A little sewing................

I'm not a football fan but I turned on ABC to watch 10 p.m. news last night and there was still 2 minutes left in the game, Georgia vs Georgia Tech.  At 11 p.m. they were in their 8th OT.  So....I got more stitching time in because I had to see who won and it was Georgia.  Those guys must have been so tired...31 straight home game wins, score 44 - 42.  I scored half of a long side and half of a short side in stitching, so I have 1 1/2 sides left to hand stitch.

Earlier in the evening I sewed 2 star blocks at right and left in the bottom row.

I went to my grandson and fiancé's house for our mid-day Thanksgiving.  We had a great time.  When he brought me home he helped me with a tech problem.  My remote for the studio TV only had 2 working buttons for the last 3 days, on/off and volume.  I told him about it on the way to his house and he said he thought he could fix it.  We decided to try new batteries first and when he opened that compartment there was a website listed to go to if there was a problem with pairing with the TV.  He went to it, followed the directions on the screen and now it works.  Thank God for grandchildren who are way smarter than us seniors with all of this new tech stuff.  

More stars and binding.................

Five more stars are added to the design wall.  These are 12" stars so 35 blocks would make a 60" x 84" quilt top.  I could stop at 24 blocks for a 48" x 72" quilt if I get bored making blocks.  There is always the option of a border too.  I have 5 more combinations ready to sew and I might get them done today.

I worked on the hand stitching of the binding on this one a couple times yesterday.  I have one short side and a half of a long side done.  I already have 2 finishes for this month so if it gets done, great, and if it doesn't, it's okay.

It was 27 degrees yesterday with 23 predicted for today.  I'll get some use out of my heavy winter coat this year.  Most winters I get by with a mid-weight jacket and I just don't go out on the really frigid days.

Starting one quilt, finishing another..................

The first two star blocks are made and I love them.  I didn't get any more pieces cut yesterday but I did pull some more light fabrics.

After cutting for 3 floral quilts I still have this much left.  None of this is Kaffe collective, it is mostly florals purchased from the 1990s to 2005.

This is a top view of the 2 big bins.  I need to sell a lot of it, probably for $5 a yard but need to decide how to group it and what size pieces to cut.  Any suggestions would be appreciated, especially if you might want to buy some of it.

This is a closer view of box one.

And a closer view of box 2.  

My first idea for grouping was to pull all of the large prints to be sold as fat quarters.  There are lots of people making the Kaffe Seed Packet quilt and using fabrics other than just Kaffe and Philip Jacobs.  I used a large variety of fabrics in my Seed Packet quilt pictured here.  I would then group all of the small prints separately.

I trimmed the Confetti quilt and started the binding.  I'm hand stitching to the back on this one and using the same fabric that I have on the back of the quilt.

Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends!!!  I will be celebrating tomorrow.

A quilt top for November.............

This quilt top looks a little chaotic from a distance and very interesting close up.  I'm happy with the way the pieced border worked, giving a hint of border without any distraction from the center. Even with the border added it's still a small quilt at 53.5" x 65.5".

The next floral/nature quilt will be sawtooth stars.  Some will be matched fabrics like this one.

Others will be mixed groups of fabrics.  The one on the left has dark star points matching the center square and 2 different light fabrics.  The one on the right has a different fabric for dark star points and one light fabric for the rest of the star.  I need to cut a lot of light triangles and squares but all of the center squares and most of the dark star points are already cut.

I'll trim one of the quilts that are waiting for binding and work on that alternately with making star blocks.

All seams sewn..........................

I sewed the last seam at 10:30 last night.  I wasn't sure I was going to get it done.  I'll press it today and take it's photo.  This is a great close-up quilt.  There are so many pretty fabrics to look at.

My sister-in-law gave me an Amaryllis for my birthday earlier this month and it has started to grow.  I'm hoping for a bloom at Christmas.

I split a pot with several small red cactus in it into 4 pots a few weeks ago.  The first one is blooming now.  A second one has one bud and the other 2 parts have no buds.

The largest pot of white cactus has lots of buds and blooms.  This one is by the west window.

I was grocery shopping yesterday and the store had a few cactus plants.  I'm always looking for a new color.  This is one I have never seen before, white petals with pink outlines.  Of course it had to come home with me.

 

Making progress.......................

