I have been busy

Well the show season is here. Colleen is getting ready and I have been busy writing direction sheets and putting kits together for the Ribbon Star Quilt that I worked on in Florida. I have also done the same for the Folk Art Vase quilt. My studio was an absolute mess while I was making them, piles of stuff everywhere. I love doing these direction sheets and putting the kits together it provides such a sense of accomplishment.  Both of these quilts can be seen in previous posts. In addition I have been putting together Wire Edged Ribbon  Sampler Packs that can be used with the Ribboned Bouquet book.

Ribbon Sampler Pack

I also started another quilt using similar flowers and applique. I have been making a whole garden of ribbon flowers, daffodils, pansies, periwinkles and zinnias. I wanted to get it finished for the show in Freeport this weekend QuiltportUSA but it won't happen. Perhaps by next weekend when we go to the Celebration of Needlework in Nashua, New Hampshire I will have most of it done. I am off to stitch.

Quilt is getting there

As you can see my quilt is just about done. I am in the process of machine quilting it, I should finish today. I want to start another project just like this as it was so much fun to do, but I am going to finish my Dear Jane Quilt instead. All my blocks are done and 1 1/2 of the borders so I will be working on that in earnest to finish.

Being Quilted

Now Something Completely Different

If you are a machine embroiderer and love the look of hand embroidery this is for you. The thread I used is wool-acrylic from Madeira Thread called Lana. A couple of years ago I machine embroidered linen curtains for my living room. They were a lot of fun and I used the Lana thread, many of my hand stitching friends thought they were hand stitched. A couple of my friends and I decided to stitch this little foot stool so I created this design using parts from my curtains. It was a lot of fun and I will put the footstool where the cat cannot get to it.

Foot Stool

Ribboned Bouquet

Well I have talked about my next project using this wonderful book I was able to buy in Jacksonville our our way North. I used the method from that book for my basket handles. 


When I applique a curve I either bast or draw the inside of the curve and stitch my appliqued piece there first. The outside of the curve will "stretch" to fit, of course that is true if you made the "tube" from piece of fabric cut on the bias.

Gathering Supplies

I ordered the wire edged ribbon my mail when I was in NC and when I got home I went to a number of fabric stores to try to find the large print fabric for the borders. After purchasing three different ones I finally decided on this one. I have been following the directions fairly well except I have appliqued all the stems on all the blocks and then did all the embroidered leaves. 

Stems and Leaves

As you can see I have now started the fun stuff. This rose is padded applique. It will have embroidered accents and ribbon leaves. I hope to get a lot done today. It is a wonderful project and the directions and diagrams in the book are wonderful. It is a delight to work on. So many times I have purchased a pattern and felt like I needed a PhD in hieroglyphics. 


A Time Out Project

I took time out to make some shirts (seven in all) for my grandchildren's Destination ImagiNation team project. My daughter is the coach so they have a little extra pull! They drew the image and selected the name. They sure are happy Dodo Birds! They built a time machine as their project.

Monthly Challenge

I have been following along on the yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smallquilttalk/ and love all of Kathy Tracy's books.

I made her March challenge and made her basket quilt. I did however make the blocks a bit smaller at 3" square. I had a place for it to go and that size worked great for me. As you can see it is only the top, I will finish it soon. I have been also been working on my Ribboned Bouquet quilt and in that book by Janice Vaine she has you use a tube turner to make fabric tubes for flowers.


I altered her method by using a different tool to make the handles for the baskets. I was great fun and there were no raw edges for threads to peel out.

Tools

I used a 1 1/4" strip of fabric. Folded it right sides together and sewed a 1/4" seam along the raw edge. I then trimmed very close to the stitching line.

Slid on to tube turner

Close up of point

I then pushed the the entire strip onto the turner and poked the hook through the fabric and closed the hook, this prevents the "hook" from getting caught in the tube as you turn it inside out. Working carefully at the beginning to get it started just right. I found that using that rubber shelf liner helped in turning the tube.

