Spring is in the Quilting?

Here is a quilting project I started today. The top thread has already broken on my machine at least ten times. That really takes the joy out of machine quilting for me, but to avoid basting has its price.

I am using a variegated cream/tan/taupe Signature thread. I have not had problems with the S thread in the past, but perhaps the variegating makes the thread weaker? Hmmm..

This was pieced a million quilting years ago. It was one of my first leader/ender projects. I saw and fell in love with the strip between the pieced units. Unfortunately, it was no longer in print when I first saw it. eBay to the rescue! I got a 2 yard piece. Then I picked 2" squares from my scraps that matched the colors in the strip. The strip has blue flowers, raspberries, and little tan birds. It is so beautiful. Thimbleberries, of course.

Off to my children's year-end youth group award banquet. Here are pics from last year. My sweet husband bought our three girls corsages and our two guys boutonnieres. You can be sure I'll post lots of pictures.

~Joan

More Hand Quilting

Here is my other hand-quilting project. I call this The Grass is Always Greener (Click on the link to see all past posts for this quilt). To explain the quilting...I did a machine-stitched meander quilting in all the green areas. Everywhere except for the cream and the 4-patch inside of it.

I don't like the quilts to have varying amounts of puffiness, so I am hand quilting in the ditch around the cream square and an "X" through the 4-patch from corner to corner on each block. I am marking in the cream area with a water soluble marker to make it easy to see and remove.

Since I had several hours to quilt this past Sunday afternoon (stayed at church with nothing to do, boo hoo), I am over half finished with the blocks. The binding is sewn down by hand about 1/4 of the way around, too.

Closer...four of the blocks that have been quilted...

...and closer still. This was an incredibly easy block to piece. The book I got the pattern from had a lot of neat tips in it for making this block a piece of cake.

My only "recipe" for the color layout was that I did not use greens in the outermost part of the block. That is because they were surrounded by greens, and the design would have been lost if they blended in.





I have always been partial to wearing green clothes because I have green eyes. Now I guess that gives me license to wear this quilt around the house...or not.

~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

Sky and Snowballs

I was uploading some pictures from my camera card, and this beauty was on there. My only guess is that one of my loved ones was playing with my camera. Yesterday was cloudy off and on, but still over 85 degrees. This is how I imagine the sky will look moments before Christ's second coming. Can't you just see Him coming through those clouds?? I sure can.

Here is a very special plant to me. Nostalgic, even. This is a snowball bush. My paternal grandmother had one of these in her back yard that was so big that a whole family could hide behind it. I have an adopted grandmother at church (mine have sadly both passed away) with an incredible green thumb. She is in her late 80's. I commented on her bush one time when I visited. She surprised me by rooting me one and giving it to me. Don't the blossoms look like snowballs?

My 13-year-old son took the pictures. He will be 14 TOMORROW!!

My hands were filthy because I was busy weeding. He got one of our azalea bushes in the background, slightly blurry because of the center of focus. Isn't this grand? Great shot, Benjamin!

Some quilty pictures on the next post. I've been hand quilting behind your backs.

This AM I'm off to help our pastor and his wife host 50 people for a graduation brunch at their home.

~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

Schmall Shavings

Here is all I have as "waste" from the batik fabrics I have purchased to make the 3 batik baby quilts. I didn't want to start another fabric type collection. Doesn't look like that will be a problem. One creative daughter suggested I could somehow bind these shavings together and make a pompom for the quilt center?? Nope. Not gonna happen.




Here is the layout I'm going to use for the small pinwheels. That way I can use up all the pinwheels for one appropriately-sized baby quilt.

I will need to buy the fabric for the setting squares/triangles. I am thinking a boy color...maybe green or blue. Aren't they cute??

Up next...my latest spools.

~Joan

Witty-ness

My children are very witty. Two quick examples...

One of my daughter's friends is expecting a boy in July. She recently found out that they plan to name him John. She said, "John? John?? Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is named John!"

My son came into the school room this morning with his hand on his heart and said, "Oh, my! I'm studying drama in language arts now. I'll DIE if I don't find the book I shall be studying!!" Seems to me like he needs very little studying of drama.

~Joan