October End of Month Reports

Nothing like being just a "little" bit late, right?  Let's see.... October ended a week ago, didn't it?  

Oh my!  Life has just been so busy, and blogging has had to take a back seat.  Actually, that may be the case for much of November too.  I have two baby quilts to finish up in two weeks time - one hasn't even been started yet -  yikes!!!  I promise I'll try to pop in and keep you updated with short posts about my adventures :)

So, what did I accomplish in October?  

October 2013 NewFO Challenge project:  One of my favorite things to do each month is start something fresh and new, and then LINK UP with Barbara at Cat Patches!

Sneak peek - "Paws in the Garden" wool block in process

Terri Stegmiller - amazing mixed-media artist and art quilter! - asked for volunteer pattern testers last month, and I just couldn't resist these adorable, purrsonable kitties in her pattern called "Paws in the Garden" - so I said, "Sign Me Up!"  I thought these kitties would be a really cute addition to my Summertime wool quilt (click on the name to see the designer's quilt).  As a reminder, I'm only doing 9 blocks and substituting some of them with a few of my own choosing - such as my wool rendition Terri's "Paws in the Garden."  I had SO MUCH fun with this NewFO in October :)  You'll be seeing the finished project soon!!!!

As my regular followers have already seen, I finished Moonglow and it won 1st place at our local Oktoberfest Quilt Show (click here for more) - woohoo!!!  

I'm hoping to get a better picture of this quilt soon!

After a marathon quilting session that lasted 2-1/2 weeks, I was pretty much "quilted out!"  I took a much-needed break from the machines and did some soothing hand work instead.  I sat down to my sewing machine for the first time last night to sew together a backing for a quilt to go on Joanne's longarm today.  I'll share pics of that fun finish in a few days :)

We also had some company this month, which is the absolute BEST reason I can think of for not getting all my Get It Done items completed this month, wouldn't you agree? :*)

Mom & me, at Olive Garden with our favorite fellows, celebrating my birthday - shhhhh!!!!!!
(It was such a fun time, we couldn't sit still; hence, the blurry pic LOL!!!)

Early in the month, we had our oldest grand-daughter Emma for a week - always a pleasure!  And then last week we had the rare treat of my mom and stepfather here for a few days while on their way to visit my brother in Los Angeles.  My friend Lynn came in from Seattle for a visit also last week, and we enjoyed some wonderful time together piled up in the recliners and covered with comfy quilts while I introduced her to the excellent PBS series, Call the Midwife. This is absolutely my favorite show on TV right now.  They are showing repeats right now, gearing up for the 3rd season which starts in March 2014 - can't wait!!!

Since I was in a place where I just wanted to rest and relax, I picked up my needles and put on a new pair of plain jane socks - and I finished them in 10 days!  If you had told me a year ago that I could make a pair of socks in 10 days, I would have sworn it was impossible!  But here is the proof...

Surf Serenity socks
Two at a time using Magic Loop

They fit very nicely!  

Still a tad loose around the foot though - I'll take a few more stitches out of my next pair.

For the cuff, I went to DPN needles one size smaller than those used on the socks, 

and tried out a new-to-me method called Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-off.

The cuffs are easy to stretch out but hug nicely when worn and

go back to shape quickly when I take them off  ----

Yes, I was happy with Jeny's bind-off and I'll use it again :*)

So, in summary, my October accomplishments - or lack thereof - look something like this ..... *drumroll please!*

October 2013 Goals:

• RSC Challenge Blocks - The color was Black/Gray, so I chose to let these blocks slide last month so I could concentrate on getting Moonglow quilted.
• NewFO project - ?????? - I want to do a pumpkin project - will I have time???  No, I didn't have time for a pumpkin project :(  However, "Paws in the Garden" has been great fun!!!
• Quilting - Moonglow, Genevieve's Banners, Mom's Valentine table-topper - Moonglow is DONE, but the other two are still on the To Do pile at the side of my machine.  They MUST be done by the week before Thanksgiving - yikes!
• Finish prepping and begin stitching on the next Summertime block - DONE!
• Yarn Projects - start Wingspan knitted shawl so I'll have an easy take-along, no-brainer yarn project - YES STARTED and two "wings" done :)
• Christmas QAL - Finish Bargello Tree Skirt; start on Jovial if I have time - NOT TOUCHED!
• Make at least half of the Talkin' Turkey flying geese - Cut most of the neutral pieces, but still a lot of cutting to do before I can even start sewing on these geese :(
• Continue washing stash - this one is ongoing and I did make some progress this month - Yay!!!

