BLOCKS FOR GFG QUILT READY FOR ROW

I woke today with a little ambition...sure hope it lasts through the day....i would like to quilt the rest of the borders on the 'patches and points quilt' that is lying on the table....

i dont know why i am procrastinating about it....its an easy quilt....i have another one in mind to set up when this one is done....dragging my feet why i do this....this is one bad habit i need to break i sure would get more done...

i also have lots of grandmothers flower garden blocks ready for a row to add to the smaller quilt, that will make row 5....i have been trying to make more blocks....i average about 1 whole block including half of the white hexies a day but need to get going and see if i can do 2 a day...

i cut more white hexies last night 64 to be exact but they wont last long, these take 8 per block so you see it takes a lot of  your background fabric....i also used up some one of kind prints into hexies too and put them in my box for future blocks.....after finding that box of scrap other day i think i better look other places to see if i tucked more scraps somewhere....

i saw a quilt made of larger hexies while scanning blogs recently and that has been on my mind....i will keep that idea on hold for the time being and keep looking for other ways to do it too....boy these hexies are so addicting you just keep wanting to make more and more lol...

i have to get some groceries later today....we have a family reunion sunday and i need to make a couple dishes to take by then...not sure what i will make, no ideas so far...i guess my mind is on sewing too much lol....i made a fresh salad with cauliflower, tomatoes, g. peppers, onions, garlic, salt and pepper, and italian dressing this week that was good and refreshing, maybe i should make it and cookies....kids always like cookies....

well time to get busy, going to be another hot day here and Issac will bring rain Saturday and Sunday they say....more later....

FLOWER GARDEN QUILT ASSEMBLY

The last post showed how i put my grandmothers flower garden quilt in rows by doing it a block at a time instead of making a row and adding it all the way across the quilt....

as i have stated i am making 2 of these quilts at a time...here is where i stand with both today...on the left it needs more blocks on the end and the quilt on the right needs more block across before i have them with even  amount of rows...

i will be trying to keep it fairly even working on these because i know me and i dont think when i would get done with one i would like going back and picking up another half done quilt and have to do it again...so this way when i go through each step i wont be going back again....that is my logic anyway....lol....ok now on to the next....

while working on the first quilt i noticed that  the side scollops were different shape than the up and down scollops so i had to stop and figure out just how i was going to finish the quilt...i have seen many ways and being i have no instructions on this i set out to see what i could do and this is what i decided...first i had to turn around my quilt so the prettier scollops would be on the side...that leaves me the option of letting them hang over the side of the quilt in case it is coverlet size when done otherwise i may fill in with triangles of white to even it out  for a straight edge....

this photo shows a fill in block on the up and down ends of the quilt...as you can tell i have more white hexies to add then i can sew this half block in to continue finishing off the end....

if you look at the picture of both quilts you will see that the rows are staggered so that leaves ends to fill in or you could just leave them as is...but i think i would want mine filled in at the top and bottom so that is what i am doing....

here is a pic with the layout of the blocks at the corner to give you an idea of the difference in the scollops you deal with when finishing the quilt....

this is where i have to end how i am making my quilt as i have not finished them yet lol....but i will keep this blog updated on how i am proceeding...unless i change my mind i think i have explained what will happen when i get 10 rows up and down and 11 rows  across each quilt....then i can finish them both....

i have given you the basic way i am working on these quilts and like i said it isn't hard to make one...it is just time consuming and lots of hand sewing...so if you are willing to devote your time you will end up with a beautiful quilt that you and everyone that sees it will admire....happy sewing.....more later

FLOWER GARDEN ASSEMBLY PT. 2

In the last post i wrote how i started out my quilt...in this phase doing it this way it is important to try to be as precise as possible because there is no paper piecing involved....that is why i mark my fabric then cut out the hexies making sure i cut off the marking lines.....

now you baste to the wrong side of the hexie using 1/4 inch...that first side is how i guage all the way around so i try to be right because i eyeball this....after a few you will find you are consistent..

moving on--start putting your flower together...however you decide...there are many ways to layout this block even diamond shape...i chose the traditional way...

as you can see here this one is complete....i finally found a way for me to almost complete the block before setting in a row....now most instructions tell you do a row at a time...i prefer to add a block at a time as i can contol the color of my quilt better....i may have just one block of a certain kind or i might have 6 blocks on one kind so by looking at the quilt before i add another i can space my blocks out better....

i use the same whip stitch in sewing the blocks to the main quilt using the same color thread as the fabric which in this case would be white for this row (for the posies you use co-ordinating thread for the colors)...and then move on to the next block till there is a row complete....

when adding your blocks to each other this is where being percise helps in the early steps....some days i for one can be tense when working on this and can sew tighter than maybe the day before so there may be a little variance in matching up block seams (basting may vary)...you may have to ease in a little here and there or even take basting out and add or subtract just a bit...hopefully not very often but it does happen...and after you do that you wont notice it if it isn't too drastic....

i am sure i will get some frowns on the last paragraph but we are all human....no one should be afraid of making a quilt like this as it isn't as hard as it looks but you need a lot of patience...if you try to hurry then i am sure mistakes will happen more.... more on gfg quilt next time.....

4 SQUARE 4 PATCH BLOCKS

I got a good start to my day today....up early with shower and couple cups of coffee and i was in sewing on those 4-4-patch blocks..i had co ordinating sashing lined up for some of them so i had something to show for my time quick.....

i didn't count the ones that are done but i must have 16 done so far....yesterday when i was looking through bags i found some like these that i had already done...so this idea has been in my head for quite a while i think...that added 10 more blocks than i had planned on...this quilt i think is going to be bigger than i thought....but i dont want to seperate it into 2 and i would like to use up the 4 patches and get them out of my basket....

 

just finished this one while back...with the 16 little patches...and i found more 16 patch blocks other day and have worked them up into a small quilt....more on that one later....not making anymore of those little things....

time to get back to work....maybe i can get the sashing all done today and see what i have....i think i might have to make 1-2 more blocks if i counted right this time....more later......

AN EVENTFUL DAY

Yesterday was an eventful day for me...i got to meet one of the ladies that i have visited with on the internet for the past 3 years....i have a group elsewhere on the internet, carry over from the msn days with friends some back as far as when i first got on the web....

Raz came by the way of another group we both belong to and she loves playing word games in my group along with me and the other ladies who belong....she is from Australia so when i heard they were going travelling around the US i got curious to see if she was going to be close to me....and guess what she wasn't going to be too far so we set out to meet...and we did....

i am on the left and raz is on the right....we only had 1 hour to visit but we didn't wait a minute...and found we had a few things in common....i wish we could have visited longer but she vowed next time to allow more time so we could get to know each other more....now that we have met in person i am sure we will be more interested in our visits on the internet...what a wonderful day even though the skies opened up and just poured on our meeting....

I had planned to go to either the small quilt shop or joanns fabric store after our meeting but with the rain pouring down i decided i didn't want to walk from the parking lot in the rain...i would have been drenched to the bone as slow as i walk....no more running for me...though i wish i could...

i came home and made more hexies for my quilt....later i looked up and the sun was back out so i probably could have outlasted the rain...bummer!....oh well it will give me an excuse to get out and go another day...more later....

THINKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS SEWING

I guess the cooler weather we have at the moment got me thinking about Christmas sewing...its been on my mind all this week....last year i got the brainy idea of making A christmas quilt to use some of my christmas stash...well as time went on i found i was doing ok and decided tomake 2 of them...and that in turn developed into 4 quilts...about 40x55, one each for my 2 daughters, sons gf and my granddaughter....

they are all shown here with the finished quilts....i started them back in late August 2011 and had good luck with all ...granted they weren't hard as they were simple 4 and 9 patches...i wanted them similar but not exactly alike and that was achieved....i am just happy i got them done in time to present them at Thanksgiving dinner for 4 suprised girls...and it was the biggest undertaking i had done all at one time....

as i mentioned in one of the last posts i have some Christmas place mats to finish...but now i am looking for more patterns of things to make.... years ago i got another brainy idea but didn't follow through with it....i wanted to dress old  world santas....i gathered some vintage items and went so far as making a clay head for one that would fit the hole in the top of an empty soda bottle to use as a base....ha! my clay head looks more like Freddie Krueger of nightmare on elm street so my daughter says....but with some white for a beard and a little white hair and eyebrows i think he would work....i have dressed dolls in the past and dressing santas wouldn't be that much of a difference for me...i might look into that again and see if i can make it work this time....more on this later....

I  want to make a couple fall table runners...in the past i have been gathering fall fabrics, oranges, browns, rusts and now i am lacking a few neutral tans....i dont do much fall decorating but would like a nice runner for my table if and when its cleaned off and i can put it there with my candle sconces...which lately hasn't happened....

time for me to get going on my day....its noon lol and i am still sleepy but i have a lot to do today and hope i can get most of it out of my way before i quit for the day....happy sewing....more later....

GFG QUILT STILL IN PROGRESS

yes my grandmothers flower garden is still in progress....i have decided to make 2 at a time...i have 2 daughters and they both are drooling over the one i started so i just decided to start one more....the first one is at 6 rows wide and the second one is at 4 for the time being but i have enough blocks ready to set for 2 more rows....when they are even i will work on first one then other till i have 11 rows wide then worry about how to finish them...

today i have more white to wash and iron to use for more white hexies....it sure is taking a lot to make these quilts...i had no idea how much but i had ordered a bolt of white kona to use for quilts so i had it covered...

i also found more pastel print courthouse step blocks...i think the very last of them, i hope....i must have made a thousand of them cause i have made a lot of things with that pattern...this time i have enough for a medium size quilt or lap quilt i might donate to the nursing home...i have been trying to decide on the color for the background and back....hopefully i wil decide this week end....

i kind of got sidetracked this past week with things after a fall i did, badly bruised toes and right hand have slowed me down for the time being but slowly healing...i have had skid marks on my forehead, nose and chin  and glad to see that they are almost healed...i looked like i had been in a fight and i lost lol....well time to finish my last cup of coffee for the day so more later.....