Design Wall Monday - September 25, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

Not much quilting going on here this week.  It’s been perfect weather in Michigan all week, and I’ve planted mums, bought a big pumpkin for the front porch, and canned some more tomatoes.  Fall has overtaken me, and I love it!  We live about a mile from an orchard that features homemade pumpkin spice donuts in the fall, and I may have overindulged on them too.  It’s all good!

The only crafty things I have to show you are some pink sparkly yarn princess crowns I am making for four little girls that are special to me.  They are sisters (6 yrs. old down to newborn) and I saw this easy crocheted princess crown pattern and thought of them.  Here’s a picture of the four crowns, with a doll crown in the foreground.  Pattern is free on the internet (Here)

The doll size little crown is so cute, so I am making a few of that size too.  I took a picture of it with a quarter, to show the size.  

I also finished a little tiny Christmas stocking (knitted) that had been started a long time ago, and is now completed.  Here’s a picture to show the size of it:

 

So as you can see, I’ve been all over the place, but not doing any quilting.  This coming week the Cousin’s Walk bird blocks will be what I plan on working on…..but you never know what the week will bring.  

Are you focused on one project right now, or, like me, are you enjoying fall weather too much to stay focused?  I’m looking forward to your blog posts and pictures.  Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below, and show us!  Thanks!

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DesignWall Monday - September 18, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

The AQS Quilt Show was last week in Grand Rapids.  I entered my Cheddar Baskets quilt and here is a picture if me beside my quilt.  Sue Daurio’s machine quilting made it special and I thought others would enjoy seeing’s it.

 

My favorite part of the quilt show was a special exhibit if vintage quilts.  It was a quilt collection of Sue Reich, representing 150 years of Quilting Blues, ranging from 1825 to 1976.

Here are somw of my favorites:

What have you been working on this week?  Please join in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us.  Thank you to all of our faithful bloggers who link up each week.  You are appreciated.

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Design Wall Monday - September 11, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

The design wall has a new project on it now.  Cousin’s Walk is a quirky bird quilt that some friends and I are all working on.  Some of them are changing the size of the blocks, and some are changing the center block.  I am sticking fairly closely to the picture on the pattern.  (picture from last week) The bird blocks are all facing in different directions in the original quilt.  I may switch them to all right side up before I finish, but for now, I like the quirkiness.

I wanted to see how all my shirting backgrounds looked all together.  Here’s the design wall:

And here is a recently finished bird block:

There are 28 bird blocks, so I will not have this on the design wall all the time that I’m working on all the blocks (not to mention the border).  This is a long term project.  

A small doll quilt came into being this week too.  I was looking through a box of fabric and found 20 hsts.  Each hst finishes at 2 inches.  They are now a little doll quilt project (will be 8x10 inches) :

What is on your design wall today?  I am looking forward to sitting with a cup of coffee later and reading your blogs.  Thanks for participating in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  Add your link below:

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Design Wall Monday - September 4, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

My Labor Day will be a quilting day - how about you?  I have a new project on the design wall.  The project that has been there for all last month is almost sewn together.  I have three more seams to sew.  I will take a picture of it when it is ready to go to a long arm quilter.

  I have chosen an appliqué quilt to work on next.   Cousins Walk. Have you heard of it?  It’s an old quirky bird quilt.  Here’s the pattern:

I’ve started to appliqué some blocks, and I’d like to get the background shirting squares on the design wall to see how it is going to look.  Here is one of my blocks:

 

I hope to have most of the background squares (different shirting fabrics) up on the design wall by the end of the day.  And next week, some pictures of what I have done so far.

What are you working on this fine September holiday weekend?  I hope you’ll join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us.  Thanks for participating!

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Design Wall Monday - August 28, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

It has been a busy week here.  The backs of all nine strips have the middle parts pressed open, and the outer edges trimmed. 

Here is the back of one strip, so you can see how nice and flat the centers are.  I snipped one seam on either side of the center seam to enable it to lie flat.  See from this picture how it worked out:

This week the plan is to sew all nine pieced strips to their bordering strips.  I think that was what I had planned for last week……but as I said, it’s been a busy week.

First, on Wednesday, the bushel of canning tomatoes I ordered came in, and when I went to pick them up, the peaches looked so good that I bought a bushel of peaches too.  So Thursday I canned one batch of tomatoes (7 quarts) and one batch of peaches (also 7 quarts) during the day.  However the canning “factory” came to a halt Thursday night when a very powerful storm came through Michigan.  We lost power for 26 hours.

The only useful things I did while the power was out was 1) weed the flower beds and 2) crochet a little hot pad.  It is a free pattern from the internet that I had printed a few weeks ago.  It is supposed to look like a fried egg:

I am easily amused.   Pattern (Here)

The power came back on late Friday night, so my home canning factory resumed production on Saturday all day and Sunday afternoon.   I am happy to report that there are now 26 quarts of peaches and 19 quarts and 2 pints of tomatoes on the kitchen counter.  

The last 7 jars of tomatoes are cooling on the stove:

What did you work on this week?  You constantly show such pretty projects that I have to sit on my hands to keep from starting another quilt project.  I am looking forward to seeing your work again this week.  Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below.  Thank you for mentioning Design Wall Mondays in your blog, and providing a link back to this post.  

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Design Wall Monday - August 21, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

Progress is being made on the quilt on the design wall.  All columns done:

Next I have to trim the dog ears and sew the columns to each other.  18 long seams.  

Here are some current issues:

Pressing the blocks.  By pressing the seam toward the solid fabric triangles (solid meaning unpieced fabrics) leaves a lumpy center cluster of fabric that any long arm quilter will not like.   I do not want to press the whole seam open, as there is so much piecing in the little blocks and….also, it’s a pain to do.  I’m thinking I could clip the seam allowance a little bit on each side of the center, so the center could open up, and the two sides would lay flat as I want them to.  Another option is to spray the center with water and just smash it down with the iron.  Not a good solution, but it was a suggested solution.

What do you think would be best?

Here is what I’m talking about:

Second issue:

Extra pieced blocks.

There are nine columns of pieced blocks right now and each one has 23 blocks in it.  I thought I’d be using all the blocks that way, but no……there are 22 left.  Maybe they multiplied after I counted them.

Extras:

I could add 2 blocks to the end of each column and use 18 of them that way.  But that would add 8.5 inches to the length of the quilt, which is going to be 98 inches long without the extra 2 blocks.  Adding them would make the quilt 106.5 inches long.  It is queen size in width.  But this would be an easy solution.

Another solution would be to make a doll quilt with the extra 22 blocks.

I do have a name for this quilt now, thanks to Rebecca Grace.  

Last week Rebecca Grace (her blog is here) commented “I LOVE the project on your design wall!  Each little block is like a fabulous chocolate truffle in a Valentine box with the setting triangles separating them just like those little wrappers.”  So now the name will be “A Box of Chocolates.”

What is happening on your design wall?  Remember, it doesn’t have to be on an actual design wall - just show us what you are making. Please mention this blog and provide a link to this post so people can come back here to see what the rest of the participants are making.  Looking forward to your link ups to the Design Wall Monday Linky Party.

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Design Wall Monday - August 14, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

The quilt on the design wall is coming along slowly.  There are now five columns sewn into long strips of 23 blocks, and the sixth column is on the carpet next to the sewing machine.   I sew five together four times, and the extra three, and then sew them all into one long column.  

Next strip to be sewn:

Here is the current status of the Design Wall this Monday:

Five long strips done, and four to go.

Well, making a list last Monday helped me a little bit.  I did get the cutting mat area cleaned off:

It doesn't stay this way, but it sure is nice to see the whole area clean once in a while.  It is actually the "bar" area (note the sink and refrigerator) in the family room downstairs, but I use the countertop as a cutting board, as the lighting is very good there.   And to be honest, the cutting mat area within the quilt room is filled with items........such as........ahem.........lots of various very important things.

