Meryton Progress

This morning I have been working on completing the center star - one more round to go.

I also finished they York County Block of the month.  Not to interested in quilting this one, but one of my dear quilting sisters (Donna) loved it, and she is a long-arm quilter, so I gave it to her.  Another on of the UFO list :)

Meryton - A beginnng

 I have started another Katrina Hadjimichael quilt in the Jane Austin Series called Meryton.  Meryton is a fictitious town in the novel Pride and Prejudice.  This is the internet picture of Katrina's quilt.

I have started working on the center star and am thoroughly enjoying the English Paper Piecing.  Here is my work so far.  My main fabric selection is called Songbird Serenade by Moda.  I have purchased miscellaneous other fabrics that blend. 

I devised a worksheet of how I will assemble this block, which is  differently than the way Katrina instructs in her pattern. The results are the same, but I  like sewing on my hexies one at a time and removing papers as I go.  Once the hexie has other hexies attached on all sides, I remove the paper.  This way I can keep re-using my papers and do not have to cut out paper for all the hexies at one time.

My worksheet identifies what fabric will be used in the block and also shows "rounds" of each hexies,  similar to how you assemble a Grandmother's Flower Garden block.

Looking at Katrina's picture, you see the center hexagon containing the star in surrounded by a background fabric with appliques and then a petal frame.  I intend to make that entire center square with hexies and do the applique on top of the hexies.  This will take a bunch of hexies, but I think it will look perfect.  

I am also working on one of her quilts called Delaford.  I have nearly completed hand quilting this quilt and hope to have it done by the end of September.

Once upon a Christmas Time

 Finished the quilt top for the Gail Pam BOM - Once Upon a Christmas Time today.  Completed Block 6 of 6 yesterday and so glad to get it done today.  I had planned to machine quilt it with a simple cross hatch (as that is about all I do with machine quilting) but decided after finally getting the top done, to just get some with a long arm machine quilt it for me.  

The pattern calls for it to be done in all red and white/cream, both piecing and embroidery.  I elected to use multi colors.  The pattern also called for a border comprised of HST but I decided to go simple with this plaid fabric that I found and really liked.

This is block 6 of 6

Completed quilt top

Delaford Quilting, Once Upon a Christmas Time Block 5 and Clemson quilt

 Wow, that is a long title, but thought I would just do a little cattching up.

On the Delaford Quilt, I have reached the outer bird and flower block border row with my hand quilting.  There are 22 blocks in this border, and so far I have hand quilted 4 of them - it does take awhile to accomplish.   I have been tracking my time and so far I have 133 hours + some minutes in my quilting.

I am using a variety of color threads, only one of which is actually a hand quilting thread.  Its a sample of YLI handquilting thread which they sent to try out and see if I like it.  A new supplier of their hand quilting thread and I love the thread.  Unfortunately YLI told me they will only be offering it in four basic colors at first (ecru, white, black and grey) but hopefully they may have a variety of colors.  I am using this for background.  For stitching around the appliques, I obtained 30 or 25 wt threads in a variety of colors and manufacturers.  Some are Aurifil 30 wt, which the others are machine quilting threads from Coats and Clark.  I find for all of them, I have to a silicon thread treatment to keep them from freying and breaking on me.  Such a pain, I do wish someone would offer good quality hand quilting thread in a variety of colors !!!!

1" stencil I am using for the background

Thread tray

Blue bird block  - it takes me approximately 5 hours to quilt one of these blocks.

Blue Bird Back of quilt

I have also been working on the Once Upon a Christmas Time BOM by Gail Pan, completing Block 5.  I just have one more block to make on this quilt and all the blocks will be completed.  

Block 5

One stitchery started for Block 6.  The pink check is just what I call "extendors" so that the stitchery will fit in my hoop.  A great use of unused binding strips.

Then finally, a quilt top, with only the binding hemming and label yet to do.  This is for Timothy, my grandson, who will leaving for Clemson freshman year on August 15.  He will be studying to be a park ranger and the quilt backing is a panel with 63 National Parks on it.  I will show  a picture of that in another post.

Before sending to Long-Arm quilter.  Not gonna hand quilt this one.

Now to be hemmed and labeled!

Christmas Ornament Fun

 I have been working on making Christmas ornaments in May and June and just having so much fun with the embroidery and beading.

I purchased a pattern from Mary Corbet's website Needle n Thread for making Christmas Wreath ornaments and Christmas Tree Ornaments.  So far I have only completed one wreath, but I did make three of them.  Learning her method for tying the bow was a challenge, but it does make a beautiful bow.  Her patterns are all so beautiful, I am anxious to make some more of the wreaths and start on the trees.

I also discovered some fun embroidery / beading patterns of Folk Art Scandinavian Ornament pattern by Patricia Welch Designs.  She offers her patterns for sale on her etsy shop as .pdf downloads ($6 each)

Here is what I have made so far:

Once Upon a Christmas Time progress

 Spent time this afternoon prepping the stitchery blocks for Block5 and realized I never posted about Block 4, which I completed around the first of June.

Here are the blocks 1,2,3,and 4 sewn together:

And here is Block 4 all by itself

Delaford -Hand Quilting

 Finally, I am hand quilting my Delaford quilt.  I got it back from the longarm friend who basted it for me.  She does a much better job than I can manage on this large a quilt.  So the quilting began on May 31 and I am enjoying it so much.

Trying something a little different.  Using machine quilting thread or other 25-30wt thread to quilt in color around the applique, with thread that matches the applique.  I find I have to use a silicon treatment on the threads as they fray and knot when pulling through the quilt after 4 or 5 inches of quilting.

I filled out a survey from YLI and they sent me a spool of their new hand quilting thread thankfully in the color I wanted for quilting the background of the quilt.  I have started trying it out, and I do like the thread very much.  There was no fiber content label on the test spool, so not sure if it is 100% cotton or not, but I do very much like the feel, strength and weight of the thread.  So far I have had absolutely no resistence, freying or splitting of the thread.  Below is a picture of the quilting on the back as the thread shows up a little better.  On the front, I have not rinsed out the blue water soluble lines yet so the thread is not so clear.