Our Oklahoma October started out in the 90s and ended in the 20s. Talk about going from one extreme to the other! And it snowed on the 30th! Extremely unusual for this part of the country. On the positive side with all of these too-hot-for-me and too-cold-for-me temps, I stayed in a lot and got quite a bit accomplished.
Oh, and I could have gotten more done if my husband hadn’t tangled with a copperhead. We spent an entire day in the emergency room while they monitored him and did repeated blood tests to determine what changes were taking place. Fortunately no changes in his blood so no antivenom had to be administered. His ankle is still a bit tender but he has been back on his feet since about three days after the bite. Then there were the two days that my dad fell and had to have CT scans to make sure he wasn’t having any bleeding in his brain. And thankfully he was also fine except for a little bump and a scrape on his arm. His doctor has since ordered home health, and a physical therapist is working with daddy to improve his balance. I was the one who suffered permanent medical issues from all of this. My blood pressure went a bit haywire, and my medication had to be increased. A wild month to say the least. Everything is back to normal now.
I finished Aspen’s quilt and the doll quilt that we are giving her for Christmas. I do still need to add the labels, so technically they aren’t quite finished yet. But I’m calling it a finish. I’m sure somebody has done a pattern like these two quilts, but I haven’t seen them. I just had an idea for what I wanted to do and started cutting and sewing. I’m pretty pleased with the results. I used two layers of Hobb’s 80/20 batting on the twin size quilt with a single layer in the doll quilt and quilted them using a panto called Crayon Scribbles by Anne Bright Designs. It is one of the most difficult pantographs I’ve used, so perfect quilting it is not.
In addition, I put together 4 baby quilt tops and finished one of them. I found this really quick-to-make pattern called Baby Bento Box online. I’ve also seen some variations that I may try later. I suppose because of the fabrics on a couple of these tops that these would be better as lap quilts. I really had fun quilting the little bunny one. I had never done clamshells so tried my hand at that using a 4” circle ruler and Lisa Calle’s technique. The quilt would have been just fine with the overall clamshell quilting, but I thought it looked a bit plain so added some free-motion feathers in each clamshell. I like it so much better now.
My month wasn’t 100% success story. I had a flannel shirt that I wanted to add lace to the back of to make it more feminine. Sadly it didn’t turn out to my liking; and since I didn’t want to spend time ripping out everything I had just sewn in, I am going to send it to the thrift store. Somebody will like it. Maybe.
I did spend some time working on mine and my husband’s quilt this month. Last month I only had sewn blocks into 5 rows. I now have blocks sewn into 15 rows. Let’s see……15 rows times 29 blocks……..that’s 435 blocks! If our weather is going to keep being this cold, I had better get a move on and finish this quilt so we will be cozy and warm this winter. But there’s so many other things I want to make………..
Oh, and I found my missing string blocks! They were between two books on my bookshelf. I had put them there to keep them nice and flat until I had an empty project box to put them in. It was really strange how I found them since I had already turned the house upside down three times looking for them and had given up. So after about a month, I started thinking about them again. So I walked into the sewing room and straight to that shelf to start searching again when right in front of me at eye level was the corner of one of them sticking out from between the books. This second search has to be the shortest search on record. Those wayward blocks are now safely stored in their own box waiting for me to make more.
Happy Crafting,
Lana
I completed all fourteen Poinsettia placemats! Woohoo! That is most of my Christmas gifts finished. So happy with them!
The final homemade Christmas gift is Aspen’s Quilt and a doll quilt for her made from scraps from her quilt. They are on the longarm, and I have started quilting it. I chose to use a slightly off-white thread and a pantograph called Crayon Scribbles from Anne Bright Designs. It is the most difficult pantograph I’ve used to date because of all the diagonal lines on it but is still the perfect one for this quilt. I also chose a wide backing that I found at Missouri Star Quilt Co. called Lazy Loops on a white background. It is such a fun print and should look great with the purple binding I am going to use on the quilt.
I even squeezed in enough time to make three baby quilts that I will be donating. It is such fun to see the ladies faces when I drop them off at the church clothing pantry.
