Design Wall Monday---Quilting Weekend

Last March Design Wall Monday--just squeaking in under the wire. See more design walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog. 

It was an all quilting weekend.  Too many UFOs clogging up the cutting table.  I started with a donated top I'd taken home to quilt well over a year ago; I made the backing early in February, and had batting from the guild.

I got a lot of exercise turning the quilt a hundred times to straight line quilt around the block stripes. It was with great pleasure that I got rid of the odd pale yellow print for the binding--that had been hanging around in the stash for ages.  

Pieced backing cleared some more odds and ends from stash. It is ready to donate.

I liked how the heart turned out.  The jelly roll used in the top was from an old line from 3 Sisters called Sanctuary.  I made a quilt from that line for my cousin many years ago, and used up leftovers from that for another quilt I gave away last year.  So soft and pretty. 

The rest of the quilting jobs were wavy line all the way, so much faster and easier, but I didn't feel it suited the heart quilt. 

Modern placemat from leftover trial blocks and backing. 

It turned out a bit freeform from the back, lol.  Next, a quilt top I made from fabrics purchased on my trip to Queensland, Australia in 2009 to visit my friend Sue.

The backing and binding were all ready to go.

This weird print I bought on clearance suits pretty well. 

Wavy line quilting is so fast and easy, especially since I don't pin the quilt sandwich center, just layer and smooth on both sides, then fold it up and let it rest for a bit, a la Dory Cary.  I have mentioned this method she taught at a guild presentation, but can find no info about it on her website, Orange Dot Quilts, sadly.  I only put pins in the top's corners to keep them from flipping over.  There are a lot more finished tops that need to be quilted and some of them will get this treatment!

Design Wall Monday--Squares, squares, squares

It's DWM again. See more Design Walls on Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts blog.  

Lots of activity in the sewing room, a few more things checked off the list.  Off my design wall and finished are two small quilts for guild, to be donated to an infant/mommy exercise class with the City. 

Falling Charms a la Missouri Star Quilt Company's method, using 25 charm squares.  My sister did this fun swirl quilting on her longarm.  I found a matching length in my leftover binding bin, love that!

Leftover flannel on the back--which my longarm quilter complained about, "It's stretchy", lol.  I hope some young mom will love it. 

What I'm calling a garlic knot/minecraft quilt is also finished.  I lightened the pic to try to show Kathy's quilting better--birds and leaves.  This is mostly made from a box of 2.5" squares I bought at a guild show, with some additions of solids from stash.  No pattern--this was just an enjoyable scrap box puzzle to layout.

The backing is the same as the binding, which was a cutoff from another quilt. Using it up! This quilt is a little longer than the charm pack one. 

I like this shape so much that I used it for our guild Pizza Box block swap.  This month's pizza box had all black and white fabrics for Maria. 

I used a few leftover pieces from the baby quilt for grandson Hunter (Adam's Rib from Fons and Porter), and filled in with her fabrics.  The monkeys were the backing fabric for Hunter's quilt.  I'm hoping this looks modern enough.

More squares in my sewing room---I finished the top made from Aussie fabrics bought on my trip to Australia in 2009, adding the two outer borders. 

I had quite a time with these pieced borders, having to take in numerous seam allowances on the squares to make the top and bottom fit.  The side borders lost an entire square and I still had to take in some seam allowances.  This is a Darlene Zimmerman free pattern that came long ago with a magazine solicitation, which she designed for feedsack prints.  Although the instruction sheet claimed this quilt was designed for "beginners and experts", I would never recommend this for a beginner---so many pieces to cut and seams to match.  It looks great now, but there was some frustration getting it together.  The quilt is small, 37x45, I think.  I'll probably end up donating it, but not yet :)

Three for March--Sanctuary Panel Quilt Progress, and Next Pick

Saturday was the final day for the Sanctuary Panel in my Three for March self-challenge.  We went to grandson Cove's opening day Tball game in the morning before I set to work on the quilting.

Yep, looks like the glove fits!  Watching 4-5-6 year olds play baseball is very entertaining.  We had a beautiful day for it, too. 

Lots of interesting clouds, though when they took their time passing the sun everyone had to put a sweater or jacket on, then take it off when the sun came back out.  Cove was the clean-up batter so got to run the bases at the end. He played catcher for one inning too.  Mama and Dada had a meeting with some folks at their place, so we had the boys for a couple more hours at our house.  Cove was taking requests at the piano, and Hunter picked up riders in the school bus.  

