Quilt Show 2010 BOM – Kelly's Kwilts

Off the Design Wall – January 18, 2016

It’s finally finished! I started this quilt in January 2010 and was able to keep up every month with the blocks even though I was pregnant. July 2012 I started working on borders and managed to get 4 of them completed. Last month I decided it was time to get this off the WIP queue and into the to be quilted queue. I had ordered fabric thinking I could try and match it to the 3 borders I had already sewn on, but it just didn’t work. Instead of spending a lot of money trying to match it, I decided to just take them off and use one of the new fabrics I ordered. Last border is now on the quilt and it’s ready to go to the “Quilt Me” pile! The fabrics are all Moda Marbles and one constant white through the whole thing. Now I have a bunch of Moda Marbles left over that can go to Hexie Insanity or to another project – I haven’t decided yet!

I saw a link the other day in one of my Facebook groups and decided that I’d try a mystery sampler quilt from – The Splendid Sampler. You get 2 block a week for a total of 100 blocks. I haven’t decided fabrics yet, I could use the extra Moda Marbles, or my Equinox fabrics that I’ve been hoarding…or just go totally scrappy for each block. Sounds like there’s going to be a mix of piecing, applique, EPP, embroidery and paper piecing. Pat Sloan and a bunch of her quilty friends have created the blocks and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Linking to Patchwork Times – Design Wall Monday.

Alex’s Quilt – Done!

I FINALLY finished Alex’s bed quilt! I started cutting out and putting the blocks together January 1st last year, had the whole top finished February 28, 2015. It took me just over 10 months to get it basted and quilted. I had all the quilting finished and ready for the binding to be hand sewn while I was recuperating from surgery. Last stitch was sewn on the 10th and it got washed and now is on his bed. It’s VERY gratifying when he came up to me after it was on the bed and gave me a BIG hug and said “Thank you mommy, I love you”. Unfortunately for him I’m taking it off his bed tomorrow so I can take it to guild tomorrow!

I also have had a quilt sitting here for a couple of years that just needed the binding put on. I had found some black binding that was just a few inches too short and just folded the whole thing up and put it in a corner for awhile. I wasn’t happy with the way the quilting turned out, it was the last thing I quilted on my mini-pinni frame before we took it down to make it Cassie’s room. So I figured I’d get it ready for when I finished Alex’s quilt. I found some already made solid black binding and just added it in for the last few inches. You really can’t tell there’s a different fabric in there. At least now it’d completed and it’ll go in daddy’s truck as a blanket for the kids. Now they’ll both have a blanket in my truck and daddy’s truck, and can’t complain about being cold!

A few weeks ago I posted that I just had 1 border left to finish on my 2010 Quilt Show BOM. I needed just 1 more strip to finish off the last side and had ordered 2 greens to try and match it. Yeah, that didn’t work so well. Neither of the greens I ordered matched, so I decided to just take off the 3 sides I had already completed and use one of the new greens to do all 4 sides. I finished taking off the border this morning and hope to get the last border on by the weekend to have another finished top!

So close….

So doggone close! I started this quilt back in 2010 with a bunch of other ladies. I managed to keep up in 2010 and get all my blocks together with some small delays after Alex was born. In 2012 I managed to get the center done, and just had 4 borders to complete the top. I’m in the mood to finish tops this week and decided over the weekend to pull this one out. I do have an ulterior motive, if this is finished I can use the rest of the Moda Marbles in the tub on hexie insanity! So I’ve been slowly working on the borders, those half square triangle borders are hard to get going the same way. I found a piece of very light green fabric that looked like it was enough yardage that I could get both thin borders out of it. It was too much to ask for! I need 1 strip so I can finish that last side. I THINK I found the right color at Miller’s Dry Goods, I’ve ordered it and I’m hoping it gets here by the weekend so I can finish the top. I think 5 years is more than enough time for a quilt top to be completed!

