Wagon Wheels Roll In To The Finish Line

Wagon Wheel

It's a finish!

63 x 72

Hand quilted

This is one of my older UFOs started back in July 2013.  It used a pattern on a CD - McCall's Ten Vintage Scrappy Quilt Patterns. I really didn't know much about sewing curves when I started it so I picked it up and worked on it off and on over the years. 

I used '30s reproduction fabrics and solids. I didn't have much of a  selection of '30s or solids when I started it so that's another reason I worked on it off and on over the years - I purchased fabric as I went along. 

I hand quilted it with perle cotton in a variety of colors that I tried to match to the solid in each Wagon Wheel. 

I decided a few months ago that I wanted to really concentrate on using '30s scraps and finishing UFOs that have '30s fabrics because they are such happy fabrics.  . 

I had just enough of the multicolored honeycomb fabric- a deeply discounted purchase from long ago-- for the pieced backing.  And the scrappy '30s binding came from a drawer of 2.5 inch width scraps. 

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

 

What Will Be in the Hoop

 This (Wagon Wheels) is what will be in the hoop for hand quilting as soon as I finish crawling around on the floor to pin baste. I plan on stitching with thread from that  bag of perle #8 and maybe some #12 and other odd bits. I need to untangle a bunch of it and figure out a better system for storage moving forward. I think I have a tin of it that needs untangling too. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Rolling Along

I've added 8 more Wagon Wheels to my collection of blocks. That brings the total to 47 out of a goal of 63 blocks.  

This is the really old UFO (started 2013) I want to work on this month. 

On December 29 I posted that I had 39 blocks so I'm rolling along. 

I'll report this week's progress and blocks next Monday just to hold myself accountable. 

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt 

'30s Reproductions Miscellanea

 The last couple of days I've been working with some '30s reproduction fabrics. I've added more Wagon Wheel blocks to my collection and now have 39 blocks out of the 63 I need for this quilt. I see that I started making these blocks way back in 2013 so this is a very old UFO. My OMG (One Monthly Goal) for January is to complete 24 more blocks to really move this UFO forward. 

One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts

I wanted to make a Hummingbird quilt but found I didn't have enough of the fabric I want to use for the background. I have a lot of different pieces of yellow so thought I would make a test block to see what I think of piecing the block. I think I'm not so sure I now really want to make a Hummingbird quilt. I'm going to put this aside for now and complete all the blocks for the Wagon Wheel with all those curves and then decide if I really want to proceed with the Hummingbird quilt.  If I do proceed I guess I'll use a variety of different solid yellows and '30s reproduction fabrics. 

 These large 13 inch Churn Dash blocks are a new start using '30s reproduction fabrics. They work up fast so I'll have a large quilt in no time. I'm using blues, reds, yellows and browns.  

 I just finished this 36 inch square baby quilt top made of orphans I received from a quilty friend and my '30s scraps. 

 Two sets of four blocks were already set like you see here.  Yes, one block is not oriented the same way as the others but so be it. I was not going to rip. 

 I also received eight single blocks that were a little different from the other sets in that two corners were not white but matched the center fabric. I set those four blocks the same as the others  - sashed with yellow 1.5 inch strips. 

Then I joined all four blocks of four with some 2.5 inch sashing cut from scraps.  And then I added a 1.5 inch green polka dot border and then added a 3 inch border of ducklings. I was just going to add a white outer border but thought that would be too much white for a baby quilt and besides...the baby ducks made it seem more baby quilt-ish. 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Wagon Wheels

The latest Wagon Wheels.

Genealogy is another one of my passions. For some reason while I was making these Wagon Wheels  I thought of a maternal great, great grandfather I never met named Jacob Messer. 

Fairfield Ledger

Fairfield, Jefferson, Iowa

February 6, 1878

     This week again the LEDGER chronicles another of those accidents on the road which resulted fatally to one of Jefferson County's good citizens. Thursday last Jacob Messer who lives about eleven miles northeast of the city, started for town with a load of wood in company with his cousin, each having a loaded wagon. When near the Blakely farm, about eight miles from town, Charles, who was ahead on the road, was startled by having the other team come dashing up the road, frightened, and breaking the wagon to pieces. As soon as possible he secured his horses and started back to look for his friend. He found him a short distance back lying in the road bleeding profusely, his head crushed and lacerated and life extinct. The body was carried to a neighboring house and medical aid summoned, but of no avail--the spirit had fled. It is the thought that by breaking some part of the wagon the man was thrown under it, probably dragged some distance, and then, unable to extricate himself, the wheels bearing their heavy load passed over his head, crushing it and causing instant death.

    Mr. Messer was an industrious and thrifty German citizen about 35 years of age living in Walnut Township, where he was much respected. He leaves a wife and two children, we are informed, in comfortable circumstances. His body was interred in the Lutheran Cemetery near Germanville on Saturday.

Who Knew?

On and off I've been making some 18 inch Spinning Stars blocks... 

...using Anna Maria Horner's pattern and the scraps left over from a Pickle Dish quilt. 

It's one of my UFOs or WIPs if you prefer. 

And this is one of my WIPs too...9 inch Wagon Wheels using a pattern on  a McCall's Vintage Quilts CD, 30s reproduction fabrics and solids.   See any similarities? 

Who knew I was working on two completely different quilts using similar patterns?  I sure didn't!

Linky partying at:

WIPs Be Gone at A Quilting Reader's Garden

Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop! at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts. 

Thirties Thursday: The Story of Old Dan Tucker's Combs

Old Dan Tucker was a mighty man

Washed his face in a frying pan

Combed his hair with a wagon wheel

Died of a toothache in his heel. 

Get out of the way old Dan Tucker

You're too late to stay for supper

Supper's over breakfast's cookin'

Old Dan Tucker standing lookin'

For Thirties Thursday I made four nine inch Wagon Wheel blocks (aka Dan Tucker's Combs)  from my 30s and solids stashes.  I THINK that makes a total of 16 blocks now. 

And...wagon wheels remind me of a song we sang in chorus when I was in grade school...maybe the sixth grade...could have been fifth...it was long, long ago. 

   I have a dirty little secret...the reason I remember that Dan Tucker folk song is because a couple of my friends and I sang that song at recess one time when we thought we were not within hearing distance of an adult but substituted the words "Old Damn F-----"("f" word rhymes with Tucker" ) for the words "Old Dan Tucker".  An adult (a nun) WAS within hearing distance.   A call was made to our parents and later that day my mouth came in contact with a bar of soap.     Ah....memories!

Thirties Thursday - Wagon Wheels

A few of us members of the Stashbusters Yahoo Group are participating in a 30s Reproduction Fabric Bin Bust Challenge.   I'm also participating in the Stashbusters UFO Challenge. I have a lot of UFOs that use 30s fabrics. 

Every Thursday I hope to post work on some of my UFOs/WIPs that use 30s fabrics - Thirties Thursday...catchy, huh? 

Quite some time ago  (July 2013) I had made these four Wagon Wheel blocks using a solid and a 30s fabric.  I used a vintage McCall's pattern.   I got the crazy notion that I wanted to try something with curves for the first time.  I wasn't sure I liked making curves back then.  So the blocks were thrown into a UFO box - #8 on my UFO list this year. 

This week I made four more blocks to keep the originals company and busted a little fabric besides. 

I have a long way to go before I have enough for the big quilts I like to make.  But, I have to say that I don't mind making curves so much these days.  In fact, I rather enjoy them.