First Finish of 2014 - January

There's a cute little raglan sweater that goes with the booties and cap, but I haven't put it together yet.  The booties will get a white ribbon at the ankles after I find the ribbon.  What do you think; is this cap too small for an infant girl?

Wheelchair Bag for Grandma Vivian

Grandma Vivian just loves her new wheelchair bag.  

She made the needlework squares in plastic canvas a long time ago.

All 24 of them!

The back and front are identical, as are the sides.

I found the squares last fall when I organized her craft stuff.

I showed Larry how to sew them together,

then I whipped the top edge, and put in the lining.

Larry sewed on the handles,

which we put on the ends instead of at the middle.

The bag works really well on the wheelchair.

It even accordions at the seams when the chair is transported.

Grandma was VERY pleased.

Grandma was honored at her church on Sunday for being the oldest Mother present.

At age 101 she had them all beat by a mile. 

They presented the altar flowers to her as a gift.

It was a beautiful bouquet, almost 3 feet across.

It poked me in the arm as we shared the backseat of the car.

lol

Grandma said she had a really wonderful Mother's Day.

And I hope you all did too!

Apple Kissed Autumn - October Finish

I haven't posted in a long time, but I haven't been slack either. I finished "Apple Kissed Autumn" by Shepherd's Bush, in time for Grandma's 100th birthday next month.  I'm so pleased how it turned out, and I know Grandma will love it too.

This cross stitch kit has gone on so many trips it's too bad it couldn't collect frequent flier miles.  Las Vegas, Canada, Phoenix, New York, Wisconsin, San Antonio, Colorado, Houston; it's been everywhere!  It was my favorite go-to kit, and routinely got packed every trip just in case I felt like stitching.  I finally started it in Phoenix last year, made a mistake, ripped it out, then put it away until our trip to Canada last month.  I finished it October 1st, just missing the September OPAM cut-off.

rows of crows

ripened vines

apple baskets

autumn's signs

First Completion of the Year!

My valence is all done and hanging, not in the right place, but hanging just the same. OK, so my compression rod hasn't exactly arrived yet, but I do have this old rod that I had been planning to use originally, so I decided to hang the valence under the cutting table until the compression rod arrives. Hopefully this will let the wrinkles hang out without putting them out of reach for a quick steam. And now for a solemn vow: As God is my witness, I'll never do pinch pleats again! And one of these days, I'll clean up that mess underneath that table too.

Dinosaur Panel Quilt - Simple Quilting Techniques

After about 2 weeks of recuperation, I finally felt strong enough to manhandle this flannel quilt around under my machine. I did simple stitch-in-the-ditch on the inner black and brown borders. Here it is, all done except for the binding. Instead of my usual stippling, I outlined the dinosaurs in dark blue, then simply channel stitched the border, seen below on the back of the quilt.
This quilt demonstrates that very easy quilting techniques may be used to good effect on a domestic machine. Our charity long-arm quilter recently had to recuse herself from participation, which caused some concern because hardly anyone likes to stipple but me.

I used the backing flannel for the binding. (Note to self: ALWAYS press binding seams wide open to avoid big flannel lumps.) It took me longer to bind this quilt than it did to quilt it. And the pins really had it in for me. I got a ding on my palm that still hurts today. lol

October Finish

I got the pansies and leopard quilt bound yesterday. I'm so pleased with the way it turned out.

I know some little child is going to just love the leopard Minkee, which almost makes up for the enormous PITA it was to stipple. lol It just would NOT move around smoothly at all!

This was mostly a scrap quilt. The pansies are from the "cigarette smoke" collection of 2008.

The purples are multiple fat quarters (and smaller) from my stash.
And the orange water colors are from the Las Vegas remnant bag cram of 2008.

September (yes September) Finish

Fortunately Kris at Tagalong Teddies believed me that I REALLY DID finish something in September. I made this purse from the "Got Pockets?" pattern before we went on vacation in Scottsdale.

I really wanted to make a purse using the beautiful Minnesota batik fabric that my brother-in-law bought for my birthday last year ALL BY HIMSELF. I should have looked more carefully at the pattern because after I got started I realized that it had 42 (yes, 42) pattern pieces. Yikes! I got them all cut out and labeled:

And got the piles all sorted and numbered:

And before too long I had it all assembled. It really does have LOTS of nice pockets.

