Monday’s Design Wall

Serged Top is done

/ quiltinggail / 31 Comments

Here are the questions I had before I started serging this quilt together and the answers to those questions:

  • Which serger will I use?  I used a serger at work (Pro-4DX) and my own serger at home.  I actually prefer the Pro-4DX over my own serger
  • Will I be able to finger press the seams, or should I use an iron? I did do some finger pressing, but as usual, the iron made a much nicer job of pressing the seam.
  • Will I be able to chain piece using a serger? Yes, there was no problem at all with chaining
  • Will it make the quilt “lumpy” at the seams? I don’t really see much different than when using a regular sewing machine
  • Will I be able to web or lattice the final blocks?  Absolutely! The first picture shows the first webbing, the second shows the top pieced together.

Continue reading →

Stash and Project Update

/ quiltinggail / 17 Comments

A few days ago, a couple of cousins on my mom’s side came to visit.  It was a fantastic visit as I had not seen either of them for at least 50 years!  Anyhow … one of them quilts, and when she saw my very messy creative sewing room, she asked how many projects I had going at one time.    Just off the cuff, I said, “5.”   Um … well, I didn’t really take a good look at what I had actively going in the room  … and of course, it’s the reason for the MESS CREATIVITY. Continue reading →

Stash Report & Design Wall

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

Design Wall

img_2302.jpg

These are the 4 August blocks for the Fireburst Mystery that Tish’s Adventures in Wonderland is hosting.   The pattern is currently free, but I suspect that it will be for sale when the mystery is done.

Tish posted 3 different layouts for these blocks … but I know better – it’s just a tease and the final design won’t be anything near what she’s posted.  There’s still lots of bits and pieces and partial blocks to be used.  I’ll be extremely surprised if the blocks end up anything like what she’s posted. Continue reading →

Moving right along with finishing!

/ quiltinggail / 34 Comments

IMG_1337

The little quilt in the 2nd picture was made with left-overs from the quilt on the right.  The one on the right was finished in January.  You can see a close-up of the quilting HERE.

The “Left-over” quilt has not been washed yet – so it’s not a wrinkly and cozy.  It’s 45″ x 45″.  The backing and black border were also left-overs from another quilt. I did not have enough fabric to bind it in one colour. SEW, I used both green and red fabric to bind it.

July Continue reading →

Playing with Embroidery

/ quiltinggail / 22 Comments

I have an embroidery machine.  It’s OLD and the hoops are small.  At work, I was told that I needed to learn to use the embroidery machine.  A big one.  It’s nice.  But I don’t have it at home.  I can work my way around it and have designed several things, using the designs that are build in.

But I wanted to try appliqué in the hoop, on my machine.  There is a real cute pattern at Sweet Pea, an Australian company.  It’s a free pattern. “Learn in the Hoop.”

 

Continue reading →

Retreat!

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

IMG_1574

I’m leaving this morning for a retreat!  Here is an early morning picture taken last year from one of the bedrooms at “Over the Rainbow Lodge” on Camano Island.

I’m going to be sewing with friends from British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California.  A true west-coast group of ladies.

Sew … I’m planning on working on lots of my UFO projects …

  • Orca Bay  – quilting
  • Labyrinth #2 – quilting
  • Smith Mountain Morning – piecing
  • Fractured Paint Brush – piecing

Image result for clipart smileI may take one new project to work on …  Dr. Suess quilt, a bag, or something using some fat quarters or a layer cake or ???  (hmm that’s more than one) … but I wouldn’t want to run out of projects, would I? And, I am going for a week!

New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop

2018-New-Quilt-Bloggers-Blog-Hop

Week 2 is in progress.  If you hopped to all the blogs last week, I’m sure that you saw lots and lots of wonderful eye candy.    I promise that you will see more again this week.

