Final layout and July 2014 OPAM

This is the final layout for my Great Granny squares:

Setting square triangles and borders to do and this is a top!  Can we say 'happy, happy, happy'?!

For July 2014 OPAM (One Project A Month), the following got done:

Two neck pillow cases:

Have a great day!

After a couple of days ....

My quilt is growing and I'm loving it more and more with each block made.  After a bit of thought, this is the layout that I'm going with. 

Do you want to see my latest basket acquisition?  This beauty was found at Chapters on a shopping day to Sudbury, Ontario last week.  It was a bonus deal at 50% off.  I just couldn't leave it there!  :o)

Have a great day!

I really shouldn't ...

..... start a new quilt .... but I just couldn't help myself. 

You know, when blogland starts a trend, sometimes I jump on the bandwagon right away and other times, I join in years later.  Do you remember the Great Granny quilts that were the rage about a year ago?  It has been on my 'to do' list and the time was right to make one of those quilts.

This is my version so far.  Four blocks on the right are done and four blocks on the left are ready to be assembled.

My quilt will be a good size lap quilt once the borders go on.

I just needed something quick and easy to do and this pattern fits the mood perfectly.


Have a great day!

Had some help

My Oh Wonderful, Summer's Here project is starting to come to an end.  The last bottom section has all been prepped and pinned onto my design wall and a couple rows (see the empty space) came with me to our cottage last weekend.

 

So, who helped me?  My 26 month old grand neice.  She so wanted to help me sew and she did.  I would put the needle through two pieces  ...... 

and then say 'pull' and her tiny fingers would pull the thread (while I still had control of the needle) and thus we continued until she had enough of sewing and off she went onto other adventures.  Still, she would come back and help me sew again and again.  She and her stuffed bunny.  So, the procedure was I would do a few stitches, then bunny and then her.  :o)

I'm sad that there is no photo of us all sewing together.  Is there a future quilter in the making?  I'm hoping so!

Once the above rows have been sewn together, more rows will come off the design wall and this method will be repeated over and over until the last stitch has been sewn.  I'm hoping by the end of August this will be a completed top.

Have a great day!

EPP

English Paper Piecing!  I am so addicted, it is unbelievable!

Since my last post, it got me thinking about all the EPP projects that have been done or started.  Surely, not many, I thought.

Well, let's see how many?  Let's count them up!

Here are three completed quilts:

One completed top:

Five projects in different stages:

Oh my, I never thought that there were so many!  Yikes, how did this happen?  Oh well, what can I say except it has been a blast of fun so far!  :o)

Looking at all these photos, there is quite a nice variety of different patterns.  How many more new patterns will I do before getting bored with EPP?  That is the question.

The other question is .... should I even attempt to tally up the hours in making these quilts?  Nope, that is not going to happen!

The main concern for me, right now, will be to get more of these projects to completed top stage.

So, would you think that I am addicted to EPP?  Oh yes!

Have a great day!

Another apple core

While I have been busy doing more prepping for my Oh Wonderful, Summer's Here, the time has come to think about a new EPP project to work on.  I just can't believe how addicting EPP is!

Enter, a new apple core quilt.   Oh all right, I have done more than just think about it!  :o)  Now, that I have sorted out the easier way of doing it, it is full steam ahead.

An email from a friend of a friend helped to get me sorted out.  The friend added a link to this tutorial.  Thank you, Cathy!


Since I'm not a fan of using glue of any kind, my apple cores are being basted.  About 10 yrs. ago, I did use glue for applique, but stopped using it and am not truly convinced that is the way to go.

This is my plan for doing the apple cores in sections.  A total of 44 neutrals and 44 prints are needed per section.  

There are 7 sections left to do, and below shows the start of getting the neutrals cut out and ready to be sorted into piles.

All my neutrals are now in piles with extras if I decide to make my quilt larger.

This is the start of the prints being sorted out.  This is where it gets interesting because not all the prints will be in each section.  The overall look will be interesting once it is all together.

Finished size of my quilt will be 60" x 92".

Once all the apple core pieces are cut out and sorted, this project will be packed away because I really do want to get my Oh Wonderful, Summer's Here to a completed top stage.

Then yesterday, did I not find an interesting apple core quilt on Pinterest?  Oh my, this will be one that will be on my 'to do' list, for sure!

Have a great day!

FQ Challenge

Well, after three days of embroidery work and embellishment, this is where my FQ Challenge is at.  What a huge difference it makes to my top.


It went from this:

To this:

Some time ago, I purchased a large package of assorted buttons and inside were all these small red buttons.  So perfect for this project.

Now, it is time to sandwich this top and do some hand quilting.

Have a great day!

FQ Challenge

With my Oh Wonderful, Summer's Here project, it is at the stage where more prepping work has to be done.  Perhaps by the end of our summer, you might see new photos of it.  The last section is so tantalizing close to being finished!

While I prep, there will be other projects that are being worked on.  Do you want to see a new top that I've been playing with?


I haven't shown this piece before and my story needs to be backed up a bit for explanation.  Below is how it got started.

One of the guilds that I belong to, Northern Lights Quilter's Guild, had a FQ challenge using this fabric:

 and from it, we had to do the following:

• make a flower
• make an insect
• make a heart
• make an object
• make a block

At our guild's December 2013 meeting, everyone was given a FQ and the challenge was explained.  The challenge started in December 2013 and each month we were given the different items to make.  I waited until the last item (at our guild's May 2014 meeting) was announced and then got busy.

This is my block.  It measures 25-1/2" x 25-1/2" and the center is 15" x 15".  There will be outer borders, but this was the starting point.

For my insect, the butterfly in the fabric was fussy cut  and made into circles:

For my heart, what about a yo-yo heart (can you see my three insects)?

For my object, a bias strip of fabric was sewn onto some ribbon to make a bow:

For my flower, I might as well stick with the yo-yo theme:

The heart and flowers were backed with red so that they would stand out and not fade into the background fabric.

Then we were given a choice of fabrics (this was my choice) to make a bird:

My bird just didn't fit in the overall look, so I decided to make it into a label.  We just had to make a bird and there was no rule on the placement.  We are always encouraged to think outside the box and I did just that!  :o)  For my bird, the back side of the fabric was used.  Details will be added to the label once the quilt is finished and then the label will be sewn onto the back of the quilt.

This is what my block looked like before outer borders were added:

Borders really help define the look and I can't believe how quickly this top went together.

In my close-up shots, you can see a lot of drawings/scribblings.  This is where embellishment comes into play and that is what I'm doing now.  Playing with beads and buttons and embroidery.

Working on this new challenge reminded me of a swap that I did way back in May 2008.  This is the little wall hanging that was made and I have always wanted to make another one for myself.  Time slipped away and I never did make one for me until now. 

Have a great day!

Canada Day

July 1 --- Canada Day!