Last year or the year before, I made a pumpkin from an old wool skirt that I felted. My sister-in-law saw it and oohed and aahed over it, so I knew I needed to make her one. I immediately cut out the pieces, placed them in a kit bag, and promptly forgot about them until this year. I got busy and finished it this month and took it to her. She loved it even though it was necessarily smaller than mine due to having limited scraps. For the first time I purchased nice wool felt to make the leaves and curls for this pumpkin. Much nicer results than the cheaper felts. And when buying for small projects is very affordable.
I am also making progress on mine and my husband’s quilt. I finished squaring all 400+ half square triangles, arranged the blocks for a fourth of the quilt since that was all my planning wall will hold, and started sewing the blocks into rows. I did devise a way to add the second half of the blocks to the row for the full width of the quilt. I do, however, have to fold the rows when I place them back onto the planning wall. I also have to overlap them to make room for twice the number of rows that I originally placed on the wall. You do what you gotta do. I’m hoping to have this quilt finished by the time the really cold weather hits in January.
All in all I had a pretty productive month. I’m hoping October is at least as good since November and December are such busy months which don’t allow a lot of time for crafting. Hope you also had a great month and plenty of time for crafting during the holiday season.
Happy Crafting,
Lana
I just took a look back at December’s post to see how I’m doing in meeting the goals I set for myself for 2019. In the following list that I copied from December’s post, I’ve crossed through the things that I’ve completed and added descriptions on how I am progressing. Here goes:
- I have 192 quad Log Cabin blocks that need to be sewn into 16 rows of 12 blocks each and those 16 rows need to be sewn together. I have finished sewing the first row and have started the second. I think that I will just jump on this and get it done. It is actually going faster than I anticipated. When all is together the borders need to be cut to size and the appliqués put on them. Then there is the quilting and binding and labeling to do. I really would like to complete this quilt by the end of 2019 but am thinking that I may be setting my goals a tad too high since I like to mix in other projects as I go along.
- I have 14 appliquéd placemats to make. The background squares are cut and ready to sew together. The appliqués are now all stitched onto the placemats. Ready to be quilted and then bound.
- I have a quilt on my frame to finish quilting and three in the closet to quilt. I finished the quilt on my frame and now have another on it half quilted. And without realizing it, I somehow increased the number of quilts hanging in the closet waiting to be quilted from three to four. Now how did that happen? And after they are quilted, there will be bindings and labels to do.
- I want to use up all the 2 1/2” squares and strips I cut from thrift store shirts, skirts, etc. They will be sewn into quilts that will be donated. I’ve already chosen a pattern for the next one. Just need to decide what neutral color to use for the background. I have a bolt of white in my stash. That always looks nice. All of these scraps are in quilt tops – one on the frame being quilted and two in the closet waiting their turn. So this goal is nearing completion.
- I’ve chosen a piece of home décor fabric from my stash to make a cover for my new Sizzix eclips2 electronic cutting machine. I need to do that right away to keep the machine lint and dust free. I can check this one off my list. It is the only goal I’ve actually completed to date.
- I want to take more online quilting classes. I paid for a subscription and would really like to take advantage of it. I’ve watched a lot of videos and have learned a lot. I still have others on my list that I want to watch.
- And I took time out for a few unplanned projects – 5 crocheted doll hats, 5 crocheted dishcloths, 1 hair scrunchie, 2 sewing machine mats with pockets, 2 hotpads, and 1 wallet.
I’m actually doing better than I thought. Now I must get back to it.
Happy Crafting,
Lana
“I’m late, I’m late! For a very important date! No time to say ‘hello, goodbye,’ I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” –The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland
Here it is three days into May, and I’m just now writing my April report. They say time flies when you’re having fun. And fly by it has, so I must be having lots of fun.
