Casssiopeia

 

This will certainly be the last quilt that I finish this year and it's my 9th finished UFO of the year.  I decided to name it Cassiopeia because I wanted a star related name.  Cassiopeia is actually a constellation, not a single star, but since there are actually two stars in the quilt, an inner and outer star, I thought it worked.  Plus, when I was a little girl, there was a character on a show I liked named Cassiopeia, and I've retained a fondness for the name.

I quilted it on my longarm with a hand-guided all-over flower, leaf, and loops design. The thread is Isacord Spring Frost, and the batting is Quilter's Dream Cotton.  The binding is attached by machine to the front of the quilt and hand stitched to the back.  The label was stitched using my embroidery machine, and hand stitched to the back of the quilt.

More Door Art

 

 

This morning I finished the door art for our front storm door.  This one is less intricate than the Garfield, but also significantly larger.  This time I used mostly interior wall paint.  The white is actually ceiling paint that we already had in the shed, left over from our renovations a few years ago.  The red, brown, and greens are from small samples paint containers I bought at Lowes.  We had some yellow left over from painting my quilting room, and I used that at first, but I decided that I wanted something brighter.  I painted over that yellow with some yellow acrylic I had left over from painting Garfield.  The outline is done in black acrylic.

First, I drew out my idea on an index card and colored it with markers.  Then I took the drawing to Lowes to match paint colors, which wasn't fully necessary, but I liked the idea of matching my original drawing.  I drew the same basic shape onto the door with a dry erase marker, but the proportions turned out a little different because the height to width ratio of the door was different from the card.  I painted a base layer of the whole drawing in white and let that dry overnight.  The next day, I painted all the colors, and a second layer of white where I wanted it to be white.  I had to be pretty careful because the white base coat would smear once it got a little wet from the new layer of paint.  No adding wet on wet!  This morning I added the black outlines to everything.  I think the outlines really made it pop compared to before I added them.  So with the exception of the yellow (because I changed the color), and the white (which has base coat and top coat) each color was just one coat, unlike with Garfield where everything needed 3 coats.

I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Assuming that it isn't too much trouble to remove it, I'm thinking about doing different ones next year.  I'm thinking about either Christmas ornaments or wrapped presents.  It's been really fun to do some painting.

Christmas Door Art

 

 

On the day after Thanksgiving, I took my cat to the vet (like I do every Friday), and one of the employees was painting a mural on their front windows.  That inspired me to try doing a little Christmas window painting of my own.  When I was in high school, I used to draw Garfield all the time.  He was sort of my go-to doodle.  Also, when my kids were little, they loved to watch the Garfield Christmas movie.  So, I thought that painting Garfield on my door would be a fun way to tap into a little of my creative side with a nod to family history at the same time.  I think he turned out pretty good.

I started by finding a Christmas picture of Garfield online.  Then I sketched him out in my sketchbook.  I then scanned my drawing into the computer, enlarged the image to a size that would fit my window, and printed it out.  I had thought that I would tape the print out to the inside of the window and then trace it on the outside using a dry erase marker, but that didn't really work because of the nature of the window.  It has two panes of glass with blinds in between.  That made the image seem too far away to actually trace, so I just used it as a placement guide and drew it free hand with the marker.

We wanted the image to be seen from both inside and outside, so I went over the outlines in black first.  Then I added the color, and then went over the black line again last thing.  I tried chalk markers first, but I didn't like how that looked (too thin and runny), so I used artist acrylic paint instead.  All of the colors needed 3 coats to really show up nicely.

I'm thinking about trying something larger on my storm door at my front door (this door goes to the carport). If I do that one, I'm planning to try using interior wall paint and starting with a base of white.  It won't be viewable from inside, but that doesn't matter on that door, and I hope it will have better coverage that way.

Checkerboard and Diamonds

 

I don't actually have a name for it yet, but I call the pattern checkerboard and diamonds.  I machine quilted it on my long arm quilter, using Isacord thread in Chiffon color.  It is actually custom quilted, unlike the others I've done so far.  The border is done in a continuous feather.  The diamonds each have a flower motif.  The checkerboard center was quilted using the Elvira quilting ruler by Angela Walters.  The white space around the diamonds have a feather motif (I guess that's what you'd call it).  And the border and outside of the checkerboard are outlined using a straight-edge quilting ruler.  I finished the binding on it today, which was done totally on the sewing machine.

It was my first time using quilting rulers on the long arm machine.  I've used them a little on my domestic machine.  It takes a bit to get used to, but I feel like I was getting the hang of it by the time I was done.  It is far from perfect, but I'm happy with how it looks.  I don't know what I'll end up doing with it.  There is no plan for it at the moment.

This is my 8th finished UFO for the year.  It actually leapfrogged over a quilt that I'm in the process of hand binding.

