It's a Finish!

Truth is, I finished this quilt in mid to late September.  I kept forgetting about taking pictures.  So today I figured out a new place to take smaller quilt pictures -- one wall of the new sun room is perfect (after I move two pictures, three plants and one basket....) 

Here's Tumbling Doggies. 

This quilt measures 38.5" x 40". 

Made and quilted by Bonnie (that's me!) 

Quilting Design Squiggle Wiggle Edge to Edge by My Creative Stitches

Thread So Fine 504 - a light grey

Take a look at the backing and the cool black and white stripe binding.  I found the backing at JoAnns at a Fourth of July sale -- Whoop! 50% off. 

Generally, a small quilt like this would go to one of the NICUs my guild support. But I really like this one.  I think it is going into a bag for the possible future great-grand children. (It's years away as my oldest grandchild is only 11.)  And, I strongly suspect there is another Tumbling Doggies in my future. 

I'm sorry for the quality of the pictures.  All of them look great on my computer.  But when I uploaded them to Blogger they have gotten "mushy." You can enlarge them by clicking on them but I'm not sure they will look much better.  

I'm linking up with these parties: 

MidWeek Makers

Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop!

Finished or Not Friday

Beauties Pageant

Enjoy some surfing time! 

Happy Quilting All.  Bonnie 

The Last Quilt of 2020

I succeeded in finishing one more quilt this last week of 2020.  It's been nice to have everything for the holidays done so that I could do some things for me.  I got this Dalmatian fabric from a purchase of novelty fabrics through SewItsForSale@groups.io in November.  I took a big hit on my stash busting statistics that month so I was eager to get a quilt done with some of it.  

The pattern is called Nest and is available free at Shop Martingale. The pattern called for the 12" blocks to be set 5 x 5 but I chose to make it rectangular -- 4 x5 blocks. The blocks went together really quickly.  After my sample block I showed here, I cut all the pieces out.  Because I wanted to even out the black prints and the red prints, I divided up the fabric so that each block had 2 red pieces and 2 black pieces.  I wonder how it would look if I just randomly selected the pieces?  I did try to keep the fabric patterns  evenly spaced out as I laid out the blocks.  But that is a job that could be worked on for hours.  I finally said enough and started sewing the blocks together. 

The quilting pattern is African Samba by Apricot Moon.  I used a red So Fine thread.  For binding I used the same solid black as I used in the quilt. Last quilt of the year finished! 

I'm linking up with My Quilt Infatuation, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop?, and Finished or Not Friday. Enjoy some time seeing what new quilty projects are showing up on the Internet. 

Happy Quilting All for 2021!  Bonnie

 

Let's Get It Done!

Here's what I've finished from my goals list last week: 

8/10/2020

Shop at new quilt store √ fun to visit and yep, I bought a yard of fabric

Work on Wonky Family piece√ 3 rows are done. From top to bottom: Ellie, Theo and Sophia. Each background is about 4 x 5".  I keep thinking I might want to change some of the colors of the kids and body shapes.  Mostly likely I won't because this is the first time I've tried this method.  I'll tell more about it when the piece is finished.  

Finish putting together dogs top√ done and moved to the to-be-quilted closet! 

Work on the propeller blocks (have to get the dog blocks off the design wall before I can do this one. √

Finish customer’s quilt √

Quilt one of my quilts √ 

And here's what I'm going to do this week. 

8/18/2020

Quilt another one of my quilts

Bind last week's quilt 

Finish Wonky Family piece

Sew propeller blocks together 

Start next customer quilt 

Pick a ufo or a new quilt and work on it 

Since I've changed the day of the week I'm posting my goals, I can tell you I've already finished one of the goals!  You'll have to wait until next week to see it though. 

Hum, I haven't done my fabric statistics for last month.  I'll try to get that done this week too. 

That's it for today.  Here are a few linky parties I'm linking with: To Do Tuesday at Home Sewn by Us, Mid Week Makers at Quilt Fabrication, and Colour & Inspirations Tuesday at Clever Chameleon Quilting.  Let's take a look at these parties to see what people are working on.  (One I'll have to link up with later but I've been doing pretty well coming back to do that recently.)

