In Between Projects

After finishing the Escher in Shadow top,

I'm kind of in limbo land.

One thing that is waiting for me is something I haven't done before now.

I made my daughter and son-in-law a queen size quilt for their wedding

three years ago.

Well, they just bought a king size bed and my dear SIL asked if I could

make their quilt bigger.

Thankfully it does not have a border,

so I have a plan.

The binding has been removed and I'm going to add a plain border

to it to make it large enough.

Thankfully, I was able to find the same solid fabric I had used

and am ready to begin. Hopefully my plan will come together!

There is no way the quilting can match, so I think I'll

just quilt straight lines all around the border.

The main part of the quilt will be on top of the bed 

and will be the focal point. 

Wish me luck!

In the meantime,

I'm playing with my Kaffe scraps.

I have a box full of them and it's sitting right by my cutting table.

I've been cutting them into 2 x 3 1/2" pieces and had to make a couple

of blocks to see how it would look.

I like it!!

Happy Quilting!

The Escher Shadow Top is Finished!

Over the weekend, in between cleaning and cooking

and doing a little outside stuff,

I finished the Escher Shadow top!

This top has to be in my top 5 favorites!

 

Love the Kaffe and the solids together.

 

Would anyone like to climb into a cube with me

and sit for a while?

 

I had to stand on a stool for this photo, so it looks crooked, but really isn't.

 

A backing has been ordered and then I'll figure out how I want it quilted.

In case anyone is interested in ordering a kit to make this quilt,

they are available at Quilt-agious.

Be prepared! There are some beautiful kits at this site!

 

I'm posting to Design Wall Monday today.

I want to thank all of you who left such wonderful comments on my last

blog post. There doesn't seem to be anything I can do about these messages

being sent out "from my blog", so I'm going to not let it steal my joy.

With the disclaimer I put at the top, hopefully people will realize they aren't from me.

Happy Quilting!

Escher Rows Finished

I've been in a bit of a sewing funk for the past week or so.

Part of it is because things have been busier here lately.

Part of it may be that I just need a break for a bit,

but I think the biggest reason is because of this mess with Blogger.

When I received the message from someone telling me to quit

sending naked photos and ads for other "things"...

it made me sick. 

I can't believe there isn't a way for us to block followers on Bloglovin'.

I have researched it and can't find a way to do this.

Plus, there is no way to communicate with Blogger about this, either.

I've disabled the Follow on Bloglovin' box on my blog.

If this doesn't stop, I may have to stop blogging.

I do not want to be a part of this in any way.

Sorry for my rant, but this makes me really angry and sad.

So...

In order to bring a little sunshine and happiness into my quilting life,

I've finished all of the rows on my latest Escher quilt.

It amazes me that someone was able to design this quilt

and make it look like it's three dimensional.

I feel like I could just climb in and out of these cubes and 

even take a seat on one.

It took me quite a while to sew the rows together

because each block had to be facing a certain way

and be in a certain order for the design to come together.

 

And you know these fabrics make me happy!!

 

 Now I will get the rows sewn together and send it off to my LAQ.

Happy Quilting!

Quilt Camp #2 2020

When I was deciding on what to take to quilt camp with me this year,

I knew I would take the Terrazzo Quilt for the first thing I'd make.

I went back and forth on what to take in addition and decided to 

take a kit that has been sitting in my cabinet for a while.

For those who have followed my blog,

you may remember an Escher quilt I finished in the fall of 2019.

 

 I am fascinated by M.C. Escher's art and love this quilt.

Well, the shop from which I ordered this kit has another Escher kit.

It's been here waiting for me to make it and now is the time.

The parts were cut and organized before I left

and I began sewing the units together at Quilt Camp.

It's so important to keep these units organized.

Not only do they need to be organized by combination of fabrics,

but they all need to go in a specific direction.

 

It took me three attempts to come up with a way to sew

the rows together and keep the units in order.

My seam ripper saw some action at the beginning of this process!

 

Can I just say that I am LOVING this quilt!

 

This pattern has the "shadows" and is more cube-like than the first one.

I did switch out some fabrics that I didn't like and replaced them with

fabrics more pleasing to me.

I'm about half way through sewing the rows together,

so this is going to take a little while,

but I sure am enjoying seeing this one come together.