I cut the last group of rectangles for the integrated border on the floral quilt.  A couple of them are directional so they won't be used on the side borders.

Next was finishing the layout.  I'm using the same fabric in all 4 corners and I didn't pin on the bottom 2.

There are 10 columns now and I got 7 of them sewn into rows.  Three more to go and then all of the cross seams.

I did cleanup outside while it was in the 50s yesterday.  I have 3 pots to dump today and then I'm done outside.

 

Beginning to cut.............

After finding enough choices for the border rectangles on the floral quilt, I had to press all of the fabrics.  I got pieces cut from 9 of the fabrics.  I have 26 pieces here and I need 36.  I will be over-cutting so that I have plenty of choices when I do the layout of them on the perimeter.  I'm going to use mostly dark fabrics so the integrated border will show up slightly as a frame.  

Since I wasn't ready to sew the top yet, I finished knitting another dishcloth last night.  This is a newer color that I hadn't used yet.  I buy the Super Size balls of yarn and I can get 3 dishcloths from one ball.

Today is predicted to be 51 degrees.  A week from today 21 is predicted for a high.  I will need to do a walk around my yard and gardens today and see if there is anything else I need to take care of.  I will probably cut down the Annabelle Hydrangea by my back picture window.  I will leave the one in front of the house as is and cut it down in the spring.  The Zinfin Doll Hydrangea will get pruned in late winter/early spring.

An idea......................

Since this quilt is going to end up so small I had been thinking about a border.  Yesterday I came up with the idea of a pieced border like I have done on other quilts.  The pieces will be cut 3.5" x 6.5" out of a variety of floral fabrics.  I will piece them at the same time as the quarter square triangle blocks (webbing) so I didn't get anything sewn together yesterday.  I'll start cutting today.

I got 2 quilts back yesterday so I have some trimming to do and a search for a binding fabric for the neutral color batik 16 patch.  I'm going to use the leftover backing fabric for the confetti quilt binding.

We had snow Thursday and now 50s predicted for Sunday and Monday.  Below freezing weather is going to start next Friday so I think our warm days will be over.  

 

First layout of QST blocks................

My son and daughter in law came over yesterday and gave me my belated birthday present, help cleaning the garage.  What would have taken me a week and lots of indecision got done in 3 hours.  They also brought beef/barley soup and I baked some beer bread.

Last night, even though I was tired I decided to get all 80 blocks up on the design wall.  Half of the blocks have a dotted triangle and 3 florals, the other half have 4 floral triangles.  I alternated the 2 kinds of blocks which resulted in the dotted triangles all being in a vertical position. I see 2 light and one dark pinwheel as it is now. I have options.  1. Sew it just as it is and be done with it.  2.  Exchange block positions and create some dotted pinwheels.  3.  Play a little more and create more light pinwheels.

This quilt is one to be enjoyed close up, not one that has a focal point.  It just makes me happy to see all of the floral fabrics together.

20 additional blocks.....................

Last night was a productive time.  I got 20 more blocks sewn for a total of 80 blocks now.  With an 8 x 10 layout the quilt would measure 48" x 60".

Here are the other 60 blocks.  I can start working on the layout of the quilt now.

We're supposed to get our first snowfall today but the temperature will probably go high enough in the afternoon to melt all of it.  I brought my pots of Begonias and Geraniums into the garage.  I also pulled the 2 Geraniums from the pots on the porch steps and will keep them in the garage over the winter.

 

15 of 60 blocks................

Last night I sewed all of the rest of the quarter square triangle blocks that I had ready.  This is one of each of four blocks alike.  They are only 6" blocks so 60 blocks would only make a quilt 36" x 60".

I pressed all 60 blocks.

I had a bag of odds and ends of floral fabrics so I went through it and pulled several that are big enough to cut the quarter square triangles.  All of these are pressed now so I can do some cutting today.

I have been showing photos of the cacti by the east picture window but now I have some blooming by the west picture window.  The pale pink is one of my favorite plants.

The pale pink on the left here is from the same plant.  It is a piece that broke off a few years ago and I rooted it.  A couple of the buds are opening on it too.

I have another small champagne color one that is blooming over by the east window.  I love my indoor winter garden.  I say that every year..............

 

4 more..................