November 2013 Goals:

• Finish and post about Paws in the Garden project
• Quilting (domestic sewing machine DSM) - G's Banners, Mom's Valentine table-topper
• Quilting (longarm) - UFO - Christmas Geese (Christmas QAL)
• Make a baby quilt for newest grandson for shower the week before Thanksgiving
• Make several receiving blankets, etc., for shower also
• Yarn Projects - continue Wingspan; cast on new socks for working on over the holidays :)
• Enjoy time with family for the Thanksgiving season!!!!!

Linking up with -

Cat Patches - 2013 NewFO Challenge

Patchwork Times - Get It Done!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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It's Blogger's Quilt Festival Time!!!!

I love joining in on Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival!!!

Click on the button above to go to the main page and check out 

all the wonderful quilts and prizes for this year's Fall Festival :*)

Of course, this year Moonglow has to be my entry!

For those of you who are not already heartily sick of reading about this prize-winning quilt on my blog, following are a few more details of my Moonglow quilting adventure LOL!!!

This quilt is designed by Jinny Beyer - quilting megastar - and the fabrics are all hers too.  I fell in love with the quilt the first time I saw its picture in a magazine!  Then I found out it was available as a Block-of-the-Month, so I asked my husband for the set for Christmas in 2009.  It was the perfect gift because I got a new package every month in 2010.  What fun it was to open the package to see what that month's star looked like - and then ponder just how difficult it was going to be to make LOL!!

I finally finished the blocks and managed to get the top together in May of last year, then in May of this year, my friend Joanne let me use her long-arm machine to baste the layers together - what a blessing that was!!!!  No scrambling around on the floor trying to get it sandwiched!!!

I quilted this quilt with my Janome 6600 domestic machine - and as usual it came through for me like a champ!!!  This is a large queen-sized quilt, but I was able to free-motion quilt even the stitch-in-the-ditch areas pretty well - I only struggled on the center row with a lot of bulk under the machine.  For the first time, I used a wool batt in this baby, and I love the feel and heft of the quilt, as well as the loft and definition it gave to the quilting design.  It did add some bulk under the machine though.  My favorite reason for using this batt is that I love knowing it won't get those permanent wrinkles some quilts get in them after folding :*)

I finally got busy with the quilting process early this month in the hopes of getting the quilt in the Oktoberfest Quilt Show held here locally each year - and it won 1st Place in its category!!!

You can read more about that HERE if you like.

The quilting process was long and very strenuous!  You can read some of my quilting adventures with Moonglow HERE and HERE.  I think the marking took as long as the quilting did!  Since I was working primarily with a black background, I used the white Clover White Marking Pen (three of them actually!) and it also did a magnificent job.  It goes on invisible as a liquid, but turns white as it dries.  Then when you are done stitching, just steam out the marks - voila!!!!

Marking each line to make sure they were perfectly straight and at the right angle!
Then, can you see the swag line I drew in?

I used one of Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles as a template for the circles - worked wonderfully!!!!

The swag lines were drawn on, but the feathers and circles on them were all free-motion quilted.....

It's a little hard to see them because I used a similar color thread.  I tried black and it stood out like a sore thumb!!!  The corners got a simple swag/feather treatment to keep things cohesive....

The lines in the borders were kept organic - I didn't want to do anything flowery or feathery there.  I really like the nice clean lines of the quilt and those borders, so I just did the understated swag work and "piano keys" lines, and kept it at that...

My binding, as usual, was applied by machine......

