Sew Many Stitches!

It's often hard to show progress on a hand quilted quilt.  The process is not fast, and in the case of my trailing vines quilt there aren't different blocks to showcase. The quilting design doesn't change much,
so each strip is pretty much a repeat of the it's previous strip. But I must say, I love quilting quilts like this.   Each quilting session allows me to just the enjoy the many stitches this quilt is calling for.

I am linking up with Kathy's quilt. She is asking her fellow slow stitchers to share a favorite Christmas decoration that we have stitched.  I made this Thimbleberries wreath pattern years ago.  I love pulling it out each year, it reminds me how I first started my quilting journey.  Like most I just plunged in not knowing alot and this piece reminds me how far I have come in my journey.

Decision made!

Well, I decided on Monday morning to do the 45 degree diagonal lines thru my leaf vines all in one direction.  In my gut I just felt that since this a traditional pattern that the consistant slant would be more appropriate.  The vines are not symmetrical, so having the consistant angle makes sense to me.
I made a little progress this week on my leaf strip, but we are heading out of town for the Thanksgiving and packing and preparing has interferred with my quilting time.  So here is a peak at what I have accomplished.  I will be taking a blog break till after Christmas. Happy stitching until then!

Decisions Decisions!

 The third strip of my trailing vines quilt was finished this morning!  I am thrilled with how the cables play off the curves of the vines.  The heavy quilting takes time, but I feel it will be well worth it. Since it's my favorite part of making a quilt, it seems fitting to enjoy all the slow stitches that I can.   Afterall, it's not how fast but how pleased I am with the results that counts.   I do need to decide whether to slant all the 45 degree lines thru the leaf strips one direction or to alternate them?????  So I would love hearing your opinion and maybe why you feel that way!  A fellow quilter said a poll will probably not help with your decision, she most likely is right, but I would love to  hear your opinion anyway.

November Cheddarback Quilt Blocks

It was a busy week at my house.  We tore into the laundry room and Tom built drawers to go under the front loader and dryer.  It will be so nice to not have to bend over to get the clothes at the back of the washer.   They turned out really nice and now I have two drawers to store supplies.  He finished them this week, and was wondering what was next.  So I suggested building in some shelves in the laundry room. I had some plastic shelving units that were not very stable and were beginning to sag in places.  He thought that was a good idea and we were able to finish them up yesterday.  I keep a lot of my kitchen appliances in there and it was so nice to have the open shelves that were a couple of inches wider with no supporting rods in the way and constraining how I used the them.

In between helping him in the garage I was able to stitch my November Cheddarback quilt blocks.  I decided for November, I would save the 5.5 inch blocks for use in the next section of the quilt instead of the letter blocks in that section. So for November's 5.5 inch blocks I drafted some number blocks for the year instead.  They aren't hard to do but just take a bit of thought and I just measured the pieces out from my drawings.  I think they turned out pretty good.

The block above the number blocks is the November 12.5 inch block. It was a fun block to stitch too!  So between the laundry room and the piecing I didn't get as many hand quilted stitches completed.  I was able to finish the two panels I almost finished last week and I started a third pink panel and stitched two sections of cable.  It's nice to look back at the week, I ususally find I did more than I thought.  Tonight, the Cowboys play the Vikings.  Alexa says the Cowboys are favored to win by 3 points so it should be a very close game.  I will try and enjoy a few more slow stitches but we will see how it all unfolds.

Susan Mc Cord

I received so many wonderful comments last week on my trailing vines quilt.  I felt I needed to do a tribute to the original maker of the quilt Susan Mc Cord, afterall it was her vision!

She was an Indiana farm wife who had 7 children and created breath taking quilts out of bits of fabric.  I was watching tv and stitching Saturday morning and to my amazement CBS was doing a show on innovators.  People like Henty Ford and Thomas Edison and yes a quilter Susan Mc Cord.  They did mention in the piece that these quilts were made for warmth.  I really don't think this was her reason for making them. Afterall, you could patch big squares of fabric together to make a warm blanket.  I really feel she had a need to create something. She apparently had great skills and visions and needed to see them come to life.  Her attention to detail is amazing!

So fun to see how she quilted her Trailing Vines!

Oh the bits of fabric in this one!

She definitely had needle skillls

More leaves!

 Her work is amazing and to think she made these quilts back in the late 1800s before all the modern tools we use today to make quilts.   I love how organic her work is, she truely must have been inspired by nature. She used her now famous pieced leaves a lot and after making this quilt I can understand why. So this morning I laid out my version out to see the progress. I finish quilting to one edge and then started the cable the other direction and I have completed that panel.  This week I plan on completing the leaf panel and moving on to start the  next set of two panels.

Hand Quilting

It's been a busy couple of weeks here.  Fall weather always is welcomed here in North Texas.  It is so nice to open up the house and enjoy the fresh air.  However, when it's in the low 80s or high 70's it can be too warm to get under a wool quilt and quilt very long.  But that is ok, there will be plenty of cooler days as we progress in the winter season.  I started quilting in the center of the quilt and have been following two panels to the edge.  I haven't quite reached the edge yet but I am almost there. Here is the progress on the front of the quilt.

