Slowly Stitching on Sunday

Still working on embroidering dishtowels for Christmas gifts.  I finally found my chicken embroidery transfers after I went and bought another packet of them so there will be some chicken dishtowels coming soon.  I have some chicken refrig magnets and some cute chicken and egg fabrics for potholders I'll make to go along with the kitchen gift sets.  I finished the one above for my friend Marsha and I'll probably have to make her a second one. 

Later on tonight I will probably do a little work on one of my 3 October blocks for my lap quilt Crazy Cravings which is my 2013 Crazy Quilt Journal Project. 

I finished embellishing this October block except I probably will have to do something to make the words "Icing on the Cake" show up a little better. I used one strand of pale pink embroidery floss and one strand of metallic pink but am not really satisfied with it. I will probably lace it or wrap it with something a little darker. 

I laced the backstitches on the actual icing on the cake so maybe that's what I'll do with the wording too. 

One of the seams has double herringbone (kind of uneven too I see) done in variegated perle brown and variegated perle pink. I happen to like variegated threads in case you haven't noticed.  Another seam is done in red/white/blue variegated floss running stitches and chain stitches. 

On this seam I did some straight stitches in pink and blue and brown and below the gingerbread boy button I mimicked the pastry sprinkles on the seam 

I think this lace was in a baggie of stuff I picked up from the thrift store. I attached it with running stitches and some french knots and below it I did some lazy daisy stitches which I see are also not very even but I'm going for the fun factor not the perfect factor and so it stays as is. 

And finally the seam next to the cupcakes is just a piece of polka dot ribbon attached with cross stitches. 

Crazy, huh? 

And what's everyone else hand stitching today? Well, you'll just have to visit Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts to find out. 

Sewing Blues

The color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is baby blue.  I guess I haven't been in a pastel mood the last several years since I don't have much baby blue. But, I do have blue scraps and so here's some blue spools. I think I have close to 300, all different. I haven't decided yet when enough is enough. 

I also made some 4.5 inch HSTs with some bigger blue scraps. I'll be swapping these three times a year on a Yahoo group and I haven't decided yet whether I will sew them into Broken Dishes blocks or...

...into a 16 inch Depression Block.  Last time I made HSTs I made a Buckeye Beauty quilt.  And when I swapped 3.5 inch HSTs years ago on a different Yahoo Group I made 12 inch Depressions blocks into a quilt I really love. I think I'll probably go with the Depression blocks again. 

I made some 3 inch 9 patches using some of the same light blues as the spools.  I've been swapping these for years with a Yahoo Group of ladies also. 

Now that I've turned the 9Ps into 5 inch Sisters Choice blocks and have enough for my large quilt I was thinking about what to do with all the leftover 9Ps and the new ones I will be swapping. 

I've been thinking about a Jack's Chain quilt for a long, long time but it looked like too much of a challenge. I decided to give one "block" a try. There's a few flaws and I need to perfect my own technique for assembly but it wasn't as challenging as I thought.  I think I see a Jack's Chain quilt with scrappy cream/tan background in my distant future. 

To see what everyone else is doing with their blues visit Scrap Happy Saturday when you get the chance. It's been a lot of fun to follow along with all the projects everyone has worked on every month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Great Granny

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Great Granny

She started out as a sew-a-long  in July 2012 with Lori Holt from Bee in My Bonnet. (although I pieced my blocks a little differently), became a UFO and then became my September goal to complete it for Lovely Year of Finishes. 

It is going to replace the 30's reproduction quilt I currently have on my bed...

...now that it is finished, washed and smells of the great outdoors. 

This blue back is showing up a little brighter than it really is. It's more of a light blue-gray - sort of the color of my bedroom walls.  Each square was free motion quilted with a flower and the sashings were loops and where the sashings met I quilted another small flower all on my plain Jane DSM.  I'm glad the weather turned a little cooler when I was quilting it. I don't have A/C in this old farmhouse and it gets a little warm quilting a large quilt. 

Linking up to:

AND

Can I get a Whoop, Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

AND

Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

Another UFO bites the dust. 

288 !!!!!

Finally...I just completed the last of the 288 - 5 inch Sister's Choice blocks that I need for my quilt. 

Now I can start quilt top assembly. This has been a UFO for waaaay too long and I've been determined to completed it by year end. 

Whoop, Whoop!!! 

What is everybody else whooping it up about? Find out at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. 

On the Wall or Off the Wall?

One of these days I'll have to make a Design Wall. Until then I guess I should entitle my Monday posts Off the Wall Monday.   I've got 4  out of the necessary 12 (at least) "The Dandy Quilt" red/white blocks made for a swap.  They probably won't be all made of the same red tone-on-tone fabric since I'm trying to use from my stash.  I love this block. I've made a quilt out of this block in 30s reproductions. 

I've made a few Boomerettes for this month's Block Lotto to accompany the 4 Boomers I made a couple weeks ago.  The theme is actually Boomer Goes Back to School. What a fun adaptation of the Oklahoma Boomer block.  I used up some 2.5 inch scraps on these.  

And finally...I'm finally sewing some Thrifty blocks together that have been a UFO for far too long.  I think I have 156 - 6 inch blocks in a 12x13 configuration.

Off the Wall or On the Wall...I'm linking to Judy L's Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times where everyone shows off what they are working on. Talk about inspiration...

Slow Stitching Sunday

I've finished the embroidery on four dishtowels which will be Christmas gifts - part of sets which will consist of an embroidered dishtowel or two, crocheted dishcloth and a couple of potholders.  I make lots for friends and family. 

