Getting it Done - October Status and November List

Getting it Done - October, 2013

Things I really want to get done:

Clue #10 for BTSO Mystery Quilt - done 10-27-2013

Crafty BOM for October - Done 10-12-2013

Work on Oh Christmas Tree Quilt (complete 6 rows? of 12) - None done

Complete top for Quilt of Valor #3 - Done 10-9-2013

Things I might get done:

Complete Binding for Purple Heartstrings quilt - done 10-22-2013

Complete Binding for Double Dozen quilt (if get back from quilter) - not done (just heard quilt is ready to pick up on Saturday 10-26 but have not picked up yet)

Make three Pinwheel Charms blocks - not done

Work on Christmas Present Quilts - 2 quilted on 10-24-2013

Getting it Done - November, 2013

Things I want to get done:

Clue #11 for BTSO Mystery Quilt

Bind Double Dozen Quilt

Quilt Craftsy BOM quilt top

Quilt third Christmas Present Quilt

Bind all three Christmas Present Quilts

Things I might get done:

Bind Quilt of Valor #2 and #3

Make Presentation Cases for Quilt of Valor #2 and #3

Work on Oh Christmas Tree Quilt

Not sure how much I will get done during November as my father is ill and I have had to spend a good deal of time with him.  

Back to Square One - Clue #10 Done

This month's clue was to make twelve star blocks.  I had the fabric cut out a couple of weeks ago but due to my Dad being ill again I just finished them tonight. 

Judy L said the key was to get a center points to line up and I did a pretty good job on that step.

Can't wait to see how these get added to the quilt along with the Log Cabin blocks from last month. 

A Good Day at Estate Sales

Yesterday I went to two estate sales in the area that had pictures of quilts on their listing.  My dad told me that if I did not get there early they would be gone. 

Lucky for me, he was wrong!!!!  

At the first sale I found the quilt below.  It is a lovely hand quilted quilt and I think hand pieced also. 

The second sale was a former antique shop dealer and the house and garage were full of stuff!!!  The house seemed like it was added on to several times and I ended up in the attic digging through several boxes of fabrics and linens.  Then at the bottom of one of the boxes I found the quilt below.  The tag says it is called Tic-Tac-Toe and is from the 1930's.  

I do love making my own quilts but these two quilts were quite a find.  I showed them to my Dad and he liked them both - though he liked to red one best. 

Design Wall/Table Monday, Oct 21st

I am currently working on Clue #10 for the Back to Sqaure One Mystery Quilt Project with Judy L at Patchwork Times.  So my design table/wall has one completed block and the makings for the other eleven. 

Did not get much time to sew this weekend due to family illness, grocery shopping, church and a memorial service for a childhood friend.  Maybe get back to this tomorrow night.  :(

Purple Heartstrings quilt done

I had started a set of Purple Heartstrings blocks around New Year's Day with the Heartstrings Quilt Project/Group.

Somehow I just kept putting off finishing them and but finally finished the last of the 24 blocks just before Labor Day.  Then on Labor Day I sewed the blocks together and decided that I would machine quilt the quilt.  This top was the first sewing I did on my Singer Featherweight named "Lucia" in honor of my lovely mother. 

Bad decision !!!  :(   I had pulled some high loft batting from my closet and thought that I had it pinned together enough but when I tried machine quilting I ended up with a real mess.  I stitched in the ditch and had completed the horizontal rows and started the vertical rows.  On the first vertical column I had to fudge over the horizonal lines and on the second vertical column I ended up with at least three overlaps of fabric !!!!!

So I decided not to continue and proceeded to rip out all of the machine quilting.  That took me at least two weeks of free time and a lot of frustration and mumbling!!!  Never will I use high loft batting again. Finally tied the quilt and got a quilt that I am happy with. 

Just finished sewing down the binding tonight...  finally a finished project!!!

Sewing Machines

I have recently become a sewing machine collector.   I follow Bonnie Hunter's blog and she has a whole page devoted to her machines. I guess my five machines is not too bad.  :) 

My first machine is a Kenmore that my wonderful husband bought me as my wedding gift.  I have recently decided to name her "Morning".  That is because we had the song " Morning has Broken". Sung at our wedding in 1980.  This is my 'go to' machine and the one that I am most comfortable sewing on. 

Next machine is one I bought for $25 from Barrington High School when our daughter was student teaching there in early 2007. I have struggled to come up with a name for her..... Finally decided on "Marie" which is our daughter 's middle name.

Then I inherited my mother's Viking when she was no longer able to sew. I have decided to name her "Beth" in honor of my Mom - that was her middle name.  This is the machine that I do any machine quilting on.  Mom had a feeder foot and also a free motion quilting foot so whenever I feel brave enough to try machine quilting this is the machine I use. 

Fourth machine is a Singer Featherweight 66 that I bought from an estate sale in Buffalo Grove which I paid $100 - it is in a lovely cabinet and works very well.  I decided to name her "Lucia" which is my mothers first name.  As pictured here I used this machine to sew together a recent Heartstrings quilt but unfortunately that is all I have done on it! 

Finally I bought my fifth machine last weekend at another estate sale in Arlington Heights. It is another Singer Featherweight but is in a case so that it is portable to sewing events, etc.   I have yet to try sewing on her but I am sure that she will work.  Decided to name her "Bonnie" after my lovely aunt and quilting mentor. 

I think that five machines is enough for me (at least for right now!).  I am trying to get a sewing group started at my church (Prince of Peace in Palatine, IL)  so having a few machines to use for sewing events might be good.  

Craftsy 2013 Block of the Month - October, 2013 Done

For October on the Craftsy Block of the Month, the work was to put the quilt top together using the blocks we made in prior months, some flying geese and some half square triangles.

After a little bit of rework and frustration, I got the whole top done!!!!  I ended up finding out that one of my blocks was a little too small - so I added an extra piece of the white fabric to make it fit.  Then I struggled with the half square triangles around the outside and getting them to fit correctly.  After a little trial and error they fit correctly. 

I am very happy with how this quilt turned out!!!

 I am going to my Aunt Bonnie's on the 24th to learn how to use her Longarm Quilting machine and will probably have this quilt be my first full size one that I do.  

Quilt of Valor tops # 2 and 3 Done!

I had committed to make three Quilt of Valor quilts during 2013 through Judy L's Patchwork Times blog.  I completed the first one pretty quickly but then delayed the last two.

I completed the second top a little while ago but then finished the third top last night.  My wonderful husband helped me take some nice photos tonight.

Top #2

Top #3

So tonight I will make the backings for these and send a message to Quilts of Valor to get a Longarm quilter to finish them.

Don't think I will get me done before the end of the year but will try my best.