16 Jul, 2019

Flamingo Quilt

/ posted in: Quilting

We have a finish! I know, I know, I can’t believe it either.

I’m a fan of Elizabeth Hartmann’s animal patterns. I’ve made the hedgehog and the fox and the whale. I really liked the flamingo pattern too. About a month ago it occurred to me that the neighbors across the street where having a baby. They have two flamingo statues in their yard. They are apparently really into 1950s decor, according to my husband who has talked to them. They painted their front door a bright blue. I realized this was a perfect excuse to make the flamingo quilt.

I made the small size with just 2 flamingos.

One had to be pink to be traditional (or natural). I made the other one blue because they were having a boy.

I quilted it with just straight (ish) lines in a varigated pink and blue.

I was actually sad to see this one go. I liked it.

I made the husband deliver it. I’ve never even seen these people but he’s had conversations with them. Now I think I’m considered the Boo Radley of the neighborhood who only comes out to go to work and spends the rest of the time making quilts in the basement.

29 Aug, 2018

The Pineapple Quilt

/ posted in: Quilting

About a month ago one of my coworkers asked me out of the blue if I had finished any quilts lately. I was offended. She knows better. She knows I only start quilts and then they live half-done forever in my basement.

I was also a bit concerned because actually I was applying myself diligently to finishing a quilt for her for her rapidly upcoming wedding.

Yes, I hope ya’ll are sitting down, I finished a quilt project!

I’ve always wanted to do a pineapple quilt block quilt but that’s a lot of work. I had only seen them paper pieced. I found a handy dandy ruler that made it a whole lot easier to do.

I made the whole thing mostly with scraps from my magical scrap bin. No matter how many times I dug in there I always found more jewel tones to work with, even if I was sure I had emptied it of useable stuff the time before. I only messed up once and used the same dark fabric in the same block.

I also decided in midstream to make this quilt as you go.

I sewed together each row of 4 blocks and then layered and quilted them. I used the fussiest way possible to join them together but you can’t tell I did anything unusual from the front. There is just a folded under edge of the backing where each row is joined together on the back.

I added borders the same way. I had a different plan for the borders but hated it once I started piecing it. I got the husband’s opinion. He got all nervous and told me that supported me in everything I do. I told him that I was hating what I was doing so critique away. I might have created a monster. He had unsolicited opinions about binding colors and fabric selection after the one day when I asked for his thoughts.

It is at its new home now. I finished with 2 days to spare. I didn’t know how to act with that much wiggle room.

06 Jan, 2016

Quilting 2016

/ posted in: Quilting

I was a complete quilting slacker in 2015. Thank god for people having babies (words which have never before been uttered on this blog and will probably never be heard again) or I’d have never gotten anything made.

This was a baby quilt for a coworker in the spring.

A photo posted by @dvmheather on Mar 27, 2015 at 5:23am PDT

Another one in the fall.

A photo posted by @dvmheather on Aug 17, 2015 at 11:43am PDT

I did finish up my Hedgehog wall hanging at the last possible minute to include it with winter decorations.

A photo posted by @dvmheather on Dec 5, 2015 at 5:23pm PST

Seeing the theme yet? They ended up being all Oh Fransson patterns.

Other than that, I managed to finish up my Spaghetti Junction quilt and get it basted.

A photo posted by @dvmheather on Sep 25, 2015 at 11:43am PDT

Not quilted yet of course

So in the spirit of turning over a new leaf and all that, I started a new project – because I don’t already have a room full of abandoned projects – shut up! I did something revolutionary with this project though. Something scary.

I’m Using My Special Fabric

You know the fabric. You bought the bundle because you loved it and then you put it aside for something special and there it sits. You can’t quite bring yourself to cut into it because you are waiting for the perfect project.

I’m using it.

First up was this FQ bundle of Birds of a Feather. I bought it for a specific pattern. When it got here I realized that it wasn’t going to work at all for the pattern I had picked. Mind you, I don’t remember what that pattern was because I never got around to picking any other fabric and making it. This has been sitting on my shelf for a while. It is going to be the center crosses in these Raspberry Kisses blocks.

I’m using scrap white on white for the rest of the center and then doing low volume on the corners. This one actually hurt.

The fabric on the left I special ordered because I liked other fabric from that line. It was really hard to find. I haven’t used an inch of it. The next three are from a bundle I ordered because I loved the line. I have it in two colorways. Never been touched. I had to give myself a firm talking to in order to open up the package and pull those out. The one with the cameras came from another bundle that I have that wasn’t open.

I’m even using thread that at first I thought, “I should keep this and maybe quilt with it.” Then I thought, nope. Use it up. They make more.

