Repro Divas - Show and Tell

This month's project was to try our hands at hand piecing:

The quilts and blocks above are all hand pieced. Most said that they truly enjoyed assembling blocks by hand...that it was a nice release from the machine.

Further Show and Tells:

This big guy (at least seven inches across) is a Moda freebie:

This is made from one yard of the strippy fabric from Marcus Brothers' American Patriot:

Uh oh! One member has gotten several galloping pony patterns. They are so lush! And she is working on this tote bag:

Friday

More finishes. Got the fourth side of binding done on this one. Just look at the exquisite longarm quilting on this; this was done by a friend of mine:

Got the binding on this one, the yellow patriotic version of the 2003 Second Saturday Sampler:

And got the binding on this one, Hula Huts, begun in 2006, quilted on my friend's longarm in 2007, finished today :-) :

Incredibly, the stack is gone. Didn't think it would happen so fast. Shame can be a useful thing:

But uh oh, there were more sandwiched projects in the closet, so there's a fresh stack to work on:

These are not merry, lighthearted UFOs that mostly only needed squaring and binding. These are grim and dark UFOs that have problems. Can you say "unpick"?

If I had any brains, I would toss them in the trash, especially this one:

This is the 2004 Second Saturday Sampler blocks. At the time I was determined to use the hand-look quilting stitch on the Designer1, which involves clear thread and way way too tight tension. I imagine I tried loosening the tension, which did not work. The stitch does not work. But it was one of the reasons I got the machine, so I stubbornly did the whole quilt in the ditch with this horrible tight stitch and the clear thread that shows as plainly as anything. The fabric puckered, the stitch looked horrible. It would make more sense to throw it out, since it's absolute murder picking out the stitches, but I like the sashing, so I'm giving it a try to pick it out.

Rembrandt says, "oh just throw it out and take a good nap".

Oh, I found more of the fabric that I asked about in last post: it says Andover Broderie Perse on the selvage and dates to at least 2004 or 2005, because I found it in the sashing of the 2004 SSS quilt above.

Help: Fabric I.D.

No, not this one, I know it's an (indispensable) Dimples. This is the finishes-1"-star. Worked with the paper piecing. One point is way too big. Ask me if I care:

It's this one. Can somebody tell me what this is (sorry not a very good pic)? It's on the tip of my mind:

I finished the Baskets of Posies; it's all quilted and bound:

Finally took my Designer1 to be serviced. It hasn't stitched right for ages and haven't been using it, so there has little or no machine quilting. It felt so odd to meander again, as if there were no way at all to move around on the fabric. Isn't this the cutest map fabric and ticking for the binding?

Got the cat-proof table runner done, too:

Only one row of binding to tack down by hand on this. I just know I can make myself do it. PoorpoorGinger doesn't even have to move:

Since Baskets of Posies is done, I'm going to sub in my two Stars Around the Garden quilts for my Charming Challenge (not to put in the drawing or anything, just for me as a way to get myself to get it done):

The first one needs a little more work, then they both need sandwiching, quilting, and binding.

Charming

We are considering which Dear Jane block to hand piece at next class. We may do G06. But just look at that center star. It finishes at one inch:

So this calls for paper piecing of the little star, then hand piecing of the rest. Look how small the paper piecing templates are:

Personally, I think Jane must have penciled in this part :-). Or else gotten Virginia of galloping pony to help her out. All I can say is, wish us luck. We are only humans.

The latest Stickle block:


Cotton Charm Quilts is having a challenge this month to finish a UFO. I simply must join:

I made a careful choice from my 1,000 UFOs and have decided to finish Baskets of Posies:

This is from Baskets & Bumblebees by Cabbage Rose, Barbara Brandeburg. What I got stalled on with this (lo so many years ago) is that I created a machine embroidery border for it, put one border on, it looks real cute (really cute), but it's my own design and I would like to make a pattern out of it. So it really ought not be intermingled with another designer's pattern, eh? eh? So not P.C. It must stand alone :-). So I shall rip it off to save for a pattern and find perhaps a cute flowered print (go to thy overflowing stash, Karen, not to the online buy buttons) for the border.

Baskets of Posies is my primary To Finish. However, I would also like to finish this slipcover, especially since I have abandoned it for a few weeks and it is oddly sitting on the loveseat making the whole room look (so typical but) peculiar:

And just to torture myself, here is a third To Finish, my little quilt of LeMoyne stars. This began with Indigo Stars from the book Sweet Summer by Blackbird Designs, but has morphed to other colors and a slightly different design:

Notice they are sitting under my sewing machine table to keep them near the top of the pile.

