November is for Turkeys

And November is great for preparing for Christmas and the new year. May I mention, we are entering a new decade on January 1st?  I am hoping to finish this present decade with some fun finishes and warm memories with friends and family.

I missed linking up my goals for the last quarter Finish Along. (so bummed)

But I was the winner of a $25 gift certificate from Sew Me A Song at the end of our last quarter!  I purchased this lovely little bundle and made Sew Me A Song a favorite shop on etsy for future *needs*. Thanks Becca! It really IS fun to participate in the Finish Along! 

I've been having some sewing fun making a few smalls for Christmas. They are satisfying quick finishes that I like to focus on this time of year. I recovered a couple of potholders that have seen better days. They were quite ratty looking but thick and useful so I decided to re-cover with Christmas scraps. 

Another fun project I found was from Suzy Quilts. She is currently giving this free pattern for quilted ornaments. They are fairly easy to make and I plan to use them as gift labels since I did not stuff them. You can visit Suzy Quilts for more sewing ideas. I love her new pattern, Tail Feathers, which these ornaments are a mini replica.

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Presently on my design wall is my Minecraft quilt. Oh my, I am so excited to get this done! I know some people who are going to love cuddling under this!! This project comes from Kelli Fannin at Seriously, I Think it Needs Stitches. (hilarious! I love her humor!) 

Kelli has done an incredible job of drafting these patterns out with accuracy. I have not had one problem (other than my own mix ups) while making these blocks. Beware, the dragon blocks were quite involved though. Approach with much patience and determination!  I simply need to sash the blocks and join the rows. I hope to finish before the end of the year and get it to my long arm quilter. It should be completely finished during the cold winter months of Ohio. Perfect timing! 

And you know what else I always look forward to in November? Yep! Bonnie Hunter's annual mystery quilt along! She never disappoints, does she? I've had my fabric pull ready for a few weeks now. I love these color combinations.

This year's Frolic Mystery began on Friday, November 29th and I almost have all my 4 patches completed. These little darlings make me anxious for the next clue. This will be a finish for 2020 since all clues will not come out until January.  It is not too late to begin your mystery quilt. Visit Bonnie's site for her weekly clues. They won't be posted long before she takes them down. 


One last project that I've been tackling this year is my Burgoyne Surrounded Christmas quilt. It was a project that began last year as a sew along at Temecula Quilt Company.  Sheryl always has such pretty ideas with tiny prints.
My quilt will finish as a throw size. Although the binding is on, I previously machine quilted it in the ditch between each block and am now adding hand quilting stitches for fun. I love the texture it brings.

Ahhh...this feeling doesn't last long. 
Happy stitching!

 

Vintage Lace is completed

This was a fun quilt along offered by Brittany, of Lo and Behold Stitchery. I shopped my stash and was able to bust 12 1/4 yards of fabrics in my collection.

It was sewn into rows and was a really straight forward kind of pattern. I checked a few others that were uploaded on instagram and I love some of the colors used! I would love to make another. It was a quick and easy project. #vintagelacequilt

It is all finished now and measures 73" x 73". I love the paisley quilting pattern I chose. It fits the style of this quilt and it drapes so nicely. It will be safely stored for some future gift giving.

Another finish I can tick off on my 3rd Quarter Goal List.

 

Dresdens for Friends

I recently committed myself to this project wondering afterwards what was I thinking? Hesitating, because I have so many other projects in the works (see goal list), but it was when someone said, "It will remind you of the friends we have here in our group" that got me. How can you say no to that? So here is to my Material Girl friends!

I chose the Dresden Plate block. It reminds me of the Rose Windows at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. After the tragic fire this past spring I thought this would be a fitting tribute.

I will make them according to the colors each participant requests. The colors I chose are navy blue and gray. I am anxious to see what beauties I get back and will then have the opportunity to ponder a setting.

Assembling the dresden plate block is not too complicated if you are careful to sew true 1/4" seam allowances. Otherwise, you may have a wonky block that will not lay flat. Here are some tips I found along the way.

I used my Electric Quilt software program to make my templates. There are rulers you can also buy that will give you the perfect angles you need.

I chain piece each "spoke" and then clip the corner on the fold side, carefully not to cut into the seam allowance.

I then finger press this fold-line before I turn inside out so that my center is marked. (see above) Then I open the seams (below) and turn.

Can you see the fold-line marking the center? Now I can press with the seam centered on this fold mark.

This will give you perfect centered spokes that will be ready to sew together. 