I’m making two sizes of blocks – 8.5″ and 4.5″. I’m going to keep going until I either run out of cross fabric or it gets big enough.

27 Mar, 2015

Preppy the Whale Quilt Finish

/ posted in: Quilting

I finished a quilt! I’m a starter and not a finisher but this had a hard deadline so I was motivated to get it done. I gave it to a coworker during our little baby shower for her yesterday.

Side note – I gave a baby quilt to another person who was there. He talked all about how useful it was and how the baby slept on it and all kinds of nice stuff. He said they got a few quilts so they could wash and rotate. It was very nice. Then he showed me a picture of her using my quilt. That was also nice but it wasn’t my quilt. I just giggled to myself and didn’t say anything.

This is Preppy the Whale by Elizabeth Hartman. The theme was underwater so I made the whales. Then I added borders to get it up to 36″ square. I quilted waves in the blue and seaweed in the pink vertical borders.

Quilted a name on a quilt with no marking and using a domestic machine and it looks good. Shocked myself. Just hope it is spelled right. #freemotion #quilt

A photo posted by @dvmheather on Mar 25, 2015 at 10:13am PDT

From Quilts

Linking to – Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Link a Finish Friday

14 Feb, 2015

Lima Company Memorial

/ posted in: Photos, Quilting

Yesterday I went to the State Capitol to set up a Quilts of Valor display.

Ohio Statehouse Rotunda

A photo posted by @dvmheather on Feb 13, 2015 at 7:12am PST

It is set up with the Lima Company Memorial, which is a traveling exhibit featuring some soldiers who died in Iraq.
This is a few of the panels.

I just set up a table for people to pick up information and then we will be back next week to do presentations at the closing ceremony.

The floor is very quiltable.

11 Feb, 2015

Quilting This Week

/ posted in: Quilting

Last Saturday was Quilts of Valor’s National Sew Day. I sewed together this quilt that has been stuck on my design wall since last May.

I got the first block done for my Christmas Hedgehog quilt.

I have the fabric picked out for the other three too. They are all going to have the same face with different bodies and spines. All the fabrics have a little metallic thread in them.

I also finished the quilting on this giant star quilt. It has a lot of stops and starts so I have lots of thread ends to get rid of. There is one small section in the center that needs removed and redone because the tension went wonky.

17 Dec, 2014

Quilting

/ posted in: Quilting

That is an actual finished quilt. Try to contain your shock.

That is Orca Bay, the 2011 mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter. Yep, 2011. I actually worked hard at it and pretty much kept up with the clues. I had it done on schedule. I even made the pieced borders and then decided I didn’t like them and left them off. I had it quilted. This was all done by early 2012.

And then it sat. It didn’t just sit actually. It moved houses with us and then it sat again. I finally decided that this was stupid and it needed to be finished. It took me two weeks of procrastinating and then about 2 hours to bind it. Done!

I don’t really know what to do with a quilt that I am planning on keeping. I guess we put it in the living room and stare at it and then the dog lays on it on the couch. I usually give all my quilts away.

For my next project I’m going to make a Christmas quilt. I’m not a big Christmas fan so I’ve never wanted a Christmas quilt but I found one for me. I’m going to make Hazel by Elizabeth Hartman.

Photo from the pattern page. Click here for the link.

I’m going to make 4 hedgehogs in Christmas colors for a Christmas wallhanging. Maybe it will be done for next Christmas?

10 Sep, 2014

Quilting Wednesday

/ posted in: Quilting

Would you look at this? Actual quilting going on at my house.

There has actually been tons of boring quilting all summer. It has been my summer of backs. I’ve been making backs for a lot of Quilts of Valor tops that I had donated and sending them to quilters.

We have a big presentation coming up next week and I got worried about our quilt count. I wanted some backup quilts so I pulled out this giant star and started quilting it. I did some straight line quilting, some meandering, and used this stencil with hearts surrounding a star on the corners.

Sorry for the black on black picture but you get the idea.

I worked for days on this. I was dedicated. Then I realized that we were fine on quilts and … I haven’t done anything for a few days. Yep, I’m an emergency kind of quilter.

28 May, 2014

Quilting Wednesday

/ posted in: Quilting

There was a whole lot of quilting going this week. Nothing focuses you like a deadline.

We did a Quilts of Valor presentation on Sunday at a church in Cleveland. We gave quilts to 14 veterans.

I had several quilts that I had worked on in the presentation.

This quilt was made of the 10th anniversary blocks made by a local quilt store. I put them together into a top and finished the binding the day before the presentation.

My anchor quilt finally got finished. It has a lighthouse panel on the back. It went to a Navy veteran of course.

