The Beginning of a New Decade.... or... What I Accomplished in the Final Months of 2019

    Well,  once again I went months without posting anything....  


Much has happened since I finished that baby quilt.....   Where should I start?  

I apologize up front... this is long but it  has lots of eye candy for pictures.... 

Grand Kids Projects -  

 I decided that since our  thee grand kids have all finished college,  started jobs and moved away from the nest in Helena that it was time they got a quilt.    

     Kaleigh loves pink,  and as I started working on Bonnie Hunter's "Good Fortune" mystery last year it was the perfect color combination for her.   I finished piecing the top while I was at our Spring Retreat last March.   I had really wanted to use Minky on the back and purchased some in April.    However... I'm a chicken!   it needed to be pieced,  and since I quilt on my domestic machine.. it really needed to be spray basted.  This is an outside job at my house with Mike having Asthma...  and I procrastinated enough that summer came and went.....  so I decided to go with a nice thick flannel on the back.   

Good Fortune - 72 x 72

Back texture close up 

Front - Quilting Detail 

Front - Quilting Detail 

Wrapped and ready to ship 

Back Texture 

 "Bronco Spirit"  is for our oldest grandson.  He is a Denver Bronco fan.  He graduated from Montana Tech a few years ago and just bought his first home.  The quilting on this one is along the seams so the back texture wasn't really as exciting as the other two.... but I must admit that turning that 85 x 85 quilt every 8 inches was a bear of a workout!  

Bronco Spirit - before quilting 

Quilting close up 

More Quilting detail

Labeled and Wrapped  

Aaron graduated last December and he has moved across country to Nashville Tennessee.  A Philadelphia Eagle Fan, it only made sense to use team colors for him as well.   I decided on a log cabin quilt.    When it came to quilting,  feathers were a definite decision!  "Fly, Eagles, Fly!"   this is 95" x 95",  because I cut my strips too large... LOL  

Close up Quilting detail

Back Texture of feather quilting 

This is BEFORE I fixed the 2 turned blocks...  

Labeled and wrapped! 

  Some hand stitching happened this fall! 

Last spring,  Sue Spargo did a workshop here in Portland.   I didn't take the workshop, but I did purchase her book and one of the extra kits that was available.   

I then later, found a class at one of my local quilt stores that was based on Sue Spargo's embroidery.  I had the kit,  and I had the book.... so I took the class.   

I had done some wool work prior, but it had been applique with basic buttonhole stitching.  All the different textures and effects from threads and stitches is addicting! 

Here are a few of my hand stitching projects that were done this fall. 

Rainbow Spiral 

Rainbow Spiral - back 

Stitching Detail

 

Stitching Detail

Stitching Detail

Stitching Detail

Stitching Detail

          

Stitching Detail

 

   

Seasons in Wool - on our mantle 

  I also finished a long term project in wool that is a seasonal project.   Pattern is by Buttermilk Basin and was a Block of the month.   Knowing just how bad I am at changing seasonal items here at home,  I opted to do Seasons, rather than Months.  I did a lot of this stitching in the car while traveling.  Wool is so forgiving.  

Seasons in Wool - background crazy patch block - 12" x 12"

 

The background block is always there, and then a smaller 8 x 8" block hooks with hook and eyes over the black area so you can change and switch them up as you want. 

Seasons in Wool - Winter 

Seasons in Wool - Spring 

Seasons in Wool - Summer 

Seasons in Wool - Autumn

Seasons in Wool - Christmas 

 A few other projects that  I worked on were a quartet of seasonal embroidery patterns by Crabapple Hill.   I had finished the Autumn one back in approximately 2011.   The other three were in varying stages of finished.  These are all small wall hangings the approximate size of a fat quarter. 

Spring - now waiting for borders and embellishments and the quilting 

  

For the Summer project,  I used a baggie of tiny corner triangles that were gifted to me from a friend.  The colors were perfect!   I machine quilted this one because there were so many seams in the pinwheel borders. 

Summer Pinwheels 

Summer Pinwheels 

Summer Pinwheels 

The Winter project is one that I had finished the embroidery on several years ago.  I had even  started to make the wonky crumb scrap borders. They needed to attached.  I hand quilted this one. 

Winter 

Winter 

Winter  -  Before Binding 

   This Autumn Hexies -  The first one I finished in the series. I stitched the hexies together by hand on the border  and hand quilted it. 

Autumn Hexies 

Autumn Hexies 

     After finishing "Rainbow Spiral",  I couldn't stop playing with stitches and thread... so I started an autumnal leaf project using 3" squares so that I could practice some linear stitches that were difficult to try on those 1-1/4" circles. 

