Workin' on Wednesday

Had to stop to wind another bobbin so thought I'd fill you in on what's going on here this week.

Monday my copy of Quiltmaker Magazine arrived with the reveal of Bonnie Hunter's Lazy Sunday Mystery Quilt.  As I looked at the final steps, I realized that all the pieces I have yet to finish are in the borders.  Saw tooth borders are not my favorites.  There are lots of little triangles, and whenever I put them all together they are a little wonky - to say it kindly.

So, I decided to skip all that for now and head right into piecing the top field.  Yesterday I worked on cutting out the sashing and cornerstones.  Row one was put together by bedtime.

I wasn't sure I'd like the black stars, but as it turns out, I really like them.  My blues and greens don't have as much contrast as I thought.  I might actually have to change the center four blocks (rows 4 & 5).  My dark green in the corners just disappears into the pattern.  A bright green would perhaps look better.  We'll have to see if I have the ambition to pull out the seam ripper and fuss with that.

Today I'm working on rows 2 and 3!

Irish Tea table runner

My lovely Irish friend, Maggie, helped me serve a wonderful meal after our son's wedding rehearsal last week.  Like most good friends, she would never accept payment for her invaluable help, but we quilters have our ways.   Over the weekend I sewed like crazy and put together a table runner as a 'Thank You' gift and brought it over to her last night when we arrived back in the city.

The Currier and Ives print of thatched roof houses in the countryside reminded me so much of Ireland that I had to use it as the focus fabric and backing.  So sweet!

The free pattern is Winter Palace Table Runner designed by Mary Lou Hallenbeck of H.D. Designs for Maywood Studio.  Love those free internet patterns!!!  I quilted triple-zig-zag lines in the print, followed the basket pattern  with my walking foot to highlight the squares in the tan fabric, free motion corner feathers and stippling around the teapot.  Hooped up the quilt into my embroidery machine for the teapot and light squares.  So, a little bit of everything!

I also machine embroidered the teapot on a flour sack dish towel, but forgot to take a photo of that.  oops!

As a side note:  We set the tables for the rehearsal dinner with china, glassware and silverware that were used for the first time at my parent's wedding breakfast exactly 60 years ago that week.  Long story how that reception hall closed and we ended up with some of the dishes, but what a wonderful and sentimental connection.

Picnic quilt in progress

This afternoon was spent working on the top for this year's Lake Association quilt.  For the past 10 years I've been making a lap or throw quilt for our Lake Association to give as a door prize at the annual picnic in August.  With the wedding last weekend there has not been time until today to even think about it!

This month's Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine was handy and flipping through it I found an easy nine-patch variation called 'Via Air Mail' by Anita Peluso.  I have a few reds and blues left in my boxes of flannel, so off I went cutting and sewing, using that quilt pattern as inspiration.  (You don't think I really followed the directions exactly do you???)

By dinner time I have the top nearly finished.

Only the borders left!  But they will take some thinking.   The pattern calls for a 3 1/2 inch border in red, but I'm leaning toward a 5 inch border.  There is enough medium blueberry print, medium red print with stars and dark blue solid.    Not enough of the other colors.  The backing will be dark blue, since there is a piece large enough for that.

Time to take a break!

Linking this WIP to other quilts in progress at freshly pieced.  Such creative things happening there!

Wedding Day, Wedding Quilt

If all goes as planned our son and his bride will be heading down the aisle by the time you see this post.
Their wedding quilt has been done for over a month, and I'm so glad there was no rush to the finish!  My thanks to all of you who left such kind and encouraging comments on QuiltAwhile as it was in progress.

Celtic Square wedding quilt

And here's a photo of the happy couple:

I'm a Little Teapot...

I told myself no more sewing until after The Wedding.  Too much to do!  But I needed a sanity break.  So this morning, (and the past two evenings) I quilted up this little teapot wall hanging.

It was inspired by Bonnie Hunter's "Addicted to Scraps" column in Quiltmaker Magazine.  She called the block Betty's Choice, but it is also called London Roads and gave me the perfect block to set with embroidered teapots from my embroidery CD from Dakota Collectibles (Redwork Sewin' Big #23.)

Originally there were four more London Roads blocks  in the four corners, joined by a triple border.  But they made the quilt too big!  The teapot theme seemed more suited for a wall hanging in the kitchen than for a lap quilt.  So out came the seam ripper and off came the borders.  They were re-cut and stitched together for the backing.  A perfect fit!

The quilting is Baptist Fans and done with the walking foot on my Elna.  It was the first time I've ever tried an all over pattern like this - and without marking anything!  The twisting and turning, starting and stopping was a little tough, but overall it turned out really well.   Just start in one corner and make a small quarter circle.  Stitch along the quilt edge about 7 stitches and then echo back around until you reach the edge, (or another line of stitching.)  Run the foot about 1/4 inch away from the last stitching line.  After 7 echoes I backtracked about 10 stitches, made a new small quarter circle and kept going.  Just work your way around and end up in the center.  Easy Peasy.  What a time saver by not having to mark the curves!

Time for a cup of tea!
It's my first finish in a long time, so I think I'll link up with Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict and see what some of the other quilters have been up to.

Does this count?

Had a lovely long weekend at the Lake to celebrate Independence Day with family.  Hope you were able to have a relaxing holiday as well.

The sewing machine has been idle here for a while.  Wedding preparations and holidays have taken priority.  Even though my small tub of quilting projects has traveled North and back several weekends, I just don't have time to pull it out.  Today I need to hem my SIL's pants for the wedding.  It's not quilting, and not even machine sewing, but does it count?  I'm really missing my quilting time.

Happy Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July - Independence Day - to all my friends here in the USA.