Snow Time Makes Sewing Time!

Well, this will most likely be our last trip to our cabin in the Poconos for 2013.  We bought our cabin just about a year ago and spent a lot of that year fixing the place up and making it our own.  It was in wonderful shape when we purchased it but we turned the hot tub room into a 3 season room with new carpet and wicker furniture, transformed the bunk room into a family room, replaced the kitchen sink, installed all new window treatments,  and most recently, painted the upstairs bathroom and replaced the vintage medicine cabinet and light fixture with new ones.  Now I can get busy sewing! 

The first project I started and finished this week was not a quilting project but is part of my quest to find a way to give back to the community in some way and also to have projects I can work on when watching TV with the Hubs or when I am between quilting projects.  Two New Year activities on my list are to make knitted caps for Newborns in Need and little quilts for Project Linus.  I have quite an inventory of both yarn and fabric so I am set to go on both activities.  Since I have not knitted baby hats in quite some time, I decided to knit a prototype cap this week.  I have heard that using double pointed needles after a long hiatus is like riding a bike and I found that to be true.  I made a tiny cap for a preemie which took less than a day and was a perfect practice piece.  I was able to maintain my gauge and produced a hat 5" tall with a 10" circumference.  It is the size of my fist.  This was made with variegated yarn and size 3 double pointed needles.

The second project that I completed, also in one day, is a Christmas table runner for the dining table at our cabin.  It was made using the Easy Striped Table Runner pattern by Karen Montgomery.  This is the second table runner I have made using this pattern.  You can see my Timesaver Table Runner here.  (This table runner was a gift for a dear friend who just bought a canal front home several months before Hurricane Sandy hit the area.  Their home was under 4 feet of water but the table runner survived!  It took some time but they have restored their home and were blessed to enjoy it this summer.)  When using this pattern, it is very interesting to see the variations resulting from the way the fabric is cut.  My next table runner project will illustrate this.  The table runner finishes to 16" x 45" so you could get two of them out of 1.5 yards of fabric.  This runner was made from a kit of pre-cut yardage which measured 22" x 54" and included backing fabric as well.  I also used 18" batting which I purchased from a roll of batting during last year's NJ Shop Hop.  This is a perfect size for table runners and results in very few scraps.  

The candle holder was a recent gift from my sister-in-law.  It was made from the trunk of a tree that grew on the front lawn of the house where she and her 5 siblings were raised, my Hubs being one of those siblings.  The tree was planted in the early 50s and recently declined into poor health which necessitated it being felled.  Each of the siblings now have a wonderful memory of that house and that tree. 

            

And of course, I had a group of QIs watching my every move while I was stitching.

Got to run back to making these wonderful runners!













Time to be Thankful

Well, it's the end of November - how did that happen?  I have finished a few things, started a few things and planned a few things.  But before I get into those topics, I want to correct an error from my previous post about the barn quilts.  It appears that the NJ barn quilt page is down.  I have inquired about an update but have not heard back yet. 

But on that note, I have finished my own version of a barn quilt which will be hung on our cabin in the Poconos when the weather warms above freezing!  Here is the finished product:

It is appropriately enough, a log cabin block!

 

 

I have also finished, well except for the binding, two little quilts (42" x 59") for a friends two grand daughters, ages 2 and 1.  They were fun to do and were quilted by Karen Thompson.  These are on schedule for completion the next two weeks. 

 

 

 

 Her bedroom is done in pink and brown and I was lucky enough to find this fabric at my LQS. 

 

Here is her sister's quilt:

 

 The binding has been started and I decided to try these little clips rather than pinning.  I will let you know how that goes. 

 

This quilt has "back art" included on the back.  This was a, um, design flaw.  The fabric requirements were a bit fuzzy on the pattern for this quilt so I was short by a few inches.  I had extra of the coordinating fabrics so I got creative.  I like this pattern so I rewrote the fabric requirements for my own future reference.  I did not have this issue with the first quilt since I already had that fabric which turned out to be more than enough. 

 

So, for my planned projects, there is a quilt for my son for no particular reason other than my sweet grand daughter asked for it.  On a recent trip to Florida to visit them, she asked if I could make him a Florida Gator quilt that he could use when he was watching the games.  We shopped together for the fabric and found Florida Gator themed fabric.  I may have enough for a pillow case as well. 

 

Then there are some table runners on the list for Christmas.  One will be made using a template from the Missouri Quilt Company.  I have recently gotten hooked on their You Tube tutorials.  I have a lot of holiday fabrics so this should be a good way to use some of them. 

 

As part of my always on-going organization of my sewing room, I have now taken inventory of my rulers and tools.  An eye opening experience.  I will put this in a database of sorts that can be stored on my smartphone so I can minimize duplication of rulers which I discovered has been a problem in the past!  I will share my totals in a future blog - but trust me, it will be a bit of a shocker. 

