It was another full day. At this rate I’m going to need a vacation from my vacation.  After finishing my ‘frankenbatt’ I quickly loaded up the “Ugly” quilt on the frame and started quilting it. All but the last pass was finished prior to heading out to StitchOn in Lawrence, Kansas were I needed to pick up fabric from a Facebook Live order.  When I got home, I quickly finished the quilting.  I think the name of this design is Bamboo Shoots. I boldly used green thread in the bobbin as well.

I even got the binding applied!

While I was working on the binding, I loaded up the kitty/hearts/flower quilt, which I quilted with hearts and flowers.

I had just enough of the yellow star backing. This time I used a purple thread.

Here’s a closeup on the front.

All of this quilting and a visit to both StitchOn and another to Peddler’s Wagon.

and another to Peddler’s Wagon.  They only had 3 yards of the “wheat” colored fabric, which now that I think about is more accurately described as butternut.

That bottom piece is a beautiful border print.

My SIL asked me what I was going to do with it and have no idea. But I’ll think of something.

On, my Folder Corner Ruler came in today. We weren’t expecting it to arrive until  Saturday. It’s a funny story.  I ordered the ruler from Quiltville.com along with a couple of other things last week. I received a notice that the package was shipped within a couple of hours. The next day I check the tracking number and the package is in Florida.

I thought that was odd, since usually the packages go through Knoxville or Nashville on their way to Kansas City. The next morning, the package was in Jackson, Mississippi. That’s when I discovered I had the package mailed to my SIL! She popped it into the mail and it arrived 2 days early! So, later today after I get the binding on the kitty quilt, I’ll resume working on my Shimmer.

I don’t have to go back to work until Tuesday, which is good because I’ve been distracted by a few ‘squirrels’.  First up, this lap quilt.  It’s a variation on Simple Simeon, a Villa Rose pattern. The top was first, then a pieced backing.

The binding is attached to the back, folded to the front and stitched with a decorative stitch.  I quilted it with a dragonfly pattern.

Squirrel!

Before I finished the dragonflies, I got distracted by some fabric in my stash.

I’ve had the cat and butterfly fabrics for a while.  The pink flowers are slightly newer, and the purple was bought for the border on the Log Cabin quilt.  I haven’t figured out a backing for this yet, but hope to have it quilted and bound before I go back to work.

Squirrel!

Monday or Tuesday morning I watched a video on what to do with your ‘ugly’ fabric. I like this better than I thought I would. I found backing and binding in my stash and made a ‘frankenbatt’. It should be finished tomorrow.

Squirrel!

A quilt shop about 30 minutes from me on the north side of town, is going out of business. I’ve not been able to get up there, but earlier this week I received an email. 75% off.  Since I was off, I decided to go to see if I could find anything.

Today’s adventures take me to 2 other quilts shops — the trip has been planned for a couple of weeks, but I may just have to swing back by the shop going out of business. I want to see if they have any of the ‘wheat’ colored fabric left. I bought 3 yards, but now I’m wishing I got more.

Squirrel!

I cleaned my sewing room, putting away the fabric which has been laying about as well as the fabric I purchased. There is still some on top of my boxes, but mostly backings.

With all of these squirrels, I have managed to cross a few things off The List.

Not only are Ruby’s quilts trimmed, she should have them this afternoon.

Easy Breezy = 66

These days a number of quilt shops are doing Facebook Lives to bring the quilt shop to their customers virtually. Although it’s not a new phenomenon, there has been an uptick in the number of shops which offer this service.  The first event I remember attending was for First City Quilts in Leavenworth, Kansas the summer of 2019.  I caught the tail end of the event. That’s where I first saw Baubles ‘n Beads and knew I wanted to make it.  Now that I’ve started it is coming together quickly.

Stitch On Needlework Shop in Lawrence, KS offers 2 live events each week.  Monday and Thursday at 11 AM Central. Although it wasn’t a live event, a summer 2019 FB post is what drew me to the Radiance collection of fabric.  Just recently they showed Shimmer during a FB live. I plan to use the rest of my Radiance bundle to make this quilt.

I was recently introduced The Quilted Cow in Branson, Missouri via their FB Live Party in Your PJs.  That’s a lively hour or two.  Interestingly, it’s possible to not get everything you “order”.  The first party I attended I ordered a panel and something else, but by the time my order came up in the queue, they only had the panel.  I  have no idea what I’m going to do with this panel, but I do like the free pattern the designer has which uses 2 placemat panels and a couple of coordinating prints.

