Gather Round Seasons

I have started a BOM by Kathy Schmidt - embroidering on a preprinted pattern.  I completed my first block for May:

The frame recommended by the designer is shown below.  Using a square frame appealed to me more that the round one, seemed to have a more traditional look.  The round frame is cute though,

 

Starry Sampler - all handquilted

 I have mentioned before that my Guild is making the Starry Sampler for our 2026 Block of the Month.  There are 16 beautiful EPP blocks in this pattern, but we are only doing the first 9.  I am hand quilting mine as I finish them, and today I finished quilting #9.  Whew, now to get them attached into a quilt with a Quilt-As-You-Go technique.   Here's the first 9 blocks:

I have also made progress on the Sunbonnet Sue - Completing Block 2 (Falling Leaves) and 3 (Ice skating)

I will add buttons to the dress after it is quilted.

This dress gets buttons, too.  The Gingerbread man is a button as well. I will attach it to the quilt with a thread that allows it to be removed from the pocket but not removed from the quilt.  I also have some snowflake buttons that I plan to add in the background.  All buttons will be added after the quilt is quilted.

And not to be neglected - I covered 320 white hexies and 140 green hexies and selected 17 flower hexies for the left flower border of the Insanity quilt.  Now that I have the 9 EPP blocks quilted, I can start working on the flower borders :)

SunBonnet Sue - Block 1

 I finished the first block and really had fun doing this.  So here she is.......

The Ultimate Sunbonnet Sue Collection

Never let it said that I let a stack of UFO's stop me from starting another.  I have always wanted to make a Sunbonnet Sue quilt, but had looked for patterns that had various Sue's doing different things.  Never found one that struck my fancy, until I found this book at a second hand store that sold quilting supplies and fabrics.  The quilter had made a couple blocks, but the fabric she used was bright bold colors, and not to my liking.   So I set it aside until I found fabric that I thought would look nice.  Since I finished the center of the Insanity Quilt (previous post) and need to cover several hundred hexies for the flower border, I decided to start another project!  haha, that makes insane sense.

The book is called "The Ultimate Sunbonnet Sue Collection" published by Leisure Arts.  I could not find an author's name.  It has 24 of the cutest Sunbonnet Sues and I just could not resist.  Publshed in 2000 and I don't think it is still being published.  Several in my quilt club love it too, so through Thriftbooks, Amazon, Etsy and Ebay they found old copies at great prices.  

 

The fabric line I chose is Cottage Charm by Moda.  I bought a pack of 1/8" inch strips that had all 34 pieces in the fabric line.  I have had to add a couple other fabrics so far - one a brown for the shoes and other various items the pattern used black  but I think the black is too "strong" for the other fabrics.  Also bought some "flesh" tone fabric for arms.

There is also one print in three colors that I am going to use for corner stones - at least that is the plan now.  I am considering embroidering a little flower in each cornerstone.  I am going to use 1 1/2" sashing strips which is just the right size for the fabric block below.  I chose a butter cream kona solid or the background and a light blue for the sashing.

This morning I got the pieces prepped for the first block - a Sunbonnet Sue  with Butterfly Net.  I am keeping a list of the embroidery and embellishments to be added to each block and therefore have to number the blocks and identify them with a name.  Some embellishments, like buttons, will have to be added after the quilt is quilted.

I am doing prepared edge applique technique that I learned from Katrina Hadjimichael, but some small appliques with lots of  points are with needle turn.  That is why the bow is set off to the side.  I drew the embroidery on with a brown ink pigment pen and will do the butterflies and net  by embroidery.

Well that is my kickoff for this project.  Hopefully this week I will have a finished block to share.

 

 

Insanity Quilt - Center completed

 Today I completed the center top of the Insanity Quilt.  There are 3,480 hexies in the center and I am approx 33% done on the quilt.  My next step will be the flower border and I can hardly wait to get started.  Before I can start that border, I need to cover a several hundred white hexies and the green border hexies.

Jasmine Bag - Finished!

