Quilted Jonquil

Darlene picked up some of the green dot fabric for me so I could FINALLY finish the last First Sat block after my cutting mistake

July 11th is the last gathering for this series where we’ll receive suggested quilt layouts and most likely some sashing/border fabric possibilities.  Some folks only did the 12 “free” blocks and others of us bought the alternate blocks as well so we’ll have 24 – 12″ blocks.  It’s always interesting to see how different the same blocks look when set with different fabrics and in different quilt layouts.  Louise, the owner of the Quilted Fox, always has lots of colorful fabrics that are not what I would naturally pick but I always like the completed quilts.   The next First Saturday begins in Aug and will have at least one Asian fabric but that’s all we know.

I finished piecing the backing for the second Dinosaur quilt so here are the Dino quilt tops & backs.   I had some scraps of minky fabric left from other projects so I pieced them together and put a strip in the middle.  I love how soft minky fabric is but you have to be careful not to press it with too hot of an iron or you’ll loose the nice bumps.  Ask me how I know

I also finished the binding for both of these quilts so as soon as I get them quilted, they are ready go!

Here’s a picture of the Liberty quilt with the top and bottom borders sewn.  I don’t know about quilting it…..I’ll have to think on it for awhile as it might be fun to hand quilt it using pearl cotton thread.

I was able to get the setting triangles and the side borders sew on the Liberty quilt last night.  The corner squares on sewn on the top & bottom borders so I put them on the design board to see how it will look.  Nice!  You can’t tell from the picture but I used two different reds on the stripes.  The pattern called for some colors of Cherrywood fabric that are no longer available but I like the ones I’ve used.

What could be cuter than a kitty trying to sleep on a quilt?

A kitty who covers her eyes so the flash won’t bother her ;D

As Millie from the Darling Millie blog says, “Click to biggify the pictures.”

Here’s the progress I made on the Liberty wall hanging this weekend.  Just the corner triangles and the borders left.

I got the borders on the second Dino quilt and pieced the backing, which I am quite pleased with, and plan to get it on the quilting machine after just a bit more practice   I have to piece the backing for the second Dino quilt and that one will be the next on the quilting machine.  Maybe my new long arm will reveal her name with all this quilting going on!

Our guild meets in University City and they have “Lion Gates” which have been around for 100 years and are an icon for the city.  They are celebrating the 100th year of the Lions so our guild is making a lion quilt.  It’s not intended to be a respresentation of the actual lion gates but is made using a pattern developed by one of our members for a guild funding raising quilt in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s.  I love the pattern for the lion as well as the layout which was designed by another guild member.  I think it will look wonderful after the quilting is completed

I am auditioning fabric for the final round on the second Dino quilt.  Instead of using all 6 of the little dino pictures on this one, I will save two for the back and use the other four in the corners.  I’m liking this darker green

Double click to enlarge the picture.

This was the last First Saturday of the Foxey Fassett’s.  I got my alternate block completed with no problems:

However, I kept up with my now three month tradition of cutting a piece wrong and the regular block is missing a piece……and I wasn’t even drinking (see the Bitchy Stitcher t-shirt here)!!  Here’s a picture of the block so far.  So darn it, I’ll just have to go visit the Quilted Fox to get a small piece of the dotty fabric before I can finish.

I signed up for their new First Saturday titled “Asian Attitude”.  I’m not wild about Asian fabrics but I sat out the time before the Fassett blocks and missed going and seeing my friend Darlene.  Besides that quilt turned out lovely and they always make wonderful presents so it won’t be a waste.

I drew the sewing lines on the squares to make the half-square triangles for a border on one of the Dino quilts.  I got them sewed and squared up.

I also finished sewing up the four patches I had pinned.  I have somewhere around 112 of these now so I think it’s time to come up with a plan for quilt.  I got a couple of nine patches made in there and the half squares are pinned and ready to start sewing together.

I only did some practice sewing on my new long arm….I’m not quite ready yet for a quilt but I think this coming weekend I’ll be quilting away

My new long arm arrived last night…..

And here she is after her test run…..and run she does!  I can’t wait to play around with her this weekend.

Hey, wait, what’s that on the testing material???

Why it’s the cuttest little Rail kitty.  Boy is she quick at finding the newest places to sleep!

I’ve just received word my new-to-me refurbished long arm is being delivered TONIGHT!!!  Yippee!! I’m hoping this new machine will earn a very nice name like “Sweetheart” or “Sweet Pea” because she runs so well and behaves so nicely.  We shall see

I’ve been busy but most of it isn’t sewing related but that’s not necessarily a bad thing because I’ve got lettuce, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, butternut and acorn squash in the garden.

Tomatoes is the trees (what better way to reuse kitty litter buckets than to grown upside down tomato plants, I ask you?).

Sunflowers and zinnias in the flower beds.

All of which received a layer of mulch this weekend.

In between I completed 30 or so 4 patches from my 2 1/2 inch squares and  sewed and pinned a whole bunch more.

I cut squares for half square triangles for one of the Dino quilt borders.

And cut out the pieces for the Liberty wall hanging project (from the McCalls Quick Quilts May 2005 magazine) using Cherrywood fabrics.  This should go together quickly.