Quilt News!!! It's a Finish! My Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders! Machine Quilted with Improv Fine CrossHatch.

Finished this week, my Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders, approx 35" x 56".

 

Hello Quilt Friends! It's a sunny fall day, gorgeous with blue sky and colorful fall leaves.

I finished my Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders and I had to get the photo published, too beautiful not to share. 

I machine quilted it with improv fine crosshatch using my hera marker and ruler. I added in some gentle curves for fun here and there. I used turquoise thread because it added pizzaz. I bought the Sunflower panel at a local quilt shop The Quilt Barn . The border has foursquare, halfsquare triangle and quarter square triangle blocks, all made of scraps and left over pieces from other projects. 

Hand quilting on my Halfsquare Medallion Quilt is still in progress. I'm reading and staying inspired by good books on quilting and hand embroidery and I hope you are too. What are you reading this week?

I'll be by to visit. 

Quilt News! Hand Quilting in Baptist Fan Pattern Progress, Hand Embroidery and Sashiko Projects, Sunflower Quilt Panel with Borders Machine Quilted and Ready for Binding. Happy October!!

More hand quilting progress in Baptist Fan pattern on my HST Medallion Quilt.

And I'm still reading through this book and getting lots of inspiration, like being thoughtful and enjoying the process!

My Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders has been machine quilted in a fine improv cross-hatch.

This is the back view, I pieced leftover blocks and yardage from other projects together for the back.

I finished my Alphabet hand embroidery project and have started a new Sashiko project on linen.

 

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! Happy October!

 

There's been rain off and on this last week here in the valley.  Sometimes we'll get blue sky and sun peeking out for a while, makes me smile. Hey that rhymed!

 

I've been putting a lot of time machine quilting my Sunflower Panel Quilt with Borders in a fine improv cross-hatch. It measures approx. 35" x 56". I'm getting quick about reloading the bobbin and I clean out the thread race-way everytime a bobbin gets reloaded. Finishing the machine quilting yesterday,

I also trimmed up the edges and pinned on the binding. I'm taking a few days break before starting the last part, which is sewing down the binding onto the back then the front.

 

My Alphabet hand embroidery project is now finished and looks great in my kitchen, I put my embroidery projects to work! And I've started a new Sashiko project on a piece of vintage linen I found in Etsy. The pattern is a variation of Arrow Feathers 3, page 28 in Karen Kim Matsunaga's book Japanese Country Quilting Sashiko Patterns and Projects for Beginners. Karen grew up in Japan and is herself Japanese and so has real insight into Sahshiko stitching. I think her book is very comprehensive, beginners and more experienced stitchers can learn a lot from it! Karen also includes some history and culture at the front of the book that I enjoy reading. 

 

And hand quilting progress is being made on my HST Medallion Quilt, I'm using the Baptist Fan Pattern.

I pick up my copy of Sara Larson Buscaglia's book, Farm and Quilt Alchemy and read through the last half which is the part about her designing, piecing and stitching her quilts, for encouragement. I do enjoy the front half too about her method of fabric dyeing, it's actullay fascinating, she goes into such careful detailed explanation.

 

That is the quilt news and happy Friday to you! How are your quilt adventures progressing?

 

I'll be by to visit. 

 

 

 

Quilt News! Hand Quilting Supplies and Progress on HST Medallion Quilt w Borders, Sunflower Panel Quilt Machine Quilt Progress and Farm&Folk Quilt Alchemy Book by Sara Larson Buscaglia

Wild Crabapples from a local park. It's officially fall, celebrate!

Farm&Folk Quilt Alchemy book filled with inspiration!

My hand quilting supplies, favorites at the moment.

Machine quilting progress on my Sunflower Panel quilt, runner size.

Hand quilting progress on my HST Medallion Quilt with Borders, RRS fabrics.

 

Hello Quilt Friends!! Fall is here and it's a gorgeous time of the year for walks.

Lots of progress has been made on my projects. I'm hand quilting Baptist Fan pattern on my HST Medallion Quilt with Borders. I've included a photo of my current favorite hand quilting supplies. I'm not sure what I'll hand quilt onto the borders but soon I'll decide. I could take the Baptist Fan pattern right out onto the borders to the edge.