Update: I decided to name it "Let's Play."  I even made a label for it using free-motion embroidery done on my domestic (not embroidery) sewing machine.  It turned out okay.

A Bag for Ruthie

 

 

Today I finished up the last bag officially on my to-do list.  It's a bag for my youngest son's girlfriend, Ruthie.  She likes wizards and her favorite color is purple.  I made it the same size as the one for Gus, because my son said that she liked to be able to carry big things.

The fabrics that I used for the outside of the bag were fabrics that were already in my stash.  I bought fabric for the lining and thread for top stitching and quilting.  

I quilted the top fabric to the batting using my long-arm machine, just like I did for the last one.  This one is quilted in swirls to match the swirls in the fabrics. 

I'm planning to send it to her for a Christmas present.  Nothing says Christmas like wizards, right? LOL!

A Bag for Kim

 

When I was at Missouri Star Quilt Company, I saw this floral and skull fabric and it made me think of my daughter-in-law, Kim.  She paints flowers and she's into goth/morbid motifs, so I thought it was a good combination for her.  The accent fabric is from the same fabric line and has a spider web design.  The lining of the bag is black skeletons on a cream-colored background.  

I might try making a small twist bag with the leftover fabric, if there is enough.  I'll have to see.

Birds and Flowers bag

 

When I was at Missouri Star Quilt Company, I bought some fabric to make myself a book bag.  I used the same pattern as the bag I made for my mother for Mother's Day.  This time I decided to try something new.  I quilted the fabric using my long arm machine.  It's still just the outer bag fabric quilted to batting without a backing fabric, so I wasn't sure how it would do on the long arm, but it worked just fine.  The quilting is mostly a simple meander with a few flowers thrown in.  I'm happy with how it turned out.

Kitchen Towels

 

 

Earlier this year when my younger daughter was visiting, she saw a kitchen towel that I have which buttons onto the handle of the oven door.  She commented that she needed towels like that for her kitchen, because her toddler is always pulling the towels off, and they end up on the floor.  The one that I have was made with a hot pad and a towel sewn together.  When we were out in Washington, where she lives, I was going to make her some, but I couldn't find any towels and hot pads that I liked and thought would actually work in this application.  So I decided to use some left over quilting fabric and make little quilted hot pads (with regular batting, not heat resistant).  I think they turned out really cute. The way the towel is gathered where it is sewn to the hot pad, they almost look like little dresses.  Here are a couple of them hanging on my oven door.

 

I hope she likes them.  I hope that having them attached to the oven door doesn't upset my grandson too much either.  I'm sure he'll learn how to unbutton them pretty quickly if he really wants them down.  He's a real problem solver in situations like that.

Toddler Book Bag

 

 

My oldest daughter asked me to make a book bag for my three year old grandson to take to the library.  She wanted it to be wide enough to accommodate large books that were 12 inches wide, so I modified the pattern that I used earlier this year for a bag for my mother, and made this bag.  It measures about 15 inches tall, with a base that is 5 inches by 12 inches.

She suggested either trains or big trucks for the theme.  I couldn't find any train fabric that I liked, but I found this fabric with heavy equipment on it at Hobby Lobby.  I think he should like it, and I think it will hold plenty of toddler books.  I hope mom and son both like it and enjoy it.

Quilt Shop Hopping

 On our way home from Washington state, we decided to take a short detour and do a little quilt shop hopping in Missouri.  We visited both Missouri Star Quilt Company in Hamilton, MO, and Quilting is My Therapy in Liberty, MO.  

I really haven't ordered much fabric from Missouri Star in years, but I used to order regularly.  It was really a lot of fun to visit the shops there in person.  Missouri Star actually encompasses several building in the little town of Hamilton.  It is a nice quiet place with lots of beautiful fabric.  I'm really glad we stopped and explored there.

 

 

 

We also went to Quilting is my Therapy, which is a much smaller shop, but also nice.  I've been watching long-arm quilting tutorials by Angela Walters, the shop owner, on YouTube, and I wanted to get one of her quilt-along panels to try.  I also bought one of her quilting rulers (Elvira).  I got a ruler base for my machine just before we left for Washington, and I'm looking forward to giving it a try.

Over the Rainbow

 

 

I finished the binding on this little quilt while we were traveling home from Washington state last week.  I went round and round on a name for it.  I finally settled on "Over the Rainbow," because I like to name quilts after songs and that song mentions both rainbow and star, so it seemed appropriate.

It is machine quilted on my new Moxie XL long-arm quilter.  I used rainbow variegated Isocord thread on the top and black cotton thread from Hobby Lobby on the back.  I quilted it in an all-over meander pattern.  I'm still working on getting the tension just right, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

I decided to make the label for this quilt with my embroidery machine, which currently lives in our condo in Washington.  I haven't used it much, but making quilt labels was the main reason I bought the stupid thing, so I figured I'd give a try.  It turned out okay.

