Slow Sunday Stitching

Today I worked on two projects that are stitched by hand............

The first one is a project I started this last week and is a little mini wall hanging....

I blogged about this last Tuesday........

I was watching Joe Cunningham on Bluprint/Craftsy and decided I needed to try one of the projects...

The 3 Crazy Sister quilt was the one I chose to start........

I need a little quilt for the wall in my bathroom    next to my Beatrix Potter collection...

Soooo....I decided to use some of my Beatrix Potter fabric and I added a shiny blue fabric as an accent.

I got it together and had planned on quilting it by machine....but changed my mind and decided to hand quilt it!  I started quilting it today and took a photo....

I was having difficulty with the thread twisting and knotting and then I discovered some loops as I hadn't pullted the thread tight enough.....I finally ended up pulling out all the quilting I had done!!

AND NOW I am using 12 wt purple.....that I wanted to use to start with....but it shows more....BUT it makes me so happy.....no photos yet.

In the meantime....I was also working on binding of the dolphin runner I have blogged about previously.

I am linking to Kathy's Quilts  Slow Sunday Stitching

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/08/slow-sunday-stitching_30.html

Be sure and check what everyone else is sewing today.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #32

  My 32nd week of linking to Home Sewn By Us for To-Do Tuesday

Here is my progress from last week

To-Do Tuesday week of August 18 through August 24:

1. FMQ practice and finish up some of the potholders 
2. join together some scrappy around the cabin blocks yes
3. Do another Stitch Meditation (zen stitching) yes

I didn't finish any potholders because my machine is not stitching correctly right now.

Here is the Daisy potholder with the clips holding the self binding ready to sew in place.

And here is a photo from my last blog post with the two sections ready to go together....The last blog post also shows the other side of the zentangle design on the outside of the fabric.

Photo of some of the blocks in my scrappy around the cabin

I have been watching some Bluprint/Craftsy classes and started two projects.  

One is a class by Judith Trager and here is the start of some of the blocks in her class that she calls contemporary log cabin.  These are blocks to practice the technique for background blocks for art quilts. These blocks are made from triangles, wedges and strips.....the photo shows the start of three blocks.

 The other Bluprint/Craftsy class is by Joe Cunningham and is called 3 Crazy Sisters.  Here are the first 5 blocks I made.  I am just making a mini quilt to hang by my Beatrix Potter collectibles.

I just wanted to try the technique........

Here is another photo of some of the pieces......

To-Do Tuesday week of August 25 through August 31:

Projects I will be working on:

1. mini 3 crazy sisters
2. contemporary log cabin
3. dolphin runner
4. Stitch Meditation
5. scrappy around the cabin

I am linking to Roseanne's 

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-linky-55-weekly-progress-update/

Be sure to see what everyone else is doing and join in the fun!!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

FMQ practice samples going to be potholders

 Today I am linking to two FMQ links.

I had planned on doing more for this blog post........ like actually showing some completed potholders!!.....but our A/C is not working......and we didn't think we needed to get it fixed because we can usually cool our house in the mornings and evenings.  BUT the temps have not been getting down to the 60s as usual....so our house is 85 inside with fans going!

So here is what I have.....

A zentangle design I have been wanting to stitch.

these first photos are before I trimmed.

I started by making the outside lines with a ruler.  I could see that was going to take forever....

So...I switched to my walking foot and did the design very quickly.

I trimmed the batting first by folding under the fabric and then turned it and I trimmed the outside fabric a little more than an inch from the edge.

I will join these two pieces that each have batting by bringing the jewel fabric folded to the top for a self binding.  The daisy potholder I previously blogged about using a wavy ruler.

AND I have blogged about this tomatoes potholder top.  I used a ruler foot and straight ruler and it takes a bunch of practice for straight lines.....holding the ruler and moving the ruler and moving the fabric AND trying to get a decent stitch length.  I am used to my BSR and this is a whole different thing!  I varied the width of the lines by accident and then I decided that might be a good thing!

The links to FMQ are so inspiring to see what everyone else is doing. 

Rebecca Grace  Long Arm Learning 

http://cheekycognoscenti.blogspot.com/2020/08/lal3-one-where-rebecca-finally-finishes.html

AND I am also linking with Free Motion Mavericks

https://quiltinglearningcombo.blogspot.com/2020/08/fmq-mini-on-free-motion-mavericks.html

Be sure to check their posts also.....it is so fun to see what everyone else is doing!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To -Do Tuesday #31

 My 31st week of linking to Home Sewn By Us for To-Do Tuesday

Here is my progress from last week

To-Do Tuesday for week of August 11 through August 17:

1. Make some more scrappy around the cabin blocks yes
2. Add horizontal sashing to scrappy rectangle blocks yes
3. FMQ practice 4 days yes
4. Work on dolphin runner hand binding yes
5. Online class lessons at least 4 days yes

I will be doing another blog post this week about FMQ practice I have done.  I will be making the practice pieces into potholders.  Here is a photo of the practice making lines with a ruler and ruler foot.  I varied the width of the space between lines and that draws your eye away from the not so perfect straight lines.....sort of...

Here are photos of our new calibrachoa we bought yesterday.  The blooms are blue, red and yellow.