 Today I completed the Jasmine Bag by Katrina Hadjimichael.  Its a nice big bag for toting a quilt or other project to guild or a friends house.

Jasmine Bag - Katrina Hadjimichael pattern

 Last night I completed the applique panels on my Jasmine Bag by Katrina Hadjimichael.  On to the quilting step next.  This was a project I took to my Stitchin Friends quilt retreat and so excited to be working on it again after over a year, I think,

Backyard Birds

 My quilt has a UFO Challenge going on for 2026 - but it is a manageable one.  You just list 9 projects that you will work on during the year, setting a specific goal for each project. Each month the project manager (Martee) selects a number and you work on that project during the month.  If you meet the goal you set, you get 2 tickets in the prize bowl, if you worked on it but did not complete it, you get one ticket.  At the end of the year there will be a ticket drawn and that person gets a special prize :)

 For February, the number chosen was #3, and my #3 goal was to complete the quilt top for the Backyard Birds quilt.  I already had all the bird block completed, just needed to do the quilt layout, which involved making 10 checkerboard blocks.  So this morning I met my goal :)

I have decided to make another set of birds but a little fancy ones - using floral and other types of prints.

So far, I have completed two of these birds:

These are really fun to make - Foundation Paper Pieced.   The background is actually a pretty green but just does not show up well in the picturess

Insanity, Backyard Birds and Starry Sampler

 Good gracious, my time is just flying by.  My last post was in November and here it is Feb 3, 2026!  I have been stitching and making progress, just not posting to this blog.   I usually print my blog each year, but the site I have been using is no longer in existence.  I am inquiring with PixxiBooks and hope they will work for me.   

Here is what I have been working on:

Insanity Quilt - I have 11 rows of the center completed which is 61.11% of the quilt center,k but only 22.01% for the total quilt.  I still enjoy working on this quilt and will slowly get it done. Of the 10, 561 half inch hexies in the quilt, I have sewn on the top 2,325 leaving 8,236 to go :)

Backyard Birds - this is one of the 2026 Block of the Month I am chairing for my guild.  I had to get all the birds done in advance in order to prepare fabric cutting charts for each bird.  So far, I have done one workshop of Foundation Paper Piecing and have a make-up session schedule for this Saturday for 5 ladies new to FPP.   I have started putting my rows together and doing something a little differently from the pattern.  The pattern has leaf, twig and worms on alternating blocks between the birds.  I decided to go with a checkerboard block.  I am FPP with freezer paper the vertical columns of these blocks and then sewing the strips being so careful to get a true 1/4" seam:

I also made one Tufted Titmouse block using some floral fabrics primarily to show the BOM participants that they can have a little fun with making fancy birds.  I plan to make one like this each month for the Bird of the Month

We are also doing the Starry Sampler quilt as a 2026 BOM - this is English Paper Pieced.  The are 16 beautiful blocks in the pattern, and we are doing the first 9 blocks.  I have made 8 of the nine blocks and have 5 of them hand quilted.  Plan on putting the quilt together as a quilt as you go.  

Block 6 is in my quilt hoop to be quilted soon, I hope!

I held one workshop of EPP Block 1 of the quilt.  I made a fussy cut block to use to demo how to do the fussy cutting,

Back Yard Birds and Starry Sampler

I have been working feverishly to get my blocks made for the 2026 BOM I am in charge of at my Guild.  The Backyard Birds is a Foundation Paper Piecing project while the Starry Sampler is an English Paper Piecing pattern.  We will begin in January and I am just trying to get ahead of the game  to detect any potential areas of concern. I started sign-up at our November meeting and received more sign-ups than I anticipated, so its going to be a fun year in 2026 trying to stay on top of both BOM's. Some guild members signed up for both BOM's, so they are going to be right busy as well :)

 Below is a picture of the blocks I have completed to date.  I have 4 more birds to make and 5 more EPP blocks.

I have decided to hand quilt each of the Starry Sampler blocks as I make them, and so far have only gotten one quilted.  I am using #8 perle cotton thread and big stitch quilting.  I chose a plain unbleached muslin backing so that the black stitching could easily be seen on the back.