 

Well, enough for now.  We are packing up to go home to the NJ abode after a wonderful birthday week at the cabin.  Got lots of snow but I was also able to get lots of quilting done!  I like those weeks! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family!  It is certainly a time for me to be thankful on multiple levels. 

 

My quest to quilt continues!

 

 

  

 





Summer is done, time for some quilting fun!

Well, it's September already!  The grands are back in school, Camp Nana is officially closed until next year, the pool at the cabin is closed for the season and the stream of summer visitors to the mountains has slowed to a crawl.  The major projects at the cabin have been completed including a new kitchen sink (my personal favorite).  With a full summer schedule which included boating on the bay or fishing on the lake, time to quilt was just about non-existent.  I did read my favorite quilting magazines though and managed to organize my list of quilting projects by priority and status so could hit the ground running when quilting time became more plentiful.

I did sneak some quilty activities in here and there which were fun.  I am a participant in a "baseball" swap with an online group.  I have been a member in this group for many years and this is the third time I am participating in this swap which is based on how the various baseball teams do midway through the season and at the end of the season.  You either get or give 6.5" squares depending on how your team did.  I need to cut 109 squares to deliver to others in the swap.  I am getting back more than that so my teams did pretty good so far. 

Also, I finished the cover for the electrical box in our family room at the cabin.  You can see the box in my March 16 post.  Here is the finished project:

 

The cover will be hung using a swing-arm curtain rod so the box can be accessed when needed.  The quilting lines on the cover match the pattern on the paneling behind the electrical box. 

 

 

A new project that I started is quilt related but contains no fabric, thread or sewing.  I have long been a fan of barn quilts.  I hope to follow the American Quilt Trail one these days.  My project is to create a painted barn quilt to hang on the outside of our cabin in the peak of the roof overhanging the front deck.  This is also a great project to do together with my husband who is much better with the circular saw :-)  So far, we (meaning my husband) have cut the base of the quilt from really nice wood based on the location we have chosen.  I have drawn the lines for the block to be used on the quilt - it is a log cabin block, of course!  Now, the board will be sealed to protect it from the weather and then the painting will begin.  We will see how well this "frog" tape really works.  Once the painting is done, another coat of sealer will be applied to protect the block from the mountain weather.   After a suitable drying time, it will be hung on our cabin.  Here is what we have done so far:

 

Square block with countersunk screw holes.

Pencil lines have been added for the "logs" of the quilt.

 

 

Here are the paints that will be used.  Sixteen different colors will be used for the light and dark logs.  Other paints will also be used for the background and edges of the board.  Red will be used for the center of the block as is traditional in log cabin quilts.   

 

If you would like see more information on barn quilts, you can use Google or other search engine or go to www.americanquilttrail.com to read about the history of barn quilts as well as see pictures of some of these works of art.  There are approximately 3200 of these gems spread over 30 states.  To read about the barn quilts in NJ, go to www.njbarnquilts.com where you can also download a brochure for traveling a trail to see all the NJ quilts.

 





The quest took a vacation of sorts!

Well, my quest to quilt ran into a bit of detour due to a busy schedule of vacations, working on our mountain house and getting our boat out of dry dock and launched.  That doesn't leave much free time but I did manage to get some quilts finished and delivered and just recently, was able to get two more blocks from the Sunday Scrap Basket completed.  It's amazing what you can get done when the hubs goes fishing! 

These quilts were made for a dear friend's grandson and granddaughter.    They were beautifully machine quilted by Karen Thompson.  So, once I finished the bindings, they were delivered.  I like it when I can check things off my quilts-to-do list!  Check, and check! 
 

Mason's Dino Quilt

 

The back of the quilt

 

A close up of the quilting - looks like dino claws!

  - 

Regan's quilt

 

I did some back art on the backing to make the best use of the fabric.

 

You can see the sweet quilting in this photo. 

And here are the two blocks I made for the Sunday Scrap Basket project.  I planned to make four blocks and was lucky enough to get these two squeezed out when the Hubs decided to leave from the cabin a day early due to the pending rain from TS Andrea.  Although I can quilt in any storm, he cannot fish.  Fishing trumps quilting (his rules, not mine) so I got trumped and had to pack up.  It was a wise move given the local road flooding, but don't tell him I said that!  These are blocks 5 and 6.  The Hubs is planning to work on the boat this friday so if the weather holds, I should be able to get a few more blocks completed. 

Kirby is guarding the two blocks I was able to get done so no one would walk on them.  As if!

More to come so, I feel a productive week coming on! 

