Not Just Grandmother's Flower Garden

The Garden

I think the name of the woman who cut all the hexie papers and fabrics for the hexies and then assembled 15 blocks was Fran. I don't know Fran but I love the garden she started. 

I'm not sure of the reason but somehow Fran's flowers and seeds got passed on to Barb. Barb then passed the lot on to Nann who passed the lot on to me. Lucky me! 

I found seeds enough to make 15 more flowers.  After I had 30 flowers I decided to blanket stitch them to 13.5 inch backgrounds with variegated threads. That task has now been completed. 

Now I just have to cut away the background from behind the flowers and that always makes me a little nervous. 

Then I can sew them all together into a 5 x 6 layout and ponder how to get it quilted after I find a backing. 

Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts

 

July Marginalia- a Quilty 365 Project

I am caught up through July 24 with my appliqued circles.  

I started them on November 4.  I use 2 strands of embroidery thread to blanket stitch around each circle that represents something in the day of my life.  Then I use a micron pen or ultra fine sharpie to write on each block. 

In July I made and canned wild black raspberry jam and pickled beets, have been harvesting broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions.  I bought tablets for my grandkids. I've also played a lot of games with the grandkids and this month their new favorite game is UNO.   I finished 5 quilts this month - three for charity, one QOV (Quilt of Valor) for bro-in-law and one for me.  We celebrated my daughter and youngest son's birthdays. 

And then...July 18 my granddaughter tested positive for Lyme disease and the same day her dad (my son-in-law) went into the hospital and was later diagnosed with Leukemia. As a separate problem he had a pacemaker installed because of arrhythmia before he started on his chemo treatments. He's been in the hospital since, my daughter at his side and we have been watching the grandkids (thank goodness school is not in session)... well, grandpa has mostly been watching them but I've also been taking a few days here and there off of work to help out.  Then grandpa found out on July 21 that he has a fractured jaw that will involve bone graft surgery. His consultation appointment is Aug 3 (his birthday) an hour away in Iowa City where they do that type of surgery.  I think I will soon be taking more than a few days here and there off work.  Thank goodness I have a lot of vacation time saved up. 

These circles are nice to pick up and work on these hot summer days when I have a few minutes here and there to stop and do a little stitching.  The problem is getting them prepped and ready. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Quilty 365 at Quilty Folk

Testing, Testing...

Last summer I was working on my 1718 Coverlet and discovered there is a lot of hand piecing involved with some very weird shapes. I quickly found out that I need more (since I don't have any at all)   hand piecing experience before I can go any further on it. 

I thought a project where I repetitively piece the same pieces over and over again might give me some experience.   This was my first attempt at a Jen Kingwell pattern and, as you can see, my flower needs a little work.  I'm going to keep it but give another one a try. 

This is the book I'm using and this is how the flowers are supposed to look. 

For this first attempt I just used paper templates. I did not add the 1/4 seam allowance to the template. I traced around it on the back of the fabric in pencil and just eyeballed the 1/4 seam allowance when I cut out the shapes. Then I attempted to line up the pencil lines and stitch together on the lines.  I found my eyeballs don't know what 1/4 seam allowance looks like and that it was too difficult to keep those curved pencil lines matched up.    

So, I'm going to make two sets of cardboard templates. One set will be the template without the seam allowance and the other set will be with the seam allowance so when I draw on the back of the fabric I will have two pencil lines and maybe those curves will match up a little better. 

If that works out then I will have a new project to work on during my lunch break. I normally like to go out for lunch but not during the winter when it is cold and there is snow on the ground. So, a portable project is in order.    

And I've always got my circles to work on.  I blanket stitch around the edges. I usually catch up on them on Sundays. I've been making them faithfully since Nov. 4  I write in the white space something to do with the day.   This is my Black Friday circle.. "No Black Friday deals for me. I hate shopping and I especially hate shopping when there are crowds." If you want to know more about the circles project see the Quilty 365 link on the sidebar. 

I've been screwing around with my new laptop all day (windows 10 to replace old XP) and the graphics card is giving me fits otherwise I'd have a lot of Slow Sunday Stitching completed by now. But I guess I have the rest of the day. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Quilty 365: Marginalia

Marginalia

Nov 4 - 8

I was thinking of ideas for a quilt journal project for next year and I was trying to decide on an applique project for next year and then up pops Audrey of Quilty Folk with Quilty 365.   

I'll call my project Marginalia. I'll be writing in the margins about daily life and the circle fabrics will depict something to go with the marginalia.  I've been blanket stitching with two strands of embroidery floss and writing in the margins with a pigma pen and ultra fine sharpie. 

I started right in because if I didn't I never would.