A few little things

Heritage Days is over!  The past three years I've had a major role in putting together part of our community festival, and the process is all-consuming in the last month before the event.  Last weekend was the big day, and now I finally will have some time to sew again.  Isn't that a great feeling?

I haven't been totally away from the sewing machines though.  Just to keep my sanity over the past month, I've escaped to the sewing room a few times to do a bit of quick and easy stitching.

Bed sheet on the left, Daisy Kingdom on the right.

Only one block of the September 'Cheddarback' blocks was done - the easiest one.  And then, of course I didn't like it, and made a second one.

Searching around for a print fabric that was large enough to make the flowers proved a challenge.  I found one - Daisy Kingdom from the early 1990's left over from a sewing project for our daughter.  Looked lovely, but clearly the wrong era to go with the rest of the quilt so far. 

So, I tried again another day.  Found a bit left from a bed sheet - of all things - and gave that a try.  Better I think.  At least it looks older.

Dashing Through the Snow

Temecula Quilt Company has a little sew-along going on from now till Christmas called Dashing Through the Snow.  Adorable 3-inch Churn Dash blocks in red and white, with an alternate block in green.  I probably won't make all the blocks, but have another half-dozen cut.  I used up the whole scrap of red/white stripe making them.  Maybe a table runner??? 

Can you see the mistake in one?  Taking a photograph will bring out all those little things.  I might have to turn the center piece the correct direction in the lower left block.


Finally, I played with some selvege strips a bit.  I made an adorable basket weave quilt with them a while ago, but the pattern was to alternate color & white (with the selvege white strip being the white), so the lightest selveges kept getting rejected.  Bonnie Hunter does a lot with string blocks, and I thought that some of the neutral fabric selveges would work nicely in one of her patterns.  These are 4-1/2 inch blocks, and the plan is to make a version of Jamestown Landing.  I'll need 160 for a big quilt.  I have 25 done.  Guess I have a ways to go.  On the other hand, those 25 went together super fast, in an evening, so I just have to collect more selveges to keep going.

Neutral selvage string blocks

Basket weave Selveges 2019

A productive weekend

Lots of quilting happened at the Cabin last weekend!

Aunt Addie's Blue Ribbon Quilt, which I finished quilting during the week, received it's binding and is officially FINISHED.  It turned out to be such a sweet little quilt.

Aunt Addie's Blue Ribbon Quilt - sew along
designed by Kathleen Tracy

Three borders went on the Moda Love quilt.  The center blocks are from a gift pack of Pam Buda fabrics that I won through her blog.  The red border - which matches perfectly - is a Thimbleberries fabric I found at the local thrift store a while back.  Inner and outer borders are both chocolate brown.  This one turned out to be queen sized after all.  It will probably go in the pile to be quilted this winter sometime.

Moda Love

I also tried to work on Cheddarback month #6 blocks. Lesson learned - don't try to do these from memory.  Where were the directions? At home.  Typically I stitch and cut 3-inch squares into 2.5-inch half square triangles.  So, off I went, without realizing that Gay from Sentimental Stitches had us cut them down to 2-inch HST's.  Of course, nothing fit right.  I fiddled, I re-cut, I trimmed down... I made a lovely block.  But it's the wrong thing altogether.  Fortunately, I stopped after making just one, and  I had enough extra fabric to re-do the block.

Wrong block on the left, Correct block on the right.

I seem to have to re-make a couple blocks each time.  But, of all the crazy things, the one with the difficult set-in seams (upper left small block) went together perfectly the first time! 

I love this quilt - much more than I expected! 

Remembering Cheri monthly sew along

The last two buttons have been sewn on and Remembering Cheri is ready to pin and quilt.   One block for each month of the year, plus a few odds and ends in Cheri Payne's distinctive primitive style.  The pattern was available through Quilts by Cheri Friendship Group on Facebook. 

The pattern is also supposed to have a lot of applique in the outer border, but I'm just not an applique quilter.  At least for now, I'm saying I'm done! 

I learned so much from Cheri, even though I have a different preferred quilting style.
1.  You don't have to follow the pattern!  Make a quilt your own.  If you don't like a certain element, change it!
2.  You don't have to have things perfectly match.  Colors, fabric lines or points.
3.  Spontaneity brings joy and motion to a quilt.
4.  Work outside your comfort zone for a change.

I have difficulty quilting applique pieces like this with lots of buttons and trim things on it.  Perhaps just a meander that avoids all those things will work.  And what was I thinking when I didn't change the Whale?  There aren't whales in Minnesota!  I think I was just too busy (lazy) last August to change it to a sunfish, bass or walleye.  Do you think it will always bother me?

Aunt Addie is ready for quilting

Aunt Addie's Blue Ribbon Quilt is a sew-along from Kathleen Tracy and the top is finished!  The pieces are quite eclectic, all scraps with no rhyme or reason, but it works.  In the end, I only re-made two blocks.  Both contained one contemporary fabric that just didn't play well with others.  Now it's all pinned and ready to quilt!

Aunt Addie's Blue Ribbon Quilt  40 x 48 inches

Cheddarback monthly update

July's installment of Cheddarback by Sentimental Stitches is finished!  The pattern is available free at her shop during the month of it's release, then for sale afterward  at  https://sentimentalstitches.myshopify.com/

 As usual, there are a couple tweaks to make it my own.  The door and windows on the red schoolhouse didn't play nice, so I just took them off all together.  And, I decided there was going to be  enough of the white sashing fabric (just barely) that I could go all around the whole quilt and then add a border at the end to make it fit our bed.

Cheddarback quilt along - Months 1 through 5.

Forget me not

Here is my version of another of the little quilts being shared as a remembrance of Cheri Saffiote Payne, a wonderful primitive quilt designer.  Many of her designs have been put in files on a Facebook page "Quilts by Cheri - friendship group".  She started the page before her passing, and it is maintained by her dear friends.

Though I never knew Cheri personally, I have enjoyed making a number of her designs.   I frequently use scraps from my dad's clothing in them.  A wonderful way to remember them both.

Forget Me Not  15 x 16 inches

Look what followed me home!

The elementary school our children attended had a rummage sale last week.  Of course I stopped in. 

The Singer Featherweight seems to be the 'Holy Grail' for quilters.  I never expected to own one, and was not really looking.  But, what should I discover at the school sale?  Oh yes, you guessed it.

I debated.  Should I buy her?  Nope, I really don't need another sewing machine.  I don't use the vintage machines I have.  (You will notice that was a plural.)   I headed home for lunch. 

Then I checked prices for Featherweights on the internet, and reconsidered.  (Such a bad girl!)

She was not cheap mind you, but within the amount I would have donated to the school if I was asked for a donation.  So, back I went, and brought her home.  This little darling was made between August and October of 1950 in the St. John's Quebec factory.   She's missing her bobbin case, but it seems to be easy enough to order one on-line.  Hubby will repair her power cord and hopefully after a cleaning and oil she'll be up and running.