Lots of Prepping

 

Not just in the sewing room.

First, I prepped my mom's house to sell. Lots of cleaning. Lots of staging all the rooms for real estate pictures. Guess it paid off cause the house had two offers the first day and it's been a slow market around here. I've also gone through every nook and cranny of the whole house and main garage to see what is there and what family items should be kept. Still have the RV garage to go through - need to bug bomb it first. Next step is the estate sale. I've met with two estate sale agents so far, both very very different.

I haven't done any sewing this past week but did get a few quick projects prepped also.

Flannel back cut and ready to sew for a quilt top that was donated to Quilts for Kids.

I'm making a friend of my mom's a sunflower wall hanging. I'm keeping it simple, just need to add two pieced borders.

Under it is another airplane quilt top and flannel back. No prep needed there.

Someone put a partially quilted panel quilt on the guild free table. I took it and removed all the quilting. I want to make it a little bit wider so I will be adding red and orange borders down the sides only.

And one of the donated quilts I showed last week just needs binding. 

This is going to be a busy week so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do, but if I do get time I'm ready. 

Exciting News

 

My friend Donna from Idaho won a first place ribbon for one of her quilts at the Western Idaho Fair last weekend. I'm so happy for her!

Donna made and quilted this Judy Niemeyer designed quilt. Unfortunately she was at a long arm seminar and wasn't able to see the quilt on display. Her daughter took the above picture.

(before it was quilted)

Donna makes a Judy Niemeyer quilt every year. They are all beautiful. Way out of my league ;o)

This is more like me...slap a border on a panel and quilt it. (hehehe)

Soft flannel on the back.

What was I thinking!!! Joanne, the Quilts for Kids coordinator, had a friend who is no longer able to sew. She was a regular contributor of quilts to the group. She gave Joanne two totes full of sandwiched quilts. Most are just two pieces of fabric, all have batting, all have the back, batting and top cut to the same size. 

For me to quilt them I'll either have to cut the top fabric down or find a larger back if the top is pieced (few are). I'm not planning on doing anything fancy so these will quilt up quickly.

Bella helping me cut my leader ender strips to size. 

I made a new guild name tag. The J is kinda funky but I thought it turned out cute. It's about 2 x 3 inches. Adding binding to something that small was the hardest thing I've done in ages. ;o)

Oops

 

I was so intent on putting the binding on this:

And a border on this:

(Bella photo bombed)

Before I posted my Monday blog that I totally forgot to post my Monday blog. I remembered about 3 a.m.

I think I have my sewing / quilting mojo back. 

The airplane fabric is actually canvas. It has a really nice feel to it and washed up wonderfully. I love the print. I put a very very soft flannel on the back and used it for the binding so it should be nice and comfy.

I'll load the llama panel on the frame next.

I also finished the quilt that I previously showed loaded on the frame.

Soft flannel on the back. The stripe binding was a bit brighter that I thought it would be but it came from my stash and matchs the paisley.

This guy hasn't been around in a while.

He and a few others showed up yesterday. He's gotten so big.

Making Progress

 I'm not sewing everyday, but I am making progress.

I need a new guild name tag. The guild "meetings" are three hours: two hours of socializing / handwork and one hour for the actual guild meeting.

I wanted something quick and simple, so this is what I worked on today. The J is a little funky but I think I'm going to leave it as is. I'll back it and add binding.

Made progress on the square 9 patch table topper.

I haven't done any webbing in ages but thought it would help me keep the blocks in order. Worked pretty good other than I twisted the threads in one section. I'm always amazed how much a quilt "shrinks" when you sew the blocks and rows together.

I made a back and got this quilt loaded. Someone donated the finished top to the Quilts for Kids group. I'll quilt it this week and return it at the next meeting.

Grants Pass sits in a small valley. It's been really hot for a couple of weeks now and the air quality is terrible. It looks like fog but it is actually smoke.

So this is my area of Oregon.

This is the rest of Oregon. So sad and scary.

And She Finishes

 

I put the last of the borders on the table runner tonight.

After trimming, the outside edges were very very stretchy. I was very careful with the border measurements and sewing them on. Used a bazillion pins. This is a large table runner at 20 x 54.

I still have lots of the nine patch blocks. 

I think I'll make this with them. With no border it will finish at about 19 inches square. I'll decide if I'm going to add borders after it is sewn together.

I'm a really bad daughter.

Made my mom do her own mending.

And She Sews!

 I did get three more frankenbats made but the exciting news is that I did get some sewing done also. Aren't you gobsmacked! I am.

I made progress on the 9-patch runner.

I finished sewing all the rows together and have about half the rows sewn together. It always amazes me how much a quilt shrinks as you sew it together. I'm debating about adding a border, I'll decide after I trim it down.

And will wonders never cease! a second Aunt Daisy block!

Yup. Totally gobsmacked. Next thing you know I'll have a new quilt loaded on my frame. ;o)

Frankenbat

 Cue the scary music, loud thunder, and fiery bolts of lightening...no, I haven't created a monster, I have killed the Monster! The leftover batting scraps monster!

Do you make frankenbat? I've made enough for 12-13 small lap quilts and have enough scraps to make at least two more fair sized pieced of batting. 

I trim the scraps to a consistent width, group similar lengths together then use fusible tape to attach them together. This time around I made my own fusible tape by cutting fusible non-woven lightweight interfacing into two inch strips. It doesn't fuse as nicely as Marti's Choice Fusible Tape but it does the job.

Now I need to find and make backs for a bunch of quilt tops I've received lately. Anything to avoid actual quilt piecing/sewing.