Here are the list of blogs to hop around this week:

The Blog Hop CO-HOSTS

Yes, I know I mentioned at the beginning of this post that there are give-aways available. You will get an entry for each blog comment you leave.  The hosts use a tool called a “Rafflecopter” for choosing the winners of the give-aways.  So visit one of the following co-host’s blogs and enter to WIN!!!  The sponsors are in the picture below the list of blogs.

Tish is the wonder-gal that designed the logo below with all of the give-aways that are happening.

Linking to:

Happy Quilting!
Gail

 

SaveSave

SaveSave

Sewing with Friends

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Design Wall

Piecing
IMG_1554

Remember, I said I was going to play with these left-over blocks from the Orca Bay Quilt?

I made 3 zipper bags with the left-over blocks from Orca Bay.  It was a project I started this year and I finished it this year!  They didn’t turn into UFOs!

IMG_1566 Continue reading →

Mar. 25 Stash Report & Design Wall

/ quiltinggail / 7 Comments

Design Wall 

IMG_1544IMG_1545My design wall now has a secret project on it.  I can show you the material for the back.  And no, the picture does not give the true colour!  I told you, it’s a secret project – so you won’t be able to see it until May.  It is a UFO that is for a secret exchange … I can tell you that it will be a table runner and the theme is winter.

Orca Bay has all the borders on it!

PHD in 2018 Update

Continue reading →

No, No, No // Yes, Yes, Yes

/ quiltinggail / 22 Comments

No, No, No

  • No finishes
  • No change in PHD & Stash numbers
  • No quilting done on the Beginner Mystery

Yes, Yes, Yes

  • Yes:  Saturday was International Quilting Day.  This weekend The Quilt Show has 23 free shows to watch and prizes to win (if you live in the USA).  Click HERE for details and take advantage of the free shows.
  • Yes: Spring is coming!
  • Yes: Orca Bay – the centre is done.  Just need to add borders.img_1530.jpg

PHD in 2018 Update

No finishes towards my PHD because there was nothing finished this week!  So the numbers stay the same.

Screen Shot 2018-03-02 at 10.50.50 AM

Stash Report

No shopping – nothing added.   Yes, I was at Tradex at the Creative Festival and I only bought 2 sided fusible pellon.  No fabric.  To be honest – I didn’t take a good look at the fabric and so I didn’t buy any.  I did see a quilt panel that was fractured at the Quilted Bear booth and the same panel that was not fractured at the Needle & I booth.  They were both wonderful!  Beautiful colours and great quilting.  But I was only tempted to admire, not buy!

Fabric Used this Week:    0  yards  
Fabric Used year to Date:  94.1  yards
Fabric Added this Week:    0  yards 
Fabric Added Year to Date: 14 yards
Net Fabric used for 2017:  84.1  yards 

Linking to:

Happy Quilting!
Gail

SaveSave

A Cute Finish

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

BBQG Donation Quilt

For the past 2 months, the guild Quilting 101 class has worked on baby quilts.  We choose a simple pattern and made 7 quilts.  It was good learning … how to make large half-square triangles, How to trim them easily and then arranging the blocks.  This month we did quilting with the walking foot.  Organic waves.  I thought it was fun to quilt!  Unfortunately, I only have pictures of the one I did.  Next month, the group will be putting binding on and I will try to get more pictures of the quilts then.

Silly me, I went ahead and put the binding on this one – so I’ll need to find another project to demonstrate binding next month.  That shouldn’t be too hard!  Image result for wink clip art image.

This quilt finishes about 37 x 37″.  The 2nd picture is from the back with the sun shining through … fun.

Design Wall

Piecing

The white Ohio stars are done.  About ¾ of the black ones are done.  And about ½ of the red string triangles with black and white “wings” are done.  I need to make a zillion more “wings”, but they are not as tedious as the hourglass blocks to make.  (In my opinion).

Then there is the assembly of the quilt, then adding borders, then quilting, making and adding the label and then binding.  Believe it or not … I think I see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  It’s just a glimmer.

