The International Challenge quilt is on the basting rack and has been thread basted.  It is ready to quilt.

I know that I am going to make a small stipple with white thread around the embroideries.  A decision will have to be made about the thread and the quilting for the green and red blocks.

 

I had some extra blocks so I found a feather quilting pattern that would fit.  I used green Aurifil thread.  It is very nice, but when I set it on the quilt to see how it would look, it was distracting.  There were too many circles.

 

      I did some ruler work on the other blocks with different colored thread.  Also some free motion quilting.  I still don’t like ruler work.  Maybe some day I’ll enjoy it, but I’ll have to practice a long time to get to that point.  I’m glad that I practiced on other blocks and didn’t jump in and quilt something that I didn’t like.  The red center of one block was very nice quilted with dark green thread.  It had a very small border and free motion quilting.

I have a lot of solid fabric so I pieced strips with the colors of the blocks.  Then I embroidered quilting patterns, stopping and changing colors to see how the quilting would look with the different colored thread.  None of the quilting patterns looked right.  I did decide that the light green fabric should be quilted with light green thread and the darker green fabric should be quilted with darker green thread.  I did like how the red fabric looked with the darker green thread.

I found a quilting pattern that had a center flower and thought that I could change colors to make it fit on the block.  It is a nice quilting pattern, but it was not right for this quilt.  Making it did give me an idea for making another quilt.  I could  make quilted 8″ squares with solid fabric and put them into a quilt.  Very fast and easy.  That’s for another day.

The final decision is that the thread color should match the fabric, except for the red fabric.  That will be toned down with dark green thread.  The embroideries are so busy that seeing a quilting pattern on the other block is distracting.  Using the same color thread in free motion quilting will give texture and not take away from the embroidery block. I won’t stipple quilt, but will make a leafy meander or another background filler.  The spaces are small so the filler should be a small one.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

I spent the day doing household chores that really needed to be done.  After breakfast, I made a long list of things that I should work on today.  There are just two items left on the list this evening, so I feel that I had a good day.

The Moda Block head project is up to date.  Just a few more to make and then they can go into a quilt.

 

 

 

The backings are ready for two quilts.  One will go into the basting frame tomorrow.  After I baste it and quilt it, I will decide if I’ll quilt the other one or send it to the long arm quilter.  She does such a beautiful job and I want this one to be nice.

I’ve been drafting a 2″ x 6″ block.  The 1/4″ seam allowance was  added to the pieces.  It seemed like a lot of work to piece the large amount of blocks that I needed for the project.   The block has two 1″ half square triangles, plus other size triangles.  As I was looking at it, I suddenly realized that It could be paper pieced.  The block was in EQ7 already.  With a few clicks of the mouse, I had the numbered paper piecing pattern.  It will be easy and accurate.  I was able to print three blocks on each paper. The colors change in each set of three blocks. I can write the proper color on the papers and keep everything in order.  I saved myself a lot of frustration by thinking about what to do before I started.  The quilt is in Southwestern colors.  A few years ago, when I flew over Utah and Arizona I saw these colors in the landscape and commented that those colors would make a beautiful quilt.  Now I will find out.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

Last year at the Vermont Quilt Festival, friends from Canada and the United States decided to make a challenge quilt.  This quilt is called the five yard quilt.  It uses five different one yard pieces of fabric.  The quilt has eighteen 6″ focus squares.  When one of my friends told me that she was going to sew Red work in her squares, I decided to make machine embroidery for my focus blocks.  In a previous post, I showed fourteen blocks that I had embroidered.  Last week, I embroidered the last four blocks and made the quilt. 

I am making another challenge quilt and had bought the green fabric for that quilt.  I changed my mind and wanted teal for the other quilt so I used the green fabric for this quilt.

Today, I found the fabric for the back and know what I want to do when I machine quilt it.  I also found the backing fabric for the Temperature quilt.  The basting frame will be set up in the living room and I can start basting both quilts.

Wednesday is the day that the Moda Block head blocks are posted. The pattern for block # 42 arrived today.   I’ve finished the 24″ block with 60 half square triangles.  That leaves one old block to piece and the new one from today’s posting.  It is good to be almost caught up.

I’ve found a quilt pattern for the Kimberly Einmo 6″ blocks.  The drawer of solid fabric is full.  I will use that fabric for the sashing and border.  There are 50 blocks, so I will have some left over for the back.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

I have neglected the Moda Blockhead block of the week for quite a while.  It’s time to catch up

.   I’m still using the Japanese fabric.  I can see several more quilts made with this fabric.  Today, as I was cutting, I put several large pieces aside for another quilt.

