Catching Up!

Once again, I have been wayyyy behind in my blogging work. So in attempt to correct that ( thanks for the nudge Mary Elizabeth!), here is an update since ..... Okay awhile ago.

From the most recent, flannel "Trail's End", a pattern from Candlelite Quilts 

 To the finally finished in August, my 2015 ish Block of the Month for my guild ( a very large quilt!)

And everything in between...

An older Thimbleberries pattern, finally quilted

A Tablerunner from a guild workshop many years ago ( with I think, Deb Tucker of Studio 180)

Finally quilted but still needing a binding applied.

Three blocks from Pat Sloan's latest offering, "Merry and Bright"

My Ghost quilt made as part of the Quilt-a-long from Then Came June, an Instagram activity. Since it is still awaiting quilting, it will probably be finished in 2019.

My version of "Wish Upon A Star" an Eleanor Burns Signature pattern. It is now completed!

My "Labyrinth Walk" quilt without its final borders (this picture was from mid Ocober and, sadly, it still is without its final borders!

Christmas Wreath wallhanging without its bow...

"Dessert Time" a pattern from the Quilt In A Day company, used a collection of red and green fat quarters and was not intended to be a holiday, red and green quilt! 

"Milky Way" a Quilt In A Day pattern, uses three fabrics in this version.

My almost completed version of "Flying Kite Quilt", an Eleanor Burns Signature Pattern is shown here.  This quilt is now only waiting for the binding!

"Patty Cake Quilt", a Quilt In A Day pattern, was completed towards the end of September. It is made from a layer cake and the picture below shows a closer look of the border fabric.

"Romance Rose" table runner, the first piece I quilted on my new Babylock Coronet.

This machine came to live with me at the beginning of September and has opened up a whole new world of machine quilting for me.  I am able to comfortably quilt my table runners and smaller pieces.

The larger ones are still going to my favorites the long arm quilter.  But this machine has made me smile!

I think I have just about caught you up on my quilty world from the past few months.

There has been lots of quilt binding that happened on the deck. Those images are immortalized on Instagram under the hashtag #quiltbindingonthedeck

It is now too cold to sit outside and continue that favorite activity. But I was able to get a few stitches in the other day when we had a very brief warm up.

But with temperatures not rising above freezing today, I really think that Monday's chance to quilt a bit on the deck was the last chance for 2018.

So on to inside quilt bindings now...

Louise, on the island, contemplating my winter quilt binding hashtag....

PS. 24 days until 2019 begins. I wonder how many more blog postings I will get in this year!

Did You Wonder Where I Was?

It has been a day over two months since my last post.

Did you wonder where I was?

I have spearheaded ( okay chaired ) my church's major find raiser.

I have had cataract surgery ( okay, only on one eye so far )

I have learned to live a little bit more with my Rheumatoid Arthritis.

AND 

I have continued to sew and make quilts!

So on to the quilts.

Prior to the church festival, I went on a sewing spree. I knew that my sewing time would be severely restricted for the two weeks prior and the one week following th festival.

Here is some of what I accomplished during that time.

Additional Blocks for the 120 needed of "Box Kites" a Bonnie Hunter pattern from her book "Addicted to Scraps" and begun in a workshop with her last summer in Bedford, Pennsylvania at Mary's Quilt Shop. I have completed probably close to the number needed on this project, so look for the completed top in the near future.

"Carolina Chain" blocks , an ongoing leader/ender project, also from Bonnie Hunter's book "Addicted to Scraps". Lots more needed of this one so I will continue to make these blocks.

"Diamond Tiles", a block pattern published in Bonnie Hunter's column in Quiltmaker ( can you tell I am a fan of her scrappy world?!).

"Double Pinwheel" blocks from an Eleanor Burns, Quilt In A Day, publication and pattern of the same name. Most of these blocks are now complete so you can look for this quilt top to surface in the near future.

The alternate block for a quilt top pattern I found on the Internet. I will give more specifics on this next time.

These blocks are from a Missouri Star pattern and are complete now. Just waiting to sew this top together.

The "Pineapple Block" from an Eleanor Burns and Quilt in a Day block of the month Sampler Quilt that is available on her website. These are very large blocks compared to what I usually do!

I finished all of the pieces for my "So Big" quilt which is a Kelli Fannin pattern.

I sewed together the blocks for this top, which is from Amy Ellis's book, "Think Big, Quilts, Pillows and Tablerunners from 18 inch blocks". 25 blocks gives you a Queen sized quilt!  This has been quilted and now awaits its binding.

In the days leading up to surgery, the binding was sewn on this quilt.

This binding, and thus this quilt, was also completed. It is a scrappy trip type of quilt using a roll of solids from my stash.  It was started in July 2017 and sewn through the weeks until September of last year.  Finally it is completed.