Quilting

IMG_1470

All of the straight line “in the ditch” quilting has been done.  I think I have decided what to do in the big negative rectangle spaces: a feather arch.  The big floral-type squares will likely be a flower made with what I call “C”.  And the checkerboard section … who knows.

 

PHD in 2018 Update

No finishes towards my PHD because there were no UFOs finished this week.  So the numbers stay the same.

Screen Shot 2018-03-02 at 10.50.50 AM

Stash Report

I used guild fabric for the above pink quilt – so nothing deleted from my stash. No shopping, so nothing added!

Fabric Used this Week:    0  yards  
Fabric Used year to Date:  94.1  yards
Fabric Added this Week:    0  yards 
Fabric Added Year to Date: 14 yards
Net Fabric used for 2017:  84.1  yards 

Linking to:

Happy Quilting!
Gail

SaveSave

March … in like a lion, slow progress

/ quiltinggail / 6 Comments

The weather yesterday was definitely like a lion!  We saw snow, sleet, hail, and the sun was shining when the ground was turning white with hail.  I’m hoping for spring … warmth … sun …

I don’t know if it’s the weather or not, but it just seems like my quilting is progressing very slowly!

Design Wall:

IMG_1470

Quilting:  I’m still quilting in the ditch to section off parts of this quilt … I like the quilt, but every single time I decide to stitch in the ditch, I remind myself that it would be much much faster to free motion.

Piecing: I’m slugging away at Orca Bay … the only step I’ve completed is the blue string blocks which will be part of the sashing – and they were completed sometime last year, along with the red string triangles.  All of the other units are in progress.   It seems like it’s taking forever … and I’m not enjoying the hourglass blocks …  lots and lots of them to do.  I have no idea how many more I need to make … who counts when you have a billion to make?

The first picture is the pile of blue string blocks.  The 2nd picture is some of  hourglass blocks – waiting to be sewn. The last picture is some of the hourglass blocks joined to the red centres of what will eventually become Ohio Star blocks.

Linking to:

To see what other’s in the quilting world are working on – click on the following links:

Happy Quilting!
Gail

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

A New Quilting Challenge

/ quiltinggail / 17 Comments

I was wandering around blog-land when I came across “The Free-motion Challenge Quilting Along” by Angela Walters of Quilting is My Therapy.

If you don’t know who Angela Walters is – she’s a fantastic quilter! She has a quilt show “The Midnight Quilter.”  Well – go look for yourself! HERE

Anyhow .. the Challenge …  “The Free-motion Challenge Quilting Along”

Yes, I signed up …

The first video talks about what you need for the Challenge … the necessities and the “nice-to-have.”  There is even a free quilt pattern to do the quilting on.

Am I going to make the free quilt?  Yes & No.

I’m going to take fabric – draw some boxes on it (roughly the same size as the boxes on her free quilt pattern). Sandwich the quilt and start practicing.

I’ve already watched the first video … now I’m ready for Week 2.

And the best part: all the videos will be on YOUTUBE … so if you’re like me and already a week or 2 behind, you can still follow along.  And it’s FREE!!!

Image result for Images quilting is my therapy

And the very next BEST part is:  this is learning … it’s like going to a free motion class with a bunch of 12″ squares sandwiched together … and they don’t count as UFOs or anything … so this won’t count towards my UFO list or influence my PHD in 2018.

And the very next BEST BEST part:  I will learn a LOT about free motion quilting!  YES!!!

PHD in 2018 Update

mar '18-2
UFO #13  Hole in the Barn Door

Screen Shot 2018-03-02 at 10.50.50 AM

Stash Report

Hole in the Barn Door Wall Hanging used 2 yards.

And, I needed backing for a quilt, so I bought 4 yards.