Block # 41 has been published.  The original instructions say that there will be approximately 46 blocks so the project is almost finished.  The setting will be revealed after the last block is published.  There will also be settings to use the blocks in several small quilts.

I still have a few blocks to sew to catch up but they probably will be done before the last block is published.  Block # 39 has been cut out and is waiting by the sewing machine.  It calls for sixty 2 1/2″ half-square triangles and 24 triangles on the four corners.  There is also a pieced 17 1/2″ center square.  The block is 24″ square.  It will take a lot of very careful sewing.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

I’ve been hand quilting in the evening while watching TV.  Hand quilting is very relaxing, but it takes a long time.

I started this little quilt long ago.  One of my first books was about Amish quilts.  This is one that I made from this  book.  It is called Rail Fence.  I made and finished several small quilts from that book, but this one was put aside and forgotten.

 

 

Rail Fence is quilted in the ditch.  The quilting doesn’t show.  It just holds the quilt together. Some of the black squares are quilted with a medallion.  I don’t have the pattern but I can copy it to quilt the remainder of the squares.

 

 

There are other partially hand quilted small quilts in the UFO pile.  There is no law that says that I can’t finish them by machine quilting.  At least they would be finished.  I also have several old tops that were never quilted.  Piecing is quicker than quilting.

During the day, I have been working on the quilt that uses the embroidery squares that I made last summer.   The top should be finished soon.

 

 

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

 

 

 

Annie Louise has a new wig and a clean face.  She looks so much different than she did before.  It’s amazing how cleaning 100 years of grime off her face brought back her color.

 

 

 

Her wardrobe has started to grow.

It is fun to research what women were wearing in the early 1900’s.  I still intend to duplicate the dresses that my ancestors wore.  That is for another day.

I started with her underwear.  Her size is different than the patterns that I have collected, so I thought that I would make everything out of muslin first.  That way, I could tweak the size before I made them out of finer fabric.  The muslin  underwear is very nice.  That is what she will have for now.

rrr  Annie Louise has two pair of pantaloons.   I made one and the other was a gift from a neighbor.  Thank you, Amy.  Both fit her very well. The petticoat is her original one and goes very well with the antique pantaloons.

 

 

Her petticoat has several layers of lace.  It is elegant even though it is muslin,  She will have to have full skirted dresses when she wears it.   When I make a slimmer dress, I will have to make another slimmer petticoat.

She has a chemise.  It doesn’t fit her very well and I will have to adjust the size.  It is lined which makes it heavy.  I think it would be better with one layer or a lighter weight fabric.

 

 

I made a doll quilt as a challenge for the Guild.  I named it “Annie Louise’s quilt”. It belongs to her.  There was a piece of fabric left over and I decided to make a day dress for her.  I laid muslin on her old dress and made a pattern for the new dress.  It was almost accurate.  It just needed a few adjustments before I cut the good fabric.  Now, I can use the muslin patterns and make other clothes.

There are two tucks at the bottom of the skirt.  I have a border guide foot that I’ve never used.  It was great to keep the tucks even.  There are many other ways to use this foot.

 

 

 

The dress was hemmed by machine using the blind hem stitch.

 

 

 

Making doll clothes will be a good way to use all the presser feet that I’ve bought and left in the package.  Janome has many You Tube tutorials that have excellent instructions.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

 

Orphan blocks are fun to work with.  There is a reason why they were made and then put away.  Getting beyond the reason and making a quilt from these blocks is hard to do.  Years ago, I made several small blocks with the same pattern.  I don’t remember why I made them,  but I must have been learning a new technique.

Some are pastel.  Some are green and white.  They are all very plain if left on their own.

 

 

The pale green and coral blocks are set in a nine patch format.  Five of the blocks are in a straight setting and four are in a diagonal setting.  The center block is a straight setting with coping strips on four sides that enlarge it to the size of the blocks that are set in the diagonal setting.  The strips are the same color as the outer border.  The four diagonal set blocks have coping triangles.  The triangles are two different colors which make a star.  The four corners have coping strips on two sides.  They are the same color as the outer triangles, which make it look like a border.  There is a small outer border that is the same color as the star and then the outer border.

I wanted to do something different with the green and white blocks.  They needed brightening up so I put two together with gold sashing.  I auditioned several fabrics but couldn’t find anything that looked good.  Then, I found the border fabric.  I pulled the sashing colors from the border fabric and the quilt came together.  It just happened.  The inner border is small because that is all the fabric that I had left after making the larger sashing in the center.  This quilt was a happy accident.  Maybe I should call it by that name.

