Finished Flowering Snowball Quilt

I finished the Flowering Snowball quilt.

It is 72"x84", 12" blocks set 6x7. This is a quilt that I cut out with a GO! die, about 5 years ago. 

I think I kept putting off finishing it because I didn't know how to quilt it. It turned out much better than I hoped. I was thinking of selling the die, but now I see more potential.

I quilted open heart feathers in the cream sections and citrus peel, and an echo in the print sections.

The batting is Hobbs Tuscany Cotton/Wool blend (80/20). It was lovely to quilt, light weight and not at all stiff.

It was free motion quilted on my domestic sewing machine using Essential Pro from Connecting Threads, a 70 weight polyester thread, for the top and bottom. I haven't used this thread much, but my machine seems to love this it.

I have a Husqvarna Sapphire 870 Quilt sewing machine that is about 10 years old. It has always had an issue with the bobbin case, mainly when free motion quilting. The original machine I bought was replaced within the first week because it was even worse.

I think it has something to do with the top thread passing around the top of the bobbin case, sometimes it seems to move the bobbin case out of alignment. It seems to be fussy about what thread I use too.

I end up having to take the bobbin case out and putting it all back together. No big deal, but the last quilt I free motion quilted (my Mom's quilt), I took apart the bobbin case about 25 times. Normally I take it apart a few times when quilting a project. This time I didn't have to take it apart once! It was a joy to quilt.

This knitting isn't mine, but I did the cast-on, and the kitchener graft to finish it.

It is the Obsessio Cowl by Laura Nelkin, knit by my Mom. 

I cast-on another one (a provisional cast-on, on a spare interchangeable cable) for my Mom to knit. This cowl will be for me. I have a white one I made years ago, and before we had a puppy I wore it all the time (now my clothes have to be sturdy, and puppy proof). I bought the two skeins of yarn - a silk and mohair blend, in Japan, to make a lacy brioche cowl, but when my Mom accidentally shrunk her original cowl, this made more sense. It is such a light weight, warm cowl.

Photos from around -

Woodpecker on the peanut feeder.

Molly running like the wind on her track.

Bonding? Well at least Maggie isn't running away.

All the best!♥︎

Quilted!

I am pleased the the Flowering Snowball quilt is all quilted.

Just the binding left.

Photos from around -

 Another frosty day.

 Molly has learned to sit while a vehicle goes by on the highway behind our home.

A sliver of the moon at sunset.

All the best!♥︎

Still Making Progress

I finished quilting another row of blocks today -seven. Fourteen to go.

We had to go into the city today, and on the way home saw a small herd of deer.

Far off, in a field, but still exciting to see.

All the best!♥︎

Seems to Be Working

When I sat down at the sewing machine to quilt this morning I had an idea of how I wanted to start quilting the scrappy print sections of the Flowering Snowball quilt. I wanted something simple and started with an Orange Peel design (curved corner to corner lines around the shapes, about 1/4" from the edge to mimic hand quilting). Then I just echoed that design, about 1/2 away from the first line.

I am happy with how it is turning out.

Half of the squares are done.

Photos from around -

 Foggy this morning.

Molly struggling with another big stick.

All the best!♥︎

Machine Quilting

I quilted one of my favourite designs - open heart feathers, on the Flowering Snowball quilt.

I finished all of the cream sections.

Now I have to decide what to quilt in the scrappy sections. I think I will keep it pretty simple.
I think not knowing what to quilt on this quilt is what kept me from finishing this five years ago (click here to see when I cut it out along with three other projects - two of the quilts have been well loved for a while, and the start of a project I recently finished).

I am almost ready to start the ribbing on the sweater.

All the best!♥︎

Finally

I finally got around to pinning the quilt I was hoping to start quilting last week.

It is a Flowering Snowball quilt I cut using a GO! die, and started about 5 years ago. 

Photos from around- 

 Molly finally managed to get her big stick home.

 She had a hard time maneuvering through her track, but she made it.

 The ice on the rink is so thick.

Luckily there is one tree by the rink, so we can stash our boots away from a puppy who likes to run away with them.

 A couple of coyotes caught on the trail cam last night.

All the best!♥︎

Pieced Quilt Top!

I finally unearthed my sewing machine! After over three months it was so nice to sew again. I finished sewing Flowering Snowball blocks together.

These are blocks that I started about four years ago! They are 12" blocks cut with the GO! cutter. I just have to figure out if it needs a border, and how I am going to quilt it. Since I have been searching online for ideas on how to finish the quilt I have found lots of ideas for more quilts using this die - this one in particular caught my eye.

I also finished knitting a pair of socks. This has been my car/waiting/carry in my purse knitting. I knit them for my husband (the first pair of socks I have made for him), with Patons Kroy Socks FX yarn that his sister gave me. The yarn is lovely and made such a nice pair of socks, they even look handspun because the plies of the yarn are different colours.

I finished up a little project in the yard too -

This is the before - a little circle of stones around the flag pole,

I made it larger, planted some 'soon-to-be' tall perennial grasses, added found objects and some wood chips from some of the dead trees around the yard.

All the best!♥︎

Old and New Blocks

I finished piecing the Flowering Snowball quilt blocks (42, 12" blocks). I just need to play with the layout a bit more and then sew the blocks together.

It was time to cut out another piecing project. This is all the fabric cut for a 98" square Pineapple Quilt (49 blocks).
I chose the Marti Michell Pineapple ruler because other ways I saw of piecing pineapple blocks involved piecing large strips of fabric and trimming off the corners - which seems wasteful to me. This method I was able to cut all the pieces out ready to just be sewn together.

These are 1" finished strips, and the blocks are 14" square.

First 4 blocks so far. They went together beautifully - all the pieces are trimmed perfectly with the ruler, to make piecing so easy.

I plan on this being my year project, for when I just want to go sew for a while.

3 rabbits in the yard seems to causes problems!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!♥

Flowering Snowball Blocks

I pieced a few Flowering Snowball blocks, just to see how they would look. I think they are going to make a very nice quilt, and I see other possibilities for quilts using this die (they are cut using a GO! cutter). Thirty three more blocks to sew. These are 12" blocks.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping.♥

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!♥