"Q is for Quilt" View RSS

What's on my desk, week 2 29 Jun 2021 5:21 PM (4 years ago)

What's on my sewing desk? Well, Squirrel! There are new piles of fabric.

I bought Bonnie Hunter's Bitcoin pattern to make scrap quilts and started cutting and piecing some columns. My husband looked in and said, "There are piles everywhere!" My unsaid reply, "And your point is?" LOL

Until next time, Mayleen

 

What's on my sewing desk? 18 Jun 2021 5:02 PM (4 years ago)

 

 

Seed Packet is actually on the design wall right now but earlier today it was on my sewing desk as I stitched together the small squares border on the right side. Unfortunately, my 1/4" seam does not match the seams in body of the quilt and I have some unpicking and resewing to do. It really shouldn't take too long to fix as in days and days but I'm simply avoiding getting started. 

With all the packing to get ready for the remodel, I came across these linens which now set on my sewing desk. There are some doilies, embroidered pillow cases, tablecloths, and I think I see my a potholder my mom made when she was in school. I know there is more of this kind of stuff in the closet behind the design wall. For years now I've been thinking of cutting squares of the embroidery out of the linens and piecing them into a wall hanging or small quilt. There are just too many quilt project ideas in my brain!

Here's another example in another corner of my sewing desk. Years ago, I collected cotton shirts which I took apart and planned to use in a quilt. Occasionally I'd use a little of the fabric in a project but mostly the shirts rested in a box. A few weeks ago, I saw a quilt made up using shirt fabric. I decided to make it. This is as far as I got before SQUIRREL! I think I'll just put those shirts back into their box until the next time I get inspired.

This is an ongoing, may never be finished, sentimental project on my desk. Every time my family gets together, we sign this tablecloth with washable markers. Then I embroider the names and launder it so that the tablecloth is ready for the next use. What really happens is that I put off embroidering until right before we get together again. Unless plans change, everyone is coming home for the July 4th holiday which means I better get that embroidery done!

 Our high temperatures have been way too hot for me this week. After coming dangerously close to overheating while working in the yard, I've cut back to just watering and light weeding until the heat and humidity break. The older I get, the less I like extreme temperatures. Something I'm thankful every year about this time is air conditioning!

Until next time, Mayleen

Seed Packet 10 Jun 2021 9:41 AM (4 years ago)

I let a few days go by and suddenly its been weeks since I've posted. Just to keep my "quilt journal" up to date, I've started Kaffe Fasset's Seed Packet quilt. This is part of the twin size top ready for its pieced borders. The problem is my design wall will need to be taken out to the living room where there's more space for me to plan out the borders this quilt. As I sit here contemplating my low energy, it may not happen today.

Also going on: hot humid weather, every plant which I optimistically planted needs water, weeds need to be pulled, and the remodeling project begin date is approaching. It involves the kitchen, dining room, living room, entry, and laundry room. Packing, donating, furniture moving, and painting (done by us) and then a month or so of remodeling (done by someone else). Dust, noise, people in and out of the house. I will be hiding either in my sewing room or outside.

I'm already looking forward to fall when the house will be put back together.

Until next time, Mayleen

Flower Blooms, real and applique 14 May 2021 11:15 AM (4 years ago)

 Some housekeeping: You've probably heard by now that Feedburner is going away soon. Feedburner is the whatever you want to call it that sends my blog to you by email. If you want to keep reading this blog, my suggestion is to sign up using bloglovin'. On the sidebar of this blog, there's a way to subscribe by clicking on it and then entering your email address. 

And now back to my week ...

 

Flowers are a big part of my life! The colors of this year's blooms are so beautiful. I didn't know what to expect after our freezing weather this year but it seems to have made the colors more intense. This iris was one of many iris plants my mom asked me to dig from her flower bed and replant in mine when she went to the nursing home. Purple and especially lavender was her favorite color.

 

The peonies were hers too and this year they have outdone previous years' blooms.

 

This photo was taken yesterday. Today we're getting some much needed rain and the blooms are water logged and bent over even though I provided support around each plant.

 

One of our cats trying to send me a message that his food bowl is "empty".

 

And lastly, my applique project progress. My sprigs blocks for the quilt guild's Opportunity Quilt are all glue basted and the two lower blocks have been appliqued. I stitch on this project when the weather doesn't allow me to be outside digging up Bermuda grass. Its my summer exercise program!

Until next time, Mayleen

Stalks on Blocks 7 May 2021 2:57 AM (4 years ago)

These are the 5 blocks I'm appliqueing for my quilt guild's Opportunity Quilt.

