Odds and Ends

Look what I got in the mail today! I upgraded to Electric Quilt 8 a few days ago and ordered the instruction book. I started playing around with it and it seems easier than previous versions. I like it so far! I'll have more updates as I actually start using it. 

I finished one mitten and have started the other. I love quick projects! 

The binding is all cut out for my neighbor's Log Cabin quilt. I still have to iron it in half but hope to have it all sewn on in the next few days. 

The leaves for the second border of Green Tea and Sweet Beans are ready for applique! 

I worked on Scrap Vortex yesterday. I'm making my way through my pile of scraps. It's coming along quite nicely!

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That's all my projects for now. I'm trying to get them all done. Slowly but surely!!

Log Cabin All Quilted!

It's done! I finished machine quilting the Log Cabin quilt for my neighbor today. As you can see, I quilted a large meander edge to edge. It was fast and I think it looks nice. The quilt still feels soft although it's quite heavy. It's heavy due to the size, not the quilting. It ended up measuring 94" X

107". I think if I can handle this on the long arm, I can handle any size!!

Here it is laying nice and flat in my family room. It's the only room I can lay it out. I'm happy to see it done! I'm hoping my neighbor loves what I've done with it. Such a nice feeling to have finished such a large project!

Log Cabin FMQ

I've been machine quilting my neighbor's quilt for a few days now. She was not interested in any custom or ruler work. We decided on a large meander which makes sense since the quilt is such a large size. I'm using Aurifil thread 50 weight on top and Bottom Line in the bobbin. My machine seems to love this combination! It's been stitching very nicely!

I can't really tell how much of the quilt I've quilted. I think I'm close to half way done but I'm not sure. I'm so happy that the quilting is moving along so quickly. I was afraid this quilt would take a long time based on the size alone. I really think the longarm is the reason I'm making such great timing. I've had the longarm about a year and I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with it. It seemed to take awhile. When I bought it, I wasn't aware of the steep learning curve. I'm glad I didn't know! I might have chickened out and never bought it!

Christmas Mittens

I thought I would start making a few early Christmas gifts. I haven't made mittens in a very long time! I thought I would give it a try. So far so good! I figure once you're past the thumb, you're okay!

This is just some yarn I had in my stash. (Yes, I seem to have a yarn stash as well as a fabric stash!) I really love the cable running through the middle of the mitten. 

The pattern comes from this book. I found this book years ago when Borders was going out of business. There are some really great patterns in this book. So glad I bought it! I still miss Borders, by the way.

I'll post a picture when I finish the mitten. Hope it turns out okay! Might make a few pairs if successful!

Huge Backing for Log Cabin

I have the backing right side up with the quilt top sitting on top of it. Even though I checked my calculations many times, I wanted to make sure the backing was large enough to accommodate the quilt top. I have some nice extra fabric all around the top. Just how I like it!

My neighbor has yards and yards of this green fabric which she wanted for the backing. I started by cutting one piece approximately 102 inches long. She had a 4 yard cut which made it easy to get this length with no seams.

However, all her other pieces were closer to 2 yards. I decided to add to those 2 yard pieces. I kept the large piece in the middle. I sewed the pieced 102 inch pieces to the top and bottom of the piece in the first picture. It's hard to see. This backing is so large that I have no place in my house to lay it out nicely. Hope I can get it on the longarm okay. I have some batting all ready to go. I usually pop it in the dryer to get rid of some of the creases. I'll be loading it on the longarm tomorrow.

Molly seems to agree with my choices so far. She found a nice place for herself! Cats always find a comfy little corner! Have a wonderful weekend!

Borders for Green Tea and Sweet Beans

Here are my two borders for Green Tea and Sweet Beans. These borders will be sewn onto the top and bottom of the quilt top. The top border still needs leaves. I've started preparing them. I use the freezer paper method so it will take a little while to get the leaves ready for applique. 

Here's a close up of the top border. I like using different fabrics for the stems between flowers. I think it makes the border more fun.

This is a close up of both borders. It doesn't seem possible that these borders take so much time to make! When I finish the top border, I'm going to sew them onto the quilt top. It might make me feel as though I'm actually making progress on this quilt! These borders are nice but slow to make!

Scrap Vortex - Long Step 2!

Here's my finished pile of scraps for Scrap Vortex. I haven't worked on this one in awhile. Step 2 is taking me a very long time! Step 2 is basically putting 2 scrap pieces together that were made in Step 1. I feel some of my scraps are a little large so I'm cutting some down and then joining them to other pieces. It's a slow process but if I just keep at it, it will get done.

This is the pile of scraps I have yet to work through. It looks like I'm about half done. I'll just have to remind myself to keep working on it. I think after Step 2, it should become quicker. 

I'm also working on the backing for my neighbor's Log Cabin quilt. It's so big! I think making the backing will take awhile too. I can't wait to get it on the longarm. I spoke with my neighbor today and she thinks a big meander will look good. Once it's loaded, quilting should be fun!