{Post 1,717} More Projects Finished

I am making one more patriotic item for my booth. I finished up 3 small quilts yesterday. One is a quilt I want to keep. Just need to find the perfect place for it. Here it is, still on my quilt frame. I quilted it with a light blue thread in Wonky Feathers. It is now bound (with the same red fabric as the border) and has a hanging sleeve. I think I’ll try it over my sideboard. Stay tuned! I think it’s about 24” square.

I rarely buy fabric, unless it’s for a specific item. I got a jelly roll with the fabrics in the center above. I bought a yard of the red for the borders of this and the previous (nearly identical) quilt. Tonight I was sitting at my sewing desk wondering what I’d do with the leftover fabric from the jelly roll. I didn’t have much to match it, even for a scrappy quilt. The blue and red are both shades I don’t have in my stash. So I came up with these 16 spool blocks. I had enough for 14 w/o repeating a fabric, then I actually had to use two reds and two blues to have enough to make it an even 4 x 4, or 16.

The lighting is not good in the picture. It’s night time, and the room I have my design wall in has only a center ceiling light. I’m debating whether to add borders or just leave this as is. The blocks finish at 6” each. I have enough of the red with polka dots (3rd row down, second block in) for borders and binding. At least I think I do. I sure have stretched that yard of red!

In news from around our happy little house here, my husband finished installing our new mailbox and post tonight. Now to move my pride and joy—um, I mean my purple clematis vine and Black-eyed Susans. I hope they make it. I have had all those flowers for 20 years. I moved them from our last house. I need to wait until Wes builds the enclosure for the mailbox flowerbed to move them. We are deciding between fake rock and something wood. Since he is doing all the work, I am leaving it up to him. Until a project becomes his, it’s like pushing string to get it to completion. I’m sure some of you can relate. 

I went to my booth today after allergy shots, per my usual. I had finished two more table runners and wanted to get them in the booth before the weekend. Saturdays are the busiest days there. I got a curtain rod and some hangers from Walmart on the way. I hung the curtain rod from the front of my hutch (it is old and falling apart as opposed to old and in good condition). I didn’t realize that the center of the rod is sagging until I got home and looked at the pictures. I also stripped out a screw putting up the rod holder, so I need to take another screw and a drill in. I am thinking I can put a wooden dowel in the middle of the hollow curtain rod to strengthen it. Will go try it tomorrow.  One of my new runners is on the rod and the other has the gold border on the screens. I moved the patriotic large throw to the ladder and put a queen-sized quilt on a child-sized bench I took in.

I am not selling much, but I keep adding things. I can take an honest answer...do you think the booth looks too crowded? Please leave me a comment or send me an email (joanparker10@gmail.com).

{Post 1,395} Double Good

Here is the Charming Addition I Spy quilt now.  I added 4 more rows this AM.  I stopped after that, because I have much to do that is NOT sewing (go figure!).  I like it, but am thinking about removing the spool fabric and moving it somewhere else.  It blends in too much.  Since it's one of my favorite fabrics, I would like it to show up on its own. 

Hours later:  FWIW, I did go back and replace that block with the spools on it (right diagonally from the black one near the bottom left).  I am replacing it with a fabric with a red background.

{Post 1,337} Beginning of Sewing Room Space

Here is one of my bookshelves I used to keep many things stored in downstairs.  I am going to take off the bottom curtain and store bolts of fabric in the bottom.  The top will hold my books and individual patterns.  I will be giving away a lot of books and magazines in the future for postage only.  Stay tuned!  

On top of the file cabinet on the left is a small 6-drawer set.  It holds trim, thimbles, notions, sewing machine feet, machine quilting supplies, needles, etc.  All neatly labeled for easy access.

Last night my husband attached my cone and spool holders on the side.  I am going for maximum storage in minimum space.  I'd like to get everything except my quilt frame in my bedroom.  It used to be in a 24' x 18' room, so wish me luck!!  For some reason I find this challenge hilariously impossible.  Baby steps!

