OMG 2016 11: Bind the Charity 9 Patch Quilt

Front

Okay - this month I'm going to bind the charity nine-patch quilt

that has been haunting me for a month or two!

Back

Linking up to http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2016/11/one-monthly-goal-november-goal-setting.html

OMG 2016 11: Bind the Charity 9 Patch Quilt

Front

Okay - this month I'm going to bind the charity nine-patch quilt

that has been haunting me for a month or two!

Back

Linking up to http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2016/11/one-monthly-goal-november-goal-setting.html

OMG May 2016: Finish Piecing Husband Quilt

I didn't do more than briefly look at the box where I have the pieces to the quilt storeed last month, so my goal for May is the same as it was for April.

Finish piecing the husband quilt.
Written up here:
http://quiltquest.blogspot.com/2016/04/omg-april-2016-finish-piecing-husband.html

Linking up to:
http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/05/omg-may-goalsetting.html

OMG April 2016: Finish Piecing the Husband Quilt

http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/04/one-monthly-goal-plans-for-april-20.html

My One Monthly Goal this month is to finish piecing the top for the quilt for my husband.

I found a box with a label that makes me think all the pieces of the quilt are in it....

Well, I hope everything is in there.

It's been a while since I have worked on this...

DH has looked on and nodded when I show him my progress on finishing a block for the stash bee, for a charity quilt, he was glad to get the Play with Me game pillows.

He thought it was nice that I was making the tumbler quilt for his friend in Denver and seemed to appreciate the time it took to do the quilting (my January OMG).

He looked on when I worked out the quilting for the charity quilts that I finished this year.

But I remember him standing in the doorway and watching me layout the purple windmill quilt and asking me who was getting that... (Feb and March OMG)

It's time for him to have a quilt.  It's time for us to have a quilt.

It will be scary really to have a quilt that I make that stays here.  It's scary that I've gone ahead and made the quilts for Denver and for Sweden too - but even a bigger step perhaps to say that I will make a quilt that will stay here!

I've read him the post by ChrissieD - "even the dog has two quilts"  to make him laugh and realize he wasn't the only husband without a quilt.

There was a quilt book that I can't find right now that talked about how the author was finally making a quilt for her husband.  Heck,  just search for "quilts for husband" and you will read about quilters who have left their family without - even though their hobby or their livelihood is quilt making!

So he isn't alone.  We aren't alone.  But by the end of this month I at least want to have the quilt top made.

Here is a post where I wrote about the project - in 2013 complete with an encouraging note from Heidi - Red Letter Day OMG Heidi!

http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/04/
one-monthly-goal-plans-for-april-20.html

So I'm committing to finally finishing the quilt top during April 2016!

Wish me luck!

Hope you will click to see what the others are planning to finish this month and cheer them on!

OMG: March 2016 Quilting Cultural Fusion Windmill - DONE!

http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/03/
omg-its-finished-prizes-added-to-march.html

I have just finished quilting on my purple and black Cultural Fusion Windmill quilt.  This was my March One Month Goal.  I'm sure if I had not written this down as something to finish I would have put it off and not got it done.  But I did.  : )

It turned out to be done in two steps.  Initially, I outlined each of the windmills, changing the method for the middle and the ends of the windmill blades.  I blogged about that initial quilting here:  http://quiltquest.blogspot.com/2016/03/windmill-initial-quilting.html

Here is the design quilted at all the places
between the windmills where four fabrics meet.

It didn't seem finished though so I had to think of what additional quilting I could add.  At first I was going to do one of Leah Day's designs.  I was thinking shadow waves or etch n sketch would make the blades stand out more and they are very much like Sujata did in her windmill quilt (at least in my memory).  The more I thought though I couldn't figure out how to start and stop each line of the design. The borders for the area I intended to quilt were so irregular I couldn't figure out how to put the outline for the area in that I thought I would need.

Anyway, today or maybe yesterday I decided to draw a little four leaf clover - or four hearts that meet in the middle in the junction of the four blocks.  It's really difficult to see with the fabric being so near the black of the thread that I'm using, but it's done now - so my March OMG is done and I will be linking up now.

Front - I think click to see the design - only shows on the lighter plain fabric

Back - stitching doesn't show

 I mentioned when I wrote my goal that I was saving the binding until I had at least three quilts ready for binding.  This is my second quilt now ready for the binding step!

I'm pretty happy to have this part of the quilt done.

So time for me to link up and go see what some of the other folks have finished!

http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/03/
omg-its-finished-prizes-added-to-march.html

RSC16: March Purple with a Dash of Yellow, My March OMG, and Cake Thoughts

I was really trying to stick with bookkeeping and organizing, but before going to bed I gave in and made my RSC16 block for March.  It's purple with a dash of yellow.  I decided to leave it a little larger than 12.5 inches square this month, just in case.... 

