Bow Ties are BACK...

I've missed doing my Bow Tie blocks with everything going on lately and decided I could crank out a few to get back in the Bow Tie saddle (pun intended, I just couldn't resist ;-).  Every time I do a few of these, I can't resist thinking just how cute they are:

Bow Ties are Cute!

I always have FUN doing these, since they go together soooo quickly w/chain piecing:

Chain piecing Bow Ties are quick and pin-less...

And now, like I always say - time to get back to it, only 553 to go to reach my goal of 750!

Later,

~Deb

Another Pepto Bismol Vintage Top...

It's been awhile since my last post - been busy w/holidays and yard work and dealing with poison ivy as a result of yard work ;-)  In frustration, I dug out another Pepto Bismol Pink vintage top and it turned out fairly well if I do say:

Vintage Double 9 Patch - another family heirloom...

Due to the delicate nature of this vintage top, I chose once again to quilt it with a freehand meander since I didn't want to put any marks on it and my freehand capabilities are somewhat limited to date.  And besides, I LOVE to meander/stipple; such a stress buster for me, it tends to stabilize these older tops and 'hold' them together, and was utilized by our quilting predecessors for durability - it's a Win/Win all the way around!

Meandering on this vintage top

Up close...

Worked out fairly well - don't you just love ALL those vintage fabrics?!

I couldn't resist this side view ;-)

It's bound with some matching reproduction fabrics, washed, dried, folded away for posterity.  Now on to the next one - wonder which one it will be...I'll get back to you on that...AND I need to get caught up marking my Carpenter's Star quilt - my poison ivy is almost dried up enough on my arms for me to give that a try...

Later,

~Deb

Carpenter's Star finished just in time for online feather class...

Just got my Carpenter's Star quilt top finished in time for Judy Laquidara's F R E E online feather class which begins June 1, 2012.  I used Old Glory gold/red/blue fabrics on this Carpenter's Star, so I think I'm going to name it Carpenter's Old Glory in honor of my Dad, who was a master Carpenter (in addition to many other things ;-) and my dear FIL who was a WWII Veteran.  Turned out pretty good, don't you think?:

Old Glory gold fabric used for center star and borders

UPDATE 7/7/2013:  want to see this Carpenter's Star all quilted out?  Follow this link to see the finish:

http://donebybettyboop.blogspot.com/2013/06/i-found-my-feathers.html

Also finished up the B'day quilt and got the label embroidered and sewn on:

All ready to be wrapped!

This is 'finish up' week - I have 3 more quilts that need binding, two quilts that need a few more embroidery blocks to be complete and one applique baby quilt that really needs some attention soooo... like I always say, time to get back to it....

Catch up with ya later,

~Deb

Flower Power to the Rescue!

Thank goodness I spotted this quilt top over at Aunt Bea's Quilts - it's a perfect Birthday gift for someone special in our family.  I tentatively named it Flower Power - what do you think?:

Aunt Bea's 'Flower Power' to the rescue!

A nice meander seemed fitting for this fun & fanciful top

I couldn't resist taking a side view...

...and a frontal view - gives great perspective... ;-)

This was one of those quilt tops that was fun to quilt and seemed it was finished almost as soon as it got started!  But I needed a nice/quick gift and this one fit the bill to a Tee - turned out great, don't you think...?:

A little binding w/personalized quilt label and this Birthday gift is done!

I like to refer to this type of quilts as a "Hug 'n Lug" quilt, meaning - a quilt you don't have to worry about because it wasn't made to be a keepsake, or tucked away in a trunk or closet for posterity, or made to compete in a show - no, No, NO!   This type of quilt is made especially for the intended to 'hug and drag or lug around', aka a '"Hug 'n Lug" for short ;-).

I'm off to bind and design that perfectly personalized quilt label for my latest 'Hug 'n Lug" - catch up w/you later...

~Deb

Progress on Carpenter's Star for Judy's Online Feather Class...

Well after more than a few days of slow/intermittent/no internet connection due to ALL the wonderful Spring storms we've been having ;-), finally able to make a post.  In spite of the increment weather, working on youngest dd's home getting ready for first cook-out on Sunday, (got the deck washed & rinsed and ready for stain/sealant tomorrow - too windy today!), made some progress on the Carpenter's Star we need for Judy Laquidara's F R E E online feather quilting class June 1, 2012:

The Gold Star in the middle is a nice touch, don't you think?

Using a patriotic theme in honor of the upcoming holidays and because I've wanted a Memorial Day/4th of July/Veteran's Day Star quilt for awhile now to display in honor of our Vets, including my DFIL who was a WWII Veteran and my Dad was a master carpenter - this Carpenter's Star quilt will serve well for all these purposes along with the Feather class.

Because I was kind of in a hurry and didn't want to cut out individual triangles and sew the half square triangles (HSTs) together, I decided to see if the(SNS) method would work.  Using Jodi's magic math formula, I came up w/following numbers:  to yield  6 1/2" HST quilt blocks I needed 9 3/4" center squares w/5" side strips sewn to ALL four sides of the center square, trim according to SNS directions then cut through centers and Voila!  Each unit yields four (4) Half Square Triangles (HSTs):

Sewing the 3rd and 4th - 5" blue sides onto center 9 3/4" muslin square

All ready for trimming...

