Aunt Grace’s Garden Party

Well, I’ve got another quilt top pieced and put together. Now I just need to get it quilted. So I think I have around 8 pieced tops that need quilted! And all I want to do is start piecing another one….

I’m going to finish my Patriots in Petticoats next, I’ve got all of the blocks done I just need to put it together and add the border, it’s a little complicated, so it will probably take me a couple of days work to get it done. I want to get all of my partial quilts finished so I can feel free to start on the new BOMs I’ve signed up for. One starts in April and one starts in May.

I also want to get busy and make a few table runners and I also need to replenish my supply of burp pads and baby blankets.

I’m very happy with how my Aunt Grace’s Garden party turned out. By the time I was done with it, I felt pretty confident about my hand applique.

The pattern calls for a slight scallop or a wave on the outside edge of the border and then to bind it in the solid yellow. I’m not sure if the scallop is worth the effort. What do you think? I’m leaning towards just leaving it the way it is….

My sister Susi really wants this quilt, I’ll have to think on that since I really like this one myself.

Happy Quilting! Kris

Aunt Grace’s Garden Party almost done….

My Aunt Grace’s Garden Party BOM is almost all done, I just need to go in the Quilt shop and get my last month’s BOM! I’ve got all of the strips done and now I just need to add a few smaller borders and then the outer border….Good for me!

I’ve finally figured out how to do the Grandmother’s flower garden pieces that are English paper pieced. I’ve always known what I needed to do, but had never really put it into practice, but by the last four that were made I had it completely figured out and I’m very happy with how they look. I’m also very happy with all of my hand applique work. Like I’ve said before….straw needles and silk thread make all of the difference in the world!

English paper piecing……very time consuming, but I love how they look.

The next question is whether or not to put on a small colored strip inside of the outer wide white border of Lesley’s Retro Flower quilt…..I think it needs it, but I’m not sure what to do. I think I need my daughter Lesley to look at this and tell me what she thinks. I want to put a smaller 3” border on and then about a 6” white border on the outside edge. I want to use a bunch of the brighter scraps from the flowers to make the binding.It will really show up against the white. If I didn’t have bunches of other quilts already lined up to get started on….I think I would be looking to do another quilt that had quite a bit of applique in it. I’m feeling it! I think I need to keep at it until I’m completely comfortable doing it. I’m almost there. I think when I get these two done, I need to do a bunch of free motion quilting. I will have a total of 8 tops done that need quilted…It just keeps getting scarier thinking about it.

Happy quilting! Kris

Retro Flower quilt is almost done!

Well, Lesley’s Retro flower quilt is almost done now…I just need to add the border and get it quilted. So far it measures 72 x84 and I’m planning on adding two borders so it should end up being about 86 x 100 or close to that. I really like how it’s turned out so far. Still not sure how to quilt it, I sure hope I’m struck with inspiration of some kind!I’ve also been making a Hugs & Kisses scrap quilt with the leftovers from this quilt (Retro Flowers Quilt)…..I love how it’s turning out too. I’m worried I’m not going to have enough scraps to finish it. I had a goal of not buying any fabric at all to get  it done, now I’m thinking I might have to put some kind of spending limit on how much to buy to get it done. So far I’ve not spent any ‘extra’ money on it. We’ll see….Maybe I’ll let myself spend $20 to get it finished….what do you think? I’m planning on making it twice this size, and then adding a border. It should be about right to put on a couch as a throw. I am having more fun making this than the original Retro Flower Quilt!

I’ve also finished the center strip for my Aunt Grace’s Garden Party b.o.m…..I like how my applique turned out over all. I will say that silk thread and a straw needle make all of the difference in the world. I still would say I need to do a bit more of the applique before I will feel somewhat proficient with it, but I have made great strides in my confidence level.

This weekend will be spent mostly cleaning my house. I’ve kind of neglected it for too long. So Saturday I’ve got an appointment with a vacuum cleaner, a broom and some comet….woo….what a hot date for me! Maybe I’ll get some sewing done Sunday afternoon.

Happy Quilting! Kris