 I was surprised to find that stitching around all those leaves is really more enjoyable than the cable panel.  But, I am very pleased with the results and balance of stitching between the two different panels.

I remembered this morning to flip the quilt over and give you a look at the back.   So much fun to take it out of the hoop and get a glimpse of what the finished quilt may look like.   Still so many stitches to make but each one brings me closer to a finish and I am afraid I will be a bit sad when it's done and it's no longer in the hoop.   But, it seems there is always another quilt top waiting in the sidelines and the list of quilts you want to make is endlesss.

The hand quilting!

The hand quilting has begun!  It always seems like it takes forever to get a quilt to this point.  However, for me, it's about making a quilt that makes me happy and that does take some time.  I have come to enjoy the whole process, but the hand quilting is still the part that brings me a lot of joy. 

leaf panel

Well, it's a good thing, as this quilt needs a lot of stitches to make me feel it is complete.  I debated where to start quilting it as it is a strippy quilt. But decided why not finish the center and work out like I normally do, that way it gets easier to work on in my hoop as I go.  I marked all the pink panels with a cable design but, I hadn't fully decided on the leaf panels.  I will mark them as I go.  First I am stitching around all the applique, no marking needed for that and then I am adding a diagonal 45 degree line every inch across that panel. I think, each panel will lean a different direction, but that could change, time will tell.  But, I do know it's very nice knowing that this quilt is in the hoop.   That means I can sneak in a few minutes here and there and add some hand quilting stitches.  It doesn't get better than that!

Pink panel

October's Cheddarback Quilt blocks!

Only two 12 inch finished blocks for Cheddarback for the month of October.  The first one was an appliqued Carolina lily that was aided along by some machine piecing before it was appliqued to the background.  The original block was done in red vase, flower and stems, but it just didn't appeal to me so I chose blue and green.  

The second pieced block was one I have never made before.  It was fun to piece! I did sew two pieces of fabric together to make it large enough to cut the center piece.  This makes it a "make do" block, which I think will add to the charm of this quilt.  Picked up my new glasses on Wednesday and my prescription changed enough that it took a bit to adjust to them. But by the end of the day all was well.  It is wonderful to see again.  The reading portion of my prescription changed quite a bit, no wonder I was struggling with threading my needles. So the rest of the month will be enjoyed by hand quilting on my trailing vines.  I did start but really don't have enough done to take a picture yet!

Goals accomplished!

It always feels so good when I come accomplish my quilting goals or at least see a good effort made.  Sometimes that is hard to do with the everyday things that life presents us. Now that Tom has retired and he helps empty the dishwasher, he realizes that my request for some pull out drawers on my island might really be a great idea.  So this week he installed these beauties. 

Oh they make life so much easier!  But, I ended up rearranging the kitchen cupboards a bit so it was more time consuming than I first thought.  But, I have found that dedicating a little time each day to my craft really makes things progress quite nicely.  I was able to get my trailing vines quilt basted and now it is in the hoop.  No stitches have been made yet, but I am sure they will start soon.  We have had a very toasty September here in North Texas.  Our temps have hovered right around 95 the whole month.  However, come Monday, the expected high will be 75.  I know that crisp morning air will make me want to sit down and start the hand quilting.

I also was able to start one of October's two twelve inch blocks for Cheddarback Quilt.  It's an appliqued Carolina Lily that I decided to do in blue and green.  I hope to finish the stitching of the appliqued pieces this afternoon while watching the Cowboys and Packers battle it out.   Who knows some stitching might even happen on my trailing vines!

Cheddarback Quilt Progress

I finally have finished all the published blocks for Cheddarback quilt. Although tomorrow is October 1st and another set will be released!  So, in between marking My Trailing Vines quilt I decided to cut the sashing and cornerstone blocks.  Well of course, than I had to put the first months blocks together.  You guessed it, I have now finished sewing 5 months worth of blocks.  I think I will still wait to sew each monthly section together because it will  be easier to store these without wrinkling them up if the are smaller units.  Hopefully tomorrow I can stitch the last two months together.  I told myself once they are completed I really need to focus on getting My Trailing Vines basted.  I really really want to start hand quilting it this weekend.

I am so loving the simplicity and scrappiness of this quilt.  It has a real farmhouse look don't you think?    Looking forward to downloading the next blocks and getting My Trailing Vines basted!  Funny how when fall arrives, I always get into a quilting mood!

Dish Towel finish

My two dish towels are now completed.  What fun I had stitching out these little designs.  I also love that they brighten up a useful item.  There are a dozen designs in this packet of transfers so I can see myself getting some more dish towels to embroider.

