is up to.

Stash Report, Books & Baby quilts

It's been a couple weeks since I've reported any stash usage (because I haven't used any!) but I have been busy on another goal for the year.  Same numbers from two weeks ago.
Fabric Added- 0
Fabric Used  - 0
YTD Added - 73.95 yds
YTD Used - 65.54 yds
Still in the hole - 8.3 yds.

In my defense as to why I haven't moved any stash, I have been reading some long awaited books that friends have recommended.  Two of my recent reads were so enjoyable I didn't get anything else done. I would highly recommend them to everyone, and especially those that like historical romances.   The first was Promise Me This, by Cathy Gohlke. This starts out with the preparation and maiden voyage of the Titanic.  It follows several memorable characters through the voyage and through WWI.  Cathy is a prize winning author and does extensive research into the backgrounds of the settings and historical facts of the times for the development of her characters and their stories.  I didn't want this one to end. She has a new one out called Band of Sisters .  It's next on my list. A short synopsis can be seen HERE for both of these books.

Since I hate to do only one thing at a time, I got the next book from the library as an audio book so I could keep quilting customer quilts while listening.  It was Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  This is a story about an American born Chinese boy and an American born Japanese girl who find themselves in the same American school in Seattle in the early 1940s during WWII.  Their struggles to overcome the bitter feelings of a Chinese father toward all things Japanese and how these two young kids still manage to share a bond with each other will keep your attention.   Here are a couple reviews:

“A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war--not the sweeping damage of the battlefield, but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. Especially relevant in today's world, this is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more importantly, it will make you feel." 
-- Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

"Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart."

Now it's time to get back to the sewing room.  I find it hard to balance my love of reading with that of quilting.  But I have some deadlines looming ahead and I must put down the books and get to work in the sewing room.

Also, during the last couple weeks I quilted some baby quilts for a friend that will be used for her church bazaar.  No fancy quilting but the fabrics were so cute.  Some little ones will love cuddling up with them.

Made with Minkee and flannel

Made with sock monkey fabric

Elephants and giraffes

Elephants and giraffes with stripe border.

Hope you all have a great week.  Check out what others did with their stashes at Judy's. 

I'm also linking up to Michelle's Romantic Tangle for Let's Make Baby Quilts. 

Stash Report - Week 28

I finally have some good numbers to report.  At this week's retreat I finished putting all the rows of my Easy Steet together and adding the first inner border; completed a baby quilt top; my UFO string quilt and made some progress on the borders of the liturgical quilt.  I also gave some fabric to a friend to help her finish a child's quilt.  All-in-all I am happy with what I accomplished in the stashbusting area. I still haven't broken even with the starting point in January, but getting real close!

Used this Week: 6.43 yards
Used year to Date: 65.54 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date:  73.95 yards
Net Added in 2013:  8.3 yards
Check at Judy's. to see what others have accomplished with their stashes.

Back from Retreat with almost finished projects

Hi all.  I just got back from a fun sewing retreat with some good friends and even though I didn't get a quilt totally finished, I do have several tops done and made great progress on several others.

The first "almost finished" is a baby quilt that was started in June at another retreat.  This quilt was started from a few of the blocks given to me from Janet.  She had them leftover from a baby quilt that she was making.

Remember these string blocks? They were started a few years ago as leader/ender blocks and they worked well to use up partially filled bobbins and for stress-free sewing when I'm too tired to use my brain to think, but want to sew anyway. 

This is what they look like now. I finished putting them together and the top is ready to be quilted. 

I also made good progress on my Easy Street and the liturgical quilt.  I'm linking up with Michelle's Romantic Tangle.  Take a look there to see what others are working on.

Stash Report - Week 27

I know this is late, but it is still Sunday here, so I'm getting in under the wire.  This was a slow week for fabric usage, but I hope to correct that in the coming week.  It's retreat time and I have 3 or 4 projects packed to work on.  I'm taking mostly UFOs to sew on, so hopefully I'll get a top finished -- that is if we don't laugh, talk and eat so much that I don't have time for sewing.!

Fabric Added - 0
Fabric Added YTD - 73.95 yards
Fabric Used - 1.5 yds (gave away)
Fabric Used - YTD -  59.21 yards
Net Added in 2013 - 14.74 yds

I'm still working on getting back to even.  Maybe next week will do it (if I finish something big). lol

More reports can be seen on Patchwork Times.

Vintage Aprons

At our Bits 'n Pieces Guild meeting last week, we had a program on "Vintage Aprons, Voices of the Past." in conjunction with our annual salad supper.  The speaker shared her knowledge of aprons and their place in history and how the particular times infuenced the style and wearing of aprons. We saw examples from the 1900s through the 1970s into the 1980's.

The fabrics used for aprons ranged from plain muslin to silks, elegant laces, linen and there were even those that were crocheted and you pinned them to your dress.   I didn't get good pictures of some of the oldest ones and a few that were downright ugly, but here are a few of the aprons we saw.

This was one of the older ones -  fine linen with beautiful hand embroidery over it.  It slipped over your head and covered the back as well.  There was a picot edge on the zig zagged bottom edge and around the neckline.   You sure wouldn't want to drip anything on this exquistely made apron. This probably would have been used for serving the meal, not for the preparation of it.

This half apron was sewn in 3 separate sections with only the rickrack between and holding each piece to the other one. It had a lovely embroidered design on the middle section that was very beautifully done by an accomplished seamtress.

This cute number had rickrack trim and an additional ruffle added to the bottom and it covered your clothing all the way to the hem.

Another darling half apron with gingham trim.  Check out the cute pocket shaped like a tea kettle.

A gingham yoke and trim with beautiful embroidered flowers, kept this lady's dress totally covered & clean--the skirt wrapped around to the back.

The lady who made this apron must have been a garmet maker.  It had as much detail as a dress or jumpter -- a big square collar (front and back) with added ruffle, scalopped hemline, cute cutouts on pockets and at the neckline, and completely it covered your dress tying in the back with a big bow.

This was a half apron made with ladies hankies and lace trim.

This maker had a good sense of humor.  She was prim and proper on the outside, but if she wanted, she could spice things up a bit.

 Here's one was made from a pair of recycled jeans with an added checked petticoat looking ruffle added to the bottom. 

Our fashion show was set to music too -- changing with the time period.  When we got to the Roaring 20's, I half expected to see the model break into dancing the Charleston.! lol

It was a very entertaining evening with lots of interesting facts and information about how aprons came to be and were used and how they changed with the thinking of the times.  The models were provided with appropriate accessories to show off their aprons.  The last two aprons were for men  and the ladies came out with mustaches and funny sayings on their aprons.  I would love to show their pictures, but I haven't cleared it with them yet, so I'll resist showing them.  You'll just have to use your imagination.