Design Wall Monday

Well, it's Monday and I have a lot to share - some of it's my stuff, but most of it isn't - but it's all up on the design wall or has been recently. I had every intention of posting a number of times over the last week or so, but I was sick and then quite busy. I spent a couple of days in bed and then struggled with laryngitis. Now I'm sure other people enjoyed that relative quiet time, but it was kind of a pain. I taught a two-day paper piecing workshop just as my voice was returning, but that kind of set me back a bit in terms of talking. (FYI - I'm almost 100% again. Sorry folk. The vacation is over.)

We've had a wonderful weekend here! Linda, Chris and Sam  came to town for a surprise birthday party for Jim S. and slept here. I was so glad we could accommodate them, even though the weekend went by so quickly and it seems like we didn't get to spend much time with them. It seems like it's been a very long time since we visited with them. We really must rectify that and plan a road trip!

I've had the pleasure of hosting my sister Ann and brother Jerry for a sewing/craft/just plain fun weekend and everyone has been very busy. Jerry's first quilt (talked about in this post) is quilted and bound! I love this, especially the binding! Thanks for letting me do the quilting and binding Jerry.  :-)

 

 

I love the back to this quilt also. Ok, I guess I just love everything about this quilt.

 

 

Jerry was also very busy and finished the top to his second quilt. Here's a picture before he added the pieced border. I don't know why I don't have a picture of it totally done. I'm taking a guess here, but I think Jerry learned the value of accurate 1/4" seams while working in this quilt. (Or at least that's what I heard as he was trimming each block.)

 

 

 

I taught a class Saturday and Ann and Jerry went with me. Jerry pieced the strips he needs for his next quilt. (I think he's hooked. What do you think?) Ann worked on cutting out some Snap Happy bags and she finished up eight (8) of them last night. That's right - 8!! Aren't these adorable?

 

 

When we returned home from the class Saturday, we had a houseful of people. Along with Linda, Chris and Sam, Jim, Sheryll and Hannah were here. Plus Pat and Ray from Michigan were here. We walked into a kitchen full of people singing and playing guitars and mandolins. How wonderful! I think we were home about 15 minutes when my friend Donna stopped over to work on a quilt project, but ended up just visiting. She fit right in with the group and I was so glad she just relaxed and enjoyed herself. All that was missing was Connie and Martha, who we had hoped would be able to jooin us for the weekend, but plans changed.  :-(

 

Donna came back yesterday to have me look at a border problem she was having and she ended up staying and finishing all of the borders for her Maple Leaf Log Cabin quilt top. YEAH!!

 

 

Donna also finished her Circle of Geese quilt top that she started last weekend at the paper piecing workshop. I really like her version.  :-)

 

 

I just love it when I see finished quilts from my patterns or classes! Thanks Jerry and Donna. You made my weekend. :-)

 

Now, I really did do some sewing. Besides Jerry's quilting and binding, I put my Kaffe Fassett fabric Summer Solstice back up on the wall and am down to the last 10 seams. This will be done very soon - maybe even today! Keep your fingers crossed.

 

 

 

Can you guess what this is?

 

 

The color is not great in the picture, but I am dying my gridded flannel for my design wall. I'm ready to stick this in the washer, cross my fingers and see how it turns out. WooHoo!! I'll post pictures of this later once it's up.









 

Check out what is on other quilters' design walls today.

Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times.

 







 

Design Wall Monday

It's Monday and that means I get to show off what's on my design wall!

This is Summer Solstice (a Judy Niemeyer pattern) done in Kaffe Fassett and batik fabrics. I bought this kit while I was at Tennessee Quilts for the Judy workshop back in March and April. I still remember walking into the shop on Wednesday late afternoon (the day before the workshop began) and seeing this sample. Even before Mary and I could ask where we should put our things I knew I wanted to make this quilt! Since this was the quilt on which we would be working on the first day of the workshop, I had already cut out the fabric for my version; but I really wanted to make this quilt with these fabrics. I was excited to see that they had kits for sale, and gobbled one up right then and there. I can't believe it has taken me this long to start working on this quilt! In case you're wondering, yes, they still have kits available on their website. Here's a direct link to the kit. :-)   It sure looks different than my original version doesn't it?

I'd like to say that the quilt will be finished in the next day or so, but I really doubt it. I have a class tomorrow and a couple of other pressing projects so this might have to go on the back burner. :-(  Either way, I'll keep you posted on the progress.

I did some quilting over the weekend and got two UFOs quilted. They just need trimmed and bound. YEAH!! I'll show you the front after they done. I know, I'm a tease.  :-)

I'm also finishing up the binding on the Amazon Star quilt and my goal is to complete that tonight because even though this quilt is for Jack, it will hang in the quilt shop for a little bit to help sell the kits they made up. This will return home in the Fall so we can use it on our bed.

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls today.
Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times.

Fixed!

I fixed the problem area of my Summer Solstice. I unstitched all the "offending" points and resewed that strip. This is so much better!

I decided that since I was doing this much, I might as well finish the top. Besides, the embroidery machine was still working away. Here's the completed top, complete with a possibe/probable binding option (right top corner and partial side).