Afterwards, I got to work pulling fabric for backing and scrounged around in the overflowing batting bin for a piece large enough.  I ended up making a Frankenbatt from cutoffs, which of course takes lots of extra time, especially when you have to stop and wind a bobbin in the middle. 

I used my Hera marking tool and stopped and started the crosshatch through the appliques. 

We had a speaker at guild last month, Dora Cary from Orange Dot Quilts, who told us that she hates basting and had learned a way to not use pins or "one drop of glue" on her quilts.  I tried her method, layering the backing, batting and top as usual, and then smoothing with my hands on both sides.  Then I loosely folded up the quilt, and let it rest for a few minutes.  The cotton batting stuck to both sides and, though I used a pin in each corner to keep it straight, it did not wrinkle at all!  So time-saving not to have to stop and take out pins or use spray baste outdoors. 

There is still one long line of quilting to do, and quilting around the appliques, since I had to spend time doing all that piecing, but I am so happy to have this out of the plastic bag it has lived in so long!  

The next pick for Three for March is not quite as elderly as Sanctuary, but still old.  I went to Australia for my friend "Sue's wedding in November 2009, and bought a bunch of Aussie themed fabrics for a quilt.  #2 on my list is Aussie Feedpatches. Last seen on the blog over a year ago, I had cut the pieces for the quilt and packed them all up in the box. 

This free pattern came from an insert in an APQ subscription offer, and the simple design I thought will work well for these fabrics.  Since  I already have the pieces cut, it is ready to lay out and sew!  Hope to have a finished top in three days.  

Meanwhile, I have a block to make for a guild exchange as well.  Better get to it!

Projects and Wins

Projects, I've got many.  The top project since the Cross Reference finish is now the Moda Love quilt for Emma, my friend's daughter.  The top is all sewn together. 

It's big, and barely fit between my sewing desk and the kitchen cabinets for this shot.  It was a pleasure to sew with big blocks for a change.  In the interest of using up stash, I've chosen some yardage and leftovers to make up the back.  I plan also to construct a Frankenbatt  of the leftover batting in the bin I can barely close. (I stole the name Frankenbatt from another blog--don't remember which, though!)

While disparate prints, I think the colors work with the fabrics on the front well enough.  Strips cut from the fat quarters will make up the binding.  I plan to sew them in color sets for an easier-on-the-eye effect. 

Over the weekend my sister and I went to the Conejo Valley Quilters Guild show and they had some really nice vendors there, including several local quilt shops.  From the booth for A Fabric Shoppe, I chose a bunch of dotty fabrics in soft neutrals for a baby quilt.  

This is for a daughter's best friend who prefers neutrals.  I had the backing fabric in stash and think it will work well with the dots.  My plan is to make only the center of  this quilt with no borders, as a Tummy Time or take-along small quilt.  The pattern is from APQ magazine April 2017.  The designer had signatures from friends and family on her version, which will be a solid in mine.  Should be an easy make!  Baby is due in November, but I believe a baby shower is planned for next month, and I'd like to have it done by then. 

Final project is a challenge.  I don't think I've mentioned yet that my sister and I will be going to Sewtopia in New Orleans in early November.  I signed up for the Michael Miller Challenge and fabrics arrived a few days ago.

Aren't they yummy?  I've no idea yet what I will make. Being still a newbie to the Modern Quilt world, it's a little intimidating, but I'm so looking forward to my first sewing retreat.  Our guild president and her mom will also be there, which will make me feel a little more comfortable. I'll also be participating in the gift swap and need to settle on what small item to make. I've never been to any southern states, and anticipate loads of picture taking. Fingers crossed for no storms!

In the wins department, Jodie of Ric Rac released her latest fabric line, Rock Pool, and I won a giveaway on her blog last month.  She sent a loverly parcel all the way from Australia.  Lucky me!

Jodie is a prolific toy maker and relatively new but fabulous fabric designer and I've followed her blog for many years.  The patterns she sent are adorable.  Love the pins she makes too, some of which are sweary, heehee. Many thanks to Jodie for the great prizes.  I'll enjoy playing with the fabrics and wearing the Maker pin.  

Right-o, off to get dressed and run my errands before work.  Thanks for visiting!

