Painful season

  Returning after my leave of absence......While I have been reading some blogs, not much else has been done.   It has been a painful 2 weeks, as nerves seems to be healing/reawakening in my feet and back.  On the one hand I celebrate that I can feel anything including pain, and on the other hand it makes me irritable and cranky.   Changes in weather seems to stir things up even more, and this is the seasonal time for weather patterns to shift and storms to appear.

   Yesterday was a bit better, and I kept looking at the wall hanging project I took on for the quilt guild's boutique.   Happy face pumpkin---a Daisy Kingdom printed panel-- needed binding.   I had appliqued it to a large hunk of dark green polished cotton that I found lurking in the stash closet.   I decided not to add the dimensional parts after I did the applique.   I used a thin batting  to stabilize the whole piece.  For the quilting I added the puffy polyester batting....ugh to work with.  But it gives a lot of relief to the quilting stitches......and it was fun to do some playing on the machine.

  With lack of sensation in my fingers it is difficult to hold a needle and stitch....like would be needed to add a hanging sleeve.  I opted to add huge, big diagonal corners to hold a dowel or stick.

He should be cute on a covered porch  or front door for the fall season.

  Other than a few sting blocks, I managed to make a few mug rugs. These will also go into the guild boutique at the show.  Using printed panels again, I kept them quite simple with minimal stitching.

  I finished one book, started another, made a few loaves of bread, pulled a few weeds, enjoyed the back porch, and annoyed Sir Old Man to no end.  This painful season is making him crazy, but gives him incentive to work on the pullout shelves for the kitchen.

  Truthfully, I am improving, only much slower than I like.  Energy level is up a notch, stamina has come up a tiny bit, and the biggest gain is in my cognitive functioning.  Read that as brain/mind/understanding, etc.  That alone is happiness, as it has been a long road to get here.   The brain fog moves in occasionally, but I am able to overcome it by focusing on one thing.  I still "lose" words in mid-sentence, but I cope better with that too.

   I have to do the necessary things before the pain creeps in.  That does not always leave much time for things I want to work on.  Instead I grab those few minutes when I can for all the projects I want to do.  I only take the nerve pain pill at night because I can not function during the day with them.  Tylenol can keep the pain at bay some days.  Pernicious Anemia has not won yet:)

  So for June, I will once again keep a simple list.  The only thing I am putting on it is to quilt the nine patch top that is pinned and ready to go.  Anything else I  begin, plan, or work on is gravy.....something extra.
Happy stitching.

December's list

    My list for December included making labels for the quilts-in-waiting---those in line for quilting.  I printed out a page of 4, another is hiding under something :)  Two of them are ready to go.  The pineapple label needs some borders added yet.












   Mug rugs on display......these are finished and some straight line quilting.  I just kept going  round and round  and back and forth.    I also had time to cut out some words for the giving on Tuesday.  I think I will have enough to send at least 3 to each name I pick.









  I have been reading and enjoying Barbara's adventures at CatPatches blog with her barm and bread making this week.  I got motivated to make a couple of loaves of sweet bread stuffed with cooked apples.     I think I had the  icing a little bit thick....thinner would be more of a glaze.

Thick or not.....it is good.  It won't hang around here very long, so I can try it again.
  I used a sweet dough mix that I got this spring.....and I use a bread machine to do the kneading and first rise to dough stage.   The apples were chopped and cooked to a softer stage with some sugar, cinnamon and corn starch for thickening before filling the dough.
   A full weekend.....and it's Monday morning by the time this post goes up.  That means I am getting ready to have the stitches out this morning.....look out world, she has hands!   Back tomorrow.....happy stitching.

Mug Rugs today

  Baby, it's cold outside today.  It was 25 degrees when I got up.  Extra coffee will be needed.  So I am working on a few mug rugs.  I took photos this time of how I now do my backing for ease of turning and finishing.