Most of my orphan blocks are together.  I can see several quilts in the future.  They are a little different than a UFO.  A UFO just gets finished.  When making an orphan block, you have to think outside of the box.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

Dear Jane has been sitting in her suitcase for a while.  She has outgrown the project box and is now stored in a small suitcase.  Twenty five of the center blocks are finished and pieced together.  The blocks are hand quilted and then individually bound and sewn together in the pot holder method.

Originally, I had intended to make each row as it went around the center of the quilt, but my intentions became derailed.

I have the EQ Dear Jane app.  If anyone decides to make a Dear Jane quilt, it would be worth their while to purchase this cd.  There is a wealth of information and printable patterns and instructions.

One day I printed several rows of   instructions.  Then, I found fabric that is close to the original and put it with the pattern. The pile of instructions and fabric is in the suitcase for whenever I decide to work on Dear Jane.

Each pattern gives hints on how the block should be pieced.  Some are foundation pieced, some are rotary cut and some are appliqued.  I have been taking the top pattern and making that block. They are not in any order.  Each block is placed in a baggie when it is together and then placed in a box.  All the baggies in the box are waiting for hand sewing. I won’t have to look for hand sewing to do for a while.

Twelve blocks are finished and waiting to be sewn to the main quilt.

 

 

Three blocks are quilted, the binding is sewn on and is waiting for the binding to be tacked down.

 

 

Ten blocks need to be quilted.

There are three applique blocks.  One is reverse applique.  There will be pictures of the applique blocks when they are finished.

There are so many different techniques.  Each block is prettier than the one before.  I’m amazed at how much fun it is to work on the Dear Jane quilt.

When I complete all of the blocks that I’ve started, one third of the center blocks will be finished.  There is still a lot more to do.

 

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

Today is Miss Molly’s birthday.  She is nine years old.  We have had her in our family since she was nine weeks old.

Wire Fox Terriers are so cute when they are little.

 

Miss Molly used to dig holes everywhere when she was a puppy.  I’m so glad that she stopped doing that.  We had to be careful where we walked.

 

 

 

 

 

Her brother was Max, a Miniature Schnauzer.  Max was an awesome dog.   Usually an older dog teaches a younger dog how to behave.  Miss Molly didn’t listen to Max at all.  She became the boss when very young.

 

 

Miss Molly is highly educated.  She has passed level 1, level 2, and level 3.  She was at the point of taking her companion dog exam when I decided she had gone far enough.  She also has taken agility classes, sniff and search lessons, and dance lessons.  She prefers to dance to Latin music.  When dogs dance, it is just obedience done to music.  She has a few steps, but only dances when she feels like it.  I can hide treats and she searches until she finds them.  Miss Molly will do anything for a treat.  When meeting Miss Molly, you wouldn’t know that she had any training.  She chooses when to obey.

 

 

When I had Miss Molly groomed for the first time, she changed from a fluffy puppy to a very sophisticated dog.

She is afraid of thunder storms.

 

Miss Molly takes her job of quality control inspector very seriously.  She checked out the new Japanese fabric scraps.  They passed inspection.  We are allowed to use them.

 

 

She loved the Canadian 150 quilt.  Now she is inspecting a 30 year old UFO as I hand quilt it in the evening.  It’s a good thing it’s a king size so I have space to quilt and she has space to inspect.

Everyone should have a quality control inspector that is as good as Miss Molly.

 

 

 

Have a great day and happy quilting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Guild in Maine is having a block draw.  We were given a pattern and two fat quarters of beautiful fabric.  The fabric was to go in the flying geese row, just outside the center star.  We added our own fabric for the rest of the block.

The block is 18″ square finished and is made of flying geese. squares,  and half square triangles.  It was easy to make even though it looks complicated.  Someone from the Guild will win all the blocks in a drawing.  Even if I don’t win the blocks, I have the pattern and might make more blocks for my own quilt.

 

 

 

 

I’m still working to catch up with the Moda Blockhead series.  I made a 24″ block.  The next block was a 12″ square  applique block.  I didn’t want to make an applique block, so I substituted the draw block, leaving out one row to make it the right size.  It was quicker to make that the original block.  The omitted row had eight small half square triangles in the corners.  Leaving out that row didn’t detract from the block.  It looks like a star within a star block.

Have a great day and happy quilting.