This is now ready to be layered and quilted.  It is about the size of a fat quarter. I haven't named it yet... 

Autumn Leaf Embroidery Project 

   With all this stitching, I need a needle roll, correct?  This is Sue Spargo's pattern.  I made my own labels.  This was a fun project. 

Needle Roll 

Needle Roll - inside details

I found some Japanese Cotton at a quilt show this fall and wanted to try some wool on that.   This project will become a tote bag.  One side with the bright squares the other with the owl.  The owl inspiration came from an adult coloring book that was given to me when I retired.  I'm nearly done with the owl side, and then it can be finished. 

Owl- needs the belt area finished and some details added in body.  

Coloring Sheet I used for inspiration 

   

A Quilt of Valor - 

My friend and quilting mentor, HollyAnne Knight over at the String & Story,  had a summer quilt along.   The pattern was her "Star Island".   I chose to do it in darker Americana colors so it can be a Quilt of Valor.   

I machine quilted it on "Sophie",  my Janome 9400.  

Star Island - Before Quilting 

Star Island 

Star Island - Back quilting detail 

Star Island... The Quilting process begins 

Star Island - close up quilting detail on back 

Star Island -  Quilt plan  ideas

A Lap Quilt for Comforting Quilts...   

     One of my UFO items for the year was this little lap quilt made from extra parts from a quilt I made about 10 years ago.  I already made another quilt for "Foster Club" a couple of years ago.  I think I've used up most all the blocks and pieces that were left over.    I finished the quilting while at Summer Retreat in July.   

Marble Madness Lap  Quilt  

Marble Madness Lap  Quilt 

Marble Madness Lap  Quilt 

Marble Madness Lap  Quilt 

Proud to have a finish! 

"Phire's Radiance" - another UFO Finish 

      This quilt was a mystery quilt I tested the pattern for back in 2010 or 2011.    Jessica JE Smith at the Quilt and Needle is the designer.  I tested the quilt as a mystery and had no idea where color placement would be.  I used fabric from my stash and am so happy with how it turned out.   I finished to top way back when, but felt I didn't have the skills I wanted to use for quilting it.    

     Thanks to HollyAnne Knight's Free Motion Quilting Academy, I have the confidence to tackle just about any quilting project now.   I'm over the moon with the results on this one.   measures just under 60 x 60. 

Phire's Radiance 

Phire's Radiance 

Phire's Radiance 

Phire's Radiance 

Phire's Radiance 

Phire's Radiance 

Phire's Radiance 

Phire's Radiance - Quilting in progress 

Phire's Radiance - marking the center section 

Summer Time Progress

     I seem to really lose track of time when the weather warms up.   It's not that I'm not quilting,  but life seems busier all the way around and I don't take time to post here on the blog. 

     The middle of May was 2 full months ago!  How did that happen?  

     I've of course, been working in the yard,  however our weather has been very cool so far this summer.  I have a few tomatoes on the vines,  but they are still small and very green.   No signs of cucumbers yet either.   We found a great power sprayer on Facebook Market Place a few weeks ago and it made very quick work of spraying the driveway to the highway.  Blackberries apparently do not require hot weather to grow. 

     4 yards of bark mulch is about half of what I really need.  The other 4 will most likely get done in the fall.  

     On the quilting front.... I finished a baby quilt for Samson, who is still very comfortable in Mommy's womb, 1 full week after his due date with no real signs of eagerness to greet this world.   My niece is not overly concerned, her earlier 3 babies were also very snuggled in place and not in a hurry to make that journey.  I'm holding this quilt hostage until I get some baby snuggle time with the recipient.  

          

     I also got the quilting done on the quilt for Quilts for a Cure.   I chose to use my serpentine stitch for this one.  That stitch really holds up to washing, but keeps a quilt soft and snuggly.   This one should be arriving in Georgia at Quilts for A Cure headquarters today. 

     It was a pleasure to work on this project, and I stitched lots of loving wishes in for the child with cancer that will be snuggled under this quilt. 

     The Hawaiian / Celtic Challenge Quilt is also finished!  (that makes 10 finishes so far in 2019).   The binding is finished by hand which is a rarity for me.  

     I am very happy with the way this one turned out.  I'm considering putting it in our State Fair in August.  

     I've started a few new projects.  Who am I kidding?   I need new projects mixed in with the older UFO's to keep the interest flowing.  

I've cut out the strips for  an orange and blue quilt for our oldest grandson.  He is a Denver Broncos Fan.  it will finish at 84 x 84 approx.  Here is the EQ mock up. 

