{Post #998} Fair and Square Quilted!

Wow--this is a big finish.  I have never done machine quilting that was so intensive or dense.  I.  love.  it!!


I am looking forward to seeing it washed and dried.  I sewed the binding onto the front.  I used one shirt and had enough to go around another two sides.  Much more fabric there than I thought.

{Post #997} My World

Welcome to my world!  The above picture is a shot from my life yesterday.  I got a surprise package in the mail from Natasha.  She had told me it was coming, but what could it be?  SELVAGES!  She had cut into some new fabric and had selvages she saved for me.  How thoughtful is she??


This is a shot from my cutting table.  Starting on the left and going clockwise I have incoming mail, car keys (never far from my hot little hand), a set of I Spy squares I listed on eBay, Thimbleberries scraps, my camera case (also never far), a string setting triangle for my Squares Surrounded top, my water cup, and a 6" x 12" ruler.


Guess how long I've been using that water cup?  It is easy to remember.  My 1,000th post for this blog is coming up (how can THAT be?).  I will have a giveaway in honor of my upcoming 1,000th post for the person who can guess most closely how long that cup has been used by moi.  It is easy for me to remember because I got it on what some would consider a special occasion.  I will give away a set of Thimbleberries FQs to the winner.  Let's set the deadline for guessing as Monday at noon my time (east coast).


The cup has some special qualities.  It has a black interior (which you can't see in the photo).  That was important when I used to drink soda because I favored Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke, or Diet Dr. Pepper.  The kids couldn't tell WHAT I was drinking because even water (my current beverage of choice) looks black when in "the cup".  It is double-walled, so no condensation.  Most importantly, it is really big.  It is seldom w/o ice water in it for me.  


Funny memory...all my kids and DH know that this is MY cup.  Once when DH's father and stepmother were visiting from another state, she walked into the living room saying she had to take some pills and needed a little water to swallow them with.  She walked in holding MY cup, and the kids all collectively gasped.  It was akin to someone sitting in DAD'S chair!!  Thanks to their wonderful upbringing no doubt, none of them actually SAID anything.  


~Joan

{Post #996} Fair & Square Quilting...Cool!!

I tried a new machine quilting continuous free motion pattern.  It is loosely based on a pattern I saw somewhere, but I don't think the designer would want to be associated with me, so without further ado...may I present my new design?  

It is going very slowly.  Lots of places to be very careful.  I just took a break to debone some shirts.  I bought 8 yesterday.  The thrift store was having a 50% off sale.  It was very crowded.  Fun times!

~Joan, who is desperately trying to keep herself from starting any new quilts.  H-e-l-p!!

{Post #995} New Sewing Buddy!

Look who's stitching!  My youngest, Isaac (12), tackled the daunting task of learning to run a sewing machine tonight.  First he laid out an I Spy on my design wall.  Then I showed him how to take it off to make it easy to web it.  He.  did.  an.  awesome.  job.  


He got a whole I Spy top webbed (the horizontal rows sewn together).  In a couple days we'll work on it again...tomorrow is booked solid.


Here he is in action...nose to the "grindstone"...

I also finished the top of my Fair & Square quilt as well as piecing a back for it.  I needed 5 more inches of length beyond the WOF.  In the drawers under my cutting table I found a stack of 3-1/2" x 5-1/2" rectangles.  I have no earthly idea what they were intended for, but the fabrics are very old.  That ship seems to have sailed, so I pieced them side-to-side and put them between two pieces of gold fabric for a backing for Fair & Square.  There were just enough rectangles :)

~Joan

{Post #994} Square Surrounded Coming Along

Here is the part of my Square Surrounded that are sewn together so far.  I don't know how to make the red in the picture be some other color.  The second picture shows another two rows laid out but not attached to the mother ship yet.

The top picture measures 42" from the edge of the quilt to the edge of the last blue square's point.


~Joan

{Post #993} I Spy Winners and Losers

The last little bit of sewing I've done has been on several different I Spy quilts...some new designs.  A doozy loser, a so so, and one I think might turn out nicely.


I tried a Twister quilt square with only a few blocks to see if my already-cut-out 4-1/2" I Spy squares could work.  I ended up having to cut them down to 3" squares instead of the 3-1/2" squares the Little Twister ruler would have made.  But that is OK...I just drew lines on my 6-1/2" ruler and flipped it around after cutting 2 sides.  A tiny bit more time consuming, but not a hardship.  


Here is the Twister one first.  The finished sewn piece with a 4 x 4 block setting ended up being 13" square.  I could see making 8 more of these and setting it 3 x 3 blocks for a 39" square quilt.  The small overall prints look much better than the large not-very-much repeat prints.  I don't know if I have enough to make 8 more blocks, but I can certainly look.


Getting started on the cutting:

Cutting complete:

Close-up of border print, ants, and apples:

All sewn up.  Thirteen inches square:

Now for the others, in no particular order.  

This first one is an actual pattern up to the black border.  I thought it was too long and skinny, so I added the extra rows of 4-1/2" squares on each side.  I plan to put a black with something bright on it to border each side.  I like the variety of square sizes...finish at 2", 3", and 4"...no repeats.  I might make another one of these but 50% wider and not use the 2" finished squares (because I sent all I had to Natasha).  

This next one is soooo busy that it hurts my brain to look at it.  You might want to take a second to prepare yourself.  Natasha and I had a fabric trade.  She sent me two pounds of I Spy prints, and I sent her 2 pounds of Thimbleberries back.  I hope we are both happy.  I have not heard from her about her package yet.  In her package to me were these 6-1/2" square pieces.  I had a (what I thought at the time) brilliant idea of using them as alternate squares with 4 patches of 3-1/2" squares of mine.  Should have just cut them down to 4-1/2" squares and used them in 11 different quilts!

Ready, set...confusion!!

After I sewed the alternate blocks and my 4-patches together, I added an entire row of 4-1/2" square to the top and bottom to make it nearly square.  I hate like the dickens to WASTE all those I Spy prints, but what's a girl to do?  I am thinking about putting on a thin solid black then a something with a bright green wider border on it, but honestly, I don't think I could do this to a kid!

~Joan

{Post #992} Worthy of Double Honor

I know this is mainly a quilty blog, but bear with me.  This post is about a big part of my life...my church.


Last night started a 5-day extravaganza for our pastor and his wife.  They have been leading and serving our church for 20 years.  The theme for our anniversary celebration is "Worthy of Double Honor" from I Timothy 5:17, "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor..."


We planned lots of BIG surprises for them starting with a "chauffeur" to pick them up at their house for the first service in a fancy car (at this point they had no idea what was going on).  He brought them through a parade of our church members holding signs, balloons, and waving ribbon wands (which I made and were soooo easy--I made many so I could share with the little children and a few big ones).  So.  much.  fun.  We were all so excited that we pulled off the surprise that we were smiling ear-to-ear.  Here is me and my better half:

Our pastor was the vice president of a Bible college in our town for years as well as being our pastor, so he's been a great influence on many.  He is a humble, sweet, gracious, kind, wise, godly man.  His wife is the perfect feminine mirror of him.  We are blessed to have them leading us.  We are having two of the men who have been under his ministry speak each night with a testimony by someone greatly influenced by him as well.  There are all kinds of secret surprises every day, so I can't divulge much here.  


I mainly wanted you to see my handsome hubby.  I feel sorry for all the women who can't experience his wonderful hubbiness firsthand.  Oh, well.


~Joan