New quilting design

I ventured forth and tried a new quilting design.  The are basically 4  "S" curves back and forth, with a swirl at the end of 4, and then taking off in a new direction - something like a large McTavishing, (IMHO).  But as soon as I tried these, my hands just kept curving, swirling, filling in gaps, making "S" curves - they were not hard, and  watching it on YouTube made it do-able.  8-)   The thread is a light variegated King Tut that works well on my machine.  This quilt is 70" x 80", not a small quilt, and the backing is again, made up of 10 inch squares from stash.  

This Hourglass quilt should be completed in a few days.  I'm working on the border quilting.  

Warm days in western Nebraska have been filled with yard work, except for a brief return of winter and snow, now gone.  I do NOT overdo!  Also, one little screech owl is in our tree almost every day.  No owlets yet, but I presume there is a nest nearby.  

Basting, heavy clamps, blizzard, camera repair

Whew - what a title!

Backing

Another backing planned with 10 inch squares - this uses almost 6 yds. of perfectly good fabric!  This backing takes about 2-3 hours to make, especially if the squares are cut already, something I do frequently with bits and pieces.  Also, remember these 10 1/2 inch squares are pretty close to Layer Cakes that cost a LOT!!!

Basting the Quilt 

The day was beautiful in western Nebraska.  I swept out the garage, then set up my 2 tables, put on the extension legs all in about 5 minutes.  Basting takes longer, but DH helped me and I even had large pins for him to help baste.  It was a nice time, together.  I use pins and spray, if I have it.

I tried using these heavy clamps on the ends and sides of the backing to hold the backing tight/taut. Each time I baste a quilt I try something different, with various results.  Since a quilt is frequently longer and wider than the tables, it's not easy to find clamps that will work on the edges of tables.  HOWEVER, THIS WORKED VERY WELL!  It was their weight, hanging on the backing that did the job - these are expensive, but the principal is good - any kind will do if they are heavy enough.   The small didn't work - not heavy enough, but the 2 larges sizes were great.  I can barely open the biggest ones -- they are tough!!!,  but they only have to clip onto the backing and their own weight does the job. I put 3 on a side.  

Here is the blizzard the day AFTER I basted the quilt - good grief - glad I didn't wait.

Camera fixed

Last thing, my camera quit for some odd reason.  It wasn't cheap in 2006, and I dread learning how to stumble through MORE techie stuff with a new camera, downloading, etc.  The camera repair place that I was bragging about a year ago, no longer fixes this version.  So, coming from a family of "fixers", I spent hours on the Internet today, searching for "fixes" and voila!!!!  We fixed it with alcohol, and wiping contact areas clean.  Easy-Peazy!  Happy Day!!!

Quilt Show Planning

Guess what committee I am on for the Annual Quilt Show?

I was asked to play around and maybe come up with some ideas.  It's just a start, but I LOVE the little blocks in the center (2 in. finished) - now THAT (IMHO) is what a Quilt Show Ribbon should include!

"ENUF!" is DONE, and a spring visitor

Look who is back!  Or, at least one of the family.  We had given up on them, decided we'd go back to feeding the birds who have left our yard due to owls, then we had a squirrel deterrent BUILT, bought bird feed, and, the very next day .... this guy appeared.  Same tree, he stayed the whole day and left at dusk, and had returned the next morning.  Oh well, most likely, no birds this summer.

Below is the back of "ENUF!", using 10 1/2 in. (raw) squares of stash (Jackie Robinson, Strip and Slash).  This backing makes nice work of stash reduction.

All quilting is on my domestic sewing machine.  3026 pieces on the front, size is about 54" x 68."   The squares finish at 1 1/4 in.  I used almost anything very light, or very dark, with a few non-conforming extras for "twinkle."  Thanks Ms. Jackie Robinson!!!  This is the second quilt I've made using her method.

Donation quilt, spring, and ENUF!

