Sunday Afternoon on the Island.....

Getting closer to completion and more and more excited to see it done! 


I have been working on this daily since I started so many months ago, and once it's complete I look forward to finding the perfect framing for it.

Enchanted Flute was started long ago too, and although it was a project I figured I'd be working on at the same time, it has not been touched for months....

Enchanted Flute

   Working away on an additional cross stitch by Heaven and Earth Designs - Enchanted Flute. I love the colors in this piece and looking closely you will see so many designs appear, I may not really know of all of them untill I've actually stitched them up.
    I've set up an additional "Stitchy Spot" in my bedroom for this project which has worked out really well for nights I'm unable to sleep. Sometimes I wake up at 2 or 3 AM unable to sleep due to leg pain so I get up to take a pill then stitch till it takes effect so I can get back to sleep.

 This floss organizer is called TANTO - I ordered it from European supplier - it holds 50 colors on this nifty color wheel which still isn't enough for a HEAD project -

This Pallet for floss is what I've used in the past, and since my current project is 90 colors, I needed lots of holes to hold my floss! Wish I had 2 Tantos.










Not a whole lot of progress yet - I'm a cross country stitcher - don't know if I'll convert to parking or not, I just don't really see how it can save time as some stitchers have said, but maybe I'll attempt it at some point.

I See a Man in My Future

Moving on - I see a man in my future!
But only in this cross stitch project, with this update, you can see him coming along pretty well, I still love every stitch that is bringing this project together!

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

It's been a long time since I've updated my blog - no quilting going on since I've picked up my embroider after many years of letting it go - the project I'm working on is considered "full coverage" as there is no background showing. This type of embroidery takes months or even years depending on design size and whether doing full cross or half cross stitches.

I'm doing full cross, and at the rate I'm stitching should be done around March of 2016!
I do plan on doing Bonnie Hunters mystery quilt that will start in  2015, so that will slow down my cross stitch progress.

Self Mitered Log Cabin - My new favorite quilt

This is a pattern by Anita Grossman Solomon,

 done using the paper piecing templates  from her book

 I quilted this on my Sunshine 16 doing alternating rows of feathers and straight stitch lines following the diagonals of the blocks. Every step of this process was really enjoyable, from choosing fabrics that would play well with each other to cutting them on my Accuquilt GO! to sewing them on the paper piecing templates found in the book. 

 My daughter Kelly helped me with the quilt sandwich - we did this before I had surgery for Hyperperathyroidism -  something I never heard of before my annual physical at the end of 2014. Since the surgery I've had a bit more energy, and pinned the quilt I'm currently quilting, it's my Bonnie Hunter Mystery Grand Illusion. I hope to have that one completed within the next couple weeks.

As always my sweet baby Winston needs to get in on the action. He loves snuggling up in my quilts whether they are still in progress or complete - as you can see in this picture I am adding the binding and he's taking a nap!

Hunters Star ~ By Special Request

A while ago my kids told me their dad wondered when I was going to make him a quilt since I'd been making one for everyone else.  (Although we have been divorced for many years, thankfully we manage to remain friendly) When they brought it up, I knew immediatly the quilt patern would be Hunters Star, since he is a hunter, and his favorite color apparently is Blue since most of his clothes are blue, the quilt fabrics were easy to pick out as well.

I've been following Bonnie Hunter and her scrappy quilt style since I found her Orca Bay Mystery Quilt, and decided to do the Hunters Star in the scrappy blue's I had on hand, but did need to purchase a few more... :).

 As I worked up the block s I hung them up but wasn't sure on final layout - but as I saw them coming together I realized I liked the look of darker blocks to the edge and lighter towards to middle, all still scrappy!

 Still on the design wall, and loving how it's looking!

 When it came time make the quilt
sandwich I enlisted the help of my
daughter Kelly - the first time she's

ever helped on my quilts, but she
said she'd help again!  And there is Lillian supervising.


The day we sandwiched this quilt, we did another as well. That one will be the subject of my next post - hopefully in a month or less!