Cutting and Stitching

Judy of Patchwork Times chose #11 for the UFO Challenge project of the month.  On my list that is Projects in Boxes, collected fabrics and patterns that have languished unfinished in boxes for years.  I chose four boxes and my plan is to work on one a week, prepping and cutting all the fabrics for blocks and sashing, etc, for future piecing.  This week's box is full of Aussie fabrics I bought on my wonderful vacation in 2009 visiting my friend Sue in Port Douglas, Queensland, "where the rainforest meets the reef", to attend her wedding at their home. 

These were precut 6" squares purchased at a patchwork shop in Cairns.  We visited a couple of shops there and I bought fat quarters and some 1/3 yard cuts (or whatever the metric equivalent is!).

Love this one with native Australian fauna and Uluru rock.  The pattern I'm using has 4" squares with 2" sashing and cornerstones so I'll have a great deal of cutting to do.  When I was removing this box from my Hoosier cabinet, a stitchery kit was on top of the box which I don't think I've shown before. 

Designer Lolita Newman of Stitchin by the River was vending at the Camarillo Quilt Guild show last fall and my sister and I were taken by her simple stitcheries that were very evocative, depicting Black history such as slave quarters, Black Civil War soldiers, and other memorable scenes that she researches and sketches. Not being a stitcher, my sister  Kathy bought me this pattern to stitch for her, and I purchased the muslin at the Road to California show (being too lazy to make my own tea dyed muslin!).  I'll look forward to tracing and stitching the Slave Quarters design and making a mini quilt.  My photo is poor but here is a link to her Etsy shop.

I'm off to press and cut...
 

Tuesday's Orts--11/22/11

Tuesday's orts--the bits of thoughts and happenings of my week that land here.

• My sewing machine also had a birthday last week.  DH Grant bought it for my 40th birthday so it is a decade old--a Husqvarna "Lily".  It is a really good machine which has never needed any repairs, thank goodness, and has only had an occasional spa day. 
• Thanksgiving dinner shopping was pretty painless as I went to Trader Joe's and Target late on Saturday night.  But when I got home with three cartons of turkey gravy I got to thinking--is six cups of gravy enough for 21 people? 
• I shop late at night mostly due to C.O.W. (crabby old woman) tendencies towards misbehaving/whining kids/crying babies.  I did act in a big buttinski way towards two kids about 5 and 7 who had gotten bored and were on the floor wrestling and hitting each other while their parents were down a nearby aisle looking at Christmas lights.  I didn't really mean to be so intrusive but found myself saying, after they ignored a pointed stare, "You guys better stop that RIGHT NOW".  The dad popped his head out from the aisle and told them to get up.  I quickly wheeled my cart away muttering something about "someone was going to get hurt".  Moo!
• Son Nick slept badly the other night when he was away at a hotel.  His girlfriend told him he said, in his sleep, "Oh, CRAP".  Nick told me it must have been during an elaborate dream he had about going bowling with Steven Seagal and losing badly.   
• Traffic rant:  There is no excuse for parking in a Handicapped Only spot without a placard or license plate giving permission to do so. Especially if there are 15 other open spots within feet of your tricked out, lowered import car with loud booming music pouring out the open windows, you young idiot.
• Grant is left-handed, which means he folds clothes backwards opposite from how I do.  He also puts soda cans in the fridge dispenser backward opposite from me.  Also the butter knife is faced backwards opposite on top of the butter dish.
• I was reading through some saved gmail chats between DD Elaine and me over the past months while all the wedding planning was going on.  I miss those chats!  We had some pretty hilarious exchanges.

Two years ago this week I brought home a souvenir from the Sydney, Australia airport, on my way home from Queensland, where I watched my Aussie friend Susie marry her mate Jon at their beautiful home in Port Douglas.  This cute little sheila cheers me on as I sew...Oi! Oi! Oi!

