Archive for December, 2009

You can find instructions for making Boxed Squares on my MaryQuilts.com site. It’s quick and easy to make from 2 and 1/2 inch strips. I used a Jelly Roll for the first one and this one is from stash.

It was empty Monday so I didn’t show it to you but I got up at 2AM and after piecing my batting leftovers, I put this Boxed Squares back on the design wall.

When I put this away, I had assembled a section as large as my design wall 72 x 72 and I needed to add an additional 3 rows.

I finished the additional 36 blocks I needed.

I’ve already sewn these rows together and the top is done but I need to wait until it’s light outside to take a photo of the full top.

Originally I was going to add borders to make this bed size for Adam but since he’s chosen to have the other quilt as a wedding quilt, I’m going to stop at this point with the top being 72 x 90.

Piecing batting is one of my least favorite things to do but I’m frugal enough that I do it. Sometimes I grab a couple larger sections and piece these by hand downstairs in the longarm room but when I’m going to piece multiple battings, it’s quickest to do them by machine.

I start with reasonably straight edges and setting my machine on the widest zig-zag possible, I feed two pieces through stopping frequently to adjust them so I don’t stretch them out of shape.

You might need to click on this next photo to see the seam.

Here I’m adding a 3rd piece and notice I always sew with the narrowest piece under the arm of the machine.

In just about an hour and a half, I’ve got 5 battings pieced – all of them 74-80 inches long. You can see the the top batting is thinner — that’s pieced from Warm and Natural.  When I’m piecing, I do make sure I piece the same type of batting together. The bottom four are Hobbs 80/20 which is the batting I use most frequently.

I tend to buy my batting on the roll rather than by the package and I think that makes it easier to use almost every bit of it. For those of you doing charity quilts you might want to check with some longarm quilters in your area to see if they’d be willing to save batting leftovers for you.

It’s been a long, long few weeks and I’m happy that he won’t be traveling again before Christmas. He didn’t get the Christmas lights put up outside on the deck yet and I’m wondering at this point is it worth doing. We don’t have a tree up either and we’re leaving on the 28th to see the boys.

At least the neighborhood looks festive since others have put up lights.

One of the instruction sheets on my MaryQuilts.com site was recreated from memory because I’d lost the photos I had of this quilt which I made in 2001. I was very surprised to come across my photo on a group site where I’d posted it back then and to see I hadn’t remember the quilt as well as I thought I had.

The original quilt

My design 6+ years later – I’m shocked that those stars are friendship stars rather than sawtooth stars and I didn’t remember putting the star border on the bottom either (but I can understand not remembering which order I placed the colors in the rails). I was also surprised to read that I was  sharing the instructions for quilts I’d created myself that long ago.

The instructions for the Patriotic Rail Fence quilt are on my MaryQuilts.com site.

It’s been about 2 weeks since I quilted anything — where does the time go?

This top was pieced by Tamera and sent to me to quilt and donate as a part of our HeartStrings project.

It’s quilted with the pantograph WildFlower by Willow Leaf Studio and I’m not sure I’m that crazy about it. It’s the first time I used it and it’s a little slow quilting on the flowers – short sections with frequent changes in direction.

It looks better close up than in the above photo I think.

And here’s a portion of the back. All the photos will enlarge some if you click on them.

Some years I do and some I don’t. This year the only ones I’m sending are these 6 postcards to the family members who do the monthly postcard exchange with me.

And when I walked out just now to put them in the mailbox it was snowing again! They’re calling for another 2-4 inches tonight and tomorrow.

Other than finishing the postcards the only other quilty thing I’ve done today is to piece a backing for a donated quilt. If I finish up on the computer and still feel motivated, I might just get a top loaded on the longarm before going to bed.

I was excited today to read the newest prompt for my Journal Your Christmas class and another one of my pages from last year was used as an example. It doesn’t take much to make me happy sometimes! Now I need to go do my pages from yesterday and today.

I decided tonight I’d been messing with these blocks way too long and finally finished up the top.  Not the best photo but it’s hard to get one that’s any better at night in my hallway.

I’d set aside the selvages when I cut out my Applecore quilt to use for postcards and started sewing them today. I thought they needed a little something so I went playing in my buttons. The ones in this bag were mostly red and green and I’d forgotten I’d bought them last year after Christmas but they’re just what I wanted tonight.

They may not be the most artistic postcards you’ve seen but I’m having fun.

I’ve got more to button up and then I’ll have to back them and finish the edges.

I’m puttering around assembling the HeartStrings top, hand piecing the Applecore blocks, reading, and setting up and meeting with a couple contractors to repair the ceiling.

I’ve got some postcards to make for our family exchange and quilts to get washed so I can get them donated but I don’t have many goals for this month and am working at a very relaxed pace.

I’m reading the new Sue Grafton book — U is for Undertow.