Archive for the ‘Completed quilts’ Category

Today I bound the uneven edge of the Tumbler quilt and it was much easier than I expected.

I was afraid I’d need a miter at the inner curves but with bias binding, I just kind of zig zagged following the edge of the blocks and made sure I didn’t sew any tucks and it worked great.

I cut bias strips using the instructions from this book (great reference!) I could have made continuous bias binding but I didn’t feel like searching other books for the instructions.

Just a few details:

I cut my strips 2.5 inches and used a 3/8 inch seam to sew the binding on.

I sewed a straight seam following the line of the block; pivoting when I hit the seam between the blocks making sure that I didn’t sew a pleat which was pretty easy to do with the bias binding.

I had to watch my corners to get my miter’s just right — needed to angle my fold to follow the edge I was turning. (I only had to take one out and redo it).

So for those of you who wrote and told me to figure it out …. go bind those tumbler quilts!

I love how this quilt of mine turned out, completely from stash and I’m not sure where it will go yet. Maybe a gift quilt down the line or a donation quilt. I’ll wait and see.

This was the quilt I finished the binding on last night. It’s my 3rd UFO finish for the year. I just love the checkerboard border on this one.

I’m going to get a binding on another one and start stitching that down tonight.

The binding was finished on this little HeartStrings quilt made from donated blocks and pieced by Sue (or her mom Monica).

This one pieced by San and her NC group and intended for Quilts of Valor. You’ve seen a few of these on point rail fence quilts from them – there were 1o of them and I have 2 or 3 left to do.

I’m having a rather slow binding Olympics but here’s Quilt #2. A Chinese Coins quilt I pieced from sections of coins from one of our HeartStrings projects. It’s my second UFO finish for the year – I’d be happy with one per month this year.

Aren’t these swirls great? Quilted with the Swirls template from Circle Lord.

By the way,  watching the Olympics is even more fun with all my international on-line friends.  I’m not only rooting for US athletes but those from the countries of my friends too.

After hand stitching the binding on this donation top by Tamera while watching the Olympics this evening, I managed to piece a backing and make a few string blocks so my Tuesday goals were met.

For those of you interested in how Tamera pieced this, she has a tutorial on her blog.

I’ve been fighting the clock all day but I’m always busy the day before a trip.

It’s Tuesday so I’m supposed to piece a quilt back and work on string blocks – I pieced a back for another donation top and made 4 Quilt as you Go blocks. I would have made more but I really wanted to get this last quilt waiting for binding done.

Pieced by San and her quilting group in NC, it will go to Alycia as a QOV.

The white in the binding kind of jumps out in the photo but not so much in person.

Quilted with one of my favorite designs – a swirling version of Dwirling from the Pajama Quilter DVD.

Now when I get home from my trip I can jump right back into quilting since I’ve finished all the ones waiting for binding.

Pieced by San and her quilting group in NC and quilted with Wonky Feathers from the Pajama Quilter DVD — it’s one of a group of quilts they sent to me to quilt for Alycia’s Quilt of Valor Project.

No puppy model with this HeartStrings top pieced by Sue’s Mom, Monica (I think, or maybe Sue). Do you see the Hearts? There are four of them all coming into the center.

Although it’s a little hard to tell in the photo, I pulled out the binding leftovers for this one and pieced them. Number 6 is trimmed and ready for binding too and that one will also get a pieced binding. I love using leftovers!

Pieced by Tamera and sent to me to quilt and donate. Quilted with the pantograph Wildflower by Willow Leaf Studio.

Modeled by Chesty!

Top pieced by Barbara in FL and sent to me to finish and donate.

And yep, those are my favorite freehand fans again.

I’ve been binding away tonight and I’ve got another one almost finished.

You thought my HeartStrings quilt was pretty — how about this one pieced by Deborah? She takes the leftover fabric after making a quilt and puts them in the prettiest string quilts.

Look at this great back she pieced — she must have used every bit of this fabric.

And it’s one of my own quilts. I just love this HeartStrings quilt and while most of my donation quilts go to people I don’t know, I will be saving this one for when I need a comfort quilt for someone close to me.

I love how the random fan quilting turned out and it was really fun to do too.

This HeartStrings top was pieced by Pat and it’s one of my favorites! After running around doing a lot of packing and shipping I got the binding made and stitched on this one.

I also have to confess that instead of working on my jewel HeartStrings blocks (I only need to make 16 more) I cut out a new quilt with the GO. I’ve had a bundle of Christmas fabrics for 4 plus years and tonight it was cut up into Apple core blocks. Call me crazy but I think I’m going to hand piece this one although I did sew two together on the machine just to see if I could. The blocks are large – 6 inches which wouldn’t have been my first choice but then I thought the tumbler die was too big before I started having fun with that one.

I’ve never done any curved piecing but I’ve read how to do and and seen it demonstrated. I even have a curved piecing foot that I’ve never used before but that’s going to change because I also have a Drunkard’s Path die and that one I’ll piece by machine.

Tomorrow I’ll need to do laundry and pack so maybe I’ll go make a few more string blocks before heading to bed with my book.

This top was pieced by Barbara in FL and sent to me to quilt and donate.

I pieced one of my off centered 4 patches for the back. The HeartStrings label is sewn right into the corner and covered on two sides with the binding.

I’m still working on my third set of HeartStrings blocks. I wasn’t sure about these blocks at first but now I’m really liking the jewel tones.  I’m using our HeartStrings Logo setting for this top.

I also finished tying the 3rd quilt from Lani and her group in CA and got two of them bound.

I talked to Keith today and now he won’t be coming home until Tuesday around dinner time.  I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up this pace that long but I still have a couple things left on the list to work on tomorrow.

This top was pieced by Cheryl and sent to me to quilt and donate.

Quilted with the pantograph Leap Frog by Norma Sharp. Isn’t this cute how she framed the ponies?

I’ve done a little of everything today and now I’m going to put another movie on and start tying a 3rd HeartStrings top.

After sleeping late (very, very late) I finally feel like I’ve caught up a little on my sleep. First up on today’s task list was to finish the binding on the donated top pieced by Helen (from Bonnie Hunter’s Orange Crush pattern).

I just love the texture the clamshell quilting gave to it. The pantograph is Improved Clamshell by Kathie James.

I’ve got a small turkey breast cooking and then I plan to make my Mom’s dressing and have a mini Thanksgiving feast.  I’ll also start another set of blocks for our HeartStrings Holiday Block Party, set up another quilt for tying, and work on quilting my Aunt’s 2nd top.

I got a late start but it’s going to be a busy day! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

I’m alone for the holiday and am planning to get a lot of work done while Keith is gone.

Today I did have to go out to run a couple errands and to pick up some groceries for tomorrow but I managed to set up, tie, and bind a HeartStrings quilt. The top was pieced by Lani and her group in CA.

Since Keith is gone, I set up my tying table in the middle of the living room. You can see Chesty resting on the sofa behind me. His belly is pretty bruised up but he seems to be feeling much better. I do have to keep the cone on him because he goes straight for the incision when I take it off.

Still on today’s agenda is some binding and then when I put Chesty to bed I’ll go downstairs and quilt for a while. I got the 2nd top from my aunt loaded and started last night but I’ve got lots of quilting left to do on it.