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 3 - 16 - 2020

What a difference a week can make.  Covid 19 is controlling our lives and all of a sudden we have LOTS of time we can quilt. Pat and I are taking the threat seriously as I have several of the indicators for being at high risk.  We went grocery shopping on Friday after we worked out.  It wasn't long before lots of events and places were canceled or closed.  Our 55+ community chose to close our clubhouse which sure ended a social life around here for the most part.  Our only regret is we use the workout room on a regular basis and that is no longer available.  Although we can use a commercial gym nearby it isn't worth the risk.  Can you say "Take a Walk?" 

So I've been quilting like crazy.  I've finished the dog quilt shown here. Here's a recap of the story behind these dogs.  My guild in Maryland (FCQ) gave out bags of fabric and challenged us to make a quilt for charity.  The quilts were to be shown at our show in April.  My buddy Sharon happened to get a bag with cat fabric and I got the dog fabric. Which actually is our personal preferences for pets.  Funny that we both finished them yesterday. Here's mine -- 

And here's a look at the back.  I used a wide back in a mottled brown that I bought at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt show in February. 

Well, rats.  You can't see the quilt design very well.  You can click on the pictures and they should enlarge for you.  I used a brown So Fine thread from Superior Threads and a panto called Puppy Paws from Urban Elementz. (Wow!  It just happens to be on sale until 3/17.) Since I seem to make dog quilts a lot it's been a great panto to have. 

The FCQ quilt show scheduled for April has been postponed.  The likely replacement time is sometime late in September or October. So there was no need to rush on that quilt and this one below. But I'm glad to have them done. 

This quilt is a charity quilt from FCQ.  I can't attend many events or meetings but I like to give back to the guild as much as I can.  I usually take several larger charity quilts each year and quilt them.  This quilt was made by Carol.  She says she is addicted to this pineapple style and thinks she's made at least 50!  I know I've quilted another one for sure.  How generous of her to donate these to our charity efforts. 

My last share is a surprise that came in the mail on Thursday.  Talk about a surprise.  Nann, who blogs at With Strings Attached, sent me a box packed with fabric. I'm a lucky friend.  OMG!  I've petted them and moved them and pulled a few for immediate use.  But here is what she sent minus the ballerinas that are going to become a happy quilt block immediately. 

Isn't that lime green floral and green stripe fun?  I'm trying to decide if that is a pillowcase in the making or a quilt.  See the spools?  That's one of a group of sewing related fabrics that are all cut at 6" of so. (Sorry didn't measure it.)  Of all the fabrics she sent I only have one that I "think" I had or hey, I may still have in my collection of plaids.  Thanks Nann! 

So all my goals I set last week were accomplished. The goals were all about the dog quilt.  So here's what I'll work on this week: 

1. Decide on a border for Talking Turkey wallhanging & get started making it. 

2. Pull out a charity quilt top from the Virginia Star Quilters and quilt it. 

3. Start trimming and sewing into a top the star blocks from my last FCQE Quilters turn. 

I'm not going to go wild here on goals -- no doubt I'll get more done but I'm giving myself permission to pick and choose what I want to work on.  I do have backing for several quilts I've had hanging in the closet.  No doubt I'll keep pulling one or two out to get finished.  (That might help me get back into the "used more" than "acquired" category for fabric my stash.) 

I need your help.  Somewhere (and I think it was on a blog) last week I saw an opportunity to make a donation to Project Linus and receive a new? quit pattern called Side by Side. From what I can tell it isn't on the national Project Linus web page.  Does anyone know where I saw it?  Help.  I thought it might be an easy project to do during this enforced studio time.  

Today has already gotten away with me.  Since we don't get up to work out we tend to goof off and spend time on the internet more than usual.  On the other hand it's important to keep up, right?  I'll be heading to the studio once I get this posted. 

I'm linking with my regular parties: Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday, and Design Wall Monday.  I have more time to surf the net this week so I'll be checking out what's going on in quilter's studios all over the web.

Stay safe everyone! 

Happy Quilting.  Bonnie 

Design Wall Going to the Dogs

What can I say.  The dog blocks are taking over.  Next up, making the 3 block units.  I'll probably get that done next week. I have to have it done by the 3rd weekend of March. (Yep, about 2 weeks from now!) 

So, I am admitting now that I'm NOT succeeding on the goal to have this as a top this week.  I've been goofing off a lot this week.  Here's a peek at my haul from our trip to Richmond on Tuesday (one of my goof offs!). Here are new fabrics purchased Thursday at the quilt show and now from the road trip.   This isn't all, it's what I had upstairs when I took this picture.) 

The bottom four pieces are batik fat quarters.  There were some dark ones already put with the other fabrics.  They are going to be part of a sampler quilt. I'll share more about these once I get more than 4 blocks done. 

The bottom green, purple and dark blue are dimples that were on sale at Quilters Corner in Midlothian.  I bought these just because I liked them.  Although, the bottom green didn't look so olive as it does in the pic. The upper green is a solid that will go with a dinosaur fabric I bought last year. The lighter blue also goes with the dinosaur fabric.  I keep buying fabric that I can make charity quilts from.  This time I didn't have enough go with fabrics.  So now I don't have any excuses!  Stay tune -- one of these days you'll be seeing a dinosaur quilt with orange, green and blue go with fabrics! 

I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, and Finished or Not Friday.  I'll link up to the other two when the blogs are up and I have a minute or two.  I haven' posted a non-Monday blog in a long time. I'd like to post more blogs each week. How about if I strive for 1 extra a week? We'll see whether I can have any success with that.  Spend some time reading what's going on all over the quilter's part of the internet this weekend. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Finishes!

Recently I've not been getting pictures of finished projects.  So this week I made a big effort to get photos of 3 finished quilts that I was delivering to Virginia Star Quilters for our charity collection.  Most of them you've seen bits of as I worked on them.  

First up is a 25 patch.  VSQ schedules a bingo night with participants making their own bingo cards based on a list of possibilities from the guild.  The "cards" are collected at the end and made into a quilt.  I did not make the quilt; but I did add the grey borders to the quilt and quilted it.  I was given a big hunk of fabric for the back but there wasn't enough, so I added more of the grey to the back.  Voila -- on to the quilting part. 

25 patch - Quilting design: Puppy Paws; thread Omni grey.

Doggy fabric and grey backing.

Next up is a quilt that Sheila sewed together during VSQ's open sew for charity day last month.  It is totally flannel front and back. I volunteered to quilt it and bind it.  (What bind it?  Not my favorite job for sure!) 

Quilted with Ginger Flower using probably a beige So Fine but I didn't keep track of the information for some reason.

Last up is Boxed Squares.  I decided to try a technique for making framed or boxed squares using two squares to start with.  Go to Cluck, Cluck, Sew for the directions. I love the concept but I found my blocks were not consistent and they were running small.  So, some were made with those directions and others were made cutting 2.5" strips and cutting them to fit the blocks.  I liked the finished product either way! 

Boxed Squares, quilting pattern: Diamond Magic; thread: Glide burgundy.

Even in the above picture you can see some of the texture this quilting pattern makes. Below shows the texture really well. 

And, finally a peak at the backing I used.  It's always hard for me to find backings.  For the longest time I would buy 1/2 yards of fabric for variety.  I'm getting better at buying bigger hunks of fabric but I don't always have a something that goes.  Enter two collections of fabric I have acquired -- one from a friend who wanted to downsize and another from a quilter's estate. I can't tell you which group I got this from but I was happy to put it to use.  I was able to find a binding in my stash that worked with both the front and the back.  

I was laughing at myself the other night when I turned in all the quilts.  I overheard a lady say she liked this backing.  And, I'm thinking -- not my favorite.  But we all have different likes and I'm sure people will be happy to receive one of these quilts.   FYI -- I've just taken one more charity quilt off Ruthie.  It's waiting to be bound but also will be donated to VSQ's collection for seniors in our area. 

Happily, I've figured out some different locations for taking quilt pictures. The top two pictures were taken on the deck of our community club house.  And while taking them I realized the gazebo on the grounds might also make a good backdrop or maybe the tennis courts... lots of different places around the community too.  Hum, I wonder if the sales office would allow me to take photos in the models??

The rest of the pictures were taken in our small backyard.  The wrought iron fence is protecting the stairs going into the basement.  The same basement where my studio is.  When I sit at my sewing machine I am looking up those stairs.  I have a bird feeder hanging on a pole next to one side so I can enjoy some of the birds that flutter around.  It supplies a surprising amount of daylight too.  

I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop?, and Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.  Hope you can spend some time and see some great quilting going on! 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meandering 3 - 19 - 2018

This past week I've spent quite a bit of time working on the Tee shirt quilt.  I'm now to the point that I can trim each shirt to the exact measurements and start to sew them together.  I'll check with my customer to see if I can post some pictures soon.  

Here's a finish I haven't shared yet.  I've named it Dog Talk.  Faithful Circle Quilters in Columbia, Maryland gave each participant a brown bag with fabrics.  The challenge was to use the fabrics given and somehow incorporate the alphabet too.  I believe I got my bag last May at the spring quilt retreat.  I spent a lot of time mentally planning and by early January I was ready to start.  You can see my original design idea here along with the bag of fabrics.   Before the end of the month I was done with the top.  The white  is a white on white alphabet fabric. Too cool. 

  
My January One Monthly Goal -- was to get the top all together. You probably saw my progress on the embroidered words I put on it. Today, I realized I never shared the finished quilt. (Nor several other finished quilts. What was I thinking??) 

This is a busy quilt.  Lots of different dog fabrics and lots of different blues.  And here's the back.  A friend told me she liked the back the best. She might have a point as it's not quite so busy.  I tried hard to use up all of the blue fabric from the bag.  I probably still have a few pieces but not much. I notice I make dog quilts frequently.  What can I say, I am a dog person.  Cats? Not so much.  Do you have a favorite dog? 

I've been getting my quilts entered in the FCQ quilt show.  I've got to decide on one more quilt before the deadline tonight.  The one above will be in a special section showing other alphabet quilts.  These quilts will go to the Columbia, MD chapter of Project Linus. 

Tomorrow I'll share my goals.  I've done a great job on them from my point of view!  

That's it for today.  I'm linking up with my regular linky parties: Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday, and Moving It Forward.  I'm looking forward to spending some time seeing what other folks are doing this week.  I've been swamped, or maybe just more dedicated to actually working on quilts rather than looking at quilts.  But today, I'm taking time to just look and comment. I hope you do too. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

One Monthly Goal Success!

Yes! I finished my OMG this month.  I wanted to get my alphabet challenge quilt top made.  Check that off of my to do list√.  It should get on Ruthie today as I finished the backing fabric also. 

And a close up of one of my favorite dog fabrics.  And, look closely at the white square under the doggy print.  Yep, a white on white with letters on it.  I got that up in Lancaster county when I was on retreat last May. It works perfectly in this challenge.  

This will be quilted with dog paws.  I've changed my mind (several times) about how I would get some words on it.  I'll keep you posted. Do you participate in quilt challenges? 

It's time for me to get to work here in the studio.  I'm linking up with Elm Creek Quilts and Mid Week Makers over at Quilt Fabrication.  Join me as I do a bit of quilt blog surfing.  I might find something new I need to make. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

January OMG Choice

I'm squeaking in just before the deadline for the January OMG.  I couldn't decide what to work on and then BOOM, it hit.  I have a brown bag challenge quilt to get done -- in a month or so.  Not that I haven't had the fabric for 6+ months. I believe the challenge is called "The Alphabet Challenge."  I've been considering it in the back of my head for a while.  In fact, I bought the cutest white on white alphabet fabric to use.  

My first thought was to do various sports letters to look somewhat like a crossword puzzle.  Um, too many letters are repeats -- lots of balls involved.  Plus when I went to the stash all the sports themed fabric I thought I had came down to one small piece of fabric that wouldn't fit the size I wanted to make the blocks.  Toss that idea. 

Next up was dog theme.  Checked the stash and yep, I have dog themed fabrics.  (The blues on the left, bottom and right came in the bag.  Not big pieces and not much variety.) I can augment from the stash. 

On to words -- well why not dog talk: yip, arf, bark, woof.  You get the idea.  So I decided to try the design in EQ and see how big it could be and how many blocks I would need. 

Ok.  Decided that would work once I changed the four patches from all blue to blue and white.  I could appliqué the letters on the white parts and get the results I had in my mind. 

