I finished another baby sized top for Hands 2 Help yesterday. I have a bunch of fabric left over form two quilts I have made, the first was a blueprint kit called Summer Sampler (middle), the second was I pattern I made up(left), to use the scraps from the sampler. I ended up buying more of the hydrangea prints, because they were on clearance sale, and I figured I could use them for backings and use up the scraps. The H2H quilt used up a bit, I still have enough left for another small quilt though. Carol, at From My Carolina Home, is making a quilt with the same fabrics. She started a tutorial that uses her pattern for a quilt called To the Nines. Maybe I have enough to make one of hers too.

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I would like to make another of the chained quilt with these fabrics, I bought this cute print at PIQF 2019, and thought it would make a cute baby quilt. The print would look good in the main blocks, I thought I would use some of the greens and blues from this jelly roll and some browns. I want to get a backing made for the Evolution quilt today, get that quilted. I need to check on its finished size and if I can use the reddish Essex linen I bought for the Hampton Court quilt on it. Or look through the stash and see what’s available.

Big news in cross stitch land! I finished Pet All the Dogs. I started it in February 2021 and finished April 12th. Would like to get it framed, I’m thinking of an antique carved dark wood frame with a dark green mat. It’s an odd sized piece, 9″ x 15″, so I may have to let a professional custom frame it.

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Strawberry Fields was started too. I made a major error that I need to record here, so I don’t do it again. It all turned out okay, but it may not if I were to repeat it in the future. I had measured the linen piece before mounting it on the stretcher bars, according to the pattern size with three inches of extra for framing/mounting. As I started the design, I found the center and stitched using a waste thread up it. I counted the spaces, and made a stitch every ten squares. When I got to 140 squares, I made a horizontal row of stitches across at the 70 square mark, the center of the design. I started in the center, with the house. As I stitched, I began to notice that it seemed low on the fabric, yeah, like low enough that I might not have enough extra fabric. It was a tense few moments of counting and fearing I would have to rip out the roof. Then it dawned on me, I was stitching over two threads, and I had only counted one hole per stitch. UGH. But it worked out that I would have two inches of fabric at the bottom before the design started. Phew. Lesson learned, find center before mounting fabrics on bars and count threads not spaces for accurate placement.

Be Kind.

The other day I started ironing the binding scraps form the bin that I had been using to store them. I was thinking about how this bin came about, but I couldn’t remember consciously creating a bin for extra binding pieces. Then I thought, why did I over make the binding lengths? I wasn’t measuring the quilt perimeter, just eyeballing it and cutting lots of strips. I have gotten more frugal, I carefully measure and make enough binding now. Could it be that fabric was less expensive, or was I just a bit lazy, and didn’t want to measure? As I ironed and thought, I found that I really didn’t have enough variety for the log cabin quilt I had in mind. It wasn’t really a log cabin block either, it had morphed into a pineapple cabin, as that is the ruler I have. I thought I had a regular log cabin ruler from Creative Grids, but I couldn’t find it, and may have been thinking of this pineapple one instead. I checked through the other bin of string scraps and they weren’t wide enough. The pineapple ruler need strips at least 1 5/8 wide, so that wouldn’t work. Time for a new plan, I finished ironing all the strips anyway and at the bottom of the bin was a pile of flannel squares and rectangles. These are from a baby quilt I made a while ago, a long while, because the baby just graduated high school. These scraps had to get used or chucked, they were way past their fresh by date, lol. I had a bunch of purple 3 ½” squares and a few piles of 3 ½” by 2 1/4″ rectangles, and a half yard of creamy white striped flannel. This is what I came up, amazes me how it shrinks, although it did turn out too narrow, so I made it more square. I’m not sure I like the blue, but the white balances it a bit. My first Hands 2 Help quilt top has arrived. I have just enough flannel for a backing and the binding is already cut.

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I started quilting the “girly quilt” with giant roses, there are five across and nine rows, it stitches out pretty fast too. I want to get this one done and out the door. Because it is the only thing I “have” to finish. I really need to get the pile of tops I have, quilted, I feel behind in that category. I am playing around (in my head) with moving my long arm into the downstairs den in my house. The room has become an un-used spot, just a sofa, TV and fish tank. As much as I like the LA where it is now, I feel a bit isolated, and when we have company, I have to clean-up and put everything away. If I move it, I’d still have to keep the area neat, probably neater, but I would be nearer to my DH (hmm) and the main areas of my house. Then I start thinking about the logistics, taking it apart and reassembling it, at least two days work. The robotics weren’t easy to put together when I got them, not looking forward to that part. I would need help getting the poles and pieces in the new area too. Yeah, its probably going to stay where it is for a bit longer.

I am so close to finishing PATD, I finished all the little dogs in the lower border last night. I need to add the eyes to them, two half stitches in black and white. I may just do black, the holes in the linen are just too small, and I don’t really think its a detail worthy of the effort.

Linking up with Sara at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for the first H2H link up. There is also a tutorial from Carol at My Carolina Home for a Star pillow, perhaps you know a star who needs recognition?

Be Kind.

I fully intended to gets lots of things done this week. It’s Thursday and I have made two 12 inch blocks and got a machine embroidered block done. Oh… I bought some fabric too.