I am also participating in a Quilt Along over at the String and Story... we are stitching "Star Island" by HollyAnne Knight.   Here is my color mock up for that one, which is also cut out ready to stitch.  When done this will become a Quilt of Valor.  

What I've Been Up to for the Last Month.... (Not all quilting)

     It's been a month since my last post....  what have I been up to?  

     A whole bunch of this last month has been spent around the house and yard.  We have had a really warm, dry, spring to date.  We hit the high 70's and low 80's last week.    I'm not sad that it's raining today and will do so most of this next week.   My plants really need it.   The ground had turned to concrete around the weeds.... so I'm hoping I can finish pulling with some softer soil.  

     We live on an acre and a quarter.  This means that I have plenty of weeds to attack, both with hand pulling and by spraying.   With nearly 15,000 square feet of gravel driveways and parking area,  it took me nearly two days to spray with my backpack sprayer.   It is too cumbersome to wear and pump... so I've rigged it to my hand truck on buckets.   It works pretty good!   

You can see that there are plenty of weeds in this gravel! 

       I  tweaked my right knee last September,  and had it in a knee support for the entire months of Sept. and Oct.!   I finally went to have it checked out.... possible meniscus tear.... but the doctor suggested we try a cortisone shot to help with the inflammation.  It did the trick.... but I  was hesitant to do any crawling or digging in November.   It definitely shows this spring!  

     The front concrete driveway has been pressure washed.     Still to pressure wash:   back patio,  patio furniture,  upper deck,  stairs to shop and shop front. 

     I've gotten all my flower pots planted and they have thoroughly enjoyed the three weeks of warm sunshine.  I went with multi-colored petunias this year.   They looked really cheerful when I was ready to purchase.   It was so wet when it was time to buy basket fillers and trailers....  I missed out on many of my favorites.  

     I did find the small bistro set for the covered deck area.   It now sports  new area rugs,  the bistro set and a new, smaller gas grill which replaces the big one that gave up this last fall.    

     I got a shade cloth hung in the greenhouse last week.   I purchased a shade sail at Costco for $35.00.  (7 x 13)  My greenhouse is 10 x 12.   it doesn't cover the entire roof area,  but it sure will make a difference keeping those Hostas protected from the hot sun.  It has 90% UV protection.  A comparable nursery one would have been about double that amount.  

     These were divided last fall when I moved them from an area that was too hot between two concrete areas where I don't water often enough.   70 of them in gallon containers.   Roots are not pot full yet.... but they are looking good!   I do not know the species name, because these came from my niece's yard and they were already there when she moved in.   They do get a white flower that is later  than the purple ones on my other Hostas. 

This picture was taken before I got the shade cloth up.

      

 Another chore I accomplished last week was hanging the bamboo shades around the hot tub area under the upper deck.   They were taken down when we re-built the deck 2 years ago,  and I never got them up last summer.   It really does help to keep the glare out of our family room on really bright days.  

      I have been hand weeding the beds around my patio.  They will all get new bark when I'm done.   The last bark I put down was right after the patio was put in... that was 2015.  

This picture was taken in 2015 as I was doing the plantings.   The black mondo grass didn't work so well.  Turns out the rabbits loved it more than i do.  

The other end of the patio looking out at the beds.   2015. My!, those two trees have really grown!  

      One part of those beds was never planted in 2015.... because we knew we were going to be re-doing the deck above it.   I didn't want to have to move plants,  or worry about ladders and such, so I left the part directly under the deck for later.    I finally got the plants in place!  Only took 4 years.  

     I have done a little sewing.... I finished the hand sewing on these borders for this quilt.   I started it in 2012, and it got put away with the borders still in the planning stage.   I'm ready to attach them, and add it to the finished top category. This was the UFO number for April.  

     I  started piecing and have finished the top of  the log cabin quilt for Aaron, our grandson.   He loves the Philadelphia Eagles Football team... so I'm hoping he will love the color combination.  I had all the greens in my stash... and needed to supplement the grays I had on hand.  I probably purchased 4 - 5 yards of different grays.  

Post - Quilt Show Hangovers.... and more UFO Progress

     Well,  our show was 3 weeks ago....  Really?   Three Weeks?    Seems like yesterday, in so many ways...  I'm still haggling over prices with the pipe and drape folks,  who seem to have raised some of their prices by nearly triple since last year!   YIKES!  

     I'm also exploring different venues for next March,  and at the rate we are making progress on invoicing,  most likely a new Trade show Decorator!   

