Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Stash Busting Report

Here it is -- my June and July stash busting report. Yep, I'm late with June but I'm right on time for July.  Although I might be reporting these numbers every other month for awhile. 


2018
Fabric In Month
Fabric In Year
Fabric Out Month
Fabric Out Year
Total In or Out Year
June
05.00
29.625
03.75
46.375
16.750
July
16.00
45.625
13.875
60.25
14.625







This is pretty much a mixed report.  I am not unhappy with it though.  I finished quite a few projects these last two months.  On the other hand I ended up buying a couple of hunks of fabric for specific projects that only one was finished this month.  Another will be finished during August along with a couple other smaller projects. After I started writing this I remembered 2 yards of fabric I had purchased but hadn't written down.  So, it isn't as good as it was about 10 minutes ago but I see even more finishes and NO shopping for awhile! 

I'm calling this one my wild hair quilt.  I started this about 2 weeks ago. It'll be a donation quilt for a senior center.  Actually all the blocks are made.  I've started sewing the rows together and when I snapped this pic two were next to the machine to sew. 

That's it from me today.  I'm linking up with Free Motion by the River and Midweek Makers (when it is available.) 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 





Sunday, July 29, 2018

Monday Meandering 7 - 30 - 2018

Now, back to our regularly scheduled Monday post.  Thanks to every one who visited my blog last week as part of the Christmas in July blog hop.  I'm back to my regular Monday post, especially sharing my goals for the week and how well I did on my goals the week before. 

First up, I definitely moved forward all of my goals from last week.  No, I didn't post my goals last week but I still had a list and have been able to place a check after each item.  Here's one batch of blocks that is almost a quilt top.  I took this picture to see if I like the blue green stripe fabric for small borders. (I'm thinking maybe 3".)  This will be a donation quilt to a senior organization or nursing home. I've pretty much decided to use the striped green.  (You really can't tell here that it is a series of very fine stripes.)  Color is okay with most of the blocks. What do you think? And, what should I use for the binding.  I don't have any more of the dark brown.  I do have the darker teal between the center column of 9" blocks. Or should that be the border??? Never thought of that til now. 
I won these "lotto" blocks at least a year ago.  My entry did not get included because most of the blocks were browns, oranges, teals and beige.  Mine was a smaller version of the upper right corner -- purple and white stripes on a white background. Um, no -- definitely did not go with the rest.  I made 4 more blocks to go with the rest. 

A couple of weeks ago I went down to my Powhatan guild meeting to make angel ornaments.  My first one is done. Don't tell anyone but I'm making them for 2 of the grands for their annual Christmas ornament.  Not sure about what to make for the other 2 grands.  But isn't this one darling?



I decided she looked a little different hanging, as she will be on a Christmas tree.  I actually hung her from a loop on a cushion on my dining room chair.  Cute, cute, cute!  I've got 2 more to do.  I haven't decided if I want to make the next 2 in golds and another fabric or whether I want to find some cute Christmasy fabric.  I'm hoping I can make the wings look a bit smoother but it is what it is.  

I'm moving right on to my goals from last week.  

July 23, 2018
Finish one Angel Ornament
Work on 16 patch quilt 
Work on Stripe blocks
Work on the string borders for Jamestown Landing

July 30, 2018
Put borders on Stripe top
Keep making string borders for Jamestown Landing
Make 2 pillowcases
Pick OMG for August
Sew blocks and rows for 7 ½” squares within strips

I'm making great progress on the Jamestown Landing string borders.  If I can continue to work on these every week I should be able to get them done by the end of August.  (Hope springs eternal.  I find string blocks tres boring to do!) 

I'm back to linking up with my regular Linky parties: Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday, and Moving It Forward.  (I'll add the links as a) they become available and b) when I remember to check them!)  Enjoy some browsing time to see what inspiration you can find! 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Saturday, July 28, 2018

OMG Report

Success!

My July OMGoal was
Put border on 25 patch and doggie quilt.  
Make backing. Quilt top. 
And I finished all of that yesterday.  I'm going to do the binding next month but it won't be my OMG.  I'll have to come up with something else to work on. 