Where has the week gone? Monday was a yard work day. Tuesday was laundry and various chores, I did the machine embroidery done that day. Wednesday was Vaccine day. Which brings us to today, I really want to get started on the Hands2Help quilts. I have been working on the Pet All the Dogs sampler everyday, now that it is off the frame, it is much easier to do all the little bits and change threads. I think I have the rest of the dogs on the lower border and the rest of the flowers around the border. I finished all the green stems yesterday, so close to being done. I wanted to give myself some incentive to finish, I bought a set of shorter stretcher bars for the Strawberry Fields stitchery that I want to do next. I was a little shocked at how small it is 6″ x 9″, my linen is 12″ x 18″, I think this one will go a bit faster than the PATD. There are probably the same number of stitches in the whole thing as there are in the house from PATD. Then I have to decide whether I want to do Heaven and Nature Sing, or the Pilgrims Progress. These are kitted up and ready to stitch too. Who knows what else I will “have to have”, there are so many cross stitch things to do. Perhaps I should stop watching the Floss tubes…

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My fabric acquisition was on a whim. I had to drive an hour east to get my shot yesterday, and on the way home I came to the exit for the semi-local quilt/sewing store. I made the exit after a little wavering, as I really didn’t need anything, but I like to support them. I headed over to the new fabric section and saw this pretty humming bird print. It is digitally printed, it’s an ‘In the Beginning’ fabric, there were a few others, whales and birds and animals, all very colorful and beautiful. I may just hang this on my design wall to look at for a while. The colors are so vibrant, I’m not sure if regular Bella/Kona solids will complement them. The fabric has almost a statin finish, it may go with the Big Dream panel I have. The halloween fabrics will be made into something, those prints are cute, and easy to work with.

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Three days left of the week, I should get moving.

Be Kind.

Yay! It is done. This top was a lot of work. Simple piecing, but a lot of sewing. I think I went through almost three full bobbins. I like the color combinations in the fabric collection, Sequoia by Laundry Basket Quilts, they are so “California”. I am linking up today with Myra at Busy Hands Quilts, for week three of the Quilt-a-long. This is actually week five, but I needed an extension, as I was waiting for fabric. I may even get it quilted by the end of the month.

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Yesterday, I tried to start a new project, it’s a BOM from Elefantz, called Simple Days. I had the first two months downloaded and downloaded the third. I figured I had some time to work on the blocks. Originally, when I drew/traced the embroidery designs on the white fabric I planned to stitch them and then cut them apart. I should have measured more carefully around each one, because I didn’t leave enough room around some of them. Yesterday I started cutting them apart, and assembling the blocks, so that I could then do the embroidery on them. That’s how I discovered my mistake. I ended up cutting out the ones I could, and will have to re-trace a few that didn’t make the cut. I also had to leave the sewing room to do chores. Household stuff that I have been putting off for a few weeks. We have tile floors in our great room, and I have been waiting for the rains to stop before cleaning them. With three dogs, the muddy foot prints add up quickly, and yesterday was a day to wash the floors.

My Pet All the Dogs sampler is coming along. I am at the point where I want to take it off the frame to use a hoop. There are too many spots that need just a few stitches of a color. Flipping the frame over to start and finish the threads is more trouble than its worth. I’m going to finish up the lower border triangle motifs and un-frame it. I am hoping to be done by next week, so I can start Strawberry Fields.

Be Kind.

This past month I have been participating in a QAL with Myra at Busy Hands Quilts. The quilt we are making is Hampton Square, one of her patterns. I have had my ups and downs with this quilt. It is a well written pattern, and I like my fabric choices too. I just can’t seem to do things right the first time. It has become a “It’s not you, it’s me” kinda thing. I gotta keep following the directions and not going off course. I got all the strips sewn together (despite cutting errors) and started making units of 7 strips. They are long and slightly different lengths, no seams to match. Okay, this is easy. Mmm, not really. I found that by the last strip there was a bit of creeping going on. The last strip was a full inch too short. I quickly deduced that, yes, I should have ironed all the seams flat and some of these strips need pinning. Had to rip and resew that last row. I spent some more time organizing, labeling and ironing my strips. Sigh. The next unit went together easier, until the second to last strip, ugh, it was sewn in upside down, wrong end up, two long seams to rip and resew. Deep breath. I am going to try to finish this top before the end of this month, the date on the QAL is 3/29, oh, tomorrow. I have four, no, eight more units to complete, then I’ll start on the H2H quilts.

Then a British squirrel showed up. Last week I made this Union Jack from a tutorial over at Molli Sparkles blog. I was planning on a mug rug to include with the shopper bags and zip bag for a gift I am giving. Should have looked at the finished size, before starting, because it turned into more of a place mat size, I’m going with Tea time mat. I spent a fair amount of time, two hours I think, happily quilting and finishing it.

I did get two units of the Hampton Square done later that day.

Last Friday, Jo, at Jo’s Country Junction posted about a new scrap quilting book by Lissa Alexander called Scrap School. I immediately bought the Kindle version, since I have the kindle app on my laptop and I had a dollar off coupon, I felt thrifty too. There was one quilt in particular that grabbed my attention, Rolling Nine Patches.

I am thinking of making one in blues and tans and whites. There are also quite a few that would make good H2H donation quilts. While looking at my new kindle acquisition, I realized that I had another Lissa Anderson book in there, Sisterhood of the Scraps. There are a few in there that I’d like to revisit too. Patterns, patterns, everywhere.

Linking up wit Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts today for Design Wall Monday.