Slow Sunday Stitching 11.20.22

 I'm cruising along on putting stitches of floss into the dresser scarf that my grandma left behind in 1975.

I only have a few more leaves to stitch.  Hmmm.  Now that I look at it in this photo, I'm starting to think that they were supposed to be grapes and grape leaves.  My grandma only had some of the brown stitched when I found it.  She didn't have any purple floss in the tin.  I'm going to leave my design decision as is.

It's almost time to find another project for my sew-to-go bag.  That's exciting!!!

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.  Kathy has been feeling a little under the weather.  Stop by to wish her well.

RSC22 -- Be Positive Is Complete

This morning I finished the final stitches on Be Positive.

This plus quilt was started back in 2016 as part of the RSC.  I was making another quilt that had 2.5" strip pieces left from each block that was enough to make each plus.  Win, win.

 

We only have a little snow on the ground today.  It's an Ohio 25 degrees--if that makes sense.  The quilt top was completed on 1/1/2022.  It was my New Years Day sewing project this year.  Glad it finally made it to the finish.  I really do like the 1.5" (1" finished) sashing and cornerstone pieces.  The scrappy neutrals are so much fun to me too.

I made the pieced back and scrappy binding during "red" month this year of the RSC. 

It measures 69" x 99".

I longarm quilted it with the design called Marmalade by Urban Elementz.  I'm loving the versatility of this desing.  My muscle memory really likes it too.  It's fun to quilt.  The only drawback is that it is an 8" design and I have to advance the quilt sooner than I would like.  It's worth the results.

I'm linking up to the Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More.

I'm linking up with Angela's blog, SoScrappy, for the RSC22. 

I'm also excited that for the most part I have been keeping up the the 2022 UFO Challenge.  This quilt was the number to work on for November.

This weekend Mr. Sunshine is off to an adventure.  He is at a youth group retreat with an awesome local college group called Young Life.  He's been away from home before.  This should just be another fun, hopfully spiritual adventure.

Austin & Owen below--ready for the cold

Yes, it's only a picture of a bus full of kids ready to go on a fun, spiritual adventure.  But it's MY BABY!  (my 15 year old baby that I am so proud of how independent he is becoming.). I told him that if they stop at McDonalds not to purchase food for the whole bus on the his McDonalds app.  LOL.  I can't wait to hear all about it.

A Friday Finish -- Rescue Patchwork Quilt

 It's late in the day, but I'm not going to let today go by without showing you my finish!

Of course my sister-in-law was being silly when she held it up with her head showing.  She didn't even recognize the quilt.  (She's definitely isn't a quilt or fabric person.) I explained to her that this is the quilt top she found for free at a garage sale along with some other vintage fabric.  I just finished it for her.  Here's a better photo without the hat.  

I then asked her if she wanted it.  She was thrilled.  I didn't know what to do with it anyways.  It was just going to go on the charity quilt pile.  She excitedly grabbed it up and immediately told me where she was going to put it in her house.  Perfect!  I didn't even measure it.  I'm happy it has a home and that I can cross it off of the WIP list.  I think it took me a whole 20 or so minutes to do the straight-line quilting on the longarm machine.

I didn't get a pic of the whole back.  You get the idea of what I call straight line, organic quilting.  I didn't get it officially measured either.  Oh well...  It's taller than my SIL (she's 5'2").  It's about 45" wide.

I'm linking up for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Oh, and here's the best picture.  My SIL took it home and put it across the bottom of her bed.  Inspector Zoe (age 17) claimed it immediately.  😋

Star Surround Orphan Block Table Topper -- Complete

 I completed this little table topper today.

It measures 23" square.  I quilted it with my straight-line "organic" quilting on the longarm.  I meant to finish this piece a long time ago.  It was a leftover block from the Star Surround QA at Happy Quilting in 2013.  I was experimenting with different sized blocks, and this orphan block was born.

This is the original quilt that was finished in 2014.

The binding and the backing are the same.  From the front I don't think you can tell that the fabric is an Easter design.  The colors are fun and brighter in real life.

Midweek Makers 11.16.22

I'm excited that it was another productive week.  I have been in longarm quilting mode.  Here's what happened:  

I finished the longarm quilting on the patchwork quilt that belongs to a friend and delivered it Monday.

I love this quilting design by Urban Elementz called Marmalade.  I think it makes this plain quilt really sparkle and shine.

I finished the little Snail Trail candle mat.  Here it is on my son's stand by his chair in the living room.  It's a little big for the stand, but it will do.

Speaking of snail trails...  I also finished this tessalating cat quilt!

Another quilt that I am using the Marmalade quilting design on is Be Positive.  This was a project that I started as an RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) in 2016.

I finished the longarm quilting on my friend's memory quilt and returned it to her on Sunday.

Here's the resque quilt that I quilted so fast last week that I didn't have time to take a photo.  It is in the "needs binding" group now.  My sister-in-law got it for free at a garage sale along with some other fabric.  We thought it was worthy of finishing.  I used straight line quilting on the longarm to quilt it.

I started stitching on this vintage dresser scarf.  This project was one that my grandmother did not finish.  She passed away in 1975.  It's deserves to be done.

I'm linking up with Susan for Midweek Makers here.