To-Do Tuesday week of August 18 through August 24:

1. FMQ practice and finish up some of the potholders 
2. join together some scrappy around the cabin blocks
3. Do another Stitch Meditation (zen stitching)

I am linking to Roseanne's 

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-linky-54-weekly-progress-update/

Be sure to see what everyone else is doing and join in the fun!!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #30

 My 30th week of linking to Home Sewn By Us for To-Do Tuesday

Here is my progress from last week

To-Do Tuesday for week of August 4 through August 10:

1. Add sashing to my scrappy rectangle blocks yes
2. Finish yellow brick road quilt yes
3. Gather all my quilt books and put together in one place yes
4. FMQ practice at least 4 days yes
5. Online class lessons 4 days and complete at least one page yes

1 I got all of the vertical sashing done

2 I finished the yellow brick road quilt and did a blog post about it yesterday with LOTS of photos

3 I added another shelf unit next to the one in my sewing room for all the quilting books.  I will also have notebooks with patterns printed out and Craftsy/Bluprint class material printouts.  

I am now putting the books in A to Z order by first name of author.  AND a WORD document chart listing all of them.

4 I used my 2 rulers in FMQ practice on fabric that will be potholders.  On the straight stitching I ran out of the thread in the middle and it shows where the lines meet.  I will add lines going the other direction and hope it won't be noticed.  Trouble shooting is part of the practice....

6 I worked on my online class lessons on six different days!

To-Do Tuesday for week of August 11 through August 17:

1. Make some more scrappy around the cabin blocks
2. Add horizontal sashing to scrappy rectangle blocks
3. FMQ practice 4 days
4. Work on dolphin runner hand binding
5. Online class lessons at least 4 days

I am linking to Roseanne's 

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-linky-53-weekly-progress-update/

Be sure to see what everyone else is doing and join in the fun!!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Yellow Brick Road finished!

 This post is full of photos...of this quilt I just finished!

The first photo is being held and the second one is laying on the concrete.

This pattern is by Terry Atkinson of Atkinson Designs

I started it Januarry 21, 2014 and have blogged about it.  I had bought a 6 fat quarter bundle several years before I started this quilt.  I blogged about it 1/25/14 and then again 2/01/14, 2/08/14 and 6/27/14.  At that time it was a quilt top and it hung on my quilt rack for years as I did other quilts.

Then this year I decided I needed to finish it.  I used Diagonal Dots for the backing.  There are photos in 2/25/20 post of the start of FMQ.  I used designs by Lori Kennedy mostly.  The designs I used are flower power, Claire's peony, Faye's flower, Easy Peasy.  I also used wiggles, loops, heart leaves and spirals and meanders.  The first border I used lazy 8 Christina Cameli.  The outer border is #4 serpentine stitch on my machine 2.5 x 2.5.

The other blog posts with photos from this year 6/30, 7/14, 7/19 and 7/21.

Here are photos I took all over the quilt...starting at the top left and down and all around.  Since these photos are on my phone and then in my computer....they do go away....but this blog is where I can come to see them if they are gone other places!!

And the last photo is with a corner turned over to see the back.

It feels good to have this done....I had thought about giving it as a gift....but it has practice FMQ...but then that is what I usually call all my FMQ as it is hard to get it to look perfect.  OH that's right....I forgot I gave up being perfect and I am now striving to be perfectly imperfect!!!

Rebecca Grace has started a linky party and this is the second week.  She has invited me to join.

http://cheekycognoscenti.blogspot.com/2020/08/lal2-one-where-thoroughly-modern-millie.html

Be sure to check out the other posts......so many very interesting blogs to check!

AND I am also linking with Free Motion Mavericks

http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.com/2020/08/free-motion-mavericks-week-293-another.html

Be sure to check their posts also.....it is so fun to see what everyone else is doing!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #29

My 29th week of linking to Home Sewn By Us for To-Do Tuesday

Here is my progress from last week

To-Do Tuesday for week of July 28 through August 3:

1. I am in a FB quilt challenge to enter a quilt every day so I will finish those entries. yes 
2. Document my quilts in a notebook of these 10 quilts. (Most of my information is in my blog and that is where I go whenever I need to repeat something or someone asks about a quilt.) yes
3. Work on my ongoing quilt projects every day. yes

I worked on a quilting project every day and worked on 5 different quilt projects this week.  I also started some contemporary log cabin blocks after watching a Bluprint class by Judith Trager!

I made a decision to sash my scrappy rectangle blocks with black.  (My quilt group in a Zoom meeting thought I needed sashing.)  I took the photo to see if the placement is okay.....I have moved blocks around so many times!  The photo shows the start of the black sashing.

I also worked in my creative journal.  Instead of a page for each day I did all of July on two pages!

To-Do Tuesday for week of August 4 through August 10:

1. Add sashing to my scrappy rectangle blocks
2. Finish yellow brick road quilt
3. Gather all my quilt books and put together in one place
4. FMQ practice at least 4 days
5. Online class lessons 4 days and complete at least one page

I am linking to Roseanne's 

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-linky-52-weekly-progress-update/#comment-11967

Be sure to see what everyone else is doing and join in the fun!!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl