Quilt Day

I spent Monday afternoon pin basting my scrap quilt to the batting and backing. It took a few hours but I was so happy to have it done. I never look forward to basting but it's so wonderful to have it behind you!

I already started to quilt it. I couldn't wait! I'm just quilting a simple meander. I feel with all the different fabrics, this will work best.

                         

I also started sewing together the first row of the Farmer's Wife 1930's Quilt. I chose a white on white tone fabric to set the squares. It looks really pretty! It's impossible to see in the picture but I really like how it looks! The process is slow since the directions are minimal. It may take awhile but I think I'm really going to love it when it's done.

                                

Here's my design wall. The row I put together is on the far left. I'm really loving the way it's coming out! I cant wait to see how it looks when it's done.

I'll be working for the next few days so I doubt I'll get much done. That's okay! I had a fun quilt day today!

Happy Easter!

 

 

Happy Easter!  I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday. I just got back from my parent's house where I had a huge dinner. Having a coffee and trying to wake myself up!

 

I made this fabric basket a few years ago. I like displaying it every year filled with jelly beans. I can never resist taking a few as I walk by it!!

 

Enjoy the rest of the holiday!!

Tone it Down Finished!

The binding is done! Due to the size of this quilt, the binding took a little longer than expected for me to sew it down. I was in no hurry. The quilt kept me warm while I watched television! My cats enjoyed sleeping in it too. It's nice to have it done but I will miss it!

I really love the look of the binding. I think the polka dots are fun as well and the shade of blue is just perfect. It seems to truly frame the quilt. I had to be careful to leave enough space so the binding would not be sewn over any portions of the feathers. I left 1/2 inch on the sides of the feathers where the binding would be sewn.

Yesterday, I quilted each border 9 patch. I had no idea where to place the flower petals. It was impossible for me to figure out exactly where the binding would end up on each 9 patch. It was much easier to just go back and quilt each area after the binding was complete. So much more accurate!

Here's my last step! I just have to sew the label on. I just basted it and hope it have it all done tonight.

Three More Nickita Bags

I finished 3 more Nickita bags last week. My daughter is going on a trip in May and wanted one of these bags for herself. She also wanted another 2 to give to a couple of friends. She chose the fabric from my stash. I only had to buy the zippers. I really love how they came out. I hope her friends like them as much as I do! Of course, the the one on the right is for my daughter. It's cat fabric that I bought her years ago. I knew that fabric would come in handy one of these days!

I've already posted this photo but thought I'd show you the lining fabric again. The bags are set up in the same order in both pictures. You can see what I lined each bag with. Of course, more cat fabric for Rebecca! The lining fabric also makes the handles which you can see on the outside of each bag. 

I bought these patterns as part of a Craftsy class. I got three patterns plus the class for a great price. I love to be able to sew these bags together and watch Joan Hawley at the same time. She gives some invaluable advice that would never be part of a written pattern. 

Happy first day of Spring! Unfortunately, we're expecting a snowstorm tonight. It's just normal for us up here in New England! Have a great rest of your weekend! 

Day Lily

This is the Day Lily block from Jen Kingwell's Green Tea and Sweet Beans quilt.  I was really dreading the y seams. However, the center of the block turned out to be much more difficult. There was just too much bulk for my machine. I had a hard time getting everything to match up, but somehow, it all worked out!

Here's how the block started. I had to make 3 of these little blocks. I was worried about those side y seams but they were no problem at all. I think they're quite gentle as far as y seams go.

This is the block without the added triangles to square it up. I'm trying to brighten up the quilt. Jen Kingwell's quilt has lots of newspaper print background fabric as well as darker fabrics. I'm opting to cheer it up! I have plenty from my stash to choose from!

This quilt is worked in 4 sections. I'm almost done one section. I'm taking my time since some of these blocks are hand pieced. It's nice and relaxing!

More Projects

The scrap quilt has been sewn together! It didn't take very long to piece. My next step is to iron it very nicely and prepare the backing. I plan on quilting an all over pattern on it. I feel the pattern is busy enough. I think a meander would complement this quilt the best.

I've started to play with my 1930's blocks on the design wall. They actually look very pretty with the white background! I have to get the fabric ready to set the blocks. I'll get there eventually! The weather has been nice. I like to wash my fabric and put it out on my deck to dry. Hope the weather cooperates!

I'm working on 3 Nickita bags. As you can see, the zippers have been attached. This picture shows the lining. I still have to sew the sides together and turn them inside out! I'm off the next few days and hope to work on these projects. 

Works in Progress

I've had allergies all day today. I ended up taking Benadryl which makes me very sleepy. I thought I'd show you what I've been working on in the last few days. I didn't get too much done today!

As you can see, I've started sewing my scrap quilt together. It's coming together quickly. I think using the design wall was very helpful. I moved around the blocks a lot but finally came up with something I liked. Four rows done, three to go!!

I'm sewing down the binding on the Tone It Down quilt. This may take awhile!  It finished approximately 75" X 93". I did work on this today while sitting on the couch. It kept me warm too! I like the contrast of the blue binding.  It's exactly the look I was hoping for!

I started a few Nickita bags this past weekend. I just quilt a simple meander to keep the layers together. This one is for my daughter. Isn't this the cutest fabric? It's very appropriate for my family. I love seeing kitties go shopping!

That's it for now. It's supposed to be quite warm here tomorrow. I hope my allergies go away so I can enjoy the nice weather!

Tone It Down Quilted

I have finally finished quilting Tone It Down from American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. It was a quilt along but I started it late and worked on it when time permitted. Once the top was complete, it took me awhile to figure out how to machine quilt it. I knew I wanted quilt feathers in the rectangular sashing but had no idea of what else to do. Each block is made up of so many pieces that I had to make a little road map so that I'd remember what to quilt in each area.

Here's a couple of closeups to give you an idea of what designs I ended up quilting.

I used rulers a lot. I also made dots and connected them with lines to make specific designs. I tried not to mark too much. I did mark each feather spine using an air soluble marker.

I'm already thinking ahead to the binding. Here's the fabric I bought. I thought it would be a fun way to frame/end this quilt.