   My hand stitching is even more limited now due to the neuropathy in my fingers.    So instead of leaving a side open for turning, I realized a back opening would be much less noticeable for my poor stitches.  I use an over-sized piece of backing that I split in to 2 pieces and then rejoin----leaving an opening for turning.






   I layer the back right side up, the front is placed right side down, and then the batting is on top.  Note the batting is cut about 1/4'' smaller than the top.  No trimming will be needed for the batting this way.  Plus, the batting edge becomes a stitching guide.....I sew right next to the edge and catch batting in the stitching in spots to hold everything in place.  Sew around all 4 sides.








    Prepare to turn by clipping the corners and trimming off any extra backing fabric.

  Turn mug rug inside out and poke out the corners with a chopstick, or purple thing, etc.  I haven't pressed these yet, but the one on the right is the backside.  Note the pin is on the seam line that needs a few stitches to close it.

   Turned and ready to press and then get quilted.  This focus of Take Chances was too good to toss even it part of it was cut off.  I think straight match stick quilting will be good here.



  I am now counting the days until the purple stitches are removed from my palms...3 days to go.  The soreness is gone, and  I tried using the rotary cutter a little bit for squaring these up.  Yea!!!!  I am not ready to cut strips or anything, but no pain and no pressure applied.    And....this is big, I can raise my right arm over my head with no pain traveling up the nerve to my shoulder.  No pain, no burning,,,,wow!    So soon I will be able to begin light exercises to build lost strength.  And by the new year I will get to turn on Hot Legs and quilt!  Now that's motivation.
  Happy stitching.  

Friday Finds

Guess you know I must be better if I am sharing some Friday Finds.  Big grin here.  I spotted a few things in the past 2 weeks to share.


  Undercover Maker Mat .....a cover for your machine that turns into a mat with wonderful pockets.  It is from lillyella blog and she provides a free PDF with all the details.   Who doesn't need a way to keep notions handy?    Maybe I will try this for my Featherweight....








  From Elizabeths Quilt Projects.  A seasonal mug rug, or make it bigger and do a table runner too.   I loved the colors she used as well as the acorns with the leaves.  Check your scrap bin.  October arrives tomorrow.

  I had played around with  the block to make this quilt...see my post here.  A reader sent me this information.   It is a published pattern from Villa Rosa Designs , called Dublin.  Great name for a cute design.  My thanks to the reader who sent the link and information.










For some free motion lessons, and ideas, check out this youtube channel for whirlsandswirlsquilting.     Nicki sent me this link for inspiration.  Most of the videos are 2-4 minutes and just packed with fun motifs to try.  Grab a sketchbook and watch a few.
Thanks, Nicki, I needed some sketching practice time.


  As always please visit the original site for pinning and details. I am just passing on some finds.  See you next week....happy stitching.  

And I stitched

  Yes I did!
 This group of circles from the Quilty 365 project has been on the design wall since May---before I went into the hospital.  After coming home I played with the arrangement and added the larger circles for fun.  All the circles are birds, blooms, or winged things :)  Wanda from Exuberant Color sent me the Charlie Harper fabrics that feature cardinals.  So of course I had to use them.  I also included other gifted fabric and circles from friends/bloggers around the world.  The top 3 rows are sewn together.  Not perfect, but at least started.











  I took some good advise and moved on to some string piecing.  Edges from my bucket of selvages were stitch to batting and turned into a couple of mug rugs.
I counted this project as my OT for the day :)

  Yesterday I worked on a couple of wonky blocks, but forgot to take photos.






    I got sidetracked on hemming black fabric.  Sir Old Man brought home unused fabric from the woodworkers guild-----it had been bought as drapes for  their auditorium.  Only they did not get to use it as it was not fire retardant.   So why do I need black fabric?  As a backdrop for a display of watercolor wall hangings.  Earlier this spring I was asked to do a feature display of my water color quilts for our guild quilt show in October.  Then the health issues happened and I was going to back out.  Sir Old Man would not hear of it and will do the set up for me.   Thus the black fabric  for the smaller pieces.  I hope to get them arranged and pinned to the fabric, so it can just simply be hung at the show.  At least that is my plan.
Now for some quiet therapy time in the sewing room....happy stitching.