Christmas was so fun with the kids! Santa brought them gifts they didn’t ask for, but still love! The holidays continue this week as my brother-in-law and family will be here tomorrow and we get to spend at least 3 days with them.

Linking up to Freemotion by the River.

Working hard

I’ve been working hard on a very old quilt the last few days and I’m happy to say I’ve made a lot of progress! This is the 2010 Quilt Show BOM. When I started this I had just found out I was pregnant with Alex and somehow through the year I managed to get my blocks done on time until he was born in October. Took me awhile to finish the November and December blocks, and I worked on it a little the last time I went to the guild sew-in. I’ve put on 4 borders and I have 4 borders left to do. I need to sort out the half square triangles that make up the next border and work on putting them together, but today I’m planning on getting the scrappy car quilt on the frame and quilted. Since it’s only 36″ x 36″ I doubt it’ll take long to quilt with a pantograph, but I’d like to take something to guild for show and tell this month. It’s been so long since I’ve shown anything! I’m also thinking about taking my hexagon quilt, even though it’s not quilted just so I can show it off, I’m really proud of it! I think I am going to use some already made binding I found in the cupboard for the car quilt, I think it might be enough, and it’s a scrappy binding so it’ll fit with the scrappy squares.

Big Update!

I’ve been busy! I finished another hexagon diamond last night, and I have the next 3 ready to be basted. This one is using just Equinox fabric, I have a couple like this – I have lots of scraps!

Yesterday I took one of my new stencils and made my own pantagraph. I took some of Alex’s drawing paper, cut it in half and taped enough together to get the width I need for the scrappy car quilt. I’m hoping to get it quilted in the next day or so, I’d like to take it to guild this week.

I’ve also been working on Month by Month from Sunflower Seed. I’m now halfway done, and still have no clue where it’s going to go! I’m debating taking down a collage frame in the hallway and putting cross stitch up. But I also have a spot upstairs in the hallway I could put stuff. I just don’t know what to do! I finally put up Dream, Hope, Believe, and Imagine in my office along with the Blessed are the Piece Makers one.

Yesterday I also decided to work on my Quilt Show 2010 BOM. I got the next row of borders put together and I’m planning on working on it today. Hoping to make some progress today, then I’m thinking tomorrow I can work on quilting the scrappy car quilt. I doubt it’ll take long to quilt it, it’s only 36″ x 36″!

Please don’t forget to vote for my quilt Patriotic Lone Star over at Quilting Gallery!

So much done!

Oh my goodness have I accomplished a lot lately! Today was the guild sew-in, only 2 people besides me showed! I finished the blocks for The Quilt Show 2010 BOM and started working on the borders. I got the first set done, I have 136 half square triangles to put together for the next set of borders. Probably won’t get to that yet, but it’s next on the agenda!

Remember last year when I said I was going to start hand piecing a quilt? Well, since I want to use the 2.5″ squares on the hexagon quilt I decided to just machine piece everything I had done and see how big it was going to turn out. It’s kinda on the small side unfortunately (only 20″ x 36″) , I’m thinking I might put some borders on it and have it in the car for Alex. We’ll see what I decide to do with it, it won’t be anytime soon! I might just decide to start making more blocks and make it bigger, I do like how it looks.

My die from Accuquilt shipped last week and should be here Monday, so I will be able to cut up the whites I bought last week and the fat quarters I pulled from the stash. I’m really happy with how it looks so far, I did a mock-up in EQ and right now it’s designed at 37″ x 43″. I’m not sure how big I want to make this, so for now that’s where I’m headed as a starting point. I need 39 whole flowers and 10 half flowers for the top and bottom, right now I’ve got 15 whole flowers completed. It looks dark in the picture but’s it really not that dark. I bought some plastic templates at Joann’s last week and have started using them. I haven’t decided if I like the heavier weight paper or the templates yet. They are a lot thicker than the paper, I’ll have to see if there’s a difference when it’s sewed together and the templates are removed.

