What I'm working on today....

I know it is Tuesday but I am skipping Tiny Tuesday today to work on some binding. I got a good chunk of time in the sewing room on the 4th of July while the kids had an overnight with Grandma. I managed to get my attempt at feathers completed as well as the borders. I learned that you do have to try different thread combo's and must remember that Superior Threads Masterpiece and Bottom line are the best combo for free motion quilting on my Viking machine. I had a connecting threads cone on top and had issues. Tried a couple of others and had issues. When I put the masterpiece thread on it worked with no thread breaks or issues. I must remember that!  I attached the binding by machine last night and today while the thunder was booming and the rain was coming down this afternoon I got a few stitches done on the binding.

There is still more to go but it should be done sometime this week. I will be so excited to call this one completed soon.

I do love this quilt - all from scraps in the sewing room. Blue and cream are my favorite color combo. This will hang on my kitchen wall so I can see it while sitting in the living room. I'll do an outside shoot once it is done but this is what I have so far.

I'm showing my attempt at feathers. This is a double size at least 86x86. It was machine quilted on my domestic sewing machine. I used the walking foot and variegated blue thread to outline the edges of the blue logs. I made feathers in the cream logs. After a few of the feathers were done, I tried drawing a line for the middle and used that as the guide - it worked much better to have that guide. The feathers were just drawn with the machine. Not bad for a first attempt - I'll be using these again in a border. They should get better with practice.

The tan inner border got a walking foot curved lined. The outer border I switched to the free motion foot again and used my loopy circle to mark my lines and then quilted over that to finish off the quilt. I can't wait to see how it will crinkle up after a bath in the washer and a tumble in the dryer. I got the pretty toile backing from Connecting threads so I would not have to piece it.

Now to go make some apple cinnamon chips the kids just saw on tv and want me to make. I do wonder where the mandolin is? 

Back home Monday....

We took a little trip yesterday and went to Cocoa Beach for an overnight with the kids and Grandma H. She took the family room and let us have her room for the night. The kids loved their little setup - a box within a room with bunk beds and another twin bed with a dresser and tv in the middle. A nice little curtain closed off their 'room'. They settled right in and had a grand time. We were lucky and had picked up the stuff from the beach after lunch and got back to the room right before the rain and thunderstorm started. Hit the pool for a bit and headed to the room right before the rain started again for the evening. A beautiful sunrise this morning while walking along the beach (and witnessing a wedding ceremony!) and then lots of playing in the big pool and the kid water park area. All in all it was a nice little getaway. I have a feeling we might be heading over again sometime in the next month before the kids start school again.

Sunday at the beach.

Water park at International Palms Resort Sunday afternoon.

Sunrise family photo

Sunrise at Cocoa Beach July 7, 2014.

Wedding on the beach this morning.

Collecting shells.

Zonked out on the ride home today.

Slow stitching Sunday....

Are you sick of this project yet? I have my two sections together and added a row of colored flowers this week. I know - there are two greens together but they are staying.

I just prepped a bunch of hexagons Saturday afternoon and drew my lines so I have plenty of hand work today making pretty flowers. I see another row of color on the top and some white flowers on the top and bottom. I'll call the hexagon flower part of this project done at that point. I think a small multi color inner border and then white for a hand stitched cable in a pretty variegated thread...... Then again... who knows what the quilt will decide once I get to that point. They do tend to have a mind of their own.

Head on over to Kathy's Quilts and see what other slow stitching is being worked on today.

Saturday in Red.....

I have just started pulling out the red and made the three samplers that have been posted.

Then I just had to make one little part of a new block. I saw the neatest quilt in a header last Saturday. It had four of these blocks set in blue to make a star with pretty red geese in the sashing. I think I'll make a few of these this month.

Edited. I found the link to the quilt I saw last weekend. It is in the header of this lovely blog. 

http://peachypages.blogspot.com/2014/06/rsc14-yellow.htmlhttp://peachypages.blogspot.com/2014/06/rsc14-yellow.html

Head on over to SoScrappy and see all the other red projects that are being worked on.

Happy 4th of July!

I blame Kathy. She posted some great 4th of July quilts yesterday and I loved one credited to RedRooster as the pattern maker. I just came up with my measurements and turned a couple of hours yesterday afternoon into this cute little wall hanging. I finished up the binding last night while watching the first Harry Potter movie. It finished at 13x21 inches and will be hanging on my front door shortly. I used the walking foot and made some squiggles on the white stripes. I also outlined by the white stripes on each side and outlined the white star. This was a fun little wall hanging to make, even if I did have to make another set of stripes for below the star.

Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe 4th of July.

Mid Year Recap of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

It is the halfway point of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Angela is hosting a link party today to show off all the projects we have been working on this year. So far we have worked with blue, pink, teal, purple, green and yellow. This month red was selected as the color so I hope to add some pretty reds to the mix by the end of the month. 

These are my 6 inch RSC Sampler blocks that Angela is so nice to figure out and post instructions for. I think it might need a wee bit more pink but I'll wait and see how it is looking in December.

This year I am making 6 inch finished churn dash blocks in each color. I make 12 per month and use white as the background. I have no clue how these will end up but I should have plenty to play with =). I still have birds in the air blocks from two years ago sitting and waiting to be put together, snails trails from last year that is a top waiting to be quilted..... I seem to like to make blocks but get stalled at the finishing stage. =)

This year I joined the hexie craze.... although I am hand piecing mine instead of doing the standard English paper piecing. I made one that way.... it just seemed easier and faster for me to put these together as hand piecing. I do love my hand work projects as they are so easy to go in the car with me and stitch a little here and there while waiting on the kids. Last year I did applique orange peels and I know I will have something hand work related for next year. I saw an antique quilt in one of my books that uses black as the background with a flower garden quilt ... I am leaning towards that but who knows what I will come up with when I decide to actually start putting this together!

Head on over to SoScrappy and see a beautiful array of projects in bright rainbow colors. Maybe you'll decide to join in on the fun.

Tiny Tuesday

Happy Canada Day to those above the USA!

This morning I opened the door to the sewing room and decided it really needs some attention and picking up in there. I folded the bunch of yellows and put them away. Put the brights for the spring hexagons into their pile and sorted the red,cream and blue pile for the Tiny Tuesdays on the cutting board. Then I picked two easy ones and cut and made up 'Another Battle' and 'Road to Richmond'. The second one came out a wee bit too small. It might need some extra 'framing' once I start to put these together =).

Now to cut out a  slew of white hexagon shapes so I can draw the lines for hand stitching while I am at swim lessons this morning. Then I plan to play with lots of colorful blocks this afternoon for some photos for a post tomorrow. Angela will have a half way point link up for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I can't wait to see all the pretty quilts in process.