Sometimes I Wonder

 Luckily, neither mom nor I got very sick. Seemed more like a mild cold than a "virus". Regardless I did spend a lot of last week sleeping.

Do you ever wonder why, after over 25 years, you still quilt? Sometimes I do. Especially if I have to use my brain to make the quilt. The whale panel quilt required me to use my brain.  

That really hurt.

The panel was larger than the panel in the pattern, so I had to change the approach to making the top and calculate all the border dimensions.

My poor brain.

But this is why I continue to quilt. I love how this turned out! The pattern looks complex, but it was really easy to make.

I think I watched a bazillion quilting video's last week trying to find something that I could use for the blocks in this quilt. The blocks are 12 inches - too big for the Moxie.

So I needed to find something that I could quilt half a block at a time.

This is even better, one quadrant at a time. That was my first time drawing it on paper - easy! Turning the design to fit in each quadrant may not be quite as easy.

This is the pantograph I'm going to use for the borders. It has corners also but I haven't been able to find anything that explains how to use them so you get a continuous design.

Slow and careful will be my mantra for the next week as I work on this. 

I Got...

 I got a few things done last week...

I got this guild community service quilt quilted and the binding added. The back fabric is from 2000. Somewhere I have a quilt made from it.

I got this ready to load next. I think I know how I'm going to quilt it. I ordered a border pantograph and I have to find thread that will go with it.

I got this loaded, quilted, and binding added in one day.

I got the binding hand sewn on the sunflower wall hanging...love this quilt.

I got a lot of progress done on the whale panel.  It might be bigger than I planned.

OMG! I got an Aunt Daisy block made.

And lastly, Mom and I got Covid. Boo Hoo. First for both of us. So far, it's not too bad. Keep your fingers crossed it stays that way.

Did You Hear Me?

 As I was getting ice a huge black spider ran across the kitchen counter straight toward me and jumped down at my feet...I may have screamed. Loud. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate spiders!

Now on to more pleasant things.

Finally got new blinds and shades for the master bedroom (I guess the correct term is now primary bedroom). I'm not a big fan of vertical blinds but I really like these panels.

Finished the hexigon quilt. I picked this up because I liked the backing fabric, at the time I didn't know there was a quilt folded up in it. I'm going to donate it back to Q4K.

Love this candy wrapper quilt. Here it is with the green binding.

Picked up a community service top from the guild to quilt. I loaded it upside down. I'm using the swirl pantograph again.

Finally finished quilting the sunflower wall hanging. Even with the Juki I had problems with the thread breaking. It is an Aurifil 40 weight cotton thread. This is the third spool I've had issues with. Even a slight pull will break the thread. 

My next project will be this pattern:

Using this panel and fabric.

Of course, I'm not following the pattern exactly since I want it wider. I'm sure the next loud thing you hear will be me cussing cause I screwed up again.

Didn't Make a Dent

 I have been cutting scraps for over two weeks now and I feel like I haven't made a dent. I also had to stop for 3-4 days because my wrist and elbow were yelling loudly.

The big Home Goods bag is down to this...

These are mostly small pieces. I'm kinda over the need to organize my scraps so these will probably have to wait awhile along with the two or three other bins of scraps.

Not sewing or cutting and not spending a lot of time on the computer allowed me to start and finish the most recent Robert Crais book.  

I like this author and have read all of his books...unfortunately his books are not available as audiobooks so I couldn't multi-task.

Quilting on the long arm didn't bother my wrist so I finished quilting the candy wrapper quilt.

Yellow flannel on the back. The binding will be a lime green.

I've loaded the hexagon quilt I found and have it almost done.

In the ditch quilting everywhere.

Bella helped with the scrap busting...

Keeping the ironed pieces flat.

And holding the rule while I cut.

Odd Stuff

 I've been working on odds and ends again - nothing very interesting. Let's download the pictures from my phone...in no particular order:

Isn't this the cutest face ever! He is very sweet. My neighbor's newest cat (I want to steal him). I don't know his name but I've been calling him Oliver.

Joann with Q4K is downsizing the program and downsizing the fabric she has been storing in her shed. If it is brought to the meeting it isn't going back. I may have gotten a little greedy.

I have been organizing and cutting up my scraps. That plastic box was overflowing. Now it is empty.

Yup, definitely greedy. More fabric.

Folded up in one of the larger pieces I picked up was a quilt! It's about 35 x 45 and will be the next quilt loaded on the long arm.

Stephanie gave me some of her extra quilt blocks and some of the matching fabric. I finally got around to putting it all together.

Bella being helpful. Think I should add a sign saying caution wide load?

Our Joann's closed Saturday. This was the last batch of fabrics I purchased. About $2 per yard. I think I have enough quilt backs to last a while.

Bella being helpful again.

Added the binding to the sunflower panel. I gifted it yesterday...three years isn't too long to finish something is it?

Two inch scraps. This is actually a good size tote - I need a few project ideas.

Bella being cute.

The quilt currently loaded and almost finished.

I have several large tote bags and boxes with scraps in them. This is the current one I'm working through.

And these are all the bins they are going into...wide strips, 5" strips, 2.5" strips, 2" inch strips, 1.5" strips, squares in each size, odd sizes (think hearts and triangles), extra blocks / units from previously made quilts...and more. I really need to make a few scrap quilts.

No Excuses

 Very little sewing / quilting was done. I just wasn't motivated. I've had a very stern talk with myself, and we've agreed that an attitude change is needed. So, I'm late posting because I finally got the borders on the Wind Drift quilt tonight. Now I can change the thread on the Juki.

I did attempt to quilt the sunflower wall hanging. 

All is done except the large flower. The orange thread I'm using kept breaking. So frustrating. I've taken it off the frame and will try to finish it on the Juki. Wish me luck.  (I've done it again...while I was cussing out the thread, I realized that one of the center fabrics has a blue background, not black. I think this is the third quilt I've made thinking a print background was black when it was actually a dark blue...oh, well. Too late now. More cussing occurred.)

My guild's quilt show was this past weekend. Below are my two favorite quilts from the show.

Love how colorful and vibrant this quilt was.

Loved the quilting and the design of the quilt below.

 

Close up of the quilting.

I loved the quilting in the quilt below.

It was perfect for the fabrics used.

There were lots of other wonderful quilts but I didn't take very many pictures.

The deer are back. I saw two bucks in the front yard earlier last week and mama with last year's babies over the weekend. I hope they stay away from my hydrangea this year. 

Almost Done

 I have a few almost dones.  

Donation quilt that just needs binding.

Finally! quilted the sunflower wall hanging. Now it just needs binding.

I'm so pleased with how the quilting turned out on this wall hanging (even with the tension issues). I took it very slow and planned my quilting path.

Why aren't they done? Because I don't want to change thread color. I have black loaded on the Juki and I don't want to change it until this is done.

I have one more border of the background fabric to add and it will be done. I LOVE IT!