I've learned how to do this so that it looks as nice as any hand-sewn binding on the front, and almost as nice on the back too :*)  The Judge had no negative comments to make about it, so I think I must have done a nice job.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing Moonglow in all its glory!!!

Your vote in the Bed Quilts division would be so greatly appreciated :*D

Please feel free to come back again and visit soon!!!

Hugs & Blessings,

Teresa

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Moonglow Won!!!

It's been hard getting back to "ordinary" life and blogging.  

I worked practically non-stop for over 2 weeks on the quilting for Moonglow so I could enter it in the local Oktoberfest Quilt Show, and I am happy to report that I made it!  I skidded in just 1-1/2 hours before deadline to register both Moonglow and Rainbow Pineapples.....  and they both took 1st Place ribbons in their categories!!!

 This event is sponsored by Wilson Bank, and they provide the ribbons 

which are all the colors of the bank - burgundy and gold.

I'm so Happy!!!!

I'll share more about Moonglow and the quilting process with some pictures later this week.  

The first day after I finished, I worked as a scribe for the Judge, so I was able to be there and hear her comments about both quilts.  She used a 1-4 scale, with 1 being "Best", 2 being "Very Good", 3 being "Good", and 4 being "Fair".  Moonglow scored a "1" on all points - Color & Design, Piecing/Applique, Quilting, and Binding.  Woohoo!!!!  Looks like all that hard work and focus really paid off :*D  There are things that I might have done differently if I had had more time, but overall I am very happy with the quilt and will very much enjoy seeing it on my bed every day.

Rainbow Pineapples scored a 1 for both Color & Design and Piecing.  She gave me a 2 on Quilting because she said it was just "sufficient" for the quilt.  She was right.  I really didn't do a lot of quilting on it because it is small and it's a wall quilt, so it didn't need a whole lot.

The second day after I finished quilting Moonglow .... I did NOTHING!!!  Seriously, ya'll... I didn't do anything at all.  I was whooped!  I piled up in my recliner with my cuddly rag quilt covering me and started a new pair of socks.  And I watched 4 episodes of Revolution in a row LOL!!!  It's been a low-key weekend for me, but yesterday I began to get my energy back and spent a good part of the day in my sewing studio straightening things back up after the quilting marathon and getting it back in order.

Then today I started a new project!  

(Getting that October NewFO taken care of instead of waiting until the last day - LOL!!!)  

One of the blogs I love to follow for her amazing eye candy is Terri Stegmiller - an amazing artist and fiber art quilter!  You can visit her wonderful Blog by clicking HERE.  You can also find her on Facebook HERE, and she has some absolutely gorgeous things for sale in her Etsy shop HERE!

Not long ago, Terri put out the call for a few pattern designers.  I know!  I have SO MUCH going on!!!  But I'm telling you, Terri's designs are so marvelous that I just couldn't resist throwing my name in the hat!  And just in case that doesn't convince you, would you believe the designs had cats in them?  Yep, resistance had no chance at all!!!  :*D

"Paws in the Garden" by Terri Stegmiller

Once I saw Terri's "Paws in the Garden", I just had to play with it!  Don't you love the expressions on these cuties' faces?  The lids on their eyes is a genius touch - it gives them so much purrsonality :*)  I spent a few very happy hours today working with the pattern to get it to the size I need for my planned project - what fun!!!   Of course, Terri is a mixed-media artist, so her rendition of the pattern was done with hand-died and stenciled fabrics (that she did herself of course), and lots of embellishments.  Mine will be a little tamer, but I think it will end up being just as beautiful in its own way - I hope it will, anyway :*D  Terri wanted us to do "our own thing" so she could get different looks for the designs, so I'm just doing my thing and having a ball!!!

As for the rest of my Design Wall, it is currently empty.  But of course that doesn't mean I don't have lots of things in progress.  For our upcoming visit to family in November, I'll finish up Genevieve's Banners baby quilt, as well as a new bib for her.  I found this pattern while at Runaway and couldn't resist making one for our little girl, who is now a big girl at six months old!