I was looking for my chicken embroidery transfers for the next set but they seem to have flown the coop. I have a friend who likes Black Americana so I'll embroider her towels next. 

I've prepared 3 blocks for my Crazy Quilt Journal project - a lap quilt called Crazy Cravings.  I pin fabrics to a muslin foundation, blind stitch them together and then embellish the seams.  

A lovely lady (thanks, Kathy!!! ) sent me some fun fabric snippets for my quilt. 

After I finish these three blocks I will have 14 - 12 inch blocks. I'm thinking I'd like to have at least 20 blocks. 

If you are hand stitching anything today why not link up to Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts. And, if you aren't hand stitching why not check out what everyone else is stitching. You'll be inspired to try some hand stitching yourself. 

Feeling Blue But Not Looking Pale

This month's color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is pale, light, pastel, baby blue. Since I don't have many scraps of the pale blue variety I just dug into my 1/2 inch blue scraps and started sewing. I added 12 more 3.5 spools to my collection...

And I added another blue 49 patch. Don't ask me why 49 and not 8 or 64 or some even number.  That's just the way it is.  And, yes, I sew each little square together separately.  I even participate in postage stamp swaps and trade these little things, believe it or not.  (I think the fish is too much orange and maybe he will come out of there and swim on over into an orange block). 

And, I used some 1.5 inch blue scraps as star points on my Sister's Choice blocks. I think I only have 49 more needed to make my count of 288!!!!!   All of the points on the blocks are blue. Blocks are 5 inches. 

And I used some 2.5 inch blue scraps to finish off the amount of blue Twinkler blocks I need for a Quilt of Valor quilt. I still need to finish about 20 red blocks. 

Visit the Scrap Happy Saturday linky party at SoScrappy to see a bunch of awesome blue scrappy projects. 

Unpicking Flowers

When yellow was the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge I didn't have many yellow scraps so I combined them with orange and red to make some crumb blocks which then, when combined with some pink, turned into bow tie blocks and then the whole thing turned into a quilt top. 

I decided to free motion quilt some five petaled  flowers on my plain Jane DSM and when I got about 3/4 of the way finished I happened to notice I had horribly (and I mean horribly) bunched up the backing and quilted over it on about 1/4 of the quilt.  It was a yucky mess so I threw it into a pile to linger which is where it's been since about June.  Since it was a crumb quilt and going to be a donation quilt I didn't want to take the time to rip it all out. I thought the whole mess would probably stay a UFO forever. 

Then I remembered I had a four hour car trip to and from my niece's wedding Labor Day weekend. So, the seam ripper and quilt went with me.  It took the whole trip there and half the trip back - 6 hours of  UNPICKING FLOWERS. 

I'm not sure I ever want to do that again.  

But anyway, now the quilt is finished (well, it's not really finished until it is washed) and I kind of like it even though  I would never list pink, yellow or orange as a favorite color. 

This quilt has a lot of fun built in...cats and gingerbread boys peeking at you...

 ...Spiderman hanging out and where else will you find taco chips and sunflowers next to each other?

And here's another kitty that wants to play and, look!....there's Spiderman again.  Who would think he would show up in a predominately pink quilt? 

This quilt will go to Wrap a Smile  - quilts for kids undergoing cleft lip/cleft palate surgery. 

I'm linking to:

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. 

Boomers Go Back to School...

...or should I have titled this Boomers Get A Head?  (Okay, it's not very punny, is it? )

This month's Block Lotto block is a 6x9 Boomer block. 

I found this difficult to make and had to remake the head section because when I finished I noticed there was not a 1/4 inch seam at the top of the head.  But even though difficult I found them to be a lot of fun and will see if this weekend I can find these guys some ladies.

So...Boomers go back to school and get a head!

Wouldn't this make a groovy kid's quilt? 

The Little Monkeys Are Singing the Blues

This month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color is pale blue.  I started this week with the 2.5 inch scrap bin and pulled what looked like pale blue to me at the time and some neutrals to make HSTs for these Little Monkey blocks. 

I think if you put some rowdy colors next to the pale blues they don't look so pale anymore. Obviously several of these don't have pale blue HSTs but they were in the 2.5 scrap box and blue so might as well use them up while I'm on a roll. 

With the left over HSTs that weren't wonky I made an 8 inch Depression block and a couple of pinwheels. 

For inspiration on a wide variety of scrappy blue projects visit Scrap Happy Saturday at the SoScrappy blog. 

Two Tops

Heartstrings Quilt Project is hosting a black and white challenge. Here's my first top of 24 blocks with green centers.  

I've also finished assembling a top using orphan blocks and some scrappy hearts. 

Both quilts, when finished, will go to Wrap a Smile  - quilts for kids undergoing cleft lip/cleft palate surgery. 

Linking to:

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. 

Great Granny Has Been Lingering On Way Too Long,,,

...as a UFO.  That's why I'm setting it as September's goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes. 

So far Great Granny consists of 42 blocks sewn together into 7 rows of 6.  Hopefully by the end of September she will be a completed quilt. 

Crazy Cravings in September - Part III

I'm a participant in the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2013. So far I've made 1 block each month. I've made 3 blocks this month for my Crazy Cravings lap quilt.  I want to have 20 blocks so need to step things up a bit if I want to finish a lap quilt in January 2014.    This is the third block for September. The first was blogged a couple of days ago and so was the second. 

Blue chain stitch with buttonhole stitch on top to mimic the colors in the sprinkles...

More buttonhole stitches...

...straight stitch stars, stem stitch with pistil stitches and gingerbread buttons...

...double herringbone with lazy daisies...

...and rick rack. 

And now to move on to make 3 for October!