This past week, I ordered a few more things including this humming bird panel. I think I will just quilt this and call it done.

Show-Me-Quilting does their event a bit different.  Beth records the show and hosts a Watch Party where she answers questions live and you can request your items. This week I fell in love with this Ol Saint Nick panel by Hoffman Fabrics.  It was shown twice. I passed on it the first time, but the second time it was suggest that cutting it up and using it in an attic window block would make a cool quilt. I watched the Missouri Star video on how to do it and decided I had to have the panel. Fortunately there were still some left.

It’s time for me to stop shopping for a bit.

Over the past 2 weeks these items came in the house, mostly via a FB event.  The purple (or is it navy?) with gold dots is from Show-Me-Quilting. No idea what I’ll do with it, and after the trouble I had locating more of the Kansas Troubles Fabric I bought 3 yards.  Speaking of the Kansas Troubles,  I called Kansas Troubles Quilters and asked if they had any FQs of the fabric I needed for binding Cascade. They were able to find 2 Fat Eighths!  The rest of the items are from my 2nd Quilted Cow purchase.

I think it’s time to put down my mouse and get back to the sewing machine.

Day 18 and I’m halfway through the Star Studded BOM.  I have another 4 of the 12 inch blocks in my possession.  Nothing crossed off my list, but forward progress none the less.

• A customer’s quilt – binding needs to be pressed, then can be attached and stitched down 6/6/2020
• Allietaire – plan do do both scallops and a 2 color binding.
• Narragansett Blues 6/11/2020
• Sister Swap # 3 – The binding is made just needs to be attached and stitched down 6/6/2020
• Then & Now 6/7/2020
• Baby 4-Patch Stacked Posies
• Tablerunner – Finally figured out what I am going to use – 6/7/2020
• The quilt with the striped backing needs a label and delivered
• I’m behind on my Star Studded BOM. I have fabric for 7 12-inch blocks and 23 6-inch blocks as of 6/12/2020
  • 5 6-inch blocks made 6/13/2020
  • 2 12-inch blocks made 6/14/2020
  • 6 6-inch blocks made on 6/16/2020
  • 12 6-inch blocks made on 6/20/2020
  • 2 12-inch blocks made on 6/21/2020
• The log cabin quilt needs to be quilted, bound and labeled.
• The blue, black and white quilt is my Frolic the goal is to finish the top.
• Although not quilting, there are 8 pair of pants which need to be shortened.
  • 2 pair hemmed 6/8/2020
  • 2 pair hemmed 6/9/2020
  • 1 pair hemmed 6/12/2020
  • 3 pair hemmed 6/13/2020
• Bonus #1 – Pillowcases:
  • the customer quilt 6/6/2020
  • Allietare
  • Narragansett Blues
  • Log cabin quilt (2)
• Bonus #2: Pillowcases for quilts already completed
  • Christmas Crazy 8s
  • On Ringo Lake 6/16/2020
  • En Provence (2)
  • Carolina Chain
  • Good Fortune 6/16/2020
• Bonus #3: Quilt, bind, label and make pillowcase (2) for Frolic.

Saturday, I drove down to Centerview, Missouri to Hunters Quilt Mart. It was their customer appreciation day sale.  The big draw?  A 30 yard roll of 96-inch wide Legacy Batting for $89.  Backing was 30% off and 45″ Moda fabric was only $5.99 a yard.  Then because I bought the bag, I got another 10% off my entire purchase. Needless to say I think I showed great restraint.  I went in with a shopping list – batting, backing for 3 quilts, 1 yard of Grunge Basics in Berry, a list of thread that my sister is low on, a thread color card, and maybe something to help keep the thread from tangling in my drawer.

The impulse buys were the long arm side clamps and the cleaning brush.  My sister-in-law asked me to purchase Row-by-Row kit.

The green backing is for the BOM I worked on a number of years ago.

The orange Grunge Dot will be the backing of “Candy Sunflower Seeds”.

The Berry Gunge Basics will be pillowcase cuffs to go with my Good Fortune quilt — I miscalculated when I bought the fabric for the borders.