I continue to make progress on the Insanity quilt, but it has truly slowed down as most of my effort has gone to the BOM blocks.  I keep my workstation ready to go whenever I sit and watch TV in the evenings.  Must admit though, I neglect it some as I also use that time to respond to Facebook posts and clear out my messages on the phone, as well as my email.    But with that said, I do try to work a little on this every week.

Bloom and Sew - Gail Pan 2025 BOM

 Finished this project on Wednesday. (APIP#2)

Progress as of today

 Well it has been a little over a month since my last update, and it just amazes me how fast these days go by.  I have bought a few Christmas presents now, but just can't seem to get my mind wrapped around the holiday quickly approaching.

APIP#2 - Bloom and Sew; this one is in the final stages.  I am about half way through the hand quilting  and already made the label and have it attached,  My goal is to have ti done by the end of the month, mainly as I have another one ready to start hand quilting.

APIP #17 - Insanity Quilt - Making good progress on this quilt.  I am almost at 50% for the center section.  

APIP #18 - Wrapped in Ribbon table runners.  Two of the three are completed and I am hemming the third one tonight.  I plan to give the two Christmas runners to my daughters at Thanksgiving Dinner and am so glad I was able to get them done in time.  My good friend, Martee, quilted the two for the girls on her long arm machine.  I will show pictures when I give them to the girls.

APIP #20 - Jasine Bag - no progress this past month

APIP #22 - Backyard Birds  - This is a new project I have just started and will be using it as  2026 Block of the Month for my guild (York County Quilters Guild).  I will be in charge of the BOM for next year and am actually planning to have two different BOM's running consecutively.  I have made three of the bird blocks so far and they are made with Foundation Paper Piecing (machine work)  The designer has given me a good price for the guild and will allow me to make 20 copies of the pattern for the guild members who sign up.  Shown below is the pattern picture and the first two blocks I have completed.   I have also finished a cardinal block but for some reason my computer is refusing to let me open my email so that I can get the picture. 

APIP#23 - Starry Sampler - This one is English Paper Pieced and will be the second 2026 BOM that I will be running next year.  It is all hand work and has 16 EPP blocks that are beautiful.  We will only be doing the first 9 in 2026.  Each member participating must go to the webpage for the TJ Designs and down load the pattern in .pdf format.The designer is giving us a guild discount for all participants.  I have made a couple of these blocks trying to stay at least 4 months ahead of group.  Below are pictures of the two blocks I have completed so far and a picture of the pattern.

My computer is simple being aggravating today and I had planned to go into a little more detail on each project, but guess that will have to await a better day.

Bloom and Sew - Gail Pan 2025 BOM

 Top of my list for this post is APIP#2 - Gail Pan 2025 BOM - Bloom and Sew;   So happy to finally have this in my hoop and hand quilting has begun.  I am using the clam shell pattern.  This was one that my Mom used in several of her quilts and I have always liked it.   Each morning I try to get in 2 hours of hand quilting - but sometimes that Insanity Quilt demands my attention.

Speaking of the Insanity Quilt (APIP#17) I continue making steady progress, working on it nearly every day.  I am putting together Row #8 which has 15 diamonds now.  I had to take a couple of days to just cover white and turquoise hexies as I was starting to run out.  I keep a little workstation I can move to my chair in the evenings while watching tv.   This table was made by my brother Michael and is 1 of 3 stacking tables.

I have also made some good progress  on the Wrapped in Ribbons (APIP#18) this week.   I am making three of these table runners ( one for me, one each of my two daughters) and have decided to also make a single star block as a table topper for my kitchen.  This I am doing to use as a sample with my club on how to do the foundation paper piecing.  Getting my supplies together for the meeting Wednesday, Oct 8th, and hopefully will be done with this project by the end of October.

Insanity Quilt

 Well thought I would just start off with my APIP#17 - Insanity by Rhonda Pearce.  I have become obsessed with this quilt and thoroughly enjoying piecing all these little hexies. I have attached my summary progress report as of this morning when I completed Row 7 of 18.  Row 8 will turn the corner for the quilt center and I am sooooooooo anxious to get this row done, but I must put some time in for other projects as well.

