Category Archives: quilts

Pickle Dish Addition

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Finally, some progress on my Summer Picnic Dish quilt.  I’m adding the setting pieces as I go so that when I’m finished adding blocks, I’ll be finished altogether.  It takes only a couple of minutes to add a setting piece as I go and is much nicer than having to add them all at the end.  The one thing I’ve not decided on yet is whether this will be a borderless quilt, which seems to be my normal preference, or if I’ll add some sort of pieced or appliqued border.  So for now, I’m leaving the corners curved.  If I decide on no border, then I’ll have lovely curved corners. If I decide to add borders, I can easily add the 4 setting pieces to the corners.  This is one project that is moving to the top of the list to be worked on.

The question of borders is one with which I constantly wrestle.  I love the look of antique quilts that have no borders and that seems to be what guides me.  Yet I also love the look of a pieced or appliqued border.

March came in like a lamb, although it was windy.  We had the windows open for a while and it was marvelous.  I noticed a difference in the light Tuesday as well. What a wonderful time of year this is — so full of promise that winter is almost over.

We did get photos of the kitties Tuesday.   Lester was looking rather elegant.

Smudge was curled up relaxing.

Another Farmer’s Delight

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Once this and two more blocks are finished, and the next one is already partially put together, the blocks for this quilt will be made.  Setting the blocks is something I’ve started thinking about and, while I have no firm ideas as of yet, I’m thinking about something that will involve some applique.  I’ll make that decision once all the blocks are done and I start playing with layouts.

An idea for another Dresden Plate variation is slowly working its way to the top of the list.  I may play with some fabric choices for it and perhaps make the first block this week.

Thanks to the rain early Monday, we have no snow left on the roof garden.  As it’s now March 1, I’m hoping that we get no more snow until next year.   Spring can’t arrive soon enough for me.  There’s something about it being March that always feels so promising.  We got through January and February and it’s all good from here.

We didn’t manage to get any photos of the kitties on Monday.  We just didn’t seem to have a camera at hand at the appropriate times, so I thought I’d dig up some photos from a year ago.

This was Lester just under a year ago.

And Smudge slightly over a year ago, giving a classic Smudge look.

Pickled Ladies and the Pastry Shop

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Sounds like a funny book title, doesn’t it?  As it’s time for the February Clamshell Club report, I’m showing the Pickled Ladies that got finished this month.  Not as many as I had hoped, but half a dozen to add to the mix is progress.  To see more clamshell reports from other participants, check in here at Cybele’s Patch to find those links.

On the weekend, a new Inklingo Pies and Tarts collection was released.  While I’ve often thought  the quilt was appealing, there was no way I was going to make anything that required English paper piecing.  Now?  Now I can make it with a simple running stitch and some continuous stitching as I’ve got perfect shapes with stitching lines marked on the back of my fabrics.

Of course, I had to start making some of the blocks and have printed enough shapes now to make a small quilt.  Mr. Q.O. suggested naming it Pastry Shop.  And that’s how the Pickled Ladies have ended up in a post with the Pastry Shop.  The back:

We had yet more snow on the weekend, but it sounds like today we’ll have rain and who knows what else.  I had a migraine Sunday afternoon that was rather nasty, but it lifted as the storm got closer.  The cats decided to find cozy spots to curl up.

Smudge’s new favourite spot is where the heating pad is.

Lester prefers the loveseat.  I think this is one of the best shots of Lester, as it shows how rich the red colour is in his coat.

Saving My First Quilt

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When I began quilting I clearly jumped in at the deep end, making a top like this. Some of the stars have holes in the middle through which a truck could be driven. Well, okay — that might be an exaggeration, but there are definite holes that I cannot close.  Over the years, I’ve tried.  I’ve had the top tucked away now for years, trying to decide how I could save it.  Buttons in the centres was one idea, but not one that I was crazy about.  Appliqueing on some shape was clearly the best idea, but what shape?  Now I think I finally have a solution.

On Thursday, a new Inklingo collection of circles was released.  The combination of Karen Kay Buckley’s Perfect Circles ® and Inklingo Circles means perfect circles with virtually no fabric waste at all.  This way I can pick my circle size to applique over the centres of the stars and finally finish that first quilt.

It’s not a perfect quilt by any stretch, but it’s one I want to see finished and in use. The other goal I have in mind for this quilt?  I’m going to mark some quilting designs on it and see how well I do quilting by machine.

Thursday we woke up to a new dusting of snow.  But there was also a sign that spring isn’t too far off.  For the first time in months, we saw grackles out on the roof garden.  Soon Lester will have lots to watch out the window.

Thursday evening Lester decided it was his turn to curl up by the heating pad.

Smudge gets into one of the round kitty beds and immediately sets to kneading it into the oval shape he prefers.

More Melons

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All 52 melon blocks are made, so the X’s and O’s top should be finished relatively quickly.  I am going to machine quilt it, know exactly how I want to quilt it and may get this one finished within another a couple of weeks.  Making the melon blocks has me tempted to start another quilt using some melons and other shapes.

