Table runner mania!

The year 2013 is rapidly drawing to a close and I am way behind on my blogging!  I'll squeeze one more post in before we welcome 2014.  One of my quilt students is always encouraging me (rather forcefully!) to get my UFO's finished LOL.  She is making an impact though and I have actually finished a number of projects off this year.  I do also confess to starting a few new ones as well.  When the new magazine came out from Fons & Porter, featuring the Missouri Star Company patterns, I did have to drop everything and make a few quick and easy projects.  But, they did not turn into UFO's as I have them all done.  I managed to get 8 table runners finished before our get together with our kids and I numbered all the runners and laid them out on the living room floor.  My daughter and my three daughter in laws each got a piece of paper and had to write down their first three choices.  Miraculously, everyone chose a different one.  Interesting to see which ones they chose.  Here are all the runners (click on the photo to enlarge):

Heather chose this runner which I made at least a year ago as a sample.  It will fit very nicely on her hexagon shaped coffee table. 

Becky picked this runner which is from the Missouri star company magazine from Fons and Porter.  I did make it smaller using 3 1/2" strips instead of layer cake squares

This was done with a Cheryl Phillips Gem Thirty ruler and was quick and easy.  I had leftover Kaffe Fasset fabrics from several projects and they matched beautifully :-)

The center is fussy cut from a different fabric than was used in the topper

I bought this older KF fabric in a sale bin at a quilt shop in Ottawa when we visited there four or five years ago.  It worked great for the backing.

These were leftover squares from a spinning four patch quilt I made with a KF fabric.  I added these shot cottons to make a table runner and quilted it using a King Tut variegated thread and organic line quilting

Here is the finished runner

I bought this as a kit at Quilter's Nine Patch in Elmira/St. Jacobs area.  It was a fun quick runner.  I quilted around the shapes and added flower petals just to the lime green hexagons.  Jannyne chose this runner

This modernish table runner was also in the Missouri Star company magazine. It was a nice quick project.

close up of the straight line quilting in the trees

I bought one of the new Moda Scrap bags and a Jaybird Quilts braided table runner pattern at the quilt shop in Waterford.  I got just enough strips from the scrap bag to make this braided runner.  I quilted it with red thread and organic line quilting and my daughter, Amanda chose this one for her table.

This is also an old sample of a twister done in a wreath shape with borders added.  One of my students did this one and added a gold shiny pinwheel to the middle bottom which really looked nice.

Now that I'm on a roll on these UFO's, I may just finish the Indian Orange Peel this year :-).

Special table topper

It's been awhile since I've updated my blog.  I had computer woes and had to break down and buy a new one.  Great way to clean out your computer in a hurray!  But, I've been busy sewing and hope to post the finished projects over the next week or so.

Two of the quilt groups I belong to make lap quilts for our local chemo unit at the hospital in our town.  One day a man came in for treatments and received a quilt.  His wife brought some blocks in to the clinic that had been made by her mother years ago.  These blocks were never made into a quilt and she thought perhaps we could finish them and give it to someone who needed chemo.   One of the girls has taken the blocks home to think about how to set them.  There were 5 appliqued tulip blocks which were done differently than the rest and had been outlined with black embroidery thread.  One of the girls suggested that we make something out of it for that lady so she would have something to remember her Mom by.  We brainstormed and came up with the idea of making her a table topper alternating the tulip blocks with large squares to make a nine patch.  The top was quick to assemble, and one day I decided to tackle the quilting and get it done.  A friend was over and suggested outlining each of the tulips 1/4" and echoing around to fill the block.  Great idea until I started and realized how much quilting that was LOL.  Then DH suggested the quilting design for the polka dot squares and that was a lot of quilting as well.  But, in the end it was definitely worth it!  We were all very happy with the way it turned out.  I found an older Kaffe Fasset print in my stash that I picked up in a clearance bin when we visited Ottawa a few years ago.  It went perfectly on the back and I found an old stripey print in my stash that looked antiquey for the binding.  (Click on the photos to enlarge)

center tulip block

it was fun free motion quilting 1/4" around the tulips

quilting isn't perfect, but it looked good when finished - I like the Dear Jane quilt motto:  "Finished is better than perfect".

polka dotted block quilting

Backing (an older Kaffe Fassett print)

I got this polka dotted print from MadAboutPatchwork in Ottawa.  It was the perfect modern blend with those old tulip blocks.