I started this yesterday. Another project that I was sure I could finish in an hour ("I'll get this out of the way and then get back to the patterns I want to work on"). I worked on that and the DJ block all day. It takes such a loooong time to pick fabrics and get them back in their places (better to use a honey bun like Melisa did), especially since I didn't have very much in the way of the melon and turquoise that I needed to coordinate with the curtains and had to hunt and hunt and reject lots of things that were almost okay. Melisa of Sweet Home Quilt Co. showed this on her shop blog (it's at the end) and powie! it was exactly what I needed to cover the top of my farm table, which one cat (who shall remain nameless but her name starts poorpoor) wants to sharpen her claws on. It is a pattern called Strip Center from The Teacher's Pet:

And in closing, Julie-Ann has posted a picture of her finished Silhouette No.1:

It's such a thrill to see one of my patterns made up by somebody besides me LOL! Thank you, Julie! So do you think there are enough links in this post or should I add some more???

Further Reduction

Hot Dog, two more finishes. These both date to the fateful 2005, the year that I could not resist making five versions (blended, blue and white, batiks and friends, main colorway, and browns) of the monthly Second Saturday Sampler block, which oddly enough, resulted in five UFOs. But this takes care of the blended:

and the batiks, which I attempted to make look Amish via the setting:

and the pile reduces...

The next one has part of its binding attached by hand, so I will have to continue in that vein. This may take a while.

Rembrandt, looking like a gazelle on the veldt:

Another Finish

Obviously putting on the photo of the stack of Almost Dones has helped. This morning, I quilted and finished tacking the back of the Lincoln's Platform quilt. It is labeled. It is donedonedone:

As KarenDianne put it, this quilt also simmered, from its beginnings in summer of 2006 to summer of 2009 :-) . This is in mostly Jo fabrics, with gradation of color around the prairie point border, with Jefferson County toile for the border.

And the stack has reduced in height:

A Patriotic Quilt *Finish*

Later that same day....

I finished a bit of stray quilting on this one from the top of the Binding Pile and put on the binding...and the label! It is done, done, done.

Christmas 2004? Yes, I had intended to finish this 4-1/2 years ago. But as they say in Galaxy Quest, never give up, never surrender :-) .

Circuit Rider and DJ Blocks *Happy Fourth*

Happy Fourth, all U.S.A.ers.

Got caught up on Circuit Rider blocks:

The five so far:

Recently done:

Not recent, but not sure if I've posted:

Also got caught up on Stickle blocks, helped along by Anina's Fourth of July holiday, thank goodness:

Here is my stack of quilts that only need the bindings or quilting in some cases. Just think, one simple binding, or quilting and binding, for each standing between me and tossing these quilts all over the house to be seen and used. I'm hoping that Blog Exposure will help me to sew on these bindings and eliminate the stack, left prominently right in front of my sewing machine:

Kits at Ye Olde Schoolhouse

Recently, Ye Olde Schoolhouse (in a historic building in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, once used as a school) put a selection of my patterns in their shop. I heard from Julie-Ann that she purchased the Silhouette Primitive Portrait pattern (click on her name to see her portrait so far) and that Ye Olde has kitted the patterns!

The Field Trip Phase is Over

Well, Marcie seems to have gone back to her beachfront home in Virginia, so I must quit visiting quilt shops and get back to work. While showing Marcie my quilts and UFOs, this UFO surfaced (among a hundred others), so I snatched it up and finished the appliqué (naturally it was the appliqué that was undone):

This is called Tulip Farm. Am hoping to sandwich and quilt it later today after I work on my website for awhile.

Next I had to face the fact that I have fallen too far behind in making Circuit Rider blocks. I'm trying to sew along with Dottie at Little Quilts this year to make twelve of them. So I got this guy done, making three total:

and started to prepare this one. Go, Karen, go:

Four of the fabrics in this one are from the field trip.

I assembled this portable table last night, thinking that it might help me do appliqué from the comfort of my bed. It definitely helps and I've gotten a bit more done on the snowflake for Under the Mistletoe:

Two more Stickles.

The Windham Williamsburg Sampler fabric just arrived at Little Quilts yesterday, so I made this block last night to make sure I got that cute little sampler urn into my Dear Jane quilt:

Rembrandt says "hi".