I'm having a hard time deciding which one to make, so don't be surprised if she gets more than one LOL!!!

I also want to take some hand-sewn gifts for my daughter-in-law's baby shower for our newest baby boy on the way around Christmas time.  Among the items I hope to have for the shower will be some over-sized flannel receiving blankets from some fun fabrics I've been saving in my stash for just such an occasion ....

Aren't they cute????  I think Anna will like them, and I'm pretty sure Cooper will enjoy their cheerful color in his new world :*D

I also have several gifts I'm making for other loved ones that I just can't share right now.... you know how that goes, right?  I'm going to give my October Get It Done list a good look-over to see if I need to adjust anything so I can focus on these things right now.

What are you focusing on in your sewing room?  Is your Design Wall full of fun things, or is it empty like mine?  Please join me in sharing your current projects at Judy's Patchwork Times linky party!  I'll see you there!!!

Hugs & Blessings,

Teresa

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Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

It's been "Nose to the Grindstone" time here at my house!

I have been focusing exclusively on Moonglow, trying to get it quilted and ready for entry in our Oktoberfest Quilt Show next week!

There are 25 blocks total - 12 Log Cabin blocks and 13 Stars.....

Each star block is SID (Stitched in the Ditch) by FMQ (free-motion quilting) - which is NOT easy!!!  I love doing FMQ with swirly, curly designs, but straight stitching in a ditch is a real challenge.  I've ripped out more than I care to tell you about!  I couldn't do straight-stitching with the walking foot, because this is a Queen-size quilt, and no way was I going to keep turning it back and forth, around and around.  I honestly don't know how people do SID on a long-arm.  

Then I'm doing a FMQ pebble design in the background areas to make the stars pop out.  After all, they are the "Stars" of this quilt (pun totally intended LOL!!!)  :*D

But, wowzers!!!! - this sure does take a lot of time to do!!!

The Log Cabin blocks are pure SID with a simple circle stitched in the black squares....again, not nearly as easy as it looks like it would be!

Thankfully, this block is not crooked - it's just the way it is laying on my tabletop :*D

I still have EIGHT more blocks to do - ugh!!!

And THEN I have all these dad-blasted borders to do something with!!!

Yes, folks, that's a LOT of border area to quilt!!!

I have a design in mind, and I'm hoping I'll have time to do what I want to do with it.  But it means that I can't work on anything else until it's done.  Wish me luck!!!!

Missing you all and looking forward to the end of this crazy Moonglow marathon!!!

Be back visiting with you all soon!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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End of Month Reports: September 2013

This month was not quite as successful as last month for getting things done, but all in all, I'm satisfied with what was accomplished - especially considering that I spent a week at retreat and a week getting ready for it.  All that cutting and washing fabrics - ugh!  It takes so much work to get ready to start new projects now that I have to wash everything first!!!

September 2013 NewFO Challenge project:  linking up with Cat Patches

Summertime Wool Applique - remember this new project?

Vintage Valentine Table Topper gift for Mom....

I got a great start on this project by having all the fusible pieces drawn out and cut in advance!  I had prepared them for this block in the Vintage Valentine quilt quite some time ago - another of my UFO's.   So when Mom requested one of these blocks for her next tabletopper frame quilt, it was easy to just choose a block that had all the fusible papers traced and cut, but not yet fused to fabrics for the quit.  I chose all the fabrics and fused the pieces down on the background before retreat.  All I had to do at Runaway was stitch them all down with a buttonhole stitch - Done!!!  Now I just need to take an afternoon to quilt and bind it, adding a little hanging sleeve for the table topper frame.  This will go to Carolina with me at Thanksgiving :*)

Christmas QAL - Bargello Tree Skirt.... linking up with Needle-Thread-Happiness

Another new start for the NewFO Challenge is this Christmas QAL project that I have been wanting to dig into for the longest time now!!!  My goals list for September listed quilting my Blue & White "The First Tree of Life" quilt..... BUT, I am already quilting a much larger quilt right now which ties up my machine, and I didn't want to quilt at retreat - I much prefer to do my quilting at home where I have plenty of room and lots of tables around me to catch the quilts.  So I decided to start work on the Bargello Tree Skirt at Runaway.  This was a much more complicated project than I thought it would be - which is really saying something since I expected it to be a challenge! - so I didn't finish it, but I'm happy with the progress.  And since it is on my list of Christmas proejcts I want to complete for the holidays this year, I really just substituted one project for another on my Christmas QAL goals :*)

This will go on my October Get It Done list for finishing up!

