Quilting completed!

I have really enjoyed quilting my red and white ocean waves quilt these past six weeks.  There is nothing better to help me get thru the winter than having a quilt top to hand quilt.

My ocean waves measures approximately 76 X76 inches.  Not a huge quilt but the kind my husband and I like to cuddle under while watching tv.  No fancy feathers, just some outline quilting on the triangles and a mariner's star quilted into the larger white squares. It doesn't get better than that!

Today, I will work on hand stitching the binding down. That final step in finishing a quilt. One that I truly enjoy!  That sense of accomplishment never gets old.  Years ago, I always wished we had family quilts in our family. But since my mom immigrated from Austria we only had plenty of handknit sweaters, hats and mittens but no quilts. So my dream was to own a hand quilted quilt, but the funds were never there.  I finally decided the only way I would ever own a quilt, was to learn to quilt, but I always feared that I wouldn't have the tenacity to finish a quilt.  Maybe that fear is what drove me, not sure, but I now look back in amazement at all the hand quilted stitches I have put into my quilts.  Those stitches have always amazed me and still amaze me!

Celebrating Accomplishments!

Another busy week here, but I was able to fit in some hand quilting each evening.  I started the final row of blocks around the outside edge of the quilt last Sunday.  I have three units left to quilt.

A fellow quilter asked me what I was going to quilt into the white squares and I thought about a Lemoyne star back when I first started quilting this quilt.  She suggested a mariner's star, since afterall this is an ocean waves quilt.  So I got on Blockbase and found this mariner's star that I thought would look great and also balance with the quilting in the triangles.

Yesterday afternoon I got out my Elmers rubber cement and my cereal box cardboard and made some templates to help me mark my quilt.  It's a great feeling to get the decision behind me and sparks me on to get this quilt finished.  However, I will be heading out shortly to have lunch with my hubby of 41 years.  Yes, anniversary 41 and going strong!

Moving a long!

I have had another great week stitching on my ocean waves quilt!  There's really no exciting photos I can take as I am simply outlining the triangles with my stitches! Boy does this quilt have a lot of triangles. I have all the triangle units completed except the outer row.  It shouldn't be much longer before I can start quilting the large white squares.

I started this quilt with a new package of needles. I am using  Richard Hemming size 9's I love using a longer needle and loading 4-5 stitches on before pulling it through. I'm not sure they will stay sharp enough to get the whole quilt done but we will see.  Hope you had some time to put in some hand quilting stiches this week. It's such a relaxing joy to just stitch for an hour or two each day!

More String blocks

Well I made my goal of 50 blocks the first week of my challenge to use up the strings. This week I didn't quite make it but I did get 30 more made.  I had to remind myself this is not a race and I should just be pleased that I am making progress towards getting these strings sewn into blocks. So I have to say I am really pleased that I working on these.  I really love how something so ragged and ugly gets trimmed into a perfectly sized block.

I took some time to pin the blocks in sets of ten so when it comes time to decide how I want to set them I will know what I have.  So with the previously sewn blocks I am up to 280 blocks. 

My scrap box is beginning to look better. Still a lot of strings to sew and I definitely want to make as many blocks as I can before I decide how to set them and how large to make the quilt or quilts.

I was out for one of my daily walks this week and noticed the blue sky. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the blue was gorgeous!  I just had to take a snapshot!

Slow start to Slow Stitching

Yesterday I felt like I was coming down with a cold. This morning I am sure. I stayed in bed all morning and rested but staying in bed all day is just difficult. So I have finally gotten up and will spend the rest of the day sitting on the sofa and put in a few more stitches.

Progress has been great this week on my ocean waves.  I have 70 percent of the triangles quilted.  A lot of the basting pins have been removed a sure sign of progress!

This quilt is such a joy to quilt. I am outlining all of the triangles.  But, I still need to mark my stitching lines.  I know some quilters can do this without marking but I am not one of those that can't.  My favorite tool to use on solid fabrics is the hera marker but since this quilt has so many seams I find using the mechanical pencil works best.
I have been using the paper mate mechanical pencil ever since I came across Sue Garman's blog post about her pencil of choice.  It's been reliable in that it always washes out.

I am linking to slow stitching Sunday over at Kathy's Quilts. She is asking that we post a pic of the hoop we use. I love the my Barnett hoop on a stand. I have a fourteen inch and 18 inch hoop that I can use with it. I only wish I had invested in one sooner.

Mid week progress

Since I moved to Texas in 2016, I feel my quilting has taken second fiddle to everything else.   So, I decided in 2018 I would place my stitching closer to the top of my daily list of things to do.  My goal this year is to empty a large container of strings.  I have made 170 blocks since I started these back in 2015.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

So far this week I have made ten blocks a day.  On Tuesday I even made a few hourglass blocks for a scrappy hourglass quilt.  So, I guess instead of making excuses it's much better to have determination!

Red Triangles

A damp rainy day here in North Texas. I think I will try to spend most of the day sneaking in some enjoyable hand quilting stitches.  I started out quilting the white triangles in this quilt and decided to see where it takes me.  Friday I was very curious on what it would look like if I quilted the red triangles also.  I tried  a triangle with the the natural color thread I was using on the white triangles and found it distracted from the high contrast that I love in two color quilts.  I found some red thread in my stash to try and am pleased with how it looks. 

So today I think I will go back and just add red to the units that already have the white triangles quilted.  

I also am thinking about adding a star to the white alternate squares.  I played around and made a template to fit the space.  But, I think I want to finish all of the triangles before making a final decision on the alternate square.  

Ocean Waves in the hoop!

Well, Christmas is over and the cold weather is upon us.  During 2017 I really fell off the wagon when it came to blogging.  I started my blog to keep a record of my quilting journey.  So, today I am featuring the red and white ocean waves quilt that I pieced this year.  I machined pieced it like a hand piecer would piece this pattern. The reason being, I didn't want seams in the white squares.  I found that piecing this way really helped with my accuracy, a constant struggle for me.  Now, I am not saying all my seams are perfect but they are something that I can live with.  When I started quilting trying to achieve perfection often would  take the joy out of my craft, it was suppose to bring me joy!  So, I no longer beat myself up over seams that are not perfect.  I still try to do my best, but a finished quilt made with love is my goal these days. The following are some photos that I did capture in the process of piecing this quilt. It measures approximately 76X76. 

So yesterday, I pulled out this top and got it basted! I am excited about having a quilt in my hoop.  I love finding a few minutes here and there to sit and add a few stitches.  To begin, I am going to outline quilt the white triangles.

 After that, I am really not sure, I am open for suggestions if you have any.  I hope your staying warm and finding time for a few joyous stitches. I know I am looking forward to 2018 and getting my ocean waves quilt quilted!