2024 Studio Post #24 - Binding!

 Hooray! Progress this past week! (Though I'm posting my 7.14.24 entry on 7.16 . . . . )

I finally made my binding! I was going to try to make the bias continuous binding, but I was too intimidated and rushed. I just cut 2 1/4" strips from my fabric and "spliced" them. I could have been more careful, but I've gotten better at it.

I sewed the binding on so I could bring it to the lake. That process was a little rough, but I hope to improve as I do this more often.

At the lake, I've hand-stitched the binding to the back all along one long side and halfway across the bottom. Part of me wants to continue stitching, but I have a lot to do today before we pack up and go. Plus, my hands get sore if I stitch too long.

I'm eager to finish this quilt and get it onto our bed at home!

2024 Studio Post #23 - Baby Steps

I *finally* trimmed this quilt (still unnamed) and cut the angles on the lower corners. It's on the guest bed so I can get the bigger view and measure for making the binding (next step!).

 

This post (on 7.16.24) was intended on 7.7.24. I'm behind again . . .

Studio Post #22 - Tie Fleece Blankets

A week ago Saturday, we had a "Blanket Blessings" day at church where a group of us made fleece tie blankets to donate. People at church donated the kits and we lined them up, cut out corners, made the fringe, and tied knots. 

We completed seven in three hours. One person will get them to the ICU nurse who works with terminal patients. We want to be a blessing to people whether they know Jesus or not. I made tags to put on the blankets that have a note for the recipients.

Ruth posed for me. They were really pretty and very soft. I have some more packs of them to prep for others to finish. I hope to get into my sewing room today (7.5.24) to work on some projects!

Studio Post #21 - Five in One: I Lost a Month

 If I had blogged each week, this is how it might have looked . . . 

May 26 - Nothing. I had a bin of sewing projects prepped and packed for our twelve days at the lake. I did not, however, open it.

June 2 - Nothing. Again. Too darn busy with this, that, and the other.

June 9 - Frenzied preparation for the quilt show! I sewed a sleeve onto the back of Benjamin's Trail. I added a second sleeve (regulation directions) over the sleeve on my God Heals wall hanging. I made a second fabric quilt bag for entering my work. I worked feverishly on the 2024 Challenge which I called Morning Glory. 

June 16 - In Duluth on Monday, June 10, I finished stitching on the "leaves" of my Morning Glory and added the hanging sleeve. It was done "enough" and I hope to add the rest of the detail later this summer. The quilt show was both wonderful and exhausting. I should have lots of lovely pictures, but I'm just playing catch up on my blogging. But I had THREE things in the show this year! No ribbons, but I had THREE things in the show!

June 23 - Last week, I mostly just put away things from my MN Quilt show trip and worked. And had a grandma day. And packed to come up to the lake. I have my small hand-stitching bag with me and may work on some hexies later. I just needed to get back on track with my blogging. I hope to actually do some sewing this week so I have something more significant to post next Sunday!

Studio Post #20 - What's in a Name?

The main sewing thing I did last week was pack up all my 2024 Challenge bits and pieces to bring to the lake to work on here. It's a new week and I haven't taken the pieces out yet.

The other thing I did was brainstorm names for my queen sized quilt in process. It started out as the MQ 2017 Challenge "Go with the FLW." I've already blogged about it when I took the parts of it to the in-town retreat in January and almost finished the top. Now the top is finished AND I've long-armed it. I had fully intended to trim off the excess batting and backing, make the binding, and sew it onto the top so I could bring it with me to the lake to finish. Alas, I got too darn busy at the end of April and start of May, so it sits at home.

I have, however, come up with some name possibilities for it:

• By Committee (because I kept asking others for their opinions)
• Go Against the FLW (instead of Go with the FLW)
• Directions? What Directions?
• Make Up My Mind!
• I'm No Architect (FLW = Frank Lloyd Wright)
• Neither Structure Nor Style ("Neither Nor" for short)
• It May Be Wild, But It's Mine

 

Some people think naming quilts is pretentious. I don't care. I think it's fun. And it's easier to refer to specific quilts that way. (I don't make enough quilts to get really confused, but I still like naming them.) I didn't bring my quilt "journal" with me to the lake, but I'm curious to check and see if I've recorded all the quilts I've made and what I named them.

2024 Studio Post #19 - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Since I didn't want to blog that I did nothing, but I had an over-busy week, I went into my studio to work on my 2024 Challenge piece. I'm very excited to do this piece! (And since I've entered it in the show, I need to get going on it. I need to drop off the finished wall hanging on June 11.) No pictures until I'm done, but I cut out the two-sided interfacing to start building my tree and branches.

That was the good. The bad is . . . my iron leaked all its water out. I was surprised, but started to fill it with more distilled water. Then I noticed that the water was pouring out. I've broken my iron! It got knocked to the ground last time I used it when I was trying to access the hallway closet and the door fell off. I'm sad. I hope it's fixable.

The ugly is my studio . . . it's been a dumping ground lately. I've pulled out bins and projects and then not put things away properly. I don't know that I'll have time to straighten it up before we head to the lake.

Studio Post #18 - PJ Pocket

I was ready to make an entry that said "Nothing - again." But then I realized that I had prepped some hand sewing to bring to Saturday's MQ meeting! It's not much, but it is SOMEthing!

Two winters ago, I dropped my fuzzy red monkey PJ bottoms on the hot stove at the lake. I replaced some of the melted plastic-y fabric (yay polyester) with a piece of red fleece. But as I wore those PJ bottoms this winter, I realized that the right hand pocket was semi-singed and had two little holes in it. It bugged me.

So I took a small piece of super-fuzzy grey fleece with a lamb on it and pinned it in place. While I was listening to the presenter, I stitched it onto the icky pants pocket fabric. I did it on the inside of the pocket so I could feel the lovely softness!

Not much, but it's something!