I sewed all of the half square triangles needed for "Dessert Time".

I completed the binding for this quilt just before eye surgery.

After surgery, sunglasses were needed.

I also found out that my color acuity was impacted more than I thought by the cataract!

This matched much better before than it does now! Lol!

Last week I was able to sew this top together. It is now quilted and waiting to be bound and hung in the shop or the classroom. It is a new line of fabrics that Sharon has. 

Oh yes, I snuck in this cutie, right after the festival.  It uses a pack of 5 inch squares and some yardage and makes a nice small quilt.

Recently I sewed the rows together on this "Trailways" quilt. It is a pattern from Candlelite quilts that calls for 8 half yard pieces to make the top.  It is a bit bigger since had more than a half yard of many of these fabrics. I just kept on going!  Soon it will be at the long armer, once I figure out what to put on the back.

Looking ahead to August,

A quilt retreat for yours truly,

A bus trip to the "World of Quilts" quilt show in New Hampshire 

And

A trip to Pennsylvania for classes with Bonnie Hunter, so I can start more quilts to add to my UFO stash!

Looking forward to all of it!

Louise, on the island, penning a blog, for the first time in two months and a day

Afternoon Cutting

I am spending this afternoon cutting, when maybe I should be doing something else! Don't know what, but...

 I have had this grouping of fabrics that should have evolved into something for the guild challenge in 2014, but didn't.

Yesterday was the "Schoolhouse Shop Hop" bus trip and at the Red Barn Sewing and Quilting Center in Merrimac, Massachusetts, I found this book by Barbara Becker, "Quilts for Children of All Ages".

While leafing through the pages, I found this quilt.

Called "Take Me Along", which reminded me of those fabrics again!

I decided to use them to make one of these quilts, and I began to cut.

But after the required one 5 1/2 inch strip and two 3 inch strips, there is quite a bit left over from the one yard of fabric.

I was not willing to put the rest back into the "I will use this someday" pile; so off to search for a pattern to use up the rest.

And I found it.

"Trail's End" is becoming a go-to pattern for me. It is a 48" x 60" quilt that uses eight half yards. 

Cathy's patterns are written around that amount of yardage and yield a nice lap quilt.  They can also be enlarged quite easily by adding a border or more blocks, if you have extra fabric.

As a result, today, I am happily cutting for two new quilts.  Not complicated ones, mind you, but rather quilts that are allowing me to use yardage that has been languishing.  (I love that word, languishing, not what it means but how it rolls off the tongue!)

Two years for fabrics "languishing" in my stash is really not a long time. But today I am happy to see them being cut up into useable pieces.

Let's see how long it takes before they become a quilt top!

Louise, in the studio cutting up fabrics on a windy Sunday afternoon.

Fun on The Island

And a new temperature report!

It dropped a degree while I was trying to take the picture!

Well the season is progressing and the quilt projects are also progressing.

I just finished two pillows for P & B Textiles for the up coming Spring Market.  Don't know if I can show you, so I won't until I hear it is ok to do so.  But it has been fun working on these projects the last month or so.

In between, I have been sewing bindings on "Grand Illusion", this year's Bonnie Hunter Mystery, 

and this little blue number from almost ten years ago! 

 I am finally getting into the deep UFO Stash and beginning to clear out some things.

Of course I continue to add new projects.

Here is a picture of the newest scrappy block.  It is called "Idaho Square Dance" and is from Bonnie Hunter's Addicted to Scraps column in the May/June issue of Quiltmaker.  I want to make 49 blocks at least.  I haven't decided how to set them, but that is still a long way off since I only have 5 blocks done.

Also waiting for a few hours of sewing time are the following projects that need just a little more attention before they are complete.

Surf and Sand, a pattern from McCall's Quilting.

My project from Sue Pelland's which I took in April.

I am also waiting for a few continuous hours so I can sew some finished blocks together.

This group of blocks used 3 inch squares and is also being done in the 2 inch size. The three inch blocks are completed but I am still working on the two inch ones.

My blocks from a Ninigret workshop in April are waiting to be assembled into a quilt.

"Strip Twist" Blocks made from 2.5 inch strips.  This is a free pattern from Bonnie Hunter and is found on her website under the free patterns tab.

Above are some lime green and black blocks made from "Trail's End", a pattern by Kathy from Candlelite Quilts.  They are waiting to be assembled into a quilt top.  Since they are already pinned into rows, what am I waiting for???

Well the temperature outside has now dropped to 76 degrees. But it is still a sunny day. Hopefully the allergies stay under control or I might not be doing any sewing, just sneezing and blowing my nose!

Until next time...

Happy Sewing and Creating

Louise who is looking the window watching spring unfold on the Island