With so much holiday prep to do in the kitchen today, I’m bringing you a very brief post. I thought it might be interesting to see these two quilts together – first is the original quilt that I taught to my small quilt group over a six month period and then the second quilt, finished recently, using the leftover blocks from the first. Both are now in the quilting lineup and I have some serious (fun) work ahead of me for the New Year.
until next time, carol
As the end of the year draws near, I’m attempting to tie up some loose ends, in the way of old projects so close to the finish line I wonder why they’re not done. This does not include the tops sitting in the ‘ready to quilt’ pile, however, as they form a category all their own. The one piece that I was determined to quilt and bind before the holidays is my Temecula Quilt Co. Christmas mystery, which has been quilted but not bound yet, so I’ll save that for another day.
This quilt top is the one that kept me wondering “what on earth brought me to a full stop?” when I discovered it in the stack of works in progress. Sometimes I think the danger lies in tucking these projects into a shoebox or plastic tub while tidying up the sewing room, and then it takes weeks, months, or sometimes decades to discover it again. It’s that old ‘out of sight, out of mind’ problem, right?
So, believe it or not, this little beauty began life as the reject blocks from the quilt I made for the six month long block of the month quilt class that I taught three years ago, to my little quilting group here in Plenty. I set aside about nine or ten blocks that ended up a bit too dark for the other quilt and then used them in a different class for a demo on adding strips and cornerstones to a block to enlarge it. When I came across these blocks a few weeks back, I decided I needed a few more to make it a little larger (the blocks are only 6″ before the strips are added on). After laying them out on the design wall I chose two consistent fabrics to add one more round of strips and cornerstones to unify all the blocks, then I added two borders to finish the quilt top. The amazing thing is, each new addition to this quilt kept improving the look of it and I’m so pleased with how it’s turned out. I think it will be a ‘keeper’ and will be a great sample for teaching others to never give up on those ‘ufo’s’.
Civil War Sampler
This top will now have to wait in the quilting lineup for the new year. It finishes at about 62″ x 62″ and will make a lovely lap quilt on the sofa. Sometimes it the little things that add up to alot and I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this project, and also that I spent the extra effort to miter that final outer border. It just adds a special touch, don’t you think?.
until next time, carol xox
Yummy!
Lots of baking was happening this week, mostly for the purpose of putting gift trays together. From the top: ginger creams, lemon drops, crunchy nut crescents, double chocolate mint sandwiches, and coconut sugar cookies with rum glaze. Most have been gifted already so if time allows, more goodies will be baked this weekend. Are you tempted so far?
as always, carol
Another view of a different shelf where Teddy protects some antique sewing baskets from dust bunnies. The two baskets on the right are decorated with Chinese coins, and glass rings and beads. Did you know that the art of basketry is always hand made?
until next time, carol
It's a start!
Today almost got away from me before I realized I’d forgotten my pact with my new quilting friend Jeanne, in California. We’ve committed to sharing our ‘journey’ each Wednesday and I seem to have lost track of which day it is. I popped over to her blog at spiralj2.blogspot.com to see if she had made any progress on her Hope’s Journey quilt and there it was, as bold as can be, she’s already posting photos of her first blocks from chapter one. And they are lovely! Go check it out! She’s also issued an invitation for you all to join us.
I’ve made a small start but only have a partial block to share today. I promise there will be more next week but I’m up to my neck in cookie dough at the moment… but this post is for you Jeanne!
Hugs from the Canadian prairies, carol
One can never have too many sewing baskets.
until next time, carol
I thought I’d share a photo of part of my antique sewing basket collection today. I began collecting these years ago before I was a quilter, when my focus was antique needlework samplers. I have quite a few from the Victorian period and some a little earlier. One of my favourites is the large sweetgrass basket on the lefthand side in the photo above, and inside is the tiniest thimble holder also woven from sweetgrass. The little pincushion doll’s skirt was a sampler stitched on linen, by me, about twenty five years ago.
My how time flies!
until next time, carol xox
a million little bonuses
My story goes like this – no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t make the measurements work out on those step three chevrons in order to have my half square triangles end up the correct size. I finally resorted to making the half square triangles separately, which meant more fabric and work but an assurance of accuracy. It also resulted in 200 little, green, bonus half square triangles that would be stored in the closet with all the others from past projects, in zippy bags (ziplock bags keep fabric fresher, ha, ha). While putting them away for a rainy day I noticed there were about a million others the exact same size. Well, the wheels started turning and that ‘rainy day’ became NOW!
Cute little blocks
After pressing and trimming, I started sewing four together at a time to make sweet little four patch blocks. I think the combination of pink, green, and black is quite striking.
Larger triangles too!
And as if that wasn’t enough triangles, I thought why not make some more :o? If I continue along this path of inspiration it should make a fair sized quilt, and what a great way to use up those zippy bags full of tiny triangles. This may become an ‘in between’ project that will sit in a basket on my sewing table for the next few months, but over time it will get done. Keep in mind though, there’s about a million of those half square triangles… well maybe thousands…
until next time, carol
Sunday morning sunrise – Mother Nature at her best!
Have a most beautiful day.
as always, carol xox
Mission accomplished!
I stayed up later than usual to finish off all of my strip pieced units for step four on the Good Fortune mystery and that has brought me completely up to date on all the steps so far. This will provide me a bit of a respite for the next week until Step Five is released on Friday, in order to catch up on other Christmas preparations.
Tomorrow is our final gathering for the Plenty Piecemakers in the church basement and I will be teaching a Dresden plate block for our ongoing block of the month program. This will bring us up to the ninth block and I’m gearing up to teach the final three blocks all within January 2019, as I have big travel plans for early February. I’m hoping to have all the arrangements in place soon for my next teaching session in the new year and I can’t wait to present them to my students. In the meantime, we have a lovely day planned tomorrow which will include homemade cookies, a fat quarter exchange, and a sewing bee. What could be better on a Sunday afternoon?
as always, carol xox
Hello my pretties!
I just can’t seem to help myself! I’m beyond help and have no self control! The temptation is just too much to bear and, although I haven’t pieced any blocks yet (not like some people I know :o), I have begun to audition fabric for my New Year’s project. I do have a feeling that Hope’s Journey will begin very soon…
until next time,
carol xox
It’s here! It’s here! It’s finally here! As soon as I spotted this book online I knew I had found my New Year’s project. I ordered it almost immediately and have been waiting ever so patiently (not) for it to arrive. Just in case you are on the fence about purchasing another quilt book for that overwhelming collection already crammed on your book shelves, I’m here to give you a shove off that fence.
Hope’s Journey by Betsy Chutchian is even more wonderful than I imagined and I’m so excited to begin this project on January 1st, 2019. The book is broken down into twelve chapters and would make a wonderful group project, set up as a block of the month. The blocks are various sizes (a huge appeal to me), making for a unique setting opportunity in the final construction of the quilt, and instructions are given for various finishing options in both size and layout. One of the biggest surprises in the book, however, is the wonderful collection of mini quilts, one per chapter, which alone is worth the price of the book. Not only are the projects beautiful, but each chapter has a well written introduction filled with the history of many courageous women pioneers and their journeys across the wilderness to new homes, with Betsy providing a reference list for further reading.
This is a lovely book that I highly recommend adding to your library, even if you only purchase one new quilting book in the next year, let it be this one.
Betsy Chutchian says it best – “Hope is the name of every woman and girl who left her home to embark on a journey of uncertain outcome.” This speaks to each and every one of us as women and as quilters. Let your journey begin now…
as always, carol xox
