Mid week finish

 log cabin blocks

I have been working on these mini log cabin blocks for awhile now. I had been using them as leaders and enders with my other sewing. A couple weeks ago I decided they needed to be done as I had a smaller leader/ender to use! So the push was on!! I got them completed and designed a couple different layouts on EQ. I let DH decide which layout I would do. After a few computer techie errors on my part, we found one.

border pieces

Sewing up the quilt top took a day then there was a decision to make...plain borders or did I want something more. It was a smallish quilt so why not do a pieced border. WHY WHY wasn't someone there saying no no no ...finished is good, plain borders are good!! I swear I think, no I know it took longer to piece that border than it did to sew the top together. Didn't help when I made a change on the inner border. This outer border required me to use coping strips. Coping strips(for those that don't know) make the quilt the proper size to accept the pieced outside border. I thought I was being smart and ingenious,because the top and bottom borders were going to be twice as wide as the side borders. I didn't want them to look so different. So the wider border was cut in half. Half was the same colour as the rest of the inner borders and the other half I made the same colour as my log cabin blocks. Here was the problem...I used all the darker colours from the logs. After sewing all the borders on, I realized I should have used some lighter logs in places. So this morning I un-sewed a few pieces and replaced them with lighter logs. After sleeping on it overnight I knew I wouldn't be happy otherwise!!

ok so the border looks great!

There are all kinds of bias edges to this outer border and the thought crossed my mind to add another small border to enclose those edges....that was quickly and swiftly vetoed!! I stay stitched the edge instead and now it sits waiting to be quilted!! I do have enough of the inner border to do binding so that will finish the edge of the quilt nicely!!
OMG this was going to be a short and quick post.

Slow...machine stitching ahead

Onto trying to finish my second pandemic start! I have finished one quilt last week and I am onto the next step in getting this second top ready for quilting.

Winter Joy by Border Creek Station

After finishing the top, I was teasing my readers with what I would do with it. Hint of some navy fabric and here we are today. I spent yesterday tracing onto steam-a-seam then applying it to my fabric then cutting out all those 84 pieces!! Little did I know that would be the easier part of the job! Putting them in place on the quilt top and getting them just right...well needless to say...a little frustrating till DH helped out a bit. There is always math involved when doing quilts. 60 degree ruler and I was able to line up things better. Now to stitch then in place. I was going to blanket stitch them but have decided that a straight stitch is all that is required or needed.
I haven't yet come up with an idea of how to quilt this one. Maybe some loop da loops with snowflakes...just not sure. All I know is that it will be subtle.

start of 4th of 5 blocks.

This will definitely be some slow stitching so I can join Kathy and others in what they are doing. Later today I will continue with a knitting project I started after Christmas. I am knitting a sampler afghan. Each 10" block will be a different stitch of method. There will be 3 columns of 5 blocks using navy and white with blue flecked yarn. I love how it is looking so far. It will definitely need blocking once I am all finished , hopefully in time for  Fall!!

More masks were made this week too. Have donated my time to make up 55 masks so far. I hope people are using them for the right reason. That they don't think it is suddenly safe to go out because they have a mask to protect them. You wear the mask to protect others from you, when you absolutely have to go out! Personally I am rather enjoying being at home and not having to do groceries every week. Also no reason to houseclean everyday as no one is coming around. It is all in how you chose to look at things!!

And that's a wrap...

full view before quilting

Well it is a finished quilt. I have just completed the binding on the Edyta Sitar's 15 day 100 block mystery. I stuck with the same colours she did but went with simple borders. I just needed this one to be done. I was able to find a piece of fabric from my stash for the backing. With a little piecing it was just large enough. I also did a two-coloured binding because I didn't have enough fabric from the top or the backing to use.

finished product

In a quest to find thread to quilt with on this project, I learned something I didn't know. I have a stash of Aurifil thread....what I didn't know is that I have various weights of the thread. I kind of wondered about the different spool colours. So this quilt was quilted with 28 weight on the top and 40 weight in the bobbin. That is a good piece of knowledge I will hang onto for future projects.

Now onto some simple machine piecing of a scrap quilt. This I find more enjoyable than machine quilting. Maybe I should really shake things up a bit and get a hand quilted project set up?!? Quarantine where anything is possible!!

Slow down Sunday!!

Kathy calls it slow stitching Sunday, I just want it to be slow down Sunday. Now lots would laugh and say "haven't we slowed down enough". Maybe but I have been a busy girl around my house.
Yesterday I spent the day outside raking the yard, well the spots that don't have any snow. There is still a bit of the white stuff hanging around yet. It felt good to be outside, I even got a bit of sun/wind burn on my face! All that outside work was so I could be indoors today and get some sewing done.

