Lilly's Garden Quilt Grows White Wisteria

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!  For Thanksgiving I seem to have picked up a bug, after days of just feeling bla with my bones aching, the fevers where actually somewhat of a relief.  Don't bother worrying, I felt better enough today to work in the sewing room.  Right I bet you gals know exactly how much better that makes me.  LOL!

White Wisteria and Fairy Ring Applique 

I affixed all of the Calla Lilies, and changed the toadstools into more of a fairy ring shape and then I added a branch of White Wisteria.  The angle of the new branch allowed me to lengthen a couple of the distant purple Wisteria and it you look you can see there is a bit of a graduation line between the white the purple and then the pink.  My next step will be to applique this and then I can start working on filling up that second side of this border and getting on to the remaining 2 borders.

Oh and I have learned a trick to cutting the Wisteria leaves.  Now that I have a solid grasp on how the grow I can rough sketch one on the Steam-a-Seam (2).  Carefully cutting the first branch out I can then rough in the next branch using the spaces of scrap bits to draw in the first side of leaves, then the branch is drawn and the second side of leaves drawn to match.  It goes more quickly this way and my scraps are even smaller than before.

Lilly's Garden Quilt Races to be a Flismy

Lilly's Garden Quilt Flimsy
nearly finished

Lilly's Garden Quilt is really coming along.  As I mentioned it was delivered yesterday (along with some glowing compliments on what I've done so far.    I have run working on it ever since.  I worked on it yesterday until about 15 minutes to midnight, before it let me have my peace to call it a night.

DH took the pictures and this image on the left which I thought was perfect, he cut off the bottom. Then the one on the bottom he cut off the sides, but we'll let him squeak by about it this time.

Lilly's Garden Quilt Flimsy Second View

Right now I'm thinking a slender branch of Wisteria coming off the end of the branch and into the background space a bit more is in order, as well as the big calla all the way on the bottom right, I have quilt a long stem for that which I didn't cut off.  I'll plan to run that up a bit more to make it taller.  What else do you see?  Any thoughts?  Now if you're wondering where this is going I've added a thumbnail of the quilt at the bottom so you can see.  I need to add a long strip of the dark blue to each side.  Then around that will be the piano key boarder that I've been looking forward to (with occasional dread) and it will be all ready for quilting.

Lilly's Garden Quilt
Mock Up

Black Friday Double Check Confirmed

It seems the old adage that I grew up with; Sears will make things right still rings true.  They sent a email to DH, apologizing for the issues with the doorbuster tv we purchased Sunday during their Member's only Black Friday preview sale.  They made it right in such a way that we were able to pick a tv which better suited our needs within our shoe string budget, and DH brought it home and set it up today.  DD loves her coat, DH is glad he doesn't have to face a 2 am cold closed store on Friday morning, so now everyone is happy.  

I'm especially happy and it has nothing to do with Black Friday at all!  I now have my hands on the center for Lilly's Garden Quilt, and I've been up most - oh I see - all of the night working on it.  It now measures a glorious 56" x 88", look for an update very soon when I spread it out and photograph it.

Serger Lace

Did you know you can use a Serger to make lace?  I was looking for information on tension adjustment and discovered it.  Unlike a blanket edge or a hem that goes around and around, this little dress on DD's AG Kailey Doll is actually a dog dress so there was some stopping turning and heading back. I really like the design though.  I think my thread stash needs to swell a bit to include these heavier threads so I can do it more often.  Don't you agree?

Today is the Great American Teach-In.  My theme is What Makes You, You?  I have sheets of paper cut into squares which each child can draw whatever they like.  Ideally they will all have colored pencils so the medium at least will be the same, but if not then when I scan them in I'll just have to hope I can color adjust the tones evenly.  This will be a custom printed panel as I did when DD was in VPK.  Wish me luck!

CQAL November Evening

 A Day's Worth of Pot Holders

I wanted to make pot mitts and so I did.  I took the free Hoffman Pattern I have listed on my sidebar and tweaked it a bit.  Personally I found the mid-line pocked to be to small and knew I wouldn't like it.  So instead I went with the pocket you can see on the upper right pot holder.  The patter also called for two pieces of fabric folded in half for the part over your hand, that seemed skippy and you never know when the oven timer is going off and you might try to grab something out of the oven with the pot holder on upside down - can you hear the voice of experience?  So I stuck all the heat resistant batting in there that I could as well.

These are quilt thick with two layers of fabric plus two layers of batting in each side, so I shoved the tops through the serger before I added the binding.  Can you tell I ran out of the blue binding?  I think the red looks nice though.  I was planning on giving these as pairs which would mean one person would get a red and a blue.  What do you think about that?   Or should I share the love and give them as singles?   

Currently I'm trying to think of what to attach to the top so these can hang?  DH just got home and when I told him my concerns about the pretty little bows touching 350 degree metal, he said they would be ruined.  So what can I use that my little trees can hag up?  

I hope you had a good day sewing.  I spent some time shopping the preview ads for Black Friday.  I wont be venturing out, but I bet I can find a loyal husband who will do it for me...

CQAL: November Morning

Good Morning Everyone!  I have so many things that need doing, I wont begin to list them.  Though I will say I'm sorely tempted to just chuck everything out the door for the day and work on some Christmas Tree Pot Mitts.