With lots of cool zippers.

It went together quickly; however, I followed the pattern a little TOO closely, and the pattern has a definite error in one of the pictures. My purse is "unique" in that the straps go across the body of the purse, instead of along each side. Sigh. This makes it impossible to shift up over your shoulder. That's what I get for following the pattern uncritically. I should know better by now!

Now I'm on the lookout for some nice leather straps. I'll cut off the existing handles, leaving tabs, then attach the leather straps the "correct" way.

August Completion: All done!

Here it is, all done. I love the polka-dot border. I think it really sets the quilt off nicely. I've finally learned exactly how to apply a 2 1/2" single fold binding to get the best results. Took me long enough! 8)

Here are the three appliques. I don't think you can tell that they are structural components too. And BTW did this quilt ever shrink! I don't know what was in that batting, but it lost at least 3" in either direction. I've never heard of such a thing! That's more like 8% than 5% shrinkage. It got extra soft too, especially the flannel.

And here's my Sweetie Pie, looking for all the world like the next door neighbor in Home Improvement. He's such a big help to me. 8)

Tight stippling takes FOREVER!

I love to stipple. It's like doodling, and I've always loved to doodle. But I had forgotten how long it takes to do a really tight stipple like this.

This may well be the smallest stipple I've ever done on a quilt top. Believe me, it needs the extra strength! I kept finding more weak seams as I went on.
I think the polka dot binding will really bring out the applique patches. I was lucky to find such a snazzy coordinating fabric.

This is where it's at now. I would say it's about 90% stippled - 5 bobbins worth. All that enormous Minkee stippling made me forget how much thread can be consumed by such a small quilt!

I should be able to easily finish all the stippling tomorrow. All that's left then is to bind it, label it, wash it and dry it. I definitely want to have it ready for the Blanketeer meeting this Friday. I haven't finished anything in ages and I have to set a good example. 8)

Another UFO to finish for someone else

The Blanketeers inherited another sack of fabric, not all cotton, but much better than the old sheets and pillowcases last time. In it was a little quilt top. Let's just say it had its issues.


For whatever reason, it got washed before its time. And in doing so, became the poster child for why 1/4" seams are the gold standard of minimum seam allowances. But after a bit of trimming...

OK, a LOT of trimming; it's little flaws were exposed and sighed over.

Well, a good pressing makes everything look better.
I've decided I'll applique decorative circles over its few little owies. I found a coordinating brown fabric with white polka-dots last weekend for the applique. It will work for the back and binding too. A nice tight stipple should strengthen its mini seams enough for lots of wear and tear. Now I just have to get it done and it will be my August finish. I hate having skipped two months!

April Finish - Map Quilt Completed

It's the last day of the month and I still haven't blogged about my April finish - that just won't do! I inherited this map panel from Brandy after her adopted son showed up unexpectedly last month. She had already pieced the back, so all I had to do was sandwich, quilt and bind it.We all decided that "it would be really cool" if I outlined all the states with invisible thread, so that's what I did. Fifteen broken needles later, here's what the back looks like. Of course, it's all in reverse, but I like the way it turned out.

Here's Florida in reverse, with a little sailboat outlined as well. The oceans and gulf were too empty, so I outlined some of the little pictures too.
Here's my home state of Wisconsin, and I'm sure the UP'ers, LP'ers and Minnesotans amongst us will recognize their states as well.
And here's Texas, complete with the Alamo (remember the Alamo!) and a cow. Texas was too big to leave empty - lol. And you can see the compass rose at the lower left, helping to quilt up the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, that's my April finish. It will take a few years for me to forget what a HUGE pain it is to work with invisible thread again, but it was worth it for this - especially now that it is done! 8)

March Completion - One More "First Steps" Done

Here is yet another "First Steps" all done in time for my March completion. This makes 5 down, 1 to go. Yippee!!! Plus, I'm all done with the pink fake Minkee.
Since all of my completions lately have looked so much alike, here is a picture that is definitive PROOF that I did complete all THREE of the last set of "First Steps". (Instead of, say, flipping one around and calling it an all new quilt. lol)

Ah yes, this is very satisfying, because I remember all too well that they used to look like this:

International Siggy Swap - Three in One

I got these three lovely siggies in one envelope from Germany this weekend. Sylvia von Kannen from Monchengladbach, calls herself Fliederhexe, the lilac witch. 8) I love the intricate machine embroidery she has on her siggy. It's pretty spectacular! Anne Kawper and her husband keep some animals on their hobby farm in Korschenbroich, Germany. Her favorite are the goats, which she has embroidered on her siggy for me. It has a tiny little bead for its eye. I can't remember the last time I got a simple stamped siggy like mine; I'm beginning to feel like a slacker.
And Anja Ubber, from Neuss, Germany, has embroidered lovely delicate flowers with beaded centers to make this simple but stunning siggy. Ladies, I am so impressed with your work.

