Retreat Fun or En Provence is a Wrap

At the end of March I attended a quilt retreat. This was a Christmas gift from Dash along with gift cards to the store hosting the retreat. I took my Dresden project which was planned and started just for the retreat. I also took my finished En Provence top, batting and backing to quilt on the longarm.

Retreats are such fun, even for me, so shy and bashful. I sewed on my Dresdens the first day (more on those in am upcoming post) but the second day was my appointment with the longarm!

I learned how to pin the backing to the stretcher bars.

And how to thread the machine! I chose this soft lavender thread.

The longarm is nothing like I imagined. The batting gets basted onto the backing at the top, then it and the quilt top just floats. See it all bunched up at the bottom?

Here I am maybe halfway finished. I got many compliments on the quality of my piecing and my fabric choices. All told, it took about three hours to get this quilted.

After I got it trimmed up, I returned to my table, made binding and slapped it on the front. Hand sewing it to the back had to wait until I get home. I was so tired that night! My body and brain had such a workout!

Once home, I spent several hours watching TV and stitching the binding to the back. I wanted to get a photo outdoors but it won't stop raining!

The backing looks fabulous, as I knew it would, and I love the lavender dot fabric on the binding.

I learned so much doing this Mystery Quilt! So many new blocks and how to longarm quilt. I really look forward to this years' holiday season...when the next mystery comes out!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

On Time

Woo! It's the New Moon and I am not late for the Totally Useless Stitch A Long! Go! Get out your camera and snap a photo of your gorgeous ORTs!

Can you believe I actually have some cross-stitching ORTs? I got a little bug and stitched a motif from one of my Blackbird Designs books. These are my first embroidery ORTs of the year!

My leaf bowl is stuffed with scraps and thread ends. Although I usually have a Leader/Ender pair under my needle, I mostly can't when sewing the Dresdens. It drives me batty to toss all that thread! The scraps are from cutting more 2 inch squares for Leader/Enders.

My Leader/Ender box was nearly empty before I cut up those scraps. I grab a pair of these (light+dark) and start it through the machine, followed by what ever blocks I am piecing and follow those with another pair. This keeps me from having wasted threads and if the machine is going to gobble up the starting piece it can gobble my scraps and not my important pieces. Lots of people use a little piece of folded fabric as a leader and just keep sewing on it over and over. That is still wasting thread! Why not use that Thread?

Here is the box of two patches I've completed. I need to start feeding pairs of these through to make four patches...this box is getting full! One day these will be a big postage stamp quilt, all sewn while sewing other quilts.

If you'd like to learn more about Leader/Ender quilts click here. You don't have to sew tiny squares as L&E...you can sew any second quilt.

=^..^=

Now it is YOUR turn...we want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your March TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox 

Try, Try, Try Again

I made some mini Dresden blocks to practice with. These blades get appliqued onto background squares with a blanket stitch. Doing these...It's harder than I thought it would be! Those corners are tricky and if you forget which part of the stitch your machine is at when you turn? Things go really wonky. I am positive after doing 16 blocks, I will have it down pat. 

Once the blades are applied you cover the center hole. Good grief! There are so many different ways of doing these! I decided on fabric and iron-on interfacing.

The top set in the photo above was my first try. I subtracted a quarter inch from my circle and sewed. Too small! Middle set, I did not subtract the quarter and they are the correct size...but I got the interfacing on the inside. BAH! Bottom row, correct size, interfacing going out. Whew! It's a good thing I am patient. However...I see myself doing this same mistake in the future. Often. BAH!

I start sewing them on. 

Eeeek! That's the wrong side! Rip, rip!

That looks better. It's a good thing I'm patient.

Four completed blocks!

Dresden blocks done this way, in five blade sets, are called a Grandmother's Fan. Maybe this will be a little throw pillow to match my quilt?

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Busy Bee

I've been busy in the studio. I ironed and folded this massive 8.5 yards of fabric to ready it for cutting.

I carefully measured my lengths and cut them out. I pin any fabric this long before sewing. It is so heavy it can easily stretch! I had to maneuver the fold-out table next to me at the machine to hold up the bulk. 

I sewed my three pieces together and ironed the seams open. My backing is complete!

Ready for quilting!

I got nervous of my ability to sew dresdens. Or maybe I was just intimidated to learn how to do it during the retreat...in front of witnesses? Not wanting to make a fool of myself, I sewed a test block. It took a bit of fudging a couple of the seams fatter but it lays flat as a pancake. Beautiful! 

Now, I need to teach myself how to blanket stitch this block on! And how to make the center part. Oh, this is such fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Uglemor Isn't Crazy After All.