APIP#2 - Bloom and Sew; Gail Pan 2025 BOM - I have finally started hand quilting this project.  I am using a clam shell pattern, chosen as this was one of my mother's quilting patterns. This is me at a program yesterday called Patchwork Tales.  It is a community event with story telling and many forms of arts/crafts being demonstrated and displayed.  My guild, York County Quilters, was present for a couple hours in the afternoon displaying various quilts (Crazy Quilts, Art Quilts, Vintage and Traditional) I was demonstrating hand quilting and so enjoyed experience.  Because my quilt was not completed, I was also able to show to all the children the various layers of a quilt and let them feel the soft batting. The children were fascinated by just watching me stitch.  It was a fun afternoon!

APIP#18 - Wrapped Ribbon Table Runner"s" - Quiltworks

I completed one of these table runners in August and reported it finished in my last post.  Well I am teaching this runner to my Stitchin Friends quilt club and have completed a second runner and have a third one cut and ready for a class tomorrow on how to do the cutting.  So I have placed this back on the "in-process" status.

Here is the top I just completed, and yet to quilt.  I am considering machine quilting this one with diagonal lines, with thread color matching the stripes.

That is pretty much all I have accomplished since my last post.  I am enjoying all my projects, and it is good to have some machine work as well as hand work and hand quilting all going at once.  Variety is the spice of life, right?

Wrapped in Ribbon - Quiltworx pattern

 Oh my goodness it has been a month since I last posted and my goal was to post every week. Time is just speeding me by.  

I have started and completed a new project (APIP#18) - Wrapped in Ribbon, a Quiltworx pattern.  I plan to teach this to my Stitchin' Friends quilt club  in September and October meetings.  Making my own I came up with a few "shortcuts" for the pattern, although they do require a little extra preparation.  But hopefully it will be fun for all.  The pattern itself has the paper pieces for two table runners, each with three stars.  The ladies all bought the patterns, but a 4 are sharing it, making one table runner a piece so they needed two patterns and one group of 3 are sharing and making 1 block apiece.  A couple plan to make both table runners and each bought a pattern.

Here is my finished table runner.  All the fabric is from the Stonehenge lines. You can also get a glimpse of my obsession with colored glass bottle.  Once Christmas is over I put out my whole collection of beautiful glass for the winter season.

Other progress since I last posted primarily goes to my Insanity quilt (APIP#17)- which I am enjoying tremendously making. Todate I have completed four rows of the diamonds and almost have the 5th row done - just needs one more diamond.  I have been doing lots of planning, drawing diagrams of how the quilt goes together and designed a progression chart to keep track of how many hexagons I have sewn to the quilt top.  I don't count them until I actually attach them to the top as in the picture shown below 

Finish one start one - so I am starting a new project this morning which will be APIP#20. It is the Jasmine Bag by Katrina Hadjimichael. This is a large bag (14 1/2" x 17 1/2" x 7") and I have had the pattern for awhile now, just kept putting off making the bag.  I will be showing my Underlay Applique technique at the First Friday Guild Sewing day in September and decided to get my applique started on this bag to use as my demo.  This is a picture of the bag I pulled off Katrina's webpage. She does absolutely beautiful patterns that have EPP and Applique and I so love making her designs.  I call the Elegant Whimsy just cause that is what I see in her designs.

I I completed another quilt label (APIP#19).  A fun one to make for the Owl and Hare quilt. I used the image from the pattern sheet for the center embroidery as I though is so cute.

 I am still working a little each week on the Crochet Bright Hope (APIP#14) quilt, crocheting the individual blocks, but the picture of the crochet blocks all look the same so no need to keep showing the same picture.

I also completed my last goody bag Rotary Cutter Bag this month (APIP#16) so that is another completed project off my list.  To date I have 20 projects on my (Active Projects in Process) APIP list, of which 16 have been completed :)  Makes me happy to see completions - some small but still a finish!