Big Finish and Mom's Day

 After a whole afternoon's work, I finished the top for my Gooseberry Christmas. 

This was a pattern from Kansas Troubles.  And I followed the coloring according to the pattern, substituting what reds, greens, golds, and backgrounds I had.  I also did not utilize her no piecing method and adapted to actual half square triangles and flying geese. 

Close up of the end and the borders.

Full picture from the middle.   The size is large 78 by 98ish. 

Borders are 2, 3 and 6 inches. 

A different perspective on my design wall, the floor.

Close up for the center piecing with machine applique. 

I am SOOOOOO glad to get it done and off my list. Yeah for another UFO.

I dislike the process of borders and would much rather piece.  And it took many hours to get those last 3 done.  But DONE it is. 

And on another note,  I found this free pattern online by Jessica Marquez for Mother's Day.

This is how the pattern sheet looks

Here is what it looks like after you lay it on the cardstock and punch the holes with a large needle or T pin.The paper is actually a periwinkle blue, my Mother's favorite.

I used all 6 strands of floss and then "stitched" it in a peach, yellow and springy green.

I really like how it turned out.

Off in the mail it went.

More catching up

Gooseberry Patch

I haven't worked on this in a year, I think.

But I got things to work on this weekend.

The cool weather was perfect for sewing inside. 

This block is the center of the quilt and 30 inches in size, which is hard to see from the photo.

There are 5 different Kansas Troubles greens of the 60 leaves which were cut out and as many red berries for the 50 little berries. 

Then I cut 2 of the other blocks adding the very same holly leaves to  6 by 30 inch pieces. 

To finish these pieces, I just ran a small single seam around the edges using my free motion foot.

I really felt that I could not do a successful solid tight zigzag on these weird shapes.

It feels so good to get some things done and make progress on old projects,

Next, I worked with my wool applique and got the last 2 blocks ready of Henrietta's Fall.

This is such an old project. The original pattern was a free block of the month from Bunny Hill.

The date on it is 2011. 

So now I have some hand sewing for car travel over the next weeks.

And in the evenings I have been doing some outline stitches for some bowl fillers.

This is my 2nd one. 

Summer: what a feeling!   

Memorial Day weekend

Finally , a post.

I don't know what has come over me.  But I am sure ready for the end of the school year.  My patience has worn thin with a few of my 10th grade boys.  

But that is what makes it interesting.  We have two, count them 2 weeks left of school. Eight days for me, as I am going to miss the last day for a wedding in North Carolina.

But on to my quilting progress:.  I have had these beauties pieced for a while.  They are the 3rd stage of my Gooseberry patch.  I have applique holly in several parts, another 6 blocks of patchwork,  as well as 2 long rows of flying geese.  I like the progress.

Secondly, here are 30 blocks finished for my smallest grandson.  He is in a big boy bed.  And I still have not finished the one for the other grandson.  So I need to have them both done at the same time to be able to give them together.   These blocks go together quickly.  I did have my Stash Bee make some, too. But I only have 4 of them so far. Lots of progress from the original 4 blocks I posted at the beginning of the month. 

And the best part of the weekend was the birthday dinner for this four year old.

March forward

March : a new month;  so what is there to look forward to and plan. Spring is just around the corner.

A)  My guild has its quilt show next weekend. So if you want to see some beautiful quilts and vendors come to Mukwonago Crazy Quilter show at the middle school on the main through street of town. In Wisconsin, that is.  I have been going for almost 30 years and it is my favorite local show, even before I became a member.

B)  Easter is at the end of this month.  And that means a break from school!  Yeah!  Plus HB and are  going away.  Where? I don't know yet.  But away from yucky winter weather.

C )  Goals:  I have made the Stash Bee block.  Check!



My string blocks: I just took the purple apart to realign and restitch.  And light green is the color for Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Plus I need to add the black and white to my light blues and sew them together.





Gooseberry patch  next block section ( 4 completed for February so far)



Covered in Love:  Hunters star: pieced with half square triangles for March and April in blues.
http://katandcatquilts.blogspot.com/2018/02/new-covered-in-love-block-drive.html  Here is the link of you might be interested.
One          Two  

Row by Row:  ( March and due mid April.)  This is the most challenging  row of all. in my group.  The details and preceding rows are so incredible. I think I have a plan for a train station and old train.




Transportation quilt for my grandson!  A must!



So many ideas, so many UFOs.   And how many can I work on?

Gooseberry patch start

My BOM 

Gooseberry Patch by Kansas Troubles.

I purchased a few more fabrics as I needed the gold color for my center block.  And after I found 3 half yards, I located a pack of a 12 fat quarters on sale for 24 dollars.  I couldn't pass it up.

It is hard to see the colors  2 reds, 3 greens, 2 browns, a blue and a purple. Good variety to add to my collection.

I have always liked the Goose in a pond block, and in this wall hanging  I will get to make several.

Here is a fuzzy close up of one block.  

And here are the 2 that are made.  Two more are cut up and mostly ready to go. 

And that is my BOM for January; I am a little behind. But I can still get it done for Christmas

First finish of the year

I spent the evening last night under blankets, notice the plural.  My husband and I ate pizza and watched a movie.  No way was I going out in that cold again.  I had hoped to see my girls' basketball team play at home against a local team. ( They are state ranked again this year.)  

So I had sewn the binding on this table runner and it needed the hand sewing on the back.  It did take the duration of the movie. This was a panel that all I had to do was sew the 3 pieces together. Easy peasy. I did machine quilt it with a clear thread on the top. The back and binding are coordinating fabrics all from Patrick Lose which I purchased from Shabby Fabrics on sale. Love the bright vivid colors.

First Christmas present done for next year. Hooray!

Next up: Here are the 30s fabrics that I am cutting into strips one night last week. Underneath is my rotating cutting board. It has ball bearings that make it so easy to turn and a ledge to keep the cutting board on it. 

This is what I am going to do as a block of the month. Jo's Country Junction is having a BOM link up on Saturdays.  Here 

I am subdividing the different blocks into monthly projects and hope to get it done by midsummer to assemble and finish it then. I have wanted to have a Christmas quilt and have neglected doing it as I make projects for others, instead. 

I received the pattern booklet in the mail this week, but left it in my computer bag at work where I opened it. It is one of the latest Kansas Troubles's patterns. And of course, I have a bag of fabrics from her lines to pull from and hopefully not buy more fabric. I do think I will need a background, maybe.