Weekend Accomplishments

My big accomplishment this weekend was to finally get my daughter's quilt all quilted, off the frame and trimmed up. I still need to put on miles of binding but I am so glad the quilting is all done.

I also got fabric cut out for an elongated star quilt. The star middles are going to be a bright fabric with all sorts of bugs on it and the star points are going to be a deep purple with pindots of white.

To do list for this week is to get a customer quilt done and a couple of other ones delivered. Ialso need to work on some backings, both for Jake's quilt and piece a backing for a Christmas craft show quilt.

Kathie

Jake's Quilt

Yesterday I finished up a customer quilt and then turned my attention to some piecing. I started this quilt as part of a guild work shop but had not had the chance to get the blocks joined.

Yesterday I put everything in rows and spent a little time this morning getting the quilt top done. This will be a Christmas present for my grandson Jake who will be 5 years old in a few days.

I love how bright it is and how quick and easy it was to put together.

kathie

3D Quilting

I made this 3D runner several months ago but it has been sitting on my shelf mainly because I didn't know how to quilt it. The middle of each pinwheel is very think from all the folded layers of fabric. Also you don't want to quilt down the pinwheel so what and how to do it.

I ended up tacking down the middle of each pinwheel by stitching down the center of each block. My machine didn't like it so I had to use the one stitch button and VERY slowly doing the tacking.

I then quilted the rest of the runner with half swirls I call them lifting up each part of the pinwheel as I quilted. I tried to pin them back to go a little faster but that didn't work to well.

The good news is the top turned out good. The bad news is that I have some major tucks in the back. With the pinwheels just being tacked down and then the quilting all around it created major fullness in the back and caused the tucks.

When I tacked the pinwheels down I only stitched down one seam. I wonder if I had done both seams if the back would be any better.

Kathie

Breast Cancer Quilt

This is a quilt made by Mary M. of my quilt guild, didn't she do a great job? I have had it for a long time and finally had the chance to get it quilted up for her. She made this as a fund raiser quilt for local breast cancer fund raising efforts.



When I was going to start on a new quilt that is going to be a Christmas present my daughter protested as I still had not finished her quilt. I finally got the backing pieced together, isn't it bright? Maybe I can finally get her quilt on the frame this weekend after I finish up a couple more customer quilts.



Kathie

Christmas Stash

This cabinet contains nothing but Christmas fabrics. I don't know how many yards of fabric are here and I probably don't want to know but it does get used. I do several craft shows each fall so I pretty much am working with Christmas fabrics all year long making inventory for the shows.

What I wanted to show is that each shelf now has space at the tops of fabric stacks. At the beginning of the year each shelf was filled to the top with the exception of the bottom shelf which looked about the same as it does now.

I have been trying to use up a lot of my current fabrics and only buy additional Christmas fabric when I see a piece that would make great borders. Also when the pieces get to be fairly small I cut the remainder into 10 1/2 squares to make pieced backings for Christmas quilt.

It is nice to have made such a dent in my fabrics.

Kathie

Thursday

I have been very bad about blogging lately. I guess it has just been all the end of summer activities etc. that have got in the way.

I have been busy this week though have not accomplished as much so far as I thought I would. I did complete this Christmas quilt. It is quilted and bound and ready to deliver. This is the 4th commissioned Christmas quilt I have made for the same lady. Now I have to get busy and get a couple craft show Christmas quilts completed.

I also quilted two customer baby quilts and three table runners for upcoming craft shows this week.

I have also been slowly working on getting a backing pieced for my daughters quilt. She did say last night how pretty the backing is going to be and that she will be able to use it on either side on her bed so guess the extra work is worth it. Of course as soon as the backing is done she will expect that I put it on the frame but I have a couple of other projects to do first.



Kathie

No Pictures

Well I didn't have any new pictures to post today but thought I would at least update what I have been up to.

As usual I have been working on several projects at once. I went to a sew in for a little bit on saturday though I couldn't stay very long as I had to take Mandy to cheer leading try outs. I was there long enough to get the rest of my grandson's race car quilt cut out. I have seen this pattern called a couch potato quilt and also warm wishes. It is simple piecing and should go together quickly. This will be a Christmas present.

I also finished piecing a backing for the 4th and last Christmas quilt I am making for a lady. I have the backing currently on the frame so hope to get the top loaded and quilted today.

Mandy was also wondering when I would FINALLY finish her quilt since I started it back in March. I figure she had a point so started piecing the backing to her quilt yesterday. I am piecing it with my usual 10 1/2 squares to used up all the left over fabric from the front of the quilt and took a trip to JoAnns yesterday to get about 3 more yards of fabric to finish up the backing.

So I guess I have my work cut out for me for this week. I want to get the Christmas quilt and two customer baby quilts all quilted and the backing for Mandy's quilt made.

Shouldn't be a problem if "Mom's Taxi" can get a little bit of a rest this week.

Kathie

Quilt Delivery Pictures

I forgot to take my camera monday night when we made the delivery of hospice quilts but a friend of mine took pictures and emailed them to me today. Here are a couple of shots of all the quilts.

Kathie

Hospice Quilt Delivery

Last night was our monthly guild meeting and the program was all about charity quilting. As part of the program we formally delivered our quilts to a representative of Hospice.

I had taken in the 24 quilts that had gradually been finished over a period of about three months. Several guild ladies also arrived with additional quilts they had finished. I never did get a confirmed count but my guess is that we delivered 30 or 31 quilts. They were all wonderful and every one was different.

Of course I forgot my camera at home and didn't even think to use the camera on my cell phone. I am hoping that someone else managed to get a couple of pictures.

Kathie L.

Hospice Quilt #24

I just got back this quilt from my binding fairy today. This quilt was made by members of the on line Heartstrings charity quilt group, I quilted it and then Kathy V. did the binding. I love where the maker of the blocks used the same butterfly fabric for the center block.

Kathie

Whats Up

Whats up this week, I realized I have not blogged since sunday.



This is a picture of table runners that I quilted over the weekend. It is nice when you can put one big piece of backing on the frame and quilt one after another. I have the bindings machine sewn on all five runners and have hand stitched down two of them. Once completed the Christmas Trees are going to be "decorated" with crystals.

I quilted a queen sized customer quilt and a couple of customer table runners this week, a Project Linus quilt that a friend made and am working on several other craft show table runners.

With my daughter on vacation I thought I would be accomplishing even more this week with no distractions but have been having problems with my legs. They have been aching and kind of burning and very uncomfortable so I am only standing and quilting for about a half hour at a time before taking a nice long break. I guess I will have to break down and make a doctors appointment for next week to see what is going on.

I am going to try and get a commissioned Christmas quilt on the frame tomorrow. It is a large lap sized quilt so should not take that long to do.

Kathie

Hospice Quilt #23

Here is a picture of the latest finished Hospice quilt. This one was donated by Quilters by the Bay, I quilted it a few weeks ago and Jane W. did the binding for me.

This quilt will be part of the donation of quilts that will be presented to Hospice House personnel on August 10th.

They have been fun to see as each quilt comes in but right now I have so many of them in my quilting room (3 large bags) that I am tripping over them so will be glad to be able to deliver them.