More Quilting

I am still busy with playing on the longarm!!! That might be.... the anthem for the year, Still Playing on the Longarm... I'm sure there is a beat for that.

I have had a couple of more finishes. Out of order....

Quilt #9 off the longarm is a quilt destined for the Veterans. It is a lap quilt. There is a Permanent Veterans Home opening in the area later this year. I have offered to quilt tops destined for a Charity for free for the 2 guilds I belong to. This was the first of many Charity Quilts.  I chose an E2E with loops and stars that is not too dense and will leave the quilt nice and soft. I used a Signature variegated top and a green Omni in the bobbin. I don't have a picture of the completed quilt. I gave it back the maker the same week for binding. She gave me another to quilt.

The other, #8 is a large quilt. The top I made in January, a Guild mystery project. I have decided to name it "Paseo Caliente" and it is 80x80. It contains a couple of firsts for me too. My first Mystery and my first Precut Project!- I used a Jelly Roll, I chose a Kaffe.... collective (it was labeled all Kaffe, but I know a couple of the prints are not his) for the low contrast which will usually ensure a project that will turn out... even if your fabric choices were not the best! Me I like it, and if I get tired of the front.... the back is just as nice!!! Quilted E2E with an orange Glide thread top and an red Omni in the bobbin.

I think I like the back nearly as much as the front.

#7 Was a Winnie the Pooh Panel.... that I picked up at a quilt shop at a clearance price. I wanted to practice with a ruler. It did not turn out bad.... but not something I really want to show. The ruler came with an accessories pack I purchased with the LA. It was not what I expected, because the description I had of the package was mostly threads, but I somehow wound up with a ruler. It has a channel in the center... but I was having some difficulty.... getting up/down the channel smoothly. I have since discovered that the foot is a bit tight and it is not just me! Why did they include this ruler? and I also discovered that the panel.... printing was not even.... why did I ever think it would be. They NEVER are!!! But it was very inexpensive.... and it only needed a scrap of batting and a backing.... It will make a small person happy. No photo.

I have been staying busy making some tops as well!!! I was the president of a guild a long time ago .... way back in 1989.... could have been 1990. The guild membership back then was at about a 100 consistently and I served for 2 years and before that I was the VP. The guild would most often purchase a gift for the out going president, but we had a small quilt show that year and the show committee decided to have a block challenge, little did I know... that it was to make blocks to give to me. I was stunned. I am just now getting them into a top. Well several tops!!! The pile of blocks numbered more than 40! So far I have 2 tops done.... and number 3 is on the wall. It has proved a bit challenging, to find fabrics to blend. All I have found are solids.... so that is what I am using to set the tops. This is a photo of most of the blocks on the wall for sorting.... Of course they are various sizes.... around 12.5 inches square and 95% are hand pieced with various levels of expertise. I think I  have done all of those ladies a disservice by not making these into a top... sooner. Many of the makers are gone, although the guild is still around.

I am off to sew something!

More Later- Beth

Time Flies

Its March!!! and now almost April!!! and even with an extra day in February... the month was all too short. I think the groundhog was right and that we will have an early spring, at least on my block in KY!!!! There is a maple in the front blooming. I don't know the variety... and the one in the back has the bark changing color, but the buds are slow to swell. In wandering around the yard I can see swelling buds on the flowering cherries, the birch and the Knockout roses are just a few days away from leaves!!! We spend a Sunday cutting them back.

So how has all this time gone by so quickly... well I am still playing and making more quilts than I ever thought I could. Granted none of them are show stoppers!!! But I am making some progress and presented below in the order completed and their fate!!!


While I was waiting for the longarm to arrive, I found a pile of blocks I acquired in Virginia at the annual Guild auction, (a quilters garage sale of sorts). I bid on a box of stuff... and really just stuff. In the box were 18 blocks, 12 sampler type and 9 of the baskets. These were made  by several quilters and of course were many different sizes. So the first was this one. I really just threw it together, thinking my quilting would not be great.... so it would become a dog blanket. So once it was quilted and bound I tossed it into the washer... and oh my it had a fabulous texture... and scrunched up so nicely. I posted it on the previous blog and called it Axels blanket before I bound it. It was backed in flannel. My brother and family just recently moved from southern California to Wyoming and are suffering from the difference in temperatures. I sent the quilt to them as a warming gift! Quilted E2E in YLI Gold Cotton top and King Tut Variegated Orange in the bobbin. I called it Monkey Tails, because the design reminded me of money tails, and their new place has monkey in the name! A very happy coincidence!

Next up was the other pile of acquired blocks- the baskets. I set them on point and filled in with plain blocks. Remember this was a practice piece and was going to become Linzis dog blanket. But it also turned out nice and now lives draped over the railing looking from the second floor to the family room. Also quilted E2E with white Omni top and bobbin and flannel backed too.

My sister has dabbled in quilt making and had a pile of blocks and a completed top, along with a couple of smaller projects. So I took a pile of her swap blocks added some similar fabrics as sashing and put the whole thing together. Some of those swap blocks were way out of size!!! One I even had to add some fabric to get it up to size on one edge. I quilted the top E2E in Omni natural on top and in the bobbin, bound it, added a label and sent it back to her. She liked it!!!

Next up was a top she completed, all I did was press it to death and then quilted it. I am happy to say, it quilted up great. I was afraid it would have a couple of tucks in it from some billowy areas. I also backed in a brown flannel. I matched the bobbin to the back Essential Cotton Thread and quilted the top in a dark blue YLI cotton. She liked this one as well. Still on the frame! I forgot to take a picture of the finished quilt.... oh well. The brown flannel had the look of quilted leather.

I quilted one other for a baby. I foundation pieced the top from all my black and white scraps and the color was all from scraps as well. I only purchased fabric for the border and a flannel backing. I quilted the top E2E in black Omni and in the bobbin was a white Omni.

Overall I have had some fun.... quilting and E2E is a nice way to make nice quilt very quickly. I have a new found appreciation for hand guided quilting and the skill it takes. I am not anywhere near quilting from the front... but I long to get there, as the panto is fun, but very boring!

More to tell, but I hate using blogger to write in.... and the MS Live program no longer works on old laptop.... so I will have to find a new program or get used to blogger again- YUCK!!!


More Later-  Beth