 

These are my stalks on blocks.

 

This is the pattern for the Opportunity Quilt!

 This is my way of auditioning the Tula Pink fabrics.

 

This is one block glue basted and ready to stitch.

That is all. Until next time, Mayleen

Ridiculous 30 Apr 2021 8:56 AM (4 years ago)

A little of this, a little of that 17 Apr 2021 4:06 AM (4 years ago)

 

I struggle to make blue quilts so this months RSC of light and/or bright blue was a challenge. Because I don't use blue often, my tub of blue scrap fabric is full so you'd think I could find fabric that would inspire me. That didn't happen. I finally ended up with this baby quilt top which will be donated. I'm ready to move on to another project.

 

I started my version of the "Mrs. Billings" quilt years ago and it became a UFO at this stage. It seems overwhelming now but my thought is to work on it a week each month or perhaps just add another border each month. Whatever I choose, I need to make progress! Before I begin on it, I need to finish the Kaffe polka dot quilt.

 

The top was "finished" but I decided to add 3 more blocks to make it a rectangle instead of a square quilt. That's been done and it measures approximately 60x80. I've begun to machine quilt it.

 

I work on it a few hours here and there. Unfortunately, hauling the sandwich around and through my machine is causing my shoulder bursitis to flare up. In other words, it may take me longer than I thought to finish and move on to the next project. Every quilting step is a season and I've decided not to push myself but try to enjoy what I can do!

Until next time, Mayleen

Spring! 2 Apr 2021 3:17 AM (5 years ago)

 "Keukenhof" is finished! I wasn't sure that was going to happen this spring but it did. Even has a label and a real hanging sleeve versus me just pinning one on. I machine quilted wavy lines with my walking foot. Nothing spectacular but I like it.

 

"Keukenhof" is a pattern found in the March/April 2017 Quiltmania magazine. When I was going through my quilting magazines, I saw it on the cover and decided I needed a spring wall hanging. Most of my wall hangings are not springy but rather more fall like.

Have you been to Keukenhof in the Netherlands and admired the beautiful flowers there? I have!

 

The tulips are raw edge fusible applique and then hand big stitched around the edges. I'd forgotten how much fun that is to do through fused batiks.

 The pattern called for scrappy green binding and yes, I could have just cut into yardage but I challenged myself to make it scrappy. I didn't have any leftover large green pieces so I started piecing together. Here you see one example of scrappy. Yes, it made for a lot of seams and two corners of the quilt are a little bulky because of it. I'm OK with it. If they bother me later, I'll steam them and them whack them to try to flatten them.

 

The daffodils are blooming but we've had some high winds lately so I rescued these daffodils and am enjoying them inside.

 

Do you know what is blooming? I've never noticed it before. This started as a peony bush but I notice several other flowers are trying to take over.

 

Rhubarb! I experimented and grew two plants in large containers and one is coming up. This winter we had a really cold stretch which probably killed the other plant. I'm trying to grow them in containers because moles/voles munched on the rhubarb plants I used to have.

 

The clematis vine I thought I killed last year is coming up!

 

I'm not excited about the henbit (a weed) which is coming up everywhere. One day last fall, I noticed a lot of seeds being broadcast by the wind in our yard. Now I know what it was. I read that each plant can produce 2000 seeds. I've got to pull or spray these before it gets that far.

 

Happy Easter! 

Until next time, Mayleen

Spring is so close! 13 Mar 2021 11:57 AM (5 years ago)

 Spring is so close!

 Some of my daffodils made it through the stormy weather and hail we had yesterday. More of that weather coming so I took a photo to enjoy.

 

Most of the daffodils look like this, not quite ready but so close to blooming!

 

Here are my green donation quilt blocks so far. Only 20 more to piece before deciding on a layout and stitching the blocks together. I just haven't got any motivation to work on it today.

 Call me crazy but I saved the waste triangles I trimmed off and I'm thinking of piecing some them. Since I didn't measure a true 1/4" when trimming and instead just whacked them off with a pair of scissors, I doubt that many of the triangles will be the same size but this could be fun! I guess it would only be fun for someone not concerned with points and matching seams, lol.

This project is what's keeping me from finishing the green donation quilt. It really is better for me to work on only one project at a time. I'm ready to fuse the tulips on the background. The pattern, Keukenhof, is from a 2017 Quiltmania magazine. I still hope to have it finished soon so it can hang in our living room this spring!