Design Wall Monday

Summer Solstice is still on the wall, but with the border units sewn together and anxiously waiting to be added to the rest of the quilt.

I was able to sneak in some quilting time, but I'm thinking I shouldn't have. You know what they say about working on something when you're tired or can't give it your full attention. Well, what they say is true. I made a mistake and now I have to fix it!

First of all, I decided that I wanted to make a little change. Do you notice the four dark triangles in the center of the border units? Well, in Judy Niemeyer's original design the fabric used is the same as the background for the New York Beauty blocks, or something very close. I decided that I didn't want it to blend so much and that I wanted to repeat one of the black fabrics from the center star. No problem, right? Wrong!! 

Check out the picture below. I REALLY don't like how the points of the triangle and the New York Beauty block don't line up. If I had used the original fabric it would have been fine, but since there is so much contrast I think it sticks out like a sore thumb. I'm so lucky I put this on the wall and took a look at it before sewing all the units together (notice the pins in the photo). I just wish I had sewn one and then looked at it instead of sewing all four. Live and learn, right?

It really won't be a difficult fix. I plan to increase the size of the triangle and re-draft where it is sewn to the adjoining piece. It will be a piece of cake to fix, as soon as I get it all unsewn. A date with the seam ripper. I can't wait! I think I'll do this while the embroidery machine is running a bit later today. I don't like to leave the room when I'm embroidering so it will give me something to do.

It's all fixed! Check it out here.

Even though it's really not on the design wall, I have two quilts that are ready to have the binding hand stitched down to the back. I like to have at least one hand project ready at all times in case I want to sit and watch a ballgame or something. :-)

The Pink Star quilt that I mentioned yesterday is on top and the other quilt is a Puzzle quilt that I made quite a while ago while I was at a retreat. When I pieced the backing, I knew that I didn't have a lot of wiggle room, but I figured it was ok since I was planning on quilting this on my home machine. Well, that never happened. As a matter of fact, this quilt has been at Kare's house waiting for me to quilt it, but I was afraid to do it because I knew that the pieced backing needed special attention and I really didn't know how to handle it. Well, I bit the bullet and quilted it. There are some not so great spots, but overall it didn't turn out too bad. I struggled a little bit to load and keep the backing and top aligned properly with each other, but I'm ok with the results. I'll post pictures of the front and back when the binding is complete.  

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls.
Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times.

Stash Report - Weeks 16 and 17

I've been using up some of the massive amount of fabric that I reported as "In" in my last stash report. I still have a lot to use, but I'm out of the red for now. I'm really not stressing about this. I know it'll all get used - eventually. I'm please with my numbers here, especially the five UFOs completely done (and three more that are quilted and ready for binding) and the nine new quilts completely done.

Of course, the fact that I have eleven quilts that are ready for quilting is a bit daunting, but I'll get to them. It's just that I seeem to always find a new project that just calls out to me and says "Joanne, you need to make me. Put aside other things and move me to the front of the list. NOW!" Well, as you all probably understand, you just have to listen to the voice of reason fabric and do what needs to be done. I admit it. I lack quilting discipline. Maybe there should be a support group for those of us with this affliction. Maybe I should work on this. Maybe.....see there I go again. Distraction!!

Back to the stash report. I finished the Amazon Star top and that used a lot of fabric, and I'm close to finishing the Summer Solstice. I finished up a couple of little projects and those are already gifted; plus I got the binding machine sewn to the Pink Stars quilt that Lynn started a number of years ago and I finally finished. I don't think I ever showed a picture of that. Heck, I don't even find a picture of the quilt at all, so I'll try to remember to snap a shot of that and post a picture later today or tomorrow.

I've been working on a couple of other projects that have deadlines and that has defintely put a kink in my sewing time. My goal is to finish up all those things in the next day or so and get back to sewing. Well, maybe not actual productive sewing, but some sewing. Jerry is coming to visit this coming weekend and Nikki and family will be arriving here in a few days. I just have to spend time being Grandma.  :-) 

Here's the Report:
Fabric Added These Two Weeks: 0.00 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 150.25 yards
Fabric Used These Weeks: 28.50 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 160.375 yards
Net Fabric Used for 2012: 10.25 yard

UFOs Done, Done, Done (Pieced, Quilted, and Bound): 5
UFOs Still to Do: ??? (I really should make a list, but that would only upset me!)
New Quilts Done, Done, Done (Pieced, Quilted, and Bound): 9
Quilts Ready to be Quilted and Bound: 11
Quilts Quilted and Ready to be Bound: 3

Check out what other quilters are doing with their stash by going to Judy L's
Patchwork Times.

Expectations vs. Reality

I tend to set my quilting expectations too high and I am often disappointed when I don't reach them. I need to learn to be more realistic. I just get so excited to finish projects, especially the ones I love, and I don't account for interruptions and life in general. If I just didn't have to take time to eat or sleep, I would get more done. Of course, after I spend a day volunteering with my hospice patients I tend to be pretty interspective and realize that I have a pretty darn good and easy life!

I had expectations of finishing my Summer Solstice by today, but in reality I don't think that will happen until after this weekend. I have too many other things that have to take priority. :-(

Here's what I have so far. I'm so close.....