Great day it is spring

I think we are all afraid of counting on nice weather that we cannot enjoy it when it is here.  Walking Cecil in the morning at 6:30 is nice when I don't have to put on a heavy coat, scarf and brave the wind and cold not to mention the view of newly budding redbud trees, dogwood trees and cherry blossom trees.  Could do without the ubiquitous carolina jasmine hanging from everywhere and in all my struggling azaleas.
This picture is is of a shrub mom called a pearl tree and a rooting was given to her by a dear friend in Farmville.  Mom rooted one for my sister-in-law and for me.  Richard my neighbor and gardening guru trimmed it back last year and this year it is glorious.

The next picture is the whole tree.  It is the first shrub in my yard to bloom in the spring.  I don't count the crazy camellias because you can never tell when they are going to bloom.

I am working on a spring quilt hanging to go in the den.  I got the pattern at the vintage quilt show and decided to make it smaller than the 42 sq inches.  This way I did not have to do all the flowers.  I hope to have it finished by next week.

I am also working on the BOM with sampler blocks.  I like that they are different sizes but I wish I could remember when to cut on one diagonal or two???
The last picture is of some hexie blocks? that I found when I was looking for something else.  I did not make these but I think my grandmother did and by hand.  I will put them together this year. There are 23.

Time to do some more applique.  I am taking my Stitcher's Garden top to Heather Friday to have it quilted.
I can't wait to see what she does with it.
Spring quilting
Sally

Faith restored; spring is here

Being deprived, no not depraved, of something surely makes it more appreciated when it arrives.  Isn't the sun just marvelous.  I know don't remind me this summer that I said that.  It just makes you feel good to see the sun shining and temps in 70's not 90's.  Each day brings something good and bad.  This beautiful weather comes with the passing of C's mom.  She will be missed.
I have finished the final calendar hanging for my neighbor K for April. Here it is.  She likes Pink.

The next two pictures are blocks for the BOM at M E's.  After the second one I have had thoughts about my decision to take on this quilt!!! I learned on the first one that you had to look at the second picture to see how to put the units together.  Silly me put the square in a square together then the dark border with corner stones.  Had to take that apart because cornerstones are part of the unit with dark green and cream.  Oh well.

Those feathery things do not all go the same way!!! I had to take them apart and when they start at triangles from a 1 and 7/8 inch square that is not easy.  If you lose a thread or two yikes!! You will notice I did not show the back.  It is suggested you press the seams connecting the units open which leads to burned fingers.
I do like to see how blocks like this are constructed.  Now to some smaller ones.
Tiny quilting.
Sally

blast from the past

Here is a quilt that I had forgotten I had done.  Well no it wasn't done last week!!! It is around 35 years old.
My friend Margy was having her first of two daughters and I wanted to make a quilt for the baby.  Not knowing anything about quilting I had an idea for doing the alphabet.  Margy let me borrow the quilt for show and tell tonight and it was a "well loved quilt."  I had zigzagged the letters on a background of some kind of material sewn the blocks together and hand yes hand quilted around the letters.  Anyway here it is.

I told her that I would repair it before getting it back to her to send on to her daughter who now has three daughters.
I just started a BOM I signed up for earlier this year.  The blocks are fun but some are so small.  I did two of them yesterday.  I like that you get different sizes in the same month.  I think there are 35 or 36 blocks.  I have to catch up with Feb and Mar packets!!!yikes.

And last but hopefully not least is the donation quilt with Baptist Fan.  I started on bottom right corner but by the time I got to the left bottom there was a struggle between me and the fabric under the machine and the machine usually won.  Not sure how to change that.  I like the process but will have to do a lot more to make it look good.  I did the top in straight vertical lines which was a lot easier.  Have finished the binding and will put on label before guild.

The sun is out and time to sew.
Sunny quilting.
Sally

Garden from ......

Well I have finally finished the top for the "Stitchers Garden" quilt from the block of the month at Mary Ellen's.  Now to figure out how to quilt it.  Oh well.  I really do like the dot border to stop all that riotous color and of course I love the outer border.  I decided to put plain ish borders since the center is soooo busy.  It is too heavy to hang to get a good picture and I could not get back far enough to get the whole top in the picture anyway.

I need to start on the BOM packets I picked up "last week" so I don't get behind.  Don't know what made me start this.  I do really like the quilt though.  Also have to do the last calendar hanging for Karen.  She wanted the egg for April.  I made the umbrella because Easter is not always in april but ...

Have to stop so I can get presentable to go to Rudy's with C and M.

Have sewn all day and am tired.  I quilted the veteran's quilt from last post.  I did Baptist Fan on the bottom and straight vertical lines with the stars.  I have sewn the binding on and hope to get it finished for guild on Thur.

So much for now.

Chilly wet quilting.

Sally

winter quilting

It has been quite a winter and today shows it is not quite over.  I have really enjoyed the few precious beautiful days that encourage us to think Spring is near.  Friday was a special day for going to the Vintage Quilt show at the Kerr Scott building on the fair grounds.  The weather was only outdone by the quality of the quilts shown and the vendors procured for the show.  I think this is my favorite show of the ones I have seen.  It had everything and was so well done.  I really liked that the quilt types were all mixed together.  I can't imagine the coordination it took to get all those up, labeled and listed.  Great work Raleigh Guilds.
And the vendors were so great and so many different ones.  I had to give up after walking and looking and yes buying after four hours.  We went to Tripps to ease the hunger pains before going home.
Great time.
This is my Stitchers Garden quilt center only.  I am going to try to find borders for it today with my color guru Pat with me.  I am so glad to be finished with the "putting blocks together" part.

The next quilt is one I made to practice quilting the baptist fan pattern on before I do it on one for me.

It will be a donation quilt but I want to keep it.  Will have to make another one for me.  So easy and don't you just love a blue border!!!

Well that is all for now.  I have to grab a bite to eat then head out to pick up Pat and pray for temps in the high 30's at least until 10pm.

Spring quilting is on the way.

Sally

Back to quilting

Our December meeting of the guild was a lot of fun and especially exchanging the snowmen blocks we committed to in September.  It was so great that we had all 20 there to exchange and each one was different and just cute.  I can't wait to put them together.  I am missing one but hope to get it soon.

So many different blocks but all really nice.















I have tried to work on the Japanese Fan paper-pieced quilt pattern from Judy Niemeyer by making myself do three units before working on something new.
Here are some of the units I have finished.

And the new quilt blocks with pink and orange batiks is a repeat of the second quilt i made using blue and purple batiks.  I am going to change the border of each of these to be the same instead of top and bottom being different from the sides.

Anyway I love the colors and batik fabrics.

Hope everyone is staying warm.  It is wonderful to have time to quilt again.

Warm quilting.

Sally

New year and more time

It is hard to believe that the last post was November 13 but the last six weeks were a blur.  I am glad to now have time to post because it makes me want to finish some of the projects I had started before the madhouse of December '13 started. 
I just finished the top for the confetti quilt from Augusta Cole.  I am not happy with the directions for the four-patch border and having to sew on strips to make the border fit looks un-pretty. However it is finished and hopefully the quilting will cover up the ugly gussets. I do love all the colorful batiks and want to do more batik quilts. 

 

This is my finished Amish Mystery Quilt.  First time I have appliqued border.

 



I am not being very successful with pictures today so I will just stop.

I want to finish the Japanese Fan quilt I started with Louise Amos in November of 2012 and the Stitcher's Garden BOM I started last January (13) then maybe I can start on something new.  So many patterns so little time.

Hope your New Year brings time for sewing or whatever makes you happy.