Happy Quilting!

Quilt Camp 2020

For four years now I've gone to quilt camp in upstate NY

with my sister-in-law and three other women.

This year one of the women couldn't go, so four of us

were there for three full days of sewing.

I wasn't sure I would be able to go until the last minute

because of NY state not allowing people from certain states to enter.

We all were very careful two weeks before going

and maintained our social distancing most of the time.

The first quilt I made this year was so fun and easy to make.

I had cut all of the pieces before going and had even made

 the HST's  and the triangle units before going.

At the last minute I threw in my pile of scraps from this quilt

and was very glad I did!

I had miscounted a couple of times and was short a block or two!

The sun came in the front window in the evening and shown right on the

design wall I was using.

 

This quilt is called "Terrazzo Quilt" by Freshly Pieced.

I added the red and purple rows and had to change the other rows, too.

This was a good way to start quilt camp.

The quilt camp house is across the street from Lake Erie.

Each night I walked over to see the sunset

and was not disappointed at all.

More on quilt camp later!

Happy Quilting!

Santa Ornaments

I started making these ornaments on a trip I took

with my daughter back in February.

After getting home, I worked on them a bit more

and then they sat.

Last night I decided the Santa ornaments needed to be finished.

Mrs. Claus was done already.

These ornaments are super cute and oh so fussy to make!

I do find it relaxing to work on these in the evening, though.

The ornaments are made and sold by Larissa here 

.

I stink at painting their faces and have tried several ways to do it.

A painter I am not... even with a marker!

 

I used a paint pen and the paint still bled just a bit.

Oh well...

 

In her patterns, she has a lot of years printed to stitch on the back

of the ornaments, should one choose to do so.

This is the only one with the date.

 

The other three will have Mrs. Claus joining them at some point.

Also, from my never ending cabinet,

I stitched this wool pattern.

It will be quilted and become a wallhanging, I think.

 

 

I am not a fan of blanket stitching, so I use silk thread

and tiny applique stitches to sew the wool to the background.

Hopefully this will be quilted soon.

Today I'm linking to Design Wall Monday.

Happy Quilting!

Be well and be safe!

Quilt Camp Prep

As of now, my annual quilt camp is still a go!

My sister-in-law and I have gone to this little retreat for several years

now and have the best time.

This year there will be just 4 of us, so we will have no problem social distancing

while still being together.

The biggest issue for me is quilt camp is in upstate NY and I live in Virginia.

I will go to my SIL's house and stay there for the night

and then we will drive up to the retreat house.

Since I leave this Thursday for camp,

I've been prepping the projects I'm going to work on while there.

I don't want to waste the time at camp cutting the parts

and pieces for the quilts.

You know I have to have a Kaffe project!

I can't wait to see this one made.

My sheet to keep me straight!

A few weeks ago I broke bad and bought a kit

to make this red, white and blue quilt.

It's cut and ready to make.

I put the rulers needed in with each quilt so I won't forget to bring them.

This is another quilt made from solid fabrics.

This should go together quickly.

I did get another candy bag made to take up to my

sister-in-laws mother.

This is one of my favorites!

Now my problem is to keep from sewing on any of these before I go!

Happy Quilting!

Such Exciting News!

We found out about a month ago that my daughter and SIL

are having a baby!

This will be our first grandchild and we are so excited.

They are due January 1st!

When I found out about them being pregnant,

I started knitting a little sweater and pair of booties.

They made the trip to California when we went recently

and have been delivered.

We do not know the gender of the baby yet,

so I thought this color yarn would work for either.

Now, my daughter and SIL do not like "things".

They have very few "tchotchke's" in their home

and do not like clutter.

I promised them that I would not be buying a lot of things

for this baby and would abide by their wishes.

After I gave them this set,

my dear SIL said to me,

"I'm on to you! You said you wouldn't BUY much

for this baby, but you didn't say a word about what you would

MAKE for this baby!"

BUSTED!!

:D :D 

After we heard the exciting news,

I told my husband that this will mean monthly

trips to California beginning in January!

God is good!!

Squad Car Quilt

A couple of weeks ago my aunt, who lives in Michigan, asked if I would

make an adult size quilt and a couple of baby quilts

to be used in squad cars and the ambulance in her small town.