April is my birth month, and my darling husband gave me three air cleaning machines with hepa filters. A week after setting them up, I dusted the whole house. Would you believe there was less dust in the whole house than what usually collected in our bedroom in just a couple of days before the machines were installed? Woohoo! Less time spent dusting means more creating. And here is what I created during April. (Did you like my lead-in to this months accomplishments? LOL)
Finishes: 5 crocheted dishcloths, 2 sewing machine mats with storage pockets, 2 potholders, and 1 wallet. It is one of my goals this year to use up items that were in boxes of fabric that I purchased at garage sales. Items that I would not usually buy. I used up two of such items this month making the above listed items – a ball of heavy tan crochet thread and a scrap of pre-quilted fabric. Now I’m looking at other such acquired items and thinking what I might make out of them.
Successes: I am a member of a Facebook group for owners of Bernina machines. While reading a post I learned that my machine has a hover feature. I was not told about it when I did my training, and I did not read about it in my manual. But once I knew it was there, I was determined to find it and get it turned on because it would make stitching down appliqués so much easier. You see, the hover feature causes the presser foot to rise slightly when you stop pressing on the machine pedal which allows fabric to be turned as needed. Of course, when doing appliqué, the needle also has to be set to stop in the down position. I searched in the presser foot settings to no avail. Wouldn’t you think that if it has something to do with the presser foot the setting would be in presser foot settings? Nope, wasn’t there. Then I just started looking in all the menus. And, lo and behold, there it was in the needle position settings window. I had three levels to choose from: no rise, slight rise, and higher rise. I chose slight rise. Now life is so much easier.
Progress on WIPs: all the blocks are finally together on the Rainbow Garden Log Cabin quilt. I now just need to get the paper removed from half the quilt. Just! That is putting it lightly. I hate this part of making this quilt so have been procrastinating. When that is done, I can measure for the borders and start the appliqué on them.
I also got stabilizer pinned to the back of the 14 poinsettia placemats and have started stitching down the appliqués. That hover feature on my machine has sure made this more efficient.
The scrap flimsy I finished last month is on the quilting frame. I did SID on every seam and was very pleased that 99.9% of the SID stitches went where I actually wanted them. Then I made a decision on how I wanted to quilt it. Each block on this quilt will be quilted differently as I try out different designs. You see, I’m using this one as practice leading up to quilting one that I’ve been putting off until my FMQ improves and in the process am deciding on a design to use on the quilt I’ve been putting off. I did learn an important lesson on this scrap quilt though besides FMQ practice. I should have used two layers of batting to get the results that I was wanting. It is a mistake I don’t think I will ever repeat. Lesson learned.
New projects started: In my efforts to finish using up all the 2 ½” squares and strips that I cut from those cotton garments, I made a flimsy for another baby quilt. What few squares and strips I have left have been boxed up and stored with stuff I will someday sell in a garage sale and donate if it does not sell.
So as you can see, I have lots of creating going on and plenty to work on during May. What am I saying!?! I have plenty to keep me busy for several months! Love it! Love it! Love it!
Happy creating,
Lana
This month has been a bit chaotic what with my having a touch of some kind of bug and my brother-in-law having to be put in the hospital. I’m still recovering, and he should get out today or tomorrow. So hopefully all will settle down soon.
In spite of all the madness, I managed to accomplish quite a lot during March. First up are two quilt finishes:
I quilted this 4-patch with stars and loops in black thread. It is a big queen size quilt and now ready to deliver to the church pantry.
I also made a small quilt that can either be a lap quilt or a baby quilt. It was a favorite of my quilting group. And I finally got to use the Tri-Recs rulers I found at a garage sale for $2 a few years ago. This pretty quilt will also go to the church pantry.
I chose backing fabric from my stash for a throw size scrap quilt that I started last month. The backing is loaded on the longarm, but quilting was put on hold until I pick up the batting I need for it. I will be playing with some custom quilting in the 6″ white squares.
And then before I knew it, this doll quilt top was together. These quilts put me a bit closer to my goal of using up all the 2 1/2″ squares and strips that I have cut.
And I got three more rows of the Rainbow Garden Log Cabin quilt together. Because this quilt top is rather heavy with all that paper on the back of each block, I am constructing it in two halves and will sew the halves together later after most of that paper is removed. It’s slow, but I’m getting there. In addition to the additional rows sewn together, I now have all the border appliques cut for this quilt.