And I'm machine quilting my Sunflower Panel Quilt with fine a cross hatch pattern. I like the texture. I'm using a turquoise color thread. Slow but sure progress. I like to go slow using my machine to quilt because the stitches come out more even and then everybody is happy, not as many unpicking situations. I'm using a 3. stitch length and on some projects I use 3.5 length. I find the batting that I'm using tells me what stitch length to use by how the stitches sit in the fabric.

I'm still enjoying and getting lots of inspiration from my new book by Sara Larson Buscaglia, Farm&Folk Quilt Alchemy. I bought a copy for myself when I turned in my library copy. 

 And that is the news from the valley where the vine maples have started to get their fall colors and the local markets are selling pumpkins and squash of all sizes, colors and shapes.

That is the quilt news. How are you planning on enjoying your fall time? Any quilt finishes or tips to share? I'll stop by to visit. 

 

 

 

 

Quilt News! Hand Quilting Baptist Fans Progress, Hand Embroidery Project, Sun Flower Panel Quilt Progress, Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy Book by Sara Larson Buscaglia

Hand quilting Baptist Fan pattern on my Half Square Triangle Medallion Quilt with Borders.

My hand embroidery project progress, I'm using back stitch.

Progress on my Sunflower Panel Quilt, runner size, the batting is cut out and the backing has been pieced.

Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy book by Sara Larson Buscaglia, so inspiring!!

 

Hello from the valley, where we are enjoying sun and clouds today!

This week I've been hand quilting the Baptist Fan pattern on my Half Square Triangle Medallion Quilt with Borders, approx 58" x 54". 

And I'm hand embroidering an iron on transfer Alphabet Pattern 4031 with back stitch onto a cotton towel. I use cotton towels in my kitchen all the time and I enjoy the cheerful embroidery I've stitched on. I use DMC stranded cotton thread three ply and a smallish embroidery needle with an eye big enough to thread easily and pull through the cotton easy.

My Sunflower Panel Quilt is ready to be pin basted and machine quilted now. I cut the batting out and finished piecing the backing.

I'm very much enjoying looking through and reading Sara Larson Buscaglia's book, Farm & Folk Quilt  Alchemy . I appreciate her practical, thoughtful approach to quilting/hand quilting and dyeing fabric.

And that is the news from the compound.

What projects are you making progress on this week? Have you read any good books or found any helpful tutorials? 

I'll be by to visit.

Quilt News! Hand Embroidery Progress, Sunflower Panel Quilt Top with Borders Backing, Inspiring Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy Book by Sara Larson Buscaglia

Farm and Folk Quilt Alchemy by Sara Larson Buscaglia excellent documentation and inspiration!!

My new hand embroidery alphabet project... back stitch with 3 strands of cotton embroidery thread.

Sunflower Panel Quilt top with Borders with backing layered underneath ready for piecing.

Local Hot Rod car show, Dodge Barracuda!!!

Camaro SS 68'.... Super clean....

Camaro SS 68' back view, one of my favorites in the show....

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! Heat wave in the valley for a few days, it's summer!

 

I have pieced together the backing for my Sunflower Panel with Borders Quilt top. I used leftover blocks and leftover fabric pieces for the back. The next step will be to measure out the batting and sandwich it together with the top and back and then get it pin basted. I plan to machine quilt it with fine cross hatch machine quilting. I'm going for the finish.

 

I saw this book; Farm and Folk Quilt Alchemy a High Country Guide To Natural Dyeing and Making Heirloom Quilts From Scratch by Sara Larson Buscaglia at my local library and I checked it out. I saw that it was about dyeing fabric and I'm not real interested in that but I was curious about her process. As I began to read it I saw at once that we were kindred spirits. Sara is so into detail and careful about her process I was fascinated. She and her family live in CO for one thing and she homeschooled her kids. We lived in CO for a while and I homeschooled our kids too. 

Then in her chapter 3 Quilt Alchemy and Chapter 4 Quilt Making Skills she explains some of the thinking behind some of her quilt designs and her process. Her explanations are excellent and so thorough. This impressive book is published by Abrams Art Books.

 

Then there was the Hot Rod Car show in a local town and we had to see that. The presiding rock band played oldies but goodies to set the mood. We saw amazing examples of classic hot rods (muscle cars). Someone had restored a 68' Hot Rod Lincoln Continental, legendary. I was drawn to the 68' Camaro SS.

Someone had cleaned and restored it to perfection. That is a super hobby. 

