Two Finishes and New Landscaping

It has been a productive few weeks in the sewing room. My May Flowers Jelly Roll quilt just came back from the long arm quilter and I only have one more side of the binding to hand stitch. The label was sewn on last night. I like this simple label strip that is tucked into the binding.

 

I really need to find a more permanent ink pad for fabric, and add to my wish list. Do you have any suggestions?  I presently used Fabrico but noticed it faded on the last quilt I washed. Perhaps I need to heat-set it. I can't remember if I did that. 

 

The All Ohio Shop Hop begins tomorrow. I have a running list of items I need. (none of them includes fabric! Haa!) I will be watching for some permanent ink pads with hopes of an honest quilt shop owner to direct me. I also need some 80/12  Microtex needles for my machines, some new quilt basting safety pins in a larger size, and I am always on the lookout for Quiltmania magazines. I have my inventory recorded so I don't buy duplicates.  How's that? It looks like I will be participating in the Hop! 

 

Another finish is my UFO Exchange I picked up at my guild's Christmas party. I don't think I will jump on that endeavor again. It is hard enough to finish my own UFOs let alone someone else's. Especially when that project is sight-unseen (it was wrapped as a present)! But this project is done and ready for show and tell next week. 

 

I will take it to the laundromat next week to get the "fray on"! This is pretty old fabric - guessing from the 1990s, so it should soften up nicely too! I sure hope it doesn't fall apart!!

 

This is the second rag quilt I have made. The first one was a quilt I made for my son when he left for his first year in college. It was made from old jeans and backed with flannel. OMGosh, it was so heavy!! I wonder if he still has it. It would certainly be a good blanket to take to the polar regions because it was so warm.

This Christmas Rag Quilt is a bit different. I added borders to it instead of just fraying the outside edges like I did for the denim and flannel rag quilt. I stay-stitched an inch and a half from the edge, folded all layers along that stitch line to the front side and stitched it down again about a 1/2" from the edge. Clipping the raw edges made a nice sturdy finish. 

 

Not much left over. I will put this in the stash bucket at our meeting too. Not sure what to do with this quilt but it will be donated somewhere.

 

I took all my applique pieces for the Montmellick quilt and dyed them again, this time using a strong coffee. It really worked and they blend in with the background fabrics so much better now.  This will be my new focus along with the embroidery on Jaye's Bouquet. 

Hand quilting is my dream for this quilt when its completed. 

We have been getting a LOT of rain during this hot summer season. Look at the puddling!  

Our landscapers are coming tomorrow to plant some new shrubs and lay rocks for the mulch. I am so anxious to see it when its done. ♥

Happy stitching!

 

 

3rd Quarter Goals for 2025

The hard reality is - 2025 is half over. And the days are getting shorter again. Here in NE Ohio, the days are getting HOTTER too! It has been a record wet year so far and now it is in the 90s with oppressive humidity. Argh! This is normally August weather. The garden loves it (once we got it planted!) and so do the weeds. 

A brick edging will hopefully help keep this bed from encroaching weeds and grass. The bees enjoy all those blooms! Can you spot the hives behind the fence?

  

We have been trying to simplify some of the outdoor jobs.  We tore out some overgrown yews in the front and considering attacking the burning bush that the aphids devour and deform. It is now a job to be hired out and I am anxious to see it finished. We are still very capable of working outside but this heavy grunt work is better to hire strong younger bodies to do it. And replace it all with plants that are easy to maintain and are relatively bug resistant.

 

I have previously posted updates on completing things on my 2nd Quarter Goal List. My Kawandi, Panel wallhaning, and pillowcases were completed and have now been checked off my list.   

I even managed to finish a new start!  I just sent my Jellyroll May Flowers to the long arm quilter last week. This was a workshop project with my quilt guild and I am thrilled that ALL fabrics came from my stash! I had an incomplete jellyroll that I added strips to, then I found a perfect piece for the borders. With a little help from EQ, I designed a bit of interest in the plain inside borders.

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So here are my 3rd Quarter Goals for 2025!

1. Strip It Earth - a carry over from last quarter. I did get all the blocks completed and they are presently arranged on the design wall. I hope to get these sewn together into a flimsey that will be ready for when the long arm quilter calls.  

 

 

2. Christmas UFO Rag Quilt -  I have these cut out and ready for some mindless sewing together.  It has a deadline in August - my guild's picnic meeting.

I have just been sandwiching a large background block (shown on the right in the blue box) with a square of batting and the snowman square on top. A simple outline of machine stitching along with a circle around the snowman, completes the quilting. I then sew them together with the backs right sides together leaving the raw edges on the front. I have trimmed them to 1/4" and will clip them randomly to fray at first washing. A quick and easy solution to getting this done and donated. 