{Post 1,156} Spool Quilt Fin-Fin-Finished!

What a great feeling to take this out of the dryer and put it on the bed!  Quick stop outside to get a picture:

Then to the bedroom:

{Post 1,154} Spool Quilt Label

I don't know what possessed me to grab that strip of green go make the spools the right width!  But what is done is done.  Debbie, I have lost track of you and don't have an email or anything.  Please re-contact me!

Quilt is just coming out of the dryer.  More pictures to come.

{Post 1,137} Start of Spool Quilting

Finally got the backing pieced for my spool quilt.  It's been a long time since I made a quilt this big.  OK--now that I think about it, maybe not that long (look here).

The difference is that this one has a row of pieced blocks in it.  And I might have forgotten to carry a one, making all 3 rows of the backing 10" too narrow, which meant I had to add an 11" piece to each length of fabric.  Maybe.

Here is a picture as I rolled the quilt top onto the frame.  This is the back of the quilt.

Here are two shots of the machine quilting.  I've only done two passes, but I am making the motifs fairly large.  I don't want a densely quilted quilt.  

Have you ever considered how confusing quilting vocabulary can be? 

~What are you making?  A quilt.  

~Can I see it?  It doesn't look like a quilt.  Isn't there usually puffy stuff in it?  This is just the quilt top.  

~Now I'm quilting my quilt.  Usually I piece them and have someone else quilt them.  

Most people who say they quilt really don't quilt at all.  They piece.  But we all know what they mean, right?

Here is the machine quilting on my quilt that I pieced along with 6 friends' contributions :)

In the top picture, the flash lightened it up some.  Most of these in the borders are Thimbleberries, with a few exceptions.

I used Pajama Quilter's wonky feather pattern.  I am doing it all-over, no special inner border treatment.  Sam sent me a great idea for the border, interlocking S feathers.  I'm not sure my skills would make it look good enough, so I'm opting to go with what I know I can do well.  This is a caramel colored thread.

{Post 1,135} Border of Spool Quilt FINISHED!!

My b-friends are THE best!!  Thanks to my friend, Sam, who I have actually met in person a couple times (once at my house, once at hers), I have the perfect solution to the "I-want-them-to-look-mitered-but-don't-want-to-take-the-time-to-piece-extra-length" border corner.  Seriously.  

Normally when one miters a border, they make extra length, fold the quilt center at a 45-degree angle (pause for me frantically searching for a degree mark on my keyboard--there ain't one), then mark, sew, and cut the border fabric.  Another scrap generator.  

Sam suggested (and even emailed me a hand-drawn pattern in PDF) that I paper-piece huge HSTs and put them on.  So without further ado, I present:

That is exactly the look I wanted, I just didn't want to generate any more scraps.  Mission accomplished.  I am in the process of piecing a backing now (in which I get to use most of my 20 spools from the first potential border).  Such a win-win-win situation.  Three widths of fabric is about 4" too short for the backing, so I'm inserting the 6" spool blocks to supplement.  I am even including the last 3 spools for which there was not room on the front of the quilt so that I use every. last. one.

~Joan

{Post 1,132} Corner?

Here's a tentative corner for my spool quilt.  I was going to do a mitered corner, but since it'll be hanging off the bed, I don't think it's vital.  I paper-pieced a 13" square on the diagonal.  I have about 4' more to piece on both outside borders.  I am not putting a border on the top where it will be going over pillows.

I have another post today about my shopping excursions from our recent FL trip.  I am not a shopper, so this is truly noteworthy, hence the word "excursions" and not something menial, LOL.

Scrappy Bargello Border

Above is a quilt from the Asheville show.  I wasn't crazy about the actual quilt, but the border really caught my eye.  I have been pondering on how to make a border for my spool quilt from many a month ago.  Could this be the answer to my plea??  Anyone have instructions for such a border?  I would like it to be scrappy (of course).  Any assistance is welcome.

