Month: October 2010

Weekend update…….

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized2 Comments

I love weekends! Don’t we all though?

I ran to my LQS yesterday. They were having a little shop hop with 6 other stores in the KC area that have each been featured in the Quilt Sampler magazine. Each store had a 6″ and a 12″ block and then they designed a quilt using everyones blocks from the same fabric line. Here’s the one that was featured at Quilters Quarters. (I’m a bit partial to it, since I did the quilting. Of course you can’t really see it, but……I know I did it. LOL!!!)

Lori did a great job designing the quilt!

Last night my son was downstairs in my sewing room and I showed him my new toy(embroidery machine). He wanted to see it work, so I did his name on a piece of fabric. I gave it to him and he said “gee, now what will I do with it?” So I made it into a miniature pillow! He likes it!

Cute isn’t it? LOL!!

He started coming up with all kinds of ideas for stuff that I could make for him! Maybe I’ll teach HIM how to use it!! LOL!!

Anyway, I’m almost finished sewing all the HST’s from step 2 of the mystery quilt. Then to square them up…….. I will be happy when they are all done! I really hate squaring up all those pieces. I have to keep telling myself that it’s worth it in the end.

I started quilting this top this afternoon. It’s one of those kits that is all crosstitched. The lady that made it said she started it back in the late 70’s.

I guess I better get back to work on it………………….

TTFN!

Theresa

a few more done

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I haven’t blogged this week, so I’ll try to catch up. I did play with my new emb machine one night. Of course I didn’t have the right colors of thread, but I DID figure out a little bit of how it works. 🙂 I have a lot more to learn!!! Here’s my first attempt at trying machine embroidery.

I also, finished the applique quilt that I had been working on. I also quilted a valance that she made too. I wasn’t sure how to quilt it but since I love to do feathers, well…….that’s what it got!

I also quilted a quilt for my LQS.

That’s it. Busy week. I haven’t had time to sew anything this week. I have most of my HST’s marked for step #2. I’ll have to sew them and get them squared up before I can do this months step and I only have a little over a week left of this month. It doesn’t look as if I’m going to get caught up on that any time soon! LOL!!

TTFN!!

Theresa

Jiffy Jive quilt top completed

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I finished the quilt top today. I pieced the strips together yesterday and got the borders added on today. The pattern doesn’t call for borders but I like borders on my quilts.  I should’ve spaced out the purple sections better when I was cutting the strips apart, but oh well…….it looks fine this way. Now to get it quilted. I think I’ll look for a panto with a sewing theme since the border fabric is featherweights and scissors. Any suggestions?

Here’s the quilt.

That’s it for now…………………….

Theresa

Monster quilt

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized4 Comments

I made this quilt top a couple years ago and finally got around to quilting it and getting it done. It has monsters in the blocks. I think it’s a cute fabric. When my LQS got the fabric in I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

Well, I see it’s sideways………oh well,,,,,,,,

Anyway, the background fabric has orange and purpe cobwebs on it.

In keeping with the theme of the quilt, I decided to put a solid black fabric on the back and then quilt it with  a variegated orange thread. I used a panto with spiders and cobwebs. I love the way it looks on the back.

It’s one of the UFO’s that I finished this year. I am so glad that it’s done!

I guess that’s it for now…………

Theresa

progress made

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I finished another UFO on my list!! That makes 13 for this year. YEAH!! I quilted it last month but hadn’t had time to sew the binding down. That’s what road trips are for! LOL!! I finished binding on 2 last month while I was on the bus trip and then this one over the weekend in the car. It was a big one too. 104″x104″ I’m glad it’s finished.

I bought some I Love Lucy fabric in one of the shops we visited last month. I didn’t have any plans on what to do with it and one of the ladies suggested making pillow cases, so I did! The chocolate factory is one of my favorite I love Lucy episodes!! Anyway, here’s how they look.

They are so fast and easy to make. I hadn’t made any before but now I’ll be making some to turn in to my LQS for the pillow case give away that’s going on. I got my serger out to do the seams on them but after sitting on the shelf for 10 years or so…………………yeah, it’s probably been that long since I’ve used it……anyway, I had to get all the tensions set and put in new needles and all that good stuff. I had forgotten a few things about how sergers are. Anyway, I got it all up and running yesterday. I’m not going to wait another 10 years to use it again. I hope!!

TTFN!!