But, I really need to finish preparing my trailing vines for quilting.  I have finalized the design I will use on the final two pink strips.  I have one marked and hope to get the other marked today!  Then it will be on to basting the quilt.  I find that it goes pretty quickly so hopefully by next week, I can start stitching on this quilt.  I hope that the designs come out as good as I envisioned in my head.  I am going to also take some practice stitches.  This is something I used to never do, but each time I start to quilt a quilt, I always think it would have been good to get a few practice stitches under my belt.  Do you take practice stitches or do you like to dive right in?  

This is a sneak peak at how I will mark the outer two strips

Slow, but still progress

It was a very busy week at my house, it that time of year that we try to get everything back in order after some neglect from the fun loving summer months.  But, I still found some time to put in some embroidery stitches.  I love ending the day with a few calming stitches.  I finished the dish cloth I started last weekend and even put a few stitches into the next one.

Dish towel 1

I will be brave and show you the back of my work. Definitely not perfect, but at least you could tell an effort was made to keep it tidy!

One of my goals for the week didn't get completed but I am making good progress.  I have three out of the four center strips of my trailing vines marked.  The marking isn't really that hard, it's just a bit boring and I can always think of hundreds of things I would be rather doing. But, it doesn't get done that way, so I work in short intervals as not to get too frustrated.

The two outer strips of pink are wider and I want to do something a little different on them.  I haven't come to a final decision but I do have some ideas whirling around in my head.

And finally I have to include a pic of my granddog Zoe.  She is so sweet and fills a void in our lives since Mr Max passed in November.  We are not ready to get a new dog, but visiting with Zoe really helps.  She is a labradoodle and has the same poodle eyes that Max had.  What's not to love!

A Change of Pace!

Sometimes we just need a change of pace.  For the last year, I found myself wanting to do some embroidery. I had a packet of iron on transfers of pots of herbs that I have had a long time. So this week I picked up a couple of flour sack dish towels and proceeded to prepare to towels for stitching.  I was a bit worried that the old transfers may not have worked anymore but they really worked well.  It got me thinking of when I was quite young 6-7 and my mom would stamp dish cloths  and have my sister and I embroider them.  I remember struggling at first, but we were taught to always finish our project.  I guess it was a good lesson to learn as I do finish my projects.   It will be fun to have this project to pick up in the evenings and enjoy!

I started a bit of stitching on Saturday.  I feel a bit rusty but it's coming back to me.  I am using a running stitch just like I did as a child. I like the look of it more than the backstitch you often see used.  I also decided since the back of this will be seen, I would try and keep the back of it looking fairly decent.  I am using a waste knot instead of the dreaded knot left on the back, I think my mom would be proud of me! I am so thankful that she took time to teach me some simple embroidery stitches and how to knit and crochet.

I also  want  to start marking my trailing vines, today.  It has been hanging in the closet for quite some time.  I want to quilt a cable down the pink strips and either echo quilt or do a grid on the leaf strips.  So marking shouldn't take forever!  I made some templates up this week to hopefully make the process easier.

It is still pretty warm here in North Texas.  It's hard to believe that fall is just about here.  We did enjoy watching the Cowboys play their first game of the season last week.  Getting trailing vines marked and sandwiched should help i feel like fall too!  I think the weatherman said we may see some days with 80 degree temps by the end of next week.................................well you know how that goes.  I think I will just wait and see.

Here's an old quilt I saw at an antique store on Saturday!  It really caught my eye and the kind of quilt you don't see very often. Enjoy!

Back to Reality!

It was nice to get away and see family. We had a good time and attended a couple of fairs, played games and had some wonderful meals together.  On the way home we stopped to see Mount Rushmore and we also stopped at the International Quilt Musuem in Lincoln, Nebraska.  I was very happy when we finally pulled up in the driveway, to be back home felt so good.  I really enjoyed the beautiful scenery and added three new states Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska to my list of visited states.

We live in such a beautiful country!

My grandson and I in Kirkland Wa. Coming from Texas I thought the water was cold, but for him it was swimming season!

I did work on a few blocks while I was gone.  I went to press them when I got home and one needed to be unsewn and resewn as I didn't get a triangle turned in the right direction.  Not sure how it happened but we all know it does.  So, I finally finished all of June,July and August blocks!

June blocks

 July blocks

August blocks

September 1st rollled around and in order to catch up I started making those blocks.  It entailed two letter blocks that I decided to draft.  I think they turned out pretty well.  I had a mishap on the C because I forgot to include the seam allowance.  One of those DUH moments.  So this morning I finished sewing it together.

September blocks

September 1st also reminds me I need to get my trailing vines quilt sandwiched so I can enjoy some slow stitching this winter.  I know I have some muslin I will use as the backing but I need to see if I  have batting. I believe there's a wool batt somewhere in my sewing closet.  Of course I need to mark the top first.  It's one of those necessary evils, but half the battle is choosing the design.  I plan on using a cable pattern and then do some echo quilting around the appliqued leaf strips.  So, Sunday while I am watching the Cowboys play maybe I will start marking.  Fall arrives soon and I definitely need to do some slow stitching!