Going Dotty is DONE!!

And isn’t she beautiful?

And besides that I got caught up on the Bunny Hill Snowbound blocks (sans embroidery).

and the Jelly Roll Sampler blocks.

Not bad considering that the new blocks come out tomorrow and/or next week.

I was so excited about getting so much done that I made what could have been a fatal mistake.

I have never done that before. When I found it I flashed back to old movies and cartoons of scorched shirts. However, it is in the middle of my pressing mat so I will be reminded every time I go to use the iron

I’ll be back Monday with my new design wall. I am already working on my current UFO, planning my new project and have the fabric set aside for the new comfort quilt. Finishing something always gives me a burst of energy so I am busy, busy, busy.

We Had Rain Today

This has been a very funny summer. Rain has come to AL several times but for some reason, almost all the rain has blown around us. But thanks to TS Bonnie, we got rain. And it came just after our DSIL mowed our yard. And, not only that but it lowered the temp, from 96F to 89F. That may not seem significant but believe me, it is.

Now, as to quilting. After putting so much time into Going Dotty, I decided to take a little break and attempt to catch up on some BOMs. I did get two Jelly Roll Sampler blocks done

Block 9

Block 10

And have one more prepped for sewing.

I also made the swap block for guild that is not due until next month.

Yesterday I made the label for Going Dotty.

And today I did the machine sewing of the binding on.

You’ll see that I decided to use the scrappy binding after all. I really wanted to use the backing fabric but when I had them side by side (see last post) I really liked the scrappy look best. Now all I have to do is the hand stitching and Dotty will be complete, hopefully sometime this week.

Be sure to check out Judy's blog to see what other quilters are doing.

What Fun

The first fun was when our puppy found a partially grown kitten. And just like the cartoons, as Abby charged forward (only wanting to play, I’m sure) the kitten swiftly climbed a tree. Here we see her up in the tree.

And here she is telling me to go away so she could figure out how to get down.

When I went out an hour later the kitten was gone and we have not seen her since.

And the second fun? I finished quilting Going Dotty!

Here it is coming off the frame.

And out in the sun.

And showing the backing.

And here are my two binding choices.

And last: I learned that I tend to bend my wrist and a funny angle as I am guiding for the panto. In order to correct this (as it was causing pain) I put this brace on. It keeps me from bending my wrist at all and I finished up the quilting pain free. Learning that was fun, too.

Quilts: Future and Current

My design wall has not changed at all.

But I have come up with this quilt design for those blocks.

This little quilt is next up in the UFO list. I haven’t figured out the cutting directions yet, I am hoping that EQ will guide me.

But before the rotary cutter gets going, this is what I am working on….

I have Going Dotty on the frame.

She is half quilted but I had to take a break.

Now, here is the question of the week. I have already made a scrappy binding from leftover quilt fabric. However I really like the look of this backing as possibly the binding. What do you think?

After you figure that out, check out the other design walls on Judy's blog.

The first thing I have to do is thank Mary at http://blog.maryquilts.com/. Mary told me how she quilts Baptist Fans, freehand. I have to say it took me quite awhile to understand what she was telling me but on Monday I had a “light bulb” moment.

And so I began to quilt.

I did mark each row in 2” increments, just to help keep me on track.

And I quilted some more.

Do you see a problem there? See the wiggle in my fan? It shows up at the same place on every row and I have decided it is a scar on the rail somewhere. I will be calling HQ next week to see what can be done.

However I kept quilting and finally got it done on Tuesday.

Wednesday found me gearing up to begin a new Weight Watcher’s meeting. I had agreed to one and while I was stocking for that group I was asked if I would take on a second group. So home I came with lots of literature, paperwork and WW products. I start the first group tomorrow: it is 30 miles from home. The second group will be starting next Thursday: it is 75 miles away. I am wondering if I have cracked up. But I did tell DH that I will have to give up doing any housework in order to have time for my WW classes/paperwork and sewing/quilting time.

Anyway, this morning I sewed the binding on D9P#6 and he is finished.

And see how good he looks relaxing on the hammock.

Have a great weekend!

Do’s, Don’ts, and Maybe’s

I finally got backings done for two quilt tops. And I got one loaded.

Can you see what is wrong with this picture? No, not the wrinkles in the backing, those will come out when I roll it back and forth.

Somehow, probably because I was so excited to be finally getting something done and on the frame, I forgot to put the backing on right, under the second bar.

Here is the quilt, backing/batting/top, on correctly. Can you see the difference? It is amazing how much of a difference that one bar makes.

I didn’t do any quilting after I got it on the frame, saving it for today. I did work on valance restructuring a too large t-shirt (didn’t want to give it away) and put these blocks back up on the design wall.

They are the leftovers from a BOM (2005, I think). I used 7 of them for the valance in my bedroom and these three have been languishing on the UFO shelf for, oh my, 5 years. I have only been quilting for 10 years. Anyway, the fabric in front of the wall is what I plan to use to complete a lap quilt. The blocks are 15” and I think I may have to do pieced sashing and maybe even a border to match. One of my “jobs” for today is to play with EQ7 to see if I can come up with something I like.

See, I always have big plans for my days…….not so good on the follow through.

Hurray for the 4th of July

If you are only looking for Design Wall Monday, skip to the end. Otherwise here is my story:

21 years ago I moved to FL where I started working on our retirement home. Within a week I decided that the two trees in our backyard were perfect for a hammock. For 17 years I spent lots of time outside, resting and reading on that hammock. Then 4 years ago we retired and decided that there were too many hurricanes in FL so we stayed in AL. Well, last week I suddenly realized that I missed my hammock (didn’t bring it because it really looked terrible after 17 years out in the weather). So Thursday, off we went hammock hunting and found a great one. Back home, while DH made dinner, I put the stand and hammock together and

then I decided to try it out.

Now I already knew it would stretch and would need to be readjusted several times but this was more than I expected. And I was laughing so hard that I couldn’t even stop DH when he ran for the camera. Saturday I sat, redid the chains, sat, redid the chains, and sat and redid the chains until I finally got it up and ready to go.

Then I spent a couple of hours enjoying the fruits of my labor.

This is what I love to walk out to. Isn’t it beautiful?

Now, on the quilting front, I won a giveaway Sandra Henderson and my winnings came this week.

The author is Cherri House and the quilts are all very geometric and made with solids. My first impression was that her quilts are very different from what I do but as I continued to check the book out I realized that this just might be my next challenge. Thanks again Sandra.

Yes, this is the finished baby quilt top. And I even have the backing done. I have two other tops that need backs and quilting and I really want to get them done first so for the next day or so, all my sewing will be making backs, bindings, and sizing batting. I have got to get quilts on the frame or I am going to be one of those people who has stacks of tops and no quilts.

But before that I think I will go outside, lie down on my hammock, and read a while.