Friday Finds.....loving it!

Need some love?  How about a Love Notes quilt?
   This is our block of the month at guild.  Our chairman Sue discovered it and  shared this cute technique.  From 2   5'' squares...sew the edges, cut on the diagonals, sew as a 4 patch to create a cute love note.  Make a wall hanging, small quilt, or mug rugs!
Find the quick tutorial at Missouri Star right here.






Maybe these blocks could be called Love Knots.

Here's a link to a great resource.....Bonnie Hunter's Addicted to Scraps at Quiltmaker. 
  Each issue  Bonnie does a column showcasing different blocks for using scraps. Most are archived at Quiltmaker on line.   A good resource for some inspiration.

  A little mini, or a mug rug comes from
Bea at Needle in a Haystack.   She put together a quick version for this one done in Amish colors as an enticement for a Quilt along she would like to start.   See those details here.
 Make it Amish, or any style fabrics you like.






  Another sew along is happening at Tamarack Shack.   Kathy and friend are hosting and have provided this easy pattern for a "low volume plus block".  She is doing hers in batiks and they are so pretty.








 
Last of all, one more heart to love.  The block begins with a nine patch and  is used to make a very cute table runner.   Heart of the Home tablerunner from McCall's Quilting.  The pattern is in PDF format that you can download and save.




As always, please visit the original source for pinning.
Enjoy...happy stitching.   

What is a mug rug?

   I took a cue from Wanda at Exuberant Color and decided to work on mug rugs this week.   With all the rush and food prepping, those small projects can fill in a couple of hours quickly.

This is the first batch that is now ready for pressing and quilting.  Most of these are test blocks  for the plume technique, along with a couple of strings ones.  I am not using binding for them, as I have used the "birthing technique".    I just sew all the way around the rug and turn it right side out thru an opening in the backing.

  Update:   Question from Linda about the birthing technique I use.....

I understand a regular pillow case technique - pull through and then sew up the edge but you are saying you use two pieces of fabric for the back. I don’t get it! 
Are they two full pieces? It’s not like a pillowcase that you slide a pillow in because that wouldn’t be good for a mug rug. I’m confused. I looked at your post in July and I still don’t understand. 

Response:  

Sorry for the confusion.  Instead of leaving the opening on the side of the mug rug to turn, I create an opening on the back.  I cut an oversize piece for the backing....then cut it into two pieces.  I then sew it back together leaving an opening for turning.  My hand stitches are getting worse with the arthritis so a few "poor stitches" on the back are not as noticeable as along the edge.  It is an extra step but worth the effort for a neater edge finish.     Also, I do use narrow binding for the larger snack mats.  I sew to the back and turn binding to the front.  I use a blanket stitch to finish that technique off.    These are what are working for me now.  

  I will be giving some of them to guests at a couple of brunches and lunches during December.  Since these are going to non-quilting friends, I plan on including a hang tag to explain what they are.






So, to my quilting friends and bloggers, here's a page of hang tags!  I found a sample on Pinterest that I worked from.   I think you should be able to save the photo and print as a page. I will probably print on card stock before cutting them out to attach to the mug rug.

  My turkey is thawing and other dishes prepped for tomorrow.  That was all possible to Sir Old Man and his clean up help.......for which I am very grateful.
And now I can enjoy finishing a few mug rugs and enjoy a cup of chocolate.
Happy Thanksgiving and happy stitching. 

Revised Project Cutting List

Project Cutting List  Rev. 2

  I noticed a huge surge in stats yesterday that seemed to be coming from Facebook.   I thought over 1,000 views was a little bit odd for my blog!
Sure enough,  the Project Cutting List had been shared there.....which is fine.
  One of the comments suggested an added column to check off  when  completed.  I liked that, so a little revision was needed.
  If you are seeing this for the first time.....I put together this chart to help me when cutting a block with multiple sizes of pieces.  I had a minor mistake occur on a recent project and ended up short on two different size pieces for each block!  I print this on card stock and have plenty of space on the back for notes.  And I have a handy reference if I decide to repeat the block or project later.

