Fly Foot Block

The third block in the Benjamin Franklin Mystery Quilt http://erikhomemade.typepad.com/erik_homemade/  is the Fly Foot. 

 

Other than this block I've been hand quilting the QOV which at this point looks like it will never be finished.

 

Please read SewCalGal's post about prayer flags.  http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2012/08/call-for-quilts-prayer-flags.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InsightsFromSewcalgal+%28Insights+From+SewCalGal%29

  That's something I meant to make when I first saw them on Nina Lise's blog last year I think, but I never got to make one.  It's a nice idea and some of the quilts are quite lovely.

 

God Bless.

 

Super Giveaway Wins And Not Much Else

Henry Glass Fabrics http://henryglassfabrics.blogspot.com/  recently had a blog hop of their designers and  I was lucky on two counts.  One of their designers is Little Quilts and from them I received this beautiful fabric and patterns group from their new collection, Little Darlings.

One of the patterns has embroidered blocks so I look forward to working on them.  One of the first quilt books I bought and still refer to often is "Little Quilts All Through The House."  It was written by the same three quilters who designed this collection and have a quilt shop in Georgia.  http://www.littlequilts.com 

From the Henry Glass site, I won this flannel fabric bundle of baby prints.  It's just too cute and soft.

Thank you, Henry Glass & Co., Inc.  It was nice to meet your designers. 

I'm not sure about you, but I do develop a loyalty to companies from whom I've won something.  If they can bother, then I can bother. 

I've worked on the FMQ Challenge for August and I don't seem to be able to duplicate the exercise.  We are supposed to be imitating a jester's cap and it's a really cute design, but I just don't seem able to get it. 

I was going to show what I've done so far but it's pretty bad.  I'll just do some more practising and see if I can't get it up to a decent level.

I've been hand-quilting my brother's QOV and now have three blocks done.  Right now my plan is to hand-quilt the five main blocks and machine stitch the rest, but that could change.  I like the way the outlines look when hand-quilted, so I may just continue.  Yep, really losing my marbles.

By the way, last week I asked for resources for quilt histories, and Barbara Brackman's name was mentioned by Sharon and Cathi.  I am reading Barbara's book, "Quilts From The Civil War" and am enthralled.  It's not a political treatise, but a chronicle of the war as it affected women, quiltmaking and the quilts themselves, textiles and such.  I think Barbara Brackman has done  a service to American history by writing this book.  Maybe I'm too serious about this, but I'm seeing the war from a different point of view.

God Bless You.







Christmas QAL August - Post 3

I began the quilting on the Quilt of Valor.  I love the way the stars look when I do the edge quilting around them.

At least I made a start on this.



Christmas QAL August - Post 2

It has taken this much time to sew on the prairie points and patch together the backing. 

The points are easy enough, but I think I should have used the walking foot to sew them on because of the bumps.  I need to fix a few but otherwise that part is done.

It took longer to make the backing.  I didn't have enough of the printed fabric and I wanted to save some of it to use for more napkins or placemats.  I had lots of medium to small pieces of white so I ended up sewing it all together with two strips of the lights print.

So now it's just to put it all together and quilt it. 

See you later.



Christmas QAL August - Post 1

Cathi of Shakerwood Quilts http://shakerwoodquilts.blogspot.com/ is our host today for the Christmas QAL.  She's just posted a picture of some yummy cookies which are making me hungry since I haven't had breadfast yet.  Time to get going.

I'm almost ready.  This is a pic of the dining room table on which sit two quilts; Festive Mystery is on top with the prairie points laid out around it and the Quilt of Valor is beneath it sandwiched but not basted. 

I'm hoping for real progress of either of these quilts today.

I completed the eleventh block in the Treasure Chest QAL and it is called Ozark Trail.

I am getting very interested in the history of quilting, partly because of a conversation I had this week with a history buff and partly due to an excellent article I read this morning in AQS's American Quilter magazine which was about the quilts that were made and the women's role during the Civil War.  So when I make a quilt block called Ozark Trail I get very intrigued and want to know more about it.  Anyone have any good sources I can refer to to learn more? 

God Bless.



Boy's Nonsense Block

The second block in the Ben Franklin Mystery Quilt is Boy's Nonsense.  What a cute name.  http://erikhomemade.typepad.com/erik_homemade/2012/07/free-boys-nonsense-quilt-block-pattern.html

My two blocks so far. Very different looks although most of the fabric is from the same Robert Kaufman fq bundle.  I love it.

I got half way through making the next Treasure Chest block, Ozark Trail, when I ran into trouble and quit that project for today.  I folded and pressed my prairie points for the Festive Mystery Quilt instead.  So, I 'm trying to keep up with everything. 

God Bless.

Pets on Quilts Post

Do I have a pet?  Yes.  Do I quilt?  Yes.  Can they be combined?  Um, maybe. 

Moxie's my black cat, and I have made a table runner with black cat silhouette blocks.  I used Kay Mackensie's applique templates from her book Easy Applique Blocks and just made my own design.  The background fabric is the cutest fabric with cats galore literally hanging around a sewing room.  I just love it.  It must be fun to have a menagerie of cats and dogs, although my one cat tends to rule here.

The critic.

The tough critic.

Is that a bad review or do you like it so much you are making it yours?

I also want to share the Lollipop Playground wall hanging I just completed, also a Kay Mackenzie design from her book Scrap-Applique Playground. I added the AccuQuilt Go! dog and that makes it appropriate for the Pets on Quilts show.

Enjoy the Pets on Quilts show.  Thank you to Snoodles of Lily Pad Quilting for hosting and working so hard to make this show happen.
 http://lilypadquilting.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-2012-pets-on-quilts-show-is-here.html?showComment=1343912019263#c2519823439258730886

God Bless!