I have taken a few days off from blogging but I did want to let you know that I ran the number generator to find a winner for my Christmas in July giveaway. 
Congratulations to Karen who blogs at Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats. I put the package in the mail today so it should be there soon.  I hope you enjoy them Karen.

I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts for the July Finish link up.  Swing by to see whose finished their projects this month. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 



Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Christmas in July Bloghop -- The End

This is the last day of the CIJ.  But that doesn't mean you can't go back to any posts you have missed or visit posts again.  I'm planning on doing just that over the next few days.  Heck, I haven't even had time to see if I have fabric for Rejoice. 


Saturday, July 14th

Selina @ Selina Quilts

Sunday, July 15th


Monday, July 16th

Jamie @ L'Fair Quilts

Tuesday, July 17th

Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts

Wednesday, July 18th

Thursday, July 19th

Danice @ Homespun Hannah

Friday, July 20th


Saturday, July 21st

Marian @ Seams To Be Sew

Sunday, July 22nd

Anja @ Anja Quilts
Moira @ Quilted Snail

Monday, July 23rd

Brenda @ Songbird Designs

Tuesday, July 24th


Wednesday, July 25th


Selina @ Selina Quilts

Sunday, July 15th


Monday, July 16th

Jamie @ L'Fair Quilts

Tuesday, July 17th

Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts

Wednesday, July 18th

Thursday, July 19th

Danice @ Homespun Hannah

Friday, July 20th


Saturday, July 21st

Marian @ Seams To Be Sew

Sunday, July 22nd

Anja @ Anja Quilts
Moira @ Quilted Snail

Monday, July 23rd

Brenda @ Songbird Designs

Tuesday, July 24th


Wednesday, July 25th


The good thing about this list is every link should go directly to the CIJ post with ideas and tutorials.  Enjoy some more Christmas in July.  

If you want to enter my giveaway here's my link

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday, July 23, 2018

Christmas in July Blog Hop

Welcome to the 10thday of Christmas in July blog hop.  Special thanks go to Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for setting up this blog hop. Instead of sharing 10 lords of leaping I’m sharing a small quilt you can add to your holiday decorations.  And, I have a little give away too. Keep reading.

I’ve been planning on doing a wool wall hanging for years.  I’ve gathered wool and wool felt, patterns, books. When Sarah wanted folks for her blog hop I knew this was the time for me to go wool! Let me introduce you to Noel Santa.
13 x 13" Noel Santa
Here’s a little bit of the process I used for designing Noel Santa. 
Many thanks to my quilting buddy Beth for suggesting a round Santa rather than my weird oval.  I’m not sure when he became just a face but it works!

Mine's on the left, Beth's on the right. 

My final drawing..... maybe. I found that all those "ruffles" on the hat trim didn't work well  when it came to stitching them down.  I've changed that on the pattern. 

There are two wools that people use for applique in their quilting. One is Felted Wool – woven wool is shrunk to form a tight fabric.  The other is Wool Felt – a fabric where the fibers are “laid down” on a wire.  Think of how paper is made or battings.  I used Wool Felt for my project.  Some of my felt was very old and some I bought as felt sheets from Benzie Designs at their Etsy shop. Their felt is between 25 and 35% wool mixed with rayon.  Look for wool and wool felt at regional quilt shows and your local quilt shops. Although you can use craft felt sold at JoAnnes wool felt has a little softer feel and more loft.  Check to see if JoAnnes sells wool felt – I’ve never looked specifically but I think I saw some bolts of it at one time. 

I received directions for handling the wool felt from a previous purchase.  Basically it suggested rinsing the felt in hot water and then drying it in the dryer at a hot temperature.  I don’t squeeze the felt; just gently roll it in a towel, pat out as much water as I can and throw the towel and the felt into the dryer. The felt “fluffs” up a bit in the drier. Remember to separate the dark colors from the light! I have had little color bleed with the newer felt I've bought but older felt might run like crazy  Although this method does a good job of containing the color, don't plan on washing your finished project. 