Naturally I had to look up where these ladies are located since I had never heard of Neuss, Korschenbroich or Monchengladbach (I don't know how to put the umlaut on the 'o' either, sorry). I figured they would be fairly close together since the ladies were sharing a post, and I was right. All three towns are in a line due west from Dusseldorf, with Neuss being practically a western suburb, and Monchengladbach perhaps 20 miles further west. Korschenbroich is between them. All in all a comfortable distance for stitching buddies, as long as the roads aren't too icy. 8)

I had REALLY exciting news today too. I was one of the OPAM challenge draw winners this month. ME? I never win anything. I sent my snail mail address off to Kris at TagalongTeddies just this evening. I can't wait to see what I got. My blogging buddy, Jo in Tasmania, sent me a teaser that the prize is really nice. 8)

February Finish - "First Steps" in Yellow, Blue & White

I finished my second "First Steps" baby quilt of the year, maybe I should just call it "Second Steps". 8)

They have the same plush pink backing, which I love, though the pink embossed stars seem to disappear a little bit in the wash. Well, it WAS much cheaper than actual Minkee. 8)

I've already washed the one (left) that I finished in January. It only shrunk up about 1/2", but what a big difference that makes, I think. The unwashed yellow one looks very different to me.

I'm completely out of this striped binding fabric now, I'll have to bind the toddler in waiting with something else. ;) After that, I'll only have one more "First Steps" top left. That one is going to get a backing of really pretty turquoise Minkee. Then I'll only have one quilt top left. I'll have to start actually quilting again!
This year I'm planning to make quilts out of my stash based on what backing fabric I already have. Otherwise it never fails that I use up a bunch of scraps for the top, then have to buy lots of the perfect backing fabric to finish it off. I end up with LOTS more scraps than I started with. Anyone else ever have this problem, or is it just me? lol

Ironing Board Cover - There's Probably a Better Way

When we bought the house we're in now, back in 1996, there was a big pile of stuff in the garage intended for Goodwill. I rescued this sorry, beat-up ironing board, thinking I could recover it.

It was dirty and in sad shape, but I thought I could easily fix it.
So a mere 13 years later, I got right on it! Larry & I consulted our handy Feng Shui guide, so that a "bad element" wouldn't accidentally be introduced into the "creativity corner" of the sewing room. 8) We decided that a pretty yellow and blue floral couldn't possibly have any "bad vibes".I made a paper pattern about 3" bigger than the top of the board. I pinned the pattern to the back of the floral cotton and rotary cut it out. I used a bit of cotton batting and pinned all 3 layers together, then rotary cut that out too. I added some old muslin for the bottom layer so I now had a quilt sandwich. I then removed the paper pattern and serged all three layers together. OK, this was NOT the genius idea I thought it would be. Despite ample pinning, my "sandwich" slipped all over the place. I had to stop after serging one side, smooth it back down again, then serge the other half. Despite my best efforts, the muslin bulged. Most annoying! I decided to just smoosh the excess under the cord channel and carry on. So I did.Using my walking foot, I sewed over the serged line, leaving a 1" channel for the cord, with a 3" hole to start and finish. You better believe I back stitched like fury to reinforce the edges of that hole! I knew I was going to have to pull like the dickens to get this thick wonky cover to lay flat on the board.
I threaded some kitchen twine on a big plastic needle and pushed it all around the thick channel. Very tiring for the hands that! I pulled and I tugged, then I pulled some more, and finally made a knot. Now it lays nice and flat. I left plenty of extra cord so if I ever need to wash it, the cord won't get lost in the channel. It looks lovely against the wall, which is where it will be 90% of the time (or more). It sure is more attractive now than with the dirty old cover. And it only took me 13 years. 8)