 Here is Rev 2 of the Project Cutting List.      The original can still be printed from the original post.     

  More scraps turned in to snack mats and mug rugs.  The small ones were done with no binding.  I figured out how do the simple "birthing" without having to hand stitch the turning spot closed on the edge.  I used 2 pieces for the backing...leaving the opening for turning in the seam for the backing.  It was such an obvious thing to do, and yet all this time I missed it!
Keep learning new tricks.....happy stitching.  

Lots of small things

  No great finds this week.....blogland seems to in the middle of summer vapors, and things are slow.  If you discover any good finds, let me know and I will share them next week.

I have been working on small things...snack mats and mug rugs all week.  I worked with everything from strings to hunks, threw in some appliques and leftovers.  These are practical ones, not necessarily beauties.

 I did a pair using this fabric for Remy.   While he was helping his Dad sort through boxes of stored items, he discovered "treasures"......a bag of fishing lures that were my Dad's.  So when I had 2 hunks of this fabric left from pillowcases, I knew exactly what to do with it......a couple of snack mats for him.  He will drive his dad crazy talking about the ones on this!

   The diagonal strings go together quickly but ended up a little plain.  So I did some raw edge appliques using simple plume shapes.

  Moving things around, I ran across one more embroidered hankie.  I love turning  these into mug rugs for gifts....they are so delicate.

  One more......leftover floral band, another bit of raw edge applique and a couple of chunks for balance.  In all I finished 10  items, for a nice start to gifts for later this year.











   While I was fresh this morning, I machine quilted the floral bargello.   I had planned to finish it up yesterday after my dental check up.  Well, that was a snake in the grass.  I have a cracked crown  that must be replaced....I will spare notating the details.  Let's just say I had a splitting headache the rest of the day.  And there won't be any fabric purchases for a while.    Not that I need any, mind you.  It's more the inspiration from new fabric that I enjoy and want.  I  will just use this time to clear out and use up some of my 20 year old stash.   But then I have said that before.....enjoy the weekend, stay cool, and happy stitching.

Friday Finds

   From this week's pins. Please visit these blogs to see the complete post and details.  I am sure they would love some company!

From Chasing Cottons

 Pop Flower Coasters......a little smaller version of a mug rug..... I found this at Chasing Cottons blog.  She has a good tutorial for construction and the pattern pieces are there too.   I love the op-art style flowers---they remind me of the 60's style art.  Wouldn't they be cute for a border, on a tote bag, or even for a table runner?

From Right Sides Together blog

  I have not tried this yet...but I am thinking I need to find some long boards.  I may need to "shop" for them in the workshop.

Board Basting from Right Sides Together
   This technique allows you to pin baste/spray baste / thread baste your quilt top while comfortably sitting at the kitchen table by using long boards for rolling your quilt.   There is a detailed tutorial on this technique, as well as the original by Sharon Schamber.  I thought this handy guide that she provided was worth a mention.










  Labels----printable and a tutorial.  I use computer printed labels for my quilts with graphics from a greeting card program.  So when I spotted this freebie, I thought it would be a good idea to share them.   There is a good tutorial on printing them.  You can  edit the pdf  with your personal info for printing, or just print and write on them with a pen.

  If you find a really great "pin", send it to me.  Thanks, and happy stitching.

Small gifts

  When we went for haircuts last week, the first thing Michelle said to me was that her husband stole her mug rug!  I had to giggle....a husband who purloins mug rugs!  Like me, she has a tile counter top in the kitchen, and it quickly chills your morning coffee.  So it seems the husband figured that out and snitched the small gift.  So I made a couple more rugs to share.....they should cool his jets or sticky fingers.










