Labeled and Squared

Sometimes you have to break down and do the parts of a hobby that are not your favorite things to do. I think that is true of almost any project. I dislike cutting, trimming, squaring, etc., but sometimes you just need to do it.

My Storybook #2 quilt blocks are now all trimmed and squared. Time to get cracking and get the Storybook blocks joined.

Jagged edge

Cleaner edge

It really helps to occasionally change your rotary blade. On the left side is a "chewed" cut, the right much smoother.









I also finally took the time to label and wash my Expanding Possibilities quilt. Seriously, it's due in Alabama by Wednesday!!!  It WILL go out express tomorrow.

I'm linking up with Leah Day at the Free Motion Quilting Project for UFO Sunday

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Fresh Sewing Day December

Wow, last month of the year (and last month forever, if you believe the crazy Mayan Calendar interpretation). I wish my November work was a little more impressive, if that's the case, but at least I finished a quilt this month!

1. Flag/Buffalo Bills pillow
2. Storybook #2 quilt
3. Embroidered Towels (with cool spines)
4. Expanding Possibilities quilt - Yippee, it's done!
5. FMQ in pods for my Pods Pillow

I'm linking up today with Lily's Quilts for Fresh Sewing Day December!

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

P.S. For those of you in the Ithaca area, we have our second Ithaca Modern Quilt Guild meeting tomorrow at Quilters Corner from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Spirals and Swirls

Wow, it's hard to believe that this is the second to last month for Sew Cal Gal's FMQ Challenge. I sure have been having fun participating. This month was a tutorial on spirals, my favorite! Sarah Vedeler had us FMQ spirals in a straight line. Sew that's exactly what I did up both sides of my Expanding Possibilities quilt.

That was lots of fun, so I decided on a bit more free form swirls and spirals on my Storybook #2 quilt.

Front

back

front

back

Front

This quilt is a quilt-as-you-go (QAYG), there are 20 blocks to be quilted. I have four completed, so I will have lots of practice with spirals and swirls.

I'm linking up with SewCalGal for November's FMQ challenge with Sarah Vedeler.

Here are my entries for the past year:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Whipping on My WIP!

I have been trying to finish up some quilts that REALLY need to be finished. I have so many more quilts in my head wanting some time and attention, but I will not work on them until my last three WIPs are completed.

Last night I started quilting my purple hearts quilt. I have been a bit nervous about quilting it because of all of the seams.

Front

Back

I actually finished my Expanding Possibilities quilt - Yippee, Skippee!

This quilt was started in July of 2011, completed November 2012!














I also worked on Storybook quilt #2

So I have been making progress - Whipping on my WIP!

My stats for the week:
In-process: (3)
Purple heart wall hanging  (quilting and binding)
Elephant quilt
Storybook quilt # 2 - All embroidery is done, plain blocks are cut and white border. Backs are cut.

New projects: (0)

Finished (1)
Expanding Possibilities quilt - done
 
I'm linking up with  Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday and The Free Motion Quilting Project for QAL Wednesday

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Stay-cation Day 2: A Finish!

Finished size 58" x 71"

I started this quilt sometime in July or August 2011. The top was completed in September 2011. I made the back and basted it in March 2012. I finished quilting and binding it today, November 18, 2012. So to say I'm glad it's done would be an understatement. But what I'm over the moon about is that this quilt is going to a teen in need of a safe place. I'm donating it to the Quilt Angel Project (Gene Black, An Alabama Artist and Quilter) for The Ogden House. I'm hoping that the teen that receives this quilt will feel all of the love that I stitched into it with almost two miles of thread and that they feel safe to snuggle underneath.

I stitched the words, Soar, Fly and Rise into the middle of the quilt

The back

Flange binding from the front

Binding from the back

The binding was supposed to be a faux piped binding, but I cut my binding strip the wrong size. So the piping looks more like a flange, but I think it still looks okay.





I named this quilt Expanding Possibilities well before I knew I was going to donate it. It was the first quilt that I made of my own design. I kept taking it apart and reorganizing it, the possible variations on the design seemed endless, which became the theme for the quilt. I hope that the teen who receives this quilt will understand, that although times are tough right now, their future is bright as long as they focus on their Expanding Possibilities.

I will need to make a label for it, before I send it off. Thanks Gene for giving me this opportunity to participate as a Quilt Angel.

Two more WIP/UFOs to go! But before I get going on my next project, someone is patiently waiting for his walk!

Humphrey Bogart!

I'm linking up today with Leah Day at the Free Motion Quilting Project for UFO Sunday!

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Let the Quilty Stay-cation Begin!

Starting today, I'm on vacation! Nope, not going anywhere, except maybe the store. I do have to cook for Thanksgiving, but all in all, I'm planning to quilt my guts out! I sure would love to knock the last three WIP/UFOs off my list, starting with my Expanding Possibilities quilt and I'm almost there.

I added flowers in the four corners.

I need to stitch in the ditch around the dimensional geese

And stitch around the embroidery.

 Then, I just need to trim and bind (oh yeah, and make a label). So close to completion! Let the quilting marathon begin!

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Traveling Miles On a Quilt!

The on-going saga of FMQing my Expanding Possibilities quilt. Are you getting tired of seeing the same quilt, week after week??  I'm getting tired of stitching the same quilt week after week. I'm on my third spool of Isacord thread, they're a thousand meters each. That's 2.5 kilometers or about 1.5 miles of thread! The quilt is only about 52"x 72", that's a lot of thread! But the good news is that I now can see the end, although it's been a great quilt to practice on for my Leah Day homework.

Large scale Matrix

I practiced some swirls in a row as part of my November SoCalGal FMQ Challenge and some fun bouncy paisley, just 'cause!

Maybe next week I'll have this quilt completed and you can start looking at a whole new quilt!

I did actually start and finish a little project this week, a pillow for my grandson's birthday.

Flag front

Buffalo Bills fleece back.

I gave this to him on Sunday and he carried it around everywhere! I feel great that he liked it. It sure made this gramma feel good!

My stats for the week:
In-process: (4)
Purple heart wall hanging  (quilting and binding)
Expanding Possibilities quilt (Continuing to quilt)
Elephant quilt
Storybook quilt # 2 - All embroidery is done, plain blocks are cut and white border. Backs are cut.

New projects: (1)
Flag pillow

Finished (1)
Flag pillow
 
I'm linking up with  Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday and The Free Motion Quilting Project for QAL Wednesday

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Which Fabric Do You Like?

Choosing a binding can sometimes be a bit of a dilemma for me. Fabric seems to change when you only see a small portion of it in the binding. I love using stripes for bindings, but you can't always find just the right one. Well, I'm almost to the point of needing to choose a binding for my Expanding Possibilities quilt.  So, which fabric do you like?

A wide range of choices

These two seem to be my favorite, but I'm open to changing my mind

The back of the quilt.

I know that there are no right or wrong answers, but sometimes when your stuck it helps to hear what others think. So let me know what you think. What about a faux piped binding, which colors should I combine? I'm hoping to finish up this quilt before Thanksgiving, YIKES that's next week!!!!

I'm linking up with Leah Day at the Free Motion Quilting Project for UFO Sunday! I wonder what everyone else is working on today?

 

Color Me Quilty!

Pat