A Finish, a Formal, and Snow Washing my rug

I've been working like crazy to get all 110 blocks done for this quilt.   In a previous post I explained how I refound my stash of Thimbleberries fabric and finished up a UFO as well as making this quilt 84" X 88".  I figured it was a good way to use up the stash for good.

 

Well, so much for using up the stash.  But BOY did I make a good dent in it.

Pictured above is how much I have leftover.    I'm ready to work on something new.  This is going back in the closet to be maybe forgotten once again.

This is the backing for the quilt top.  The gold strip was added because I needed more length.  It is positioned between the two matching gold pieces because that particular fabric is directional and the two pieces are not facing the same way. 

Also the color in this photo is way off. . .      my couch is sage green.

This is a better picture of the chrysanthemum print but it's still off.  The background is a rich shade of rust.

Sometimes things happen that just make me smile.  I looked up at my waning spool of thread to see a heart shape as it unwound.

I recently snow washed my looped rug.  I knew I shouldn't put it in the washer and it has been folded at the base of the washer waiting for months.  It snowed last Friday and I decided it was time.  I first shook it thoroughly and then placed in a clean patch of snow.  I covered it with the snow using a broom.  

I beat it with the broom and then swept the snow away.  I should have turned it over and repeated the process but I forgot.

I swept all the snow away,  shook it vigorously again, and brought it inside to dry.  

After I got it inside I noticed some tiny areas that need spot cleaning (the cabin sky etc.) so I quickly got a damp cloth and cleaned those up.  I have a sign at the top of the stairs that says;     NO FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED DOWNSTAIRS but obviously I have some offenders.

When it was dry I vacuumed it thoroughly.  Ta Da! 

When I have to do it again I think I'll be a little more aggressive.  I was afraid I would damage it somehow with all the moisture but it turned out great.

We had a pumpkin block exchange in my quilt group "Bound Together" in January.  We met last Monday and one of the ladies had put her quilt top together.  There were only 7 of us in the exchange which is an odd number of blocks but I think  she found a fabulous solution.

She also shared this cute star quilt.

Last week one of my granddaughter's needed me to alter a prom dress she had purchased.  She wanted a black formal and the only thing she found (that she liked) needed massive changes.  I had to bring the skirt up in the front, add more fabric to the back top of the dress, take tucks in the front bodice, and add sashes.  It was crazy!  I would have never bought it.

But, she had a great time and I got to be involved in the memory - a bonus.

Now that I've finished the Thimbleberries quilt top I'm going to put a closed sign on my sewing room door.  It's time to accomplish some other things around this house.

Robin

What to do with an old project.

 I've been working hard trying to finish up a couple of quilting projects.

I started looking for something different to add some variety to my stitching in between the other concentrated efforts to finish things.

I found this old (and I mean old) cross stitch project designed by Paula Vaughan and thought maybe it was time to complete it.  I think I moved it with us when we moved 25 years ago. 

This is how much I have completed.  There are hours and hours already devoted to this project.

I sat down yesterday evening to work on it with my now aging eyes and aching joints.  It is 18 Aida, not as small as many of the designs are now.

It's a pretty piece and I've got most of it done, it seems a shame to just abandon it.

But, after about an hour of stitching and unstitching. . . this is all I got done, the gray part to the left of the tree.  So I'm rethinking this.  

Do I want to spend a lot of time (still) to finish this up?  It is in the decorating style of the 90's.  And when I finish it, what am I going to do with it?  I tempted to donate it to a thrift store.  

Is anyone else hanging on to old projects that are mostly done but know it will just go back on the shelf if you finish it?

I'm going downstairs to sew on something that I know I'll use while I mull this over.

Robin

I'm always sewing something

I made  little set of curtains for my back door.  I love looking out on the backyard but when I come into the kitchen after dark in my nightgown I have to walk around in the dark.  

They are made from an old linen dresser scarf that I inherited when my Uncle Charlie died about 10 years ago.   When I cut it in half it wasn't quite long enough so I added some muslin and a little lace to cover up the seam.  I love the knitted lace at the bottom.  If you enlarge it you'll see a little daisy I put on the far right side to cover up a hole. (That is the reason it hasn't been used for years.)

Here is a close up of the embroidery.    This was either made by my father's mother or one of her 3 sisters.  I inherited doilies, and dresser scarves and chair arm covers and tablecloths.  I figured it was better to use them than to store them.  

I put a couple of borders on this medallion quilt.  I think I want some kind of applique on the next round but I haven't decided what it's going to be yet, maybe some more birds.  No hurry.

Still working on my red & white.  It's a slow go but it will get done in it's own time.

I've made 37 of the 110 blocks I need for the Timeless Treasures quilt.  I've got 8 cut out so I'll get busy on them this afternoon.

I've still got plenty of Thimbleberries fabric.  I wonder what I had in mind to gather all this fabric.  One thing about sewing with it lately. . . I've come to like it all over again.

Well, that's all for the past couple of weeks.  I've been sick but I am feeling good now and have some energy to buckle down on this quilt.

Our crocus' are up but that is about all that is blooming so far.