Australia Travelogue, Part V

Wednesday, Nov 16, Port Douglas: sunny, hot, with a calm wind. I made breakfast tacos and we enjoyed a leisurely time at the table. Susie and I had planned a walk with Jonesy (her Cavalier King Charles spaniel) but ran short of time and off we went to collect her Aunt Wendy and head to the marina to meet Jon, first stopping for provisions.  Their boat was gorgeous, three levels, with a roomy lounge and kitchen, two large cabins downstairs, a bunk room, 2 baths and even a washer and dryer!  All beautifully fitted with wood trim and fine metal. The bridge at the top was loaded with every technical tool/toy one could want, and surrounded with a clear vinyl cover that zippered off if wanted.  We set off for MacKay Island, about a 1 1/2 hour trip.  This was the marina view from the front of the boat as we left:

I thanked Jon for ordering the perfect weather and asked if he had had to put in for it far in advance?  He said, "Oh, yes.  There's always a queue!"  It was a glorious day.

Below: We approached Crocodile Island on our way.

Jon and Susie happy to be out on the water!

Invited guest Aunt Wendy, also happy to be on the boat.

The Low Isles.  Pretty low!

Croc's head--big.  Boat nearing us--looks small!

I have learned a little about photography through my mistakes, and now try to include items for scale.  It sure helps me when I am trying to get a good and interesting shot, even with my little point and shoot camera!

Above: The rainforest covers the Croc too.

The sea was glassy and calm--perfect for motoring.

But look at our wake--you could have surfed it!  Susie said watching the wake is like gazing into a fire: mesmerizing.  Jon says standing here near the tender and right over the engine room gives you such a feeling for the speed of the boat.  It's a powerful thing!

Our goal: MacKay Islands region.  This was a small spit of sand on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef.  No vegetation, but lots of seabirds, driftwood, coral remnants, and shells.   We anchored off the island--which was quite a process, the boat having just been fit with a new anchor mechanism.  It took a good 15 minutes for solid anchoring to hold.  Lunch was next--yum--and then I presented them with their quilt (see next post!).

We got in our "bathers" and stinger suits and the tender was lowered.  The captain liked to drive fast and we circled the island's far end, spotting a few turtles on the way and cruising over the gorgeous warm sea.  I put my hand in and declared I had finally touched the Coral Sea.  Once landed and tied up to a piece of buried driftwood, we got a few snorkeling pointers from Jon and Susie and set off to explore the amazing coral reef.  I had some trouble with the mask fogging up a lot but otherwise enjoyed the wide variety of coral, fish, and huge clam shells.  My near-sightedness made Jon promise me a prescription mask for "next time", but it was quite shallow and there was plenty to see.  Susie was left without flippers so Jon pulled her along as we explored for about an hour and a half.  It was wonderful, never to be forgotten experience.

Here is the bedraggled but happy crew.  The dark areas in the background are the reef.  A very nice Australian lady took our picture.  She and her kids were spending time on the island.  They lived on their boat had been anchored offshore for several weeks.  She said she homeschooled her kids and had just sent off their final packets so they were on holiday.

The gorgeous boat--all 58 feet of her!  We climbed back aboard and headed back to the Low Isles to look for more turtles.  Even though it was mid afternoon, the sea remained calm and there was little wind. As we approached and circled the Isles, we noticed all the public moorings were taken, so we used a private mooring with permission, closer to the smaller of the Low Isles.  

This is a manned lighthouse and the isles are protected due to being the nesting site of a type of pigeon.  We saw flock after flock of them flying in, low over the water.  They were just about impossible to photograph and all my shots were wasted.  Susie threw out some bread, looking for three bat rays that usually greet them at this site, but we had a visitor of a different kind: a Giant Trevally.  This one was about 3' long.

He wasn't really interested in the bread but swam back and forth under the boat while Jon was getting the tender in the water and we were getting in it.  Unfortunately, due to the angle of the lowering sun it was very difficult to see into the water and we abandoned plans to snorkel here as well, and set off for home.

It was sailing night and there were lots of boats out on the gorgeous calm night.  Several outrigger crews were practicing as we motored into the marina entrance, and we watched the sun go down behind the clouds covering the rainforest's mountain range.

This one little pink cloud floated above as we made our way to the marina.  Later, after the boat was all hosed off and we were walking up from the boat in the dusk, we heard a hiss and then a bark--Susie said it was a bat--but we saw nothing.  A fingernail moon with a full circle of light around it was rising in the sky.  It simply could not have been a more perfect Great Barrier Reef experience.  I will treasure it forever and thank Jon and Susie for the fantastic opportunity.  It was the one thing I really wanted to do and the day was an absolute "10".  Maybe even an "11"!  Another stop at the market and family dinner with more family arrivals finished out the evening with lots of laughter and fun.