Every Once in Awhile I Finish Something!

Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

51 x 58

Hand quilted

From free online pattern Ghost Moth

The butterflies were made out of floral scraps. 

I used Coats & Clark hand quilting thread in different colors to stitch on the butterflies and in white to stitch 1/4 inch outside around  the butterflies. 

I used a stencil and mechanical pencil to mark some areas between butterflies with "flowers". I stitched those in white so they don't show very well.   You can still see a little of the marks which usually don't show after washing but I had to wash by hand since my washing machine is broken.  I wanted to get it washed to see how this batting on rolls I recently purchased worked before I used more of it. I like the batting so will go ahead now and sandwich more quilts. It needles nicely too.  It's Pellon Natures Touch Natural Blend 80/20 and I see it went up in price since I bought the two rolls. I finally went through all my batting pieces I pieced together so thought I'd try something on rolls. 

( Side note/rant in regard to washers: I'm waiting for new washer to come - an old fashioned wringer washer. Seriously! We are tired of washers that have computerized components and last about five years and then cost more to fix than it costs to buy a new one.  Our very first washing machine lasted more than 20 years and was plain and simple. So we are back to plain and even simpler.   Our basement where we have the washer/dryer is dark and damp most of the time and has no air conditioning so we think that the newer machines don't do well in that type of environment.) 

And here's the back. 

Won't it be nice to cuddle up with some butterflies and a good book or seed catalog this winter ! 

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

This was my goal #15

for Q3 Finish-Along

A Finish: MoROSE Garden

MoROSE Garden

84 x 96

Four inch hourglass blocks using grays and rose-themed fabrics

Free motion quilted with roses

This has been a UFO since 2012.   When I dug it back out last month to work on I had five rows completed and all the hourglass blocks.   I took the five rows apart and started all over again from scratch as explained in my June blog post. 

I had

I was a little scared to start out free motion quilting this big quilt on my DSM especially since I decided to try to imitate Lori Kennedy's (Inbox Jaunt) Christmas Rose.   

When I first started out I thought I was going to quilt this into a piece of cardboard because there was so much stitching.  I went down each column of blocks quilting the roses. I could have added a few more leaves along the way but I'm happy with it especially since a month ago it was all in bits and pieces and had been that way for years. 

And, surprise, surprise...this quilt with all it's quilting doesn't feel like a piece of cardboard. It's got a nice soft texture. 

You know I started out thinking I would use the light gray quilting thread I had on hand for the bobbin and a nice pink,gray, green variegated thread on top.  Well...I ran out of the top thread.  I was on a roll and hate the 20 minute drive into town just to buy thread (or anything else for that matter) and so I used other colors on top that might be a color of a rose - red, yellow, cream.  

I made do. 

I used a 100% cotton sheet I picked up from the thrift store long ago softened with age. 

You can probably see now why I chose to try to quilt columns of roses - similar to roses on a trellis. 

I'm happy this bed of roses can be put to bed. 

The guest bedroom has a rose theme so guess where it's going. 

This is goal #21 of my Third Quarter Finish-Along Goals. 

I didn't use scraps but it's scrappy so going over to party at ...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework. 

Third Quarter Finish-A-Long Goals

 Time to declare goals again for Finish-A-Long Third Quarter. I don't always meet my goals but I do advance the quilts listed as goals further along.  I always think it's a good idea to have goals. 

1. Roman Stripe - needs quilting. Thinking hand quilting with perle #8 right now.  I have a couple of spools of yellow thread but haven't found a backing yet. 

 2. Coin Toss - need to find a backing and get it quilted. I'm thinking machine quilting in rainbow colors at this point. I want to get this finished for the farmer's wife widow who lives with her son down the road. She is ailing. 

3. Selvage Yard - need to find a backing and get it quilted. I'm thinking fmq on my dsm.

4. Rosebud.  Need to find backing then get it quilted. I'm thinking of quilting on my DSM. 

5. STARZ. Blocks from a really, really, really, really old swap. Needs sashing and top made then quilted. 

6. Snowball's Chance. I've got it pinned to the backing. It needs some machine and hand quilting. 

7-12 Donation Quilts matched up with their backings. They need quilting and binding. 

13. A really, really, really, really old mystery quilt. I THINK it is pinned to the backing and I just need to get it quilted. 

14. Old MacDonald Mystery Sampler. Need to find backing then I'm going to hand quilt. 

15. Butterflies. Need to find backing. I'm tending toward hand quilting this one. 

16 - 17. Finish 2 I Spy ABC quilts.  I've already finished two of four. Lots of family babies due this year!

18. 30's Chunky Churn Dash from swap. I think I'll combine with a calico spools swap. Need to make top and finish. 

19. Floral Chunky Churn Dash Swap. Combining with butterfly (scrap) snowballs. Need to make top after I make more snowballs. And then need to finish. 

20. Fall Chunk Churn Dash from swap. Combining with framed four patches and flying geese. Need to make lots more flying geese and then find backing and finish. 

21. MoROSE Garden. Need to find backing and get quilted. Not sure how I'm going to quilt it at this point. 

It's always good to have goals!

Good luck on yours!

Q3 Finish-A-Long