Lay two spokes, right sides together, and stitch a 1/4" seam along long edge. I begin this seam about 1/4" down and backstitch to beginning before sewing on to the end of the seam.

This is so your thread tails will be completely tucked inside when you applique the dresden plate to the background fabric. 

Continue sewing pairs, then 2 pairs together, etc., until you plate is full circle. 

One final press and she is ready to be basted to the background.

The back of my work shows how the thread tails are below the joining seams.

Now she is ready for applique. I baste onto the background fabric to ensure it will lay flat, basting along the outside edge and the inner circle edge. My background square is cut 1/2" larger than I need to compensate for any distortion that may arise from the applique process. It will later be trimmed to correct size once all hand sewing is complete.

Once it is appliqued I can add the center piece. 

I want to trim the background fabric away on the back side so I am careful not to sew this center through all layers. 

My finished dresden plate lays flat and is ready to be trimmed to the correct



 

Snowballs in September

This was such a fun quilt project because... I have participated for several years in the Charming Shop Hop here in our area. One of several perks to attending is choosing a variety of 5 inch charms at each quilt shop, so through the years, I have accumulated quite a large collection! These are the charms that I used for making this quilt. I found the idea at Temecula quilt along last year if you would like to make one of your own. They always are offering free patterns and quilt alongs to keep you motivated. And I love their fabrics!

My Snowball quilt measures 91" x 91" and I figured that it took 19 yards of stash to complete.

It is now quilted and labeled and ready for giving warmth. Don't you know I still have enough 5" charms leftover I could make another?

I can mark this finish off on my 3rd Quarter Goal List. 

Sunbonnet Sue Restoration

I began this project last year. This quilt belongs to my dear niece and she asked if I could try to revive some life into her. It was made, most likely during mid-twentieth century, by ladies in her hometown.

As you can see, she was in great need of repair.

I painstakingly removed the old, frayed pieces and traced with tissue paper the better parts of Sue for making new patterns. Pictured below you can see the worn condition of some of these Sues. (clicking on any picture will enlarge it for better viewing)

And take note of the tiny stitches used to "applique". I have not seen a running stitch as a method of applique before. But it works, and maybe I will try this method in the future on some of my quilts. It is certainly a faster technique than the traditional needle turn method.

After tracing on tissue paper, I carefully glued these tracings onto heavy paper. Once dry, I cut them out to size. Dresses, bonnets, shoes, sleeves and hands were made. When tracing these new pieces onto fabric, I would remember to add seam allowances when cutting them out because these paper patterns were of the exact size. 

More than a few evenings were spent turning under raw edges and basting to prepare for applique. This method works best for me and I also have the benefit of laying them over the originals as a final measure that would ensure I got the size and placement correct.

My main goal was to make my footprint, or should I say, handprint small in working on this quilt. I used 30's era fabrics of the same colors of the original Sues, and only replaced what was absolutely needed to be replaced. Many of the fabrics were beyond hope (frayed, deteriorated, and/or missing).

 

She had a black embroidered band on her bonnet which I removed from most of the Sues because they were badly worn and frayed. I tried to leave a few that were in the best condition as an example of what was there.   

Total stats were as follows: 

Four Sues were completely replaced. (Bonnet, dress, sleeves, hand and foot)

Seven Sues' dresses were replaced but her shoes, sleeves and bonnets were kept from the original. 



Summarily, out of 20 Sunbonnet Sues, 11 were partially or completely replaced. And now for her new and improved debut...

I would never recommend her to be washed or used other than for display purposes. Much of the background fabric is thin and nearly worn through. That repair is beyond my abilities. 


My recordings here are just part of her long history. I hope I have given her many more years of enjoyment. She can be laid out over a spare bed for display. This is the best option as long as she is out of direct sunlight because there is less stress on the fibers. 

And she can be carefully folded at the foot of the bed as display too.

It been a pleasant time restoring this quilt back into some use. Many thoughts and ponderings were entertained as I thought of the ladies who made these charming blocks. Who were they? What were their families like being raised in that small town? What trials were they facing? We can only guess, but I imagine they weren't far from our own daily concerns and worries of today. 


And that is one reason we sew, isn't it? There is a therapeutic effect in the monotony of sewing with needle and thread. Many thoughts and prayers are exercised there.  


Would you like your own copy of this pattern? You can download it here. Please contact me if you do reproduce this quilt with your own creativity and share the results. I would love to hear about how you tackled this pattern and if you had any problems. This is really a simple and fun pattern with so many variations. 