Until next time, Mayleen

Green! 6 Mar 2021 10:45 AM (5 years ago)

 I wasn't surprised that the RSC-21 color was green because March 17 is St. Patrick's Day! Also, I think all of us are waiting, maybe a little impatiently, for spring. I'm not of Irish descent but know I'm ready for green grass and my flowers to make an appearance!

 

Green is one of my favorite colors to stitch with. I used up quite a bit of my green fabric and scraps when I cut out enough pieces for a lap quilt using this block, Four Leaf Clover, designed by Stash Bandit, also known as Diane Harris. Diane spoke to our quilt guild in Wichita several years ago and just coincidentally, her logo is perfect for the pandemic. 

 

Here's the link to the free pattern: https://stashbandit.net/four-leaf-clover-quilt-free-pattern/

Stash Bandit has a blog and is on Facebook so check her out!

 

When the new color was announced, I was just starting to stitch the last polka dot block together. Its still waiting for me and it really wouldn't take long to finish but ...

 Sometime this past week, I decided to put up my Easter decorations. I'm not a big decorator but I was just so ready for something new to look at, preferably springy. Every Easter at my grandparents' house, my aunts would hide candy filled paper mache Easter bunnies somewhere on the farm. With our uncles' supervision, the grandkids had to stay inside and promise not to look out the windows but when the aunts came back in, look out! All 15 of us grandkids would run out to compete who could find their bunny first. The adults looked for theirs too but not quite as eagerly as we did. There were always the helpful clues, "You're cold!", "You're getting warm!", and "You're hot!" When everyone had found theirs, the grandkids got to hide our grandparents' bunnies. Of course, we snacked and traded candy all afternoon. One candy I particularly remember was the orange circus peanuts which were one of my grandfather's favorites. Just the thought of them now makes my teeth cringe!

I seem to have a really short attention span these days. I was happy working on the green lap quilt but I something was nagging me. It was the orangy red and purple polka dot star wall hanging which hangs above our fireplace. Not spring like, in my mind. Tried to ignore it but I couldn't and when I was sorting through my older Quiltmania magazines, my next project jumped out at me. I hope to finish it before Easter, lol!

One last photo, taken this morning. It was a little foggy, most of the neighborhood wasn't up and about yet, and the birds were singing, a perfect sunrise in my humble opinion!

Until next time, Mayleen

From squares to dots! 28 Feb 2021 6:15 PM (5 years ago)

 I've had a Love / Hate relationship with this project from the start but now that its finished, I can say I kind of like it. Even though during the "Love it" stage, I thought I might keep it, I've decided to donate it to my quilt guild's charity committee. I hope that someone of an independent nature receives it and loves it!

It gave me or actually I should say I gave myself plenty of learning situations during construction. From snipping into seams to sewing several rows in upside down, I experienced it. Not whining about it but I am realizing I need to take more care and pay attention. 

I've moved on to finishing my "Just Dotty" UFO which I didn't realize until recently needed finishing. It measured approximately 59" square which seemed an awkward size to me so I decided to make an additional 3 blocks for it. When finished it will be a throw size and I'm definitely keeping it for myself!

 

I began this quilt in a class with Kaffe Fassett and Liza Lucy at the Houston Quilt Festival I don't remember how many years ago. I used polka dot fabrics or fabrics which had circle designs, some KFC and some from other lines of fabric. Its a happy quilt!

 

 I may say this about nearly every quilt I make but the colors are so much better in person!

 

I don't think I ever shared this UFO project (below) which I began several years ago. When I began the moon collage "pattern" by Susan Carlson I allowed myself to use only fabric which I had on hand. Its not finished or glued yet, but it was something fun and challenging to try!

Until next time, Mayleen

Deep Freeze Doings 20 Feb 2021 1:21 PM (5 years ago)

 

The "Antique Rug" quilt top is finished and in the donation pile! I like it but I'd rather see it given to someone who needs it more than I do.

 

I had this fabric, a mix of Anna Marie Hoerner and Kathy Doughty, and am making another simple donation quilt top. This fabric is way out of my comfort zone but maybe its in someone else's?

 

I've started doing some simple straight line walking foot machine quilting on a UFO from a quilt workshop. Its what I call mindless stitching.

 

My granddaughter, Ruthie, was born this week! Baby quilt finished for her. I've spent the day baking some breakfast goodies for her family till mom gets back on her feet. I'm looking forward to meeting Ruthie very much! 