I'm moving slower than normal because of an injury to my right hand, night before last and things like writing and holding a needle are painful.   I even found folding a load of laundry and tidying up the breakfast dishes a challenge this morning.  But no matter, it's Christmas Quilt-a-long Day and our Queen Bee Hostess Superb Sue at Quilt Times is in charge today.  How about we all send her cookies and milk and beg her use her influence with Mr. Fit It Santa to up our Santa Claus gifts this year.  After all we've been very good quilters haven't we?

Connecting Threads Wist List Giveaway

Yes they are at it again, the Connecting Threads Christmas Wish List Giveaway.  You should go and enter.  Even if you've just been eyeballing a new cutting mat, or would adore an entirely new studio.  Keep in mind the winner gets a $50 gift card, and who couldn't use a little of that this Christmas?

Want to peak at my wist list?  Well here it is.  Just keep in mind that I had a hard time restraining myself.  I'm actually very interested in their laminated fabrics as I recently decided that my Grandmother's Sunbeam Mixer should live on my kitchen counter.  The cover is an old 1970's sad quilted laminate.  I'm sure you'd know the pattern.  Yellow, and Orange with Garlic on it.  Personally I'd like to remake it with their Pitter Patter Laminate.  Then there could be fluffy cloud curtains for the window - and oh I could tie in their Mirage  Patriot Blue...  Wouldn't that be wonderful?

October's NewFO's

Time to wrap up October.  This group isn't about finishing anything.  It's about starting new projects.  Though I do like to tack a finish or two into each month so my studio doesn't end up flooded with UFO's.  Thanks to our generous hostess Barbara at Cat Patches you can win a quilter's pin for listing the projects you started this month along with us.

Firstly the dog dresses.  I made 20 in October, I became enamored with the concept of making 27, like the movie with Katherine Heigl, though obviously different.  While I didn't make it to 27, I do have a new customer that I will begin making dog dresses for her two dogs this month, so I am very excited about that.  New to my collection this month is a serger which so far seems to be a big help to my sewing.

I also made a diaper stacker for my new niece who was born at the end of October.  According to her mom it's prettier in person, with lots of glitter.  Can you tell her theme is butterflies?

I also made quilter's pincushions, which I gave away when I was hostess for this months CQAL.  Both of my winners have already received their cushions in the mail so I'm sure they've been stabbing them as they deem appropriate.  I also made one for me, but I haven't started using it yet.  I need to add Velcro so it can sew around on my midarm when I quilt.

Last but not least, while I'm sure many of you made your children's Halloween Costumes, or perhaps you did in the past, DD picked a store bought one this year.  I happily added a little black pocket for her to keep her Vampire Fangs in when not in use.  DD's favorite holiday is Halloween, so I spent some time shopping this month for a future NewFO buying fabrics for a Halloween Quilt for her.  Only the prettiest most friendly fabrics will do as I'm certain you understand.

I hope everyone had a safe Halloween!

Lonestar Nov. Dinner

Scrolls Passing the Tiny Test

Well now, how was your afternoon?  Tiny joined me after lunch.  I took that as a good omen, after all if she likes it enough to sleep on it, surely it passes the Tiny test?

Tiny said my struggles didn't matter,
and who cares if she's in the way?

Anyway I don't think I've given my fingers this much of a workout in a long time.  About halfway through the first corner I wondered if the two Fabrico markers I purchased could handle this entire job, and now with half of the scrolls done I'm certain I need to buy at least two more.  One for each of the remaining corners, and perhaps one for touching them up.  It was odd using them, the first one did an entire corner with some breaks.  But the second one seemed to star out with less ink and the wide end make a different color ink in the beginning?  More greenish than brown?  At the end of both corners I felt like I was struggling to lay down enough dye to make it through the pattern.

All the same that's HALFWAY!  Wow, who would have guessed?  Yippie!  When these scrolls are completed my Lone Star flismy top will be completed and ready to quilt...

A Lonestar Nap

For now both Tiny and I are calling it a day.

Lonestar November Afternoon Check-In.

Hello again!  Has everyone been busy so far?  I am finding I'm making faster progress than I had expected.  That's good for you as it means I have something to show!

First thing this morning I got down to the nitty gritty of my curved ends.  Some of these didn't print with the smoothest of curves and I wanted to refine that before I started cutting out the template.  Cutting the template was fine but my goodness it's delicate, and with all those hooks on the ends of the curves it wants to catch on itself.

Tracing the template is working out fairly well.  I've found I need to trace one side of the line and extrapolate the second curve and that seems to be working better than just tracing both sides, the curves transition more smoothly when I offset them without the template.

So far I've learned it's good to keep a wet edge on the Fabrico ink line, working from your last marked edge outwards.  That makes a nicer mark.  Not much else to add.  The part in the pictures is all I have done.  My white marking pen makes really nice lines but they wear off if left to long so after I'm done with these scrolls I'll be working up this side of first corner with more tracing.  It's a process, but one I hope will be worth it.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No it's Lonestar Quilt-a-Long Day!

Good Morning!  How are you today?  Autumn has finally started showing her face around here, and the mornings are nippy.  I like that actually.  It makes me more inclined to do a bit of baking or do a bit of quilting.  I actually will be doing none of those things, at least not by normal quilting standards.  Last night DH and I printed many pages of my scrolling border and taped them all together.  Yes, I know I said that I was going to have it printed and I was but then I forgot, so just as well do it this way.

Today I plan to go through and thicken up the lighter scrolling areas before starting to cut this out.  Then I'll use it as a template and trace around it onto my Lonestar.  Once the tracing is done for the first corner I can start using my Fabrico markers to fill in the scrolls.  Are you up to anything today?