Wavy Quilting

It's been a busy week and quilting when I get home from work hasn't always worked out; however, I'm about two-thirds of the way finished quilting this project.

 

I'm using a variegated Superior Thread for the quilting; the name of this thread color is "Cleopatra"...  I think it goes very well with all the bright colors in this jelly roll.

I'm doing wavy line quilting and going to town with it.  It does get boring after a while so breaks are necessary.

I pieced the back using mostly sage green solid with two smaller sections of solid remnants... one a limey green and the other yellows... because I was determined to use only stash!  I even like the variegated thread on the solid fabrics.    I'm getting there...

Jelly Roll Quilt

While waiting for the backing fabric for the 16-patch quilt to arrive, I did a little mindless sewing...

...now, just need to pin and start quilting, which will be my fall back wavy-line quilting.  Then, I will need to figure out what to use for binding.

16-Patch Update

I've finished sewing the 90 16-patch blocks in to three panels:  one is 4 x 9 blocks and the other two are 3 x 9 blocks.  You can't see all the blocks in this photo because the design wall isn't wide enough.

I'm going to quilt each panel leaving an unquilted space along the vertical edges.  I will then sew the panels together, quilting over the newly-sewn seam area.  I don't think I can manage all the fabric in, under, around, and through my domestic machine.  I'll let you know how it goes...

 

I went to my LQS yesterday to pick up a solid backing since I thought it would be hard to match any of the colors in fabrics used for the top.  Interestingly, there was no white/off-white/bone/snow/porcelain solid fabric to be had.  I asked.  So...  I will be waiting til my online order comes in.  (For those who are curious, the next nearest quilt shop or JoAnn's is an hour's drive for me.)


In other news, I went out yesterday morning for an early grocery run and found....

Yes, it was snowing!   Didn't last long and the dusting of snow was melted by 8am.   The warm temps (around 60 degrees yesterday) are rapidly melting what fell this past week.  Soon, it will just be a memory...

De-winter Eventing the Car

Yesterday, I pulled on my boots and ventured outside to remove the snow and ice from my car.   This photo was taken before the second snowfall on Thursday.   If you look closely, you can see the ice on top of the snow... the pine trees are reflected in the icy surface.

Sleet does a very good job of packing down snow so it was a bit of a challenge to clear off the car.  First, it was necessary to break up the ice and get that off before tackling the snow.   

Then I figured out a trick!   You could push the snow off the car and then break up the ice!

The area between the roof of the car and the bottom of the ice/snow pack was about 5 inches.  With the sun shining thru the ice chunks, you could clearly see the ice layer and the snow pack below it.

I was able to clear off the car but I will be wearing my boots to get into the car because of all the ice chunks that fell on top of the snow on the driver's side... despite my trying to push it all to the other side.

Maybe I'll get adventurous here in a bit and grab the shovel...


 

Snow Day Sewing

Besides watching the second round of snow and listening for falling branches, I managed to get about 40% of this quilt top assembled by mid-afternoon.

 

School is cancelled for today and we will not have a make up day this Saturday.  I have the feeling that Spring Break is going bye-bye.   

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To all my Blog-land buddies...

Winter Weather Update

Today, I am thankful to have power!  The house is warm and I have a nice cuppa coffee to enjoy on this chilly morning.  The sleet has stopped with less than predicted...  ice on trees is both beautiful and scary...

One or two pine limbs falling on a power line and you have a problem... or several people have problems.

I love the lacy look of dogwoods with a coating of ice...

...and I appear to have an icicle farm on the eaves of the house!

More snow is predicted for this afternoon and I don't see schools being open tomorrow.

I will be assembling blocks into a quilt top today... staying inside, nice and warm.

Winter Weather Event

School was called off at 11:30 yesterday morning and staff was released at 12:30.  The roads were clear but the visibility was such that everyone was driving at 35 mph.  We ended up with three inches of the white fluffy stuff... but the roads were still clear.

It started snowing today about 10:30 and is coming down quite heavily...  by noon, the road out front was covered.

We even have icicles!

Ice (sleet/freezing rain) will be moving in behind the snow with predictions of up to three-quarters of an inch of ice.  

 I live above the "A" in Fayetteville.

 

Tree limbs start breaking/falling at a quarter inch of ice...  and fall on power lines.  I'm hoping the power isn't knocked out.

Just got the Emergency Communications call from the town... we are in a "state of emergency" until further notice.  A Red Cross shelter will be opening at 2:00pm at a local school.

Me... I've charged my cell phone and won't be going anywhere.  Candles are handy with matches nearby.  Lots of blankets and quilts to keep warm...   gonna be interesting...

Quilt Show Road Trip

A couple of summers ago, my friend Deborah and I attended the AQS quilt show in Knoxville TN.  

We had a blast...  and I'm ready for another quilt show.  Well, surprise, surprise... the AQS quilt show this summer will be in Charlotte NC.   Wooo hooo!