September 2013 Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks:  BABY BLUE - linking up with SoScrappy

Lone Starburst

Fantasia

Yes, they are pastels!!!  But they were fun to play with, and I'm crossing my fingers for something brighter in October LOL!!!

September Quilting Project:  Moonglow!!!

I'm adding a section to my End of Month goals.  I really NEED to get some of my projects quilted, so I'm scheduling those into my To Do list.  This month I've chosen one of the hardest projects on the shelf - start with the biggest challenge and it's all downhill from there, right???  LOL!!!

This is a Queen-size quit, so I will have to wrestle with it to get it done!  But I've done several queens before, so I know I can do it.  As you can see, this was basted on my friend Joanne's long-arm machine, so I didn't have to get down on the floor to sandwich and pin it - SO MUCH EASIER!!!  I will say though that my fingers keep getting caught in those huge basting stitches :*)

My first task was to stabilize the quilt, so I QID - quilted in the ditch - around the edges
between the center blocks and the borders - my Janome QID Walking foot makes this a breeze!!!
Or, at least it would be if it weren't black on black - so hard to see.....

Another problem with black - it picks up every piece of lint or cat hair in my universe!!!
I surely don't want to quilt those suckers down on my quilt, so....

I keep my lint roller handy and use it on each section before I quilt it.

Pebbling around the star points - VERY time consuming, but I'm liking the results so far....

One Star block DONE!!!
Only 12 more to go LOL!!!
Now if I can just decide how I want to quilt the log cabin alternating blocks.....

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Get it Done - September/October 2013:  linking up with Patchwork Times

September 2013 Goals:

• Finish prep-work on all materials for Runaway class - DONE!
• Continue washing Stash - Continuing.... lots washed for retreat projects, but not much since then.
• RSC Challenge blocks- DONE!
• Complete Genevieve's baby quilt - Top is DONE but it still needs to be sandwiched and quilted.  I had to talk to the Mom before I made a final decision on the backing.  All ready to go now!
• New Tabletop quilt for Mom (NewFO Challenge project)- Top is DONE!  Still needs to be quilted, but it doesn't have to be done until the week of Thanksgiving, so I'm happy! :*)
• Quilt The First Tree of Life - Didn't touch this!  However, I substituted starting my Bargello Tree Skirt for my Christmas project this month, and I got quite a lot of that done at Runaway :*)
• Start quilting Moonglow- DONE!  The quilting on this is going to take a LONG time!!!
• Make flying geese for Talkin' Turkey - Not done!  Joanne and Mary would not let me work on them at Runaway - they insisted that we only work on this project during our sit-n-sew times together!  So I will get started on these this coming Friday :*)
• Finish Dreambird Shawl - I suppose I was way too ambitious on this one considering I had a week-long retreat to go to and days of preparation.  I do have 13 of the 21 feathers done though :)  Look for a picture on Friday when I'll link up with Judy's On the Needles.
• Plan and prepare Runaway projects that I think I can accomplish in 4 days- DONE!

All in all, I don't think I did too very bad this month!  Retreats usually throw me for a loop as far as momentum - do they do that to you too?  I always think I'm going to get SO MUCH done, and then I don't.... but much fun was had, so that's what counts, right?

October 2013 Goals:

• RSC Challenge Blocks
• NewFO project - ?????? - I want to do a pumpkin project - will I have time???
• Quilting - Moonglow, Genevieve's Banners, Mom's Valentine table-topper
• Finish prepping and begin stitching on the next Summertime block
• Yarn Projects - start Wingspan knitted shawl so I'll have an easy take-along, no-brainer yarn project
• Christmas QAL - Finish Bargello Tree Skirt; start on Jovial if I have time
• Make at least half of the Talkin' Turkey flying geese
• Continue washing stash

Well, that's it for me!  I hope you have some really fun projects planned for October!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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Finally Putting Needle to Fabric Again!

