Renovation project

Every once in awhile I find a top at the Guild Flea market that has structural and/or design problems that tell a story of frustration.   That is to say, the maker just did not want to go through the pain and / or aggravation to fix the problem.  Let someone else deal with it!  I get it!  I've been there.   I generally take a pass on such projects.  Let some braver person adopt them.  But this top seemed to have  a fairly easy fix.  It was nicely designed, the blocks were well constructed, the top was square.  The only problem was the floral panels between the basket panels were stiff as a board because they were heavily glued.

The flowers were carefully cut out from the border fabric and glued down with some kind of white paste kind of glue.   But I think the problem which caused the abandonment was due to the fact that once all the motifs were glued down the panels were so thick with glue and extra layers of fabric it was impossible to sew them down?! 

Imagine going to all that work and realizing the problem!

Come to think about it we've probably all been there once or twice?!

Any who,  I thought it would be an easy fix to simply extract the 'over glued' panels and replace them with some print that worked with the over all design!

Ha Ha Ha!

I Rarely ever back stitch!  I will go through all kinds of contortions to avoid back stitching but I thought this was a good cause so I patiently picked out one panel.  

By the time I finished picking and carefully easing in the substitute my patience had run dry.

So the laugh's on me, someone else's UFO had become my UFO!

I put it away for several years.

But with my new "Finish 'um up" program I decided to get this one done!

So here's the new improved version with both panels replaced!

 I was going to quilt it the original size once I fixed the panels.  But last week I got an email from my local guild.  A call for donations for the folks who have lost their homes in the recent fires in the Santa Cruz mountains (CZU).  Over 900 homes were burned in that fire!  Bed quilt donations were preferred.  Luckily I had more of the pink fabric and plenty of greens so it was an easy expansion.  The extra borders will make it about 90" square.   I don't think I've ever made a donation quilt so big?!  But it's been kinda fun making the green piano keys.

And lucky for me I have a Longarm so quilting it won't be to much of a chore.

I hope you all are safe and sound!!!

Take care!

CW

Lots of Finishes!

 I've got lots of Finishes to share today.  Some are Real finishes  (Quilted and Bound) and some just 'phase finishes' ( finished tops or quilted and not yet bound ).  

Back in July I was avoiding the purple project and started playing around with some Green orphan blocks.  I got those put together...

Some of those blocks were so old they were hand pieced!

I had so much fun with that project I thought I'd keep going with some Blue and gold orphan blocks and pieced this top and I even got it quilted!

I had been itching to use that pretty canary fabric for ages.  I think using it for the border worked really well!   And I was able to use up a lot of my blue and gold stash in the inner borders.

And then even more for the backing!

I spent to much time putting details into the quilting that really don't show.  Oh well.  Experiment and learn...

This next quilt has kind of an interesting background.   Someone donated a big bag of 9" squares of yarn dyed plaids to the guild flea market and I snatched them right up!   Fabric at $5.00 / lb.  I can afford that!  Included in the bag were some already quilted squares.  The batting between the two squares was cut smaller than the squares by about and inch on each side.  Maybe the quilter intended to sew them together with the raw edges out so they would fray when washed?! 

But they were all a bit wonky so I decided to sew them together and machine applique the striped fabric over the raw seams giving it a more tidy finish.

Here's the back side.

It will make a nice lap quilt for a Hospice patient!

Here are 3 previously posted as tops, Kid's quilts now all finished;  quilted and bound!

Such cute Kid's fabrics!!!

I used this cute flannel for the backings.  It was a flat fold at Beverly's @ $7.00/ yard. 

That's all for now!

I hope you are all safe and sound!

Take Care!  CW

Still Here, Still Sewing...

 Geez,  I looked at the date of my last post and realized it had been a whole month since my last blog!  Well I may not blog much but I've finished several projects and done a lot of sewing!  Here are some pix...

We are currently at our family cabin on Hood canal.  Space is very limited here so I usually bring a bag of scraps to play with.  Sorting scraps is Good cheap entertainment and since we don't have TV here it makes a great pass-time activity!  I actually brought a whole box of scraps, all bright and kid oriented prints.  This is one of my favorite scrap strategies.  Read more about how to make this fun block  http://cspoonquilt.blogspot.com/2016/08/pvqa-august-2016-bom-another-scrap.html

Actually I forgot how long it takes to download a picture from my computer to blogger when using my Hotspot from my phone, so I think those other pix are gonna have to wait, but here's a parting shot with a way to create an ironing space when away from home.