There are 16 more blocks sewn, 4 alike of 4 different combinations of fabric.  I searched for more fabrics to cut while I did laundry yesterday morning.

I also cut more of the 2" finished triangles from the waste fabric.  Now I wish I knew what I did with the first stack.  I know I had them upstairs when I took a photo of them a few days ago and then I carried them to the basement to look for a small storage box.  I didn't find a box but.....where did I put the triangles?

Rain most of the day yesterday and more overnight.  I'll check the rain gauge when it all stops. 

Finally.......some sewing...............

There are 4 blocks alike of each combination of 4 quarter square triangles.

I put one of each of the combinations that are already sewn up on the design wall.  I was sure I was going to get more sewn in 2 hours but just 24 blocks are done.  

I spent the morning yesterday outside finishing the tomato plant clean up.  It took a long time to cut all of the long branches off the SunGold tomato plant.  They were about 6-8 feet long and tangled with each other.  I couldn't believe the size of the roots on that tomato plant.  I have all of the cages stacked for the winter, all of the tall stakes in the corner of my yard tool closet.  There are lots of tomatoes that fell to the ground in the raised bed so I'm hoping there will be some volunteer plants again next year. 

And still cutting..................

This is one of each of the 6" finished floral squares.  There are 4 of almost all of them so I think I have 150 cut so far so I need 9 more fabrics (or duplicates) if I make 4 quilts.  I'm considering dropping one of my ideas and then I would only need 5 more. No final decisions at this point.

I need 13 more sets of 3" triangles and I can get then out of some of the smaller pieces of fabric.

Meanwhile I still haven't cleaned off the cabinet top so I haven't been able to start sewing the quarter square triangle blocks.  That is on my list today.

The champagne color cacti took its time for the first buds to bloom.

I have now added a birthday bouquet to the table of blooming cacti.

Still cutting.................

I had a stack of fabrics to press before I could continue cutting 6.5" squares.  I got 13 more cut with a pile waiting to go to the die cutter.  There are 4 squares of each of most of these fabrics.  There are 2 or 3 quilts in the future to use all of them.  I will need 177 squares if I make all 3 quilts and I have 96 cut so far.

I'm also cutting 3" finished half square triangles for one of the quilts.  Lots more strips are also waiting to be die cut for this group.

I lived on a dairy farm when I was little and we had 2 hired men at different times who could help with the milking and crops.  I went to grade school with their kids.  One of them was a girl named Rose Marie who was in first grade with me.  Her brother passed earlier this year and I read in his obit that she lived in a town just 8 miles from me.  I doubt she remembered me but I always thought she had a pretty name and I remembered her.  Her obit was in the newspaper yesterday.  That's the thing about being 84, a lot of old acquaintances are showing up in the newspaper, 3 in the last 5 weeks.

Cutting................

I need to start cleaning up the floral fabrics on my table in the basement.  One (or two) other quilts need to be cut so I started with the 6.5" squares.  There are duplicates of some of these so there are 42 squares cut so far.

I also got the fabrics I showed yesterday cut into quarter square triangles.  I have to move all of the triangles off my sewing cabinet so I can sew again.

Another daylight photo in the morning in my living room, so you can see it was even more overcast yesterday.  I found another plant in full bloom, another white one so I moved it over to the coffee table with the others. 

Not much progress....................

I got a few strips cut for quarter square triangles while I did a load of laundry.  I didn't get any farther, too much else needed to be taken care of.  Thanks to everyone who weighed in on my dotted fabric question yesterday.

It was a cloudy day yesterday with rain late in the day.  I took this photo with just the daylight coming in the east picture window.  The medium rose plant has some blooms and the champagne color in the striped pot should be blooming today.

84 years, didn't that used to sound old?  Like ancient?  I'm just happy I can still do what I love to do.

Adding dots?...................

I have purchased Kaffe Fassett "Spot" fabric over the years as he keeps adding new colors.  I thought maybe they might work with the floral fabrics.

I guess I won't know unless I try it.  I pressed the fabrics and cut some triangles.

I changed out some of the florals with dotted fabric.  I have lots more cutting to do so I can think about this.  Any opinions?

There was a waste triangle at each end when I cut the quarter square triangles and it was the right size to cut a 2" half square triangle.  I will start a mini storage box with these triangles and no project is in mind for them yet.