Welsh Quilt progress

I finished the next border on my Welsh Quilt Study II.  I'm having so much fun watching this little quilt come together.  I'm ready to measure and plan  the next border which will have a corner blocks and overlapping half circles.
Robin

Best laid plans. . .

ARGH!  I left my bag with all the applique stuff at the cannery yesterday.  They don't open again till Monday.  I was going to finish the last two February blocks today so I'd be ready for the new set of patterns that comes out Tuesday.


It's funny when something like this happens, it's as if I can't make myself do anything else.  I have the project in my mind and can't focus on doing another one.  I did try to baste some pieces on the "When the Cold Wind Blows applique.  I fondled some fabric that my friend Marlena gifted me.  It is the wild horses line from Laurel Burch - gorgeous fabric - and I think she bought every piece available in the colorway above.


I worked on my hexie project for about a 1/2 hr.   I quilted on the Welsh quilt for another 1/2 hr.

Then I took a nap.

I just don't adapt well to change.
Robin

Welsh quilt, biscuits/scones, and 1857 quilt

I've finished the center of the Welsh Quilt Study II.  It was really fun to do and it quilted up pretty fast.  The back looks like gray fabric but it is a pretty light clear blue.  The paisley's are called Welsh pears.  I used a nickel to make the circle in the center.  I love the way these quilts are so intricately quilted.

This is the way the center looks from the front.  The center includes the star and the toile border.
I'm working on the next border with corner 1/4 circles that include spirals and a flower.

Shaped and ready to bake

I decided I wanted to find the perfect biscuit (scone) recipe ever.  I used to make pretty good biscuits but they haven't been turning out very good lately.  I blamed it on the bread flour I was using and used some lighter AP flour for these.  I also blame the fact that our margarine is so filled with WATER.  Have you read the label?  Some of them contain as much as 30% WATER.

Fresh from the oven

I don't like all butter (too rich for me) so it's shortening, or margarine for half of my lipids.

This is the recipe I used;

2 cups all purpose Flour

4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Sugar

3/4 tsp Salt

1/4 cup (4 TBS.) butter or margarine

1 cup buttermilk

Bake at 450 degrees  

15 - 20 minutes

Lots of pockets for butter

I just mixed it with a fork until it was all moist.  It was a sticky dough.  I think I rolled it too thin but they 1.  didn't raise much      
        2. were tender but sturdy
        3. were not flaky
Although, it browned nicely and tasted good.

    . . . . . . .  I'm still looking for the perfect biscuit recipe.

I'm getting ready to applique the corner triangles on this heart block and then I'll have one of the four February blocks done.  It's a good thing this isn't a race.
Robin

Stitching a little

I got out the craft iron and starch to make the little berries for the 3rd January block above.  While I had all the stuff out I made the circles for a February block as well.  I used as many reds as I had.

I don't like sewing those pesky little diamonds in the corners but I sure like the way the blocks look together.

Below are all 3 of the January blocks from the 1857 quilt.  (And my husband's  childhood wooden soldiers)

My background seems so dark when I see other completed blocks in blogland.  I still like the color I have chosen but I'm wondering if eventually I'll have to use sashing so the individual blocks will stand out.

Oh well, that's a decision for another day.

To celebrate Valentine's day I made some pink bread.  Isn't it pretty?  It's not flavored - it's just pink.

Have a great day,
Robin

here a little - there a little

I updated the blog from my quilt group "Bound Together" from our January meeting if you want to go check it out.

I put the corner diamonds on the 1st block and finished the 2nd block from the 1857 quilt.  I think I reversed the pattern for the 2nd block but it really doesn't matter.  I hope I can last with this quilt.  I still have one more block to finish for January and last Monday four more blocks were introduced for February.  I don't like to get behind so I'm feeling the self-imposed pressure.

I finished Billy's quilt here but as I was finishing the quilting I found a hole smack dab in the middle of one of the white triangles.

I would have understood finding a hole on one of the plaid pieces because they were from Billy's shirts.  But to find a hold on a new piece of fabric was rather annoying.

I unpicked the quilting and then the stitching, replaced the triangle, and sewed it back in using small applique stitches.  Then I re-quilted around it.  It looks great.  The quilt is all bound, labeled, and ready for Billy's family.

I made one of these quilts from Cherie Soffe Paine's (I know I'm spelling her name wrong) blog from last year.  Actually I made it last year.  I did the embroidery a few weeks ago.  Maybe next Valentine's Day I'll finally quilt it.  Above is a picture of Cherie's original version.