Seasonal Table top Stand

Last spring I purchased a table top stand that displays 12" quilts.  I'd love to do one for each season and add special occasions throughout the year as I get around to them.  I finished one for Canada Day just in time for our National celebration.  I can't find a picture of the finished quilt in the stand, so I will have to add one later, but here is the little quilt before the red binding was added.  The pattern is by Gillian Fletcher from the Seven Sister's Quilt shop in Norwich, ON.

I finished the fall quilt a little late since I had to invent my own pattern :-).  But it is still Fall for several weeks so I can enjoy it until Dec. 21st when I hope to have a Christmas or winter version ready.  I found this inspiration on this blog.  I used 2" Kaffe Fasset scraps for the squares instead of the 2 1/2" in the pattern for the pumpkin which worked out perfectly for a 12" square.  

 Closeup of the quilting:

Dr. Suess Quilt finished

 I finally finished the baby quilt for my daughter's foster baby this week.  I bought a Creative Grids 15 degree wedge ruler and wanted to try it out.  I found almost enough Dr. Suess prints in my stash to make half the wedges; added a stripe and a polka dot or two and had enough.  This was a very easy quilt to make!  It came together very nicely.  I really like the idea of a round play quilt.
 

Sam I am in the center circle

My husband suggested doing a 'squiggly' spiral around the quilt which was very quick and easy!

The finished quilt

I found some multi coloured polka dot for the backing

Back to the Indian Orange Peel

Two more units for the Indian Orange Peel 
 Three more units to go and the paper piecing is done!
Assembly is next

Lydia and Matthias' quilt and another UFO finished!

Once upon a time, way back when, I participated in a fall exchange with my Hearts and Hands Quilt group.  I got as far as pinning my quilt together, but could not get it quilted before the deadline at our September 2009 meeting.  It has been sitting in my basket ready to quilt at a moment's notice.  We received an invitation to a wedding of a young friend, who has moved to PEI.  The wedding was in PEI, but they traveled East and had a reception here. I was contemplating what kind of quilt to make for them, when I came across this quilt which I thought would suit Lydia's tastes very well.  How handy was that to have it all pinned and ready to roll?  I machine quilted it and found some red solid in my stash that matched the red piping and it was actually finished 2 days before the wedding :-).

The fnished quilt

I quilted straight lines about 5/8" apart in the dark sections and leaves in the light rows

closeup of the leaves and lines

Appliqued oak leaves

The center got some loops 

It was very nice to get another UFO out of the basket and put to good use.

Justin and Olivia's quilt

My nephew Justin got married in July to Olivia.  I had four different fabrics and had her pick the one she liked best.  I did a One Block Wonder quilt for them and had a great time making it. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the original fabric.) Have I mentioned lately that those OBW's are addicting?  I have at least 15 different fabrics that could work for this pattern :-).  I had to test sew the six Featherweights that Jake serviced and this project provided lots of testing for them. 

it was a lot of fun playing with the layout of the blocks and adding the cubes

closeup of cubes and border

Finished quilt

the backing was found in the sale bin and matched perfectly

tried out a new quilting design for this quilt using Angela Walters' great book, "Free-Motion Quilting - 28 Designs Step by Step".

feathers quilted in the border

quilt outside on a sunny day

.....surfacing

It's been awhile since I posted!  This is not because I haven't been sewing, but I've been too busy to get my act together to write a coherent post LOL.  We have been working hard on sewing machines and updating the for sale blog, cleaning up machines and testing them.  And, I have a new ceiling in my basement!  We built the house four years ago, but had to save up a few pennies to put a drop ceiling in this large room.  We found a great deal on tile and fluorescent fixtures this summer and it was time to get it in.

(click on the photos to enlarge)

putting in the frame

lots of figuring around the angles

ceiling in

this took a little thinking

this treadle machine is just like the one I learned to sew on - it now serves as our coffee table

we added lots of daylight tubes

I found "create" at an antique shop

my black Singer 301 in a trapezoid cabinet - I finished the topper from leftover hexagon blocks

some toys on the ledge

the six Singer Featherweights we serviced and tested this summer ready to find new homes :-)

all my rulers are sorted and organized again - on the wall is my selvage cube quilt

I opened up my Singer 403 in the curved front cabinet and did some sewing on it last week.  Love that machine!

This area needs to be dealt with yet!! LOL  I have to sort my book shelves first to make space.  Hopefully, I will have time this summer.

Sorting and organizing a sewing room is an ongoing, never ending process, but it's always fun to root through and find things you've forgotten about.  Now I need a few weeks of UFO retreats to make headway on the stuff I found :-).