It was so good to be home this weekend!  Although I did miss my sweet daughter (who still has not passed that @#$%^&$# stone!) and granddaughter, not to mention those cute little balls of fur!  (Click HERE if you missed the Kitten Cuteness Overload post =^..^=)

My Sunday was spent in the sewing room ALL DAY!!!  I cleaned up the clutter which had totally overtaken the room, and then I pulled out my AQUA/TEAL scrap basket.  There was not much there, but I managed to eke out my monthly Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks....

Aqua Fantasia

Hatchett blocks and leftover HST's

Lone Starburst blocks - fabrics picked and foundation papers printed & prepped

After so long away from home, my house was crying out for some attention, so I spent all day Saturday cleaning and rearranging some things in the upstairs bedrooms.  We've decided that our guest rooms look pretty sad - more like hotel rooms, and not very high-end ones at that!  There's a hodge-podge of furniture, and the wall decor is uninspiring, to say the least!  Not what one would expect in the home of a quilter, right?

So in the coming weeks, I will be redirecting my focus toward making these rooms more homey and comfortable.  Not much I can do about the furniture right now, but I can work on focusing the decor around some lovely quilts, both on the beds and the walls.  I have a variety of quilts that I use on these beds, but Moonglow is the one I want for the larger, queen-size bed.....

However, this top still needs to be quilted, so that will move up on my priority list :*)  Thanks to my friend Joanne, I sandwiched and basted this quilt on her longarm (see that post HERE), so it is ready to quilt and hopefully will get some love and attention soon!

First in the line of priorities however is our littlest granddaughter's baby quilt, and I hope to have pictures to share on next week's Design Wall Monday.

What's on your Design Wall?  

See what others have going on at Judy's Patchwork Times!
I'm also linking up with the always-fun Freemotion by the River Linky Party!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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Getting Ready to Quilt!

Tuesday was a fun day for me!  

My friend Joanne let me come over and play on her Gammill!!!  

Do you remember this quilt?

Moonglow

Designed by Jenny Beyer and using her wonderful, color-drenched fabrics..... YUM!!!

I finished this quilt in May of last year, and it has languished on my "to be quilted" shelf this entire year waiting for me to decide how I wanted it quilted.  I knew I didn't want to hand quilt it - not enough years left for me to attempt that!  I didn't want to just send it out for an all-over panto - too special for that!  But custom quilting is really expensive and I hate to pay that much for something I could do myself given enough time and energy.

I really enjoy free-motion quilting on my domestic machine, but there were two major hurdles for me to overcome before I could decide to custom quilt this one myself.  One was the lack of resources.  I don't like tying up my sewing machine with a huge quilting project, leaving me without my good machine for piecing on other projects until it is done.  I took care of that problem when I added the little Bernina to the herd and set up a separate quilting area with my Janome 6600 - you can read about how I did that HERE if you are interested.

Janome 6600 on left for quilting and Bernina 180 on right for piecing - a perfect world!!!

The other holdup was basting the darn thing!  I really hate getting down on the floor and struggling with getting a queen-sized quilt basted and ready for quilting!  I don't know anyone who likes that part of the process, do you?  So when Joanne offered me a day on her Gammill, I jumped on it and got Moonglow basted the easy way!

Loaded and ready to go.....

Aren't these blocks gorgeous?

And this is what basting on a Gammill looks like....

You can see the great big stitches - they will be so easy to take out as I move around the quilt!

I decided to do something else new this time too since this is such a special quilt - I used a wool batt!  It felt really soft and silky, and already I love the little bit of extra loft to the quilt!  I'll be keeping you posted on this project as I work on it, block by slow block!!!

I'm off and running now - looking forward to having lunch with a very great friend!  

How's your week going?

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

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