{Post 1,167} Tree of Life - One Side Bound

Finished the machine quilting on my Tree of Life quilt.  When I trimmed the backing, I had enough for binding without cutting any more strips.  While I was on a roll, I sewed the binding to the front and have one side turned to the back and machine stitched down.  

I stopped to make a label.  Whew--there's no stopping me today!

Heading back down to sew the label in place so it will be sewn in as I attach the binding.

A picture of the back first.  I am surprised this looks so light in the picture.  The binding in the second picture is the same fabric.

{Post 1,166} Quilting on Tree of Life Quilt Nearly Finished

I learned a new quilting pattern from the Pajama Quilter DVD.  It's called Echo Flowers.  

This afternoon I pieced a back for my Tree of Life quilt and started the quilting.  It has gone so fast.  I am nearly finished.  Wanted to take a break to watch a movie with the kids, so I'll try to finish it tomorrow.  I used a thread called "honey" color on the front and the back.  The backing fabric is dark (it looks light in the pictures because of the flash), so it really shows up, but that's OK.

Here are some pictures.

This is all I have left to quilt:

{Post 1,162} Tree of Life Border and Wild Geese Sashing Prospect

Well, well...so much quilty finishingness going on here.

Here is my Tree of Life quilt with the bright red border.  I'll tone it down a little with a dark backing and binding.

Folded in half on the design wall:

Here is a potential sashing and cornerstones for the Wild Geese blocks.  The sashing is a fabric I just received yesterday.  I found the cream squares in a drawer.  Don't know why I had them cut, but here they are.  They are one of my favoritest ever Thimleberries creams, so I think I'll use them.  Best to get them out of that drawer and let them live, right?  Bonnie Hunter would be so proud!

{Post 1,161} 119 Yards of Fabric

Yesterday I received two 30-yard rolls of Hobbs 80/20 batting and this box of Thimbleberries fabric, which contained 119 yards.  Twenty-yard bolts look huge on my fabric shelf next to the ones which contain only a few yards.

I only ordered one bolt of each (there are 20 yards on each bolt).  Somehow I got two of the blue ones.  Shipping costs so much that I won't return it, however.  I see some blue quilt borders and backs in my future!

I used the bright red (3rd from the right) to border my Tree of Life quilt just a few minutes ago.  I am wondering if it is too bright, but it's on there now!

I planned to do a lot of flower garden work today (weeding, leveling, planting, raking), but the pollen count is so high that it will just have to wait.

Pics of my Tree of Life quilt to come later.

{Post 1,150} Tree of Life Pieced Border On

{Post 1,148} TOL Center Finished and Gift Quilt Idea

Here is my Tree of Life quilt center.  It measures 54" square.

Here is what I have left over from a small piece of what I think will be the perfect inner border fabric.  I have the pieced borders which come after this inner border nearly finished.  

Here is a quilt top that I pieced some time ago.  I am going to finish it as a surprise/thank you for a family that has been a huge help to my daughter living way up in northern Wisconsin.  It's a snowball quilt, so that's appropriate, don't you think?  The fabrics to the side are the inner (blue) and outer (gold) fabrics.  I should be able to finish that quickly since it's all pieced.  Each snowball is 4" square finished size.

{Post 1,147} Tree of Life Update

Worked on this quilt a tad this AM.  It might seem like I'm making great progress, but remember that all the blocks were pieced when I started a little while ago.

We are getting ready for company Sunday.  I'll be starting my Easter cooking today and do much more tomorrow.  

Hope to squeeze in a little sewing here and there, but time will tell.

Happy Good Friday.  So glad that Christ left His heavenly home to come die for me (and you)!

My pieced border for this is coming along nicely.  I am using the strips for that as a leader/ender as I piece the rows of this and add them.  Won't be long before it's ready to quilt!

Any ideas for a fast throw-sized quilt for a thank-you for a family that has been helping my daughter?  I'm all ears.

{Post 1,141} New UFO to Attack

Don't look at this post and think "she is such a fast piecer".  I pieced these Tree of Life blocks some time ago.  I already had the sashing strips and cornerstones cut out.  Today I laid them out and started sewing them together.  I also am sewing more 1-1/2" strips for the pieced border on this quilt as a leader/ender whilst I piece the center.  

There is a single-fabric inner border, then a pieced border of 1-1/2" pieces, then a larger outer border.