Meanwhile, our weather is warming up! It has been a long time since we've had temperatures this cold for this long. In Kansas, we're used to some snow and a cold snap but the sun is usually out soon afterwards to warm us up and melt the snow away. That didn't happen this time but we survived it. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone dealing with the extreme cold and its after effects.

Until next time, Mayleen

A little sunshine! 12 Feb 2021 11:13 AM (5 years ago)

I didn't think I had enough yellow fabric, the RSC21 color of month, to make much of anything but look what happened! This is a twin size donation quilt top for my quilt guild. I have just a few scraps of yellow fabric left in the tub. Its been a cheery quilt top to work on during the frigid temperatures here in the midwest. My only "wish I would have done that better" is the border. Could have matched the flowers but would have wasted a lot of fabric so it is what it is.

One day this last week, I allowed myself to start something new thinking it would cheer me up. Well, that didn't work out so well. I have a few more blocks to add and once sewn together, it will be a donation lap quilt top.

I took this photo of the view from our deck last Saturday and since then we've gotten a little snow every day. Its the very cold temperatures and wind chills we're not used to. This weekend's forecast will be especially cold and snowy. Stay warm and safe and if you have outside pets, please bring them in.

Until next time, Mayleen

Unfinished, Almost Finished, & Finished! 30 Jan 2021 11:18 AM (5 years ago)

 

I just couldn't gift the soon to be here granddaughter the previous pink princess quilt for several reasons - too thin, too small (in my opinion), and something was just not making me happy. I started over from the leftover scraps and a few extra pieces of fabric. Working with scraps limits you and frees you at the same time! This heart is what I came up with. I still need to bind the quilt but I don't have enough pastel pink fabric so it will mean a trip to the quilt store.

The colors are much better in real life. One of the fabrics I used is Fairy Frost which is glittery. Hope my daughter is still speaking to me when she notices some of the glitter comes off. I certainly am finding it in the house from prewashing and stitching. The quilt is still not what I would have liked but it is princess and ties in with the granddaughter's birth month of February. The backing is pink minky which makes this quilt very cuddly and warm.

My husband's T-shirt quilt is bound, labeled, and even has a sleeve sewn on! It will be hung in his office as soon as we get a curtain rod for it. I can't decide if I want to get out in the rainy weather (Saturday in Kansas) to go to Walmart.

For some reason, I'm at a stand still on the "Antique Rug" (Aardvark pattern). I only need two more blocks to make it a throw size. How hard can it be to finish two of these blocks?!?

 

I finished going through my quilt books! I still have to decide what to do with them and also what to do about the Quiltmania magazines on the lower shelf before I display some of my quilts in the cabinet. I plan to line the lower shelf walls with muslin to protect my quilts from the wood.

I didn't make the vintage quilt hanging behind the cabinet. It was purchased at a local antique mall and needs to be repaired. Star quilts are some of my favorite!

February's RSC21 color is "bright shiny yellow". Yellow is not a color I use often. In fact, I store the yellow, gold, orange, and rust color fabrics all in one container and its not a big container! I'm definitely going to have to put some thought into what I could possibly make with "bright shiny yellow". 

Until next time, Mayleen

I Spy a Princess T-shirt Antique Rug Cat 23 Jan 2021 10:04 AM (5 years ago)

First finish of the week - I bound and labeled my grandson's "I Spy" quilt! It will be delivered to him in February if not sooner. It makes me sad but some of my grandchildren prefer fleece blankets to quilts so he may or may not use it. I won't give up though and will continue to make quilts for the grandchildren.

My husband's T-shirt quilt, the one I made with his T-shirts without asking him first, lol. He'd actually forgotten about it and is looking forward to hanging the quilt in his home office. Anyway, it went to the machine quilter on Tuesday and I picked it up on Saturday. A quick turn around but now it needs binding so you can guess what I'll be doing this coming week. I'll show a photo of the full quilt when its finished.

My granddaughter's Princess baby quilt - I couldn't bring myself to cut the fabric apart to piece so I made a simple block quilt. My daughter asked for a smaller size quilt than a crib quilt so this quilt was finished and off the machine quilter at the same time as the T-shirt quilt. Truthfully, this baby quilt looks plain so I plan to scallop the border to try to dress up the quilt. Won't be any fun to bind but I'll deal with it.

 So rummaging around in the UFO box, I found this project with four blocks finished. I've added 12 blocks (picture is not the final layout) and it would have been 14 blocks finished but I discovered I'd sewn one of the fabric strips in upside down. That means a date with Jack the ripper and I just couldn't do it. I'll tackle it on Monday. I plan to make this lap quilt larger so I'll need what, 11 blocks more? I think I have plenty of reds but need more browns and I hope I have enough of the fabric to make that many more.