The baby quilts I had made, but I didn't have an adult size quilt

done that would be appropriate.

Out came some fabrics and some simple, mindless sewing began.

Sometimes simple is best.

Sixteen patch blocks were made from some

shweshwe fabrics I had, paired up with the turquoise solid.

 

Some straight line grid quilting was done diagonally on the quilt.

 

I've had this fun fabric in my stash for a long time

and thought it would make a great backing for a squad car quilt.

 

Prayers were said over this quilt as it was being sewn.

One prayer was that it wouldn't be needed often or at all!

 

The pops of color in the shweshwe add so much to the design.

 

It has been washed and is in the pile with a few other quilts.

My aunt is going back home tomorrow,

so these will be delivered today.

Happy Quilting!

Be safe and be well!

Camper Pillow and Quilt Top

Well, we bit the bullet and flew to California at the end of last week

to visit my daughter and son in law out there.

It had been way to long in between visits for us,

so we took our masks, hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes and 

flew out for a few days.

It was wonderful being together again.

We didn't go anywhere or do much,

but sat on their patio and enjoyed each others' company.

Before I left, I finished a couple of things.

One more thing was pulled from my never ending

cabinet of unfinished or not made projects.

I've had the pattern for this pillow for over a year

and have a friend who has a camper.

Out came the pattern, some fabric

and the pillow is finished.

It was fun choosing the fabrics for this camper.

The one mistake I made (and corrected it)

was to not back the white window with something

so the orange background wouldn't show through.

The window wasn't framed in the pattern,

but I cut the window out,

made a new one and sewed the frame around it to

hide the edges.

The backing has a zipper and isn't as bright as the photo shows.

The pillow has been delivered!

Another machine quilting project finished!

Last week my aunt, who lives in Michigan,

called and asked if I could make some quilts for

the police department in her small town.

The police chief asked for some child-size quilts

and adult quilts to keep in their squad cars.

I have the child size quilts made and made the top

of an adult size quilt before I left for California.

I've had 4 half yard cuts of this fun Shweshwe fabric

for several years and decided to use it for this quilt.

 

I pulled several fabrics to coordinate with the Shweshwe,

but the others (greens, oranges, white, etc.) were too

much of a contrast with the shweshwe.

I love the look of the turquoise, especially closer to the quilt top.

 

Sixteen patch blocks were made and then sewn into a top.

 

As I was sewing, prayers were said for the person

who will be wrapped in this quilt after whatever incident

they have that warranted a call to the police. 

It will be quilted and delivered this week.

Happy Quilting!

Be safe and be well.

Christmas in June

Last year my sister-in-law gave me this kit to make this cute

Christmas wall hanging.

It's been in my cabinet since then and last week

I pulled it out to get it made.

Making these kinds of quilts is not my favorite thing to do,

but I actually enjoyed the process this time.

I used clear thread to stitch the pieces down

and that saved a lot of time.

The kit came with everything, including the backing and batting!

Making this kit went so well that I decided to pull another one

out and get that finished, too.

 This one I bought last summer at a quilt shop in upstate NY.

I was up there for quilt camp and found this great shop.

Too bad I can't remember the name of it! 

If I had any red flannel, I would have switched the fabric out for the hat.

It's too dark, but will do.

He is supposed to have a string of lights embroidered from hand to hand,

but that didn't happen.

He's waving good-bye before he heads down the chimney!

 

Two more projects are out of my cabinet!

Oh, don't worry.... there are plenty more projects in there.

Happy Quilting!

Be well and be safe.

Solid Fun is Finished

I'm usually not one to make the more modern quilt designs that

are popular today.

I like more traditional quilts in bolder colors and fabrics.

This quilt caught my eye the first time I looked at the book

and I just love how it looks.

Here is the book I used...

There are some really fun quilts in this book made
with solid fabrics.

The quilt on the cover is what caught my eye.
I gathered my fabrics, cut the triangles and strips
and went to town.

The one thing I didn't like about this quilt was the zig zag edge on both sides.
I decided to add the extra triangles to give the quilt  straight edges on all sides.

After some diamond grid quilting and

adding a striped binding,

this one is finished.

 

I thought this quilt would take me a while to make,

but it actually went together fairly quickly.

 

This one is already spoken for and is being laundered as I type.


Happy Quilting!
Be well and be safe!