UFOs Spotted in Nelson, BC!

I mentioned that our guild is having a UFO challenge. These two quilt tops were long time UFOs just waiting for their turn. 

This first quilt was made in a guild workshop in 2009 or 2010. I had so much fun making this top, I just didn't have the confidence to know how to quilt it. I finally decided it should be quilted by cheque, and so this is the first UFO I crossed off my list. I backed it with a tan mottled flannel that complements the front very nicely.  

The pattern is Heart Crazies by Janet Nesbitt of The Buggy Barn. You can visit her website here: https://www.onesisterdesigns.com/

Monica from Quilted Treasures quilted it with a swirly heart pantograph and I just think it is perfect!

Next up was another fun quilt to make. I don't know how long ago I put the top together, but probably 10 years. I needed a second quilt to accompany the heart quilt, and I thought our SIL would really like these colours. I used flannel fabrics given to me by a dear colleague from work quite a few years ago. She called these scraps, but there was enough fabric that I only had to buy the cream and green for the 4-patches and borders to put this quilt together. She is very generous 😊.

I love how this quilt turned out. Again, it sat there patiently waiting for its time to shine. I already had the backing fabric, this rich, cinnamon brown flannel called "Harvest Moon" by The Buggy Barn for Henry Glass & Co. (I actually realized when I found it that I probably bought it for the heart quilt, but oh well, I discovered it too late. And hey, it is perfect for this quilt. Ha ha!) 

I quilted diagonally through the bricks and 4-patches, no need for quilting lines, just eyeballed it. For the borders, I used a triangle ruler and Chaco marker to mark the squares. I marked one side at a time, as the chalk rubs off as I worked on the quilt.  

The corners of the squares ended up covered over a bit with the binding, but it still looks ok to me. I'm very happy with how the quilting turned out. I washed it afterwards, and it is so snuggly.  I am so pleased with it.

The quilting makes an interesting design on the back. 

This is a free pattern called Bricks and Stepping Stones, by Bonnie K. Hunter of Quiltville's Quips and Snips.

These two (UFOs) quilts were mailed off to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in Nelson, BC. They called the other day to say they have received them. I can breathe a sigh of relief. I always worry about mailing anything handmade. I've had a few incidents where parcels have been delivered to the wrong address. Anyway, they love the quilts, and my SIL said she wanted to hang it on the wall! Such a nice compliment, but I made her promise she'd use it. I am so glad they like them. Made with love. Mission accomplished!

The sun was shining so nicely the other day, I had to take a pic of the few daffodils we have out front. It's supposed to snow a bit tomorrow night! Yikes!

Happy stitching!

~Kat

Catching up...it'll take a while

Since I didn't have a personal computer for the longest time, and blogger doesn't play nice with an iPad, it has kept me from sharing my projects. I have lots of catching up. I'll be sharing what I have made over the last several years, in no particular order. After all, this is my quilting diary, so I'm not too concerned about it.

I tackled this UFO wall hanging back in February. I pieced the top a number of years ago, I just didn't know how I should quilt it. Our guild has a Queen of the UFO challenge and this has been good motivation for me to tackle some of these stagnant projects. (There are a LOT!) So, I just have to tackle the pile, one bit at a time. 😄 

I think I'm getting to the point (age) that I realize if I don't get these UFOs finished, they may just end up at a thrift store for 50 cents or something like that, and that would just frost my cookies!  I have read posts where some ecstatic quilter shares the vintage hand appliqued quilt top they picked up for $10 at a garage sale or thrift store. Darn it, I don't want that to be my one of my UFOs. So, finished is better than perfect. 

Here we go...

The directions called for you to stitch down the curved 'claws' before you sandwiched the quilt. If I was to make the fold/curve triangles again, I would wait until I was quilting to sew the curved lines down. I had to sew a second line of quilting beside the folded edge to give the claws some definition. I quilted in the ditch and then double lines to fill in the centre blocks. 

I don't have an embroidery machine so I searched for a feather image (found at colorbookfornerdings), resized and printed the image, and then cut it out. I pinned the paper feather to the quilt and  used the triple straight stitch on my machine to slowly and carefully outline the image. Click on the images to see the quilting better. 

I also quilted a medicine wheel (drafted myself) and found and enlarged an image of an arrow head. I quilted around the bear face as well with purple thread. As you can see, all this effort doesn't really show up on the printed fabric but I know it's there, and if you're close to the wall hanging, you can see it better. 

I don't like marking quilting lines. In fact, I kind of loathe it, so if I can figure out how to quilt with no or minimal marking, I will. I used my walking foot to space and quilt lines around the borders. Fun.

In the sashing, I drew a chalk line down the centre, and then placed tape on either side. I used my ruler and a pen to mark little registration marks to quilt squares and a kite shape in the sashing. Minimal marking. Easy-peasy!

And here it is all finished!

Pattern: Bear's Paw Revisited by Black Crow Designs

Approximate size: 27" x 27"

Pieced prior to 2020, finished February, 2022

Linking up to:

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

TGIFF @  Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life

I'm still here...

 It's been forever since I posted. Over two years. Sheesh.

I thought I would share a recent finish. This 16-patch quilt was made for a coworker who is battling beating breast cancer. She is an amazing woman and mom, and the most awesome coworker. I asked her what colours she liked and she said light pink and gray. I had to sneak a few fuchsias and bright pinks on the back. 😉

I used the tutorial on Sew Fresh Quilts to make the St. Louis 16-patch blocks.

For the back, I used a tutorial from the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild to make the envelopes, but instead of paper-piecing, I figured out the cutting sizes needed, and sewed the blocks. Some were not all the exact size, so I surrounded with a gray sashing and trimmed to size. I then added the white border on two sides to add interest by offsetting the blocks. I am very happy with how it turned out, and she loved it.  

Edited to add: The envelopes contain messages of encouragement from her coworkers. My favourite is the little rainbow drawn by the five year old daughter of a coworker. It is so cute!

I made this little wall hanging to remind myself that I need to take a Chill Pill once in while.  I googled the pill image and machine appliqued onto the background and finished with matchstick quilting. A fun little distraction.  

~Happy stitching!

Kat

Linking up to:

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

My Quilt Infatuation

TGIFF @ Storied Quilts