Last Sunday afternoon, I altered the length of a dress for my granddaughter and added elastic at the waist to give it some shape. I would have gotten before and after pictures, but this 3-year-old was not feeling cooperative that day. Out of the fabric that I cut off the tail of the dress, I made her a scrunchy for her hair. Very easy and quick project.
I cut and adhered all the poinsettia appliques to 14 placemats which are Christmas gifts for this year. Stitching them is next. These have way more pieces than last year’s pumpkin placemats so will likely take a lot more time to stitch. I best figure out a schedule for how many to complete each month so that I have them done by Christmas. I’m thinking that I may also do a thread color change on this one. Or I could do it all in a deep forest green. Decisions, decisions!
Happy Crafting,
Lana
In spite of February being a short month and me being gone a lot to watch my granddaughter’s last season of basketball, I managed to get quite a bit accomplished. Enjoy!
I was searching in my sewing closet for something, can’t remember what, but discovered that I hadn’t yet quilted the Zigzaggy quilt. So I pulled it out of the closet, found a piece of fabric in my stash large enough to make a backing, pieced some batting together, and loaded everything on my longarm. I decided to try one of my pantographs that I had not yet used and chose one called Baby Curls. And I loved it not only for how it looked on this quilt but for how quickly it went. I had this large throw size quilt on and off my frame in about 2 1/2 hours. Fastest quilt job I’ve ever done. Then I got busy and used the rest of the afternoon to bind it. My first finish for the month and a bit closer to meeting my goal this year of using up all those 2 1/2″ squares and strips I cut over two years ago. You will be hearing a lot about my meeting this goal because there were way more of these pieces than I figured on and although I used up a great many of them last year, there are quite a few left to go.
In fact I’ve already started two more scrap quilts out of them. This one is awaiting borders, quilting, and binding.
And the other one is taking up the left half of my planning wall.
In fact it is pushing me to get the remaining blocks sewn together for the Rainbow Garden Log Cabin quilt which is taking up the right half of my planning wall. You see, Rainbow Garden is tedious to work on, so I procrastinate. And because I need more space on the planning wall so I can add more blocks to the scrap quilt on the left…..well, you get the picture. I do have 8 rows of Rainbow Garden sewn together, and I am really liking how it is looking.
I did check off one of my goals for 2019 as completed – the cover for my Sizzix eclips2 cutting machine.
I used a 7 inch circle to make the arched pieces at each end and then just cut a rectangle the size I needed to go over the top of the machine. I cut and sewed the lining first testing and adjusting for fit as I went. Once I was happy with the fit, I cut and sewed the cover, added the lining, and, tada!, a bright and cheery cover for my machine was done.
I hope that your February was productive and fun, and here’s looking forward to seeing what we can get done in March.
Happy Crafting!
Lana
I forgot to tell you about some of my finishes in January so will take care of that unfinished business now. I did these while I was sick and totally forgot about them.
I didn’t feel like doing a whole lot while suffering from that nasty ole cold, so I spent that time sitting in my recliner watching TV, snoozing, and crocheting. Yes, crocheting. I find it very relaxing. I completed five cute doll hats and one pretty dishcloth. Here they are
A Look Back at 2018
Wow! What a fun-packed busy year! I completed so many projects!!! Here is a recap:
I completed
- 11 quilts, all were oversize throws and bed size
- 14 placemats
- 161 quad Log Cabin blocks to complete the 192 needed for my quilt
- 2 pairs of house booties as birthday gifts for 2 of my granddaughters
- 1 doll clothes pattern which was released early summer and only sold 2 copies
- at least 11 pieces of doll clothing and accessories
- 7 miscellaneous projects, and
- 1 online quilting class with Lisa Calle
And I have no doubt that I’ve forgotten to list something. To see and read about all these projects, just scroll down through the past eleven months of my life.
Looking Forward to 2019
As I worked on my quad Log Cabin blocks during December, I was thinking about how I was going to plan 2019 in order to complete all that I want to get done. Here is what I’ve come up with so far:
- I have 192 quad Log Cabin blocks that need to be sewn into 16 rows of 12 blocks each and those 16 rows need to be sewn together. I have finished sewing the first row and have started the second. I think that I will just jump on this and get it done. It is actually going faster than I anticipated. When all is together the borders need to be cut to size and the appliqués put on them. Then there is the quilting and binding and labeling to do. I really would like to complete this quilt by the end of 2019 but am thinking that I may be setting my goals a tad too high since I like to mix in other projects as I go along.