  

If you are staying where there's a glass cook top use a doubled over towel on the surface.  It works really well!  Perhaps there's something about the glass that reflects back the heat to the cloth that makes the ironing really crisp!  It's also nice that the light in the hood lamp lights-up the work area really well!😀

                                               I hope you are all safe and sound!

                                                            TAKE CARE!  CW

9,000 masks, 500 gowns and counting...

My local guild has made more than 9,000 masks since March!  I imagine a lot of you have similar stories.  If it's one thing we quilters know how to do it's sew and sewing for a cause gets us sewing!  The masks were distributed to a variety of service organizations around our community;  Senior homes,  Clinics, Health department etc.  But once the Health Department heard we could could sew (and for free) they asked us if we would sew hospital type gowns!  Here's the first batch being delivered.  

These are not for hospital use but for their employees performing other Covid related services that the Heath department is involved in.

I sewed 5 of those burgundy shade gowns.  Unfortunately the fabric was some nasty polyester cr__.  It's not what I'd call "fun" sewing but if it helps I'm willing to pitch in.

So that picture was taken a month or so ago.  The health department liked / needed the gowns so much they asked us to make some more.  Here's my silly DH modeling a gown from the second batch.

As you can see he's not shy!

The gals who are coordinating the project asked if people with sergers could sew 10 gowns as the finished edges are a must with this flimsy material and sergers are the ideal machine for that purpose.

 I have a serger.  Kind of a leftover from my garment sewing days. lol

I never named this machine.  But since I've spent so much time with 'her' lately I might have to!   My old Long arm machine was "Nelly Bell".  A node to the old TV show Sky King.   My new Long Arm came with the name "Lucy" which I like to think of as Lucy MacGillycuddy. 

Maybe, Cleo, that has a nice ring,  it was the name of the basset hound that talked only to the Camera in that old TV show.  I think the show was called The Peoples Choice?!

 That certainly dates me! 

Why do I remember stuff like that and I can't even remember where I left my keys! grrrrrr!

Well I haven't gotten much other sewing done lately....

But I have High hopes for next week!!

Stay safe and healthy,

and take care, cw

Another Diversion: Green Orphan Blocks Reach Critical Mass!

I actually Did work on the Purple Thingy this week but it's still in pieces so I won't post another picture of that!  One can only stand assembly line piecing so long before the heart cries out for a little variety.  So, I dug out one of my baskets of Orphan Blocks and realized I had accumulated enough shades of green to construct a top.  The rows are mostly assembled I just need to work out the strips between the rows and how to finish tht one central row.  Here 'tis!

These are all Real Orphan Blocks given to me by various friends and guild members.

You might not think some of these blocks could go together 

but I find the color agreement is enough to carry the design along. 

Some of the block's put together might seem awkward but I think quirky juxtapositions work when taken with the whole! 

I was also lucky to have this collection of quarter square triangles on hand.  They more less run the spectrum of greens that compliment all the greens of the other blocks and help tie everything together!

Another gift;   talk about Free Labor!

I will have this top finished in a jiffy.  This was intended to be a donation quilt but I'm liking it so much I might have to keep it!

Have a great week!

Stay Safe- Stay Healthy!

Please, Wear A Mask!!!

Take care, cw

Diversions from the purple thingy

I'm still working on the purple thingy, but let's face it , there's only so many "in progress photos"  one can post before it gets old.  And I needed  a break.

I found the center of this top at the guild Flea Market.

(No surprise there!  LOL)

I added the 3 outer borders on the sides and the airplane fabric on the top and Bam, Done!

Another humble quilt for donation.

This next one was some pre-cut squares, also a Flea find, also an easy finish for some deserving child. 

All that was needed was sew the patches together 

And add borders.

Kind of like add water and stir....

These animal prints are so cute!!!

It's refreshing to finish something so easily.

OK, so there is the quilting and binding. 

Funs over

 I can't procrastinate any longer....

Back to the purple thingy.

Have a great rest of your week!

take care, CW

Purples Progress

The pieces are beginning to coalesce but it still needs to get bigger I want to make it about 60" x 60".

But of course I can't just work on one thing through to completion so I distracted myself with a kid quilt.

I got a bag of flannels including these big scraps and they just kinda jumped out of the bag and assembled themselves.

These kid prints are so cute.  They are so fun to work with! 

I hope you are all safe and healthy!

Take care, cw