{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 1,152} Double Teaming

This is me double teaming the binding and the math.  I was doing two math lessons with my son.  Figured I might as well start on the third side of my spools quilt binding while I was "just" sitting there waiting for him to do the 25 problems for each lesson.  

From left to right above the quilt is my sewing projects bag, the math key with my Gingher embroidery scissors on them, a math paper, the math text book, and just off to the right, my brilliant son!

After I finish this post, it's off to work on machine quilting my snowball gift quilt.  Neat new pattern.  Hope it comes out like I imagined.  It's a very large loop meander (think tennis-ball sized) that is being stitched first in navy and then in dark red, the second shadowing the first.  At least that's the plan!

{Post 1,140} Binding Strips Cut

Here are 10 WOF 2-1/2" wide binding strips.  

They are ready to be sewn end-to-end and ironed in half.  That means this is ready for binding!!!!!

{Post 1,139} Today's Progress in Pictures

Border and center:

From the back:

The quilting on this might be finished tomorrow or Saturday!

~Joan

{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.

{Post 1,131} One Border On, Two To Go!

This shows about 2/3 of the top...another 1/3 is hanging behind the design wall.

Trying to decide how to turn the corner.  I do have an idea!

{Post 1,130} New Border Option for Spools

I am liking this a lot better.  Spent my available sewing time this AM cutting 13" strips from various scraps.  I think a good blog name for a proliferous quilter would be Scrap Generator.  Honestly, as much as I've cut from my scrap boxes (and there are only 4 plastic shoe boxes each half full), they never go away.

I don't like a lot of cream/light in a quilt, so this is better for my taste.  I am planning to quilt a big feather in each border, filled in with something as yet undetermined.  While I piece the borders, I'm doing laundry from our FL trip and watching the Pajama Quilter for inspiration.

My original idea is second for comparison.

{Post 1,126} My View

My left foot is throbbing.  Well, only a tiny part of it.  But throbbing is throbbing.  I went to a foot doc to get treatment for a wart yesterday.  He put acid on it and wrapped it under several layers.  It throbbeth.  So I am trying to stay put as much as possible.  It's laundry day, so that's a good excuse to stay at my sewing machine so I don't have to go up and down the steps repeatedly.  Here's what I pulled out to finish (shows about 1/4 of it):

That's my view from my sewing machine.  Before I start any new projects, I'm going to finish this UFO.  It has been hanging around, unfinished, since May 11, 2010.  Yes, I hang my head in shame.  I am working on a pieced border for it instead of my usual add a thin inner and thicker outer border treatment.

I am peculiar about my bed quilts (which is what I intended this to be--queen-sized no less).  The bluish gray border will sit on the top edge of the mattress.  The border will hang down over the edge.

Here's my idea.  Do you like the spools in the border all facing the same way or alternating?  I've only cut from my red scrap box (and made up two green ones to see if I liked the block), so the color palette is limited now.  I intend to cut many other colors and values before it's over.  I am using the same cream for all the background.  I intend to make two pillowcases to match the quilt from the same fabric.

Opinions on direction?

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

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

New Spools

Here they are...and I can barely wait to set them into my quilt. This has been such a fun project. It is always more fun to share what you're doing with someone else who loves it, isn't it? And...I don't even know these people!! Maybe I should get into a guild or something. Hmmm...a consideration. I've always been a lone piecer. Maybe it's time for that to change. Christine sent an extra five blocks, so there are 30 here...
Maybe my favorite color for quilts IS red. I love the old-fashioned fabric for the red here...the background says "for you", "Mom", and some other sweet sentiments.

The background fabric for this one looks like a great free-motion quilting design. The green is one of my favorite (but sadly, way out of print) Thimbleberries.

My Isaac (10) has the mumps. Three of his siblings aren't feeling well either. I am naturally wondering if they are getting them, too. I was vaccinated as a child, but managed to get them twice in childhood anyway. I wonder if they are all going to get them? Time will tell.

Hope you enjoy a great, quilty day...

~Joan

PS: pics from the quilt show up next

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