  And what did I get in the mail this week?  Treasures!
I was so excited when I open a small package from Janet at Rogue Quilter.   She is not only a wonderful quilter of quilts and minis, but she makes soap in her spare time!  The herbal soap smells just divine.....and so pretty.  Maybe luscious is a better word to describe them.   And the little ornament is a very special treasure.  Janet used scraps of her mother's floral fabrics----she did water colors too!----to make this tiny basket block.  I just marvel at the tiny pieces because tiny is not my forte at all.  Thank you, Janet, and I am so glad you kept the bunny!!  I need to add that  I got this little package for having been the first to find the duplicate fabric in one of her minis.  She can be sneaky that way...unannounced giveways and such. 

Quilted February

   That was my major objective for February....quilting a lot.  I actually got more done than I expected. I had 4 quilt tops waiting to be quilted, and two of them are done.  

  Something old:   
   It's not really old, but it has been hanging around a few months. The Buzz Saw quilt, aka The Whopper. All the quilting is done, and thread tails hidden.  Binding is cut and ready to attach.

Something new:
Frosty Morn is quilted as of last night...just under the wire.

    I was a little undecided on how to quilt this one.  It ended up with feathers through the light area, and wavy lines in the frosty color area.  The border portion was quilted with "jester's hat" swirls.....the border print made that an easy choice.
   Using the three different motifs on this worked better than expected really.  And now I have a good quilting motif sample for classes.....so I am keeping this one.

Frayed edge technique......
   Finally washed and fluffed.  These are the 2 samples for the technique demo for guild in March.










March is here.  So a few plans are needed.

• Bind the Buzz Saw.
• Bind Frosty Morn.
• Pin the Floral string quilt.
• Add borders to Mid-winter Dreams.
• McTavishing lessons at Freemotion Quilting Adventures   This starts on Monday.
• Bite the bullet....since the bug bit me to join the Book It! at Vroom's Quilts  This will be my something for the month. 

     I put off jumping in on  Let's Book It! sew along, but this book kept falling on the floor.  I figured it was telling me  it was time to join the fray and pick a project.  So I cut some strips this morning that hopefully will get sewn this month. More on this one later.  

   I think I filled my plate up again.....so what's on your plate?

  Happy stitching.

Linking to Something Old, Something New at Never to Hot to Stitch.  

Just a fun project --with update

   I loved how this one turned out!  From a pile of trimmings came this snack mat---bigger than a mug rug really.   I stitched lots of rows on it..... random rows spaced from 1/8" to 3/8" apart....with a variegated thread.  That way I can be sure those slivers are not going anywhere.  The batiks are tightly woven and probably would not fray that much anyway.   I used a large print with butterflies on the back.

   Sir Old Man thought it looked like a landscape.  I love the texture and  I think I need to make another one to have a pair!
Update to this post:
   I was asked for specific details on this, so here is my "recipe" for this snack mat.

• Batting cut 9 1/2" by 12 1/2"
• Fusible Heat and Bond Lite cut to exact size of batting 9 1/2" by 12 1/2"
• Fuse the heat and bond to the batting.  Remove the paper and save  to use for pressing sheet. 
• Lay strings and slivers of batiks across the batting.  The fusible provides a tacky surface to hold them in place.  Cover the entire surface of the batting in this way.
• Fuse the stings to the batting.  Use the paper from the fusible as a pressing sheet---save your iron from getting messy.  
• Cut backing fabric--slightly larger than the fused batting.
• Quilt row after row of parallel lines.  I did not try to be exact, and varied my width slightly with each row of stitches.  Row vary from 1/8" to 1/4" to 3/8" apart.  I used a heavier quilting thread that was variegated in color.  
• Trim sides after quilting.  Attach binding of your choice.  I used a narrow zig zag to finish off the binding on the front.  Done! 

