World Quilting Day

Today is World Quilting Day (International Quilting Day) and I was happy to do some online sewing with a dear friend in New Zealand.  

I pieced 21 little Court House Steps blocks. They are 4" blocks that I had cut out earlier in the week. The strips are 1/2" (cut at 1"), with 1" (cut 1+1/2") centres.

Now I have to decide on which layout I like best -

I am making a little table mat.

Happy World Quilting Day! Thanks for stopping by!♥︎

Ode to Meandering

I finished the Court House Steps quilt.
It is 54"x81" - a long lap quilt (it did shrink about an inch and a half each way after machine washing and drying - gentle cycles). I used Hobbs Tuscany silk batting, and Bottom Line 60Wt thread for the free motion machine quilting (top and bobbin), with just a regular Organ #80 needle. The blocks are 9", I used the Judy Martin method of cutting and piecing the blocks (fabulous way to make log cabin blocks!!).

I quilted an all over meander on the quilt. I have mentioned it before, but here I go again - Meandering seems to have gotten a bad name recently, and I can't understand why.
I love stitching meandering - it is one of the easiest/relaxing designs to quilt on a domestic sewing machine. It gives the quilt a beautiful 'antique', crinkly look instantly. It also gives the quilt a wonderful 'drape-ability', especially with wool or silk batting - the quilt just fits around your body easily (I believe because the quilt is stitched in every direction).
I find that a simple quilting design is all I need when the quilt top has beautiful fabric and blocks.
I recently read on the Martingale Blog the Top 10 Trends from this years Quilt Market, and I was so pleased to have read that Machine Quilting - learning to finish your own quilts, was #8! When I teach machine quilting I tell my students that if all they learn is meandering (and its variations) they will be able to finish a lot of their quilts.

I used 'Minky' on the back of the quilt. It is the first time I have tried this. The quilt is so soft, but it was a bit harder to quilt - because of the nap, it was easier to move in certain directions. I did have to spray baste the layers (apparently that is the thing with knit backings). The other polyester knit backing I have used didn't have a nap, and was easier to quilt.

These next two projects are what are on my needles -

a reversible scarf using hand spun yarn,

and the cabled socks are still on the go.
You can tell that the mosquitoes are so bad now, that it is keeping me inside!

A lost looking baby Robin.

A Mourning Dove, and another bird, at the bird bath.

 Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!♥

P.S. Thanks so much to those who leave comments! If you have a question and are a 'No-Reply Blogger', please leave a way for me to email you back - sorry to those who might be waiting for a reply.

Pieced Blocks

I finished piecing the Courthouse Steps blocks - 54, 9" blocks!

Today I also finished knitting a pair of socks (I always have a pair on the go, so now I can start the hand spun yarn that I finished last week). These are plain, top-down socks (beautiful yarn doesn't need anything fancy) - the yarn is Blue Label from Tanis Fibre Arts, in the colour way Aurora - lovely, squishy yarn, that wears so well (my second pair in this yarn). I knit socks two-at-a-time on one long circular needle.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!♥

FMQ Class and Progress

First I just want to mention that my Free Motion Quilting Class is being offered again this spring. The class is listed online here. The class was very successful last fall and I am really looking forward to this one. This time there will be four classes.

I did some free motion quilting last week when I finished piecing this leader/ender project. Little thimbles that are just over an inch tall. Hard to believe this mug mat is made up of 198 thimbles. It is 11"x19" (after washing).

I used some 30Wt Sulky variegated thread for the quilting. Here I "auditioned" the thread (I chose the  green one in the top left hand corner). I used a #90 Titanium needle for this thread, with regular sewing thread in the bobbin (a dark beige colour).

All the seams were spiralled so they would lay flat (the top of the thimbles are 1/2").

I chose an all over meander for the quilting, because I love quilting this design and I like the crinkly look it gives after washing. The fabric is "Old is New Fabric" by Lecien.

Since it is for hot mugs I used two layers of cotton batting- cotton lays flat, and two layers really protect the table from heat (I don't always have foil batting, but I have small pieces of leftover batting). Two layers of cotton are also great because they can absorb a whole mug of hot liquid (ask me how I know!).

I have been sewing Courthouse Steps blocks, 34 so far with 20 left to sew.

The last of the snow is almost melted,

and the tulips have started growing!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!♥

Stash Busting

For the past week I have been stash busting - whittling my 4 containers of fat quarters and smaller pieces down to 3 containers.

Since it is the same amount of work to cut out one quilt as three, that's what I did.

Pieces for a Flowering Snowball quilt cut with the GO! (the link for the die). I used some yardage for this one too. Here is a link for images of this quilt pattern.

12" blocks. The plan is for 42 blocks, with a 6x7 layout, the blocks alone will be 72"x84". I might add borders - big enough for a bed quilt.

Pieces for a Tumbler quilt (again cut with the GO! - 3" Tumbler die). I love this die and have used it many times, it is a really great way to use up the odd pieces leftover from cutting out other blocks.
There are just over 650 tumblers, and this quilt should be about 56"x78" (26 rows with 25 tumblers per row).

Pieces for a Courthouse Steps quilt. One of my favourite quilts is a Log Cabin quilt I made two years ago. I had a few leftover pieces, and I wanted to try something different. This style of quilt is a fabulous stash buster - 1+1/2" strips . I really enjoyed piecing the Log Cabin, so I am looking forward to this one.

9" blocks. The plan is for 54 blocks, with a 6x9 layout, resulting in a 54"x81" quilt.

With all the small leftover pieces I cut about a million (probably exaggerating, but there are a lot in that container!) Thimbles - these will be 1+1/4" when sewn. I like them as leaders/enders, and they will make pillow covers/table mats... without much thought.

Now comes the hard of deciding which one I will make first.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!♥