I'm excited to see one of my geranium plants thinks is time to bloom in spite of all the brown outside

Robin

Just a quick post

 I finished the top for the Ode to the 1930's pattern by Lori Smith. that I made in Thimbleberries fabric instead.  It turned out great.  Finishing it made me remember how much I like Thimbleberries.  

It's about 72" X 57".  The pattern called for a wide 8" border but I decided to do the triple border instead.

I think I already said that I was making two of these (the other in actual 1930's) so I could have a reversible quilt.  It's not going to happen. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the blocks I've already made but the other fabric is going to be made into something else.  

I don't like the way it looks anyway.

Now, that I don't need to hang on to any of the fabric to finish up something I previously started, I can use it up in the other quilt (see previous post) that got put on hold to finish this one..  And I won't be pushing myself, just sewing at leisure.

Robin

 

So, I've been busily working on the blocks for the Timeless Treasures quilt I mentioned in my last post and I've got 24 blocks done.  I'm also determined to use up my Thimbleberries stash that I recently discovered again.  As I was sewing this week I remembered that I had a UFO (two actually) using Thimbleberries fabrics.  If I used the fabrics up in the quilt pictured above then I might not have enough to finish the UFO.

So, I switched projects.  I wanted to make the quilt below out of the usual 1930's fabrics as well as  Thimbleberries fabrics so I would have a reversible quilt.  That's why I actually have 2 UFOs.  

I was making 2 of every block and somewhere along the line this project got derailed.

It takes some mustered enthusiasm to work on a project but to stop midstream from one project to another has me a little off balance.  but, here I go. . . 

Here are the blocks that I had already made.  I was hoping I was farther along than this.  But, I got to work this week and like an impending storm I've been sewing with gusto. 

I found the pattern and fabric up on a shelf in my sewing room.  I think I started this quilt sometime in about 2010 or something.  It might have been as early as 2008.    Lynette Jensen stopped production of Thimbleberries fabric in 2012.

This was the first block I made.  It's not perfect and was harder than I thought it was going to be because those pieces are so small.  But, it's a pretty little  block, I can press out the unevenness,  and it's done.  

This is what my progress looks like now.  I like to think I'm a little over halfway. 

 

Those little 6" blocks are bears to sew.  I think I've got four more and they look a little more simple like a churn dash and such.  There is a slew of bowtie blocks in a row but those are easy enough to make.

I've got a number of large pieces of fabric that I'm going to cobble together as backings for both this quilt and the original one I started.  It's turning out to be quite a  nice little quilt.  I can see why I wanted to make it in the first place but I didn't intend it to be a marathon sewing project.

Robin

Do you remember this quilt?

 

This quilt called "Timeless Treasures" by Mabeth Oxenreider came out in the American Patchwork & Quilting magazine in June of 1996.  I'm sure you've seen dozens of them on the internet, maybe 100's.  

Well, I wasn't doing much quilting in 1996 so I missed out on this one.  But, as soon as I saw it I knew I would want to make one  There have been multiple variations of this design, but the original is my favorite.

My husband and I have been searching for something (that we still haven't found) for weeks and in so doing have been cleaning out closets, drawers, shelves, and boxes.  I found all my Thimbleberries fabrics in a closet downstairs.  This is a 5 gallon tote so there's lots and lots of fabirc.

And, I decided it was time to use it up and what better project than this "Timeless Treasures" quilt.

It's only taken me 25 years to get around to making it.  The original pattern has 6" blocks set 14 X 18 for a total of 252 blocks .  The quilt finishes at 84" X 108".  I made one block and decided it was too small for me.  I wanted bigger blocks of color.

So, I've made six 8" blocks that I like much better.  (That lower left block is just as ugly as it looks.) Some fabrics just don't have a chance 😐.  But, I'm still going to use it.  I will just get rid of the rest of that fabric.

I'm going to make the quilt top 10 X 11 which will finish at 80" X 88" and is a much better size I think.  That's 110 blocks total.

I'm curious how much fabric I will really use and will the tub look just as full when I finish this quilt top?  

I found one of my favorite quotes in our search through everything.

This reason I like this quote is because it tells me that everyone has their unique place in this world that no one else can replace, no one else can make a difference in our realm of influence like we can, no one is else is singularly adept at doing things as well as we can right here, right now. But, like the quote says. . . we still need each other. 

                                                             Kind of a dismal day outside.

But, while nature sleeps I will stay busy.

Have a wonderful day,

Robin

I need to figure out a way to spend more time in my sewing space.

 I realized this morning just now how much I miss creating.  I have been spending most of my time finishing things for the last two years and it just isn't as stimulating.

Making something new gives me the enthusiasm to create more.  It makes me happy.  Whether it's with cloth or some other medium, making and doing are my spark.  

I even like to create in the kitchen.  One of my favorite things is to bake. . . make desserts.  After Christmas I put all the leftover cookies and fudge, and cake etc. in the freezer (there was a lot) and we have been slowly eating them up.  Convenient yes, but I miss cooking.

I think it's normal to have the post-Christmas Blahs.  

Time to snap out of it.

So, I gathered the fabrics for the rest of my bird quilt.  

They just sparkle!

