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Monday, September 30, 2013

Plodding along and some friends think I'm nuts!

The list of four tasks were pretty much completed by this past weekend. 

With DH's Batik Reprieve aka his 40 Diamonds Quilt,  (one for each year of marriage) I am on my fourth side handstitching the binding onto the back.  What a bugger it is to stitch through that minkee backing.  Found a new trick about stitching on Minkee, so do you want to know what I figured out?  Use Joan Shay's petal play Appli-bond needle.  It works much easier than a traditional quilting and sewing needle.  I even made a bright green piping by machine to edge this quilt and it seems perfect.  With the quilting I did an echo stitch on all the sashings & cornerstones and then outlined stitched the diamond shapes by turning back the edges on those "on point diamonds" just like you do for a cathedral window effect, thus 20 shaped diamonds and 20 stitched diamonds making the 40 Diamonds that's also now in it's  name.  Crafty aren't I?  lol    The only bits I need to do on this project after handstitching the binding is to make the label and then attach muslin sleeves for the show that will be held on the weekend of October 12th and 13th.  Piece of cake!  Those muslin sleeves will be pinned on and not permanent after I finsih using them for all the machine quilting.  This finished at 103" x 85", a very nice size.

The Dragonfly Carnival is totally done and I love it.

Ripped out one of the horiontal rows on the Tweet Camping quilt and was able to get all the borders on her.  Also  got it layered this morning and used another pieced minkee backing for this one too.  I just love the fliudity of a quilt made with the minkee backing.  SO cuddly and has a nice weight and drape.  Tomorrow I'll  start machine quilting it.  I plan on doing circles in the white background areas, for the blue borders- a meander of right angles and I am still pondering what to quilt in the bird fabric (may just do a worm-y meander in that part) and finally for the dark brown sashing perhaps a 1/4" echo stitch or a swishing back and forth design flowing along those frames.   The boxes I'll be leaving alone at this point.  I may do a stitch in the ditch quilting for that area.   This will finish at an 88"  x 88" in size, perfect for the camper's master bedroom.

For this next week my list of four are:

  1. Totally finish DH's  40 Diamond/ Batik Reprieve quilt.
  2. Quilt the Tweet Camping Quilt and Pipe? / bind it by machine- hand stitching to finish next weekend.
  3. Make the Jack in the Pulpit wallhanging.  I think this will end up becoming a pillow to compliment the Adirondack (Radiant) Star Quilt that I still need to finish for this show too.  I'll be making this in a more slip shod manner and tear it apart after the show.  AM thinking of doing a pillowcase method for the edges and then a quick quilting with water soluble thread to just  call it done since I filled out the registration form saying it wouldbe a wall hanging not a pillow.   
  4. Wash and iron the backing for the Adirondack Star and perhaps get it layered by Friday, yup, that's only 4 days away.    This will need to be totally done in one week's time after that.  I was thinkin gof trying to trapunto some assymetrical diamond in the second border on two corners and the opposing two corners traputo a pomegranite vine but then I won't be able to totally quilt it before the show.  I just may continue on this way and save much of the feathering and stippling for afterwards since it's not a judged show.  Time will tell on this one.
I am pushing and will be getting these all done with one day to spare.  Uh humm...That's my plan and I'm sticking to it!!!  Thank goodness we have a hot tub to soothe my aches and pains in my neck and shoulder areas.  I swear while hand stitching I can do about 3- 5 stitches then I have to rest my arms with the pins and needles from my pinched spinal cord and arm and feet nerves bothering me.  After resting for 4-5 minutes then I can resume and do another 4-5 stitches.    On and on, sew on and sew forth...... but I will prevail and it will be done.  Amen and Alleluia.

Stay well and have fun creating,

Jane

 


 

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