Fabric Used this Week:    2  yards  
Fabric Used year to Date:  94.1  yards
Fabric Added this Week:    4  yards 
Fabric Added Year to Date: 14 yards
Net Fabric used for 2017:  84.1  yards 

Linking to:

To see what other’s in the quilting world are working on – click on the following links:

Happy Quilting!
Gail

SaveSave

Temptation …

/ quiltinggail / 8 Comments

The Temptation

I have belonged to Kathy Tracy’s “Small Quilt Talk” yahoo group for simply ages.  They have recently moved to a different platform and I joined.  While looking around the new site, I saw the photos and files of the new MYSTERY quilt.  I ♥ LOVE ♥ mystery quilts.  They stretch me.  You don’t have to join the group – her mystery is available FREE (until it’s over) if you click HERE.  And then click on the Mystery Quilt tab.

Of course, since I’m working on my Quilting PHD in 2018, everything I start in 2018, has to be finished this year.  So, if I was to start this Mystery quilt – I’d have to finish it.  It’s small 30″x 30″.  I could rationalize it … my need to start something NEW … to use up some of my stash.  I’m sure I could come up with lots of other reasons to start this quilt!

Of course, I’m going to resist this temptation.  I’m just writing about it on my blog in case **YOU** want to participate.    Image result for Free face winking Clip Art

Design Wall:

IMG_1456Quilting:

This is the Queen Size Beginner mystery quilt that we did with the guild.  The bobbins are wound – I’m going to stitch in the ditch around the multitude of 4 patches … I’ll decide later what I’ll put in the negative spaces.

Piecing:

After debating which quilt I wanted to finish piecing, I decided to work on Orca Bay #2. Mostly because it has the most piecing left to do and it is still February.  That gives me 10 months to finish the top, sandwich it, quilt & bind it.  The worst parts are already done (the blue and red string blocks).  If I calculate correctly, I think I have 6 billion more pieces to sew together for this quilt.  (Yes, that is a slight exaggeration!)  I originally did Orca Bay #1 as a mystery quilt in 2011.  That quilt was gifted and I want one of my own.  And, I want it bigger …  This quilt can be found in Bonnie Hunter’s book, “String Fling” available at the Quiltville website.

You can see a picture of Orca Bay HERE.

Linking to:

To see what other’s in the quilting world are working on – click on the following links:

Happy Quilting!
Gail

 

SaveSave

Feb. 19, ’18: Monday Design Wall

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Monday’s Design wall: Feb 5 ’18

/ quiltinggail / 6 Comments

The New Quilter’s Blog Hop 

2018-New-Quilt-Bloggers-Blog-Hop

Registration is now OPEN!

If you are a new Quilt blogger (less than 3 years), go and register.  They are limiting registration to 100 … so register soon!

This is what it’s about: The goal of the 7th annual New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop is to provide advice, tech help, and introduce new quilters to the online community.

I joined this last year.  It was a great experience!  I learned a ton.  I’m joining again this year as I still have a ton to learn!

if you want to register go HERE.

Design Wall / Quilting

IMG_1262 I’ve started quilting my Carol Doak paper pieced quilt.  This is one of the quilts that was on top of my filing cabinet and I was reluctant to tackle them.  I made the pieced back and sandwiched it in early January.    I’m looking forward to having this UFO done!  So why am I FMQ stitch in the ditch?  Its so slow …  but then again, it’s what this quilt is calling me to do.

Fractured

I’m sewing with friends today!  YEAH!!!   I will be working on more of these blocks.  The pattern is “Fractured Paint Box” by Judy Niemeyer.   It’s a paper-pieced pattern that I’m doing without sewing on the papers. I started on this one in 2016.

Linking to:

To see what other’s in the quilting world are working on – click on the following links:

Happy Quilting!
Gail

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Monday design wall

/ quiltinggail / 8 Comments

I’m working on another retreat bag.  A large one this time.  I had a honey bun and wanted to quilt as you go.  I finished the quilt as you go and then went and cut the “fabric” too short … groan … sew, I had a wide enough piece cut from the bottom and added it to the side.  (see the top piece)  Hopefully it will turn out!lg-retreat-bagl.jpg

Linking to:

To see what other’s in the quilting world are working on – click on the following links:

Happy Quilting!
Gail