After counting the total number of HSTs in each color pair family, i.e., blue/muslin, red/muslin, blue/red, dark gold/muslin, light gold/muslin, dark gold/light gold, the math revealed the following:

• (12) 6 1/2" red/muslin HSTs
• (12) 6 1/2" blue/muslin HSTs
• (12) 6 1/2" red/blue HSTs
• (4)   6 1/2" dark gold/light gold HSTs
• (4)   6 1/2" dark gold/muslin HSTs
• (4)   6 1/2" light gold/muslin HSTs
• ALWAYS check math for each individual project - nothing is infallible, including me!

And we already know we get four (4) HSTs out of each SNS unit soooo, 12 divided by 4 = 3 total units and 4 divided by 4 = 1 total unit I needed to make out of each color pair family respectively to yield the necessary HSTs i.e., (3) red/muslin units, (3) blue/muslin units, (3) red/blue units, (1) dark gold/light gold unit, (1) dark gold/muslin unit, etc., here's one of the red/blue units w/one side already 'trimmed':

First side trimmed..

These units are quite large and not simply trimmed since they are larger than the typical SNS rulers so I had to improvise for my cuts after I lined up w/SNS ruler, I grabbed a longer ruler to make my cuts.  I am planning on using my trimmings for a smaller doll quilt I've promised and for a miniature patriotic display, so won't have too many leftovers after all that.  

Please Note:  Jodi Barrows* does not promote or recommend making these type of large units due to the challenges of getting accurate cuts.  And as I mentioned, it does require paying attention to make sure EVERYTHING is all lined up nice and pretty prior to making that long swiping cut.  This is not for the faint of heart, but it was FUN and you know me, always up for a good challenge.  I did have extra fabric on hand in case I made any mistakes but...I lucked out and didn't have to use any of it ;-).  

And Please don't forget the (16) 6 1/2" muslin squares you will need to piece the entire Carpenter's Square together plus the Borders and border triangles.  I did follow the original directions rather than trying to utilize the SNS method since those border trinagles are not typical HSTs, and mirror images are required, so I just stuck to the original plans given over at Judy's at Patchwork Times.

Hopefully, will be able to get back to it and sew ALL the units together early next week.  For now, need to get back to quilting a surprise B'day present for a dear person...

Later,

~Deb

*Disclaimer:  I am NOT affiliated in any way shape or form w/SNS, Jodi Barrows and/or their business ventures.  I only share methods, tools, gadgets, gizmos, etc., what I use and enjoy...;-)

SID a Breeze w/SR - who knew...?

I simply cannot get over how easy it is to stitch-in-the-ditch (SID) with my 'new' stitch regulator (SR) - this is absolutely amazing!:

Easy-peasy SID w/mono-filament and my SR

Just look at those 'invisible' stitches - I think mono-filament and Betty are going to become best friends...

Even the back looks great!  Betty & I are in hog heaven - 

as we say down on the farm ;-)

OK, now to go back and 'quilt in' the borders with a nice flowing feather design and I think I have one all picked out.  I'll catch up w/you later...

UPDATE 4/28/2012:  Here's the quilted borders:

Here's the front of the border w/mono-filament clear thread...

To get the 'puckery vintage look', I used Warm & Natural batting - an all cotton bat, and didn't pre-wash my fabrics until after everything had been quilted and the binding applied which as you all know, allows it to shrink and pucker at the same time giving the quilt a nice homespun vintage look.

...and here's the back.

I actually used unbleached muslin for the back, but the flash on my camera must've lightened up the photos.

Prior to laundering - no puckers.

Pink Lemonade Quilt - all finished and bound ;-)

Time to get back to the FUN!

~Deb

SR Fixed - Let The Games Begin...!

Alrighty then - Mike at HQ fixed my stitch regulator (SR) over the phone in less than 15 minutes!  And who's at fault - yours truly for plugging in the wrong computer board piece when I upgraded my carriage in January, (I plugged in the 'green' piece, should've plugged in the blue one - who knew?! could've sworn I needed the green one and I even had the blue one plugged in at one time and still couldn't get it to work!)  Anyway, the upgrades arrived, the 'blue' piece is now plugged in and it works like a jet - YES!  Check these practice stitches out:

Look at those gorgeous, straight, EVEN stitches - not a single toe nail catcher in the bunch ...;-)

Now I totally 'get' ALL you SR junkies - this is AWESOME! I only got to play with it for about an hour and I'm already hooked...This is like having a brand-new machine - don't know when I'm going to bed tonight/tomorrow, but I'll be up for awhile that's for sure, if I even go to bed!  

My feathers still 'stink', but the stitches look great, don't they??

At least now I can get in some great practice on my feathers without having to worry about the SR acting up and giving me lousy stitches or coming to a complete halt.  I tried repeatedly to make it 'skip stitches', come to a complete stop like it did before, all of it, and it would have none of it - purred like a kitten and kept on truckin'/sewin'.  

This was sooo much FUN!

My feathers already don't 'stink' quite as much w/just a little practice - think how great they'll be in a week?!

Oh, how I love my new machine!

Betty is one happy camper now!

My head is just spinning thinking of ALL the pantos and ruler work and free motion quilting and micro stippling I can now do w/NO worries about uneven stitches.  Now, I can focus on keeping my lines nice and smooth and let the SR take care of the rest....soooo, like I ALWAYS say, time to get back to the FUN!

I'll keep you posted on my progress ;-)

Later,

~Deb