~Joan

{Post #798} Seeds of Kindness 3/4 Hand Quilted

I read something really funny on someone else's blog today.  Made me feel all organized and together.  Ha ha ha...

It had to do with hand quilting, in case you're wondering about the relevance...

"This week I had a delightful addition to my morning ritual. After my typical activities (pawing through the basket of clean laundry for my clothes and running to the bus stop with wet hair), I tried a little hand quilting on my way to work."

If I quilt in my spare time this next couple of weeks instead of starting new projects, this might really happen!!

If you have just recently started reading my blog, let me introduce you to my baby, my pride and joy, my hand-cut, hand-pieced, and 3/4 hand-quilted labor of love...

My Seeds of Kindness quilt.  You can read all about its history here.  This picture shows it lying on top of my queen-sized bed.  See the spool of gold thread and the little piece of white ribbon near the bottom in the center? 

There is it...I have quilted on both sides of the core going horizontally as it lies, and from the left side all the way over to the spool.  So you can see I have about half of the quilt (the right half) to quilt one direction.  I also have about 1/8 of the border quilted.  I plan to devote my hand quilting time to this project until it is finished.  Stop laughing!  I mean it.

I use the safety-pinned ribbon to mark my place when I get to the end of a thread.  It used to take me 10 minutes or more to find where I left off quilting.  Now I just hunt for the ribbon.  Much faster!

Elisabeth has started taking piano from Rachel's piano/violin teacher.  The interpretation of that is I don't need to be there since E can drive herself and R there.  That means I have at least 2 more free hours on Mondays.  I think I'll just hand quilt while I wait for my laundry to need processing! 

My machine (Janome) is still at the shop.  Just got off the phone with the repairman.  Sounds like he hasn't even looked at it yet.  Yikes!!

~Joan

Snow and Snowball Runner

Yes, we got tons of snow. Here is my little birdfeeder outside my sewing room window. Strange phenomenon today...usually birds of a feather flock together. That is, I have rarely seen more than one species of bird at the feeder at a time...today was different! I saw five different types at once on it with another on the hook waiting for an opening. The snow must have covered a lot of the available food for the little feathered creatures. Glad I got a big bag of bird food at Aldi's last week. Looks like it might come in handy.

My hopeful machine quilting plan for the baby quilt never happened. I got it pin basted today. But I can't find the thread. It is a light lime green. I have a spool of machine quilting thread that color (imagine!) but I can't find it.

I really like this snowball runner. I didn't get pictures yet of my other two runner finishes, but I'm showing this one again. Some day I'll make a whole quilt of this size "ball". I like the way these turn out looking round. I've seen some with corner triangles that are too big and make the balls look strange to me. Next time, no matching corners. And half light and half dark, just to mix it up! The blocks finish at 3-3/4" square, so this is about 11-1/2" x 34" I'm heading upstairs to put it on our sideboard.
In other piecing news, I am working on my last two rows for the Texas Braid quilt. I still have not received the promised bricks from Arizona, and I'm going to wait for them. I was so disappointed that I could not find my quilting thread that I wanted to sew on something for a little bit, so I worked on the Texas Braid. I love working on it...so easy and striking of a design.

Another day of being snowed in tomorrow. We have a house guest tonight. One of the young men who attends college with my daughters also works at the same restaurant as one of them. The roads were too dangerous for him to get back to the dorm, so he is staying overnight here. Interesting turn of events.

~Joan

Spool Quilt Center is Finished

Here is my spool quilt center. Now to decide about borders. I have a couple things in mind. This is one of the snazziest quilts I've pieced. I need to take a minute to thank Sam, Marcie, Debbie, Julie, Leeanne, and Christine. I have a couple border ideas. Still wanting to make sure that I want this for a queen-sized bed quilt. I think I'll put it away and let it marinate. Measures 60" x 96" now. Thanks, contributing ladies.