Robin

Also, Dotti in Connecticut, I appreciate your comment but I have no way to send you a reply.

Quick Post

 I finally figured out what I wanted to put in the corners of my bird center blocks.  I think the stars fill the space nicely.  I also added the little red upside down teardrops in the center because (of course) the bird isn't quite centered.  

I've only done 3 stars so far.  (Pardon the wrinkles)  I thought today would be a good day to concentrate on stitching these stars.  Only 45 more star points to go and they only take about 1/2 hr. to stitch.

Who am I kidding . . . this is going tot take a while~

I didn't post anything about my finishes for last year.  I do still have a quilt to show but I haven't taken a picture of it.  I also have my collected empty spools which is proof I did do something.  

Last year was definitely not about quantity.  It was more about trying new quilting ideas (that didn't always turn out) and learning new things.

An example is this quilt top I call "I can't hear you!"  because it is so muted.  I found out that these colors are not my color scheme.  I didn't enjoy this at all.

Please click on the picture to enlarge it and you'll get a better sense of the colors.

I have put it to the back of the queue for quilting.  Not sure what to do with it.  Lovely fabric line just not ringing any bells.

Robin

New quilt in the frames

 

Well, I put a new quilt on the frames.  I think this one is going to take a while.  It is about 86" square.  I was trying to think of ways to make it not seem so monotonous.  I thought maybe choosing 3 or more different colored quilting threads might make it interesting.  But, my husband (who normally has absolutely no opinions on anything I quilt) convinced me it would be distracting and not add anything to the quilt.  He's right of course.  So I'm in for the long haul.

I haven't really come up with a name for this quilt though it reminds me of the scripture in Isaiah 1:18. 

My daughter #2 and I put Grandma's curtains up in the living room.  I love how it looks.  And we rearranged the furniture.  It seems so much bigger now.  I had the piano and an antique organ on the far wall.  The organ went to my daughter#2 who has a degree in organ performance and the piano went to my youngest son.  That picture on the far wall was centered over the piano and now should be moved over the center of the couch.  But, I keep thinking I might want to do something else with the open space on the right.  I thought about hanging a quilt but there is already a quilt in the room.  (see below)

I need to do something to make the room more cozy - warm it up a little.  Any suggestions?

As I'm going through things because that's what I do in January.  I noticed this darling picture of my mother and her sister.  My mother is the one on the left with the over-the-top bonnet on. She was 2 yrs. old.

I decided to get it out and enjoy it for January.  It's on my hutch.

I thought I'd share this cute picture that was a gift to me for Christmas.  It is supposed to represent our family including our little one that passed away (flew the coop).  It is a sweet reminder of everyone.

I am having a hard time coming up with a new project.  This has never happened before.  When I sit down I am itching for some handwork and I suppose I could get out an applique block I started but it's on hold because I can't make a decision on what should go in the corners.

I  really liked the scrap quilt Quiltmania tried to do last year.  All the patterns are online.  But when I started with the first block that is just four-patches and HSTs and it didn't come out to size I decided I didn't want to fuss with the French/English - inches/cm and I'd move on to something else.  I need a project that's not going to give me grief.

It is so cold inside today.  I made myself some cocoa to try and warm up.  I'm always trying a different cocoa and right now the thing that tastes the best is regular instant cocoa with 2 generous squeezes of Hershey's chocolate syrup.  (and miniature marshmallows, of course)

We had a funeral last Saturday and I was at the church from 9:30 till 3:45.  We served crockpot soup, rolls, cookies, and had a Hot Chocolate Bar.  Going to the cemetery for the dedication of the grave chilled everyone and they were pleased to return to a warm meal.  

Well, I've rambled on long enough.  Keep inside if you can and stay warm.

Robin

Just a quick post

 

I took my front room curtains down.  I had blue toile curtains and I've had them for about 10 years I think.  They were cumbersome to open and every thing was so dark when the were closed.  It is time for a change.  (If you look closely you can see the Christmas lights that are still on the tree on the left).

These are my grandmother's curtains that have been in a box since she passed away in 1993.  They are gorgeous French embroidery on voile.  My grandmother worked in the drapery department in Z.C.M.I. for years.  These curtains were hung in her apartment on 50 East 5th South  (a building that has long since been torn down) and so I remember them from the 60's. 

I've decided that this is the year I'm no longer saving things to be passed down.  My kids don't have any memories with these curtains, I do.  So I'm going to live with them and see them everyday.  Which is what I should have done a long time ago.  If the sun shines on them - I'm not going to fret.  I'm going to enjoy the filtered sunlight just like my grandmother did.

My kids can make some of their own memories with these curtains at my house.  I'm anxious for my daughter to come over and help me hang them.

I'm working on the binding for this quilt we tied Christmas eve.  (See the whole quilt in my previous post)  I found a piece of drapery fabric (coincidence?) for the binding that has all the colors of the blocks in the quilt except for the lavender.  I had just the right amount of this backing fabric with bunnies on it.  This little quilt is so happy, I don't know if I can donate it as planned.  I want to keep it.

I finished another quilt but it needs a label and I don't have a picture of it. 

Next time. . .  Robin