Not only is Charlotte an easy 2-hr drive for me, it's "next door" to Gastonia, home of Mary Jo's Cloth Store (link)!!!  If it's fabric or related to fabric of any type whatsoever, Mary Jo's has it.

Photo from Mary Jo's FaceBook page.

Quilt show + Mary Jo's?   I'm in!   Unfortunately, Deborah won't be able to go with me because her nephew is getting married that weekend... but I'm sure I'll get into enough mischief for both of us!

 

Held downtown in the Charlotte Convention Center, the show will be near lots of good dining and other fun things to do.   

From what I could find out online, the convention floor will have lots of space for displaying quilts and vendor booths.   

If you're planning on going as well, let me know so we can meet up!

Next FMQ-ing Project

Clearly, I can't practice FMQ-ing on air so I pulled out a set of 16-patch blocks that I had assembled last year and started sewing them together.

 

The 90 blocks will give me a quilt large enough for a coverlet for my queen size bed.   This will be my first big quilting project and hopefully the grid of the 16-patch blocks will give me guidelines about where to go next...

 

Mug Rug Finish

I decided to make a mug rug out of the paper pieced "Mug of Love" (link) block ... and it wasn't as easy as other mug rugs I've made.... trying to get a balance of color and print and all.   And after I did have a top, I couldn't make up my mind about how to quilt it.   So I let it sit....

 

I decided that I wanted the mug and the heart to stand out so I did not quilt areas that I wanted to stand out more... like the mug and the heart.   Not stellar but it'll do, I think...

My First Try at Paper Piecing

After watching Jennifer Ofenstein's paper piecing tutorial (link), I just had to try it!  I found one of Ms Ofenstein's free paper piecing patterns on Craftsy entitled "Mug o' Love" (link)...  and hoped it would be manageable for a newbie.

I won't say my seam ripper didn't see any use but things went more smoothly as I went along.   I didn't do a great job with fabric selection...  and I think some echo stitching of the heart shape will make it more noticeable.    Not sure what I'm going to do with this... but it was fun making it.  This type of thing generates wayyyyyyy more threads than regular block piecing!

A Paper Piecing Tutorial to Share

I've never done any paper-piecing but was intrigued by this tutorial:  Paper Piecing Art: Beginner and Beyond (link) by Jennifer Ofenstein.   It's almost 40 minutes long but it moves quickly... and can be paused because it's broken into five lessons.





You know something?   I think I can do this!   Now, I just need to find a paper piecing pattern to try....   

Table Runner Finish

I was able to finish up the quilting on the table runner and find a complimentary binding fabric in the stash as well.

I used one of the embroidery stitches on my machine to sew down the binding for a different look.  I had used this stitch a lot back when I was making a bunch of mug rugs...

Everything for this project came from stash and the batting was pieced from remnants.  I must say my FMQ-ing is improving with each project.

I love walking through the dining room and seeing all the pretties... and now, there is a new runner that sets off the glassware so much more nicely!

Next Quilty Project: A Table Runner

I came across a Missouri Star Quilt Company tutorial for a Disappearing Pinwheel block (link) that intrigued me so... I dug around in my charm square drawer and found a pack that would be perfect to play with.

The tutorial starts with fabric squares from two layer cakes but I used two 5" squares of two fabrics for each block, making 4 HSTs into a pinwheel, and then continued from there.  These blocks finish at 7.5 inches.

I had enough squares to make 14 blocks but I didn't care much for the remaining fabrics and a 2 x 6 block layout is plenty for the dining room table.   I like how the blocks look a little like tiles...

I started the quilting last night and hope to finish today.  I will go stash diving to see if I have anything for the binding... and then finish this table runner.  If not, my LQS is open for their annual Super Bowl Sunday sale...

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Missouri Star Quilt Company also has a variation of this Disappearing Pinwheel block (link) that my blogging friend JoAnne of The Patriotic Quilter (link) recently used to make a different block.

 Blatantly swiped from JoAnne at the Patriotic Quilter (link)

The method is exactly the same but you orient the cut segments a little differently, ending up with a completely different block!

 Blatantly swiped from JoAnne at the Patriotic Quilter (link)

I love how JoAnne's quilt turned out and am tempted to make a similar one... but I may just admire hers from a far!

A Surprise in the Mail

For reasons that are too complex and confidential to share, I've had a rough couple of weeks.  I can assure you that these reasons do not have anything to do with my health and happiness, or that of any of my family.   I haven't even felt like sewing much.... certainly nothing more than just mindless sewing.  After a couple of weeks of the stress, I was dragging when I came home yesterday afternoon.  I stopped to get the mail and was surprised to find a package.   I couldn't think what it might be... I haven't ordered anything and it's not my birthday or other special day.   Then....  I saw who it was from...   and I smiled.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the package and found a lovely note from a dear blog-land friend.... a beautiful blue and white tea cup and saucer...  AND a package of chamomile tea bags!

Isn't this gorgeous?   

I know I will enjoy using this cup and saucer for tea... and am grateful that an angel in my life, not knowing I needed a virtual hug, reached out and so brightened my day... my week... my month!

Thank you, Doniene!