Never got up to the frame the other day, I still need to finish removing the red tacks from the backing so I can get working on re-tacking it, I want it off that frame!!! Now that I have my MacBook pretty much setup the way I want with music, I’m hoping I can work on it tomorrow since I’ll have music to listen to while Alex sleeps!

sigh

I know, I know….it’s been AGES since I’ve posted anything. This 15 month old little boy takes up all my time! 🙂 I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. He’s 15 months old, walking (and running) and so damn cute it kills me! And smart too! Ok, you didn’t come here for me to gush about my little one, did you?

I’ve been doing some cross stitch, haven’t finished anything since Halloween though. I made this little wall hanging just in time to put up for our Halloween party. You can’t tell in the picture, but some of the thread glows in the dark, boy was that a pain to stitch with!

I haven’t really worked on my hand piecing project lately. I was working on cross stitch and just put that away recently to work on Dear Jane applique blocks. I was talking with some of the ladies at guild and they reminded me that I need to make time to work on my sewing – it’s been MONTHS since I turned it on! In fact I just cleaned it off a week ago! Mended a shirt for Alex that has been sitting here for ages and now it’s ready to work on some quilts! So I’ve decided to start working on Dear Jane again. Finished 2 blocks in the past few weeks and I’ve got another almost done, in fact it should be done tonight since there’s a basketball game to watch!

Saturday the guild is doing a sew-in from 12-4 and I’m thinking that I’m going to go. I really want to sew and this would allow me to do nothing but that! I think that hubby can take care of Alex for 4 hours, especially since he’ll most likely be napping for half of that. So I’m planning on working on Star Crazy. I’m going to get as much prepped as I can before Saturday, I’m hoping I can get the top put together in 4 hours. Heck I’ve already got the center done!

And just because I love posting pictures of my son….

Sewing Update

Well, I really wanted to keep working on the Quilt Show 2010 BOM, but I decided I needed to spend the time yesterday working on some terry cloth bibs and burp cloths for my son. I had bought white and pink terry cloth a few years ago intending to make bibs for my cousin’s baby. At the time I was going through a miscarriage and just couldn’t make anything baby related. So these 2 yards of terry cloth have just been sitting. We have now gone through all the small bibs that we were given because my wonderful son just got too big and drools so much they just don’t hold it all! And I’m still trying to understand why companies make burp cloths that don’t cover your shoulder all the way, because this kid loves to spit up on mommy!

I’ve made 2 bibs so far, and I have enough white left to make at least 4-5 more when I get time. I used up all the pink for burp cloths since my husband doesn’t mind if Alex spits up on pink, he’s just not allowed to wear it! Hopefully I’ll be able to get some of my own sewing done soon!!

November Blocks!

Oh my goodness I finally finished my November blocks! Took me awhile to get all the pieces cut out, but I’ve finally figure out how to make the most of Alex’s nap time! As long as my household stuff is done (try and do the night before after he goes to bed) I can work on sewing during his naps. With chain piecing, I flew through the half Irish chains, but I noticed my cutting wasn’t always as precise as I though it was. You’d think after almost cutting this entire quilt out, I’d be better at it, but I guess I have more room to grow! I also noticed that we cut a few more white pieces than we needed, not sure why, but I know I have 1 full Irish chain block and 12 half blocks, which is what we are supposed to have! On to December’s blocks!

October Blocks – FINALLY!

Well, it took me almost 2 months, but I finally finished my October blocks. The first 2 weeks in October I cut out all my pieces, but due to the fact that I was 9 months pregnant I couldn’t really get to the sewing machine. My little boy was born October 14 (10 lbs even and 21 inches long) and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect child! Trying to get into a schedule of some sort took time, and this was the first time I have been able to actually sit at my sewing machine in 2 months! Took me 2 days to get everything together, I had to fit it in with his feeding schedule. I am hoping to get November’s pieces cut out tomorrow, as my husband is still home from work and can keep an eye on him.

I haven’t been to guild in 2 months and I’m looking forward to going in December. Alex will be going with me, I think the ladies would kill me if I didn’t bring him!