A while back, I joined the Bargain Lover’s Club at Sew Sisters and have been receiving 10 great FQs every month.  This time?  This time, when I opened the envelope, Mr. Q.O. said he wanted these fabrics.  I keep threatening to get him piecing to help get all these designs I have in my notebook and in my head actually made.  Maybe this grouping will do it.

Smudge likes to lounge by the water and food bowls.  This was a shot we couldn’t resist taking.

Lester found himself a cozy spot to curl up and have a nap.  It was cold again on Tuesday, but he’s showing more interest in getting up on the windowsill every day. Maybe that’s an indication that spring will be here sooner rather than later.

How to Mark a Quilt Top?

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Along with planning how I’ll quilt the pink and cream top, I’m pondering how to mark the quilting lines.  There will be cables and probably some feathers, the stencils are handy.  But, as the background is a solid cream, the Pounce white powder obviously won’t show up and I’ve read that the blue powder sometimes doesn’t come out.

Pencils are out — too many times I’ve read about pencil marks not coming out without practically rubbing a hole in the fabric.  The vanishing pens or wash-out pens?  Again, I’ve read some not-great reviews about those.

I’ve used the chalk pencils in the past and will probably use these again but, as it has been a while since I’ve thought about this,  I’m wondering what do you use?  Is there some new tool for marking that absolutely comes out easily without affecting the fabric?  What do you use?

Half a Dozen Melons

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I’m hooked.  No question about it.  Stitching these little blocks is nothing but fun. They’re a quick stitch and those perfect curves make me smile every time.  I need around 40 of them for the border I’m planning but, at the rate they’re going together, it’s not going to take long.  But ideas for a quilt made with just these blocks keep floating through my mind.  It’s one of those blocks that I find irresistible.

Thursday was a great day.  The pink and cream quilt top is finished.  When I got up Thursday morning, I decided it was time.  Sashings were cut, sewn to cornerstones and added to the blocks and then the final border was added.  What I learned yesterday?  That machine piecing isn’t that difficult.  All the joining was done by machine, while the blocks themselves were hand pieced and I got it all put together without having to rip out any seams.  The top finishes at around 60 x 70, and I am thrilled with it.  Pictures when it’s quilted.  I’ve already got the quilting planned for it.

Charlsey posted some pictures on her blog post here from our two days of stitching, talking and planning as well as some interesting people watching.  There’s one shot of Charlsey’s Seven Sisters quilt and my X’s and O’s quilt that I love.  The hotel lobby is rather beige and I think our quilts added some needed colour!

For some reason we got no new photos of the cats on Thursday.  Things are definitely looking up — the two of them had one of their mock battles on Thursday evening, which they haven’t really done for a couple of months.  This is one of my favourite photos and a rather rare shot of the two of them together that was taken a few months ago.

Melons

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I’ve started putting together one of the elements for the borders of the X’s and O’s quilt.  These little 4″ blocks go together so quickly that I don’t think it will take long at all to get this part of the border ready to put together.

The back of one of the little blocks.

We’re definitely going to have a couple of days of milder temperatures.  If the forecast is correct, we may hit 50 on Friday!  It looks like it will go back to the cold winter weather shortly after that, but what a treat to get a day that warm in February.

Lester continues to improve.  Mr. Q.O. was taking pictures of the boys, focusing on their paws.

Smudge was showing off his paws while he slept.

6 More Pickled Ladies and a Plan

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Lots of stitching and talking on Tuesday resulted, for me, in six more finished Pickled Ladies.  I think this will end up as a large wall hanging with a narrow stop border in black and a larger border in a shabby floral.  When I have all the ones that are currently prepped done, then I’ll assess its size.

Tuesday was chilly again with temps in the mid 20s.  But it looks like we’re heading into a nice warm-up, so I’m hoping that maybe we’ve had the worst of winter and now it’s just a matter of waiting for the warmer weather to arrive.

Smudge was reaching for the kitty toy basket from the kitty bed.  Always makes me laugh when he does something like this.

Lester was having a snooze.

More Arcs for Pickled Ladies

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I realized that it’s the middle of the month and no new Pickled Ladies have been stitched, so last night I put together some arcs for another dozen or so of them. They go together quickly and it’s even faster to add them to the clamshells, so I’m hoping to get these all stitched today.

Monday I met up with another Inklingo’er, who is here with her husband.  We had a prime spot in front of the fireplace in the lobby of the hotel at which they’re staying and stitched and talked our way through a good part of the day.  Today will be more of the same.  Monday I worked on the triangle bands for another Farmer’s Delight block, but today it will be the Pickled Ladies.  I’m behind again on replying to comments and visiting blogs, but will catch up on Wednesday.

When I’m upset about something, I have a tendency to throw out things that I don’t mean to toss.   Last week, when Lester had the stroke, I apparently threw out my finger pincushion.  It’s hard to believe just how lost I was without it.  Thanks to my friend, I now have a new one.  This one is going to be very carefully taken care of and tucked away each evening after I finish stitching so that there’s no chance of it getting tossed out!

Lester is definitely on the mend.  Monday night he was spilling out of the kitty bed as he stretched and then slept in this position.

An hour or so later and Smudge had taken over the kitty bed.