Just Plain Nuts!

Better known as what a woman of a certain age does with herself at 2 am.

This is a 6 1/2" unfinished block.

It is one of my favorites from Liz Lois's book,

Just Plain Nuts.

My enabler, Debbie, sold me on the idea of returning to my first love, 

small scale piecing.

There have been requests at The Olde World Quilt Shoppe for a class on piecing miniatures.  Do you think I will find some other thoroughly insane quilters to join us in this venture?

I also finally put the binding on my daughters modern nine patch quilt, so I can take another WIP off the list.  Phew, just in time! Always have to finish something before I add another project to the list.

Fall Decor, finishes and...

YES, a new project.

My version of Kim Diehl's 'A Delightful Pairing' as seen in

American Patchwork & Quilting

December 2013

I actually tried my hand at machine applique with this project.  It went fast and looks pretty good, so I might use it more often since there are just too many quilts I want to make and I cannot do them all by hand.

I have so enjoyed seeing everyone in blogland decorating for what seems is a universally favorite season, Fall.  So here is a peek of a few of the fall quilts that adorn my home.

These wool pumpkins, a pattern by Little Bits by Joan, cheer up my hall tree stand.

My original pattern, Autumn's Bounty, looks perfect on our kitchen table.

The following two embroidery projects were so generously gifted me in 2011 by my friend, Debbie. I finally finished them both, although O' Pumpkin Tree is patiently awaiting its prim frame that my hubbie is making for me. As soon as he finishes with it, it will hang in a special place in my sewing room. Debbie did the handwork and all I did was the quilting.

I am making progress on both my applique WIPs.

Here is my progress on Snowbound by Pat Wys.

And,

another block for Le Jardin, by Bunnyhill.

I am trying to get one block completed a month.

Last week, my mom came to visit for a landmark birthday.

I turned the big 60!  It was a lovely visit and my DD gave me a great party.

They went home today and now I am celebrating by sequestering myself in my sewing room

...my idea of a good day! 

Snowbound and a new fusible...

Thanks to the US Open Tennis tournament to watch on TV and a new fusible web,

Floriani Appli-Kay Wonder,
I have made good progress on the last block for my Snowbound quilt top.

The Appli-Kay Wonder was recommended to me when I complained that Steam A Seam Lite 2 was not available.  Here are my unsolicited thoughts:

 I love the fact that the protection paper does not slip and slide, and I can immediately tell which surface to trace my design on!  This helps prevent gummy iron as well...the adhesive does not peek outside the lines!

It is somewhat more expensive, but this can be offset by the fact that I can save all the little pieces to use elsewhere.  When I use SAS Lite 2, I frequently have to throw small scraps away since they separate and the adhesive gets ruined. 

 Very easy to stitch through by hand and my needle did not gum up.  Since I do not machine applique, I don't know how it performs there.

The roll I ordered is limited in size, but I did not investigate other options.  It is somewhat heavier, so you would definitely want to cut out excess on large applique shapes!
  The pressure sensitive side really keeps pieces from moving, but is still easy to re-position.
The one downside is it does not adhere to wool very well.  It is essential to iron it from both sides using a dry iron, just like the instructions say; but the wool still lifts up on the edges, especially at points.  Since the web is heavier and opaque, you can see it under the wool pieces when looking at them from the side.  Therefore, a blanket stitch is essential for hiding this.
I think the product is superior for raw edge cotton applique and has a lot of positives over the SAS Lite 2.  I'll use it for my wool applique, but never for a project using a simple primitive stab stitch.
Honestly, both products have their positive and negatives, so I will use whichever one I have on hand with a slight preference towards the Appli-Kay Wonder when doing raw edge cotton applique.

If anyone else has used this product on wool, do you have any suggestions on how to get it to adhere better?

Le Jardin and an updated WIP list

I hit a small setback with Snowbound in that Steam-a-Seam Lite 2, the product I use to adhere my wool applique, has still not arrived at the shoppe.  It has been on back order forever, it seems.

So, while perusing my blog list, I came upon Wendy's post over at Snippets of a Quilter.  She is on her second block of Le Jardin, by Bunny Hill Designs.  And I am embarrassed to say, I purchased all the French General fabrics and got started on the very same quilt quite a few years ago. I only got as far as the first block...something about all those pointy leaves! Or maybe it was another 'cannot pass up' project that diverted my attention.  Seeing her block motivated me to get mine out.  I have added it to my WIP list and since I cannot work on my highest priorities, I decided to at least finish this block up and then I will be prepared to make it my next applique project.  

Unfortunately, my WIP list is just as long as it was at the beginning of the year due to the fact that just as many projects have been added as were finished.  It is a common trait among many of the quilters I know and bloggers I follow. Oh, well, I will just keep plodding along. I have to admit though, only the newest projects on that list have made it to completion...sigh.  I should keep a list of completed quilts, so I can see what I have accomplished and stop focusing on what I have not finished!

