Freeeeeee to Meeeeeee &&&& What's Happenin'

First let me say that I was very calm, and did not hog.....

Went to a friend of a friend's house today and we sorted and chose fabric for about 2 1/2 hours....met some real nice folks and they permitted me to add to my stash....

These will be seen in string blocks and bow ties in the future; possibly wounded warrior and Halloween....who knows what else.

 Isn't it nice to have friends......

Next, tiny steps & long time comin'.....

Here are the choices for the next two blocks of my bug quilt,,or maybe it is a wall hanging....

Inch worm on the left and Centipede on the right.....

Hopefully I can blend in the colors okay....some bugs may be colored as never before....

 Have had this pattern ....forEver!

Size  34 1/4 x 46 1/2 inches

My first real trip into Appliqueland....will see you on the other side.......If I can get finished with this, I can tackle Anything! Starting with hopefully simple blocks and climbing up the ladder to the more complex....Hope I don't fall off!

Playing.....

I have finished sewing the plaids together to make 7 rows (if you can count 1 block each as the 1st and 7th rows).  I now need to shop my stash for the right fabric for the triangles and borders..so I am taking a break, waiting for inspiration.

In the meantime, I am playing...

I found a small phone book and decided to try my hand at some string blocks...I have been keeping strings off and on for awhile.  I cut the page down a little and just started... grabbing...

 It is now trimmed to a 6 1/2" block and the paper backing is off...

This is not a leader and ender project, just one I plan to do when I feel like it. It is fun, as many of you know...

I have done a few more L/E also..please note the plaid bow ties....

I will be playing with these two blocks for awhile today....

Just because I can.....

Come back soon.

 

Trimmed and Basted...

Jelly Roll Quilt basted, ready to HQ....

37 Four-Square Blocks ready for action...I had to trim them to 6 1/4" square instead of 6 1/2"....my sewing machine had a mind of its' own...

That's my style,  always improvising....

♫ Back in the Saddle Again ♫

I have been sewing, but away from quilting...

 I'm Baaack...!

I finished cutting my squares today for my plaid quilt and am starting to put them together.  The pile on the left are the ones I am using, the other smaller pile are my leftovers, or "just in case" ones..They are sorta in order, with cream/tan squares in between the plaid ones...Now if I can keep from spilling them I will be on a roll...

I have a couple of 4-square blocks done and draped for display...bad display, they blend in well with my string of 2-squares, but maybe you get the idea...

My leaders and enders are ready in the container in back, although I won't need them for awhile...there is plenty of continuous work with my main task.

Oh, I turned my table 90°, and have placed my two main machines on opposite sides.  Now I can sew on either one, just not at the same time....


I arranged my 3 layers of jelly roll fabric and am slowing basting...if you look close on the brown strip, bottom left corner, you'll see the thread...I usually use embroidery thread, but I was successful with regular thread on my previous quilt, and it is so much easier to baste with...Now if I can just convince my eyes......

BTW, I changed my keyboard on my computer...the older  and smaller one had keys that started sticking.  This new one has a numbered keyboard on the side...I don't use it when I am typing, I am so used to using the upper row of numbers instead.  But I now can type symbols, such as musical notes and the degree sign.  A lot of you know about this, and I did too, I just wasn't able to do it on my old keyboard...

Next.....A UFO....Really, I Found One, Probably the Only One I Had.....!!?? NOT!

The previous top has been made into a quilt.  It has been sandwiched, tied (not quilted), bound (binding the same as the back; separate piece, not turned), and mailed this morning... I forgot to take a FINISHED picture, but it turned out great!

Now I am starting to sew some non-quilty items...but to keep my hand in,,,,I found an UFO to work on...Really!  To me, a UFO is a top that has been around for awhile and one that I didn't exactly lose interest in, but just say it was easy to slide it down a few notches on the unwritten list of things I want to accomplish...

During the next few days I will cut and sew the backing to (lower fabric) fit the jelly roll top, sandwich it all together, and slowly baste it.  I may try and quilt this by machine, going along the seams.... although I could just HQ it, using a meandering design that isn't really a design....

It is still a hot/warm September here in Central Texas, but quilting this would seem to be a good winter season project...

We'll see how I feel after basting....

Had to Sidetrack the Quilting Train for an Express Run

Finished this flannel top yesterday and went to an LQS for the backing and batting today.  Will be finishing it this next week (tying it) so I can send it to its' recipient ASAP.  It will be keeping her warm during several necessary hospital visits in the near future...

Approximately 40" x 64"

Some of you might recognize the fabric from another quilt that I am Still HQing....

This may not be the last you see of this fabric combination. Whatever backing/binding fabric I have left over will be added to the remnants you see here and may be seen again in who knows what type of configuration next..

No, that white does not go on and on and on down the page....see I can type under the picture.....

Decision: Plaid Quilt - Maybe Two.....

Now that I have finished my Pinwheel Quilt...see picture further on...I have decided to tackle my plaids again..

I have so many and such variety....the only thing in common with all of them is that they are Plaid...

Big plaid, little plaid, lots of green plaid, I plan to use them all.....and probably won't even put a dent in the supply... I May want to get rid of the rest of them after I finish the (2) quilts I have in mind.  Or, I might want to wait until my eyes become uncrossed working with them first. 

And I haven't even dug into the container yet...

My first plaid quilt will be a repeat pattern that I liked and made...shown here with the first cuts.....

Don't know what the borders will look like, but the plaids will be in the middle section along with their white or light beige companions.  I thought a diagonal placement would work okay.  I plan to add one more row and make this a little bigger...it originally was about 50 x 50......Will be using my Easy Angle ruler...once I refresh my memory....

There is another pattern I have in mind.  It is on the cover of a catalog I received from Annie's....large light blocks with angled rectangles within....That is for later...if I still decide to use the plaids...

I promised myself not to start a mental list of to-do quilts....if I can help it...

Oh, the little piles to the right up above?  That is for my leader and ender bow ties.  I thought while I was cutting, I might as well cut a little more...they will be incorporated with the bow tie quilt I will Eventually make.

List, but not listing....

Now is there a conflict somewhere in the above two paragraphs????

A Finished Quilt

One you have seen in progress....

 

It is bathing as I type,,,,

Do ya'll cross your fingers and hope the quilts turn out looking okay after the first wash?  Color Catchers, of course, are in there doing their job.  I am hoping the pinwheels keep their shape and all is okay.  I'll pass this through the dryer very quickly so as not to drip and will lay it out to air dry after that.  Then into a box and away it goes...

 

Confessions of a Undisciplined Stash Hoarder

Situation:

I realize all quilters are hoarders in one degree or another.....it goes with the territory and is necessary.  We need the thrill of digging and finding fabric we forgot we had...

But when you dig and dig and dig, you eventually and inevitably end up with a mixture of colors, patterns, and styles that just don't go together....
 
When that happens, I often give up on "stash looking" and start buying fabric for whatever project I am contemplating...

A vicious circle...and Expensive!

Not only in fabric but containers as well....

 I admit to saving all the smaller pieces for future use in who knows what project, as well as taking advantage of free fabric from quilters who know their limitations in time and energy.
 
This is not new...I was aware of it before...remember my Mini-Giveaways in the past???...

 I have had an awakening this last week...never mind the details..

Fact of life and no Kidding:  I'm 73 (almost 74) years of age and most of this treasure in cloth will never be used by "moi".  I shouldn't be so Greedy!...

Conclusion:

I probably will continue to buy cloth...however...I have decided to Really Try and use what I have...

To no longer think of the recipient first then the quilt....Instead, I will make the quilt, or several, and then let the recipient choose which one is wanted.  This will allow me to pick freely any color combinations, styles, and patterns I want...

I will be free to try new things without constraints.....if no one wants the result, the charity/comfort/donated quilt pile grows...

This is not only saving money, but maybe in a couple of years, I will be able to tame this Mess on Shelves (aka: stash) to a slight degree.

First couple of ideas.....another plaid quilt And ....see the fabric..a Pink/Tan quilt.

Or....maybe I'll just take a container at a time and see what develops.....

I see a future of flurry of fabric flying freely ......(had to type this)...

Thanks for dropping by....

Border Change!

This is SO Much Better!

Softer, not so demanding, all in all, a better look than the last post.

Finished Top - Pinwheels

Size ~~ 32 x 49

8" blocks finished

Ya' know,,,,for a new block experience, these pinwheels were actually somewhat easy to make....a bit tedious while lining up the edges for the seam, but otherwise OK.  

Of course, I only made 8 of them..and my trusty 50+ yo Singer sewed through all the bulk!

Each pinwheel seam is double sewed....one when I attached the wing to each block and one when I attached the blocks together...I changed my stitch length to smaller so there would be holding power.

I am pleased with the color combo....

I taking this along tomorrow when I head to Giddings, Texas (about 2 hrs away) with my quilt group to Gerline's, a lovely quilt shop there. If time allows, we might even go to the other local LQS, Around the Block, which is in town. The thick seams need to nestle into the batting the best they can so it can be used as a quilt if desired...

Also, Really, I am happy with the colors, but look at the outer border...it does bring out the green in the blocks, but I am thinking some other fabric would look better....So I am keeping an open mind and an eye out. If I don't, I will always wonder.... It wouldn't take long to change.

Thanks for droppin' by........

Pinwheels Spinnin'

There was a stack of fabric on my shelves for who knows how long.  Almost every time I looked at them I thought to myself that I had to make Something out of them soon...they were tugging at me.

The chance came.....after tweaking the pile with some additions from a recent LQS trip, these will be joining their com-padres in a  baby quilt.

 I have all but one pinwheel block done (finished size 8") ...4 each....and will soon decide which one will be my 5th wheel,,,,,so to speak....have to see how they look when laid out.

Because of the thickness of the pinwheels, I plan to tie this quilt, using all 6 strands of embroidery thread....short strings....probably will tack each of the folded corners + a few other places....

Yes, there will be borders...

 

New Month, New Projects, and.....Finally! Progress on a Long Time Waiting....

Welcome August!

A LQS trip yesterday resulted in finding the necessary fabric to complete my stash hunt for this next project....

This will have to be a quickie...kinda..... and I will use, in part, these luscious looking goodies...

Peach and "Suede" colors.....makes me think of ice cream.....

At the same time, I am starting another Leader/Ender project....If you remember, I have also started a tumbler stash using my Go Baby...

I have a long way to go before I am ready to use these, ,,,

so I am kitting up some blocks and will be making bow ties out of some scraps and use them as my L/E project in the meantime... no, they aren't sewn yet....

Hopefully the bow ties won't become untied.

This is only about 12 blocks/to/be....and there is still so much of the same fabric left! I have only semi-small remnants and I could have made oodles more...I still am keeping what is left for something else....

Hopefully I won't be overrun by L/E projects instead of main ones....

Talking about a Main Project,,,,look here......

Yes, it has started!  the sewing machine saga has reached another chapter!  My DH is measuring the foam box so it can be smaller (and hopefully less $$ to send) and still protect the machine.  Won't go into detail, but he is going to cut out the excess space and "slide" the other edge next to the machine.  Oh, it is upside down now because the cover is on it and the latches bite into the foam a little.  It was easier and less messy than if we pushed the machine right side up all the way down into the box...we will be labeling the box "This Side Up."

Maybe we can send it soon.....

See Ya...

Wash Day Stars --------DONE!....

The top, that is.....

Measuring ~~~~ 94 x 108 inches......

And laid out on a double bed,.....edges folded up to show border.........

.....and a closeup.....

It should cover the bed nicely.  IF,,,,and this time I say, IF...... I HQ it, the pattern probably will be just straight lines, sewing a little out of the ditch on at least one side of each seam.....maybe hopping over squares to continue with star seams.

Binding will probably be in yellow also....that is a fer distance away yet......

One More Pillowcase - er, Quiltcase....

Picked up an orphan block from our quilting group and combined it with a pillowcase...

I zigzaged it onto the fabric before I sewed the cuff on. 

I'll be taking the pillowcases to the group next Monday.  

Now to start on my short (Ha!) list of quilt tops I want to make.........

Pillowcases - the Easy Way

Believe it or not, I have not sewn very many pillowcases.... it takes me awhile to home in on the easy stuff....

This site and this other site helped me a lot.  This is nothing new,,,The idea is more than 3 years old....but I am linking it because there may be some "newbies" out there....or "oldies" like I am.  As they say,

Everything is new to someone who is experiencing it for the first time.....

These will be used to hold the Wounded Warrior quilts our group have decided to make on an ongoing basis.  After 5 or 6 quilts are made, they will be sent to our contact in San Antonio to be distributed as they see fit...and then we start on 5 or 6 more...etc...We are a small group, but feel we can handle this okay....

Since I have other commitments right now (baby/niece/etc), I know I will not be getting to the WW quilt soon, so I opted to making a few pillowcases for the ones others are working on...

I don't know why it has taken me so long to learn such an easy way to make them!