38 Items remain on the WIP list. (I've had over 90 in the past!). This is PROGRESS!!!

Pieces Need to be Cut & Sewn

 1.  Amish Country BOM (from Lynn, Johnna's mom)

 2.  Digging up Bones (Owen's dinosaur quilt)

 3.  HST Three, Six, Nine Quilt

 4.  Picadilly Circle (one block and border to go)

 5.  ...And Sew On BOM at Quiet Play (one block to go)

 6.  RSC16 Folk Art Birds

 7. Little Houses (2.5" blocks) 

8.  Dresser Scarf (My Grandma's WIP from the 1970's found 1/1/20

9.  Classic Meets Modern BOM

10.  Gypsy Wife QA started in August 2017

11.  Mod Mod QA (from Block Lotto, circles w/lines)

12.  Unity Quilt Along with Bonnie Hunter (started 4/1/2020)

13.  2.5" Scraps from Dani -- making "cracker" blocks 

14.  Maroon Sampler Quilt--I found this on 2.6.21

15.  Kathleen Tracy's 2019 Mystery Quilt Facebook QA started in March, 2019 

16.  Leah Day Building Blocks QA 

 Blocks Still Need to be Made

 1.  Bluepatch Mystery Quilt

 2.  Finding Nemo Scrappy Trip quilt 

 3.  We Can Do It Skill Builder Sampler

 4.  Drunkard's Path Variation quilt

Blocks Are Made But Need to be Sewn Together (and/or Some Sashing)

 1.  Tula Pink's City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks 5/17/17 QA

 2.  Cruise blocks won from Libby

 3.  Cathy's CRAZY BY DESIGN Dot Dot Dash Bag, Won April, 2018

 4.  Split Stars (blocks won from the Block Lotto, October, 2012)

 5.  African Violet baby quilt (Block Lotto inspired)

 6.  Tall Fly (blocks won from Block Lotto)

 7.  Pre-printed cross stitch pillow sham (May 2018)

 8. Flower Baskets (blue and white with some applique) Block Lotto win 10/1/18

9.  Rail Fence Blocks (started January 2021 as my leader/enders)

10.  Kite Girl (RSC14)

11.  Cheddar Jack cat pattern

Quilt Back Needs to be Made (Tops are Done)

1.  Card Trick (pink and blue)

2.  Hunter Green Star Quilt 

3.  Random Ohio Stars -- started January, 2022

Ready to Longarm

1.  Bubble Gum Pink & Navy Quilt

2.  Plus Quilt (Be Positive) started in 2016; quilt top completed 1.1.22 -- A November APQS UFO goal to quilt

Needs Binding

1.  Rescue Quilt from my SIL (patchwork squares)

2.  FOUND sawtooth star block that I have been looking for (for a couple of YEARS!)

On The Go

I took this little candle mat with me to pin the binding down.  Here it is for the photo shoot of it on my steering wheel.

I'm sitting in the parking lot of the school I am subbing for the day.  It was a beautiful morning when the sun was shining.  I like to get to this school a little early when I sub here because the parking lot is very small.  There have been days that I couldn't get a spot and had to park in the residential area across the street.  Enjoying the bright sun while I can.

...and yes, those are regular pins.  I didn't want to bring my precious Magic Pins and lose one.  These will be fine for this small project.  I love the texture of the dense quilting on this little project.  I call it my straigh-line organic quilting.  It's not perfectly spaced.  It's super fast to do on the longarm.  This little mini will lay VERY flat on the table.

The Last Two

The last two quilts that I am quiting for others are ready to go back home.  There's a sigh of relief that they are done.  Now I can quilt things that I have made.

Back in the day we would never think to take photos like this.  But now in the digital age we can document anything.  There is only one red bin on my Circle Lord Giant Template Storage System.  LOL.  Usually there are two (my stuff and other's stuff).  I am enjoying the feeling of checking things off the list before it is too cold to quilt.

The wheelbarrow photo above the red bin has a cute story.  It was purchased in December, 1998.  It is very sentimental.  You see, I have always loved gardening.  Yes, my flowerbeds and gardens have weeds, but I still like to grow things.  My husband and I were only dating for four months back then, even though we met in 1995.  We made it serious in 1998.  

It was time for me to get my horse's hooves trimmed that December.  My blacksmith was Amish.  I could not call him to make an appointment.  It was a rare Saturday morning that I did not work.  My husband (then boyfriend) tagged along as I went to make the arrangements to pick up the blacksmith sometime in December and drive him trim my horse's hooves and then drive him back to his shop.  (My blacksmith also did not drive or own a vehicle due to his religious beliefs.). 

After making the arrangements for the appointment, my husband and I stopped at a cute little Amish place for breakfast.  I remember him wearing his good Carhart coat and his JEGS hat.  We were younger and crazy in love and couldn't stop looking at each other over eggs and pancakes.  We still hadn't said those "magic words" to each other yet.  When were were leaving the resturant I saw this picture hanging in the hallway.  It was for sale.  I mentioned how much I liked it.  I didn't buy it at the time.  

Monday morning came.  (My husband and I only dated and did not live together before we were married.) We both went to work.  After my long 12-hour shift at the heavy equipment factory I drove to Amish country on my way home to buy the picture.  I thought it would look great in my living room.  I went into the store and the picture was GONE!  Bummer.  It was the only one.  It was a very small place.  I noticed the waitress and the cashier were the two that were there on Saturday.  One gave me a cute little smile.

Then I asked, "Do you remember what the guy looked like that bought this picture today?"  I described my husband as tall and handsome with a small, trimmed beard and most likely wearing a Carhardt coat and JEGS hat.  The one girl kinda shook her head a little and didn't answer and acted like she was busy cleaning.  I continued to ask her if she knew of where I could buy another picture like that or if there were more in that series that I could see.  The other girl said, "Just tell her so that she doesn't go down the street and buy another one." The girl then said, "He loves you very much."

My heart skipped a beat and happy tears started to flow.  

I received the wheelbarrow picture as a Christmas gift in 1998.  :)