SUPPLIES NEEDED: 

My original Noel Santa pattern is available on Google Drive as a PDF. 
These directions are also available on Google Drive as a PDF.

FELT: My felt is mostly in sheets and except for the backing white and the green for the letters I used very little of the felt. I  bought 9” x 12” felt rectangles.  There is no reason why you can’t use quilting cotton for this project. You can use the same applique technique I used on the wool. I used the following colors:
Red wool felt
Cherry wool felt
White wool felt (background) 
Flesh wool felt
Green wool felt (letters)

WOVEN COTTON FABRIC 
Sashing fabric 5” x 12” appx
Border fabric 7” x 14” appx 
Binding 5” by WOF (I used the same fabric as my sashing fabric.)
Backing Fabric 15” x 15” woven cotton

Other Supplies
Bonsal Splendid Web #345 or your preferred fusible*(see below)
Embroidery floss to match your felt pieces. (I chose to use a light gray instead of white for the beard and mustache so they would show up better against the white background fabric.) 
Thin cotton batting 15” x 15”  (I used a leftover piece of Nature’s Touch 60/40 poly/cotton by Pellon.) 

Cutting directions
Background Felt or Fabric  - 4 pieces 5.5” x 5.5” 
You might prefer to measure your pieces before you cut the following sashing and borders. If yours are different cut to fit your pieces.  This might be more necessary for the up-and-down sashing piece and the borders.  
Sashing – 2 pieces 1” by 5.5”
Sashing – 1 piece 1” by 11” 
Border – 2 pieces 1.5” x 11” 
Border – 2 pieces 1.5” x 13” 
Backing fabric and batting -- use the size listed above. 
Binding  1.5” x 65” 

Process:
Trace the pattern pieces on the adhesive.  Trim so only a little excess fusible surrounds the design and then iron on to the wool using the adhesive instructions.  Cut out the pattern on the line. Attach the letters to the background pieces as shown in the picture. I used 3 strands of DMC floss and buttonhole stitched around the letters. (Here’s a good video on how to do of the buttonhole stitch. I always mess up where to start my stitching and this helped me remember!) 

The fusible hasn't been trimmed yet in this picture.
Santa pieces ready to be cut out and applied to the background.
To make the Santa “O” I ironed down the beard piece. Then I ironed down the face making sure it was right next to the top of the beard piece. I then buttonhole stitched the beard.  

Next, iron down the lips and stitch down.  Go back and stitch down the face.  Remember you don’t have to stitch edges that are covered by other pieces such as the beard/face area that is covered by the mustache. Continue to iron the pieces and stitch in the following order: hat, mustache, hat trim and nose. I then marked eyes using a Frixon pen because I could easily remove it with my iron.  Use the colors of your choice to add Santa’s eyes. I’ve decided if I make him again I might do a more casual eye – maybe a small dark dot either with a button, bead, embroidered or using a Pigma Pen to draw the eye. I embroidered the eyelid with a dark brown, the iris with a medium green and don't forget to put a bit of white in the iris for Santa's twinkle.  I took three small stitches with the white. Last, give Santa's cheeks a little brush of blush. I used my blusher and a Q-Tip. 

Once all four pieces are finished its time to make our little quilt.  Sew the sashing with a quarter inch seam between the N and E and the O and L. Iron the seams toward the sashing. Sew the longer piece on the right side of the N/E unit. Then sew it to the left side of the O/L unit.  Again, iron toward the sashing.

Sew the borders on the 2 sides and then the top and bottom. Iron the seams toward the borders. 

It’s time to sandwich your little quilt.  Tape your backing fabric to a rotary mat to hold it taut while you pin baste your quilt sandwich.  Smooth your thin batting over the backing.  Smooth your quilt top over the batting and backing. Carefully pin in each of the four sections and add a couple of pins in each border.  I only placed one pin in each of the 4 quadrants. 

