Mystery Cat Quilt

My latest piecing project was picked out by my cat.  It really was.  I was cleaning up files on my computer and printed out a few of the patterns I had downloaded at sometime or other and deleted things I couldn’t figure out why I had saved.  Now there is room for lots more!  I printed this pattern out and laid it on my quilting table among others and my cat kept laying on it.  It was a mystery quilt so the finished picture was on the last page, just so you know my cat didn’t know what he was picking out.  I wanted a small project to work on after spending a lot of time trying to decide on a pattern to use for making a quilt for my queen size bed which is a big project.  So I decided to give my brain a break and quilt this one up.  I got some really great fabric advice from the guy in the house and had a lot of fun putting this together.  I am thinking it will be lots of fun to quilt as well.  It measures 36”X36” so it is a really nice manageable size.  Originally I was going to put it in the cat bed, but I think I will hang it on the wall and ask my cat to pick which pattern I should use for my bed quilt…he obviously has good quilt sense!

I decided that I need some new gardening aprons with spring just around the corner and thinking this little paper pieced project will be a pocket on my next one.  I use these a lot at work and home because I have to carry a walkie talkie and a phone all the time so the pockets work great.  I posted a little tutorial for this apron on this blog and refer to it all the time.  I have accumulated lots of cute garden fabrics and I line them with cheap flannel which gives them just the right weight and makes them a little absorbent which is helpful with all the watering I do in the spring and summer.  The best part is that they wash up really nice, and you know I am bound to get a little dirty!  I work in a nursery and then garden a lot at home so there is always dirt in my fingernails and on my knees.  Speaking of which the sun is shining finally and the temps are raising a little, all that and a day off work is making me ready to go out and play in the dirt or the compost or the greenhouse or all of the above.  So not much sewing going on today.

Enjoy the sun when you can!

Ferne

&

Makya

the quilt connoisseur

Seeing Hearts

 

Windy stormy weather has been keeping me home and indoors.  Thank goodness my Christmas shopping and get togethers are all done.  I missed one party due to weather issues, but made it to see all my family and that’s what was most important.

While I was stuck indoors and actually had electricity I pulled out a cute pattern to make a runner for Valentines Day by Cherilyn of Farm Wife blog.  She called it Candy Heart so I made mine chocolate and cinnamon.  It went together so easily that I might actually have it quilted before New Years.  Next project?

Ferne

Catching up on my Rows

 

I finished Rows 5 and 6 yesterday except for the edges at the top and bottom, they are cut and will just take a few minutes to add on.  Since I was almost out of bobbin thread I decided this was a good place to stop for the day  I can’t believe I made that many little flying geese!  Lori’s method really worked there was very little trimming to do and they were mostly perfect.  I can’t say they were all perfect but, definitely close enough to work.  I made an extra mug without knowing it and I put the handle on the wrong side of one so I am holding on to it for a future mug rug.  These all went so fast, I actually sewed together the geese in the morning, they were already made and trimmed the day before, then I went on a shopping trip to Walmart which was surprisingly empty, came home and planted about 100 bulbs, cut and sewed all the mugs and it wasn’t even 9:00 yet.  Since I live in outer Mongolia a trip to Walmart is no short jaunt and sometimes turns into an all day trip so I was surprised it wasn’t dark yet and that I still had time for planting bulbs when we got home…all thanks to the short lines at Walmart.

The next row is a row of leaves which seems so appropriate since this is the view from my cutting table right now.  I am trying not to think about the work that comes when they all fall, though I did discover that the blower we have in the garage is not as noisy as most and I might just find it quite useful and it vacuums too so that might make cleaning up those leaves a whole lot easier!   

I just remembered that I need to make a Christmas runner for my buffet and finish quilting my Christmas table topper…guess those leaves will have to wait!

Keep sewing along!

Ferne

Row Along Progress

The weather outside is frightful here with wind whipping and cold rain falling so I got sent home from work yesterday.  I took advantage of the time though and stopped at the grocery store to get what I wanted for our little Thanksgiving dinner and whipped up some homemade rolls and squash soup, then I added 2 rows to my Bee in My Bonnet Row Along project.  I love this project but, had only gotten 2 rows done and was really wanting to get to the apples.  I was well disciplined though and did the wavy row first and got it added then I played with the apples.  I was having so much fun I almost forgot to eat my soup which turned out delicious and the aroma of homemade bread was in the air reminding me to eat, thank goodness.  My apple row is not attached yet, but that might be a project for tonight after work.  The next row is all flying geese and Lori has a new method for us to try that will make it quick and easy then I can move on to the current row of mugs that look like lots of fun and I will be caught up!  My favorite block in butterfly row and the apple row are both red…I have been told that there is red in every quilt I make…I had no idea I had a thing for red…   I am pulling fabrics from a box of 5” squares that has been hanging around for a while now, it feels good to put them to such good use.

 I love this project and am thankful that designers like Lori Holt share their talents with us!

Enjoy your Holidays!

Ferne

Update:  She is now on Row 7 so I am 3 rows behind…guess I will be doing a little catching up this week!

Inspired by Anka’s Treasures

This was going to be a runner for the buffet and the pattern was inspiration from a book  by Heather Mulder Peterson called Favorite Quilts from Anka’s Treasures.  The name of the pattern was Candy Apple Blossoms and she had appliquéd some flowers in the white section, but I am thinking I will leave it and quilt some feathers in there instead.There are several patterns in this book inspiring me right now, but I picked this one and spent yesterday working on it while it was hailing and raining out.  It didn’t look quite right as a runner, but moving blocks around led me to this design which fits nicely on my little table.  Now it is ready for quilting…deciding what to quilt takes me longer than the quilting so it might be a while, but hopefully it will be done for the holidays!

Well, since I started this post last week I have gotten some of the quilting done on this piece, but got stuck on how to quilt the colored logs and the border.  I am thinking of either quilting in the ditch or cross hatching for the logs and I have a curlicue design in mind for the border.  Hopefully this will soon be bound in black and done in time to grace my table for displaying some Christmas baking!

The rainy weather has had me on quite a roll of finishing up old projects and I am loving that it is also giving me more practice on my quilting.  I finished up this piece that I started a few years ago intending to make a round pillow, but it changed into a table topper.  I finished the embroidery and quilted it and I really like how it all turned out.  It is reminding me that even though the weather is wintery Spring will be back before we know it.

I also pulled out this  table topper that I bought as a kit at the Quilt Market in Des Moines last October.  I had so much fun quilting it with wintery designs that I made up as I went I played with threads too.  I made a chain of mittens and quilted earmuffs on the snowmen  I still have to tack that binding down, but that should be finished in an evening of hand sewing.  I prefer to use double thick fabric cut on the bias if possible for binding and sew it on at 3/8” then I fold it over and hand sew it on to the back of the quilt.  This is the method that has worked out the best for me.  I cut my bindings at 2-1/4” wide.  (I am posting this here as a reminder to myself).  I have 3 little quilts sitting right now waiting for me to hand stitch the bindings down and it feels so good to have gotten this far with them all.  I am very glad that I have learned to free motion quilt because it is helping me to finish all the projects that I started a few years ago and now I can look for new projects to start!

Looking forward to new beginnings!

Ferne