UFOs

 Now that I have my big project off to the quilter, I have started working on a few Unfinished Projects.

The first I have done is a baby quilt. I had the top assembled last August. I just needed to quilt it.  So the layering and quilting began.   The mother was thinking Winnie the Pooh for a girl. 

I selected a Shannon fabric for the back.  It is oh, so cuddly. 

I just quilted in the ditch and then added some parallel lines for the blocks while using my walking foot. I rolled the pink backing onto the front to bind it and top stitched with a zig zag stitch. 

DONE!

Next, I got my mini trees out. It was already layered and prepared to quilt. 

I started by again using my walking foot for both edges of the pieced border. I quilted in the ditch of the blocks across the quilt.  Next step to ditch in the the leaves of the tree in rows. 

And the stage I am at now is quilting free motion feathers around the outer border. 

I had to stop because I ran out of thread. Ugh.   

Before quilting

2 photos of the back showing the quilting.

My husband kindly picked up a new spool of thread for me.  Now to finish the quilting. 

A Flimsy!

 I didn't realize how long ago I had blogged. It has been a busy week sewing and sewing. Which is just perfect for this winter weather.  We are going from winter storm to winter storm. Last week we were to get blizzard conditions and snow.  Schools canceled in the late afternoon on the day before.  When I woke in the morning, there was not even a flake on the ground.  But it did arrive later that morning.  Last night, we had much the same expecting ice and sleet and such.  It looks bleary, and has tiny snow pellets coming down. So far not too slippery. And schools are out again today. 

Here is someone who likes the snow and enjoys all it can bring. I just need to add eyes and a mouth to donate to our Block of the Month for guild. 

And I did get the round on my Stay at Home Round Robin.

But I am behind 3 rounds. Ugh.  What to do?

But my Piece de Resistance!  

My Ocean Waves are together!  All 64 blocks!   I even attached a 6 inch border of the background to the sides and it is already at my most wonderful quilter.   Many hours into putting them together over a couple days. I am so relieved and almost feel anti-climatic about it. My plan it to enter it in the guild's show the first of April for the theme of Triangles.   There are 1664 of them in this quilt. I did utilize Triangles on a Roll.  And I have 4 leftover blocks!  How did THAT happen. 

Here is it draped over my couch. Not enough light or space to display it anywhere else. 

Off to the my longarm quilter!

Winter Quilt Show

 I love getting all kinds of inspiration from a quilt show.  And being the first one of the season, it is such a winter blues breaker.  So many wonderful vendors with tantalizing fabrics and patterns.  My favorite booth though was artsy tunics.  And they were half price; so I modeled them to the people around and got great feedback for which I purchased 2. Loved it. 

And the quilts were inspiring and such a variety:

This Kim Diehl one had great wool applique.

I loved this mini one and am tempted to make it.  Not a pattern, but an inspiration from some blocks all in wool applique.

Gorgeous work of these square in a square blocks turned on point.  It was a group project.  Gee, I wonder who gets to keep it?

Beautiful array of colors and interesting piecing.

Another mini done in medallion style with reproduction type fabrics.

Beautiful rainbow of colors with different piecing. 

And lastly, a Valentine inspiration: 

Happy Valentines Day to you!  

Snowmen without touching snow

 Snowmen making.   I am enjoying the process of making Merry Merry Snowmen with my friend.

Each week we get together, share our fabrics and chat while we assemble a block.  We enjoy each other's company while spurring each other on.  It makes us each accountable and we are making good progress.

It is amazing how long it takes to make the decisions for which fabric goes where.  It seems the decisions take half the time in the process. Then to assemble the pieced background and make the applique follows.  We have chosen to make wool snowmen  and quilting fabric for the rest of the applique. 

Lastly, we each have to do the wool applique as well as noses, and outlines that make it all so sweet.  Nothing like having something to do while watching tv.

Block three: I need to switch a couple of fabrics and do the nose.

Block Four needing the hand stitching

Block Five  Also needing the hand stitching

Round robin and more

 So I did finish my first round before Monday even.   But then my colors were a little unbalanced for me and some of the spools were crooked, meaning facing the wrong way. so I took off 2 sides and resewed them.  Fun right?

I did plan my row for the star round.  And I decided to add star points to make the overall quilt look like a sawtooth star with extra points.

It is now evening and I probably won't finish it tonight. 

So here is the statis: 

I have done sewing all week like a mad hen.  The progress is to say that ALL of my ocean waves blocks are done and it makes me SO happy.   I started putting them together even.  Much easier than I had thought it would be.  Yes!  

Short goals finishing

 I did indeed finish the first round of my Round Robin completing all 20 of the little spool blocks. I will have to confess that I do not like flipped corners. They look great, are easy to make.  But matching up the diagonal seams is difficult no matter how precise I make them. The size is now at 21 inches square.

My favorite handwork finish is a little pillow made from some cross stitch I have been working on. Yeah for a Valentine project.  2 and a half inches by 8 inches. 

More 9 patch blocks  totally 7 blocks.

And more ocean wave blocks. 41 completed blocks.  18 without  the large corners.  and 7 more to assemble.   Lots of progress. But I need to get the top together in 2 weeks.