Except my brain continued to work overnight.  I woke up this am and thought perhpaps I'll just put the words on the outside border.  I was planning on using the light fabrics on the bag in the picture above for the letters.  I even have an alphabet to use.  Today I'll refigure the quilt so I can put letters on the border. Hum, maybe I could do a big quilting stitch and just stitch the words.  More to consider...after I get the center done. 

So the OMG is to get this top pieced.  If I get it quilted and bound, all the better. It'll be displayed at the FCQ show in the spring and then donated to Project Linus.   

Are you living in the frozen zone?  The last two days the morning temp has been 0º.  Yep, you read that right. Needless to say the studio is a great place to be right now.  I keep the heat up and stay busy so I'm a happy camper.  We did go out the last few mornings for our normal workouts at the community clubhouse. 

Want to go swimming? 

If you click on the close up it will enlarge and you might be able to see that the fountain in the center is still on and throwing water up.  The ground view of this is what we see as we doing our workouts.  This is very unusual weather for Fredericksburg, Va.  I'm looking forward to later next week when it'll be in the 50's -- maybe the 60's.  

Do you live where the weather can change drastically in  a few days?  

I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilt's One Monthly Goal January link up.  

Happy quilting all!  Bonnie 

Showing Off the Doggy Quilt

About a month ago I finished the doggy quilt for Mid-Atlantic English Springer Spaniel Rescue (MAESSR).  Life has been really busy so I haven't been blogging as much as I like to and I hadn't shown the finished quilt.  Here's the finished quilt. 

And the back.  I didn't think about the fact that part of the back would be trimmed after quilting.  So, some of the sayings are cut off.  Bummer. 

And close ups: 

I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop?,  and Thank Goodness It's Finished.  Check out what's going on in the Internet's quilting world.  (I'll try to link to Whoop, Whoop tomorrow but it might be later in the day before I can try that as Sharon and I are on our way to retreat!) 

Happy Quilting All!  

Monday Meanderings 4 - 11 - 2016

Yikes! It's Monday again.  I've had my nose to the grindstone this week.  Or perhaps it is more my foot to the pedal!  The doggy quilt has become a top.  I sewed the blocks into the top.  Purchased some cute little doggy paws for the border and got it on.  I even found a nice big hunk of light grey Kona cotton in my stash to use as the backing with the addition of some more blocks that came from the dog panel I purchased.

You should be able to click on the picture and enlarge it.  After it was together I realized that the side blocks might get cut off after it is quilted.  Bummer.  But I was ready for this to be finished so I'm not changing it!  I'll quilt it early next week and pass it on to the Mid-Atlantic English Springer Spaniel Rescue for their fund raising. You can see part of the front here. 

As I was finishing the backing I started sewing together a few 9 patches to use in the disappearing 9 patch that the local quilt guild is making for Quilt of Valor presentations in July. I need to make 7 more blocks, cut them and then sew the top together.  Hopefully I'll have time to do it between now and the next meeting.

Wednesday I head north to Maryland to Faithful Circle Quilt Guild's biannual show.  For the last 8 years or so I have gone up and spent part of the week helping at the show. I'll be back up working at the end of this week.  I've maintained my membership but I don't get up there all that often.  I do go to the retreats, sometimes I get to a class and a meetings occasionally.  I figure working the show for three days is a good way to give back to the group aside from just paying my dues.   It is a great show held in Columbia, Maryland.  If you are near the area come for a visit.  

I was a super woman this week on goals.  I did way more than I thought I could but still have a little bit unfinished. (Really, was I that vague with sew rows together? What rows, which quilt?)

April 4, 2016

Finish sewing the rows together√

Figure out borders√

Make or buy backing for Slide Show√

Put borders on Boy donation quilt√

Make backing for Boy donation quilt√

Finish small zippered pouch oops!

What wasn't on there and I did was I've got the Boy donation quilt quilted.  I still need to put the binding on but hopefully that won't take all that long. So here's what's coming up this week.

April 11, 2016

Quilt 2 small antique 9 patch quilts

Make and apply binding to antique quilts

Work Faithful Circle Quilt Show

Finish small zippered pouch

Cut out triangles for a red, white & blue quilt

Enjoy a sewing day with Sharon

I'm linking up with Monday Makings and Main Crush Monday.  Enjoy a trip around the world by visiting some of the links at these blogs 

Happy Quilting All!