 

3. Maymont Binding - This beautiful quilt has been waiting in the binding pile for too long. The big snag I hit was when I thought of adding prairie points to the edge along with the binding. I have never tried making these and since this is a large quilt, adding prairie points will take some time. And more cutting which means the sewing room is about to get messy!

So I am digging into the stash for brights and compliments and leftovers from this quilt project and making prairie points. No idea how many I will need, but I really think this will make a super nice finish for this quilt.  

 

4. Olive Grace's BOM Jaye's Bouquet - I am still making headway on this darling project. I am now on block 5 and I am aiming for at least one block per month so I can get to the pieced blocks. Because of the other things I am working on, this often gets set aside. 

 

5. MontMellick - this has been a slow going project that I pick up and work on and then it rests for months. Broderie Perse is not a technique I am real comfortable with so that is mainly the snag I have confronted.  It is progressing nicely though so I shall just buckle down and go for the next border being completed. Done is better than perfect, right?

What is the snag that made me pause? The broderie perse pieces have a background that is lighter than the border background. I tea-dyed this fabric but it is still lighter. Hmmm, I may just keep going and hope that it will "quilt out". Ha! It's been a long time since I heard that one. And it might even be a bit out of context (usually said when a quilt is not quite square or pieces are buckled and mismatched). Maybe I can paint some stain on those pieces... Argh!! Its really bothering me and I need suggestions!  

 

I guess these can be my "Fab Five" for this quarter. I still have room for whatever grabs my heart along the way. This guild I belong to sure keeps me busy and inspired. A thread painting workshop is coming up and also a needle punch class!  I am really trying to only participate in those things that I can get completed and finished. I have enough unfinished projects already! 

And then there is the All Ohio Shop Hop beginning in September. Oh, who can pass up the new items presented. I have until then to devise a plan. 

 

 

And Bosco got a new toy! 

 

 Happy stitching!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry May Finishes and 2nd Quarter Progress

Our Ohio Stars Quilt Guild Quilter's Day Out was yesterday, so I can now post my pictures of some recent finishes.

My Kawandi finished nicely and I am so pleased. (I will definitely attempt this again) It was my answer to our Fat Quarter Challenge, where we had to use a required FQ fabric in our project. There were many fine entries at this year's show and it was an exciting event that I loved participating in.

It measures 14" x 28" and I used several fabrics from my stash to compliment the pink and black dress form fabric that was the required "challenge" fabric. Can you find them?  Kawandi making is a fascinating technique created by the Siddis in India. Isn't it fun to explore needlework from other cultures?

Kawandi actually translates as "quilt". The little triangle pieces in the corners are Phulas, or flowers. And a  Kawandi is thought to be naked without them.

 

Kawandis are made beginning on the outside edges and pieces or "tekelis"  are added and stitched down as you work towards the center. Tekeli translates as "gem".  It is actually a bit harder than it looks since you need to exercise some forethought. Notice how the stitching must catch the edge of each piece (tekeli). Rows of stitches are generally a finger width apart and stitches are long on the front side, with short stitches on the back (not pictured). Another little habit to be mindful of because I have been trained to keep my stitches small and uniform in size.

The center piece, or "belly" has a few grains of rice inserted underneath with the universal wish for our families' bellies to always be full. So sweet!

There are a few sites online explaining this technique for making a Kawandi in more detail. I especially enjoyed this video by Jeri Bellini. 

 

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Another finish I made for our Quilters Day Out was a panel quilt project. This was a workshop our guild did together in March of this year. I made mine a bit different than what the pattern called for and I used strips of all the same length. I didn't want to cut out part of the picture (as you can see in the original pattern - link below).

 

I hand quilted it during the evenings in my chair as I dreamed of sitting in this Adirondack chair on the beach. A lovely scene.

You can find the free pattern here at Jordan Fabrics.  

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After finishing my darling grand daughter's t-shirt quilt last month,  I had some leftover fabrics that I didn't use. Not wanting to have these linger in my stash I opted to make her several pillowcases. And now they have a new home! ♥ And most importantly, DGD is very happy!

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Making some progress on my embroidery since finishing the above mentioned panel and Kawandi.  This has brought back so much love for slow-stitching and handwork. Are you a fan too? If so, we are from the same tribe!

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And making progress on my Strip It Earth. I have 98 blocks completed and will soon be making final arrangements on the design wall so I can begin assembling them together. Once a few more blocks are made, of course. I am aiming for a 90" square quilt.

 

 

And just for fun - "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?" Arf! Arf! Gosh, I remember my Mom singing that to me so many times when I was little.  A popular song recorded by Patti Page.

  Happy stitching!