 This is the pattern, "Antique Rug", by Aardvark Quilts. The fabrics I'm using are brushed cottons, flannels, and lightweight upholstery fabrics. What I don't use for this project will be used for the backing. I haven't decided if I will keep and quilt it or donate the quilt top.

"If I fits, I sits."

 Jesse provides us with many photo ops and entertainment.

Today I'm working on a stalled out project, sorting through our photos. I've gone through boxes and boxes of photos and sorted them by approximate time frame and subject. Some photos were even put in a special box marked "Shred"! In my defense, there are only so and so many photo albums our kids will want when we're gone. The boxes are all lined up on our dining room table and have been there since the beginning of January. The cats have accepted this as normal, so normal that Jesse is currently taking a nap in one of the boxes.

I occasionally still add a quilt book to the Donate or Sell stacks. Progress has definitely slowed down. To successfully declutter, I have to be in a bad mood or stressed out which apparently hasn't been happening enough lately. That is a good thing but just maybe I need to put myself in the Git-R-Done mode!

Until next time, Mayleen

Not scrappy but its pink! 16 Jan 2021 4:13 AM (5 years ago)

 

This is fabric for my granddaughter's baby quilt which is my next project. Since I don't know what pattern I'll be using, I probably bought enough fabric for two baby quilts. More scrappy pink projects coming up.

 I've already learned that the pink Fairy Frost fabric loses its glitter in the dryer. Fun cleaning up (sarcasm) and now I'm finding little pieces of glitter on my clothes, ugh. Not sure that I'll be including that fabric in the quilt.

Unless I change my mind, the princess and castle fabrics will be blocks in the center and the rest of the fabric will be borders. I never thought I would make anything princess themed and am having a difficult time thinking of a pattern.

 

These photos, above and below, are my finished pink charity quilts for the RSC21 challenge.

 

 

Another project I finished this week was stitching on my grandson's "I Spy" quilt binding. In the store, I thought the blue fabric went OK with the border but now, not so much. It looks better than in the photo. I'm doing a fair job of machine stitching both sides of the binding to the quilt. Still needing some improvement but I'm doing this to save my hands. My hand, wrist, and shoulder can't take doing a lot of handwork anymore.

 

I'm doing fairly well at going through my quilting books! My goal is to empty that lower shelf. I think what's left are all Quiltmania magazines to go through. The middle shelf looks fairly empty but I have a few books which may go back in there. I spend an hour or two every day looking through books trying to decide if I really need to keep them. Some of them I'm keeping for inspiration and others I'm keeping because I "may" still make a project in them.

 

Yesterday, I pulled out my box of UFO's and found this T-shirt quilt top which I'd made for my husband years ago. I made this without his knowledge (not recommended for marital harmony) using the T-shirts he'd received for free at work. I figured he wasn't wearing them so ...! Anyway, the top was finished and even the backing was there. It (blue fabric in background) just needed to pieced. When I did that, it turned out to be about 3" too short so I'm going to piece a strip of green into the blue backing. Then off to the machine quilter it will go because I want this project finished and out of the UFO box.

Until next time, Mayleen

In the Pink 8 Jan 2021 10:39 AM (5 years ago)

This week I'm happy I could have sewing machine therapy!

One of my quilting goals this year is to use up more of my fabric. That's nothing new but this year I have a plan and I hope I can stick to it. 

I've decided to make one quilt top a month to donate to my quilt guild's charity committee. The color of fabric I use each month will be set by the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. If you click on the RSC21 button at the top right, it will take you to a link which explains what it is.

 

January's color was pink so I dug out any fabric I called pink and neutrals I could use with them. I have a serious lack of neutrals in my fabric stash but I found enough to make the above baby quilt top. I'd still like to add a border but not sure what yet.

 

These were the fabrics I initially pulled but I see several in the photo I didn't use. I made another search through my tubs and found others to replace the fabrics I said "not this time" to.

 

I'm also learning how to stitch with a new Janome Accufeed Flex Foot. I've been piecing and quilting with my walking foot and this new foot has taken some getting used to. I'm not sure I like it.

 I actually made two tops this month. This is the second baby quilt top partially pieced.

 

I should go finish piecing that quilt top but instead I think I'll sort through my quilt books. I have a stack of quilt books from the last time I sorted which I don't know what to do with. Donate? Sell? Put them in a box and ignore? I haven't purchased many recently but my weakness is quilt books, patterns, and magazines. Out of all these books, only a few are consulted now and then.

 If I am able to clear out at least one shelf of books, I'd like to fold some quilts to display there. Even though I rotate hanging some of my quilts, I have too many stored away. Time to enjoy them even if they're folded in a cabinet!

Until next time, Mayleen

From Christmas to New Year's Day 1 Jan 2021 6:16 PM (5 years ago)

 I'm such a sucker for star quilts!

I found this quilt in an antique mall on sale for less than $50. It needs repair and even though I've never attempted to repair a vintage / antique quilt, I decided to take it on. Some of the fabric in the lower stars have disintegrated and will need total replacement. Also, the lower border has been cut off so I will need to add a border and hand quilt it. I will not be using this has a bed quilt, it will be for display only. For now, I'm just admiring the stars and contemplating how to go about the repair.

 

Besides quilting, I love to bake and this was one of my Christmas presents! Some of the recipes sound delicious and I plan to try a few this year. When I was growing up, one of the things I was responsible for was baking a cake or pie every Saturday. I still like to bake cakes and pies!

 

Someone else got everything (maybe) he wanted for Christmas!

 

One of the fun things I do for our Christmas family get together is fold napkins in a fun holiday design. This year I tucked a few pieces of candy into napkins I'd folded into elf booties. With grandchildren ranging from 2 to 7 years old, the table and menu is casual. Someone usually spills their drink, accidentally drops their food on the floor, or refuses to eat. This year there weren't any mishaps! Instead of a traditional meal, we served waffles with vanilla sauce or other toppings, breakfast casserole, bacon, and fruit. Since it went so well, we may do it again next Christmas!

 

Besides the traditional peppernuts from my Mennonite background, I also made cream cookies which is a recipe I'd been wanting to perfect for a long time. When that went well, I thought of New Year's Cookies which are also known as portzelky, similar to the Dutch oliebollen. They are kind of like a fried raisin fritter and are usually only made on New Year's Eve or Day. The one on the right is the traditional raisin and is rolled in sugar and the one on the left has chocolate chips and is glazed. Being fried, they are definitely not healthy.

 

Also, my Thanksgiving Cactus has finally decided to bloom! I think if you look closely you can see a few red blossoms.

In the early hours of New Year's Day, it began to snow and didn't stop until we had received almost 5"! It has been several years since we've received that much snow at one time. The snow was wet and has already started to melt. So grateful for any moisture because most of Kansas is already in some degree of drought.

After I finished the Grandmama Llama quilt before Christmas, I took my sewing machine to be cleaned and checked over. I know it must have really needed it because it had been several years since its last check up. I'd been doing the routine cleaning but I hope no one gasped when they opened the machine and gazed into its inner workings!

Anyway, my sewing machine is once again home and I look forward to my next sewing project!

Until next time, Mayleen

Grandmama Llama 18 Dec 2020 12:07 PM (5 years ago)

 It's finished and delivered!

 

I made and gifted this throw quilt to my sister as a surprise present. The purple minky on the back is so soft. The pattern is Lloyd & Lola by Elizabeth Hartman with one major change. The pattern makes two large llamas but I made the llama on the left 3/4 size to celebrate my sister's first grandchild who will be arriving in a few months.

My sewing machine is now at the sewing machine shop in line for a cleaning and check up. I'm kind of lost without a quilting project right now but I remembered an embroidery project which needs to be finished. I guess there's always housework which could be done too. Note the lack of enthusiasm.

 

The one traditional Christmas cookie I've been trying to master is my grandmother's Cream Cookie recipe. She did not cook or bake with measuring cups or spoons. We do have a base recipe to use but ingredient measurements are still a guess. After several tries this month, I think I've almost got it! They are a light, soft cookie with a delicate flavor. Tomorrow, I'll bake a batch for Christmas when our family is, hopefully, here. Unless someone gets sick or is exposed to Covid in the next few days, we are going to try to get together.

 

My Amaryllis shot up another stalk with four more beautiful blooms! Our cat, who is definitely not supposed to be on the table, loves the Amaryllis and has been scolded a few times already. Actually, what he is most interested in is the tie holding the stalk to the support and maybe even more importantly, he likes to sleep on the quilt!

Merry Christmas and my wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!

Mayleen

Christmas Projects 6 Dec 2020 3:25 PM (5 years ago)

 I love flowers and while I do have some houseplants, none of them bloom in winter. I hadn't had an Amaryllis for years but when I saw them for sale at Lowe's, I purchased one. 

 

I was surprised it bloomed so early but three out of the four blossoms are open. I am also forcing some Paperwhites. Again its been years since I grew any. I'm hoping my Thanksgiving Cactus plants will bloom for Christmas. I need flowers!

 

I can't reveal what I'm working on because its a gift but you might be able to get an idea from the designer's name, Elizabeth Hartman. This is the first time I've made any of her patterns and my advice if you're thinking of trying one, label every piece and be as organized as possible.

Just a stack of quilts which need my attention.

 

Instead of stitching binding or doing whatever quilting task needed, I'm baking. This weekend, I made two new to me peppernut recipes. These are photos of Salted Peanut Peppernuts and I also made Molasses Peppernuts. More baking to come.

 

If I'm not careful, its going to be "Once over the lips, forever on the hips." I look forward to all the traditional goodies and treats but I'm always relieved to get back to simple foods in January.

 

Recently, a friend posted on Facebook asking about first Christmas trees. Photo is not our first Christmas tree, lol! However, today we were doing some decorating and we found the box of red yarn which we tied onto a houseplant the first Christmas we were married. We lived 6 hours from family and were going to be able to go home to see them so we didn't buy a tree for our apartment. Today I decided to decorate my ficus tree just for fun as a memory of 40 years ago!

 

We don't put up a Christmas tree anymore. Instead we put up what we call our memory wreath. Its all the ornaments which bring back memories of our children or events recent or years ago. The wreath hangs over our fireplace for the Christmas season. Every year, we have to repair a few ornaments, some break beyond repair, and, some are no longer hung but we always remember.

Until next time, Mayleen

Christmas and Quilts 21 Nov 2020 3:08 AM (5 years ago)

 I set a goal to finish piecing two projects before the end of the month and, surprise, they've been delivered to the machine quilter before Thanksgiving!

 

If Kaffe Fassett fabric could make a Christmas quilt, this would be one! The pattern is "Scarlet & Emerald" by Lori Q. Allison. I'm hoping I'll get the quilt back from the quilter in time to bind it and display it before Christmas. Unfortunately, this photo doesn't do the colors justice. (That's my ironing board at the bottom.)

I forgot to take a photo of my other finish, the "I Spy" quilt. I added borders to it this week and its also at the machine quilter.

 

Its also time to start baking which I love to do. These are Molasses Ginger peppernuts which was a new to me recipe. Since I didn't know what they'd taste like, I only made a half batch and they are already gone. More baking coming soon!

 My Christmas cactus in the background is really a Thanksgiving Cactus but isn't showing any sign of blooming soon. No buds which makes me sad. I've been fertilizing it and trying to make sure it gets the darkness and light it needs. Maybe it will bloom later this year.

Last week, I was the speaker at our virtual Prairie Quilt Guild meeting. Here's a link to photos of my trunk show if you'd like to see more of my quilts.

 https://www.facebook.com/mayleen.vinson

Stay well and treasure each day!

Mayleen

I Spy a Bison 6 Nov 2020 9:34 AM (5 years ago)

 

Saturday, November 7, is National Bison Day so I'm sharing my thread painted "Bison Beauty" wall hanging made in 2018. Inspired by a photo: Original American Bison Cow photograph, copyright David J. Drew. Used with permission. The photo was taken at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge near Canton, KS.

 "Bison Beauty" won several ribbons for me and hung in the 2018 International Quilt Festival in Houston.

 This week I finally got all 130 "I Spy" blocks pieced together! Next week, I'll add the inner and outer borders.

Emerald & Scarlet

Sometimes I read instructions, sometimes I just look at the pattern photos to put a project together. This time I read the instructions but didn't check the pattern photos. I thought I knew what I was doing but wrong! I now have 32 blocks to take apart because the Kaffe Fassett Zig Zag and Jupiter stripes are running in the wrong direction. Easy work, just annoying because I didn't pay attention.

Until next time, Mayleen

I Spy! 26 Oct 2020 9:15 AM (5 years ago)

I have two current projects, never a loss for something to work on especially since I recently found several UFO's packed away and will have to add them to my list. I have finished 51 snowball blocks for my grandson's "I Spy" quilt and need a total of 130. My goal is to make 20 each morning and then move on to my other project which I've only just begun. 

I can't remember when I've made something from a kit but this new project is just that. It was easier than trying to figure out how much fabric I needed to order in addition to what I have in my fabric stash. Since we're having an early wintry mix of snow and ice for a few days, I hope to accomplish quite a bit of piecing and have a photo for next time!

Stay warm, Mayleen

Selvage Pie 13 Oct 2020 7:28 AM (5 years ago)

 

"Selvage Pie", 82x82", machine quilted by Jan Hutchison

I finally finished "Selvage Pie"! It's a pattern by Marianne Fons which I made with selvages donated by Prairie Quilt Guild members. It should have hung in our guild show this past June. When our show was cancelled, all that was left to do was the binding and I just put it off. Not to mention, I had made a big mistake which needed to be fixed first. Anyway, its finished which is a big relief.

 

What am I working on now? Binding. Unfortunately if I'm at it too long, my shoulder, arm, and hand start to hurt so I'm trying not to push myself too hard.

 Some of our grandkids spent this past weekend with us! It just so happened it was probably the last really warm weekend this year so they requested a pool party. We just have two wading pools but we've got a lot of water toys. They spent hours playing in the water and watering my flowers, bushes, and trees. Very helpful since we're in a drought.

 

We also decorated Molasses jack-o-lantern cookies. The cookie without any candy was decorated by the youngest who promptly ate any candy we gave him. Do you see the face his fingers made in the frosting? It actually looks spookier than any of the other cookies!

I'm also trying to savor any time outside in the garden because colder temperatures are on the way. Enjoy the season!

Until next time, Mayleen

ALL of the Orphans 3 Oct 2020 11:24 AM (5 years ago)

 Five years ago, I completed my term as president of the Prairie Quilt Guild in Wichita, KS. Our guild has a tradition that the outgoing president may ask for guild members to make a block for her. Having no idea how many blocks I would receive, I decided to ask for UFO blocks to challenge myself in setting them together. During the year, we had an unofficial theme of finishing UFO's.

I used to know how many I received but it was many. Quilters are generous and somehow I suspect a few guild members gave me all the UFO blocks they had! 

It took me 5 years but I just finished piecing and binding all 6 of the orphan block quilts I made. The sleeves and labels still have to be made and stitched on.

This is one of the latest finishes. Earlier, I named it the Quilt Math quilt because of all the crazy math I did which was usually wrong but I'm changing the name to "Two Gold Bars". It measures 65x79 and was machine quilted by Annette Haga of Bluebird Quilting. I hope you see the two vertical gold bars on either side of the medallion. I'm don't know why I didn't notice how prominent they are until after the quilting was done. I tried to think of a way to make them less noticeable without going to a lot of extra work but for now have simply decided to allow them to "be". Besides gold bars make me think of actual gold bars which sounds much better than quilt math!

The Orphanage Quilt was the last finish! I decided to put all the remaining blocks in one quilt. It measures 84x89 and was quilted by Annette Haga of Bluebird Quilting. I added some spool blocks which I won in a guild giveaway back in 2015. Its a combination of antique, vintage, hand pieced, machine pieced, and just about every style of block known. Very quirky but I rather like it! I bound the top and bottom along the double wedding ring block edges which is something I'd never done before. I doubt I want to do it again.

 

Patriotic Orphan was one of the first orphan block quilt finishes (1996) and was supposed to resemble a flag. I need to do some searching for the name of the quilter of this wall hanging. It measures 53x75. I think this is the only red, white, and blue quilt I've made. I like the colors but I've just never made one before.

 

This is Orphan Heart, made in 2016, measures 82x90" and was quilted by Pam and Kurt Sackschewsky. It was inspired by a Jen Kingwell's "Gypsy Wife" quilt I saw on Pinterest. She now has a pattern out called "Boho Heart" which would be much easier to make than to follow my technique. I just put blocks on my design wall in a heart shape and then filled in the empty spaces.

 Utility Orphan which you've seen before, about 55x55" and quilted by me. Does anyone know the name of this block?

I don't have a name for this one yet so until I do, I call it the "Orange and Purple Orphan", measuring about 72x72". Quilted by Annette Haga of Bluebird Quilting. This was also made back in 2016. I think its a good example of adding Kaffe Fassett fabrics to traditional color blocks. I think the quilt blocks are unified by his fabrics. Before I started quilting with his fabrics, I probably wouldn't have put the color orange in this quilt but I like it!

This is my supervisor who was watching while I photographed quilts on my design wall yesterday! He's sitting on top a wall unit about 6 1/2 feet tall.

Until next time, Mayleen