End of July Projects

Sorry for the crummy pictures, it's a very gloomy day here today with a storm approaching.
I finally finished my granddaughter Brynn's quilt. I am so happy with the way it turned out and think she will have fun looking at the the fussy cut centers as she gets older.

These are some of my favorite blocks. I stitched in the ditch, which (lots of rhyming words there!)is not one of my favorite ways to quilt but I think it is appropriate.

 I even made a label! I am not very good about labels (-: I did the in the corner method and liked it very much and will do it again.

I also dug our some swap blocks that needed my attention.

These red with solids (broken dishes?)were from a swap last fall I did with Barb. The bowties and 4 patches were from a previous swap with Barb and some from a guild swap. The blocks are 4 1/2".

I did not have enough of the red blocks but plenty of the 4 patches and bowties. They went around the edges twice (border). I used EVERY SINGLE block! Yay for an almost finished UFO. This will be a nice lap size quilt for the winter.

No thought was given to placement, I only changed groups of like colors or same blocks that were next to each other.
I feel like I got my sewing mojo back. This quilt was practically already made, I just had to make a plan for it. So get out your UFOs and lay them out on your design wall, you never know what you have hiding in our closet!

Kelly

Summertime

Last week our guild had Melissa Averinos for a workshop and lecture. Her workshop is called "Making Faces". It was so much fun and everyone had a blast. Please consider her for your guild you will not be disappointed. She is warm and very genuine. I am hoping to get this quilted soon instead of adding it to the UFO pile.....

 I have been working, very slowly on my granddaughter Brynn's quilt. I am really enjoying picking out the fabrics and fussy cutting the centers. I better get going she is almost 6 month old!

I make piles of fabric combinations so I don't have to cut them all out at the same time. A little cutting, a little sewing and a little deciding.
I am still not sue how I am putting this together. The only thing I think I might do is half square triangles along the outside edge, in pink of course!

I have been reading voraciously! It's so much fun when you get a good selection of books. This was a tough read but very good. I love when the person in the story triumphs! It was a true story.

I so wanted to like this book. I read about it on line and it looked like a winner. An artist, a writer and quilts, what's not to love? I felt like she was very whiney and so self absorbed. Enough said. True story.

This one I happened on in the new non-fiction section. Who doesn't want to read about the last hermit? I found it fascinating and interesting. He lived in the woods (Maine) for 27 without ever being found. I won't tell you anymore but definitely worth a peruse.

This is the one I am currently reading and it is good too. It's all about hoarding and also is a true story. I just happened to be in the library when all the new released good books were put out so I scored.
I have a stack of about 7 books left to go. Sitting on the porch at night, no matter how hot it is reading, is truly a summer pleasure not to be missed.

I have a bunch of sewing ideas in my head but they aren't ready to come out. Maybe after a few more books (-:

Please let me know if you have read any of these and your opinions are always welcome.

Kelly

Hippie Summer

I am working on my blocks for granddaughter, Brynn's quilt. So far this one is my favorite.

This one is a close second!

I love that little angel baby. It's an old Hoffman (I think) from the 1990's.

Do you have a Kona Color Card? While they are nice to get a good idea about colors, it is nearly impossible to see how they look next to other colors. So I have started cutting them up......

to make them more accessible. I love the orderliness of this!

I am using this hole punch that I got a long time ago from Martha Stewart. It is super sharp and has 3 different sizes to choose from. I don't think a regular one would work but you could test it out if you want to try this. You are punching through fabric and thick cardstock.
I have a bunch more to go and it is not a quick undertaking......

As for the title "Hippie Summer" I am devouring books about communes in the 60's and 70's and have found some super interesting ones. So far my takeaway is that while the adults may have been having a good time, (even that is debateable) the children were not. In some instances it borders on abusive and tragic. If you have any favorite book picks in this genre, please let me know!

Kelly

Old Time Stitching

I made my newest granddaughter, Brynn a quilt before she was born. It was nice but I didn't love it. So I have started another one for her. I love fussy cutting the cute little characters out of my fabrics. I also have to hunt and search, so I am getting to re-visit the stash as well!

Here is what the blocks are going to look like, A Square in a Square. I am paper piecing them and will add some sashing in between the blocks.

How cute is this one?!

I am also working on some handwork to do in the evenings. I keep saying that but little to nothing gets done after 7:00pm!

I have some old cutter quilts (they are beyond repair!) that I am making into small quilts (saving them!).

I enjoy this kind of work because you never know how it is going to turn out. That green leaf has the edges basted under to speed up the applique process. I never do that but I kind of like it and may give it a try.

I have a big bag of vintage leaves that I bought a while back. It would take me a lifetime to use them up. It is so fun to dump them out to see what will work. Some are raw edge and some are turned under. A goldmine!

What can I say, this is my favorite pincushion. What are you working on?

Kelly