I couldn't seem to stick with just one project yesterday. I did a little more ditch quilting on the X and + quilt, cut pieces for the Hunter Star quilt and cut more squares for the postage stamp blocks.
I got one block sewn in one direction, ready for pressing.
I laid out the next one to sew today.
We finally got some rain and the grass is getting tall but it is still dry and brown in lots of patches. It seems like such a long time since I mowed last.
This is the season where Kaffe just recolored some of his older prints but Philip and Brandon came out with some new designs. The 2 black and white are Brandon's and the one on the right is called onion rings. These designs are huge!
Philip Jacobs Geodes and Brandon Mably onion rings.
These are Cactus Flower by Philip Jacobs and I think it is 2 new colors of an older print.
I got some small pieces of Kaffe's recoloring of Spot and paper fans.
And here is the second Zinnia to bloom.
I finished thread basting the African fabric quilt. Now I need to finish quilting the X and + quilt with my straight stitch machine so I can start quilting this one.
I pressed the last batch of scrappy batik Hunter star blocks and decided to see how they all look up on the design wall. This is a long term project started last year and in no hurry to finish this year. I'll keep cutting blocks as I have batiks out to cut for other projects.
I washed the black and white quilt that I used the Warm and Plush batting (by the Warm and Natural company) in and it shrunk quite a bit. It was only 44" x 68" when I finished it and now it is 42" x 64.75". That is more than Hobbs Heirloom shrinks. The quilt is definitely crinkly.
Last night I pulled out my smallest Kaffe scraps and cut a bunch more squares for the postage stamp quilt. This is only 6 pieces more than I need for ONE block.
I planted some zinnias late and they are just starting to bloom. Only about a dozen plants grew from close to 30 seeds.
While they were working on my roof yesterday I did some more cutting of Hunter Star pieces. This is a totally scrappy quilt.
While I had the iron on to press those I pressed the postage stamp blocks too and then sewed the cross seams.
The roofers were here from 8 - 3:30 yesterday. There was a pause at noon and I went out to look at the roof and they were out of shingles. More were delivered about a half hour later and then about an hour after that another bundle was dropped off so their estimate of how many needed was off. I'm so happy it is done. Now I have to hope they did a good job.
This was the scene out my back windows yesterday. About 2/3 of the roofing job is done and they will be back at 7 this morning to finish.
I went to the basement and basted another third of the African fabric quilt.
Then I decided to pull out this old Stepping Stones project and put it on the design wall so I could see where I am with it. I tore out some papers and only have a few left to do. I have the narrow black strips cut, just have to get them to the right lengths for different areas.
I finished up the day sewing the postage stamp seams in one direction. They are just waiting to be pressed so I can sew the seams the other way.
I guess this presser foot would be called a straight stitch walking foot. The ones on my zig zag machines have the wide opening between the toes. I love this narrow one because it zeroes in on the seam a/k/a the ditch with nowhere else for your eye to be drawn to.
The foot control on this one is so good too, no jumpy fast speeds when you are starting up, very nice and even slow speed (without a speed control switch). I love the Las Vegas light strip that I added for extra good sight lines.
I stitched in the ditch between blocks in both directions and on both sides of the rows containing the long bar of the plus part of the block. I am over half done with the quilting on the X and + quilt now.
I have the African fabric quilt 1/3 basted in my alternate sessions of basting and quilting.
We got some lovely gentle rain yesterday and we needed it. This photo was taken from the kitchen window in the afternoon session of rain. The flowers in the back are the Brown Eyed Susans that my friend gave me earlier this summer. I already had a different variety of them in the center of the photo. There should be 2 masses of yellow soon.
Since I don't have friends coming to sew this week I will use my double table (60" x 96" for thread basting. I have been wanting to do this for a long time but I know how to procrastinate very well......
I finished this quilt top a year ago and since it isn't real large I decided to baste it first. I got the backing fabric pressed and seamed together and had all of my layers ready by noon yesterday. I worked on it on and off through the afternoon and finished basting it about 8:30 p.m.
Since that one went so smoothly I pressed and seamed the backing for this African fabric quilt top that I made in 2014. I got the layers laid out and put in one row of basting last night. I'll alternate between ditch quilting the first one and basting this one today.
I saw the cutest baby bunny in the backyard yesterday afternoon. It was busy eating the weeds that grow in my lawn.
Then it hopped deeper into the garden area (center left) and watched the squirrel cleaning up under the bird feeder.
We got some nice rain yesterday morning. It sounds like today's rain late in the day might go mostly south of us.