On the positive side, It's a Grand Old Flag is a flimsy in the queue for the quilter and I have Izzy's I Spy quilt basted and ready to quilt myself...simple stitch in the ditch.  So I am making progress, no matter how slow and convoluted it is. It is quite miserable here, hot and humid, so I expect I will be getting a lot more done this next month and will make some headway on that updated WIP list. 

A Little Something is Better than Nothing!

I have been doing a little hand work here and there.

Two more blocks of Snowbound by Pat Wys are just short a few stitches on the wool, but the hand applique is done.  I had hoped to have all four center blocks done before leaving Colorado this weekend, but 3 out of 4 is not bad!

So, to answer my question from the last post...how to care for your wool and cotton combo quilts.  I decided to go to the source and emailed Primitive Gatherings and asked them.  They were gracious enough to answer my email and here is what Jessica had to say...

" I will usually use a lint roller, and then use a steamer from the back side.  That will get a lot of the allergine out of it, and the dust.  You can also put it in the dryer with one of those Dryel sheets that they have in the laundry aisle.  Just don't put it on a high heat.  Lastly you could take it to a dry cleaners, the customer just really has to be firm that it can not be washed in any way in hot water.  I have had a customer that did that with her dry cleaner and they ruined the quilt.  Any time it is out of my hands I am always leary of having someone do it."

She also recommended that I google the question.  I did and dry cleaning was recommended.  Since my mother never dry cleaned anything, claiming hand washing was just as good, I will just do what I always do...a gentle cool bath and air dry. I will let you all know how it works out.

During these last few days in the mountains, I hope to do a little machine work and finish up those sunshine blocks.  PFH will, I said WILL, get to the flimsy state before the end of the year...I hope.

It's a Grand Old Flag!

by 

Geoff's Mom. 

My progress this week.

So, I have a question for you all.

How do you care for your cotton and wool quilts?

This is the first quilt top I have worked on that has both wool and cotton applique.  I use the P3 method of applique prep, so my quilt top has starch and glue in it.  I usually soak it in a cold bath after I am done to dilute and disperse the glue and starch...I know it doesn't all come out.  I am hesitant to put this puppy in the bath.  I would appreciate any input I can get!  Do I have to worry about the over-dyed wool bleeding? How do I wash it?  These are questions students have asked and I don't have the answers. 

Another first for me...I used silk matka for the border.  The tobacco color was just too perfect.  It needled just fine, but the fraying at the edges was unreal.  Thank goodness I had added a 1/2" to the cutting directions for the border.  I always cut everything bigger and then custom cut it to size no matter if I am piecing or appliqueing.  Even so, every time a thread would come off, at least a 1/16th of inch of border was lost.  That is why I have fewer leaves in my border than the pattern called for.  I needed a yard of the silk matka.  I prewashed it and it shrunk quite a bit.  

If you like this pattern, Woolie Mammoth is having a giveaway here.  I know that as soon as I put that first flag on, I was in love.  You can bet this one will be ready to go to the quilter soon.

My girls are coming back to the cabin next week, so I don't know how much more progress I will make on my WIPs. However, I know I will be having a heck of a good time.  We head back to the desert at the end of August.  I am not looking forward to the heat, but I will enjoy reconnecting with my quilting community. Now back to sewing...I only have the weekend to get this flimsy finished!

A July Recap

July has been a less than productive month for me, at least as far as quilting and blogging go.  We relocated to the cooler mountain air at the end of June, and my daughter and granddaughter soon joined us.  At first, there was a ton of spring cleaning to do, both in the cabin and in my perennial garden.  Most of you know that I am an early riser and in the wee hours of the morning is when I get most of my quilting done, as well as read and comment on the blogs I like to peruse.  It seems my granddaughter is also an early riser; so instead of sewing, I spent my mornings reading books, playing games and watching her discover chasing grasshoppers in the field.  Needless to say, I feel July was idyllic, even if my projects are way behind! 

During nap time, my daughter and I did manage to piece the center of Izzy's I Spy quilt.

I love the hexagon shape that my daughter decided on for setting them!  Such a fresh take on the quilt.  A solid border is the next thing to go on.

Now that I have settled back into my normal rhythm of life, I have made a little progress on those WIPs.

I have started piecing the sunshine blocks for my Pennies from Heaven quilt.
You may notice that it is smaller than the original.  I know myself and the only way this one will ever make it to the finish line is if I make a scaled down version.  Besides, it will be perfect on the wall in the cabin.

Now, the rest of this post is non-quilt related, but I like to share a few pictures of our adventures for those who like to see what we have been up to.

Learning to play in the creek...

and Daddy teaching us to play mini golf.
My daughter also helped me identify and catalog a few more wildflowers,

including this Giant Lousewort growing at around 10,000 ft. elevation.

This week I am madly appliqueing the vine on my It's a Grand Old Flag.  It was supposed to be done this month.  If I work real hard, I should have the cotton applique done by the end of the week and will be back with pictures.  I need to get it done so I can get back to working on Snowbound in the month of August.   Many of my quilting friends are expecting to see it when I return to TOWQS in fall.

Hopefully, I will also find some time to catch up on a few blogs so I can see what everyone else has been up to this month.  Can you believe it is almost August!!!