 

 

 



Scrap Basket Sunday - Almost

Well, I was so excited about setting up a corner in the cabin for some small scale quilting!  I found the perfect spot in our walk out family room with a great view.  I purchased a small (4 ft) folding table that is also height adjustable.  I figure I can also use it as a computer center when not otherwise engaged.  We have internet there so we always bring a laptop and can use a small travel printer which is easy to store.  The table also has access to several electric outlets since both activities have multiple power cords.  Of course, the only QI in residence is our Kirby dog but unless the fabric is located in a sunbeam, he is normally not interested in my sewing.  But I do have that fabulous view! 

So here is what my new sewing corner in the cabin looks like.  Appears I have unexpected QIs afterall! 

 

So there I was, all set up to sew!  The Hubs was out on the lake looking for the record trout.  I got all of my supplies arranged, my new portable ironing board set up in the laundry room behind me, and assembled my sewing machine.  Then I noticed that I had forgotten the one mission-critical supply - thread!  It was the "duh" heard round the globe!  I love being really remote and far away from everywhere but the other side of that coin is that you can't just hop in the car and run to the nearest Joann's! 

 

I did manage to get three more blocks done this weekend, however, since we were back in NJ.  So now I have 4 out of 20 blocks done.  The one challenge I am facing is that I am not planning my fabric choices too much.  It's basically a grab-from-the-bag method.  Boy, is that hard for me.  So far, it's working ok, but we'll see how far I get with this!  Here are my 4 completed blocks so far - 20% done!

 

 

They have to be squared up and there will be sashing in between, color yet to be determined.  But I like this way of getting something done.  Generally I am a start-to-finish kinda gal, but I could get used to this!  We will be back at the cabin in early May - thread is already packed! 

 

 

 

One block at a time - it could happen!

Now that I am retired, I am hoping to spend more time whittling down my pile of quilting projects - new, old and well, vintage.  I was reading one of my favorite quilting blogs over the weekend and learned of a great way to do this - one block at a time, one day of the week! 

When I learned of this, I had two projects in mind.  One is a queen sized log cabin quilt in greens and off-whites with reddish-orange centers.  I have a large amount of fabrics stored away for this project but nothing is cut yet.  The other project is a lap sized quilt of 10" blocks with 2" sashing plus borders.  The blocks are the monkey wrench pattern and the fabrics are scraps from past Civil War quilt projects.  This was originally started as a class project but was never finished.  I chose this one to do as the Scrap Basket Sunday project because the fabrics are already cut.  Since I now split the majority of my time between urban life in NJ and mountain life in PA, I need to have projects that are appropriate for both places.  This one will be perfect for the mountain house, and it most likely will "live" there after it is completed.  I had no idea that this would be a variation of the the same block that Kim has chosen to do until I read further in her blog! 

Here is what I am using for this project with one completed block: 

 

I will be bringing one of my spare machines to the mountain house so I can chain piece the cut fabrics contained in the box.  The timing is good - this Saturday is opening day of trout season in PA.  Anyone who has a fisherman in the family knows what this means!  

 

 

 



Ava's Wish

I've been vacationing in Florida for Spring Break - my 7 year old granddaughter's spring break that is!  The Hubs and I took the Amtrak AutoTrain down to Sandford, Florida which is very near DeLand.  This was our first stop so I could visit the Quilt Shop of DeLand.  I did manage to find some interesting fabrics for the electric box cover project.  I will audition these fabrics later this week to see which one (or both) works as a suitable disguise for the ugly gray circuit breaker box in our family room.  I will post the completed cover or covers when it is in place.

I also was able to visit one more quilt shop (Peggy's Heirlooms of Tomorrow) in Ocala, the town where we were staying for the week.  There were many more quilt shops in years past but one by one they have closed.  This one is in a new outdoor mall and is very near two sporting goods shops which keeps the Hubs busy while I shop to my heart's content. 

This trip, I had my granddaughter with me.  As we entered the shop, she noticed a particular fabric on display.  She loved it and she said she wished I would make her Dad a quilt from it.  Of course I said I would, so one more, no two more, projects have been added to my list.  Here are the fabrics she picked:

 

These folks in Florida sure love their football teams and the Florida Gators are one of the favorites, and my son is a big fan - a big fan!  Gator stuff is ubiquitious no matter where you go!  So we bought some Gator fabric and the coordinating colors - dark green, royal blue, orange and white.  I have not yet decided if I want to do 9-patch blocks for fence rail blocks for the front (or maybe the back will be the blocks).  But the quilt will be called "Ava's Wish". 

 

The second project is to make a pillow case from the same fabrics for my sweet granddaughter, but shhhhh, don't tell, it's a surprise!  

National Quilting Day - my way!

National Quilting Day was established in 1991 by the National Quilting Association. Officially, National Quilting Day is the third Saturday in March, which would be today.  Unofficially, the celebration has expanded to the entire month. 