     We have so many spring quilt shows in our area....  we were traditionally the first for many years....  and everyone seems to have followed us...   Puyallup Quilt, Sewing Expo (about a 2 hour drive),  then our show, with another small show in the  same town the same weekend this year....  a neighboring guild had one the week after us....  then this weekend was the PDX  Quilt, Sew Craft Expo.... and then a mid-valley show next weekend about an hour south....     We had approx 1000 paying visitors,  about the same as last year,  but the vendors aren't happy about the influx of so many shows so close together....   Everyone is either saving for the next show,  or just spent their money at the last one....   

     UFO progress...  

I had entered my "On Ringo Lake" Bonnie Hunter Mystery in our show...  so it was definitely on my " to do" list for March.    I actually did this one on a long arm,  with help and assistance from a member of our guild who does Long Arm finishing on many of our Quilts of Valor.    We chose an overall design and in about 4 hours, I was on my way home.   

I had to finish my "Whole Cloth" project for my Quilting Rockstar Status, which had our graduation on the 29th of March.....   I finished just before the posting deadline by one day....  

I chose to use a variety of geometric shapes, surrounded by a variety of background fills.   I'm calling it "Shapes I",  as I see a series of these in my future.   I used a soft gray shot cotton on top,  80/20 Hobbs batting plus a layer of wool batting,  and quilted it with a soft gray Glide Thread.    I'm very happy with how it turned out.  

My March UFO for the APQ Challenge was this lovely vintage, well aged piece that was started in the mid-1990's.  Wow!  that was last Century!    I believe it is my oldest UFO.   I didn't get anything done on it early in the month,  but I took it to our retreat the last week of March,  and got the top assembled with a couple of hours to go before April 1.   It helped to have friends cheering me on! 

This is now 82 x 82 approx.   This was originally an internet exchange of blocks.   Thank goodness I had just enough fabric to add the outer border and cut binding.   Next up is to piece a back out of some of my homespun plaids and get this quilted.   I love Churn Dash Blocks! 

I also finished this table runner earlier in March...  this was from our 2010 quilt show, where I took a class from Judy Niemeyer.   I finished piecing the top earlier this past year, but we wanted a small display of items completed as a result of guild workshops... so I decided to go ahead and quilt it.   Done!  

  I also finished my Drizzle Pizzaz project.  This was taught by Kathie Kerler at our Guild this last September.  One of the first projects I started on my Janome 9400.   I decided to set my little samples into a tote bag.   Done!   

I did some prep work on my seasonal Wool Project,  and finished the last applique piece.   Now they all just need to be finished around the edges and have the final embellishments added. 

And...   "Good Fortune",  the 2019 Bonnie Hunter Mystery went to Retreat with me as well!   I got it pieced together and ready for it's Minky Backing and Quilting.   I did forget to take the four final corner pieces with me,  so they  are missing in the picture.

This is a graduation gift for our granddaughter who will receive her BS in Nursing this spring. 

And.... I had committed to helping with the Quilts for Cure project which helps to bring snuggly comfort to Kids with Cancer.   Michael Miller Fabrics sent me the box of blocks, and fabric while I was at retreat.    It is now a top,  and I'm waiting for the box with the batting and thread. 

 I'm now working on another 2012 UFO that is on my April list.. but I'll keep that one a bit of a secret for another week or two and we'll see how far I can get on it.  

Quilt Show Countdown!

   Our guild's show is in just over a week!   There is still so much to do.   March 22, 23 at the Portland Expo Center, in Portland Oregon.

    I'm on both our executive board,  and I'm on the show committee.   I've been responsible for finding homes for all registered quilts for for about 9 years now.   I've got the routine down, so i guess it's time to teach someone else how to do it....  LOL      

    The Pipe and Drape goes up on Wed the 20,  quilt hanging is on the 21,  and then 2 days of show.   Set up takes so much organization, so many volunteers and about 9 hours of actually working on the hanging for over 300 quilts.... and then it all comes down in about 2 1/2 hours when it's all over.  

•      I have layout sheets ready
•      I have finished the powerpoint presentation for my demonstration on EQ software,  my tuna can hexie demo is a repeat, so I'm ready for that
•       My 9 quilts that I have entered are almost ready.... One sleeve, and two labels left to stitch on. 
•       The screen mesh that we are hanging our small quilts on this year has been ordered, but has not yet arrived and still needs to be trimmed and stitched with hems and hanging sleeves. 
•       I've submitted the floor plan to the fire marshall, and I think we have enough tables and chairs 
•      Ladders and hanging supplies need to be cleaned and prepped for being near quilts... 
• Clips were ordered and have been retrofitted to hang properly... 
• I need to verify copy and text for our large signage.... and then send them off to Kinko / Fed X for printing. 

 In just a blink of the eye,  it will all be over for another year.