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!

 *************************************************

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.


 

 *****************************************

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!

Grand Illusion Step 3

I've been able to get a start on this weeks clue, but still have quite a way to go (somehow work always gets in the way) - - - tomorrow I plan to spend lots of quality time making more of these beauties!

When I'm quilting I always think of my Grandma Carolyn, she introduced  my siblings and I to sewing when we were very young since it was  her pastime and her way of making a living as a seamstress at a number of upscale stores in the Twin Cities.
I'm working my blocks up on the beautiful "White" sewing machine she gave me as a graduation present way back in the 70's. It was a used machine when she purchased it for me, and still works great, I just oil it up when needed, keep the lint down, and listen to my fav. book or TV series!

In one of my earlier posts I posted that I'm using scraps for the start of a crumb quilt - I don't have any real plans for how it will look in the end, but I've been adding to the group as I work on all my projects.

Stop on over to Bonnie Hunters site Quiltville to see how everyone else is doing!
You can see we're all having lots of fun!

Grand Illusion Step 2

I've been having a great time working on this step, love the colors, 

love how accurate they are turning out following Bonnie's first option for making this block.

I have to admit I was a little concerned about making this one since I hadn't been able to start it right away on Friday, as many of Bonnie's followers on Facebook had, and before I even printed out the instructions and read them myself, I was feeling others concerns and problems with making the blocks, but as it turned out, the first option sounded the easiest for me since I didn't want to be sewing or trimming any extra triangles.

I  still need to do some trimming on my blocks, but little by little I'll be getting them done before the next clue comes out!

 

 

 ******************************************

The whole time I was working on these I was thinking of one of my favorite candies (must be the colors), and IF I left the house today, I was going to buy some - but it was much more fun to work on my blocks.

 

 **********************************************

Be sure to jump on over to  Bonnie Hunters Blog  to keep up with everyone else!

Clue 1 in the works

As soon as I saw the first clue Friday morning I wanted to get started, but work had to come first, so I was only able to do a little bit the last 3 days.

 

 

Luckly I'v got the NEXT 3 DAYS OFF!

 

I still need to square up most of the blocks I've put together, but I'm so happy to say all I've needed to trim off of the ones I've done so far is tiny little slivers, hardly anything at all. I think that must mean I've pretty much mastered the accurate 2  1/2" strip and and scant 1/4 inch seam.

I purchased a new seam guide that was designed by Nova Montgomery primarily for Featherweight machines, but I'm using it on my vintage "WHITE" sewing machine for this quilt. It's a nice long straight edge to the front and back of the pressure foot which really helps keep the fabric from swinging off my intended seam line.

 

Looking forward to the next clues, and really loving Bonnie Hunter for doing all this for us! Take a look at all the others working on this mystery!