From fabrics to selvedges

   So what am I doing for International Quilting Day?   First is to enjoy and pet my new fabric from The Fat Quarter Shop!   Instead of radomly picking out things I liked---and there were tons of charm packs I wanted--- I spent time selecting these batiks for a new quilt for our bed.  Even though I said I was not going to do another giant / monster quilt again, I am biting my tongue and planning one more.    And I  do think there will be enough leftovers here for a smaller lap size too!  Thanks to Kimberlyt at the Fat Quarter Shop for the prize, and fabric and wonderful service!

  After cleaning off the cutting table, I discovered a huge pile of selvedge edges.  Thus far I have not done anything with selvedges.   I mean I have lots of fabric, why mess around with just the edges?   The scrap saver / user  genie-monster  got to me, I guess, because there I was arranging the strips onto a hunk of batting and stitching away.  I now see why these things are addictive!  I ended up with a small mug rug in about 10 minutes....and it just needs a touch of applique to be complete I think.   

Applique----that is what I will be doing today as I continue to work on my guild challenge quilt----after I watch a few videos at the Quilt Show.  It is a free weekend of viewing over there and prizes too.    Hope you do some quilting.....cutting, planning or sewing today.  And visit a few blogs at SewCalGal.   Lots to do.    Happy stitching. 

Gift of Heart

  What a day!  Class on free motion quilting was so good....I mean all the gals did an excellent job at their homework, including sketching and stitching.  I was so motivated by that.  They really took to the second class of teardrops and swirls and vines.  They all agreed that the first session of the meandering designs were the most difficult.  Isn't that something?  I think of the stipple and meandering loop design as the most basic and easiest.    I learned that I need to create a worksheet for the stipple for the next class!
   When Sir Old Man came in this afternoon with the mail, I had a swishy package.  Oh, I was surprised!

 

  A beautiful mug rug  from Mary at Hill Country Quilter  arrived  along with the nicest note.  I had seen these on her blog over the weekend and thought how pretty.  I knew her swap partner would love them.  The colors are just beautiful.   Little did I know that sneaky blogger was sending me one, too!   I love these little treasures from blogging friends.  They always bring a smile to my face.  The batiks are so beautiful, and I love hearts....always.   Thank you, Mary, for a little icing on my day.
   And yay!  I got the call to pick up my machine tomorrow.....then I will get back to really stitching.  

Recycle them, please

   While cleaning out Deana's sewing room in preparation for her move, she found a bag of machine embroidered hankies  ....blue, pink and yellow.  These are not old ones, but still too pretty to discard.
   I can't remember where I saw this idea to turn them into mug rugs.  The fabric is quite thin so I folded them in half and cut off the corner embroidery in a square about 5 1/2".  I added strips around the sides to coordinate with the embroidery.

 
   And now a nice pair of mug rugs and I know just to person to send these to.   Of course,  these could be used in a wall hanging instead, or even a baby quilt, or tote bag.

  I have about a dozen or so of these hankies.....free to the takers.  No, the cup is not included.  Just a gift from me to you.    Send an email with your address for mailing, and note the color or colors you want.
Happy stitching.
Update:   Thank you all for replying and  wanting to recycle!  All the hankies are spoken for and will be in the mail today.

Mystery game

    A spark of an idea  came from  the comments  about my new project to sew during the Olympics.   I was referred to as a tease and being sneaky......I love it!   So, a mystery for you to figure out as I progress. I will add a clue or photo as I go along.  Figure out what pattern I am making, leave a comment.   The first comment to correctly identify the  published pattern will win. I am  putting this mug rug into the prize pile for now, and will add to it as we go along.  

    
A few sections to test the pattern instructions.....once again I am sewing angles.  The instructions don't really give a good instruction about matching the strips to the cut angle piece, so I am glad I tried a few before doing a whole block. 
So the lesson learned here:  sew the strips and then trim before attempting to add the next section.  

   Opening ceremonies are tonight.....machine set up, pieces ready, flag up......Go USA!!!!
Happy stitching.