 

This quilt makes the 7th UFO that I've finished this year.

Merry & Bright

 

 

This wall hanging is made up of blocks from the Vintage Christmas book by Lori Holt. Back in 2019, the BOM group that I was a member of did the full quilt from the book.  I decided that I didn't want another full-sized Christmas quilt, so I just did a wall hanging.  I've since remodeled my living room, and don't really have a good place to display seasonal wall quilts anymore, but that's okay, too.  I'll find something to do with it now that it is finished.

It is free motion machine quilted (by me!) with a loops and holly motif in white King Tut thread.  I'm still getting the hang of using my new long arm machine, and the little holly berries are far from perfectly round, but I like how it turned out.  The quilt finished 36 inches square. 

This is the sixth of my UFOs that I wanted to finish this year, so I've met my target!

Across the Finish Line

 

 

After possibly 20 years, this quilt is finally finished.  I really don't remember when I started it, but the copyright printed in the selvage of the fabric was 2002.  I know I started it when we lived in the house before this one, which we moved into in the fall of 2008.  It's been a long journey, but I finally got it across the finish line (Ha! Ha!).  The name was my husband's suggestion, and I thought it was a good one.  I gave the completed quilt to my son last night.  He said that he's really not into NASCAR, but that he didn't mind having another blanket.  Maybe at some point I'll make him a quilt that represents something he actually likes.  And maybe it won't take 20 year to make.

Anyway, the quilting was mostly about practice and trying out motifs.  The outer border is a large meander.  The inner border and sashing is done with cursive Ls.  Reading left to right and top to bottom, the block motifs are still water, circles/cobblestones, swirls, leaves, stars and loops, and flames.  The cobblestones show up too much, mostly because the thread was too light a color for that much quilting on that fabric.

Since this was the first actual quilt that I quilted on a long-arm machine, it was a learning experience.  I was just using thread that came with the machine and learning to quilt in a new way.  If I were doing it over, I'd use a medium gray thread instead of the white and gray variegated threaded that it's mostly quilted in.  I ran out of thread before it was finished and I bought some light gray thread that matched what I was already using the best that I could.  

Also, if I were buying the fabric for this quilt today, I probably wouldn't have bought black and white checkerboard fabric for the binding.  I think I would have done it in red.  I decided to cut the binding on the bias, because I thought it would look better.  I think that was a good idea.  I did the binding completely by machine, but I sewed the label on by hand.  The label also has the bias checkerboard around the outside.  I really wouldn't want to bind a whole quilt by hand with that fabric.  Mostly because in many places you are sewing black to black, which is very difficult to see.

A new toy

 

This is me with my new Moxie long-arm quilter.  I've actually had it for a couple weeks now, but this was taken the day they came and set it up (Fri., June 28).  I've quilted a few practice things so far that I'll picture below.  It's a learning curve and I definitely don't expect to be a master at it right away.  I've also had some issues that seem to be a problem with the machine itself, but I suppose it could be user error.  My thread keeps breaking and the thread keeps getting tangled in the bobbin area.  It also runs a bit rough at times.  Someone from the shop is coming out on Monday to check it out.  

This is the practice panel that came with the machine.  The little colorful pieces on the side are for testing my tension.  They had some quilting suggestions - the e and l shapes, the meanders with hearts and stars, and curved lines.  The rest were things I tried based on YouTube tutorials I've watched.

This is a fat quarter that I decided to quilt for practice.  It's hard to tell much about the quilting from the picture, but there is a continuous feather motif around the outside and flowers and loops on the inside.

I guess I no longer have any excuse for not finishing my UFOs.
 

NASCAR quilt top

 

This quilt top is one of my UFOs that I wanted to finish this year.  As it turns out, it wasn't actually a completed quilt top.  The borders still needed to be cut and added.  

It had been so long since I last worked on this quilt, that I had forgotten exactly what the plan had been.  There was far more of the Jeff Gordon fabric than the Dale Earnhardt fabric, and I needed to use the fabric for both the borders and the backing.  Since the panels alternated between the two, I decided to have both represented in the borders and the backing.  I didn't take a picture of it, but the backing is pieced with large cuts of the two different fabric - 18 x width of fabric for the Gordon fabric and 18 x 20-ish for the Earnhardt fabric.  For some reason that I totally don't remember, I had cut off about 3 inches all along one selvage edge of the Earnhardt fabric.

Having the side borders cut wider than the top and bottom was intentional, because the quilt seemed a little oddly narrow.  I decided to cut the border based on the grid-work in the fabric, so the sides are twice as wide as the top and bottom.  It might would have looked a little better if I had made them a little closer together in size, but it's fine.  It's not like it's going to be displayed on a wall or anything.  Anyway, the quilt top ended up measuring 54 x 64.