Theresa

Jiffy Jive quilt

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I’ve made some progress on the Jiffy Jive quilt. I have the purples added to the strips, now it’s time to sew the strips together. The pattern doesn’t call for borders, but I think I’ll add some to my quilt. I have some black and white fabric that has featherweight machines on it and then I picked up a black and white fabric last week that has scissors, I thought that would be great for borders on this. I think it will need a very small inside border as well, I don’t know if I’ll go with the polka dots or use a solid black for that. I have time to think about that part………

I had to take the quilt off the machine that I was working on in order to take a couple feather wreaths out. For some reason the tension messed up on it. Anyway, I put a quilt on that just needed a panto (all over design) on it, so while I’m taking those stitches out the machine can be quilting away on this one. I haven’t used this panto yet but I think it’s coming out nice. Once it’s done I can go back and finish the applique one. I was getting so close to the end too!!

I guess that’s it for now. Have a great weekend!! Oh, and I did get the first set of HST’s all squared up. Now to mark the next set………..

Theresa

HST’s……

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized2 Comments

 

My guild is doing a mystery quilt in our newsletter, each month another step is given.  My plan was to keep up with each step. HAHA!!  I’m a little behind……….these are the August step……… I did ok with the sewing part, but dang, having to square up 190 some half square triangles is taking forever!! I’m getting close though! These are the ones I have left to square up. Unfortunatly……..the stack of squares on the left, is last months step. UGH!! More HST’s……this time only 170 some……..I can do it! I can do it!! I’ve been squaring these up while watching TV. I have to get all these done before I can start on this months step. At least this is the last of the HST’s…….

On the bus trip I went on last month, we recieved a pattern and then at each shop we received 2 black and white strips to make the quilt from the pattern.  The pattern is called Jelly Jive and we can put the black and white strips together and then add our choice of color for the rest of the quilt. I chose purples. I sewed a few  purple strips together today. I don’t want to wait too long to make this or it will go in a drawer or shelf and never get made………

I’m still working on the applique quilt on the machine. It’s very time consuming. When I need a break from it is when I’ve been sewing. Guess I’ll get back to work……………….

Have a good day!

Theresa

new toy

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized4 Comments

 Last week I posted about needing more hours in the day and now I have something new to take up more of my time. I don’t know the first thing about embroidery machines, but I got an AMAZING deal on this brand new machine, so I just had to have it! THANKS PAM!!!!!!! Now to figure it out…………..when I can find the time!! LOL!!!

This is what’s on the quilt machine right now. It’s a biggy. I already did all the SID on it, now I’m going back and outlining all the applique and putting in a background fill. I’ll be adding feather designs too in the plain blocks as well as the side triangles and borders. Guess I better get back to it.

Have a great day!

Theresa

Not enough hours in the day……..

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That’s my problem! I need to figure out how to get more hours each day and then maybe, just maybe, I could get everything done! Ya think? LOL!! No, then I would just find more things that need to get done and I’d still not get everything done. I haven’t taken the time to write anything on here since April. In fact, I told my friend Teresa last month that I would write something since she checks my blog……..so Teresa, this ones for you!! I will try to do better! I have been getting some of my UFO’s finished this year! I was so bummed last year when I finished “O”  UFO’s. I’m making up for it this year! I think I’m up to 12 finished and 1 that I have to sew the binding on. And I still have 3 months of the year left! WOO HOO!! Of course, it has helped that I broke down and bought an IQ for my machine. Now I can offer pantographs (edge to edge) designs, instead of doing custom quilting on everything.

Last weekend I took my first quilting bus trip. That was sooo much fun!! We started in KS, then went to quilt shops in Iowa, Minn, back into Iowa and then Missouri. Counting our home shop, we visited 12 shops all together over 3 days. I really enjoyed seeing all the different fabrics and samples that the other shops had. And of course the group of ladies that were on the trip were all super nice! I enjoyed visiting with them as well. If you’ve never done a bus trip, you might consider it sometime! I’m ready to go again!!

My next outing will be going to Houston next month. I’m really excited about going as I’ve never attended festival before. Neither has my friend Robie that is going with me. There might be 3 of us, we’re still wating to hear if Pam can get off work. I hope she can! Anybody reading this going to Houston?

Ok, now I need to get to quilting. I will try to do better at blogging more often. No promises though!! LOL!!!

 Have a great day!!

Theresa