 My Sunshine 16 is the machine I use for doing all my quilting, and as of this quilt, I'd say it is my favorite quilt design so far.
 I learned to do "Free Motion Feathers" for this quilt since I really didn't want to mark any designs.
I know they aren't perfect, but I figure every quilt is practice for the next one - I always learn something new on every quilt.

The quilt inspector approaches... checking out the
to make sure it is up to his standards!  I made this

quilt 76' x 90".         

    I'd like to say I always label my quilts, but some have gotten completed without the all 

important tag, but I did get it on this one.

  I found the artistic HAND embroidery file a few years ago,

I think it was a freebie from someplace. I started 

using it on my labels sort of to signify 

"Handmade" by me, even though they aren't

sewn by hand ( except for this binding) they are totally made by me.

1000 Pyramids and Pillowcase Completed!

Here it is! I finished this up a couple days ago, and was so happy my little Grace stopped by to visit so she could cuddle up in her new Quilt. I wanted to make a complete look for her, so I made one of the "Hotdog Pillowcases" for her too. I've made a couple of those pillowcases to go with another Quilt since they are so easy, I just love the way they complete a gift.

 I did the Free Motion Quilting on my Sunshine 16 Machine - and have many more to work on  over the winter. Doing the hearts and swirls shown here was an easy pattern to complete without having to do any marking on the quilt, I really like this type of design so I can just sit and glide the fabric through my machine and see the project come closer to completion.

Grace is cuddling in her new quilt

 Next up for my Sunshine 16 is a gift for Grandpa - the Hunters Star shown here is still a flimsy, but I should be working on the quilting in a week or so - I'll be able to get at it as soon as I've finished piecing my Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt for this year - Grand Illusion.

Although this image shows my blocks before being sewn together, I have now gotten them all sewn, and some of the outer borders sewn on - still maybe an hour or so of sewing to go to have borders completed, and my Grand Illusion flimsy will be completed!



                           

Our Christmas Gift From Bonnie

What a great clue for Christmas week - some easy blocks that went together pretty fast so we all had time to do our other holiday activities!

In my case, my "holiday activity" was working on other quilts.

One of the quilts I worked on may have been nice to give as a Christmas gift, but it was kind of nice that I was still working on the quilting when my Granddaughter  Grace,
who will be recieving the quilt was able to watch me doing part of the
process - swirls and hearts make up the quilting design on her
1000 pyramids quilt.

  She had fun watching and she thought I should
be able to get it done while she was there -
no can do, BUT  I was about 3/4's of the way done by Christmas evening, and as of Sunday afternoon - right before Bonnie came on for Quilt Cam, I was done with the quilting! Binding will come tomorrow!

My big trial of working on this quilt was WINSTON my cat - he just has to try out the quilts every chance he gets, even while I'm still working on them at the sewing machine!

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I had a nice surprize Sunday Evening, my son Troy & his girlfriend stopped by with a Christmas gift he made for me. I was pretty surprised by it, it's such a cute papermache snowman, and I'm happy I'll be able to keep it out for a few months since winter is sure to stay around for a while yet - just need to find a place for him that Winston won't bother.

Just for fun here's a little video of my Granddaughter Grace Victoria with one of her Christmas gifts. Grace requested a bird - thankfully, not a live one.  Grace refers to this bird as a cock (giggle), must think it's a Rooster...

Be sure to check out what the other mystery quilters have been working on  on Bonnie's Site.

Working away on Clue 4

Wow, I thought I would be able to complete this step a whole lot faster than I did, but at least they are done!  All blocks for All clues, completed!!!

As I work on  my blocks I keep them organized in flats from my Costco shopping trips, so happy to see the boxes fill with colorful quilt blocks and anxious to see them all come together in a new quilt.

 I like the detail on this black print I've used on some of the blocks, naturally some of the text gets lost in the seams, but it's fun to look for the blocks with fun stuff, especially since it's part of the season this quilt is being made!

This block is a good reminder for me to wish you all a 
Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.


 

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As I've been working on my Mystery Quilt, I've been plodding away on this Hunters Star, I've been pushing myself to get it done for Christmas, but that just won't happen, maybe early January....

Everyone has been working away on Grand Illusion, and are posting links over on the Quiltville site, go on over and take a look!