I put Welsh Quilt Study II on the floor hoop ready for intense quilting.

And I put the nosegay quilt on the big frames.  I can now quilt upstairs or downstairs depending on my whim.

I finished the 1st block of Sleigh Bells by Jan Patek.

The steeple is quite slanted - I wonder if it will "quilt out" ha!

Robin

This week

has been all about applique.

I couldn't decide if I wanted to join the new BOM over at Sentimental Stitches or not.  She is doing an applique quilt from 1857 and giving out the patterns free for the month they are introduced.  There are 64 blocks in the quilt so this would be a long term commitment.  I printed out the patterns and stewed, mulled, brooded over, considered whether I should take the plunge or not.

 I saw that Lori of Humble Quilts had finished the 3 blocks for January and was reminded that  I needed to make a decision or I would soon be three blocks behind.  At first I thought I would have to use the same red, green, and cheddar fabric throughout.  I knew I didn't have enough of any one piece for the whole quilt.  I am really into using up what I already have and not buying more right now.

Hey wait!  I could dig into my vast Jo Morton stash and use whatever colors I wanted.  Jo Morton fabrics seem to always go together no matter what you choose.  "It's like magic." (quote from Sleepless in Seattle - ha!)

But, unfortunately, I didn't have a good single piece of background fabric so I did have to purchase something else.  I love it though, it is Hollyhocks by Jo Morton 7750  Color RY.

Now, don't go buy it all up, I need some more...................

I finished the goofy flower block yesterday.  (What kind of flower is this supposed to be anyway?  It's like nothing I've ever seen.)  It was a tricky little stinker to applique too, let me tell you.  I need to put the diamonds in the corners and go on to the other 2 blocks so I'll be ready a week from today to copy the patterns for the next three.

The other applique I was involved in was for my "When the Cold Wind Blows" quilt.  I stitched down the stems on the "Coxcombs" on the left and prepped the "Rose Hips"block on the right.  The greenery at the top of the hips remind me of  mustaches. These blocks are so big (I know I've complained about that before) and so they take extra time and room to prep.  Laurie Simpson of Minick & Simpson just finished her version, it's lovely

I sewed this bird, a star, and finished a tree on the first block for "Sleigh Bells" by Jan Patek.  I just need to sew on all the windows on the church and finish another star to be done.  It shouldn't take too long if I don't get distracted by the other projects again!

Hope everyone has been able to dig out from the weekend storms.  We got about 6 inches of snow last night after it had rained all day.

Robin

Dazzling! Alletaire done!

It feels like I have been sewing for weeks!  Oh wait, I have. . . 

When I got ready to assemble the blocks I had a slight problem.

I didn't print out the first clue because all I had to do was make HST out of 2" strips of gray and neutral.  Easy, peasey, right?

The only problem was that I had only made 140 HST and I needed 240 - gasp!  So a straightforward sewing clue turned out to be more time consuming than planned.

But, diligence pays off and here is the "Dazzling" Alletaire quilt top from Bonnie Hunter's most recent mystery QAL.

I wanted to create this solely out of my stash.  When it came time to do borders I only had one gold piece of fabric that was big enough for the whole border but I didn't love it.  So, I decided to piece two other golds in long strips for the inner border.  The colors are pretty close so it isn't very noticeable at all, especially with the striking outer border grabbing all your attention.

I also had a hard time coming up with a piece from my very small black fabric stash, that would work for the other border.  That is, until I found this piece of Giverney fabric by Bernartex that was left over from the border of my "Votes for Women" quilt that was a QAL with Barbara Brackman a few years ago.

I only had a few 8 1/2" strips and one very long 6" strip so I figured I could cut my borders 4 1/4" and have enough to surround the whole quilt top.  It turned out to be 79" X 86".  I won't be scalloping the borders like the original but a smaller size means less to hand quilt and that is fine with me.

Heads up -  I had quite a time with all the bias edges made from trimming the rectangles along the outside of the quilt.  I'm sure glad I didn't lay the top aside for a while before sewing the borders on. Just sayin'. . . . . . .

Four inches (border) was meant to be today as I woke up to this lovely fluffly four inches of snow.

Billy's quilt is on the frames.  Now that the mystery quilt is done I can focus on working with the plaids.  I should have this done in no time.

What are you working on today?
Robin