I made this swoon quilt.

This top was made by Colorado volunteers and I bound it in my week long binding odyssey.

This is another Colorado quilt.

Eagles

We made a bunch of 4 hour star quilts and Star Spangled quilts for this presentation.

24 May, 2014

NQA Show

/ posted in: Quilting

My mother and I went to the National Quilting Association show in Columbus yesterday.

The quilt I found most amazing was this icon-like quilt. It is done with gold lame and paint. There are semi-precious stones on it too.

Christ in Gold by Laurie Tigner

If you make a quilt with animals on it, I’ll probably take a picture.

Dress Your Pets Up Day

Noah’s Tree of Life by Linda Pool – Appliqued animals in pairs and if there is sexual dimorphism it is shown. The cow and the bull are different for example.

<

CATS!! Just Garden Variety by Jane Anderson

Nos-y Neighbors by Sherrie Cahill

<

Crime Scene Investigation by Pauline Salzman

Bunny Day

The Quilt with the Dragon Tattoo by Nancy Arseneault

Some Assembly Required by George Siciliano – Miniature!

From NQA 2014

21 May, 2014

Quilting Wednesday

/ posted in: Quilting

My quilting this week involves binding. Lots of binding. We have a Quilts of Valor presentation this weekend and we are putting finishing touches on quilts. We had a sewing day this weekend to get a lot done. My machine quits after sewing for 4 hours. I’m not sure why. I’ll be sewing along and all of a sudden the tension goes totally loose. I haven’t changed anything and there is no fixing it. You have to shut down the machine and start again tomorrow. This isn’t a fancy machine with lots of computers to get confused either. It is just tempermental.

I think this is the scariest thing we do as quilters, especially with these red, white, and blue quilts. This one turned out ok.

The Navy anchor quilt is on its second go round in the dryer. Then I just have to do a final go over for threads.

I have 1 and a half more bindings to put on.

I picked up my hand sewing again after a few weeks off.

I have 3 more seams to sew and I have the first two rows together.

I met an amazing lady this week. This is Ruth.

Ruth is 94 years old. She’s made over 500 quilts in her life. She has Parkinson’s Disease and is prone to falling. She figured that if she had to sit a lot then she might as well sit at her sewing machine. She heard about Quilts of Valor last year and made 12 tops for a local event. Since then she’s kept sewing. She gave me 35 tops that she’s made since January.

Here’s a sample of what she made.

14 May, 2014

Quilting Wednesday

/ posted in: Quilting

My quilting this week has been of the boring but necessary type. I made a back for a donated top. I’m working on quilting my anchor quilt. I just decided that I need to pull out the entire center section of the quilting because of tension problems. I had the horrible realization yesterday that Memorial Day is next weekend and not in 2 weeks. The anchor quilt is part of a presentation on Memorial Day weekend. Crap. It is crunch time now!

I did have one Quilts of Valor presentation this week.

This one started out as a presentation for a Medivac helicopter pilot from the Vietnam War. Then we found out that his grandson who is currently in the Navy was going to be there. We gave quilts to both of them.

From May 14, 2014

16 Apr, 2014

Quilting Wednesday

/ posted in: Quilting

I started sewing together the first column on my hexagon quilt!

I immediately sewed one of the hexagons onto the wrong spot! Now I have to get the seam ripper out to fix the purple one.

I finished a few more of the fox fabric hexagons this week. I wanted to have a nice cute picture with hexagons and animals but apparently my models are completely over posing with quilt blocks and I’m embarrassing them.

If they want to be that way, fine. I’ll take my fox pictures without them.

12 Apr, 2014

EPP Progress

/ posted in: Quilting

I knew I was within a few flowers of having the center of this quilt ready to be put together. I laid it all out today and was confused by the fact that it seemed like I had too many flowers even without finishing up the last few I had calculated that I needed. I was feeling like quite an overachiever!

I should have known better. I realized it when I went to bundle them up.

I had forgotten to lay out the whole last row. I’m off to finish up by last few flowers that I need and I’ll start trying to sew the rows together!

09 Apr, 2014

Quilting Wednesday

/ posted in: Quilting

I feel like all I’ve done is work on quilts this week!

I finished 2 flowers this week. I’ve only got 6 left before I start putting my top together!

I had a big, busy Quilts of Valor week!

On Friday I got representatives from as many groups in the state as possible together to go through the free fabric available to nonprofits at a fabric warehouse in our state. We all left with bags and bags of fabric to use for QOVs. It was nice to be able to put faces together with email accounts.

On Saturday we had our second northeast Ohio sewing day. We have a big, sort of spur of the moment presentation coming up and we worked on getting tops together for that.