Everyone is doing the RSC16 in a different way.  Some people are very organized and are making multiple blocks that are the same or different pattern each month.  I've followed the blog since the the first year, but this is the first time I'm jumping in...  I'm only using scraps that I have from previous projects or fabric I had cut into strips when I thought that was a good idea. And I'm just making a 12.5 inch square piece of fabric!

Even though I'm trying to stick with bookkeeping this week, I've spent a lot of time reading quilting blogs and downloading the March BOMs and project files for all my dream projects, so of course I knew what the RSC16 color for March was almost as soon as she posted it!

   

For my March OMG I have decide to free motion quilt the project I put together and basted last month.  Cultural Fusion Windmills.  (I will save putting the binding on until I have at least three quilts ready for binding.) 

Here is the quilt as it looks now after the recent spray basting:

Really if it weren't for these online challenges or pushes I think I'd just be reading blogs.  They are really motivating for me!  Click to see what projects folks will be working on!

On Wednesdays I've been having lunch with our son.  

Tomorrow is his 28th birthday. We are supposed to meet to make a cake, have dinner and go to Star Wars this weekend!  

(I'm not sure if that will happen really as today he called to postpone lunch as he is ill with a fever and cough.)

But before that call, I had put together a little stack of cookbooks to bring for him to select a recipe while we had our lunch, plus I found a recipe card my mom had written out for me! 

 She wrote a note that it was Xtra Good, so for sure it's worth a try even though I don't think I remember this cake. Boy, I remember her lemon meringue pie though! She would make it for baby and wedding showers, using a cupcake cake pan for the crusts. She would also make a grasshopper pie (creme de menthe) that was pretty tasty too. I do remember a few times she made meringue drops that were eaten like cookies.  She experimented with adding chocolate chips and strawberries.  That was a fun experiment to eat!

 

• What kind of cake do you have for your birthday? Is it the same every year, or does it change? Do different people in your family have the same cake each year or is it different?  In our family I have burnt almond cake. My husband has newly adopted a Swedish summer strawberry cake with lemon curd for his birthday (it used to be a lemon bundt cake that I would buy with lemon sherbet), and we this year discovered a wonderful corn meal cake that we are now going to continue to make for our Thanksgivings.  Now we need to find a special cake, made only once a year, for our son and DIL's birthdays!
• What recipes do you make that your mother made?  Care to share?
• What are your family rituals?  For example, we have Christmas pajama bags that are filled pretty much every year with new pajamas... 

Grate on the Pier.

In the middle of February we went to the Santa Monica Pier.  I took these photos of designs while there.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Sidewalk on the way to the Santa Monica Pier.

One Monthly Goal: Feb 2016 Sew Blocks Together, and Baste the Cultural Fusion Windmills Quilt - Done!

http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/02/omg-its-finished-party-february-2016.html

I have finished my February One Monthly Goal and am linking to OMG site...!

First I sewed my Cultural Fusion Windmill blocks together.....

 

Then I decided I wanted more length, so I looked for appropriate fabric in my boxes, sewed another row of blocks and added them to the quilt.  It is now about 45 * 60 inches!  

I decided to use solid Kona Black for the backing, so I had to sew two pieces together.  There is one seam in the backing...

My friend from the Saturday quilting group mentioned last week that she liked to spray baste, so I thought since I had won a can of 505 spray basting at the holiday party, that she could talk me thru how to do the procedure.  Instead, she generously offered to have me come to her place and she showed me how it was done!

To be honest, she did most of the work, but I did spray the last row...  There are no photos of me spraying, but really I did!

First we put the backing, batting and top on the table to be sure everything would fit and was flat.  The batting I brought already had a chunk cut out and the backing was much longer than it needed to be.  In her experience the batting and backing could pretty much be the same size as the top.  We cut to size after double checking the placement on the table.

After checking the size of everything, we folded the top and the batting up to expose the backing.

Then the backing was sprayed.

Then folding the corners back so the center was put down first, the batting was smoothed down on the backing.

Once that was smooth, the batting was sprayed.

Then the top was smoothed down.  Again the center was done first, then the corners.

At this point we put a few pins in the end that was done just to secure them.  Then the quilt was rearranged in the opposite direction (we didn't have access all around the table).  We folded the part that was done. folded the unsprayed top on top of that, and then pinned the batting so it was easier to handle.  Lifted it and sprayed the backing again.

More of the batting was smoothed and then sprayed, and more of the top was smoothed down.  Then we moved the quilt so the next row was visible and everything was repeated again.

I did the last row.  When I finished we put in a few more pins, flipped it over to double check how it looked on the back.  She unpinned and made one adjustment.  Then we folded the project up so I could take it home!

