This week I finished a few things and started a new thing and worked on an older thing. The Sparrow bed size quilt is finished, I just need to get it photographed and up on the site. The custom Creepy quilt is out the door on an its way. Plus I sold the Laundry Basket quilt “Winter Village” to someone in Florida, YAY! The top section of the Tilda Anniversary quilt is now appliquéd, and I need to prep the bottom section. The bottom is the same as the top, only it has the year instead of the name. I am not looking forward to appliquéing the 2s.

The new start is a baby quilt. The patterns cover picture looks very cute, the written instructions need some work. This could be a hot mess if someone with less quilting experience tried to make this. The seam allowances for the main background pieces are not included nor for the checker borders. Every piece is finished size. Although, to be fair, there are notes that the appliqué templates need to have 1/4 inch added to them. This pattern could easily have another two pages of instruction added, like how/where to place the pieces on the backgrounds. There are sizes of additional pieces noted on the template pages, as a side note. Let’s just say there is a lot of room for interpretation. I purchased it from a designer on Etsy, and received a request for a review. I thought about privately sending one, but I don’t think it would help this person become a better writer of sewing/quilting patterns. Is this their best version? Maybe, I’ll make it work, the idea is cute and the theme, but I feel sorry for someone trying to make this without sewing experiences. I am using a bunch of prints gifted to me from a kit, they fit the blue and red nautical seaside theme.

I really want to finish the appliqué for the Tilda quilt. I have moved it over to the cross stitch station. The light there is good, a comfy chair, and my appliqué tackle box fits neatly on top of my rolling cart of Stitch supplies. I am stitching on Tilda rather than the Lillies for now.

A little quick project to break up the big ones. I recently got a fabric book panel and decided to “whip it up”. It was supposed to take about an hour or so. Sat down and read the instructions, and started to cut out the pieces. Okay first step, interfacing, specifically fusible fleece for the cover/back page. I didn’t have a big enough piece, so had to order more. Too bad Joanns is gone, I could have gotten it there. Sadly that is happening more and more, I need a notion quickly, and I have to order it and wait. Last week I was repairing a handbag for a friend and I didn’t have the right size strapping or rings. I had to wait five days to do a fifteen minute job. Thread too, I just needed a spool of purple thread to finish something, nope, gotta wait to get it shipped. Sigh.

Anyway back to the quick book project. I decided to sew what I could while I was waiting for the interfacing to get here. I also had to order the crinkle plastic sheeting for the flip up parts of the book. I spent about two hours doing the pieces and parts. There is no way this is an hour long project, I found a video about making it from Marie’s Scrappy Creations . The video is over 40 minutes, and edited so you don’t have to sit through the sewing. It is a cute book though and I hope that I’ll be able to finish it today. I started another baby quilt last night too. It’s an I Spy type quilt from American Jane, Called “I Spy Quilt” using the panel I got a few weeks ago. The pattern calls for a charm pack and a few yards of fabric from the Picture Perfect line. I was able to get those goods in about 48 hours as they are shipped from a town that is an hour away from mine. I got a head start on the blocks, I need to cut the setting triangles and this should go together fairly quickly. Famous last words. The funny thing is while cutting the blocks I noticed that some of the things pictured aren’t relevant anymore. I know what they are and were, but your average millennial will be scratching their head.

The Creepy quilt is off the frame and the “You are My Sunshine” quilts are on now. I finished the fourth top a few days ago, still have enough fabric left to make two more. But I am not going to get any more panels. I have an idea for a scrappy sort of block that will use the border print scraps. I am able to put all four on the same batting and backing. This makes me happy, along with being able to quilt two across in one pass of the machine.

I finally did the Starry Signs July block and not a minute too soon as the first of the month brought the Leo block to my inbox.

I have been knitting a bit a night, making a few washcloths out of some cotton yarn I have. Mindless knitting, where it doesn’t matter if I nod off while knitting. These are supposed to be dish cloths, but I really like them a shower cloths. They are sort of rough, but not like those plastic scrubby ones. They hold the soap and dry fairly quickly if you hang them up after rinsing them. There are so many versions out in the inter webs. This is the pattern I follow:

Not much visible stitching progress on the Lillies this week. I have been really concentrating on quilt tops. Here’s my progress photo.

I got my new Oliso Iron and have been using it daily. I got the project sized one. Plenty of heat and it even has a little LED head lamp on it. I am still getting used to leaving it in the “down” position on its silicon tray. I see it out of the corner of my eye and get a start thinking it is going to burn the pressing mat. It’s a little heavier than the travel Rowenta I had been using. but this Oliso has auto-shut-off. I had a few times where I left the Rowenta plugged in over night. Thankfully in the upright position.

Be Kind.

This is how it starts; see cute fabric on sale, find free patterns to go with said fabric. Show project to prospective client, they like it, order two. Finish two tops, still have plenty for fabric left. Order backing (on sale) big enough for four small quilts in one go. Order more fabric to make two more quilts. Make another top and realize there is easily enough fabric to make a fifth top. Sort of self perpetuating? Scraps making scraps behind the scenes, it will never end..