- I have 14 appliquéd placemats to make. The background squares are cut and ready to sew together.
- I have a quilt on my frame to finish quilting and three in the closet to quilt. And after they are quilted, there will be bindings and labels to do.
- I want to use up all the 2 1/2” squares and strips I cut from thrift store shirts, skirts, etc. They will be sewn into quilts that will be donated. I’ve already chosen a pattern for the next one. Just need to decide what neutral color to use for the background. I have a bolt of white in my stash. That always looks nice.
- I’ve chosen a piece of home décor fabric from my stash to make a cover for my new Sizzix eclips2 electronic cutting machine. I need to do that right away to keep the machine lint and dust free.
- And I want to take more online quilting classes. I paid for a subscription and would really like to take advantage of it.
What do you think? Is there enough time in 2019 to do all of this? One thing that should help is the Sizzix eclips2 I got for Christmas. This machine will save me time in cutting out all the appliqués I need for the placemats and the Log Cabin quilt border. Stay tuned to find out how it goes.
Happy Crafting,
Lana
- My weekly goal of three Quad Log Cabin blocks was met with 12 blocks completed. I now have a total of 138 blocks stored in that nice big white box waiting for the remaining 54 blocks to be completed. I’m almost ¾ done with these blocks. I sure will be glad when all 192 of them are done. Bet you will be too.
- I threw together a small quilt top that was to be hand-quilted with long stitches so that I would have something to work on while I was having Mohs surgery to remove a skin cancer. They use a local anesthetic for this type of surgery, and it is done in stages. They take a layer, test it while you wait in a comfortable waiting area, and then repeat as necessary. They tell you to bring something to help you pass the time. They got all of mine with the first layer so only had an hours wait so ended up finishing the quilting at home. Then I chose buttons to put in the centers of the blocks to represent flowers, put on a hanging sleeve, labeled it, and bound it. I’m very pleased with the result.
- Granddaughter Haylee has her great grandmother’s cedar chest which has a cushioned bench seat. When she first received this chest, she and I re-covered it with Oklahoma State University That wouldn’t do in her new house, so she went back to JoAnn’s Fabrics and purchased more of the fabric that we covered her pillows with so we could replace that orange fabric. Doesn’t it look great?!!
- I’ve also been doing a bit of organizing this month. I decided it would be easier to find thread and buttons if they were sorted by color. Took awhile, but they sure look pretty. Easier to find what I need? You betcha!
- My husband helped me make a pressing board out of an old ironing board that he attached a piece of plywood to. Then he and I stapled one layer of Warm ‘n Natural batting and canvas to it. See how nicely a fat quarter fits on it. I sure do like it.
- Finally got back to the Pumpkin placemats and finished three this month. Just 9 more to go, and I am almost finished quilting the next group of 4. If all goes just right, I should finish all of the placemats by the end of September.
- I learned to use the embroidery module on my Bernina while I made 5 labels to go on quilts. One went on the back of a quilt I gave to my dad for his birthday a couple of years back. Don’t know why I didn’t already have a label on it. The other 4 will go on family quilts to indicate which grandchild gets what. One of those has already been attached to my Granny Wilson’s quilt. I also made a pocket to attach to the back of the quilt to hold all of the history that goes along with it. This quilt was made by her quilting bee back in the mid-40s. Each of their names went into the hat for a drawing. My great grandmother won. It was passed to her oldest, my grandmother, and then to her oldest, my dad, and then to his oldest, me. It is going to my oldest child’s oldest. She is so excited that it will be hers one day.
- My husband and I also found time to go to some garage sales one day. We found a nice little drop-leaf table and four chairs that will go to another granddaughter, Rylee. She recently moved into her own apartment and does not have a dining table. She and her mother will paint the set and make them hers. Not a bad buy at $25.