I didn’t find a backing for my swap quilt, but that’s OK. I have backings for all of my other (20 +/-) finished quilt tops (and some of my unfinished tops) which have been waiting patiently for me to get around to quilting them. I’m sure I’ll find the perfect backing for this quilt when it’s time to quilt it.

This week will be busy.  Monday, I need to finish moving my office from the sewing room to the guest bedroom. This will require running cables for the internet and taking apart my desk or removing the door to the room to get my desk into the room.  Tuesday, I have family coming in to pick up family furniture that I’m giving to my niece and nephew, not to mention I have to work a go-live. Wednesday is my small quilt guild meeting, Thursday I have a quilt class for a BOM I’m starting, Friday is the last chance to prep my sewing room before the longarm arrives on Saturday.

Yes, I’m getting my own longarm quilting machine.  It’s a 26″ Innova with Lightning Stitch and Mach 3.  I hope to be able to clear out some of those quilt tops I mentioned earlier — and possibly quilt the occasional quilt for hire.

The past few days I’ve been working on the binding of my Tumbler quilt. This was the 2015-2016 Leader & Ender Challenge over at Quiltville.com. The instructions can be found HERE.  I’ve had “help”.    The first obstacle I had to over come was whether or not there was enough fabric in my husband’s red shirt for the binding.  As you can see from the above picture I did.  Cut at 2-1/4″ wide, it took the back of the shirt plus half of one sleeve.

The next obstacle was getting my cats off the quilt long enough for me to sew the binding on.

I’m hand stitching the binding down so it will be a week or so before this quilt is finished.

I started this blog to have a place to record my quilting adventures, and anything else which stuck my fancy.But I haven’t kept up with it.  I’m going to give it another stab. Who knows how well it will go.

Last week I turned in two quilts to hang in my Quilt Guild’s Show.  If you are in the Kansas City area Friday or Saturday, stop by the quilt show. The show is open 10 AM – 5 PM at the Abdallah Shrine Temple, 5300 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS.

There was such a response to the call for quilts, they then had to ask those of us who turned in more than on to prioritize them. I had 3 registered – Carolina Chain

On Ringo Lake

and Good Fortune

I quilted the first two quilts I guess in early August – I took them to the Old Man River Quilt Fest where I took yet another class from Bonnie Hunter.  They were not bound though.  I got them bound about 2 weeks ago, and have not had a chance to hang them on the line.  Good Fortune I quilted Saturday with the intent of getting it bound so I could deliver it to the hanging crew Thursday. Given the request to prioritize for space, I’ve withdrawn this quilt so I’m not under so much pressure.

Then today I quilted the Leader/Ender Tumblers quilt.

My plan it to get these bound by mid-October. I’ll have my show quilts back by then, so I’ll try get them hung on the line for good pictures.

Turns out I missed a requirement on the Block Swap — no Christmas elements so the resulting quilt can be used longer.  So, out with the holly and in with a cardinal.  Last night I cut out all of the cardinals I needed using the AccuQuilt.

Saturday I spent the morning at a couple of quilt shops.  At  First City Quilts in Leavenworth, Kansas I picked up the pattern on the left – Baubles ‘n Beads. I purchased it during their Monday night Facebook Live event. The pattern on the right – Atomic Starburst I picked  up at the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival.  I fell in love with both of these patterns.

Also on Facebook, Stitch On Needlework in Lawrence, Kansas posted a picture of Quilting Treasures Radiance they received in.  When I saw the whole collection I knew I wanted to make these two quilts with those fabrics. Stitch On only has 13 of the 35 fabrics of the collection. I bought the background fabric, the inner border fabric for Baubles ‘n Beads as  well as the “solids” for Atomic Starburst from them, and the FQ bundle from Shabby Fabrics.  The colors are off on the first picture. The second picture is a truer representation of the colors.

There may have been a couple of other pieces purchased as well.  I think I’m good on fabric for a while.

That evening I went to my storage locker to get the empty crates to sort into. I decided since I was there I should bring a few boxes home.

I have not gone through them yet because the next morning I got up to find that the storm damaged one of my trees.

This picture was taken after I worked on it.  What you can’t see from this view is the limb in the top left corner is still partially attached to the tree!

Well the weather is cool – when compared the heat wave we had last week, so I guess I’m heading out to go through some of those boxes!