This has been our local project for a few months - to be donated to a church who is trying to install Air Conditioning in their gym.  This gym is where our Guild holds it's annual Quilt Show and we ROAST in that gym in July.  We are hoping this quilt could be raffled by the church to add to the church's air conditioning fund!  The pattern is "Eli's Wheel" found at Moda Bake Shop, and we named the quilt "Sandhills Sunrise" (or Sunset?)"  Can't remember - you know, Senior Citizen and all.  We hand sewed the binding down at a friend's house yesterday.  Anita (anita@prairiecreations.net) did the beautiful long-arm quilting.

  I was checking the front garden, and under the mulch lump I found this!  Yeahhhh!

Below is the beginning of Snow on the Mountain, that returns every year.  It only grows on the North side of the house, fills in solid so weeds don't grow, pulls up easily in the fall, and faithfully returns in the spring.  

And here is just a beginning of green (trust me!),  lilies from a friend in Illinois.  This is along our back fence, adjoining the alley, so it has to be tough!!  Hope it makes it - ground is very poor, although I gave it some extra good soil and fertilizer.

I had a burst of energy today - and broke up the "ice jam" that always accumulates.  It's usually a small skating pond, treacherous when not expecting ice under snow.  Hard work, DONE!


Then I cleaned the garage -- where did my energy come from????  Pulled out the cars, opened doors so the puddles dried, swept up clods of mud, leaves, debris from snow accumulation, threw a few items in the trash, and set up my tables to baste this latest quilt, "ENUF".  Temps were close to 70 today, sunny, birds singing.  8-)))

Enuf! Progress on Split 9-Patch

This top is finally together -- I was getting tired  - so many little pieces, and have named it "ENUF!"  There are well over 3000 pieces, and for so many pieces, you'd think it huge, but NO, it's about 51"x 74" -- a lotta work for a small quilt!  It's from Jackie Robinson and she calls it Strip and Slash.  

Getting those chevrons to "close" at the top and bottom took extra thought and planning.  There are also a few almost-quarter-square-triangle blocks at the top and bottom inside and outside points.  That took planning!  I would not have thought of it if Kathy G., a new quilt member, had not made that suggestion!  Then it needed more lights around the chevrons so I made MORE lights, then the border needed more lights, so I made MORE!  Now I've called it DONE, and stay-stitched around the edges to hold them in place while wrangling the quilting - to be started soon.

Our snow is almost gone from most places and the last few days were so warm, there are puddles, messes, mud everywhere.  I wanted to get to my favorite quilt shop  to purchase backing, but my LQS is waaaaaay out in the country, on gravel roads.  Traveling those roads in this weather is for fools only so I forced myself to "make do", and stayed home.  I'm relieved that conditions made me stay home and use what I had!  There's good in everything, isn't there?

I've been cutting extra fabric into 10 1/2 in. squares (below) and occasionally use the squares for a backing.  I already had over 150 pieces of 10 1/2 in. squares -- time to stay home and make the back from what I already have.  I pulled out the blues, lights and mediums, pressed them and laid them all out in one direction; i.e. all cross grain in my case.  I needed 6 x 8, (= 60" x 80") or 48 squares.

Then I made a quick drawing (below) of my diagonal plan, counted how many squares of each color would be needed. I most cases I had enough of each fabric, but added some that were close in value.  After all, this IS patchwork!!  If I had needed an uneven number of squares across and down, wouldn't it look great as Trip Around the World???
 


Here is it, laid out on my design floor.  This sews together FAST, if I stack each row, put a pin pointing either right or left on the top square, take them all to the sewing machine and just get sewing, pressing the seams either right or left for speed.  Whew!  Dreaded basting is next  (my least favorite quilting job).

You might consider using some of YOUR stash for the backs.  Getting the fabric cut into a usable size is the first hurdle.  I tried using chunks for the back, but somehow, it just was NOT attractive, or balanced and I cut them into squares instead.  This backing idea came from Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com, and I've made 4-5 like this.  Thanks Bonnie!