Design Wall Monday - November 28, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

Thanksgiving week is now behind us, and November is almost over.  On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, we were at our son’s home, and for the first time in many years, I didn’t cook, bake, or prepare anything.  It was very different, but as one friend told me:  You earned it, for all your years of turkey preparation in the past.  It was a wonderful day with family.  We met our new 3 week old Great Grandchild, Bennett, and got to hold him.  He is just perfect, and so tiny.

Yesterday, back at home, I decided to make an apple pie.  I ate a piece of pumpkin pie on Thanksgivng, and am now thankful to have a pie here to enjoy all week!   Apple pie is my hubby’s favorite, so I earned points with him too.

The big bag I started last week is now finished, and here is a picture of it,  now holding two crocheting UFOs.   Yes, I have those too.

I like how sturdy the dog food bag lining makes it.  I plan to make more bags.  I plan to sew it together a little differently next time.  But it is nice to recycle the plastic bags.  I did take out my sewing machine needle and saved it to use exclusively for future “bag” projects.  

Here are two pictures of the apple pie.  We each had generous pieces as a treat last night.  Delicious!

What are you working on this week?  I see Bonnie Hunter has started her annual free mystery quilt clues.  I am copying the clues and watching from the sidelines this year.  There are so many UFOs in my quilt room that I want to finish before I do any more BH mystery quilts.  I do enjoy seeing others participating so I hope some of you are joining in.

Please join in the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below, and show us a picture from your quilt room.  Please link back to this blog post from within your post, so people can get here to see the other blogs.  Thanks!  If I could, I would send you all a piece of my apple pie this morning, in gratitude.  I appreciate you.

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Design Wall Monday - November 21, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

While at the retreat I attended recently, a friend at a nearby table (Connie Wass) had a large tote bag that interested me.  I have been looking for a pattern to make a large tote because I was wanting to try using Penny Lane's dog food bags as a "stiffener" and liner for a large bag. 

I hate to add more things to landfills, and dog food bags look indestructible, and are not recyclable.   So I had saved some of Penny's bags to see if I could use them somehow.  The bag pattern Connie  used is called the Venti Tote Bag.  It is available on the internet from www.purse-strings-patterns.com

Connie changed the pattern to sew the lining and the outside together at the side seams with French seams, and I did too.  Here is the beginning of my dog food bag project:

I put pieces of cotton batting together with the two main pieces of the bag, and also for the bottom circle of the bag.  I then quilted each of the three pieces using a simple crosshatch pattern.  I used masking tape as a guide for stitching.  (I'm a pretty simple quilter).

Then I sewed the two side seams on either side of the bag, using French seams.  The seams were sewn through six layers, with the seam on the outside of the bag...then turned to the inside and another seam sewn, capturing all the raw edges inside the second seam.  I do like French seams.

Here is a picture showing the dogfood bag used in the project:

And here is the bag, finished except for the binding part.  I will add binding around the handle holes, around the top of the bag, and also to cover the seam that attaches the bottom. 

As you can see, the dogfood bag makes a good fairly stiff lining, and should be water-resistant.  Not entirely waterproof, because there are tiny holes in the bag made by the sewing machine seams.  But it will be a useful bag for carrying lots of things.

Finally, here is a picture showing the outside bottom of the bag.  The binding will cover up the raw edges shown here.  I will be working on making the bias binding today, and it should be finished soon.  I am thinking I will be making more of these, as I do like big bags.  If I remember to, I will show you a picture of the completed bag next week.  

We sure got a lot of snow this past week!  Here's a picture taken out of the window of the study, showing my front porch and yard.  I love the large pine trees when they are covered with snow.  Later when the wind blows, the snow on them will be released, and it will "snow" all over again.  

What are you doing this Thanksgiving week? I am thinking of all the things we have to be thankful for.  I feel so blessed to visit all of your blogs and see what projects you are working on.  Thanks for joining in on the Design Wall Monday Link Party below.  You are appreciated.

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Design Wall Monday - November 14, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

I’ve just returned from a quilt retreat, and had a fantastic time.  It is so much fun to be in a room full of quilters, each at her sewing machine.  

Here are two projects I worked on.  #1 was the pattern for a fall wall hanging that I talked about last Monday.

I think I’d like to make this one again, and use a background for the embroidery that is the same as the outside border background.  And use softer colors for the nine patches.  It was fun to do, and the embroidery was fast, so I may make it again.

The other project was to make my UFO maple leaf quilt bigger.  The blocks are sewn 9 across and 9 down, and I made 51 more maple leaf blocks.  In the picture I’m holding up the 51 new blocks in front of the UFO of 49 blocks. 

It will be 10 by 10, with 100 blocks.  I will be playing with the new blocks on the design wall this week.  This should be fun,

Here’s another picture with the new blocks all scattered over the old blocks.  They look more like real maple leaves this way, don’t they?

What is on your design wall?  I hope to see your post later today.  Please link up to the Design Wall Monday Link Party below, and join in on the fun.  Thank you to all of you who  join in.  Please remember to link back to this blog post from somewhere within your post, and also mention Design Wall Mondays, so others can join in.  I appreciate you.  I wish I could go on a quilt retreat with all of you.  But the linky party will have to suffice.  🙂

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Design Wall Monday - November 7, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

Today I am packing up and heading to a week away with other quilters.  It is so exciting seeing old friends and getting caught up on their lives again.  I have packed UFOs that don’t require a lot of brain power on my part, as I want to enjoy the other quilters and not think about a complicated pattern.

Two UFOs coming with me are fall themed.  Maybe I will get them finished to enjoy during Thanksgiving.  One is a maple leaf block with a black background behind the leaves.  It came with me last fall on this retreat, and moved further toward the finish line.  This year I am sure I will get all of the blocks made and assembled into a quilt top.

The second project is smaller and combines some embroidered blocks and some fall colors in nine patches.  It is a pattern that was in a magazine many years ago and someone from the St. Louis MO guild gave it to me, with a piece of fabric for the outer borders.  It has been a UFO of mine for at least 25 years!  This last week I started on it, and am looking forward to finishing this UFO too.  Here’s a picture of the 16 embroidered blocks, in progress:

The written instructions are to use three strands of embroidery floss, and I usually use two.  I am using three, and following directions like a good girl.  It does give the embroidery a different look than I am used to. 

Since the magazine page copy I have is undated, I wondered when it was published.  On a whim, I looked up the name of the quilt designer on the internet.  I found her and we had a nice conversation on the internet.   When I asked if it was her pattern, she said “Possibly, It must be pretty old”.  I told her I’d had the pattern for a very long time, and that I was old too.  haha.  She said “Wow, I had forgotten that one!  Yep that was me.”   I told her I would send her a picture of my project when it is complete.  The internet is a marvelous thing sometimes.  

I will give you an update next week after the retreat is over, and show you how far I got with these two projects.  What have you started, or finished, or moved along toward finishing?  I’m looking forward to seeing your pictures and reading your blogs.  Thank you for joining in the Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  You are appreciated.

 

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