OMG that's a lot of little squares

My Edyta Sitar mystery is ready for basting. I managed to find and was able to piece up some fabric from my stash...there was just enough. I have been working on a multitude of projects over the last few weeks and I decided I should get something finished...like completed, done! So to facilitate that I started another new project and it comes with a story!!

my practice block made into a doll quilt

STORY ALERT:  my newest project....3"finished nine patches. I spent 2 or 3 days going through my box of 1.5" squares and matching them up for the nine  patches. I found this quilt online and loved it. It is a redesigned version of Jack's chain called Rock around the block. There are no Y seams or 60 degree triangles!! SCORE ...but how to figure out the dimensions of the pieces. I worked on it all one morning, even calling in backup from DH. We used what math skills we had and googled things...only to come to the realization that my drawing wasn't going to work. So I went back to the original post on a blog that you can see here. Read the whole blog and in there she tells you that the pattern is in a Fons and Porter magazine 2015. I was so excited, I ran down to where all my books were and hoped beyond hope that I had that issue! BINGO!! Sometimes it pays to keep stuff...I had the magazine. That day I didn't rest till I had one block made. I will have to fine tune my sewing a bit but it looks pretty good. It will be a doll quilt for an entry at our Fair maybe next year(with all that is happening this year). Binding is on it and needs to be sewn down to the back.
Hoping to have some of the blocks made this week with my patches and background fabric.

Slow stitching today will be binding, some knitting on an afghan for me and all that after I have pin basted my quilt. Join Kathy and friends for some slow stitching and enjoy the time we have for our hobbies and crafts. Not sure what I would be doing if I wasn't a sewing enthusiast/crafter!!!

I want to wish my quilt/knitting buddy Bernadette a Happy Birthday. We are going to have many friend's birthdays to celebrate when this quarantine ends.

Quarantine Determination

Happy Easter everyone! Hope everyone is staying home and keeping healthy and occupied.

my project - teaser alert!

During the last two weeks, life has created lots of hours for me to sew and go for walks but mostly sew. I started two new projects and today I am happy to say that they are both completed tops...flimsies ready to be sandwiched. Although in the one case, there is some applique  I must complete before sandwiching can occur. Can anyone guess what the navy fabric has to do with this quilt top. Hopefully this week I can post the totally finished top and you can see...more teasing!!
In the midst of getting these two done, I have been using these log cabin blocks as leaders and enders and they are growing.Only two more sides to be attached.

Edyta Sitar 15 day mystery-100 blocks

sticky bun,rolls, loaf bread..yum

Seems like everyone is baking. Although I would rather be in the sewing room, I attempted cinnamon buns.  First attempt was edible but not great...so yesterday I made a second batch. It makes one loaf of bread, one pan of cinnamon buns and a couple dinner rolls. They turned out very yummy and there was lots of gooey sauce to put on them too. Baking leads to needing to walk more and that is not in the schedule for me if I want to get any UFO or the two quilt tops finished and ready to bind.

log cabin leader and ender blocks

Off on the side-burner(AKA my pile of boxes)is a new pattern that I saw and would like to draft into a pattern. I saw the pic on pinterest and liked it but there was not pattern. I have attempted to draft one. I will have to make a sample block to see if all the measurements work or not. Stay tuned on that effort.

Slow stitching will happen after supper today. I have a new knitting project on the go, an afghan for ME!!! I have seen many ads for these sampler afghans and really like them, so I am trying to make one.I have been over at Kathy's blog and everyone seems to be busy.

I hope all continues to be well with everyone and that soon life will go back to normal, whatever that is!!

Quilting Math

my mission for today

We quilters are known for making beautiful quilts made up of many pieces. Have you ever counted those pieces? Well today as I was repetitively sewing small pieces together for a 6" star block I started to wonder, how many pieces are in this block and how many do I have to make. Would these questions make a good blog post?!?! So here goes!!

I am making 42 star blocks which means:42 squares
   (starting from the center out)                 168 triangles                                   
                                                                  168 triangles
                                                                  336 triangles
                                                                  168 squares
for a total of 882 pieces for 42 stars!

pieces not included in totals 

I am also sewing 196 triangles into 98 hst. Which means 980 pieces in these two sections of this quilt. That doesn't include the pieces that I have already sewn. YIKES!!

And now I am thinking of starting Bonnie Hunter's mystery.....ohhhhh
I think quarantine/isolation might be getting to me!

Mystery shenanigans!

Eydta's mystery blocks

I have been working steady on Eydta Sitar's mystery. All the blocks have been posted and the layout we had as we went along. Here are my blocks. There are a few that I would change now but I am leaving them as is. She promises us a surprise tomorrow so I am not putting the top together just yet. It has been picked up off the floor and pinned in rows. So I can get started sewing once she posts on her blog tomorrow.
I have also been working on another quilt. I have a gazillion hst to make and some little stars. I have the pieces all cut and will sew them together using the different pieces as leaders and enders. They are small 6" blocks so shouldn't take long. Aren't they cute!These are more pieces for the quilt I teased my readers with here. Any guesses yet!?!

more pieces to sew

There is no shortage of quilts to make but I keep seeing more on the internet and facebook. I found a pattern for Jack's chain. In most of the patterns there are "Y" seams. But this pattern I saw has none of those and is pieced into blocks. Hmmm...dare I start yet another project...nooooo!! Well maybe once I have these two closer to being finished. Maybe a little incentive for me.

I also want to get another quilt ready to  hand quilt. With all this down time and time at home...it is a good way to pass the time. It is also lots of slow stitching time. Checking in with Kathy and friends to see what we are all up to. Slow stitching for me today will be some knitting. I am so close to having a new pair of wool socks just in time for Spring. This picture was taken a couple days ago. I only have toes to finish off

slowly it is leaving

 The snow is almost gone, robins have returned and the grass is starting to sprout greener! Some things don't stop for a pandemic! We are being asked to stay home and stay in our houses, but that doesn't mean we have to be idle...there is lots to do. Well in my studio there is!!!haha