I would love to have an entire month to do nothing but quilt, however, now that I am retired, I am busier than ever!  I have been busy finishing the quilt below however.  It is for my sister's grandson.  I especially liked the fact that she came with me to the LQS to pick out the fabrics.  I think she did a nice job.  It was supposed to have a different binding on it but when I showed her the quilt after the quilting was finished (another fabulous job by Karen Thompson) she thought yellow would look better.  I agreed, however, I did not have enough of the yellow fabric shown in the middle star so an extensive search began.  I didn't find the exact match, but I found one that really complements the other colors.  Below are pictures of the front and back of the quilt along with a close up of the beautiful quilting. This quilt be will on its way to Colorado in 10 days and hand delivered by my sister to her very sweet grandson! 

For the rest of National Quilting Day, (the Hubs made a wonderful blueberry pancake and sausage breakfast and has corned beef and cabbage on the stove for dinner, so no cooking for me today), I am digesting the contents of the magazines displayed below.  Hopefully I will find a new tip or technique to try or a pattern to add to my ever growing project list!   

Now, one of my next projects will be to make a small wallhanging to cover the electrical box shown in the picture below.  This is in our lower floor family room of our new mountain house.  We need to be able to access this box once when we arrive and just before we leave so we can't just cover it up.  I have solved the access problem by purchasing a very decorative swing arm curtain rod which will hold the wallhanging very nicely. So it can just be swung (is that even a word?) out of the way when needed.  Now I just need to figure out what to make!  Stay tuned!  

Feast or Famine

Well, my retirement didn't start out exactly as I had planned.  Within one week of my retiring, I ended up with gallbladder surgery which really knocked the wind out of my sails for several weeks.  Of course, there was no other option other than the surgery so I just rested, recuperated and relaxed. 

With that out of the way, I am now knee deep in quilting projects.  Some are oldies but goodies but some are new.  I am trying to finish up some older projects that just needed quilting and binding.  But I am also selecting and cutting fabrics for some new projects, mostly baby quilts.  Now that we have a mountain house in PA, I am doing all of my hand sewing of bindings and hand piecing projects there and all of the cutting and piecing steps at our NJ home.  That may change in time but for now I have enough to keep me busy in both locations. 

This week we are in the mountain house so I brought a binding project to complete.  This was an older project that was an online mystery quilt project.  I finally brought it to the longarm quilter with three other quilts so it is now ready for binding.  I haven't decided where this quilt will eventually "live" but it is one of the few quilts in progress that isn't a gift for someone else!

My next project will be binding two wall hangings that I may use in the mountain house.  I am auditioning one of them this week to see if it works here.  Here is a picture of one of them.  Both wall hangings are identical. 

These will be bound in the burgandy fabric which will make them stand out nicely on the wall.  I will post pictures when the binding is completed on both of these.  This is hung using a "Hang it, Dang it" quilt hanger.  Easy to use and it hangs on one nail!  Self leveling to boot!  Love these! 

I should have two more projects to post soon.  These two are gifts so I don't want to post the pictures until they are given to the recipient. 

I will say, it has been feast or famine this month but having a mountain house has certainly kept me motivated to keep things moving so I have something to sew when we are here.  But hey, whatever works in my quest to quilt!

Need to update my blog!

My profile will need some revisions since I am now retired as of yesterday!  This hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm sure it won't take long.  I have completed and delivered the quilt shown in my last post and I have dropped off 4 other quilts to the quilter.  They should be ready for binding in about 4 weeks.  Now, I need to get my projects listed in priority order.  I am very excited about having more time to quilt!  No more work means no more excuses!  Stay tuned! 

It's a New Year - Resolution

Well, here we are with a New Year and I think the perfect time to get back to my quest to quilt.  I have been doing some quilting over the past several months but couldn't find a spare 5 minutes to blog about it.  Lots has happened since my last post though!  The Hubs retired in July and we bought a cabin in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania in September.  Both good things to be sure, but I am still working full time so I had a pretty full plate for a while.  We closed on the cabin in mid-December and we've been setting up our new retreat ever since.  This is our first full week staying at the cabin and was the best way ever to greet the New Year! 

I have several quilts ready for binding so I decided that I would bring them to the cabin to complete the hand sewing part of the binding.  This is a baby quilt that I made for a co-worker's new daughter.  It's a yellow brick road pattern and the fabrics were chosen to coordinate with her nursery's decor - butterflies. 

Here are some pictures of this quilt in various stages:  this one shows the completed top.

 

The photo below shows the top contrasted against the backing fabric. 

The photo below shows a close up of the pretty butterfly backing.

 

The last photo shows the quilt after quilting in a butterfly pattern.

The binding has been sewn to the front and is ready to stitch to the back.  That is my project for the next few days. 

 

A great way to start the new year!  Stay tuned, one day down, 364 to go!