Fresh Sewing Day April

Happy April! I am so ready for spring. I hope it is going to come around my way soon, although today is supposed to be in the 50's. Yippee!

What the question is, what did I accomplish this month? Well, not as many finishes as February, but I have a lot of nice starts and some new quilt tops.

1. Casserole Carrier
2. 2014 Pantone Challenge Quilt
3. Mod Olive block
4. RMQG QAYG Demo sample
5. Tree quilt top and quilting
6. Tree quilt back and board basting tips

Linking up with Lily's Quilts for Fresh Sewing Day April!

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

WIP Wednesday

I love WIP Wednesday, it forces me to step back and see my progress when I think I have none.

Tree Quilt

RMQG Sample

I didn't have much time to sew last night, so I decided to work on something simple, the little sample I put together for the RMQG QAYG demonstration. I think it will make a really cute wall hanging.



I also got my Tree quilt basted and started quilting it this week.


So, I didn't set the world on fire with my progress, but I did make progress on my projects.









Here are this week's stats:
In-process: (7)
Express Your Love
Humphrey's New Bed
Mod Ovals Quilt
Pantone Quilt 2014
IMQG Guild Block (reverse applique')
RMQG QAYG Samples
Tree Quilt
 
New projects: (0) 

Finished (0)

 
I'm linking up with  Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday!

 

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Also, make sure you check out all the Quilts, Minis and Quilt Tops entered into the Pantone Quilt Challenge and vote for your favorite in each category. Voting has been extended until March 27th. To vote, just click on the heart in the corner of the picture of the quilt.

Tree Basting

 Tree (quilt) basting in pictures. For more on this technique, click here, here and here! This is the first time that I'm using Quilters Dream Wool batting. I'm really excited to see how this quilts.

Start by laying out the layers, just enough to fit the width of your table.

 Then just start pinning. I use long straight pins (although I bend them to make it easier to come back up through all the layers) and I use Pinmoors (thanks Leah for introducing me to these little things)

Notice my new smartphone (finally in the 21st century). I love to listen to audio books on it. Yippee Skippee, I can sit and baste my quilt on the dining room table and listen to my book.

This is the back of the quilt, after the first pins are put in.

 The next step, pull the quilt and boards forward on the table, until the boards are at the front edge. Then flip the batting forward and unroll the back of the quilt the width of your table.

 Smooth the batting over the backing

 Smooth the top over the batting

Start pinning again

I leave the board across the tippy top of my quilt while I pin the last section. It weights it down and keeps the quilt layers smoother.

TA DA!!! Finished basting my Tree Quilt!

I know it's a bit of a stretch to say that the quilt is finished, BUT the top, back and basting were all finished this week AND it's ready to FMQ!  So I'm linking up with FMQ Project Friday, TGIFF, Link-A-Finish Friday, and Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop

Color Me Quilty!

Pat  

WIP Wednesday

This is one of those Wednesday's that I sit here at my computer and wonder what the heck did I do this week. I know I sewed quite a bit, but what do I have to show for it.

Well, for one, I started and finished a quilt top and back and it's ready to baste.  This is my Tree quilt, which doesn't really resemble a tree, YET. The quilting I have planning for it will have a tree theme.

Front (approx. 65" x 84")

Ready to baste

Back

I made up this sample as a demo for QAYG that I did last night for the Rochester Modern Quilt Guild (RMQG). That was lots of fun to do. I think that I might finish up this sample and use it as a little wall hanging in my office.

I also did an unusual photo shoot with my Pantone Challenge quilt. The statue 'When Anthony met Stanton' (Susan B. Anthony, Amelia Bloomer and Elizabeth Cady Stanton) stands on a corner in Seneca Falls, NY. I might have to use that setting again, it's like they were made to hold quilts.

Here are this week's stats:
In-process: (6)
Express Your Love
Humphrey's New Bed
Mod Ovals Quilt
Pantone Quilt 2014
IMQG Guild Block (reverse applique')
RMQG QAYG Samples

 
New projects: (1) 
Tree Quilt

Finished (0)

 
I'm linking up with  Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday!

 

Color Me Quilty!

Pat

A Few Additional Tips and Tricks for Board Basting.

I finished my tree quilt top and back - Yippee Skippee

Front

Back

I did get it ready to baste and since my post on "board basting" is far and above the most viewed post I thought I would share a few tips and tricks on winding the quilt top and back on the boards.

