It’s Supposed To Be Spring, Right?

First off, Happy Easter everyone.  It’s Easter, it’s supposed to be spring.  Well it’s freezing cold outside my front door.  I bought some annuals and a couple of hostas yesterday in the hopes of getting my pots and yard ready for Spring.  It’s just too dang cold.  I had to put my plants and flowers on the covered porch for fear of frost.  I know whine, whine, whine.  I’ll be singing a different story come July/August when it registers triple digits.

The good news is I finished the body of my Long Time Gone quilt top.  Pencil and graph paper are required to figure out what I want for the borders.  Looking forward to designing.  This was so much fun to make.  I used the Bloc-Loc for HST, Folded Corner Clipper for flying geese  and Tri-Recs for 60 degree block.  All of these rulers are so innovative.  I also used paper piecing for the pineapple blocks.  From the Jen Kingwell facebook page some paper pieced the 60 degree blocks.   The bloc-loc ruler also helped me center and square up the Queen’s Cross blocks.

I still am working on Bed of Roses by Sue Garman. I have to have an applique project going at all times.  I am hopeless without handwork available to work on.   A little here a little there and the blocks progress.  This is the block I have almost finished appliqueing .  I need to start prepping the next block so it will be ready to take with me when not at home.  There are so many opportunities to do handwork while waiting.

I’m off today to Springfield to meet up with my nephew and his family to tour Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium and have dinner.  Sooooo looking forward to spending time with them.

I have not gotten back on schedule with my lists.  Hopelessly far behind.  I do not like playing catch-up.  My solution is to revise my lists to be more manageable and less guilt inspiring.  I also have not had time to work on my UFO that is now on the list so reworking the list will get me back to focusing on it.

Everyone have an awesome Easter and give thanks for the sacrifice that Jesus made for you.

Happy Stitches

Sissy Malone

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Another UFO down

one more UFO done.  🙂  Lists work!  If it’s on the list, it gets done.  I know I’m a geek but it works for me.

This was a BOM that I purchased around 2001/2002.  It’s a Marti Mitchell design.  This photo is terrible.  It is mostly yellow and green with a little blue and dark magenta thrown in for balance.  The kit did not include the binding.    I will be taking a swatch of the outside border with me to the quilt shop to see if I can find something to match it and look for considerations for backings.   There was no room for error in this BOM.   You got exactly the amount of fabric that you needed, no more, no less.   Personally, I need that fudge factor.  I am an early morning sewing room person and sometimes my coffee has not finished filling my veins with go juice when (silly me) attempts cutting.   So, I admit, I do from time to time make colossal cutting mistakes.   After I had completed the first month I noticed right away there was NO extra fabric.  Sometimes that jinxes me.  But I made it through this one only by being very careful with my cutting.   Now the search is on for backing fabric and binding fabric.  Then off to Vicky  it goes for quilting.   Can’t decide who is going to be getting this one.  

I have now chosen the next UFO to tackle.   It is called Cat Nap and it is a pattern that was published in Quiltmaker Magazine May/June ’02 issue.  It’s a baby quilt and hopefully won’t take too long to finish.  This one I will quilt myself.

Now that my September list is all caught up I am ready to start on one of the borders for my A Boy and A Girl Quilt.  I think I will work on the right hand side. I have given myself 2 weeks to get it prepped.  Woohooo.  No pressure.

I have been staying on top of Jen Kingwell’s Long Time Gone and have completed all 7 months of that BOM.  Anxiously awaiting # 8.

I have prepped months 1 & 2 of Sue Garman’s Bed of Roses.  I work on the hand applique on my lunch time so maybe this one will be completed in a year.   It is nicely portable.  Just one block already prepped and matching thread doesn’t take up much room in the tote.

I have discovered 60 weight cotton embroidery thread.  It is as nice as silk thread to work with and slides through the fabric like butter.  And to top it off it blends in beautifully and becomes invisible.  Now it doesn’t get any better than that.

I have just received Month 3 but it is not on the calendar to prep until October.   Besides, I am still doing the handwork on Month 1.  Wouldn’t dream of getting ahead of myself.

Happy Stitches Everyone

Sissy Malone

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UFO Journey includes Making New Friends…

I have been diligently working on my Lists.  UFO being one and just my Monthly “To Do” list.  It’s April and I just finished January’s To Do List.  It’s progress.  I had quite a bit on January’s list, in my defense.  But it is now check marked and I have moved on to February.  To my surprise I have already completed a couple a things on that list and it’s not as lengthy as January’s.  I might just get caught up.  Wait, no I won’t.  I have started several new BOM’s to add to my Monthly To Do Lists.  But you know it’s okay.  I’m having the time of my life.  I am learning new techniques and making new friends.  We can all welcome new friends.  Each new person in my life just adds more perspective to me.  Enjoying my life!

Here is what is currently under my needle.

Block # 7 of A Boy and A Girl – prepped and ready to hand applique.

Working on prepping Block # 8 of a Boy & a Girl –

I did get 5 circles completed this a.m. before heading to work. I have about 12 more to make.

Now my new BOM’s.  I signed up for Long Time Gone by Jen Kingwell.  She is an awesome designer from Australia.  Check her out.  i have completed Month 1 and have just received Month 2.  I haven’t started it yet.  Month one is half square triangles and 60 degree angle blocks.  Here are my blocks

My half square blocks are consistently square.  I am very impressed.  I tried this new Block Loc  ruler for my half square blocks.  I’m sold on the technique.  If you have not tried it watch a you tube video on it or have you local quilt shop demonstrate it.    My grid above is 7 x5 –  2.5 ” squares.  Notice that it is actually a rectangle. Usually mine are wavy. Yes, I will be using this ruler again.  They also have a flying geese one and are developing a pineapple block ruler.  Now, that I want to see.  I can only paper piece pineapple blocks.  Learning new tricks.

My Kaffe Fassett scraps.  Having FUN!

Happy Stitches

Sissy Malone

 

 

2017 Fresh Beginnings A New Year A New List of UFO’s

Fresh Beginnings doesn’t that sound inspiring.

January 1st, 2017 – 365 days of planning, sewing & finishing those pesky UFO’s.  I have a sewing room full of tubs of projects I thought at one time I had to make.  Many have fabrics, patterns included.  Some are just the idea of the quilt, like a photograph or page torn out of a magazine.  From time to time they tug at me to open them up and consider working on them.  I am feeling that tug today.  Yet, I have my current project on my sewing table to be finished.

Kudos to me.  I cleaned my sewing room!  I believe having brushed against those UFO tubs has given me the curiosity to peek into them and say, “hello, I haven’t forgtotten you”.  I am truly trying to stay focused on the list I would like to accomplish this year.  But sometimes it’s a challenge.

Yesterday, I had planned on cutting and sewing together 2016 Saturday Sampler quilt.  Surprise, surprise,  I had not completed block # 12.  Seven Sisters, a block of English Paper Piecing.  Slap to the forehead.  I had put off making this block while I worked on A Boy and A Girl blocks.  Not to get discouraged, I dug right in and started making the block.  I am hoping to finish the block today.

Maybe today I can actually start sewing the quilt top together.  It is a half log cabin setting.  I have made a quilt like this before.  The instructions for this one are a bit different than the technique I had used before.  I toyed with the idea of drafting my own pattern, but have decided I will be adventurous and follow this designers instructions.  Then I will have something to compare and know going forward which technique I prefer.  You never know if you will like something or not until you try it.  At least that’s what I’ve always been told.

Just 3 more sisters to go and I can finish this block.

I have a birthday coming up and I am trying to decide what to give myself as a present.  I need a new mat for my sewing table.  The one in the photo above is 36 years old and is starting to show it’s wear and tear.   But then I just saw this quilt book by Jen Kingwell, Long Time Gone, and all I could think of is what a wonderful way to use up my scraps.  I think the mat may wait a bit longer.

Happy Stitches and Happy New Year Everyone

Sissy