Getting Back to basics

Just before Christmas a friend asked me to create this T-shirt quilt for his grand daughter.  Since I had never done one before I accepted the challenge.  It wasn't particularly difficult to do...a basic pattern with cornerstones and sashing and voila...a quilt.  The challenge consisted of two parts....one getting the logo or design centered on the correct backing to keep the material from stretching while being sewn. That didn't prove overly problematic.  I got the backing from Amazon and it worked very well...gave the fabric the stability it needed and I had googled how to ensure the logo was centered on the fusible webbing and cut it accordingly.  The second part was with the quilting. I had to mark a design and DD #1 had given me erasable pens for long arming and I got to use them...that worked as well.  I would like to add here that this is a project that I probably will never do again.  Not difficult just not my cup of tea...

 

 Just a little after Christmas cheer...a new ornament .

 This is a shoebox quilt.  My friend Marilyn cleaned out her orphan blocks and sent them along to me to put together a quilt for our Chemo project.  Some of the squares are hers and some are mine and a couple were created to pull it all together and finish it at the right size. DD #1 was here for Christmas and she and I played with the arrangement. It will never win a ribbon for artistry but hopefully it will make someone undergoing chemo treatment warm and realize that others care.

Chemo Quilt finished...

This quilt came out a little darker than it actually is.  It is all batiks...excluding the backing.  I started yarn rug hooking a few weeks ago...one of those bucket list things and have been meeting with other rug-hookers on Monday afternoons.  One of the ladies there had mentioned a friend going through Chemo and I gave her one of the quilts from the SVQG chemo project. In return she donated this....a kit she had purchased and decided she would never finish.

I gratefully accepted and brought it home.  Today I finished it.....it is now quilted and bound and ready to go to another....I would hazard a guess that it should go to a man since it has become rather masculine in its look.  To that end I put a blue backing.  IN the picture below I turned over the back so you could see the quilting a little better. 

 I've become a little obsessed with making chemo quilts.....not just because it is my nature to be obsessive about some things it is mostly because I am overwhelmed to hear about the number of people going through the big C.....I don't quite know if it is an age thing or it is a regional thing. Regardless, I just hope that those that receive these quilts know that even strangers care.

Busting my Stash!

This is the back....I folded it over to see if the quilting could be seen. If you click on you can enlarge....not that you need to.   I wasn't sure how to quilt this one . Once I put it in the frame it sort of came to me. It is a simple quilt....easy to put together.  Simple quilting with a little feathering and I was happy with the result.

 I saw this quilt on pinterest and determined the size of the rectangles and raided my stash. I think I may make another in this pattern. worked up quickly and I like the finished product  Colorful and cuddly....the perfect combo for a chemo quilt. Next time I may complicate the quilting...need to keep my skills up.....

another PHD

This one was packed away with a lot of fabric (just in case I ran out) from around 2004.....sad really, to think about these projects have done......

DH was travelling to Newfoundland and he was able to bring me with him....couldn't drive the RCMP car so I spent most of my days in the hotel room or wandering around the various towns we were in so I had to have something to do while we were there.

I wasn't about to bring a sewing machine with me so hand work was the answer.  Got these nine squares done in about a week and once we got back home I put them aside to finish up in a quilt later....which brings us to almost 20 years passing and time to clean up my craft rooms (studio for you more serious crafters). Interestingly enough the dark fabric was 60 inches wide and I had ample fabric to use for the backing...also had lots of the blue left over as well. It gave me the opportunity to practice some more free motion and ruler usage....sure do love that. Hopefully, someone will get the benefit of it in our chemo project at guild.
 

Three out of four ain't bad...

This my 'flimsy" , ready to be quilted.  I sat and looked at it for a while  Not really sure how it should be quilted.  

I put it in the frame and looked at it some more waiting for inspiration to strike.

It took a while!

I think that sometimes the simplest quilting can be the best way to show case the pattern. Sooo.....I just did some circles and straight lines using rulers...the one that came with my machine and ruler work kit ..and one of the new ones that I bought in Ottawa this spring.  I'm sort of happy with the way it turned out....

What I am not happy about is the simple fact that when I started this, I did the top border a certain way and then got into the  main part of the quilt for a little bit and left it for a couple of days. Then I went back to it and finished it this am........I totally forgot how I had done the top border and the did the bottom border completely different. I am just going to have to draw this stuff out as a reminder....doh!

This is the back so you can see more of the quilting.  the other thing I realized is that doing the mitered corners I can usually get three of them perfectly done but there is always that fourth one that eludes me.  

Oh well, three out of four ain't bad...right????
 

cute little project

We took a little trip to Ottawa to visit our DD # 1 since she has a birthday in May it seemed like the perfect time to visit. Plus I wanted to see her puppy again who is now over a year old...a beautiful Australian Shepard....supposedly a miniature American Aussie...although he is turning out to be a big boy.

While there I noticed in her sewing area that she had several of these small project bags....all with small hand work projects (I have said it before and will probably say it again...acorn...tree). I really liked them so she gave me her pattern and today I made myself one.  Easy peasey....so much so , that  I will probably make more.  It took about two hours...from start (choosing fabric) to finish(filling it with a little hand project....hexies). 

I love visiting my daughters....one quilts ( DD # 1 )  and DD # 2 is a knitter. DD #2 took me to a really amazing yarn shop....gorgeous yarns and an owner that was incredibly knowledgeable about patterns and yarns. She and DH got into a great discussion about the Bay of Fundy , keeping him occupied while I found some beautiful yarn. ( A method to her madness much appreciated). A good trip all around....might do it again this fall...