Hold with rubber shelf liner

For my Ribboned Bouquet I needed a strip the width of the fabric cut on the grain. As you can see I was able to turn the entire 42" 

I used this same technique for the bias strips needed for the basket handles. I will say it was easier with both bias and shorter strips but will certainly use this method again. How many times have I needed a narrow piece to applique down and had a difficult time keeping those those thread ends under control.

Finishing Up

All Around the Town

Well I first worked on a quilt I had started just before we left. I am not a lover of paper piecing but I loved this pattern by countrythreads.com.


I dislike paper piecing so much because I hate to have to remove the paper, so I normally use water-soluble stabilizer. I print from my computer onto the stabilizer, do the paper piecing and once the quilt top is complete soak in warm water and viola the "paper" is gone. 


When I working on this I was away on a quilting week with friends and tried to get a copy center to print out the pp blocks on my stabilizer. They were afraid to that so I did a a modified method. It was great fun and I love how it came out. All I had left was backing, quilting and binding. I was in a clean up these almost finished projects.

Ribbons

Next onto this project I started in Florida. I just had to quilt and bind. I had embroidered through the batting so it was already for backing and binding.


I cannot believe this was created around that wonderful ribbon. Now all I have left is to write the directions for my daughter Colleen to sell at the shows she vends at this year. I am going to digitize the designs for a friend to use on her embroidery machine. She does not like hand embroidery. 




Another One:

Folk Art Vase

I also started this in Florida, rem-ember my care package. Colleen designed the center and I did the stitching. We work like this a lot. She does a design i make the quilt and write the directions. The center portion is wool and she will make and sell a kit. The directions will be for the entire quilt. Her firs show is in April so I have to get going.












Still More:

Chocolate and Pink

Piecing the Past

While I was in the groove of backing, quilting and binding. I finished up a couple more. The Chocolate and Pink I made from a bundle of civil war fabrics I bought last summer at a quilt show. It is only 18" x 27". I love to use these small quilts as table toppers on end tables or dressers.


The Piecing the past quilt was from a pattern from Donna Ruppert. I love her patterns and usually buy from her when ever I see her at a show. She used to have a web site but took it down. 


Enough for now I have to get back to my next project.
Marlee

Long Time Missing

Well we are home and have been for a month. Where does the time go. We spent time in Jacksonville Florida with a former Navy buddy, Frank. We had a wonderful time. He is now living in a Retirement  Community and we were able to stay right there for our visit. It was very pleasant.

One day I told mu hubby that I was going to go to the quilt shop and Frank thought it was probably better if they took me. I assured them that with my trusty GPS i would be fine. When I got in the car and turned on the GPS I was only one and a half miles away. 


What a lovely shop! http://cinnamonsquilts.com . When I walked in I saw Janice Vaine's book that I own. I asked about it and they told me she was going to be teaching there on Friday, and she would have her NEW book with her! Sadly we were leaving on Friday but they assured me if I came in before her class started I could purchase her book. We stopped in on our way out of town so I could purchase her new book and I was lucky enough to get to meet her. A lovely lady. Oh how I wish I could have stayed for class. More about this in the next couple of posts. 


We then left and headed north to my wonderful Sister in law's new retirement home. Yes, we are certainly seeing lot of choices. We had a wonderful visit and only wished we lived closer to her. She is an awesome lady. She has only lived here for about six months and has already made her mark. There are a four lovely widows that meet every evening at the "dining room" bar to have their before dinner cocktail. They are known as the "MWBF", Merry Widow Bar Flies. They even had they picture in the Southern Pines newspaper. What a gal!


We finally arrived home late evening of February 16, after my monthly treatment at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.


We woke up a couple of days later to this lovely scene. Although it didn't last long it sure was a change.

After we unpacked and I got all the clothes and "stuff" put away I started to sew like a made fool. I will post more tomorrow along with pictures.


Good night for now,
Marlee

Sadness... Heading home

Well we leave for our trip north in the morning. It has been so wonderful here, enjoyed every minute. We will have a good trip home visiting with friends and family along the way. We meet some very interesting people here today on the last day, they will be here next year so I am sure we will connect again then.

Talk to you all soon.