She loved it

I got the wall hanging to my Mother early. She really loved it. She said it was so Springy. Today I took her to get her drivers license renewed. Well she passed and is good to go for two more years. Tomorrow my Sister is coming. First since she lost her husband in November. There wasn't a service so we didn't go up and the weather turned bad about the time we thought about going. She lives in Oshkosh, WI. We live about 4 hours away in Illinois. She was to come today, but my niece, her daughter had to have surgery on a rush basis today. She is doing fine and I am sure she is home now. Never rains but it pours at my house. Pulled out another UFO and work on it when I sit to pull in threads and check for any mistakes. Hope to have it done next week. Been a three year quilt. I loose interest to quick. It will be one more big thing out of the sewing room and on a bed. Cleaning and changing sheets so busy off to the laundry room now. Chris

Another one Done and ready to be wrapped

This is washed and ready to be wrapped. This is for my Mom's 83rd birthday. She has her Birthday on April 1st. So I am done ahead of schedule. She is having several in to play games so I will give it to her ahead of time. I used 80% cotton and 20% poly batt in it. I had to wash out the markings so it got wrinkled and puckery in the wash. The markings washed out with a regular amount of soap and cold water.

I think she will like it. She does machine work and not hand work anymore.

This is the center I placed on the top. I needed something to draw it all together. They are squares of the fabrics in the flowers and some of the border and the piping I used on the borders.

I will take pictures of it hanging when I take it into her. Chris

Three of the Four quilted

Been pressing on with this task. The quilting is going ok. Been interrupted several times and also so upsetting news happened and I had to work my way through it while I was stitching. The news wasn't anything horrible, but it will reflect in the future of a loved one. I quilted even around the outline stitched stems. I wanted it to look like it was accented. I have one more of the four to quilt around and then I can concentrate on the borders. I have run the ideas around in my head as to how much I want to quilt them. The print of the fabric is playing a role in the over all look and I don't want to over due the quilting to detract from the effect.

I have tried all kinds of markers. Even used one I thought was wash out and after marking and entire quilt found out it was disappearing. I have since used successfully the washable markers made by a major company. I am not an agent for them, but they do work quite well for what I do. My choice for the width of the quilting grid is off. I should have made it smaller, but I will live with the choice as I have so much of it done. Another lesson learned. Study it farther and for longer and you maybe will be pleased. I have had to much going on in a short time and it is playing out in my decisions. Funny how your everyday life gets in the way of being creative. Well anyway in my case. This was a by the seat of your pants project. Wasn't sure what it would turn out like. I had no plan when I started other than I liked the flowers and the simplicity of the stems and leaves. Off to get more done. Bye, Chris

Here is how I did it

The curvy borders look hard but not to bad to do. They have a bias piping on the raw edge on the surface of the appliqued pieces.

Here is the detail on the corner when it is finally sewn down. I did this by hand to get the shape to lay flat. This is the seam on the back so you can see I trimmed the excess off the back of the overlap from the edge on the front. this way less bulk to quilt through.

Here is what I did for my shape. I cut a piece of freezer paper and folded it in half. then I laid it on the fold of the fabric and cut my shape out to be the border.

I then cut bias strips about 1 inch wide and used postage twine as the rope in the inside of the sewn bias strips.

As you can see I leave some of the twine showing so I know the twine is out to the edge of the pipping.

Here it is all sewn and ready to stitch on the curved edge.

As you can see the curved edge looks like it is ruffling some but because it is bias it will conform to the curved edge.

Now that it is sewn on it is laying on the front side of the border we need to get it folded to the back.

Clip the raw edge almost to the sewn edge of the piping. This gives it the ease to be pressed to the back to lay flat.

Ready to be pressed I lay it flat on the ironing board which looks like it needs replacing. Can you see I use it alot. LOL

Fold under the seamed pieces and press the rolled piping to the top of the border.

See how nice it lays after you press the clipped bias edge to the back of the border. Now you have a nice edge to sew onto the appliques pieces. This can be done on pillowcases or apron hems so many applications.

Here is the final look. Yes all of it needs a good press, but I do that upside down on a towel and spritz the piece to be pressed. Don't lay the iron on the quilt top but hold over it to prevent creases that never seem to come out.

The borders make the look more feminine I think. I plan on a center medallion of some kind and then onto quilting. April 1st is coming fast. Any questions feel free to email me. Chris

All are stitched on to borders

I got all the hand stitching done on each block. Seamed the four blocks together and then the borders are the key in this one I think. I had hubby bring in the postage twine and I made bias piping. I sewed it to the curved border I cut out. I took a folded piece of freezer paper and cut a curvy border for the outside edges. I stitched the piping to the curved edge and trimmed and clipped so it would lay flat. I plan on stitching it down by hand on all four edges. I will miter the corners.

I have had this border fabric for a long time and not known what to use it for. It is a small pink print with yellow and blue and green little flowers in the print. I think the borders will pull this all together. more later. Chris

Working on this UFO

Finally got all the applique pieces made and stitching them down today. I burned my hand on the iron. It was on for about three hours. You know it still hurts. Here are two more to be stitched. The pinning is done and the lines drawn for the embroidery.

There are four of them all together. I plan on a wall hanging for my Mother for her 83rd birthday which is April 1st. Maybe by tomorrow I can get the sashing and borders on the pieces and then start the quilting.

She has a small entry way and the wall as you walk in the door has a curtain rod hung up so she displays different wall hangings on it different times of the year. I have made her a couple and she likes something new to look at from time to time. She doesn't applique. She pieces all her quilts. At her age her hands don't work well. She did a lot of needlepoint for years. I have a door open and an old movie on and stitching away. Chris

It is Done

Done and delivered. My neighbor was really pleased with it too. She is hard to get gifts for. Her Mother called me from Madison, Wisconsin and ordered it after a phone conversation with her daughter.

She had me make on for her Mother last year and in the conversation she said she wished she had one. So the next day the phone call came and it was in the works.
It was a surprise for and Easter gift. So it got delivered a little while ago. She was going to get on the phone right away with her Mother.

The interior has a pocket in It so it can hold a cellphone or a checkbook. She was so excited she didn't know quite what to say. I like surprising people who appreciate a gift that is homemade. Now I have a Birthday gift to get made before April 1st. Chris