I’m surprised at how much I got accomplished this month. I hope September proves to be as productive.
Happy Crafting,
Lana
It may have been mild for Oklahoma in June, but we are warming up to normal temps for July – very hot –had a couple of days in the 100s. Our garden has already burned up except for the okra. The okra plants are healthy looking but are not producing. In 50 years have never had that happen before, so no okra to put up this year. I did manage to put up all the green beans, asparagus, and tomatoes I will need for the winter though.
My husband and I have also been busy helping our oldest granddaughter look at houses, condos, and townhomes with the goal of finding one she could afford in acceptable condition in a good neighborhood near the school where she teaches. She finally found a house in excellent condition within 2 miles of her school and the perfect size for her first home. We moved her in the last weekend of July. She is very excited about being a homeowner. She texted me a few days after moving in announcing that she believes she was born to be a homeowner because she is having a blast organizing and whipping things into shape. She’s so funny.
In spite of all the canning and running around, I did manage to get quite a bit of sewing done.
- My weekly goal of three quad Log Cabin blocks was met with 15 blocks completed. I now have a total of 125 blocks stored in that nice big white box waiting for the remaining 67 blocks to be completed. Wow! I’ve now almost finished twice as many as I need to complete. But that upper left one is way too pale and will most likely be replaced meaning that I will have to make an extra to take it’s place. Just what I wanted – to make more of these blocks. Not! LOL
- I ordered some titanium embroidery needles to use when I stitch the appliqués onto the placemats I am making for Christmas gifts. I was reading an article on stitching appliqués that have been applied to the fabric with fusible web. The titanium embroidery needles are touted to easily go through all layers without getting gummed up. Well, not so. Maybe they don’t gum up as much as regular needles but did gum up. No problem though since I have my Goo Gone ready when I need it. I have stitched down the appliqués on 5 of the 14 placemats and have quilted and bound 2 of them.
- There were no window treatments in my little sister’s new living quarters, so I took her old ones from the other apartment and remade them to fit the new windows. I also used some old draperies given to me by a niece to make a privacy panel to put behind the sheers in the bedroom window.
And the kitchen curtains I made for her last month but forgot to take a picture:
- A friend of our granddaughter gave her a sectional sofa which was in sad shape. Their dog had chewed through the upholstery on one corner and left about a 12” x 18” section bare all the way to the wood frame. Wish I had taken a BEFORE picture. Oh, well. So my husband and I went to JoAnn’s Fabrics and found a piece of chocolate brown vinyl that matched closely enough that one has to get very close to see the difference. Then we cut a piece of foam to fit that area and covered it with the new vinyl stitching it to the old vinyl at one end, stapling it to the frame at the top and the bottom where it doesn’t show, and tucking the other end into a joint between two pieces of the frame. Looks great! Then we replaced those too tall, too hard pillows that were across the back of the sectional. I bought 3 body pillows from Walmart. When our granddaughter came to the house, we had her try them out to make sure they were to her liking. She loved them. Next step was to find fabric to either match the seat cushions (which also needed work) or fabric that would coordinate with them. We picked up Haylee (the granddaughter) and headed back to JoAnn’s. It was Friday the 13th but our lucky day. JoAnn’s had the exact upholstery fabric that was on those seat cushions. Can you believe that?!!! So now the seat cushions are spruced up and the body pillows covered. Then for throw pillows we picked up a piece of fabric that made 3 pillows, and I took the covers off the old pillows that were once the back of the sectional to make pillows 4 more. I had also saved the armchair covers from the 2 dark brown recliners we gave Haylee a while back and made a couple more pillows. Found all the pillow forms reasonably priced at Walmart. We saved the couch!!! LOL And here is Aspen enjoying it.
So the past two months have been spent mostly on sewing, upholstering, and quilting for my sister, our granddaughter, and our nephew. I’m hoping that nothing else comes up so that I can get the placemats done that are this year’s Christmas gifts. Do you sometimes find that you spend more time on other people’s projects than you get to spend on your own? What am I saying? Most of my projects are gifts for them anyway. LOL
Happy crafting,
Lana
Lana's Lark 