I measure both ends of the board to help me center the quilt.

 When you are starting to roll up the quilt on the boards, make sure it's centered on the board. It will make it much easier to unroll and baste.

See the tape holding it to the basting board

I use a little tape to hold the quilt back on the board to start. I did measure to make sure the I had it even across the board. In this case I used duck tape because that's what I had, but you could use masking. I don't worry too much about it leaving a mark/adhesive because it always plan to trim off that part. Although, I've never had it leave a mark, but I baste my quilt pretty quickly.

Lining up the quilt back with a horizontal seam in the back to make sure I'm rolling it straight on the board

The front was even easier to keep straight by rolling it and keeping it even with the vertical strip in the design.

Once you are done rolling it up on the boards, you can use more tape or rubber bands to hold it. I don't always have the time to baste my quilts all in one go, this way I'm half way there and I don't have to leave my quilt out on the dining room table (which is the best place to baste in my house).

To see more on board basting, click here for pin basting or click here for spray basting.


I'm linking up today with Free Motion by the River for Linky Tuesday and A Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday.








Color Me Quilty!

Pat

Charming Squares Quilt

I really have been at loose ends lately, but yesterday I decided to work on my Charming Squares quilt. I made this quilt top this summer, while on staycation, for something fun to do. It's just been sitting on my WIP list waiting patiently.

I pieced the back yesterday

Detail on the back

Basted using boards

I am always amazed at how fast you can baste a quilt using boards (click here for pin basting and here for spray basting, if you want to see how it's done.)

Now I'm ready to start quilting.

Today I'm linking up with Marelize at Stitch by Stitch for Anything Goes Monday.

Tomorrow linking with A Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday and Free-Motion by the River for Linky Tuesday.

   

Color Me Quilty!

 

Pat

   

Make It Right - Color Me Textured

I did it! I finished by Make It Right Challenge quilt at 10:30 p.m. last night, which was an hour and a half before the deadline. I decided to name my quilt Color Me Textured. I'm quite pleased with the results.

I used "Faux Piped Binding". Check out my tutorial, if you're interested.

Of course I used Aurifil Thread. Just love this stuff!

Besides using every bit of the Right Angles panel, I used Pure Elements Lemonade, Linen White and Moonstone.

I used Quilters Dream Puff batting and my method for pin basting using 1"x3" boards

The quilt ended up to be 54" x 63", with lots and lots of texture.

I'm planning on giving this quilt to my husband for his birthday on Sunday. I hope he'll enjoy it on cold winter nights watching TV.

I'm linking up today with Richard and Tanya Quilts for Finish Friday, Quokka Quilts for TGIFF and The Free-Motion Quilting Project for FMQ Friday. Of course I entered my quilt into the challenge and I'm shamelessly asking for your "Pins", once they have it posted. Click here to check out all of the quilts.


Color Me Textured and Color Me Quilty!

Pat

WIP Wednesday

I have been working diligently on my "Make It Right" challenge quilt. The top is done, the quilt is basted. The problem is that I can't really show it to you, it's a secret.  Okay, I'll show you a sneak peek.

 I know that this isn't much of a sneak peek, you'll just have to wait until June 6th. Something else is different in this picture. I switched the spare bedroom and my sewing room. Do guests need more room that me for my sewing???  I think not!  Anyway, I'm not fully settled yet, but it is going to be cool. When it's done I will show you pictures of the room. My new setup is SWEET! I was able to baste this quilt sitting next my sewing machine.

Needless to say, the quilt only took an hour or so to press and baste. Now on to the fun part, FMQ. And I plan on quilting the snot out of it!

I also finished my Elephant quilt, just in time to enter it in the Blogger's Quilt Festival in the Bed Quilts category.

I also entered my Koi Pond quilt into the home machine quilted category. 

Voting starts on Friday, May 24. I'm shamelessly asking if you will consider voting for my quilts in their respective categories, but you really do need to check out all of the quilts. They are a world of inspiration.

Here are this week's stats:
In-process: (4)
Express Your Love
Layers quilt
Grandma's Quilt
Making It Right Challenge

New projects: (0)


Finished (1)
Elephant quilt

I'm linking up with  Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday!

 

 

Color Me Quilty!

 

Pat