I managed to make the fourth quilt in the Woodland Wonders fabric line this week too. I needed to order a bit more fabric to finish the third one, but most of the original half yard bundle is gone. There is enough to make one more baby size, and I have four squares left from the panel I used for number four.

I got and sewed together the sixth installment of Blooming Beauties this week. There were four 12 inch blocks, all the same and more four at a time flying geese. It is a theme this month, I am afraid to add up all the geese I’ve made this month. Nice sharp points on these.

This week I also finalized the quilting plans for the creepy quilt. Using a spider web panto, Old Giza King Tut thread on top and a variegated turquoise in the bobbin. Hoping for good tension, no struggles, please?

Consider the Lilies is getting some steady work time. I just keep picking away at the motifs, and I got some more left side border done. I think I am going to enlarge these flowers in a handmade chart on graph paper. They are all the same, except for the colors, just making them easier to count and stitch. I made a small mistake in the one I made last night, but I left it. Recently on Jo’s Country Junction, Jo was showing her retreat projects, as well as her daughter, Kelli’s. Kelli is also working on CtL, she started hers on the bottom, mine is working from the top down. If you combine the two of them, it would make a finished one. Makes me want to finish this soon, but also start something new. I found a possible substitute dyed Aida/linen for a different looking cross stitch pattern I got recently. It’s called Cherry Magpie, by Jessica Doize. I got all the threads and the digital pattern, thinking that the Beetroot fabric would “be available soon” but three months later, not happening. I ordered a color called Merlot, which is a bit lighter than the beet, but looks like the same shade/tint. Spilled wine instead of stained hands? I wonder if it is returnable, if it is awful together with the threads. Should have checked that before hand. It is not a common background color.

Be kind.

I am out of a Quandary, or finished with a quandary, fixed a quandary, un-quandaried? I got it all together this weekend. No without a small glitch, I put the two center sections together wrong. It was just one long seam removal and it was all better. The borders were fun to finish, I made them two at a time. I am really happy that there was plenty of fabric in the kit I bought from Fabric Depot, it was a left over from Craftsy at a great price. There was enough yardage to cut all the black border fabrics on grain, and enough colored fabric to cover any piecing mistakes. It’s huge, I think 102″ x 102″, now to get it quilted. I am wondering if I have a backing that’ll work. I think I saw something on sale the other day that may work.

From last week’s creepy monsters, I sewed on to the cute and neutral bunnies and rainbows collection. I started out making two of these, and quickly sold them before they were finished. Now I have enough left overs to make two more, well, I did have to get two more panels, but these are quick and easy. Did I mention the fabrics were on sale? I got the second one finished today. I can quilt them onto one backing, efficient time and product/resource management. I do have to get the Creepy quilt on there first, after I finish the Sparrows. Not much progress was made on the Sparrow quilting. I did come across the panto that I had originally wanted to use for it, aptly named sparrow. I ended up using the feathers, it’s okay, but I should have persevered and found the sparrow one.

More motifs on the CTL cross stitch, I am almost done with this page. Looking ahead there is a big brick house, I had forgotten that this design has one. I seem to remember swearing off red house samplers a few projects ago, after the huge one in the Christmas sampler (Heaven and Nature sing) I did, darn it. I would like to get the frame on the baby sampler, I am debating on whether to add interfacing to the back or not. I am afraid to press this piece with steam, although most of the colors are fast, there is always the weird black or red thread that bleeds unexpectedly.

On a side note. When I started piecing the Bunny Run quilts, I wanted to use the 4-at-a-time method for flying geese. However, the blocks I needed were 2 3/4″ by 5″, not listed in the cutting tables I could find. I asked the AI what size squares I would need to cut and it gave them to me. It was so easy, no math or fudging needed. I want to use it, AI, in the future for figuring out inner border sizes, and other things that my limited geometrical understanding can’t easily do.

Be Kind.

This is a project in a day type quilt. I’m stretching it out to two. It’s a Yellow brick road quilt, with a slight variation. Not my favorite prints, sort of fifties movie monsters, it’s called Creepsville. It was a kit, so just enough fabric, 12 FQs, border and binding fabric. I have made a few of these, (prettier) and even taught a class (a long time ago) to make it. One would think I could do this easily enough. Nope, I mis-read the cutting instructions, and cut 10 of the 12 FQs width-wise instead of length-wise. Meaning I had too many small size strips and not enough wide ones. I got a little creative to finish the 35 blocks, but it all worked out, just look at my left overs. I am waiting on the backing for this one, it should be here by the end of the week.

In the meantime, all the fabric arrived for the Bunny Run! quilts. Which is good, as I have a buyer for them already. I’m going to try to do these at the same time, mostly strip pieced, and I found a pretty floral backing that works too.

At the same time, I want to get the Sparrow quilt quilted. It’s on the frame and waiting for me to pick a design. I am thinking I’ll do something modern-ish, not too monotonous, maybe clamshells or orange peals.

Consider the Lillies is getting more stitches each night. I enjoy finishing a motif in a day or two, I should continue the left border before I finish this page. The frame kit came in for the baby sampler, I need to get that put together too.

After my very productive last week, I feel like I am slacking off a bit. I’m off to a late start this morning too.

Be Kind.