Quilted Flower Pillow

 

This is another orphan block creation.  I made this block for a guild "competition" to create a Cotton Rose block.  I really didn't want to make a whole quilt out of it, mostly because I didn't want to make more blocks in this same size.  It's a lot of small half-square triangles.  So I decided to add a little border to it, quilt it, and make it into a new pillow cover for the small pillow I keep on my bed.  I like how it turned out, and I enjoyed doing the free-motion flowers.

A Jazz Quilt

 

 

My free-form scrap quilt is finished!  I continued to use scrap fabric to make the sashing pieces that join the blocks and rows together.  I used leftover pieces of binding strips to make the binding.  I did the binding completely by machine this time.  I attached the binding to the front, turned it to the back, and then stitched in the ditch from the front, to secure the binding on the back. It measures 50 inches by 62.5 inches.

 

Here is a look at the back of the quilt.  Ideally I would have spread out the darker blocks and not put same fabrics side-by-side, but this quilt wasn't about ideals.  It was, in fact, an attempt to get away from ideals, so I made no effort at all to arrange the blocks in any particular order.

It is very busy, colorful, and loud.  It is nothing like what I usually make when I am quilting, but I really enjoy it.  I like looking at the quilting that I did on it.  It was a learning experience and a liberating experience.  It's good to get away from the idea of perfection and the fear and anxiety that goes along with it.  I'll probably end up donating it somewhere, but for now I'm just enjoying that it's finished.

I guess you could say that I'm already working on another one, because I'm still sewing together scraps, but not as a full-time project. Instead of using a single piece of scrap fabric to sew over when I'm taking something off the machine, I just sew two scraps together.  I'm just putting them aside for now, but ultimately they'll probably end up in something.

An Experiment

 

 

I watched a YouTube video a few weeks ago where a woman sewed her scraps together to make scrap fabric.  I didn't want to make a bolt of scrap fabric like she did, but it inspired me to make a free-form scrap quilt.  

I used several of my orphan blocks and scraps out of several boxes, bags, and bins (but nowhere close to all my scraps) to make blocks that were roughly 13 - 14 inches square.  I didn't worry at all about color, though I did think some about light and dark when sewing together half-square triangles.  Occasionally I did make the scraps into recognizable blocks, but mostly I just sewed pieces together based solely on size and shape.  It was a little difficult for me at first, but it really was liberating to just sew and not worry about if it was "right" or not.  I also used up odds and ends of thread that I had around.  It was an anything goes kind of project.

Once I had made 20 blocks, I used scrap batting pieces, and some miscellaneous fabric from my stash as backing, and quilted the blocks.  I wanted to practice some free-motion quilting, but I was always worried about messing up a completed quilt top, so again, this was a liberating experience.  I didn't have to worry about getting things perfect.  I could just practice and have fun.

When the quilting was all done, I trimmed the quilted blocks down to 12-1/2 inches square.  Pictured above are the quilt blocks laid out in the general configuration for the quilt.  They won't necessarily stay in those exact places in the finished quilt. 

I plan to use a quilt-as-you-go method that I learned in quilt guild to put the blocks together.  I will use narrow strips (1-1/8 inches) on top to join the blocks.  This will make the blocks butt up against each other and not make a thick seam like if you sewed them directly together with all the layers already quilted together.  Then I'll use a 2 inch strip, folded in half, to cover the gap on the back.  That is another technique I've been wanting to try and this seemed like a good opportunity.  

All around this has been about learning, experimenting, and having fun sewing.  I'm glad that I did it.  I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes out in the end.

Celtic Knot Quilt

 

I started on this quilt top yesterday, and I finished it today.  This is a design that I've been wanting to try for some time now, and I finally got up the nerve to start it.  When they were younger, a couple of my kids used to like to draw Celtic Knots on graph paper.  I thought it would be neat to try to translate that design to fabric.  I've seen Celtic Knot designs that were appliqued using bias strips, but I've never seen one that was pieced, like this one.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  It measures 44-1/2 inches square.

O Holy Night

 

 

This little wall hanging is the latest of my UFOs.  The quilt top was finished so long ago that I don't actually have a record of when I made it.  I know that it is over 16 years old.  It may be closer to 20 years old.  I designed it and made the quilt top, but couldn't figure out how I wanted to quilt it.  This was back when I was still hand quilting everything and some spots where multiple seams come together are very thick.  I put it aside and never came back to it.  I decided to go ahead and tackle it now, because it was the smallest of the UFOs.

My husband suggested the swirl quilting pattern.  I remembered that I had a swirl quilting template for free-motion quilting, so I used it.  There are a few places where the quilting foot didn't want to go over the thick spots, so the pattern isn't completely fluid, but overall I think it turned out pretty well.  I used the same gold colored thread that I used on the patriotic lap quilt.  The binding is attached by machine and hand turned.  The little quilt finished at about 19 inches x 25 inches.