Wednesday, September 28, 2016

My Garden Fence Quilt

Linking with Needlework Tuesday
Something strange happened to a blog post I wrote about this quilt, it has disappeared! So I am starting over now that the quilt is bound. The couple of people I found on the 'Net who have made the same quilt call it Garden Fence but I have not found any mention of the creator of the design. I hung it to take a photo as soon as I took it off the long arm I was so anxious to see it even before the binding!
But now upon the bed and I am very pleased with the way it turned out, just as it looked in my mind!
The version for my bed is very similar to the one I made for youngest son and DIL's wedding last year- it is said that imitation is the most sincere form of admiration, I hope that they feel that way!
The binding is one of the prints in the quilt I chose it because it has both the grey and yellow/gold
The bottom border from the back
 And finally the label, in hindsight it would have been better embroidered in a dark grey thread it is difficult to read in yellow.
Garden Fence
Made by Roslyn Atwood
For myself
Phx. AZ 2016
Tomorrow I am off to the mountains with six other quilters for a 4 day quilting retreat, I hope there is WIFI!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

A Quickie Quilt

This little quilt for my guild's charity efforts was done start to finish in just a few hours. 
 Minimal piecing and superfast peacock feather quilting.
The fabric arrived today for second grandson's wedding quilt that will go on retreat with me next week.
Linking with Needlework Tuesday

Monday, September 19, 2016

The Borders Are On!

Finally this quilt top is ready for the longarm and I discover I have no more KS wool batts, argh! Not very good planning on my part but I ordered a box and it should be here Friday from the East Coast.
The quilt will be plenty long enough for a generous pillow tuck, DH hates frou frou pillows never knowing what to do with them at bedtime! I am very pleased with the overall result, the colors blend perfectly with the rest of the room's decor, wall color, art over the bed and the beautiful barn door made by DH with "blue-stain beetle kill pine".
The backing  for this quilt is already here and I have no excuse not to embroider the label before I quilt it. My dear brother arrives from Australia in two weeks for a visit and I want to have  as many  projects as possible cleared out by the time he arrives.
Meanwhile there is a small charity quilt I need to complete for my quilt group and that goes on next,  followed by the construction of another KS for second grandson and wife recently wed last month! I ordered the fabrics and they should be here by Wednesday, unfortunately I had insufficient stash fabrics for a blue Tumbling Blocks quilt.
 These are what I have ordered, I am going for a specific look that requires little contrast between to two lighter fabrics so I am hoping these will work or else I will be searching some more!
The meet-up group I recently joined has a retreat in the White Mountains the end of this month and the tumbling blocks quilt will be a good project to work on.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Progress On My Bed Quilt

I was able to spend some time this week finishing the piecing of the center of my bed quilt that has been on hold for months. It will get wide grey borders on three sides to fit a Cal.King bed but I need to wait until tomorrow to lay it on my bed to check the necessary width for the borders.
After the struggle at the end of piecing to press the seams in the chevron quilt I was more meticulous step by step this time to press every row back and front  as I sewed and now all my seams are perfect and perfectly flat. It did take more time stopping between each row and carefully pressing but the pay-off is worth it and when piecing was done so was pressing!
These are the two grey fabrics I am considering for the border
 Seen together there appears to be a marked difference in value,
 but when apart oddly they seem much more similar.
 I am leaning towards the darker though the lighter one has a more pleasing pattern - I will look at them in the daylight once I lay the quilt out on the bed.



Thursday, September 15, 2016

Chevron Delivery!

Grandson Daniel and his lovely wife Ashlee came for dinner this evening, they had requested "the real Shepherd's Pie" so of course GM obliged. I roasted a leg of lamb last night and used the rest for the Shepherd's Pie. I meant to take a pic and forgot but did remember when I gave them their quilt!
They are so excited to have a quilt that fits their KS bed, and just in time, they moved into their condo last weekend. Daniel said "Finally my feet will be covered!"
May they sleep happily under it for many years until it is worn out - and I will need to make them another!
PS. I sent them home with enough Shepherd's Pie for another meal!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Chevron, Bound And Labeled!

Only three more rows to attach to mine and then the grey borders. Should be ready to quilt it by the weekend.Yippee!
Linking up with Needlework Tuesday

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Black And White Chevron Take Two!

Tada, it is quilted and I am very happy with it. 
 Quilted with my absolute favorite and fastest E to E design, the peacock feather.
And it seems to compliment about any piecing design.
Now for the binding with the white print.
Linking up with "Needlework Tuesday"



Friday, September 2, 2016

A Little Aussie Quilt

Linking up with Needlework Tuesday, a bit late!
The collections of fabric in my stash seem to age to a certain point where they begin to cast resentful looks at me every time I go to the stash, "use me" they say "please make me into a quilt". Yes, that is why they were purchased and every so often the nagging succeeds and results in a quilt!
Such is the case with the Aussie fabrics in this quilt. I have made a dent in them but a lot of others yet remain awaiting inspiration! All those in the square blocks are hand dyes from a now defunct business in Queensland called Oz Dye-Arts. I was very sad when they ended the business and so ordered a lot of things like the kit below, before they finally closed their doors. 
Their iconic hand dyes were the only thing of the kind available and so quaintly Aussie I just loved them but unfortunately had not the foresight to buy more than a fat quarter of each in every color severely limiting quilt design choices. I was able to utilize a lot of the FQs and now am mostly left with yardage in my Aussie fabric collection.
 I quilted it up with a repetitive modern design happy just to have it done!
 I will need to switch from quilting and do a bit of binding after this next project as the black and white chevron goes on the longarm. I really do need to quilt up the last few completed tops of my own and have done with the backlog maybe then I will tackle the true UFO's!
How do you handle aging fabrics, do you feel guilty allowing them to lay around unused?