Make a list Monday

Hope to get these six things done by next week:

1- Quilt 4 different colored blocks of the 40 diamond quilt
2- Quilt the doll quilt from the Wee Wander scraps I just threw together/
3- Stitch all the white on the bottom left corner of the  CXS Lizzie Kate Winter Alphabet
4- Cut some pink scraps for the RBSC and make some HST units.
5- Make pincushions, another idea
6- Finish reading The Round House by Louise Erdrich (am midpoint right now).




Remember how I said that one wool was shedding terribly several weeks ago while working on the candle mat?  While visiting with my friend Carole, she gave me a different piece of the same wool to use and just to be sure, I pulled out my needle punch foot with the coordinating stitch plate and felted the heck out of it just to be sure.  Worked like a charm.  It really changed the clarity of the houndstooth print  Since that foot combination was out, I photographed them and pulled the other Bernina accessories I own out and share how I store them.





This bead box purchased at Michaels is perfect for the majority of feet and makes it a quick access since they set on a shelf right behind my sewing chair.  The Bernina Feetures Books, the 1-3 set on the bottom shelf just below the feet for quick access.  It's amazing how many times I'll pull out these books for a reference.

Some of the feet came with each of my two Berninas and most of the rest were purchased at Quilt Shows with a 25% off and then some others when the Bernina LQS offered a 30% discount including Bernina Accessories.   A win - win for sure!
Of course I've been collecting them since my first Bernina 170 back in the 1990s and when I upgraded I made sure the feet would transition to the newer Bernina 440.   The most expensive of these was the binding foot combo which was close to $160 when purchased, that is if my memory serves me correctly.  That one was a "Non-smoking Gift to myself" to justify the expense.

I have been enjoying a quiet day home alone today.  That doesn't happen too often.   Seems nice to have the house stay picked up and clean without more effort needed.  Typically I am picking up discarded papers left on the counter, closing doors, cabinets and drawers left open, wiping up coffee spills, etc.... and that is just DH's doing not the grandchildren!  They'll all be here tomorrow so I'm getting off this thing and going to read in the silence and enjoy it immensely.  TTFN.

I think I can, I think I can...

All of the items that were listed this past last Monday are checked off my to do list and have been moved onto the to DONES list!  LOL 

Batik Reprieve aka: 40 Diamonds - DONE!
Tweet Camping otherwise known here as stacked and packed - DONE!

Next on my radar will be:

1. Quilt the Jack in the Pulpit wall hanging- getting to this next! 
2. Bind  the Jack in the Pulpit (I may stitch the binding by machine on the back and then turn and topstitch the edge down by the machine as well.  Will ponder my timeline for this while quilting it though I do want to hand stitch the binding on the upcoming Radiant Star project that's next though it's 102" x102" square so it'll be time consuming and that clock seems to be ticking faster!
3. Quilt Adirondack Radiant Star- Tonight hopefully I can start that after getting practice on the Jack and the Pulpit.  I did get this  ironed and layered on Friday yippee skippee!
4. Make 3 sleeves that will be pinned on the larger quilts in time for turn in on Friday evening.  Ican only hope I don't have to finish stitching it in the parking lot!

That leaves these 1-2 projects to get done this week by Thursday.  I think I can......

 

I'll be back to share some photos of these beauties.  Sorry the weather is so drab to grab a shot of them now not to mention the mist in the air.   

 

Jane       8~)

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