~Joan

Maddie's Baby Quilt - Finished!

Here is Maddie's baby quilt...bound and washed! I love the way it turned out. I have enough batik strips to make a second one. I will start that soon. It will be for a boy, so I got a camo-colored green for the triangles and border.

Here it is lying on the floor. I originally put on the light purple outer border. I thought it was too light. I got some dark purple batik and decided to just use both!

When I quilted the border, I drew a wavy line on all four sides and wanted to quilt a feather on both sides of the line. I was disappointed then elated...it looks like stacked hearts! I'll just pretend like that was my intention all along. This is a good free-motion quilt design for any child's quilt.

I am nearly finished with my Grass is Greener quilt, too. Next up will be pics of my finished spool quilt center.

~Joan

They. are. here.

This past few days has been so busy, that for the first day in a month, I was not hoping that my last set of spool blocks would come. So, what to my wondering (or is that wandering?) eyes should appear in our mailbox today but the last set of spool blocks. I have been home such a short time that I could only glance briefly at them. I'll take a pic soon. But now I need to tell Christine a great big thank you! Now I can plan the finishing of this quilt that has been so fun to make. I look forward to it being finished.

I'm pooped...went to a concert tonight by a local symphony orchestra. It was fun, but long.

~Joan

Quilted Cotton Seeds

Above is the progress on my spool quilt. I am very discouraged because I am not hearing back from the woman that is sending my last set of 25 blocks. It's been nearly a month since I wrote her. I am at the point where I need to just fill in the last corner. I really want to wait to get the last set so I can mix them together. Assistant: very cute 10-year-old son. I am not sure if I should just go ahead and piece 25 more blocks of my own or what.

I am so glad I blog. I was able to look back and see where all the little HSTs came from for this next top. I remember that I had enough to make this quilt and one top to sell from wherever it was. Here is the quilt and picture of this one unquilted.

I've been working on it the past week or so and am nearly finished hand quilting the center. I'm quilting it with lines about 1" apart that go in the ditch of the pieced rows. My border is looking wavy since the quilting is pulling the center in a little. The yellow threads are my basting.

Here is the whole thing. The HSTs finish at 1" square. I am finished up to the last large block in the top left corner. Now I'm wishing I had continued the quilting right into the border. I guess the reason I didn't was that I am using a dark tan thread, and I did not want it showing up that much in the border.

I am hand quilting one other "piece", but I'll photograph that in the morning light. These were taken in my sewing room after sundown, so the lighting isn't so great.

Good night!

~Joan

Spools from New Zealand

Here are my spool blocks from Leeanne in New Zealand. Click on the underlined words to link to her blog.

What a lovely collection. The best part of my spool quilt is that the blocks play so nicely together. Not a one is a loser. I am thinking of using the top left one (button print) for my label. I am going to list all the contributor's names (in order that the blocks were received...I'm OCD).


Have to point out a couple favorites. That's just how I roll. I love this one because it mostly disappears. The splash of red stands out just enough to make it interesting.


This one says SUMMER!! It reminds me of fresh watermelon. Leeanne, do they have that in New Zealand?

One more set to wait on...I am waiting!!

~Joan

Beautiful Batiks

I have had one more quilter ask me to trade a set of 25 blocks for my spool quilt. We both sewed them yesterday, and in about two weeks, we will get to see each other's work. My new b-friend lives in New Zealand. So eager to see Leeanne's work!! Her blog is "quilt me kiwi".

In the meantime, I have been wanting to sew a small quilt with batik fabrics for some time. I was curious how they would sew up. I wanted a variety for a baby quilt and found a jelly roll on eBay for a very low price. Yesterday I went to Mary Jo's and got the background fabric (which is a light tan batik...hardly stands out from my design wall fabric). The setting triangles are going to be a mostly-solid-looking red batik. The little pinwheel in the bottom right corner is made from double sewing the diagonal seam when putting the units together. I think I'll incorporate those into the back of the quilt. Aren't they cute? The little pinwheel measures 3" square. The two-piece units from the larger pattern (called "Kitchen Sink") measure 4-1/2 " square.