Here it is with all the blocks sewed together, basted, ready for me to quilt!

My friend was wearing a t-shirt and when she sprayed she sort of covered her face with the sleeve of the shirt so she wouldn't breath in the fumes.  When I sprayed I just held my breath, it wasn't a problem.  It was easy to control where the spray went.  I think I could really spray inside with open windows and it would be okay.

The brand of spray I used is called 505.  My friend usually uses a brand that she gets from Home Depot made by 3M.  The last time she was there they were out of that brand so she got this kind, she said it worked well for her. The key, she said, was to ask for something that would work with fabric.

I have the quilt laid out on the table in my sewing room now.

I forgot to keep track of my time on this month's goal.  It was one session to sew the blocks I had already sewn together.  A few hours I think.  Then I thought over night and made the extra blocks.  Could have been 4 to 6 hours, I'm not sure.  It only took about 40 minutes to press the pieces and to do the spray basting.

It was really nice of my new friend to help me out so much.

And super to have the One Monthly Goal to push me along with finishing things up!  If you would like to be in the fun, go to Red Letter Quilts OMG page!

http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/02/omg-its-finished-party-february-2016.html

One Monthly Goal: Feb 2016 Sew Blocks Together, and Baste the Cultural Fusion Windmills Quilt

Last summer I was very lucky to take two classes under the direction of Sujata Shah.  I have finished

http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/02/
omg-one-monthly-goal-linkup-time-for.html

the first project from that time, but this month my goal is to sew the blocks together that I made in the class to finish my Cultural Fusion Windmill quilt.  And this month, I want to pick the backing fabric, and baste the top so it is all ready for quilting too!

I'll save the actual quilting and binding of the quilt for another month.

This was really a fun block to piece. 

I picked purples and black and white that I had cut in preparation for the Marston/Moran workshop a few years earlier, but the variety of looks is limited as they say, only by your imagination.

Picture the quilt being done in solids (as is in her book), in a range of patriotic prints, in civil war reproductions, or in Kaffe Fassett fabric. It was amazing to see the way the workshop participants interpreted the free-form directions.  And their progress during the workshop proved the blocks would look fabulous in a quilt!

If you don't have the book, I do recommend buying it.  And if you can ever take a workshop with Sujata, leap at the chance!

I'm linking to the OMG One Monthly Goal Linky for February 2016.

Definitely, part of the fun is clicking on the different goals people write about in the post they link to on the link page for the month.  OMG One Monthly Goal Linky for February 2016  There are so many though that this time I'm just picking the ones that are in the first column.  At least for now!  The projects are all beautiful and the range of sewers is from professional to beginner.  It's always inspirational to click and see what people have shared.

Tumbler: After Additional Hour or so the quilting is done! My Jan OMG Done!

Something was wrong with the bobbin, it allowed me to stitch a few inches then the thread broke.  I decided to remove all that stitching then went walking to clear my head.  What was the solution?  I was going to change the needle as that does seem to be a solution to stitching problems, but took the bobbin out and discovered the thread was sticking out oddly.  So I tried to wind these thread onto a new bobbin.  It worked for about a quarter bobbin's worth.  I decided to give it a try.  I'm estimating that took about 30 minutes....  But the stitching was even and nice on my test bits so I put the needle in and finished that line!

http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/01/omg-its-finished-party-january-2015.html

In another 30 minutes I had finished the remaining three lines.  So done with this stage and done with what I wanted to do this month on this project for my January One Monthly Goal! 

I doubt that I would have finished this quilting so quickly without the call of this challenge, the opportunity to share and meet new folks, and the possibility of winning the beautiful red valentine fabric. So thank you so much Heidi for organizing OMG!  

After 19 hours for the quilting.  4.5 bobbins. January OMG Done!

  

Next steps: 

binding and label!

And thanks again to Candace for helping me figure out how to do the quilting design and encouraging me to just go for it!

I need to practice my binding skills so will save this part of the project to complete after I have made a few mug rugs or something!  I can bring this with me to my once a month sewing group next time it meets, I'm sure someone can guide me there so I have a nice binding to this project.

As a reminder, I started sewing this quilt in 2011, and it's been basted since 2013...
To see the posts about this quilt:
http://quiltquest.blogspot.com/search/label/tumbler

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Now I have a few days before the beginning of a new month so I'm going to use my quilting time to work on the Polaroid Blocks that my Stash Bee/Hive 8 friend Katrin will be compiling to make a quilt for her friend's little daughter, Hanno, who will be going thru chemotherapy now.  If you have time, won't you join in?  If you only have time to find fabrics for the photo part of the block you could send to me and I would put into the frames for Katrin!  

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Thanks for coming by!

http://redletterquilts.blogspot.com/2016/01/omg-its-finished-party-january-2015.html