Stars were appliqued on 6 of the striped quilts and we made triangles and started putting together the 4 hour star quilt tops. I’m loving this pattern from quiltfrog.com.

We may need to change our event name. My mom was there from Pennsylvania and one quilter brought relatives from Michigan. Her granddaughter had sewn but never quilted before but now she can make half square triangles like a champ!

When I got home from the QOV event on Friday night this was waiting for me. I knew that I had to get it to someone I would see on Saturday night so I hurried up and got it bound and had my mother make a pillowcase for it. It will be presented soon.

This quilt came from a group in the Toledo area. It is going to a veteran in central Ohio.

Our Akron group donated this top made from anniversary blocks collected last year.

I have to get a backing made for that and get it sent off to a quilter.

I got two quilts back from a quilter yesterday. She surprised me by binding them and making pillowcases for them too!

I’ve gotten my mother involved too. She brought me her version of the 4 hour quilt top.

I think I have 3 more quilts coming back from quilters this week. That should temporarily take care of the backlog of individual requests we have here. There are other states that are swamped with requests and don’t have enough quilts to get to everyone. If you would like to help out, check out Quilts of Valor’s website.

02 Apr, 2014

Quilting Wednesday

/ posted in: Quilting

I finished 3 more flowers. I only have one more to go in this fabric and then I’ll be moving on to my last fabric.

The turtle quilt is quilted and bound. I quilted it with straight lines in the black and free motion on the turtles to help hold down the fused applique. It is just a wall hanging so that should work.

I started making this four hour quilt top. This is about 2 hours in so I suspect the timing is about right.

We have a couple of Quilts of Valor presentations coming up and we have a backlog of quilt requests so fast patterns are appreciated.

19 Mar, 2014

Quilting Wednesday

/ posted in: Quilting

After I finished off getting six Quilts of Valor tops off to various longarmers around the country and all the quilt back making that that entailed, I was at a bit of a loss for what to do. I decided to work on some stuff of my own. Crazy, I know.

I started working on a quilt pattern that I bought when I was in Hawaii in June.

It is a wall hanging with 4 sea turtles. I got the first two together. I still need to applique the shells. They are fused right now. I’m not even going to try to applique all those details. Cutting them out was bad enough. I think they are just going to get heavily quilted.

I signed up to take a Craftsy class on machine quilting. I’ve done a bit but I figured more practice was good. Now I have to make a top to quilt before I can start. They give a pattern that is cute.

I also made 4 and half hexy flowers this week.

The husband finally grasped the implications of all the time sewing these. We were in the car and he said something about how he couldn’t understand how I could sew those all the time because it would make him crazy. I said that everyone thinks that until they do one and get addicted. He asked if making the flowers was the point. I said no, it was a quilt and I was getting close to having all the flowers. I was around 50.

He was shocked. 50? I said that it was 7 flowers from each of ten fabrics and the text fabric was fabric number eight. I think he thought I just made flowers and shoved them in a drawer. Actually given the number of UFOs I have that isn’t a crazy assumption.

Linking up with One Flower Wednesday.

12 Mar, 2014

Quilting Wednesday

/ posted in: Quilting

I pulled out my anchor quilt to work on the quilting again. I was just doing wavy horizontal lines to suggest waves. I got the body of the quilt finished and now just have to work on the border.

Piecing oversized blocks totally defeats me. I can’t get seams to match for anything. I covered the horrible seam intersections with applique for this quilt. I still don’t know how I feel about it.

I’m still moving right along on my hexy quilt. It needs seven flowers from each of ten fabrics. That text print is the first flower from fabric number 8!

Linking up with One Flower Wednesday.

08 Mar, 2014

EPP Link Party

/ posted in: Quilting

I’ve gotten a lot done on my English Paper Piecing this month.

I’m incorporating some hexagons onto a Quilt of Valor top. I found out that I haven’t been ending my stitches firmly enough when I took the paper out of these and they started to open up so I’m working on that.

I’m still working on my HexyMF quilt. I have 42 of 70 flowers done. I swear that last time I counted I thought I had 42 too and that was many flowers ago. I hope I just estimated last time and I’m not actually stuck in some kind of quilt vortex where no matter how many you make you still have the same amount.

There are spots open in our 1 inch hexy swap. You just swap the basted hexies. No sewing required. Right now it is hosted on Flickr but Flickr crashes my browser every time I open it now so I’m going to be moving it to Instagram. Here’s the Flickr link.The monthly themes:

March – blue and yellow
April – purple
May – green
June – anything goes!
July – red, white, and blue
August – pink
September – red and aqua
October – novelty/I-spy
November – orange and brown
December – red and green