July 4 2019

**** Formatting Woes Caused this Blog Post NOT to Post on July 4th****

PLUS I tried to do the posting on my older laptop - I learned that lesson well!

 

July Fourth on the pond is a unique adventure.  Wave runners and pontoon boats, jet skiers and ski boats, the place gets crowded.

Once a year there is an awesome party going on which culminates in a huge fireworks presentation sponsored by the JPCA.

I hope everyone enjoys the day and is thankful for having the opportunity TO enjoy the day.

Happy July Fourth 2019!

 GQ was 

Catching up with quilty things.

I am participating in this year's 100 blocks in 100 days challenge, primarily on Instagram with posts on my Facebook pages.

Here are the first four days.

 

Block 1

 

 

Block 2

 

 

Block 3

 

Block 4

I have also visited my ironing board this morning so here are blocks from other quilts in progress.



"Merry and Bright" was the Pat Sloan block of the week in the fall of 2018.  Only the alternate blocks are left for this one.

This is block 2 of the Curved Ruler Block of the Month that i purchased from Amelia's Garden in New York state a few years ago.  Progress has been slow on this one but it is coming along.

 

Block-Who-Knows-What-Number of the "Box Kite" blocks.  This Bonnie Hunter design is probably ready to be webbed in the near future.

Also in progress is another Pat Sloan project, her 2016 Block of the Month pattern called "My Secret Garden".  I am up to block 8 of the twelve block sampler.

 

All of these have been ongoing projects that I work on as time permits.  They will all be finished in due time.

Hope you have a wonderful US Independence Day on this July 4th, 2019.
Our fore-fathers sacrificed much so that we would be able to relax and enjoy this day!

Louise, on the deck, enjoying the Fourth of July 2019

 

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!

Sunday Night Quick Update

Do you remember these "Double Pinwheel " blocks from a bit ago?

I was working like a mad woman on these back in June.

Remember these pictures?

Well, I now have 18 spinning this way....

And 18 spinning that way...

But I need 24 spinning one way and 28 spinning the other way.

So...

This happened earlier tonight.

I am hoping that by the end on this week, all of this will be a top.

Let's see if I succeed.

Louise,

On the island,

Trying to wrap up this quilt top!

 

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