Monday, April 28, 2014

What I'm working on


I have been a little neglectful in my blog posting. It has been busy with life & quilting. I got my off set log cabin quilt back from my LAQ & I love it. She used a purple batik on the back & purple thread, now I just have to bind it:(  

Then I started treading like a crazy woman to get my current treadle quilt done so that I could hang it in my guilds quilt show this Saturday. All of the food fabrics are scraps & I can't really tell you on the black. I've used so many of my black scraps in quilts lately that I don't know what came from a scrap or yardage that I purchased. My LAQ is going to used a veggie panto I'm excited to see it!

Last week when I stopped by to drop off/pick up a quilt I was chatting with my LAQ. She has been sewing up a storm lately & has been going through her stash. The seed was planted though I didn't know it. My regular group of Friday night sewing ladies didn't meet so I spent some time in the sewing room. I was sitting on the floor & I had this uneasy feeling that my stacks & piles were going to fall on me at any moment. I was searching my 1.5" strip drawer for Civil War fabrics & my husband came into my sewing room & said "Babe you have serious problem". Well that statement & the seed that my LAQ planted I got to work. I went through bags & bags of fabric. I sorted into 2 different piles, fabric that I know I will use & fabric that I would love to keep but I just don't have the space. In my local community we have an Assistance center that has a store ( kind of like the good will) & a quilt store. In the quilt store they sell all kinds of fabric & do machine quilting. Well I took in my 3 bags. It was so much fun today. I know that what they don't use or don't sell they donate it to different churches in the area & a Council on Aging. They will make charity quilts from the fabric. It will not go to waste or be thrown away. 

Now don't worry about me I still have enough scraps to keep me happy for a long time. 

What I'm working on now is turning a container full of Civil War scrappy pieces into useable strips.  My Mom came up last year & helped me clean out my sewing room. We filled this container full of scrappy goodness that I could not bear to part with. The container was so full it was bulging out the sides. I had to stack more fabric on the top just to keep the lid on it. 

This is just a handful that I had taken out of the container to sort, iron & then cut. My next project uses 1.5" pieces but I'm cutting to make the best use of the fabric. I have piles for the neutral & colored 1.5"
A 2" & 2.5" piles. The 2" pieces will go to the treadle. My current Leader & Ender project uses this size & color way. The 2.5" pieces will be cut into hst for the Leader/Ender project at the Pfaff machine. 

All of the 2 & 2.5" strips that are on the table came from the one container I'm working from. I know that I need to organize more & clean up more but I really want to sew now! I hope y'all are having a good day. Typing out this post was a good break from the sorting, ironing & cutting but I'd better get back to it. More later on,


Vicky


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The grass is greener on the other side

Part of my morning chores is to walk the electric fence. With the grass being so green & tempting the cows just couldn't help themselves. I found this the other morning. 

Some how those crazy creatures twisted one wire on to the other wire. They also did this at the farthest corner from the gate. I walked back up to the barn to unplug the electric fence & then back down to the corner.  In order to get it untwisted I had to find the closest splice (a splice is where we join two pieces of wire) so that I could take it apart & untwist the wire. Which ever cow did this I'm sure she mooed. It's amazing what they will do to get a little grass. Hopefully they will all stay put until we get a little work done in the back pasture. More later on. I'm hoping to get some sewing done tonight!


Vicky

Monday, April 14, 2014

What I've been working on

I got some time with my sewing machine this weekend. Woohoo!!!! I feel like I've accomplished something. First off I got the log cabin quilt done!!! I used my Accuquilt log cabin die & lets just say that there was definitely a learning curve that went with this quilt. It did not go together like previous log cabin quilts that I have made. That being said I'm glad that it's done & I like how it turned out! All of the bright batiks are all scraps & about 60% of the black is scraps. I've used up all of my black scraps & had to get some yardage. 

Next up, bindings. I think that I've said this before but binding is probably my least favorite part of the the whole quilt process. Even so they still have to be done. I had three to do. I kind of put them off until I just have to do them. My guilds quilt show is in a few weeks & these three will be in the show. The first quilt is my lockin quilt. Y'all have seen this one before but now that the binding is on I can call it done!
 
Next up were my two practice Drunkards Path quilts. These were both made on my treadle. They along with some other quilts that I have made on my treadle will be on display. We are going to have a display with treadle & hand crank sewing machines. 




I'm ready to work on a project on the treadle. I hope y'all have a great day. Check out what others are working on at patchworktimes.com


Vicky



Thursday, April 10, 2014

An explosion of ideas & what I'm working on

You know when you're around certain people & the ideas that you get from talking with them kinda over whelm you? Well that has happened to me today. I stopped at my friend Maria's & we got to talking & now the ideas are racing through my head. It's a little bit overwhelming.  I knew that I should wright them down but since I've gotten home I've been running & I have guild meeting tonight. I'm sure the ideas will still be there. I do have a scratch pad in my purse in case I think I might forget them. 

This is the quilt that I've been working on. I've wanted to make a log cabin in this setting for a while now. All that is left is the borders. I was wanting to add them today but life got in the way. There is always tomorrow. 







I hope y'all are having a great day. It's windy but nice here in the middle of the USA. More later on,


Vicky