Yesterday, I received a very perplexing comment:

What? TUSAL isn't until next week. This girl is crazy! Then I go check the calendar and see I am a week late. Uglemor, my very abject apologies for my belief you had lost your mind! You seem to be the only one on top of things this month! Thank you for letting me know I forgot the Totally Useless Stitch A Long!

OMG I missed the New Moon! Did you? I was off in la la land with finishing one quilt and starting a new one. That means I cheated! I have added HANDFULS of ORTs into the leaf bowl since last Sunday.  I must say, they are beautiful ORTs:

I am working on cutting the background blocks of Kona Snow for the Dresden quilt. 

=^..^=

Now it is YOUR turn...we want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your February TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox 

Dresdens Anyone?

I officially started a new project this week but I've been collecting the fabrics for a long time. I have a retreat planned and this is going to be my project for it. Today, I finished cutting the plate fabrics out.

Yes, this is a Dresden Plate! I plan on 16 blocks, all in blues on white Kona Snow with blue borders.

There are 56 different blue fabrics. Whoops! I am NOT done cutting...I still have to cut the white fabric!  Once I get the white cut, I still need to sew the backing fabric for En Provence. 

I found this pink and purple Paris fabric at Hobby Lobby a couple months ago and dithered. When I went back to see if they still had it for sale I found it in the clearance bin, an entire bolt!

While I was busy playing with fabrics, Dash went for a ride on the motorcycle. He stopped by Pops and got me six different sodas. I don't drink soda as a rule but I do like a treat every now and again. I think I'll try the peach one first!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

En Provence! Flimsy

I have a flimsy of En Provence! completed! For those non-quilters out there a "flimsy" is a quilt top that hasn't been quilted yet. This has been a wonderful learning experience and I have had the time of my life putting this quilt together. My design wall is not big enough:

I had to pull out my ironing station and reach high as I could. Still not big enough! Once I get it actually quilted, I shall get better photos. I am pleased as punch. It turned out just lovely! I will certainly do Bonnie's Mystery quilt again this year. 

I am still trying to figure out where these leftover four patches go. Can I really miscount that badly? Really? I admit I am not the best at math but whoa...there's like forty leftover pieces here! HaHaHa!

I am hoping to take my flimsy to a local shop that lets one rent a longarm. I'd love to quilt it myself. Now to find the perfect backing and binding fabric! I also need to start ironing a bunch of blue fabrics I've been collecting for my next quilt...

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Slow Rows

It may be slow going with the En Provence quilt but it is going! I have two rows almost completed. Thinking about it again...these blocks are so large I nearly have half the quilt put together, right? Ha!

I think it looks really cool. There is still a row of the neutral four patches to add to the outside border. I believe that border is my favorite part of the entire quilt, all those mixed-up not-plain-white neutrals make an amazingly beautiful design. This idea will definitely be used again by me.

Ok, Super Bowl Sunday snacks are at hand...I gotta run!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

ORT Fest

Yesterday was the New Moon! Do you have your ORTs all polished up for inspection? I kept having to stuff mine flatter in the wooden leaf bowl. Especially when adding in those little clipped dog ear corners. I find dog ear confetti all over the house! Always a party around here! Here is my stuffed bowl sitting atop En Provence, which is waiting impatiently to be put together:

I also had another container to show you. Remember my Cash for Stash can for the Piggy Bank Challenge? I'm afraid that can was too small. When it got too full to add any coins I had to come up with a new plan. I found this great wine bottle and my friend, Lauren designed and cut vinyl lettering with her Cricut machine.

Isn't that totally awesome? Now I have lots more room for coin saving. On July 6th we empty our banks and report how much we saved to buy guilt free stash with. 

 =^..^=

Now it is YOUR turn...we want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your January TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox 

2864 Pieces

 Bonnie released the reveal and the end of our Mystery Quilt En Provence! last week. I was a little sad it was over as I'm having such fun with it. You may go to Bonnie's blog if you want to see the finish or you can wait and be surprised here.

Clue 7 was green, yellow and neutral quarter square triangles. Making these is a breeze and they create fun ORTs with the dog ears.

The last part was to make these yellow squares in sets of four. I had to go buy more yellows as I did not have enough to make each set different...and I really wanted that. This is also a photo of all the pieces to make the quilt...2864 pieces to be exact. 

OMG 2864 pieces!

Now to start putting them together...

First up was sashing pieces and those are finished, though not all ironed.

Then to make blocks. I have 2 finished already. These are not as complicated to put together as they look but I do it with the instructions in hand the entire time!

 Then it will be on to borders with all those neutral four patches. Maybe I will have a finished top to show you next? Let's hope!

Linking to Bonnie's Mystery Monday Link Up.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox