Sewing Day

Once a month, my mom’s quilting guild hosts a sewing day at a local Bingo hall.  It’s a great space with plenty of room for everyone to spread out.  And there is a great Italian restaurant a block away so we had yummy Stromboli for lunch.  I wish I were retired too so I could join the group more than once a year!

I packed three bags…one is my sewing machine and then I have four different projects to work on.   

First, I added borders to the leftover Swoon blocks and brought the backing up to size.  I hope to get this quilted before school starts in a few weeks.    

Then I worked on some HST for the Starry Night for Josh QOV quilt-along.

The tables were a little too low for comfortable cutting, and I didn’t have the correct size ruler and mat,  so I set this project aside.  Sometimes it is just not worth it to “make do” especially when there is new fabric to play with!  I opened a couple jelly rolls and started a new design.  Unfortunately, I did not think ahead more than one step, so I spent some time ripping while making the strip sets!

It was a lovely day, but now I am back to longarm work.  I have another Aviatrix Medallion on the machine and we are expecting summer thunderstorms as remnants of Hurricane Dolores pass by.

Next Up

I have been hopping from project to project this summer.  Here is what received the most attention this week:

 I loaded a customer quilt on the longarm.  I am using a pantograph.  The quilt is Fire Island Hosta by Judy Niemeyer.

I showed the Swoon quilt in my last post about unfinished objects.  I got the borders on it to bring it to the required size for a QOV.

Now I need to finish the back. This is the part I tend to overlook, which really slows down my progress.  I have a stack of quilt tops ready to be finished, but if I don’t have a backing, then the longarm sits idle while I move on to the next piecing project.  Talk about a Catch-22!!  If I get the back ready with the top it will speed up the whole process.  Easy enough in theory, let’s see if I can make it happen consistently.

I am using four leftover Swoon blocks for the back, and I have plenty of yardage in my stash to bring it to size.

I did get the two wall-hangings quilted and they are ready for binding.

I am sure I can find something on TV this afternoon for background noise while I sew!  What are you working on today?

Ravelry UFO Club 2015

I am definitely motivated by a challenge!  For the past few years, I have participated in a group effort to finish those lingering quilt projects that seem to multiply in the closet.  The second-ever quilt that I started back in 2005, the Underground Railroad sampler, is still not finished!  So here is my list for the current Summer quarter:

 I am starting with the Garden Twister and the Riley Blake fabric challenge.  These are small wallhangings, so they will be loaded on the longarm together and hopefully done this weekend.

Next is the Starry Night for Josh QAL hosted by AlyciaQuilts.  This will be a donation for Quilts of Valor.

Last summer I swapped Swoon blocks with other quilters.  I requested patriotic colors so this will be another Quilt of Valor.  It needs some border and finishing.

Here is the rest of my longarm pile: 

Top row includes (L-R) 4-patch Posey, Star Chain, Star Light Star Bright, and 3Ps in a Pod.

Bottom Row (L-R) Grand Illusion, Talent Show Jelly Roll, Mardi Gras Barello, 3D Trees, Mystery QOV, and Square-in-Square QOV

As I get time between customer quilts, I hope to make a dent in this list before school starts.  YIkes…that is in a month!!

On-going projects

I had hoped for more sewing time this vacation, but family outings have taken priority.

i managed to get clue 5 done for the Grand Illusion mystery:

 

We (all of us MQAL followers) are anxiously waiting for Friday morning to see if we will be sewing more units or if it is time to put things together. You can find the mystery details as well as many other patterns and tutorials at Bonnie’s website (www.quiltville.blogspot.com)

In between clues, I have been working on some other UFO’s.  Over the summer I joined a Swoon block exchange. The blocks are in rows and I have a plan for borders, and have even started on the back!

I also finished the December blocks for the Mod Mod QAL.

Both of these are destined for Quilts of Valor.

Summer Projects

 

Two kinds of crafty: quilting and knitting!

Oldest project first…I joined the Game of Thrones knit-along with Jimmy Beans Wool back in May.  The project is a lace shawl, and it was presented as a mystery.  All has been revealed, but I haven’t peeked at any finished projects.  I am on clue 4 of 6.  The yarn is a limited edition Lorna’s Laces called Fire and Blood, to represent the dragons and Daenerys.  I have really learned to read lace charts and my knitting with this project, so I don’t need many stitch markers.  My second project was also a knit-along. (are you sensing a theme?  I am a joiner!!)  A group on Ravelry had a Tops, Tees and Tanks KAL to celebrate the beginning of summer.  I found the pattern Sun Tea, by Laura Aylor, which uses sock yarn.  I had some coordinating blues in my stash, and I needed a plain stockinette project for the long plane rides during our vacation.  I have just passed the body shaping point in the pattern, now it’s about 5 more inches then I will check the length and work on the bottom hem.

Moving into the sewing room, I made my first Swoon block!  Just a couple years past the height of the pattern’s popularity, LOL.  One of the bloggers I follow is having a block exchange.  We all signed up with a specific colorway, and each person makes 2 blocks for each of the other participants.  So I am sewing a variety of these blocks and I will get back enough to make a patriotic quilt!My last swap for the moment is 2-1/2 inch squares.   The quilters group on Ravelry is having a swap so I collected 49 different fabrics.  The next step is to cut the squares.  No, I did not go on a shopping binge…at least, not all at once, I did stock up during some sales, but a lot of these fabrics are things I have purchased over the last couple years and haven’t used yet.  This swap is encouraging me to freshen up my scrap bin.  You can do so many things with small squares!

What projects are you working on this summer?