When I trim quilts, I leave about an 1/8th” beyond the edge of the quilt. This makes sure my binding will be "full," rather than a binding with no batting in it. 


Quilt your little quilt using the thread of your choice. I used a heavier hand quilting thread even though I quilted by machine. I chose to stitch in the ditch on both sides of the sashing and on the border close to the seam.  It doesn’t take much quilting to keep this quilt together! 
My quilting in the ditch shows up like this on the back.  This is enough to hold the piece together.




Stitch the two pieces of binding together with a diagonal seam. I use a single fold binding to eliminate bulk from small hangings. Iron the binding in half lengthwise. Turn one of the sides into the middle and iron. 


I sewed the binding to the right side of the quilt with the extra folded part facing toward the center of the quilt.  When you turn the binding to the back to hand stitch it down you’ll have a crisp fold to sew into.  

To use this quilt on a wire table stand make two tabs as follows:  Cut two pieces of fabric 2.5” x 6.5.” Turn under ¼” along the long sides of both tabs. Top stitch those folded sections.  Pin a tab right sides together and sew a ¼” seam along the cut edge. Turn right-side out. When both are done pin them to the back of your little quilt leaving about 1.5” from each side.  Try the quilt on the rack to make sure your little quilt hangs straight. It’s best to get the top section of each tab correct so your quilt doesn’t “list.”  When you are satisfied, hand stitch the top and bottom sections of each tab to the backing. Remember not to stitch through the quilt!



I added a little label that was framed with the same sashing fabric and sewn inside the binding to finish off my quilt. (I've covered up my label a bit.)  

The last thing I added was a 1/4” pompom for Santa’s hat. I used Aileene’s Original Craft glue. You could also use a button or a piece of white felt instead of the pompom.  I would sew a white felt circle down after I sewed the hat in place.  But I’d sew a button down after I finished the quilt but before adding the tabs. 

*I found that my background wool was much thicker than my newer felt and I had a hard time getting the fusible to hold the pieces well. The pieces are small enough that the buttonhole stitch holds them in place.  On my next small wool project I will try Roxanne’s Basting Glue as that should hold small pieces until they are sewn in place. I've also changed the pattern for the hat trim.  Having lots of wiggles and curves on the little hat trim piece didn't look great with the buttonhole stitch.  I smoothed out the curves.  

I hope you enjoy making your own wool Noel Santa.  If you make one please send me a picture or share your blog link with me. I’d love to see what you make.

Don’t forget to visit the other 10thDay of Christmas bloggers: 
Brenda @ Songbird Designs
Amy @ Sea of Estrogen

Here’s the whole list of bloggers participating in the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop. 


Monday, July 23rd

Brenda @ Songbird Designs

Tuesday, July 24th


Wednesday, July 25th


Saturday, July 14th

Selina @ Selina Quilts

Sunday, July 15th


Monday, July 16th

Jamie @ L'Fair Quilts

Tuesday, July 17th

Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts

Wednesday, July 18th

Thursday, July 19th

Danice @ Homespun Hannah

Friday, July 20th


Saturday, July 21st

Marian @ Seams To Be Sew

Sunday, July 22nd

Anja @ Anja Quilts
Moira @ Quilted Snail

I’ll be linking with my regular Monday Linky Parties: Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Moving It Forward Monday and Main Crush Monday. If they aren’t active when I post this I’ll add the link when they become active.  Enjoy. 

Oh yes, there is a giveaway!  I made a fold up fabric box and a matching 9" zippered pouch.  If you are a no reply make sure you leave an email address. (I've already had several no reply bloggers who have not left an address.) Duplicate entries will be eliminated.  I'll be drawing the winner's name in the evening on Wednesday, July 25.  I'm willing to send this internationally so if you live outside of USA add your comments too. I use the box for threads especially when I'm sewing away from home.  And my pouch is taken with me holding whatever small supplies I need.  (No, the tools and pencil aren't part of the prize!) 

This drawing is now closed.  Congratulations to Karen who quilts at Tu-Na Quilts

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie