Making it Work! or NOT! !

It is Sunday morning and my project quilting quilt is not ready and will not make the deadline over at the project quilting blog .  Scroll down to the bottom of the blog and view all the lovely heart quilts and VOTE for your favorite! Wow!  They are beautiful!  Well, I am not feeling diminished in any way because I did not make the deadline and doing this project this past week taught me a couple things.  I do not make drawings or plans when making quilts - I should.  I now have a better idea as to how long it takes me to actually make the simplest of blocks, and I CAN make a quilt in a week!  Lol.  The most important thing is that I make a plan.  Size is a major factor in making any project in a timely fashion; I ALWAYS go overboard!

In this quilt, I made blocks that I had made before and did so free hand with no patterns.  The nested churn dash block has been very popular and this person may or may not be the author of the pattern, but here is where I first saw it last year.  The churn dash block is a favorite.  The other blocks are log cabins, and an applique center block, a strippy block.  I am not finished and hope to do so in the next week.

 Using Kona Solids, some Carol Bryer Fallert Electric Feather
My hand dyed fabrics and BATIKS,  cut into random sized strips. No measurements. I seem to favor 1/2 inch to 3 inch strips and as I made and trued seams I ended up with 10 1/2 inch blocks!

This is what I created from the strips

       

I used 3 1/2 inch squares of solid black Kona and dot fabric to make the heart shapes.  These hearts are the center of all the blocks so they could only be so big.  There is the first heart using the checked fabric

First block, the nested churn dash with an recess applique heart center

   another  recessed heart!

A look at the blocks

Thank goodness I was able to get my sewing machine back on Wednesday!  

 After 5 blocks

















 This quilt requires something special for a center  block; so using a piece of double folded freezer paper, I drew a heart design and cut. I would love to say that it took only one time to achieve a cute little 4 heart design...but you know how it is!~

I was not finished with paper!  This quilt MUST have some paper piecing in it!  

HEART 

Quilting is still in progress!  

It's Thursday!

Yikes! Stuff (!) Life (!) Keeps happening.  Is something trying its best to pull me off my course!  Lol, 😂 ! The voice of TV's  famous Tim Gunn of "Project Runway" reverberates in my head! "MAKE IT WORK, MAKE IT WORK!!!! Like I said before, I really am not quick at execution of my designs or someone's pattern. Oh my, it's  Thursday!

But hey! Looks who's back!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊

New Project on the horizon!

My copy of THE 1718 COVERLET  author Susan Briscoe arrived today.  It is the oldest dated British Patchwork  Coverlet and is made of mostly silks. I absolutely love silks and think silks, especially old silk ties might be a good idea.  Maybe the new silk/cotton fabrics would be easier to work with and last longer. I have made several garments, quilts, and purses of silks and all of those fabrics required extra fortification, ie interfacing, ironed onto the back of the silks prior to cutting. So I have an idea that this will be a time consuming project that may last a couple years.  There are 69 different block patterns and 182 blocks in the revised version.  Lol, I am looking forward to sharing the process!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY♡♡♡

Whooohooo! It's good to  finish one of my latest projects!  I am very happy to present this little cutie on this special day. Hearts are just my favorite!  

About this project : Fabrics - Cherie by Marsha D'yans for Clothworks
Denyse Schmidt Modern Solids, Free Spirit,  assorted FINCA pearle cotton threads
Picture from LITTLE QUILTS by Sarah Fielke  & Amy Lobsiger.  Pattern "My Heart" by Sarah (used with permission ). Thank you!

Hand quilting by moi!
Have a happy day♡♡♡

What's on my table?

So way behind in the 29 face challenge!  Here's what I drew today.
On the sewing front; a special project in progress!

And (!) whoop, whoop! New Kaffe fabric!!

PAT SLOAN's FREE BOM VACATION TIME

Pat Sloan's 2015 VACATION TIME Mystery BOM quilt and instructions and patterns can be found here .  This is my first block of the month endeavor for 2015. It requires my attention for the next 10 months as the completion is in October.  Seriously, I seem to start the long term mysteries only to fall by the wayside after about 4 months.  Somehow, if someone out there is watching and waiting, this one will be finished.  It would be fun to finish it to a complete quilt!

Anyhoo, here is the January block (see, a late start)

Fabric Soup includes unknown white on cream background
                                   Reflection collection  by Sasha K Studio
                                   Passion collection by Northcott

Here is a picture of those fabrics that I am using to get this project started.  Of course there isn't enough to make a whole quilt and that means a purple and green fabric shopping spree, I mean trip.

January Block

DOWN BY THE BOARDWALK

February block

TOES IN THE SAND

Does this block look complicated?   It was and I guess that is because I used the flying geese version and not the easier half square triangle block version.  For some reason it seemed a bit difficult and I got lost in the instructions!  Anyhoo, ' did get this puppy done and I love it!

Hand Quilting

Okay, I decided to hand quilt my "Orphan Blocks" quilt.  Here is what I managed to do yesterday.  Today, I have to rest my hand and arm.  So, now I am looking around for one of my many blocks of the month; maybe put the quilt idea that is in my head on paper!  Well, an update later on what I decided.

Here is a picture of the progress.  So far it's just a "devil may care" sew wherever I am inspired to put the needle. There is no plan except that I did cut a freezer paper heart to quilt the heart shapes; because I want the viewer to recognize the heart shape, lol. 

Be back later for an update on today's activies, or lack there of.  What do you think of ad lib quilting?  Do we really need a plan?  All the famous quilters will view this bit of quilting as maybe not quilting at all.
Tell me what you think!

Orphan Blocks

So I was reading one of my favorite blogs and  to say this woman is inspiring would be a gross understatement !  She is a fan of "Project  Runway";  you know the show where aspiring designers compete by designing and making clothing practically on the spot? Well Kim is in her sixth season on her blog of Project  Quilting!  The latest quilt challenge is to make "something " of an orphan block. I have those,  lol. I do not really expect to finish it by the deadline of some time today,   but while trying to be busy while I wait for my "Nina" to be serviced, I must do some sewing.  So why not! 

I found these heart blocks and am giving it a go!
Oh, and go take a look at this woman's blog. There's all kinds of happy going on with the quilts she makes!

I found these hand pieced blocks that I made about 15 years ago; used them to make a couple blocks.

Here is what it looked like Saturday night; okay, so it probably won't be quilted by the deadline, but I am inspired to finish it up today.  Maybe I shall join in the next week's challenge.  Oh so many projects!  So little time!

Waiting!

The big girl "Nina" is in the shop for service!  This is the newest and latest handbag. She is waiting for handles, but the inside seams need a double stitch that only my Bernina 830 can do, so the handles will have to wait!