Jude's quilt

I have been working steadily to get this quilt top done prior to the start of school.

And I can say I successfully succeeded.

Here first is the pieced part of the back: all 10 inch blocks left over from the solids to put in between that bright cheery print on the right.  This print was all the yardage left over from the quilt store.  I made a baby quilt and  big boy quilt for his brother from it  ( both were backs).  Now just to assemble it in between rows of the print.

It was also the inspiration colors for the appliques I started for him 3 years ago.

These are several of the appliques I have made. 

Since this photo, several are framed in pieced blocks as framing. 

 

And here is the quilt or at least most of it.  It is rather cool and damp outside. There are 2 shades of orange, green, purple, yellow  and 3 of the blues plus a red. It only took 2 additional trips to quilt stores for additional solid colored yardage.  It only took 2 additional trips to quilt stores for yardage to finish. The blocks were easily pieced are are all 2 and a half inch strips. I did not use a pattern. 

Now off to the quilter.  I have a stripe for the binding. 

Machine workout

Deadline is looming: a.k.a. Monday is the start of working at school.

So I have been making my sewing machine run and run and run. 

First I finished quilting this cutie's pink and brown baby quilt. I meandered all over in the cute pink color.  You can kind of see the pattern on the dark brown squares.  I ran it until I had no more thread. Ugh. So I picked up a small spool of Mettler.  I don't use pink often. 

Then I added the large ric rac to the name section, a rod pocket which is the flap at the top and the binding  This is all flannels, with a light batting in between.  

All that is left is the hand stitching. Easy peasy. 

Then I finished almost all the blocks for my grandson's big boy quilt. This is the new design after I canned the transportation applique.  I am not going to throw the 7 blocks out that I so carefully designed, pieced and machine appliqued. But I have decided to make wall hangings for their rooms from them.  Both quilts go with the colors . The 2 brothers  will have the same backing fabric for their big boy beds, which was also Jensen, the little one's back to his baby quilt. Love the bright colors for them. 

Here is the lay out I have a few more easy blocks to piece, then I need to figure out if it is big enough. Right now it is 4 by 5 blocks with each block having a large and small square and 2 rectangles. That unit totals 16 inches; so 64 by  80 total inches. 

The bright orange and red look identical in this photo. Night photos don't do justice. 

I want to have this sent to the quilters by early next week. My issue will be piecing the back.  All I have is one length of 2 yards of the print. My plan is to slit it up the middle and add more solids to that. 

Mini finishes

But I have been on a mission to complete some things prior to going back to school  Aggh. 

One more week and then it is back for teacher's meetings.

Kids come back after Labor Day.

So this was a precut kit I bought online and assembled it a couple weeks ago.

It was quite easy and went together in a afternoon. 

  This week I quilted it and then added the binding. 

 I just stitched in the ditch using a Grunge dot on the back and binding.
I feel like it is a little puffy, but I don't know that I want to add more. 

And now....here is my Kim Diehl mini that was a Quilt a Long with her book Simple Friendships 2.

You can still find the instructions on the Martingale site, but do need the book for block cutting sizes and assembly of individual blocks.  These are all little blocks 3, 4, 5 and 6 inches for the largest one.

Finished size is 17 by 20 ish inches. 

Sometimes I find I am more exact at piecing little blocks. But these are all fabrics in my stash

It is a little wavy after traveling in the car to do the hand stitching. 

Here is the back: I just used a mottled navy backing with lots of straight line quilting.
Many of these lines are 1 inch apart.

We have had a lovely weekend. Saturday, my spouse and I went to the Summerfest grounds in downtown Milwaukee for Irish Fest. Lots of Irish dancing, Irish singing stages and food. 

This is one of my favorites: We Banjo 3 from Galway, Ireland. 

So much fun. We saw them in March and love their songs and their wonderful instrumental skills. 

Not a passive concert at all, lots of dancing, clapping and singing for audience participation.

Sunday we went to and art fair on a lake in Oconomowoc.  I love the setting and all the little booths.

It was nice and cool and a little windy, but nice for August.