Now I'm sending this pic to my friend to see if she's up for this type of fabric or if she wants something more traditional. I make all my friends I Spy quilts when they have babies, but she got one two years ago. Time for something new.

~Joan

Sew Many Things To Do

I have had questions about the blocks on my spool quilt that seem to disappear. They both happen to be pink. Here is the first one. There is very little contrast between the spool and the background. I think it adds a little more charm to the quilt.

Here is the second one. Again--a very low contrast of fabrics.

And, sew far, so good. I have turned the corner and am just adding length now. When I snapped the pic, the top two corners fell back (no assistants today). That is the top "square" edge of the quilt. I know how many more blocks I have, just need to figure out how many more I need. Who ever said math was not useful on a daily basis? Not a home schooling mom, that's for sure.

Do you see my two pink disappearing blocks in the body of the quilt?

Last, but not least, is the Texas Braid row I added to while putting the spool quilt blocks together. One more spool, one more braid strip, one more spool, etc. Makes both projects go faster than clipping the threads after every new spool block was added to the row. The braid is about 88" long. Needs a few more strips to be complete.

Tomorrow AM is our adult Sunday school snack Sunday. I am making two pans of home made cinnamon rolls and a mini chocolate chip cake to take. I need to run Luke to work, then home to bake, exercise, and shower. That should make the day complete, I think.

Have a good evening.

~Joan

April 7th Arrival

I got these wonderful blocks from Julie in the mail today. There was so much happening around here that I didn't get to post about it until now. This had to be the fastest swap ever. I have been piecing spool blocks for my quilt for a little while. I was reading Julie's blog, and saw that she also just started piecing spools. Hers are smaller than mine, but I couldn't tell that from her post. I wrote and asked her if she wanted to swap some (a set of 25), and within a week we both had our *new-to-us* blocks in hand!!

Here are my favorites. There was a tie for first!! The one on the left has the loveliest pink and brown print. I never thought my quilt would have pink in it (because it's such a non-Thimbleberries color), but I think all but one contributor has had a pink block or two. I love them! The purple one is a tie for favorite because when I think of Julie, I think about her mad about plaid quilts, and that makes me remember her. Purple is also my favorite all-around color. Every quilt should have some!

~Joan

What on Yonder Design Wall Do I See?

I was just sitting down in the sewing room, waiting for my clothes to dry, when I decided to start sewing a Texas Braid quilt from Bonnie Hunter's new book, "Adventures with Leaders & Enders". Truth be told, I had been cutting "bricks" as she calls them. Two-inch by five-inch rectangles. They were for this project, but I wasn't going to start them for a while. I had spools to sew, by cracky. Once the newly cut spool blocks were pieced, I just put a few braid pieces together. Wow--those clothes sure took a long time to dry! (insert sound track of evil chuckle). My clothes finally dried, but then I had to wait up for my two Chick-fil-A closers to get safely home.

I laid out another spool quilt row. I've decided to make this queen-bed size...MY queen-sized bed. I want to add a border like Elaine's. My Australian blocks did not arrive today. Another day of straining my ears listening for the U. S. Post Office jeep tomorrow.


Here's a close-up of the braid. I have many projects going now. I need to finish another one. Hmmm...which will it be? This pattern used to be free on Bonnie's site, but now it's in her book. Her books are so "her"...light, fun, colorful, and easy to follow!! How's that for a plug, my friend??

Another somewhat-of-a-finish today...I finished piecing my Bull's Eye Quilt. Put borders on and pieced a backing. My sweet Susie said she'd pin baste it for me, so I'll get some pictures soon.

It is now officially tomorrow, so I'm going to bed.

Good night!

~Joan