Flash from the not so distant past

In real life I am continuing to work on the same things, handquilting 3 quilts, cutting blocks, same-o, same-o. So I am going back in time to show you that I can finish things! Last year I worked on these schlep bags. It is a free pattern .Okay, I have to figure out how to give you a good link there, but I will have to study that later, so for now just search for sentimental stiches.net, click on free patterns and look for So Sew Easy Schlep Bag, then click on Click here for Pattern.

When (and if) you get to the pattern, be advised that it calls for 5/8 of a yard for the lining, but they are assuming you can use all the fabric. You have to cut (2) 22 1/2" blocks, and I can't do it, so I have to have close to 1.25 to 1.50 yards of fabric for the lining.

Anyway, I learned how to match points with this. I didn't do very well, but it was my first try at it. They are fun and big and very versatile.

Yes, that is part of our windmill in the background, as well as uncut grass and pole barns. Country living is great!

"New to Me" Purchase

They say that nothing is new under the sun. I say, if I haven't seen it before, it is new to me. So, even if this was new in 2006, and hundreds of quilts have been made by this pattern, I haven't made one, so this will be a new experience.

I find a pattern like this and want to make it right away....But I will wait until I finish cutting the blocks for my blue/white quilt.

Two main reasons:

1) I don't like to be cutting for two different quilts unless one of them is a real simple pattern (to me) and

2) I have to mull over the color scheme and scan fabric into my computer and play with it on my EQ6. Hopefully I can get this out of my stash, but this is a LOT of cutting.

My guess is that I will trot down to a LQS store and play with all the fabric down there for awhile. I must be prepared for a marathon of cutting. I really like to make my quilts as I go along rather than cutting everything at once. Mainly because I tend to get confused as to where I am. I am slow, so don't expect this to magically appear. I will try and keep you informed on the steps I make as I make them.

I don't want this to be a UFO or WIP very long, but it is liable to be.

Wish me to have a lightbulb go off inside my head on this!

Ladybug Burp Cloths and Tray

Here is the picture of some burp cloths and tray which I made as gifts for my DIL for another baby shower. I got the directions for the tray at the Bernina site. I may make a couple more burp cloths before the end of the month. The one in the middle is made of flannel and the other is diaper cloth. Weather is coming in....I need to quit this post. If there are any questions, let me know and I will answer them later, if possible.

WIPs

I have the glorious number of 3 quilts that I am in various stages of handquilting. I didn't just stay with one project,,,,oh, no,.... Sometimes I need to relax my hands from flannel quilting and so I work on my caterpillar quilt. Then I had an opportunity (?) to quilt while waiting in the car, drs. office, etc, and so took my smaller red/white/blue quilt I am working on.

I am having to quilt my caterpillar quilt from the back side as I cannot see the thread very well from the front. The hoops are there just for the picture, I take them out unless I am working on that project.

I am slowly making blocks for the blue/white top on the left. I would love to start another quilt, as it has been almost a month since I worked on other things than these 4, that being the baby quilt shown in one of the earlier quilts. But I feel that I need to work on these until I finish at least one!

Simple burp cloths for DIL

I am making my DIL some burp cloths out of some diaper cloth I had. After sewing a sample one using soft flannel, I decided to modify the shape of the free pattern I downloaded. That was easily done by deleting the curve on one side of the pattern. No problem.

My DIL is into ladybugs and I found several nice cotton fabrics with which I hope to edge the burp cloths. Hopefully later today or tomorrow I'll have them completed to show you.

Observer, Quilt Police, or Quilt Judge?

A Mr. Bluebird came to watch my quilting skills today. He flitted around for about 2 hours, off and on. I think he was jealous of his reflection, thinking it was doing something that might be fun. Sorry about the quality of the picture, it was a bit cloudy outside.

Part of my working area and inspiration

I am cleaning up my sewing room after having a floor put in (notice the extra baseboard pieces to right on floor). So this may change in the weeks/months/years to come. Anyway, here is my trusty Janome 6260. It is an update from a $190 Singer I bought at Walmart, which was a good machine, and what I started quilting on. After awhile, however, I wanted to learn to machine quilt, but I was not interested in machine embroidery at the time, so thus this was picked. It is a decent upgrade and perhaps I will upgrade again when I am comfortable what this can do and need more.

The aqua, pink and purple bin is what I can my "Current Project" holder. The purple tray comes out and there is room in the aqua area for the large pieces of fabric which I will need. The tray holds my sewn, cut and to be cut squares, as well as a picture of the pattern and anything else that happens to drop into it.

These are hanging above my sewing machine. I feel they belong there, even if they are not quilted. They were given to me by my mother-in-law. She got them in Costa Rica. They are made of pieces of fabric. I don't know what type of work this is called. It is multiple layers of fabric sewn together. If someone is familiar with this I would love to know what it is called. I have one other that is not framed and you can feel the "hills and valleys", for lack of a better term, as you handle it. From what I understand, the underlying fabric pieces do not go all the way across underneath; it is definitely not very thick, but I don't dare take any of these apart to see how they are made!

The "Can't See" trouble spot

This is the back of a quilt I am working on. I have stopped because I have to investigate and correct the traffic jam of seams (not) shown in the blue /white area where the 4 points meet (not quite). I have 3 or 4 more areas like that in the quilt and want to figure out how to work it before I continue. I will have to rip out this one before I can fix it, so I plan to sew up the other area (at least one) and then I can see how to go from there.

I have been delayed in doing this due to the project shown in the previous post.

Baby Quilt for to-be-granddaughter

Just got back from a baby shower for my DDIL and I can finally post a picture of the quilt for my future GD. It is crib size, approx 44x 52

A baseline for machine quilting

Here is a picture of my first try at machine quilting. I need to learn my ABCs. The 3rd line and date look okay, but the tension is really haywire in the back.

Here I go!

Hopefully, I can continue to add to this blog. I needed somewhere to keep pictures and (mis)adventures while sewing. Maybe this is it.