I didn't make a "list" for this week, as the list consists of one thing  "Get this quilt OFF the design wall as soon as possible........more quilts are waiting for their turn up there!

What are you working on this Monday?  I am looking forward to reading your blogs and seeing your pictures.  Thanks very much for your faithful linkups to Design Wall Mondays.  You are the best.

Link up below to show us the fun you are having this week.  As always, I appreciate it so much when you link back to this blog post from somewhere within your post, and also mention the Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  

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Design Wall Monday - August 7, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

Here it is August already and I feel like I can't post another picture of my design wall - because it looks the same as last week!  But I do have a great reason.  I was on vacation all week up north in Michigan.  Our family came from all over and we had a great time.

Now I am home again, refreshed, and ready to quilt up a storm!  At lease I hope so!  I did read your blogs, and one I liked a lot was from Chris from Quilting at the Farm  (Here)   She makes me feel better in that she didn't get some things done on her list either......but she also DID make a list, which is better than the list that's in my head.

So, after reading her blog, I have formed a written list below for the month of August.

1) Get at least five of the small blocks sewn together into a strip every day in August, starting today, the 7th.  Try to sew on this project at least 20 minutes each day.  The goal is to get the top assembled and off the design wall. 

2) Get the cutting board area cleaned off.

3) Shorten the hems on hubby's new pajamas (sleeves and pant legs) to make them fit him better.  I could take them back, but I hate returning things more than I hate altering them.  

It is a short list, but I am trying to stay "Whelmed" and not "Overwhelmed".  

It was a busy week, and I have no vacation pictures to share.  I was having such a good time that I left my phone in my room most of the time.  The house we rented had an extensive book collection, so I enjoyed browsing some cookbooks, and also read "To Kill a Mocking Bird" again.  And a short book "Who Moved My Cheese".  

Before I left, three of my quilts were sent to Sue Daurio  (Here)  to see what she can do to finish them.  Here is an old photo of the two 1930s basket quilts to refresh your memory.  I am waiting to hear what her inspiration will be for quilting them.

She did such a great job on the last two quilts that I sent to her, and these two will get her special treatment too, I am sure.  The third one was the redwork quilt that I've worked on for such a long time.  It felt good to move them to the longarm quilter stage.

What plans do you have for August?  I shall read your blogs and find out what you are working on.  Thanks so much for being so faithful in linking with the Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  I look forward to Mondays.

Let's join again this week so we can read your blogs and look at your beautiful pictures.  Please provide a link back to this post so that we can toggle back and forth to all the blogs.  Also, it would be nice if you mentioned our Design Wall Monday Linky Party in your post.  Happy Monday!

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Design Wall Monday - July 31, 2023

 Good Morning Quilters!

Here is a picture of my design wall today.   I think it looks about the same as it did last week.  But life happens, and it will be there when I get back to it, right?

I am on vacation this week and will be doing no quilting.  Children and Grandchildren will be here and my days will be busy.  The quilting projects shall have to wait until everyone goes home, and that’s ok.  

I hope to be spending a lot of time in the water.  Here is a picture taken a couple of years ago, so you can see what I am planning.  You can see Penny Lane enjoying the water too.

What are you working on?  Or, like me, what are you not working on?  Please show us a picture and link your blog to our Design Wall Monday Linky Party so we can see.

Thanks for linking up each week, and please remember to mention Design Wall Monday in your post, and also provide a link back here so people can go to the next blog in the party.  

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Design Wall Monday - July 24, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

Here is a current picture of my Design Wall:

Progress is slow, but steady.  I have all the brown/neutral/brown strips sewn and am working on the never ending pile of 3 inch blocks with their two side triangles.  Here is what the sewing machine looks like right now:

I will be doing a lot of sewing of strips of these small blocks this week.  It's rather boring, so I am listening to a book on CD.  Do you do that when sewing a boring part of a project?  A friend let me borrow Great Expectations, by Dickens, and I am enjoying it very much.

What is going on in your quilting world?  Please join the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us your pictures and posts!   I've been very distracted lately with non-quilty things, and am thankful that you are persevering in my absence.  You are also encouraging me, and I am blessed to see your posts.  Thanks!

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Design Wall Monday - July 17, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

I am finally seeing some progress n my design wall.  Here is a current picture that was taken yesterday:

There are nine columns of blocks to be assembled, and I am also working on sewing the dark strips to either side of the light print strips.   There are eight of these to be made, and I have three on the design wall. .  The fourth one is on the ironing board:

It is starting to come together, and I am encouraged.  I hope to have all the pieced block columns on the design wall next week. 

 I hope you are making progress on your projects too.  I’m looking forward to reading your posts this week.  

Join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below!  Thank you so much for participating.  You are a joy to me.

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Design Wall Monday - July 10, 2023

Good morning Quilters!  

A wonderful miracle happened at my house this week.  A life-time wish has been granted.  Back when I was a little girl, our home had a porch with wrens in a birdhouse there.  I used to play on the porch and listen to the tiny wren singing all day long.  My mother loved to hear him singing too.

A Williamsburg bottle birdhouse has been on our porch since last year, with no bird interested in it ……… until last Wednesday.  Now it is a busy place, being filled with small twigs.   The happy male perches on the very top of our flagpole or on our rooftop to sing about his new home.  I told hubby I can cross one more thing off my bucket list.  I have wanted wrens on my own porch forever, and this week it happened.  I praise God for their  beautiful singing that encourages me every day.  

Quilting has been slow, but I am making progress.  I sewed sleeves on the backs of two quilts, and I am slowly putting the 210 small three inch blocks in columns.  Here are some progress pictures:

The Wimbledon tennis matches have started, so I am watching great tennis as I sew.  More watching than sewing to be truthful.  But a little bit gets sewn each day, and it is coming together nicely.  I hope your projects are too.  I saw some fantastic progress on your blogs this last week.  You inspire me to do more.

Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us your work.  I shall be reading your blogs this week while I’m on my front porch bench, listening to the wren’s happy song.  Please mention Design Wall Mondays and also link back to this post from within your post.  Thank you.

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Design Wall Monday - July 3, 2023

 Happy Fourth of July!

Here is a picture of the first quilt I ever made, finished in 2002 and named:  God Bless America

And a closeup of one block:

If you want to know more about it, I blogged about it::  (Read post here)

Also pictures of patriotic quilts I’ve made through the years:

All of these were made during the time I’ve been blogging, and if you want any details about them, you could search my blog for “patriotic” or “flag” to get more info.  I do love the American flag.  I may make another patriotic doll quilt this week.  The holiday has inspired me again!

Please join the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us what you are working on.  I love to see what you are making.  And your kind comments and participation in the linkup is so appreciated.  Thank you.

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Design Wall Monday - June 26, 2023

Good Morning Quilters!

I made a great find in my stash yesterday.  Remember that I am trying to put 210 small intricate blocks into a quilt where they can be seen individually. 

 The colors/design of this vintage quilt is what I am using to guide me:

I found a neutral in my stash to use with my blocks last week, and have that sewn to my little blocks.  I thought I'd have to buy a brown fabric for the narrow vertical stripes.....but yesterday, I found a fabric in my stash that I think will work!  I am so happy.  I have no idea what I bought the brown fabric for, and it was in a box of mostly fat quarters in browns.  It was the largest piece of fabric in the box - at least three yards!  I calculated I'd need 2.75 yards if I bought something.  

Here is the brown print, which reads as a solid brown from a little distance:

In the original quilt, the brown is a print that reads as a solid from a distance,  too.  See a closeup of the vintage quilt here:

So now quilt top construction can begin.  I have triangles sewn on both sides of each of my blocks I'm using in lieu of the nine patches of the old quilt, and I now have the brown.....brown stripes and neutral stripes and blocks are going to appear on my design wall this week!  I can't wait!

What are you doing this week?   It feels so good to have my quilting mojo back.  I hope you all are keeping your projects going.  It pleases me so much to see your posts and pictures.  Thanks so much for joining the Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  Please mention Design Wall Mondays, and provide a link to this post from within your post.  

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