Slow Stitching - hand quilting Flowering Snowball

 Since my July OMG was to finish hand piecing the flowering snowball blocks together, I was able to pin the 36x48 little quilt for hand quilting yesterday! 

The first few stitches going in always feel good. 

I was planning to use a mix of blue and green quilting thread but the backing is a pretty teal flowered print that was the perfect size (leftover from the backing of the cat and mouse quilt still waiting on the frame - poor thing!). I started with the blue... and will probably add the green as well like I was thinking. Will it really be noticeable on the back.... and do I really care? I'm thinking no!

While I was prepping this yesterday... there was a search for the backing fabric I knew I had purchased a few months ago. I had it all planned out on how to divide up a 90x108 batting to cover a few smaller quilts.... and of course I changed my mind on the next quilts to quilt! Oh well. After finding the backing - it fit the VQF quilt which is 71x71 and the Endless Diamond quilt which is 48x60. That quilt kindly decided it was fine as is and did not require a finished border.... I think it realized it would probably sit in the drawer for years if that were to happen! I then laid out the batting and got what I needed for the Endless Diamond quilt and the Flowering Snowball quilt. The VQF quilt will use the roll of Warm and Natural for machine quilting. They are folded together and ready to go for the next 2 quilts. Hopefully I will remember that when the time comes!

VQF booth hop from 2009 or 2010

Endless Diamond

Linking up Sunday with Kathy and the other Slow Stitchers.

August OMG.....

Such a difficult decision this month. I 'should' actually plan to machine quilt and bind at least one of my tops this month as the pile is getting bigger. Which quilt will it be? The RSC 2018 sampler or the VQF booth hop?

This quilt is a booth hop from The Vermont Quilt Festival... I want to say 2009 or 2010. I can't remember if I got a day away from one baby or two! 

This quilt is a sampler from the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2018 I believe called Squared Away. 

Coin flip......... and the winner was.........

I think my August goal will be to get the Squared Away quilt - machine quilted and bound this month!

I 'should' plan to work a little each day adding hand quilting stitches to the cat and mouse quilt on the frame.  I think I will have a goal of 30 minutes of hand quilting on this one each night for the month of August and see how much progress I can make. I have only done some butterfly's on the bottom blue border so far. 

Well, I guess that is technically two goals, but since there are 31 days in August I think I will be good!

If I get the Squared Away finished I will be a happy camper.

Linking up with the August OMG.

April OMG.....

Tuesday the blocks got to this point.

Today during my lunch break from work... I got the top completed! Nothing like waiting until the last day of the month to get it done!

Ollie approves! Linking up with the OMG for April.

Progress on my OMG....

Don't mind the piles of 'stuff'. I was able to get all the green sashing and settings sewn. I somehow managed to turn the second row down... completely around. Oh well, it is not changing now!  I still have the small yellow border to add then the outer dark blue print final border. I hope to get those added tomorrow late afternoon... if I am able to move! I will be cleaning pools for Greg who's back is still not great - better than yesterday though. Still a few more days to get this top completed before the end of the month. Wish me luck - my first hosting of a Zoom meeting for my girl scout troop tonight.

April OMG....

Do you ever just feel like working on something? No? Really?..... Guess it is just me then.

I am in the mood to work on this UFO from 2011. I went to the Vermont Quilt Festival without the kids (who were 3 and 2 at the time) and decided to pick up the booth hop blocks from 12 vendors. I had done the blocks and got the finishing kit and then it sat in the waiting drawer. What... you don't have a chest of drawers that have the UFO projects waiting for when you feel like working on them? I knew these were in there. I went back and found a few blog posts about them as well...... here, here and here.

This is where I stand. 12 Blocks Completed.

A black and white photo of the finished quilt.

Fabrics from the finishing kit.

We will see what happens! My goal for April is to get this to a top. It would be lovely to get it completed....but I'll shoot for a completed top first.

I'll link up with the April OMG once it opens up. If anyone has made a quilt from these blocks, please share a photo of your completed top.

All 12 VQF blocks done.....

I decided to just finish that one without getting the replacement fabric. I decided I can live with it. Heck..... it will be something to look for in the quilt... find the boo boo!

I also did another one Sunday while everyone napped.... after I mowed the lawn. I haven't mowed the lawn for about 4 years I think.... but G lifted Miss Em when we got back from the play ground so she could hit the garage door button to close it and did something to his back.
Here are the final 3 blocks. I just called Maplewood Quilts in Northfield, VT and she has the finishing kit but is waiting for more of the background fabric to arrive. She has my name and cell number so hopefully I can pick that up sometime next week. I haven't been to her actual shop, but I did get some pretty FQ's from her a few years ago at our guild quilt show. I am looking forward to checking out her shop.. without the kids in tow!