Here are some pics of the process.  First, my 1-1/2" border started, a few strips outside the box (literally), and then my blocks and my progress so far today.

I guess it pays to sew instead of take a nap on a Sunday afternoon!

{Post 1,051} Sewing Table Today

So happy that I did about 35 minutes of "walking at home" this AM.  It takes me a long time to cool down.  I walk in my sewing room to a DVD.  While I'm doing that, my eyes wander to all types of projects to do/start/complete/progress on/plan.  While I was cooling down, I sewed a few more strips sets for my Tree of Life blocks.

I squeezed in a few minutes later to complete the centers of two identical tops that I will be selling later.

Here is my sewing table a few minutes ago, with explanation to follow:

Clockwise, starting at the back left corner is my HQ bobbin winder, then my plastic spinach box lid with my Tree of Life block parts in it.  Then my two bobbin holders--machine quilting thread on the bottom, regular on the top tier.  My iPod speakers, my orange water spray bottle for the iron to the right (out of the picture), and two stray pieces of binding that need to be put in the leftover binding drawer.

On my mini ironing board (with the blue striped cover) are two quilt tops I will be selling after they are complete...hopefully before Thanksgiving!!

The spoon handle sticking out from under the ironing board?  No idea :)

~Joan

{Post 1,049} Fifteen Tree of Life Blocks

My evening was quite surprising.  Susie had asked me earlier this AM if I wanted to spend an evening sewing and watching one of our favorite movies.  Of course I said YES!!  She was working on a skirt for work.  I think she made great progress.

Because I wanted to leave the cutting table clear for her to use, and using my HandiQuilter would have made conversation and movie-listening-to difficult, I decided to add a few units to my Tree of Life blocks.  To my surprise, I added EIGHT of them to my stack of finished blocks.

I am making my quilt a little larger than the original in Bonnie's book, so I have 10 more blocks to go.  Very doable. I am at that place where I need to add in a few more colors.  I don't have many greens, so I cut a few strips of those tonight.  

There are several browns for the trunks, greens for the tree bases, and sets of creams for the other triangles.  Sort of scrappy, yet controlled somewhat.

Stay tuned!

~Joan

{Post 1, 041} I Spy and Tree of Life

Here is my apprentice with her I Spy.  On to the quilting when I return from Ohio!!  She has done a marvelous job.

My Tree of Life blocks continue to grow:

{Post 1,040} Washed, Dried, and Quadrupled

Here's Ryan's quilt, washed, dried, and quilty:

I will give it to him tomorrow.

And this:

Became this:

Yes--just *that* fast!  These are pieced, but the sashings and cornerstones are just stuck to my design wall.  I think I'll call these the "Tree of Life" blocks.  Read Genesis 2:9.  Part of the verse says "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food..."  Pleasant to the sight, for sure!

The blocks finish at 8" square, and the sashing is 2" wide.  The quilt has 25 blocks.  Four down, 21 to go!

Off to list a bunch of stuff in my Etsy store...ShelbyStitcher.  Come check it out!

I mentioned to my quilt-lovin' daughter this AM that I'm going to list and sell some of our older quilts (as in several years old, not antiques).  I actually saw her mind go into hoard mode.  What a shame!  I'll be checking under her bed soon ;)  She's already told me the first two she has decided to snatch/claim when the time comes for her to move out.

~Joan

{Post 1,039} Top Finished!

The Bricks top is finished, and it's halfway quilted with loops!  I needed a break from the machine and wanted to update the status on this gift quilt.

I also started another leader/ender project that I've been wanting to make...Crabapples by Bonnie Hunter.  I'd like to call it something else as the name always makes me think "crabby", which is something I'm trying to avoid.  Any suggestions?

Here is my first block:

I keep two boxes under my sewing table for 1-1/2" strips, one each for creams and colors.  These blocks will come together in no time because of that!

Here is the Bricks in the Barnyard top.  I did not carefully press out any "wrinkles" on the top when I stuck it to the design wall, but you get the picture.

Sooo much variety in here.  And yet, when I sewed on the LAST braided border, look what I found (on the same side!). There was no way I was unsewing all those bias edges!!

Notice the light blue/brown plaid near the inner border?  They are touching!!!

Here is the OTHER end of that same side.  But whatever will be, will be!  See the bright green/dark blue?  Of all the nerve!