Summer Finishes

I was on a roll in the sewing room this summer.

I find I really enjoy working with solid color fabrics.

This quilt is for my niece's baby.

Such a cute fabric. I love the water color look of the woodland scene.

This is a low volume quilt using mostly precut (by me) 2 1/2" strips and Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trip pattern. This was pieced earlier this year so all I needed to do was quilt and bind it.

I made a second table runner with the charm pack I received as a gift. I had exactly the right number of fabric squares for the two table runners. I love when that happens.

I got this t-shirt quilt back from the long arm quilter just in time to get it bound and washed before a trip up to Maryland to deliver it. Below are some closeups.  It's made with Harley Davidson t-shirts for my sister-in-laws sister. Her husband passed away last year. We bartered - I made the quilt for her and she gave some workshop tools to my husband.

Here are her words of thanks-

Wow! So beautiful you did a fantastic job! I love it and can’t help but cry happy/sad tears! I really love the material we picked out too. Thank you so so much!

I forgot to take a photo of the quilt at home so I did it at my mom's. The best place was on a bed so I took it on the guest room bed that has a quilt I made for my parents quite a while ago. I still love it! I think the long arm quilter really did a great job quilting it. I'm always amazed how a quilt top improves when it becomes a quilt.

Just thought I'd share this first bloom from my asters. I took this a month ago. Many more have bloomed since but the unrelenting rain we've had has been hard on them.

The sun is out this morning and no rain is in the forecast for the next few days. We really need more like a month to dry out but we'll take what we can get.

I was recently reminded about Quilts for Compassion. They are based out of Ohio and collect quilts and knitted and crochets blankets for people who have lost everything in natural disasters. Look for them on Facebook. They are currently collecting quilts for the Carolinas. I sent them a full size pink and brown snowball 9-patch I made several years ago. You can see photos of it here.  

Table Runner Finish

I machine quilted this table runner early last week and finished hand stitching the binding at a Creative Crafting afternoon at my church. Of the five of us there, two of us were working on quilts and a third brought in fabrics and a pattern for encouragement to start her first quilt project. So fun! My table runner was a smidgen too long for the table and then I washed it and it is now just right.

I finished the t-shirt quilt top and will take it to the long arm quilter tomorrow. It feels so good to have that checked off my list. Last night I pulled out this lap size quilt top I stitched several months ago. My plan is to offer it as an auction item for a local non-profit called Project Grows. Among other things they encourage children of all ages to get out and grow their own food. The auction is in October so I thought before I start anything new I should get this quilted. Oh, the pattern I used was Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trips.

These are fabrics I plan to use for the quilt I want to make for my niece's baby. I couldn't resist the hedgehog and rabbit fabric at my local quilt shop. I think I'll use the print for the backing and the solids (most of them from my stash) for the front. I don't have a firm plan so I'm putting off starting this.

We just painted our dining room after taking down 3 layers of wall paper and waiting 3 months for the plasterer to show up and repair the walls. I'm in love with the color - Benjamin Moore's Tomato Cream Saucde. I plan to use the 18th (?) century reproduction Dutch fabrics in the photo below to make a quilt for the empty wall. I'm itching to start this but will at least finish the Scrappy Trip quilt first.

Poor Len. He hasn't been doing well the past few months and we just found out he has a large malignant tumor on his thyroid. He is on medication and we are trying to keep him comfortable. July 4th won't be fun. He hates fireworks and our neighbor puts on a long, noisy show.

I just finished this book. It's a good summer/beach read. I usually prefer something with a little more depth and less predictable but I enjoyed it nevertheless. 

This afternoon I made my guys this pasta salad. It's rotini pasta with onion, celery, red pepper, smoked turkey breast from the deli, bacon, mayo and fresh oregano, tarragon and basil. My husband is dairy free so my son will add shredded italian cheeses to his plate. If you don't have herbs, you can substitute ranch dressing for half of the mayo.

I'm gluten free so I made myself a summer squash soup. I sauteed onion, celery and yellow squash. Then added chicken broth and cooked all until vegetables were completely soft. I added roasted chicken meat from last night's dinner and crumbled bacon. Then I blended it all together and sprinkled dulse flakes on top. It's the summer version of my winter standby which I make with butternut squash.

Everything is better with bacon!

Like others, I'm realizing there is a problem with Blogger and commenting. Please know that I appreciate all your comments and visits.

Sage and Grape Ocean Waves Quilt and a Lot More

It's been quite a while since I've posted so I have a lot to share. Above is the full size Ocean Waves quilt I made for my sister and her husband. She sent me this photo via text with a touching message about how she was crying with happiness to receive it. She touched me with her words of thanks as I touched her with the quilt. I felt especially good to provide her with some happiness as her husband has been ill for over a year now.

Soon after I finished the Ocean Waves quilt I broke my left wrist when I slipped on black ice in our driveway. That was a little over three months ago. Fortunately, it was my non-dominate wrist but it still slowed me down a lot. I only had a cast on for six weeks. Then I had physical therapy. I still see improvement in my strength and flexibility every day.

A couple weeks ago I got the itch to start sewing again. I had a t-shirt quilt and a baby quilt I needed to start. So, of course, I started something completely different. I didn't want to do a lot of cutting so I pulled out the strips of fabric that are left over from quilt backs and started making these free form log cabin blocks. The unfinished blocks are 9 1/2 inches - the size of one of my square rulers. I was thinking it will be a lap size quilt though that might change.

On a whim, I picked up this magazine at the grocery store last week. It has been years since I purchased a quilt magazine. I wanted some inspiration for the baby quilt I'm going to make for my niece's new baby. I found lots of inspiration - plus patterns for produce bags and table runners.

I pieced this table runner top yesterday evening using some solids and a charm pack a friend gave me.

The charm pack fabric is garden themed - just love those little bees. I have half of the charm pack left so I think I will make another table runner and give it to my friend.

Last week, I also got a start on the t-shirt quilt. I'm bartering this quilt for some shop tools my husband wants from the widow of the man who rode the Harleys.

Two weeks ago, I was up in Harrisonburg and stopped in at the Virginia Quilt Museum. I was blown away by the quilts in the "Beyond the Valley" exhibit curated by Doreen Johnson and Dawn Ronningen. If at all possible, you must go!

While at the museum, I donated some fabric. The museum has awesome fabric flea events. The woman I talked to said they were looking for a place in the Virginia Beach area to do a fabric flea event. Contact the museum if you have any ideas. They will bring the fabric to you. I think they charge something like $6 or $8 a pound. It's a great deal and a wonderful fundraiser for the museum.

I was at the ophthalmologist in March and snapped a couple photos of this little quilt to share.

I like how it is quilted. Maybe this was my inspiration for the free form log cabin blocks.

I have one more thing to share. I entered a couple of quilts in the Rockbridge County Fair quilt exhibit last year and I was surprised to win some awards - even Judge's Choice!

Here are some quilts from the show-

Above and below are my two entries. October Surprise, above, won Judge's Choice and first place in it's category (I think small, machine quilted). Stars and Stepping Stones, below, won an honorable mention in it's category (large, machine quilted).

The Quilts in the Country exhibit is run by the Rockbridge Pieceworkers Quilt Guild.

Well, I think that is more than enough for now. I hope to be back soon with some finishes.