Time for some slow stitches!

My last post made me feel better about my progress.  So this Sunday, my Viking is going to get  the day off and I plan to spend some time hand piecing my TATW.   I made a lot of progress on my 16 patches yesterday.   I have 90 blocks completed out of the my goal of 144.

 TATW has been a bit neglected. It deserves some attention! Since we are getting more rain today, I thought it would be a good day to sit and enjoy some slow stitching.  I will be linking up with Kathy's blog to see what others are slow stitching.   I am really excited to get row 21 complete as row 22 will add a green polka dot fabric.   Hopefully the polka dots will cheer up this dreary day.  As you can see in the picture below of the street in front of my house I almost could pretend I lived in Venice where the streets are water!

Catching up!

Yes I am still here, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.  It seems like it though. May was just a very busy month for me.  As the weather changed I needed to get the yard back into shape and the garden planted. Then we headed to Missouri for my nephew's wedding.  But now, I am back home and trying to catch up with my sewing.  I have made some progress on my summer goals and have completed my Cogwheel and Log Cabin quilt tops.  They are now safely hung in the sewing closet waiting to be quilted.

I also made a bit of progress on my Tribute to GW quilt.  The appliqued eagle block was completed and one of the two quotes I want to include was embroidered.  Currently I am adding the embroidery to the Mt Vernon block.

This week my focus has been on my basket of 1.5 inch squares that I have been cutting and sewing into pairs for over a year.  I really wasn't making much progress but feel I have plenty to turn into a quilt.  So I have been stitching four patches which will be sewn into 16 patches to go into my quilt.

I am really enjoying piecing these little squares together.  It's a good thing since there will be over 2000 in this quilt!

Happy Mother's Day!

Summer goals!

Living as far south as I do, I have no desire to sit under a quilt during the summer months.  So for the most part I work on machine piecing or applique during those long hot summer days.  This summer I decided instead of starting a new applique project I would concentrate on getting more scraps pieced into tops.  I have been making scrap quilts from scraps and stash since the summer of 2011.

Then I made a quilt for my sister's 60th birthday! 

Amish Ice Cream Social was next!

Then a quilt to honor my brother in law's military service.

As I cut scraps for these quilts, I cut smaller scraps into 1.5 inch squares and started sewing them together into twosies then foursies. Not sure where this one is heading yet. But, it will be fun putting all these into a quilt, so many memories in all the bits of fabric.

Last summer I paper foundation pieced my Go With The Flow blocks. This one is just waiting for me to find the right background fabric.

A few weeks ago I took my grocery bag full of plaids and homespuns and started cutting 1.5 inch strips to make log cabins.  This week I finished up the blocks I needed. I have decided on the layout and need to start making my borders so that I have everything I need to make this one a top.

Looks like I have plenty to do this summer to get all of these projects to the point that they are ready for quilting.  You would think, that having all these tops to quilt would overwhelm me. But, once I get the top made the stress is over. I really enjoy the hand quilting process and since I quilt for pleasure there are no deadlines to meet.  No stress, just time with needle and thread and pure enjoyment.

I Did It!

Looking forward to a few days of sunshine beginning today. It has been so gray and wet so far this spring, it will be so nice to have some warmer sunny days.  I set a goal of getting my plaid log cabin blocks this week.   I had 34 completed last week and I ended up with enough fabric to make a total of 81. Forty-seven are being chain pieced this week.  I generally get bored when chain piecing but these blocks are simple and as long as I pay attention and sew straight I am getting real good results. I pre-cut the logs so that with each log I could check my accuracy. Well, here they are all 81 blocks completed  Now I just need to figure out how I want to set them.

It makes me wonder if I should just stick to squares and rectangles when I piece. LOL Afterall, who needs HST's and diamonds???????  Oh yeah the two quilts that have been on my to do list for years Tree of Life and Lone Star.  Do you have a quilt pattern that you just know you have to make someday?  

Scrap quilt # 6 Log Cabin

It has been a very busy week. Much time was spent out of doors getting the garden planted. I still have to plant the cucumbers and some squash, but the rain came before I could finish. My garden isn't very large but living in the south, we are constantly battling the war on weeds. We got three inches of rain on Friday, so things are pretty soggy right now.

I ended the week with the start of a cold. Chills, sore throat, and an nasty cough. So it has been hard to get motivated the last couple of days. I was able to sit behind the machine and work on my log cabin blocks. I am determined this summer to use up this bag of plaids that I pulled out of my stash. It is time for these fabrics to become a quilt.  Last week I made sixteen blocks and this week I completed 18 more.

I also have a good start on the next 40.  So hopefully this week all of these strips will be added to complete the 40 blocks. That gives me over 70 blocks complete that could make a decent size quilt.  But, I like large usable quilts so why not keep going till I have exhausted these scraps. I am linking up with WIP BE GONE

Portable Slow Stitching

Kathy is hosting Slow Stitching Sunday as she so graciously does every Sunday. It is a time to slow down and put in a few slow stitches.  Sometimes we get caught up in life and need  help to unwind and relax.  Slow stitching does that for me and many others.  I will be working on adding some small applique pieces to the wing tips and tail of my appliqued eagle block today.

Slow stitchers often take their projects with them where ever they go. It is amazing how much you can get done if you find a few minutes here and there to stitch.  Kathy has asked that we add some photos of how we pack our scissors, threads and needles to take with us.  For me, I put everything in this box. I have a nice little needle book that Deb made for me that holds needles, thread and scissors. If I am flying the box gets left at home and I will put my block and needle holder in a simple zip lock bag that gets tucked into my purse.

needlebook and my finger pin cushion

I hope you find a few minutes to relax and put in some slow stitches!

Tribute to GW

I know I have mentioned that I am working on a quilt called Tribute to GW! I have been reading some books about George Washington and last summer I won some wonderful George fabric from Julierose. My plan is to include blocks that include some aspect of our first president's life.  The first block I finished was an  embroidered block of cherries. I here tell that the story of GW not lying about cutting down the cherry tree is not true, but the story was told to teach us a bit about his character. So I had to include some cherries!

Then I have been wanting to make a tree of life block and must say that Audrey over at Quilty Folk posts on her tree of life block made me give it  a try.  I used the instructions she shared, however I made a decision to trim a piece down and lost a couple of points on the trunk. The important thing is I figured out what I did wrong.   I added a bit of red to make it a cherry tree.

I definitely wanted to use the George fabric that Julierose shared and came up with this little block.  Doesn't it seem fitting?   He is a star in my book, such a man of principle and honor.

I also played around with some scraps to make a "G" and  a "W" block.  I love the blue and brown together.

I definitely wanted to add an eagle block as the eagle is our national bird.  So for the last few weeks I have been working on an appliqued eagle block.  With Spring arriving, I have spent quite a few days this week doing yard work so I am making slow progress but it is nice to have a little applique project going. I am working on his wing this weekend, but he really needs his head, a bit creepy without it.

A few more blocks, and I think I will start drawing up a layout!  Then I can have fun coming up with some filler blocks to bring it all together!