Soccer and Stitching!

It's been a while since I have written a blog post.  I sure am not getting too much done this summer in the sewing room.  I haven't purchased any fabric yet for the sashing of my hst quilt.  Maybe that will happen later this month, we will see.  One of the projects I wanted to complete this summer was replacing a binding on an old quilt my mother in law owns.  She said she thinks it was made by husband's great grandmother but she isn't sure. The top was given to her when she married into the family and she not being a quilter, had it machine quilted.  It looks to me as if it was made in the 1930's but I am no expert.  She said they used it alot when they first got married so the binding was quite worn and it has a few stains.  Hopefully a new binding will let her enjoy it again!

New binding ready to be sewn on!

The walking foot really makes it easy to sew the binding on by machine!

The old binding was a single fold and I will replace it with a double fold as I prefer working with double fold binding.  I was able to stitch the binding on Saturday and spent the afternoon getting two sides of the binding stitched down.  So today, I plan to get the other two sides finished.    Hopefully, I will get some stitches in while I watch the final game of the Women's FIFA World Cup.  The USA plays the Netherlands a tough opponent.

Binding and Finishes

I have always enjoyed the binding process when making a quilt.  I have heard many quilters say they just hate it.  So this week as I trimmed up my patriotic chevron quilt and made my binding I started to wonder why I enjoyed it when others do not.  I know many quilters love the start of a new project, and although the thought of working with new fabric and a different design can be exciting.  I have always loved the finishes more!  The binding process is the time in the process where I reflect back on all the processes it took to make the quilt. The memories that I will always associate with this particular quilt.   Part of it also has to do with my need for neatness.  I can't say that my sewing area is pristine, and perfect. In fact there are days especially when I am piecing that fabric and thread can be found everywhere. But, when the day is done I always take a few minutes to tidy up.  When I am hand quilting I love the look of my quilt being framed by the hoop.  So lovely! But those raw edges with batting and uneven fabric with bits of thread is just so annoying.  I know some quilters will wrap the backing around to cover the exposed batting, but I am generally too excited to put in some stitches to take the time to do that  So, when it is time to bind and cut off the ugliness, it is a time to rejoice and and prepare for another wonderful finish! So that binding is like the beautiful ribbon on a package.  It needs to have just as much effort put into it as the rest of the quilt.

I remember my first binding. I wrapped the backing around to the front of the quilt. Boy, I had no idea what I was doing then.  Look at this corner!

Now I only use bias binding as it lays so nicely.  I have gone over the years from starting with a two and half inch strip down to a  two inch strips for my binding. A nice thin binding that is full just looks so much nicer to my eye. No more ugly corners, but neat and tidy miters that don't distract the eye, but frame the quilt nicely.  So while starting a new quilt is exciting for some, I really prefer the finishes!  It is a time to rejoice over another successful quilt!

Slow Stitching Sunday

Wow! Another Sunday has arrived. Lately it seems that time just passes by so quickly.  I was very busy this week but found the time to get the hand quilting done on Simple but Not.  It seems ages ago that I had a finish.  I still have to sew one side of the binding down and then I can enjoy some slow stitching as I sew down the binding.  I just love this step!  I think, that is because as I stitch, I realize that all the time I spent on this project is just about to pay off.  After the binding is stitched down it will go into the washer and dryer and then the big reveal.  I am pretty sure I will be adding some trapunto to the feathers. It may not happen right away, I will lay the quilt across a guest bed and give it some time to speak to me.

I also found a bit of time to add a few more rows on my TATW. This is my first attempt at hand piecing. So far I enjoy it immensely. I have run out of squares to add so this week I need to cut some more two inch squares.  I think I have chosen the fabrics for rows 13-16.  That should keep me busy for a while.  I don't work on this every day, but I love that is there waiting for me on those evenings when I am not in the mood for my other projects and it is  great take along project.  Have you ever tried hand piecing?  Right now, Craftsy BOM 2015 is being hosted by Jinny Beyer. She is the queen of hand piecing and if you want ever wanted to give it a go why not take advantage of the free class and learn from the master of hand piecing.

Before

After

Hope you have time for some slow stitching and reflecting on your week. I will be linking up with Kathy and the others who link up with Slow Stitching Sunday.

Rainy Days and Sundays make me smile!

Remember that song from the good old days, by the Carpenter’s, Rainy Days and Mondays.  Well it’s Sunday and it’s raining but I have a big smile on my face.  I am slow stitching down the binding on my flea market lap size quilt that I just finished hand quilting.  It has fabrics from the eighties in it.  The fabrics include some plaids with metallic threads, good old gingham, a bit of plaid flannel, and some small floral prints.  I replaced a couple of blocks that were made out of that red velvet fabric little girls Christmas dresses used to be made out of in the eighties.  I knew I would be washing this , and the thought of washing that red polyester velvet was a bit scary.   When I discovered this little hand pieced top at the flea market it called out to me.  The fabrics were like old friends that I hadn’t seen in a while.  So what’s better than spending time with some old friends doing what you love to do.  Stitching down the binding on a quilt is one of my favorite parts of assembling a quilt.  It is like the home stretch of a race, and I have a feeling this one is going to be a winner.

Getting Closer

I know it doesn't look like much, but actually it is 49 feet of binding for my Double Irish Chain quilt.  This is the quilt that I pieced last summer out of scraps that had accumulated over many years. I decided last June to organize my fabric so I could actually see what I owned. I also had a Rubbermaid tote that was filled to the brim with scraps from other projects. After a lot of folding and cutting my sewing closet was very organized and I pieced a king size Double Irish Chain.  I started quilting this quilt three months ago, so I was so very happy last night when I finally sat down to finish the hand quilting.  This morning after auditioning a few ideas for binding I decided to use the black print out of my stash.  If I did the math correctly I need 468 inches of binding, and my piece of fabric yielded 588 inches. I don't mind having some left over as I make miniature quilts from time to time and the left overs often come in handy then.