Threadcount Week 3 - 0 (!)

I pieced, I sewed but I didn't use up any spools of thread from the tub! It looks like it may be a repeat this week. Too many commitments in the next few days for me to make much progress on my string projects.

I thought by now I would be starting to machine quilt the Chocolate Box string quilt but realistically, I might get it sandwiched this week or I might not. Since I have a goal of finishing at least one string project each week of the challenge, I'll be making another small project this week. Pictures coming soon! Hope to work on it tomorrow before my quilt guild meeting.

Have you ever made a quilt because it just wouldn't let you alone until you made it?!? This afternoon, I had about an hour and a half to sew and even though I knew better, I gave in. I started two new projects, one throw for me and one throw to donate.

I"m going to make the two throws using these block designs. I first saw the "Candy Stick" block on Lori's blog, Humble Quilts. It has been lurking in the cobwebs of my brain for several months now. I plan to alternate the "Candy Stick" block with a string block like she did.

The block was designed by Karen Griska and published on the Empire Quilters Guild Blog but is no longer available there. According to the website, the pattern will be included in a spring Quiltmaker issue.

So now I've got a piecing project, a machine quilting project and a string project to work on! Not to mention the hand quilting and embroidery projects and the numerous Works In Progress. At least I'll have something to keep me busy during these long winter days.

By the way, we got two inches of snow at our house today but we actually saw the sun before it set tonight and that was a definite mood lifter!

Update: Tutorial for facial tissue pack holder

Later today - This is a tutorial for a facial tissue pack holder which is similar to the one I was (still am) looking for: Polka Dot Pineapple.

Still later today - You're never going to believe this! I have spent quite a bit of time today looking for a tutorial's blog address and its been on a piece of paper in front of me all day!!! Sigh. Here is a link to the tutorial in case anyone is interested. Share the Love

In a fog, again

Growl, it's another dreary morning. Gray, gray and more gray. Since the beginning of the year, we've had 20 days of fog and more predicted which is very unusual for us. Some days it goes away and some days it just sticks around. I usually think of winter in this area as brown with occasional white happening. This year, its brown with a lot of gray and the occasional white. I will be so happy to see sunshine again and I don't think I'm alone!

Because I'm in a bit of a dreary mood, I need a quick project to make. You know, something I can start and actually finish in an hour or two. I have a project in mind but I can't find the blog with the tutorial on it! Its for the little kleenex tissue pack holders and the tutorial is called "Share the Love" something or other. I've gone through my blog list and checked out a few more but still can't find it. Might have missed it though because I found all sorts of other things to look at.

All I remember about the blog is that its written by a woman who quilts and the tutorial is listed on the right hand side. Ought to be able to narrow it down with those hints right?!? Ha. Does this tutorial sound familiar to anyone?

Cheddar Cheese & Crackers doll quilt

Just to let you know, I do have a quilting life outside of string quilts. Last month I made this "Cheddar Crackers & Cheese" doll quilt from Lori's instructions on her blog, Humble Quilts. If you go to her blog, you can see the vintage full size quilt in this design and other versions of the doll quilt.

The fabrics in my quilt are all Jo Morton. I like small quilts, easier to finish and I like their charm. This quilt is about 25 inches square and the little squares measure 1 inch.

Here's a photo before I started hand quilting it. Sorry about the quality of the photo, the fabrics are just not showing very well. Click on the photo for a better look. Lots of intersections to quilt through and some of the quilting will only be 1/2 inch apart (on the cheddar blocks). This may take me awhile!

Gertrude and the string apron

Meet Gertrude who's wearing my latest string project finish - the Four Corners Apron by Vanilla House Designs. Besides the obvious lack of a head, arms and legs, Gertrude also has a ridiculously small waist and hardly any hips at all! Seems quite unfair to give her the job of modelling my apron but you're not gonna see me in a photo anytime soon.

That is actually not my oven Gertrude is standing next to. I took this photo in the Friesen house kitchen at the Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum in Goessel, Kansas. They're in the process of redoing their website so I'll link to them another time. Has anyone reading this ever actually been to Goessel?

The apron was fun to make and another good way to use up strips. I had to piece some of the strips to make them long enough but that just adds to the charm for me.

Wrestling advice needed!

I think I got a little carried away making the blocks for my Chocolate Box quilt. Today I finally sewed on the borders and noticed that it turned out a little on the large side. (No kidding!) The quilt now measures 75 x 91!




Here it is in all it's glory, notice the bottom border dragging on the floor.

I didn't plan to use this quilt as a bed quilt but just to stay warm on the couch during a nap or watching a movie. I like to pull a quilt up under my chin and still have it tucked under my feet. And I really hate it when I roll over and feel a draft on my backside! Coverage is important in this family.

Back to the quilt - First it didn't seem long enough so I added a few rows. Then it seemed too narrow so I added two columns. Sigh. Now its a large twin, so large that the polyester batting I bought for it earlier is three inches too narrow for the quilt. Of course, I'd already opened the package before I realized it was too small. A very nice lady at my LQS gave me some of her own polyester batting scraps so I can piece the batting larger. (I usually use cotton batting and don't have any polyester.) I've never pieced batting before so I hope it looks OK when its all said and done.

When I realized how heavy the quilt top is since its foundation pieced and when I considered how large it turned out, I decided perhaps it would just be better to have the quilt professionally machine quilted. So I called up my machine quilter and she told me she's booked through April! I really don't want to wait that long so it looks like I'm going to have to wrestle that Anaconda afterall! Any advice from other wrestlers out there?!?

Threadcount Week 2 - 1 1/2 spools

One and a half more spools out of my thread tub! I've been using my old thread to sew strings down on the muslin. I started with the red thread and am now trying to make a dent in a sea of pink spools.

I've been so proud (in a good way, ha) of myself for using up some of my older thread and fabric! Unfortunately, today, because I'd used it all up, I had to go buy red thread to stitch on the string apron. There was just no way I could use any color of thread I had in the tub. Since I won't use all of the red thread, I guess my one new spool cancels out the spool I used up last week. Anybody else ever try to use up something but end up buying more new? At least the new thread is a lot prettier to look at than the old thread!

Project update: The string apron is coming along very nicely and should be finished tomorrow. I still have the Chocolate Box quilt to finish, hopefully, before I start a new project. And, yes, there's already one perking in my brain. Don't get too excited though. This is something small I thought I'd never bother to make but is looking better all the time!