I quilted this little Kaffe colorwash while TV was on last night. It is the end of the month again so I think I should make an effort to get this one finished for my monthly recap tomorrow.
I have a colorwash class at my home next week so there will be a lot of clearing off tables and getting the basement clean before Wednesday.
It doesn't look much different from yesterday but I got the sashing sewn into the last 2 rows and sewed the 2 longest rows together. Now there are just two more seams and the center will be all sewn. I can see I hung the 2 long rows up there in reversed order. The top end belongs at the bottom left. I need to change that before I sew the last seams. I'm not looking forward to sewing the border onto a bias edge so I may take a break from this for a couple days.
I sat in a waiting room for an hour and a half yesterday morning while I had tires rotated and brakes repaired on my van. I took this project along and finished the hand sewing on the binding.
In the afternoon I worked on the sashing and got this far on the quilt. The top left and bottom right corners are sewn and one long row that hasn't been attached to the top left corner yet. There are 2 rows left to do. Click to enlarge the photo to see the sashing better. This is my first audition for the border and already I like it and don't know if I should look any farther. I have enough of it to cut it lengthwise too. For a comparison of my quilt and the one in the book, go here to see the book.
Back in June I told you about my trip to my daughter's waterfall property and the taping of the reveal party for a TV show. Well, it is finally going to be aired on Friday November 6 on Animal Planet. The show is called "Restoration Wild". It will be on 2 times that night, 8:01 p.m. and 10:05 p.m. Central Standard Time and 3 a.m. CST on November 7. I was at the reveal party so maybe I'll be in it.......we don't know what they included.
All of the blocks are on the design wall now and I think this is the final arrangement. Sashing is being cut. At this point I'm thinking a small border of the same fabric as the sashing and a big floral print for the border. The one in the book has a border but it is a small print.
I feel like I am working in slow motion on this quilt. This is the last of the half blocks for it and I got them sewn after I took this photo. Last night I also basted another small colorwash piece.
Church sewing circle was yesterday afternoon and we made red and green felt Christmas stockings for the kids at the shelter that we help support.
After my haircut this morning I need to cut sashing for the quilt in progress and decide on fabric for cornerstones. It sounds like we will get rain from the remnants of hurricane Patricia.
I did errands on the way home from church yesterday and didn't get lunch until 2 p.m. Then I went out and cut down the Canna plants and dug up the bulbs. It gets too cold here to leave them in the ground. Last night I ditch quilted the colorwash wallhanging. I used Invisifil thread, something like clear polyester only in colors. I will choose a binding today and baste the next colorwash.
Speaking of colorwash, someone (a no reply commenter) asked if I couldn't do the class as an online class. The answer is no. It isn't a place this color here and that color there type project. It is an original design by each person and they need consultation all through the project. Photos don't show the values like seeing them with the naked eye so emails back and forth with photos really doesn't give a true evaluation. I hope I will be able to continue teaching but I'm 3/4 of a century old and so far my eyesight is holding up. I wish more of you lived closer so you could come to a 2 day workshop with me here in Sandwich IL. (Still trying for the first week in November).
This colorwash was small enough to baste on my cutting table. I chose backings for all three small colorwash pieces yesterday.
This fabric on the back was too large of a print to cut for the squares so it is perfect as a backing fabric.
Last call: is there anyone else interested in a 2 day colorwash class at my home (Sandwich IL) in the first week of November? I'm trying to get one more in before the bad weather starts. If you are interested email me here. If for any reason the link doesn't work please leave your email in a comment so I can get back to you. Click here to see students' work from the July class.
I put the block that was folded in quarters up on the design wall so I knew how to design the corner quarter blocks.
I also made 3 more half blocks and put them all up on the design wall. I need to cut more squares before I can design the last two half blocks. Then I have to start sewing sashing onto the blocks.
I sewed the other three half blocks together and placed them on the design wall. I won't know the placement for sure until I have made the other five that I need. I folded one of the leftover blocks to look like a quarter block in the bottom right corner. I haven't decided whether I should trim the points off the half blocks now or wait until after quilting. I'm leaning toward waiting.
I was thinking about doing another 2 day colorwash workshop at my house (Sandwich IL) the first week of November and wondered if there is anyone interested. If so email me here. Last time a few no reply people left a comment instead of emailing me directly and I had no way to get back to them. (If the link above doesn't work for you, there is an email link on the right sidebar). Click here to see the students' work from the class in July.
I finally finished the hand stitching on the binding of this batik 16 patch quilt. It is 62.5" x 78.5".
I love the pink and purple houndstooth check batik on the back.
Last night I got two of the first five half blocks sewn for my other quilt.
One of my friends and I bought the Farm Girl Vintage book at the quilt show we went to a couple weeks ago. We decided we would do 2 blocks each time we get together and we alternate who chooses the blocks. I chose the first 2 blocks and my blocks are on the left, my friend's on the right.
Later in the afternoon I started designing half blocks for my other quilt. I started with the one on point and realized I needed to do them straight. It is a lot harder to design a half block than a whole one.
I sewed the two new blocks and removed two and put the new ones in. I think I need to rearrange the blocks again. My two friends are coming over today so they can give me the approval when I finally have a good arrangement.
Here are the two that came out. They were too cold looking with all of the other warmer colors. I can possible still use them for half blocks or the quarter block corners.
I got the binding sewn onto the the batik 16 patch quilt and have 1/4 of the hand sewing done.
I designed 2 new blocks to replace 2 that I don't like very much. Now I need to work on the half blocks and quarter blocks so I can finish this one.
I took my daylight photo of Many Moons but I think I prefer the one I showed yesterday which shows how rich the colors really are. The lavender walls are pale in the daytime, deeper toned at night too.
1/3 of the people who left comments yesterday were NO REPLY commenters. If you didn't hear back from me yesterday, you are one of them. You can fix that by enabling your email address in your Blogger (Google) profile.
I didn't get the hand sewing done until after dark so I will take another photo of Many Moons today with daylight. I have an east exposure in this room so around noon is a good time for that. The couch needs to move a couple inches to the right too.
When I went over to turn off the lamp on the left I thought this was a nice view of it too. I'm glad I went with facings instead of binding.
I have the facings hand sewn on the "Many Moons" quilt. Go here if you want more info on facings vs. binding. I sewed the hanging sleeve onto the top facing before sewing it to the quilt. Now I just need to sew down the bottom edge of the sleeve. I hope I can show it hanging on the wall tomorrow.
It was a chilly day yesterday. I picked all of the green tomatoes that were a decent size and wrapped them in newspaper to ripen. Our first freeze warning was given last night.
I wanted the quilting on "Many Moons" to look like wispy clouds floating by.
I hope it looks good hanging in my living room. I trimmed it but haven't cut the facing pieces yet.
I make sure there is water in the bird bath every day. Birds are migrating through now and they need a drink and sometimes a bath. We haven't had rain for quite awhile so there isn't any other source of water for them. The robins stand there and drink for a long time and then some take a bath, some don't.
I ran errands in the morning, loaded the backing and batting last night. A neighbor was helping me clean out lots of plants and I saved 2 Sedums for replanting so I got them back in the ground yesterday afternoon.
I cut some of the new fabrics for another square clamshell block. I will replace at least one of the 18 blocks, maybe 2 or 3.
I listed some batik fabrics for sale on my Wandaful blog shop.
I chose a backing for my batik "Many Moons" wallhanging and got it ironed. This one will hang in my living room. I think maybe this wallhanging needs facings instead of a binding. I have plenty of the backing fabric to use for them.
I also chose a purple binding fabric for the batik 16 patch quilt that I quilted last Saturday.
We had a family Thanksgiving dinner yesterday while my granddaughter's family is still here from out of state. My great grandson entertained us.
The art quilters came yesterday and we had a good time. The weather was beautiful and warmer than normal for October. Last night I just wanted some busy work sewing while I watched TV so I sewed leftovers from a 16 patch quilt to make some mug rug tops.
I finished cleaning up the basement, cleaning off tables and dusting, etc., baked 2 batches of cookies. I didn't sew a stitch. I did do some cutting but nothing worthy of photographing. So instead I'll show the new fall Kaffe collective fabrics that I pre-ordered on sale a few weeks ago. I love that new stripe. It runs from selvage to selvage rather than along the lengthwise grain. I also love the new rusty red Brassica by Phil Jacobs. The 4 on the right are Brandon Mably prints. The art quilters are coming today so it will be a fun day.
I loaded this quilt on my longarm a couple weeks ago. I finally decided I was ready to quilt it when I got home from the family reunion yesterday afternoon. I got it trimmed and will look for a binding fabric today. I think it will be purple because purple looks good with everything.
If you want to see the whole quilt, click here.
My little great grandson was visiting yesterday morning. He lives 3 states away now so I don't get to see him very often.
When he left the boiler repairman came to change a part on my boiler. He left about 12:30. I worked on cleaning up the basement for the art quilters while he was here.
Later in the afternoon I mowed the lawn and I hope it is the last time of the season. We haven't had any rain for awhile and nights are quite cool so the grass isn't growing much.
Last night I played with the arrangement of these blocks. If you missed the beginning of this quilt here is the post about it. I haven't decided if I need to make any replacement blocks yet. I still need to make half blocks and quarter blocks to fill in the edges. The blocks are about 19.25" diagonally and the sashing will be 1" finished. This might end up about 63" x 82". Today is a family reunion, the first one with all of my dad's generation gone. His last cousin passed away about a month ago.
After I finished vacuuming the basement I designed the last 3 blocks. I carried those 3 along with the one from the day before up to the sewing machine on the main level.
Here they are sewn and ready to join the other 14.
I need to move them over to the other design wall where there is better lighting. Then I can rearrange them for a better distribution of the colors. I will also decide at that time whether they all work or if I have to make another one or two.
This is one of my favorite blocks so far. The light fabric is Banded Poppy by Phil Jacobs and I love the movement it gives the block.
The block from 2 days ago got sewn last night too and it is in the bottom row. I definitely need to do some more dark blocks to balance that one.
I got this one designed last night and need to cut 2 more of the pink print squares to finish it. I might change the center square to a red or pink.
Block 13 is planned but not sewn yet. I want to make some more dark blocks.
I really had to search for a Kaffe fabric light enough to use with these lighter geese.
While looking for something else I found these leftover African fabric 16 patches and had this panel laying with them. The gray is my design wall flannel, not border fabric. This might be the start of a medallion quilt......after I finish a few other things.
Two more light fabrics were cut and sewn to the geese. I need to find one more light fabric to finish.
Here are all of the rest of the flying geese.
This is the newest block for the other quilt.
I need to make 6 more blocks before I can sew this together. Each block I make could change the layout so that the colors are distributed well.
My friend Diane for whom I made the church banner has posted a little more about it. Click here to read her post.
