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 

Friday Finish! 6 - 4 - 2021

I'm tickled to admit I've finished another quilt.  It's small but it's done! 

Pattern: Bonnie Hunter's Chunky Churn Dash set with plain squares. 

Quilting Pattern: Elkweed by Apricot Moon.

Thread: 504 Silver Screen So Fine. 

Size: 42.5" X 48.5".

Here's a close up showing a bit of the backing and the quilting pattern.  If you are familiar with Apricot Moon's Ginger designs this is very similar.  Yes, I picked that yellow green for the binding.  Basically, I didn't have any fabric that would have looked any better and there is some yellow green in the quilt. 

It was hard to get a good picture of this quilt.  A big rainstorm was coming within minutes and the wind was blowing. My trusty quilt holder did a great job. 

I've got one more quilt finished to share -- probably next week.  Then I have to get busy quilting some more of my tops. 

I'm linking up with my regular Friday parties.  Come take a look and see what folks have been working on. MidWeek Makers, Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, Beauties Pageant, and Finished or Not Friday.  Have fun surfing! 

Have you made a Positivity Block from SewPreetiQuilts.com? Click on the link to go directly to the directions.  Preeti has also shown a whole lot of quilt layouts for this block.  I need to get going and make some more.  It's a really easy but great block.  Give it a try! 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

  

More Quilts to Share

Yep, I'm still on a roll.  I finished a small quilt (31" square.) I really fell in love with this quilt and the fabrics I used.  I very seldom make quilts for girls but this is all girly! 

Pattern: Jacquelynne Steves Silver Lining Sew Along 

Quilting Design: Curley E2E by My Creative Stitches. 

Thread: Top - YLI Variations Thread in Tulip; Bottom - Superior Threads So Fine #418 It's A Girl!

Many thanks to my excellent quilt holder, Pat.  We're showing off the beautiful azaleas in our side yard. The sad part is we have no view of these unless we walk around to the side yard.  Aren't they grand this year? 

I used a grey solid for the backing and a white with grey polka dots for the binding.  The pink alternate fabric also has polka dots.  

And one last look with the dogwood tree in bloom. 

All of these photos should enlarge if you click on them.  The garden is beautiful this spring and the weather has been unusually mild for the last couple of weeks.  It was great to walk around the house checking for the best photo spots! 

The sad situation this week is Sharon and I canceled her trip to visit.  With the gas shortages I couldn't guarantee she could fill up her tank for her return trip.  She'll be up next week.  No pressing engagements and probably a lot more gas available.  Her town ran out of gas the day before we made the decision.  Virginia was showing 50% of stations out of gas.  We both decided it was the right move. 

Here's a peek at the next quilt I am working on.  My daughter Jenny made this with input from her daughter Natalie. It's a real generational quilt!  (SHshshsh! Don't tell anyone.  It's a teacher present!) It's been such fun to quilt this. Natalie picked the fabrics, the block placements, and the quilting design.  I'll show more of it at some point.  

I've only got one more row to do.  Pretty soon I'll be back to piecing a UFO.  Except, I need to decide what size top to make.  I sure hope I can use up all of the blocks so I don't have a bunch left over to become another UFO! 

Today I'm linking up with my favorite linky parties for the end of the week: Mid Week Makers, Needle and Thread Thursday, Finished or not Friday, Whoop!, Whoop! Friday, and Beauties Pageant.  I think I'm going to sit on the deck and do a bit of surfing. How about you? Enjoy all the eye candy. 

Happy Quilting! Bonnie 

No Finish But . . .

I did get the yellow squares cut out to put with the Chunky Churn Dash blocks.  Nothing sewn together yet but there are still 2 more sewing days before I do my next goal post!  (Hope springs eternal!) 

Hum, I see a few blocks I want to move around to better balance color but this is the basic plan.  Maybe it'll get done this weekend.

I've been pretty involved with reading books over the last week or so (which also might explain why I haven't finished a quilt yet.)  For some reason every half the books I had on hold started showing up -- about one every other day.  I love reading on my Kindle but there was no way I could keep up. I was able to skip my turn and not really lose my place in line for a couple of the books.  No doubt in two weeks or so they will start showing up again.  Sigh.  

This is a short post today.  I'm linking up to the weekend parties so take a look at these blogs to see what is going on! Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Alycia Quilts, and From Bolt to Beauty.  You know the drill -- check out what folks are making across the internet.  You can always add it to your someday-I'm-going-to-make list! 

Have you checked out Hands 2 Help 2021?  It's a great opportunity to make some quilts and give them to good causes.  Sarah has been doing this yearly since 2011.  She says nearly 3000 comfort quilts have been made and shared.  Do you want to join in this year?  If you sign up before the end of Sat., March 20th you'll be eligible for some prizes.  Click on my link on the right to get directly to the H2H page with all sorts of information. Hope you join in. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

A Finish -- A Long Time Coming

 First the personal good news! 

Wow!  Mary Washington Hospital Center was so very well organized!  I was really early for my appointment because I thought it was an hour earlier than it was.  No problem. They moved me in from car check in to being texted to come on in.  Yes there was a small line but it moved so quickly.  Next thing I know I was chatting pleasantly with the gal getting ready to give me the shot.  No, she didn't know how many shots she had given but I sensed it was a whole bunch. What? You're done already?  I don't think I even felt it go in -- amazing.  Then on to set my follow up appointment which is 4 weeks away.  I was done before my actual appointment time.  

Backing up a bit  -- it started with the Rappahannock Area Health District being on top of their game.  I filled out an on line survey saying I wanted to get a vaccine several weeks ago. On 1/22 I received an acknowledgement and was told to expect a text when I could sign up for an appointment.  The email to sign up came in Wednesday morning. It probably sat in my in box for 15 minutes but once I saw it I immediately scheduled my appointment -- for the very next day!  Pat got his announcement within the hour but I had left for a hair cut so he didn't know exactly when my appt was so  he goes first thing tomorrow morning.  We were euphoric!  Kudos to the state of Virginia and RAHD for keeping us well informed and Mary Washington Hospital for being so organized.  

So on to my quilty news.  Today I share a great quilt.  I really love it but man, it has been very problematic.  First off an overall picture of the quilt.  I started this sometime in the late 1990s or possibly early 2002 or so.  I went to a mystery retreat in Lancaster, PA with several gals from my quilt guild.  We had a great time. I didn't get the quilt finished there so it got shunted aside.  Every once and a while it would come out and I'd get some of it done.  I can't say when I got the top completely together.  I decided to hand quilt it as it was before I had my long arm.  I batted it up and basted it and added some pin basting too.  I drug this thing around for YEARS! I'd mark a bit and hoop it up and stitch until my fingers were sore and I was bored.  

Sometime in 2019 I finished the inside of the quilt and started in on the borders.  I don't know why I chose a braid that had 8 rows in it. (Yes, equivalent to going around the border 8 times.)  Near the end of last year I decided to get serious and get this thing done!  So mid January all the quilting was done.  It was time to bind it.  In my infinite wisdom I did put some of the backing fabric in the bag I toted around for years.  It had a note that said 6/2004.  I suspect that was when I started the hand quilting. I stitched the first side of the binding by machine and finished with hand stitching.  DONE!  Since I had been dragging it around so long I knew it had to be washed.  I think I've already mentioned that the backing fabric bled when some water for my iron splashed on it.  But, let's move to a picture or two before I finish this tale. 

Hum, the bushes have gotten bigger since I last took quilt pictures on the rail.

A close up with the quilting, border and the beautiful backing.

Another close up of the quilting.

And, so it's time to continue my tale. Since I knew it was going to bleed I loaded the quilt in the washer with bunches of Color Catchers.  I mean A LOT.  Most were new, a few were slightly used and were very pale blue.  Shock number #1. 

YIKES! Every single one came out a very deep red. Well, except that one with the fold marks.  Some how it had gotten folded and the color didn't penetrate the entire color catcher. (What does it say about my darn washer that it didn't agitate enough to open the darn catcher? Yes, it's a blasted front loader.) 

Here's what the pathetic quilt looked like when I took it out of the washer the first time. 

So, this is may be after the 2nd wash.  I wasn't thinking particularly well the day I washed this as I didn't put a towel or something else in to balance it in the washer.  It was dripping wet when done. I had to wring the thing out to get it so it wasn't dripping all over the place before it went in the dryer. Sigh.

And, Color Catchers #2.  Seven new ones. So why the one in the middle didn't turn pink is a mystery. 

It dried fine but it no longer looks the same. 

So, it isn't horrible but it definitely turned some parts of the quilt pink.The green isn't as vibrant either.  The squares of now pink, were a light cream with little gold specks in them.  I loved it.  But, I still like this.  It just isn't what it was.  Should I have washed the backing fabric before I used it? You bet!  I have been washing every piece of fabric (except precuts) for years.  Truth be told I don't know when I became so fanatical about pre washing everything. Probably when another red fabric bled like crazy.  Maybe that happened after I had already started quilting this one.  It will still look beautiful during Christmas and will evoke memories of the fun my friends and I had at the mystery retreat. But, boo for the bleeding red! Let this be a lesson to everyone who loves to use a strong red!  On the other hand, I'm so glad I dropped water on it and learned it was going to bleed.  I might have put a lot less Color Catchers in and had an even pinker quilt. And, no I don't blame the Color Catchers.  They did the best job they could have -- I should have put the whole box in! 

I'm happy to link up with Midweek Makers, Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop?,  Finished or Not Friday, and Beauties Pageant. Ok, I'm way ahead of where I usually am for a second posting of the week. I'll be back tomorrow to link to the last two parties. You know the drill -- go visit some of these linky parties... you will enjoy seeing and reading about what's going on in quilting rooms across the country! 

This has been a great week.  I'm one seam away from finishing the commissioned T Shirt quilt top.  I've been shot. And, I shared a quilt that was a long time in the making. It's all good.  Hope you are having an excellent week too.  I've got a busy day tomorrow so I should be finishing this up and heading to bed!  

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

 

Ahoy Mateys!

Here's the second quilt I finished last month: Ahoy Mateys!  

Many years ago I purchased an odd roll of pirate fabrics.  They weren't any "known" cuts, just left over fabrics at a quilt store.  I let them marinate for a few many years and finally decided to put them in a twist and turn setting.  Except, I couldn't get a very big piece out of each because through the years I used some in Happy Quilt blocks.  I purchased the embroidery design set called A Pirate's Life from Designs by Juju. (Yikes, there is a sale going on there this month -- 12 sets for $12. I don't get anything if you choose to shop there, I just like their designs, especially for my grands.)  I added 4 embroidered designs to go with the pirate fabric. I love it! 

I was a bit nervous when I quilted it because I thought the quilting might look bad over the embroidery. No, not bad at all.  I used a stipple pattern included with my robotics.  

Here are a few close ups:

Here are two of the embroidered blocks.  I used the same blue print on the back and as the binding. 

Normally, I would donate this to a NICU to be given to a premature baby.  Except, I really like it.  So I'm thinking of putting it away for a future great grandchild. Is that too weird?  My grands run from age 10 to 4 so we aren't talking about anyone getting this very soon.  (I'm pretty sure my children are through having babies.) What do you think?  Does it make sense to start a small stash of quilts for future greats?

I'm linking up with a few parties today. Check out Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop! Whoop!, Beauties Pagent #93, and Finished or Not Friday.  I think that will keep all of us busy seeing what is new!  I hope you can relax with a cuppa and see what folks are working on. 

And, just a fun image at the end:

It's a UPC made into a bear.  I just laughed when I saw this one. It's on a package of Bear Bites from Kodiak Cakes. (A different take on Animal Crackers.) The cookies were supposed to look like a bear paw, a bear face and side facing complete bear. Unfortunately, they don't really look like the picture on the package. But they are pretty good cinnamon graham crackers.

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Review of 2016 Accomplishments

Over at A Quilting Life Sherry wrote about 5 Tips for Setting Quilting Goals.  Take a few minutes to pop over and read her suggestions.  I found them well worth the time.  dum, dum, dum dum, dum, dum, dum.... ok are you back now?  Wasn't that a worthwhile few minutes?  I already keep a list of my in-works projects except I call it my UFO list.  I've been slowly whittling it away over the last few years.  I was so excited that I hadn't started too many projects and had finished 6 UFOs with the possibility still of finishing a 6th one.  Alas, I forgot to add two three projects I have started this year but haven't finished.  Here they are: 

This is going to be donated to TAPS.  It is sewn together except for about 4 short rows on the bottom left.  I think I have a wide back that I can use this so it should be a quick and easy finish.  

This one is waiting for quilting.  Hum, don't remember if I have a backing for it but I do have the binding fabric.  Again, probably a pretty quick finish. 

This is a leader/ender project that I've been adding to slowly.  It, too, will be a TAPS quilt.  But it has a long way to go.  

So my UFO list has 51 items on it.  Three are new this year.  Last year there were 54 projects listed.  I finished 6 items but added 3.  I've been looking over the UFOs listed and the actual projects recently and realize a few of them I really won't do anything with.  At some point I'll take them off the list.  

Now on to my finishes this year.  Honestly,  I didn't think I'd done much this year but when I include quilts, knitting and embroidery -- I really did quite a bit. 

QUILTS: 
FCQ Project Linus Quilt "Bricks"
FCQ Project Linus Quilt 2 "Leftovers"
Star Block Mini Quilt  in peaches and green
Red White and Blue Mystery Table Runner 
Mystery for Relay #12 in olive green, magenta and beige 
Pink, purple and white baby quilt
Dog quilt for MAESSR
Basket Quilt from Brown Bag Challeng
Girl Happy Quilt 
Lotto block Quilt 
Water Lily "art" quilt from class
Online Friends small quilt 
Shadow Box Mini Quilt Challenge -- Halloween 
Fox Quilt for Theo with Jenny Lang

OTHER SEWING PROJECTs
4 Log cabin Santa ornaments 
1 Pillowcase

EMBROIDERY PROJECTS
2 fleece hats made and embroidered
Big Sister shirt for Ellie
3 Halloween Shirts for the grands
4 onesies for Theo
3 Christmas/Winter shirts for the girls 

KNITTING
Knit scarf for Jenny
1 pair of socks for me
3 knit beanies for the girls 
QUILT for customer
Finished and quilted antique pink and green quilt 

That's enough tooting my own horn today.  I'll be back before the end of the year with my goals for 2016 and my OMG finish (or possibly not finish) sometime soon.  

I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie  

Spring! is Done

Spring! is done... the wall hanging -- not the season.  I am doing the Snoopy Tango (watching too much dancing with the stars... can't you just see Snoopy doing one of those dances??)So, with no further ado, here is Spring! 

Spring! was designed by Kim at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure and you can purchase the pattern at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure Etsy store. This is the second wall hanging I've started and completed this year. This is way different from my normal working style.  My usual modus operandi is starting several projects at once and working on them in rotation.  I may be sewing two and sometimes three different projects when I sit down at the machine.  I have fully embraced Bonnie Hunter's leaders and enders method. I try to have some block or part of a block to continue sewing on instead of using just a piece of fabric.  Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't.  My fall back sewing-on-something is my bow tie blocks.  Might need to look at putting some together.  They do add up!

I was very productive at the Wednesday sewing group.  I finished hand sewing the binding on Spring!  I made and decorated a jacket for a naked bunny. (Hey I finished 2 bunnies at a class oh, 4 or 5 years ago. They were hanging around the fabric shelves... probably freezing, ya know, they were naked...) Anyway I decided to drag them out and see how fast I could clothe them.  One got her coat today. I still need to finish decorating her hat and figure out a closing for her coat.  The other one is lonely and naked now!  (so, I've cracked slightly, remember, I was an elementary librarian for years!) I ripped some stitches on a cute little thread holder -- for some reason on the fourth one I tried to make I screwed up and it's been waiting months for me to fix it.  And, I also got some more blocks done for Bricks and Stepping Stones, another Bonnie Hunter pattern.  When it is pieced I'll share it with you. 

Tomorrow's plan is to bind a baby quilt, and start a new quilt with batiks.  It is a wonky nine patch from one of the recent magazines.  (and put clean sheets on the guest bedroom, sing at church for Maundy Thursday, maybe clean a bathroom... etc, etc!) 

Pictures tomorrow of the bunny and the baby quilt. 

Happy Quilting All!   Bonnie 

Eye Candy

These two quilts have been done, for the most part, for a few weeks.  

The first one, on the left,  is from a strip roll I purchased at Faithful Circle Quilters show in April, 2008. I think the fabric was called dimples.  When I first  moved up to the Poconos I spent the week sewing this up.  (Pat had already moved up with most of the furniture... so I didn't have to unpack! Except for the studio...)  I finished the top sans borders and then was on a hunt for any of the dimple fabric.  Finally found some in pink at the fall show in Harrisburg.  My friend, Ruth did the quilting for me.  Now to get the label on.  (Which shouldn't be an issue as it is made!) The pattern is Butterfly Blooms from Cozy Strip Club pattern series.

This one is from FabricholicAnonymous's summer 

mystery designed by Ann.  It was a nickel mystery designed to use up 5" squares.  I did the quilt top fairly quickly. Took me a while to get to the quilting part which I did on my dsm.  The straight quilting went very fast.  But the slight circles around the quarter square triangles... not so fast and a million strings to tie.  It needs a label and will get one, one of these days. Sharon calls it my misty quilt... I do like the combination of dark and light blues and greens.  A great example of a scrap quilt.  Nothing was purchased for this quilt ... unless it was backing... it's upstairs so I can't check it right now. 

 The amazing thing about these two quilts -- 

both were done in less than a year! WooHoo! 

I'm still hand quilting Spring!  My shoulder is a bit sore from what I did today so will not go back to it until tomorrow afternoon. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie