2014 UFO - Finished!

 APIP #12; Debbie's Table Topper - This project was started in October 2014 when I took a class in wool applique.  I thoroughly enjoyed the class and completed the applique within a week after I took the class. Then, like so many others, I set it aside to hand quilt later, hopefully in time for a Christmas Gift for my sis-in-law Debbie.  Sooooooooooo, here I am, eleven years later, and I completed it this week.  Wow, I have my first Christmas Gift for this year :)  It really turned out nice and now I want to check out a local antique/consignment shop we have here in town to find a pretty candy dish or bowl of some kind to put with it, filled with chocolates.  They have beautiful glass pieces and I will probably come out of there with more than one selection.

APIP #2; Bloom and Sew - I prepped all the stitchery last week and hoped to get two completed this week.  Well I got all six done!  I find hand embroidery relaxing and these are all simple basic stitches and small enough I can finish one in 2 - 3 hours.  Now just to get the block pieced - will get started on that this week.

APIP#1; Meryton - I did get some applique done on a Meryton block, but not quite finished.  Hope to get it done tomorrow.  

So I guess that is it for this week. 

Meryton and other project progress

 Its been a good week, accomplishing many goals that I had set for this week.  Having my APIP list (Active Projects in Process) is really serving to keep me on track.

APIP#1 - Meryton; I do love working on this quilt and this week I was able to complete the applique prep work on the remaining three Star Flower border blocks. Here are all the pieces I got prepped.  The stars for Star Flowers are English Paper Pieced.

APIP #2; Bloom and Sew, Gail Pan 2025 BOM;  I had thought I might get to do some of the actual stitching today, but it has been a little crazy.  I did get all the prep work done for the Block 3 stitcheries and hopefully will get at two of the stitched this coming week. My prep work involves printing the patterns on Stick and Stich by Sulky, Cutting out the back ground blocks and adding the light weight fusible to the back of the background pieces, sticking on the patterns to the background, and then sewing on the embroidery extenders so the pieces will fit by embroidery hoop.  

I was excited to receive a new embroidery stand in the mail.  I let my daughter try out my older on and she found it so helpful to not have to hold on to the hoop that I let her take it home (she lives in NC) and I was just going to order another just like it for me.  But I found one I like better, and I am really enjoying using it.  I used it in finishing up my Christmas Ornaments (APIP#10)

APIP #4; Joseph's Coat of Many Colors; This afternoon I had the joy of gift this quilt to the young lady I made it for.  She was thrilled to receive it and we were both (as well as her Momma) teary eyed.

APIP#11 - Quilt Maker's Journey Quilt; This is  a new project that I have started. I am heading up a quilting presentation at a local library this coming weekend and I wanted a very simple block for someone to be making at the presentation.  Since it is a library, I decided to use something from the Quilt Maker's Journey children's story book.  This quilt is on the cover of the book, and in the book they call it Bright Hopes.  The presentation will talk about how quilts can be used to reach out to the community.  So I thought this a good choice.  I had to write my own pattern as for the block, but it is a simple block to make.  We will be making a baby size quilt and donating it to our guild's outreach program.

APIP#12; Wool Applique Table Topper;  This is not actually a new project.  I did the applique at a workshop in October 2014, but never got around to quilting it.  At the library demonstration I mentioned above, I will be doing a hand quilting demonstration, and I needed something to quilt.   So I started looking through my UFO's and found this little table runner - perfect for what I needed.  I got it basted together and did a little stitching just to make sure I remember how, haha.

APIP#10; Snowflake Christmas Ornament;  Yea - I finished these four ornaments!

So that is it for this past week.  Its been fun having different projects to work on.  Funny, I completed two project on my APIP list, and I added two more.

Snowflake wreath - Mary Corbet Pattern

 This week I have primarily worked on two projects, the Bloom and Sew (Gail Pan 2025 BOM) and some snowflake Christmas ornaments (Mary Corbet pattern).

APIP#2 - Bloom and Sew - I finished block 2 and now to move on to Block 3 which I received March 11. I love working on these blocks with all the hand embroidery and patchwork piecing.  Is kind of like putting together a jigsaw pattern.

This is Block #2

Block #1 and 2 sewn together

APIP #10 - Snowflake Wreath.  I am making four of these ornaments.  I have completed 1 and need to add the beading around the edge of the other three.  I do like beading!  The snowflake wreath is a design by Mary Corbet.  She does not use the beads and sequins on her creation, but I do love the bling.  Hope to have all four ornaments completed by the end of next week so I can start on another pattern.

APIP#1 - Meryton; I did do a little applique prep work on my Meryton quilt.  Working on the EPP star flowers.  Using the fabric line Songbird Serenade, and having fun fussy cutting all the little songbirds.

(Chickadees are my favorite.)

Joseph's Coat of Many Colors - FINISHED

 APIP#4 - Joseph's Coat of Many Colors is FINISH as of this afternoon.  I got it back from the Quilter on Wednesday and by Friday I had the binding sewn on, hemmed and today I made the label.  I will give it to Kathryn after church on Sunday March 23.

Finished Quilt Top

APIP#1 - Meryton  -I completed the first of 4 border blocks.  This picture looks kind of wrinkled, but it really does lay flat.  Maybe my next block will look better.

That's it for this week.  I worked diligently on the Joseph's Coat quilt and that was about all I did.

Meryton Applique Prep

 Well my goodness, it is 11:32 Sunday night and I just remembered I had not posted my progress on my active projects. 

APIP#1; Meryton - This week I did some applique prep work and even got two little star flowers completed.  I need 16 of these, which translates to 96 EPP jewel pieces and 16 hexies.  These are all 1/2" paper pieces and quite small compared to what I usually do. The center hexie will be bird images from the Moda Songbird Serenade fabrics.   I just love these little birds and am featuring them in my quilt....the Chickadee is my favorite.

APIP#4: Joseph's Coat of Many Colors - This is what I spent most of my week working on.  I am trying to get it completed by March 27 to present to a sweet girl who loves vintage things on her 14th birthday. I completed the last row of the quilt, and now need to sew the last 2 rows to the quilt top.  One of my friends said she will quilt it for me on her long arm, which is a big relief. I am not much of a machine quilter, but do most of my quilts by hand quilting and did not see how I would be able to get this done in time, even doing big stitch quilting.  I have a little more to complete which hopefully I can get that done tomorrow, then she will quilt it and I can then put on the binding and label.  Was so happy to find someone to do the quilting for me.

I found, what looks to me as sage green, backing fabric.  I had my granddaughter ask her what her favorite color is, which she said sage green.  I found this fabric at my LQS and I felt it just had that vintage look to it.  It was not until I got it home and read the selvage that I saw it is in Moda's Collection for a Cause line and Benefiting Feeding America.   I like that!