 

If you get a chance visit Debbie's blog where she talks about her 'Sardine Pillow' project. It was a gift for her grand daughter who loves it and I think I have some grand kids who would enjoy having a sardine pillow too. What a fun idea.

 

And that is the news from the valley, where I'm drinking my water with ice cubes.

What progress have you made on your projects this week?

I'll be by to visit. 

 

Quilt News! Scrappy Quilt Back Planning for Sunflowers Panel with Borders Quilt Top, Finished Small Improv Rail Fence Blocks Quilt with Machine Quilting and Binding. Jolene Klassen's Book Scrap Quilt Diary Inspiration...

Binding for my Small Improv Rail Fence Blocks Quilt top pieced and ready to sew onto front/back.

I'm interviewing backing fabrics for my Sunflowers with Borders Quilt top, runner size.

I'm also using orphan/leftover blocks to piece into the backing for my Sunflowers with Borders Quilt top,  runner size, 36" x  58".

Backing finished with machine quilting and binding on my Small Improv Rail Fence Blocks Quilt.

Finished Small Improv Rail Fence Blocks Quilt, 21.5" x 25.5".

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! 

Summer rain today with cooler temperatures, refreshing. 

 

I finished my Small Improv Rail Fence Blocks quilt, 21.5" x 25.5", last week, by machine quilting and sewing on the binding by machine too. Just right to keep on a table, I think the blues are refreshing, like a summer rain.

This summer my goal is to finish, finish, finish!

 

My project this week is to piece the backing for my Sunflowers with Borders Quilt top, runner size, 36" x 58". I'm in the 'interview' process now. Deciding fabric color/contrast and how much piecing I'm willing to put into this backing.

 

And I'm still being inspired and relaxed by reading/studying the quilt photos in Jolene Klassen's book Scrap Quilt Diary. Her quilts and the way she uses colors are profound and so practical.

This is quilting at its best.

Sometimes we as quilters or want-to-be quilters are led to believe that to be a quilter we must buy expensive equipment. And then we must take expensive hard to get to, week long classes. And some of those quilt class teachers can run their classes like military basic training, I've heard the stories!

I absolutely do not agree with any of that. Of course there's nothing wrong with taking quilt classes or traveling to get to a class, that could be fun. And if you have the money buy good equipment.

 

What I'm trying to say is that quilting is an art form and a process. You are a quilter because it interests you and you are learning or want to learn how to quilt. Realizing that time is not a measure of your quilting ability but something to balance and 'use wisely', will set you free from being anxious about how long the process is going to take. Be in the now. Read books about quilting that make sense to you. Learn to sew, start piecing small projects. Don't be over awed by quilters who seem to know everything and have everything. They got to where they are by many small steps, really!

Enough with that. 

 

That is the quilt news from the valley. 

How are you doing with your projects, any finishes? Any starts?

I'll be by to visit. 

Quilt News! Machine Quilting Art Quilt Progress, More Jolene Klassen's Scrap Quilt Diary Inspiration, Apples and Pears Hand Embroidery Project Finish

My small art quilt top, 21" x 26",  layered with batting and backing ready to be pinned for machine quilting.

My art quilt, Improv Rail Fence Blocks, quilted in fine cross hatch.

I finished my hand embroidery project, #22 Retro Fruits embroidery pattern by Colonial Patterns.

Scrap Quilt Diary by Jolene Klassen is full of inspiration!

 

 

Hello Quilt Friends! 

July hasn't been too hot here, just right for trips to the river. 

This last week I've finished my hand embroidery project, Apple and Pear, #22 Retro Fruits by Colonial Patterns . I use back stitch and choose my own colors, very fun. I use 3 strands from the stranded 6 ply cotton by DMC. Often I mix colors in the three strands to get the color I want.

And I pin basted my small art quilt Improv Rail Fence Blocks and machine quilted it in a fine cross hatch.

I've been inspired by Jolene Klassen's book, Scrap Quilt Diary , there are so many good ideas in her book. She machine quilts some of her projects and hand quilts others. Simple but brilliant, yes, why not do both as we wish? Why do we have to only machine quilt? Why do we have to only hand quilt? And do we as quilters need to be in a hurry all the time? Now I'm getting philosophical, but these are some of the things I think about when looking through Jolene's book.

 And that is the quilt news from the valley where I'm relaxing and getting into the summer vibe. 

Do you have any finishes? I'll be by to visit.