I bought a batting for hand quilting for the patriotic 'fireworks' quilt. Someone commented asking if I meant it to look like fireworks going off..... I was unable to go to their blog to leave a comment or e-mail so the answer is - nope... I never noticed that until you pointed it out! Thanks... now I have a name for the quilt. Just need to get it basted for hand quilting. That will be my project for a trip we will be taking next month.

While making the VQF blocks I was able to make these 9 patches from my stash of scraps. I'm trying to figure out what other 'colors' I need to grab so there is a good variety.. I have some purples cut and ready for sewing so will lay it out again when the others are sewn.... I think I have 6 more ready to go.


I'll also start something NEW...... next week as time allows. More about that later...
Have a great week everyone..

VQF Blocks - 4.5 more done....

Don't you just hate when you cut something wrong... and don't have enough fabric to fix it?

I got 4 more of the VQF blocks done over the last week. The .5.... well, that one used the stripe fabric and I cut like they said... but when I went to put it together the lines are going the wrong way for 2 of the sides..... so I am holding off on finishing that one until I find it and order some. Arrgghhh.

On to good news.. I did get these pretty ones done.

From Traditions at the White Swan...


From Quilter's Confectionery


From Country Quilt & Fabric in Castleton, VT was Country Flower Star.


and this last one didn't have the quilt shop's name on it but it was pretty.



I had to pop out today and found my $25 gift certificate to Joann's Fabrics. Since I still have those 2 tops that need quilting... I got 2 fabrics for backings. They are in the washer now and I hope to get them ready for pinning tonight after kids are in bed. I think I can get them quilted this week around naps. One will be easy... just straight line quilting. We'll see what mood I am in for the pink top... it may become an 'easy' one too depending on how much time I have.

VQF Booth Hop block - 5 done!

I just finished this little one. It is called Nine Patch Star from Country Treasures in Chester Vermont. Very cute and so easy to make.

One more 9 patch was made with this one as my leader/ender. I hope to make another of these VQF blocks this evening after the kids are in bed for the night.
Stay cool!

VQF Booth hop blocks.... 2 more done!

Little Miss decided not to nap yesterday but I still managed to get one block done before I had to kick us both out of the sewing room. Lets just say she is a few months late but is really being '2' with tantrums the last week or so. This block is from Great Pond Quilts. The yellow outside of the block doesn't show well on the light table.



This one is from Maplewood Quilts in Northfield,VT called 'Vermont Evening Star'. I really like this one and think it would be pretty in a controlled color scrap quilt - maybe creams, pink and greens? The previous 2 patterns did not mention the name of the quilt shop that had them in the Booth Hop but if that information is listed on the directions I will post the information when I show the block.


I also got 3 more 9 patches as my leader/ender project with this quilt. I just cut out scraps for about 5 more so I'll be ready to go tomorrow during nap time.

Dinner is prepped - Kansas Cucumber Salad and Chicken Fajita's. I guess I'll go start the rice and check on the kiddo's who I think are just waking up.
Have a great evening.

Sanity sewing...

To keep my sanity today I decided I needed to sew. The kids cooperated (for once today!) and actually napped and are still sleeping. No nap yesterday as we went to the family's camp on the lake for the day and had a reunion. I turned off their AC's last night when I went to bed... and they both were awake at 5:30 this morning. Crankiness was the order for the morning.

I decided to put blue borders onto the 'patriotic' wall hanging. Of course... not enough of the blue used in the quilt but I found something similar and it will work.



Then..... I just needed something easy.... so I pulled out one of the booth hop blocks from VQF. I knew the one sent to me later was a little shy of the yellow with blueberry fabric so I grabbed a different kit - Star Burst. This one had lots of leftovers and I was able to use some leftover yellow with blueberry fabric to complete 2 blocks this afternoon. 2 of 12 are done! Very pretty fabrics. I'd like to get all 12 done in the next 2 weeks and then I need to call the store in Northfield, VT who had a pretty finishing kit with greens and the dark blue for the outer border. If she doesn't have the kits... I did find the fabric line - Wild Rose II and can come up with my own setting to finish the quilt. I do have something in mind... but I'll wait and see which way to go with it once the blocks are done. If the kits are gone it was 'meant to be' for me to finish it how I picture it in my mind.


As I don't have a leaders and enders going right now... I have in my mind something with 9 patch blocks so these two got done as the leader ender along with this pretty 4 patch and these extra HST's from one of the blocks.

Not bad for a couple hours of sewing and I am much more relaxed.

Hope you all had a happy sewing Monday.