The food sales all make money for local organizations. 

Wool

First I have to show the photo of my grandson on his first day of kindergarten. He looks so grown up!

He is attending a school in Louisiana that has requires a "uniform" as well as unified backpacks, lunchboxes and such.  So much for wanting to get him something to start the new year. 

But he has cousins who are in the same K-8 school. 

 Then I have been working on my wool group:

This is my hexie I made for Dee's table mat. I had much more success with the A product that fuses on the back, but is not an adhesive that gets sticky like Heat and Bond or similar products.  That made it so much easier to sew it onto the background. It is an adhesive but like a tight fabric weave. It has letters and numbers something like AK 50  or something. I can't find it at the moment. But it really made the sewing so much easier. I did buy it a JoAnns in the adhesive section on a bolt.

And here it is on the round robin one we are doing for her. As you can see we only have 2 rounds left.

 And then since I had cut out too many squares for the block of the month for guild, I made a second one.

I have been working on my flag quilt, grandson's quilt and my Kim Diehl mini, but they are much different than the last photos. 

Although I did make our new block of the month for guild from last nights meeting.  Love the background which we all were given to unify the blocks at the end. 

Field trip

First I can say I did complete my block of the month for my guild.
And I cut so many I will make a 2nd block as well.

Primitive Gatherings had their warehouse sale.  I haven't had the chance to go in the past and wanted to see what they had on sale. I love Lisa Bongean's taste and follow her blog and store blog.  I am lucky to be in Wisconsin and only have an hour and a half drive.  You can buy online tomorrow as well. Some really good prices.
            

There were some strip bags: precut for minis.  Great for the assortment of fabrics and there were a couple of different prints in the sizes of inch and a quarter and inch and a half.  I loved the solids as well as the reproductions and the lovely prints and different colors. So much easier than having to buy and cut all the fabrics.

        

Then while perusing in line I saw a quilt kit . The pattern is half inch half square triangles. So there was a great background as well. I may not make it as is, but am excited to have the array of colors.

Then my friend and I went to the other quilt store in Appleton, which was expanded so much from the last time I was there last.  I also got a quilt of Kim Diehl fabrics half off.  Yeah, again for the assortment. She has such rich color saturated colors.

August has begun

Well, two big things are crossed off my summer list:

First, my husband has completed the radiation ( Cyber knife treatments) . He is doing well physically and has almost gotten back to eating all his regular foods as he was on a low fiber diet: the purpose was to have better imaging of the lower torso region during the radiation. He has lost some weight, but he has kept very active.

Second, we spent the week packing for my son as he has left the state for Louisiana. We helped him pack up the house with all that goes in it from his wife and kids and himself.  A huge 26 foot Uhaul. The boys and his wife have been down there for a month. All that is left is to clean up the empty house. I already miss them terribly.

The last thing I should do from this past 4 month life changes is to visit my mom in the nursing home. Her Alzheimer's took a toll and she was no longer able to live at home.  I need to get ready to take the 800 mile drive each way to Canada.

So August is here and I need to get to my projects.

My husband and I took a trip to see the Tall Ships in Kenosha, WI.  Fascinating recreations or remodels of old schooners. There were 5 ships to tour: one from Baltimore, 2 from Nova Scotia, One from Milwaukee ( which we have sailed on), and one from Michigan.  Plus there were 2 other small ships for taking short trips on.

 There was food, and music and assorted other things to buy.  But it was a beautiful day to be in the sun and by the water. I envied the little sailing boats whipping around in the bay.  I miss the days when I did.

A little sewing has been done. 

I finally completed the top for Kim Diehl's Mystery: the blocks were from her Simple Friendships 2

book. But the arrangement was the quilt along with separate directions for it. The blocks were all from her ( and Jo Morton)'s book most having at least 2 sizes of blocks. 

These are all small blocks 3, 4, 5 and 6 inches big. 

Finished quilt size: 17½" × 20½"  I have to put on borders and corner stones. 

The directions for the final mini quilt are here. 

It was certainly a lesson on color and a very important seam allowance.