Happy stitches!

3RD Quarter Goals for 2019

2019 is over the halfway mark, summer is in full swing, and I have finishing plans in the sewing room! I hope your enthusiasm is running high and making progress on finishing some old projects...and some new ones too! The following are my top initiatives:

Minecraft Quilt 

This is actually a new project I began this year. It was originally a sew along with Seriously, I think it needs stitches (LOL! LOVE that title!). I currently have 4 blocks completed. The hardest part to this quilt is simply the cutting of various sized pieces (and keeping them straight). Assembling the blocks are very easy and I expect this to go fast. This quarter will be a good time to finish before cooler weather sets in during the coming fall months.


Project Board
Speaking of keeping various pieces together and in order (above) I have all the needed supplies to make a project board that will prove helpful. I am often moving things from the cutting table or the design wall to the sewing machine and it sometimes gets "rearranged". Does this happen to you too?  


Country Bride Quilt

Oh my, this has been on my to-do list for longer than I want to admit. I am excited that I found a dear Amish lady willing to take on this project. The design is so amish and she will make a perfect finish!


Snowballs Quilt

This was last year's sew along I joined with Temecula Quilt Company. (they have some fun quilt alongs if you want to check them out) I have collected numerous 5" charm squares from the last couple of year's Charming Shop Hop Tour. So many varieties of fabrics which will make this a pretty scrappy quilt. I have an idea for the border and then it will be sent to my long arm quilter for finishing.

My finish is here.


Sunbonnet Sue Restoration
I promised my niece I would repair this old quilt she has that was made during the 30's by some family friends. After years of heavy use and washings, it is in serious need of some help. I have a collection of 30's reproduction fabrics from rjr so I've been slowly replacing the worse of the blocks. I hope to have this finished before the family reunion so I can give it back to her for display.


Completed here


Vintage Lace

This is another quilt along I participated in. The top is completed but I need to assemble the backing and batting and get it to my machine quilter. This was a fun pattern and after seeing so many different color variations on instagram, I think I might have to make another!


See my finish here.


Friendship Quilt Blocks

I hope I am happy with my commitment here. I hesitated joining another quilt along because I already have so many things on my to do list. I must make 10 dresden plate quilt blocks of various colors (as requested by each participant). Although this will not be a "finish" by September, the committment for making these blocks will be. And I am anxious to see the blocks I will receive in return. My colors chosen are navy and gray. Once I collect them all I will have to begin thinking of a setting for them.

Note: I did finish all 10 of these but failed to photograph them before our exchange. I will make a post on how I choose the setting and get these blocks put together into a quilt. They are lovely! You can read how I made my dresden blocks here.


These are my top priorities. And if there is time, there are also...

Ringo Lake
The pieces are all ready for assembly. I just need to sit down and sew them all together. I am very anxious to see this completed and  I love the colors chosen. I only need some uninterrupted time to get started!



Patches in Blue

I hope to get this finished soon. Definitely by the next quarter so it is ready for winter snuggles. How I love anything by Edyta Sitar! And she keeps creating more so my list keeps growing!








Sew Many Strips

All the block units are sewn together and I only need to begin assembling the blocks. This is a great project for some mindless sewing time. (Don't you love those?) Another scrappy project...with tiny pieces! I really fell in love with this pattern. So very scrappy. I am no longer in love with the fabrics I have in this quilt. I will be so glad to finish so I don't have to work with them anymore. All remaining remnants from this lot are gone and donated. You know you have clung on to your scraps too long when all your quilts begin looking the same. This is why they are gone and I have begun a fresh, new scrap bin.



Mondo Bag

I need a large bag for the car to store needed items like my umbrella, blanket, flashlight, extra gloves, handiwipes, etc. I have the fabrics picked out. This should be a fairly quick project, right?

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I have now listed my main focus projects. We will see how productive I can be these next three months. I have learned it is better to list more than you can possibly get done, mostly because I don't always stick to the "short-list" plan. I might even begin something new! I already have an idea planned...

You can list your goals for this next 2019 quarter on the Finish A Long site here. This community of crafters/quilters/needleworkers will motivate and encourage you to work on your own unfinished projects to get them finished! And the best motivation is at the end of the quarter, you link up each successful finish from your original list which in turn becomes an entry into the draw for some fun prizes! How is that for motivation?

So check them out for more information!  And good luck on finishing your projects. I will be visiting some of those links for inspiration and making new friends.