Two UFOs done!

I finished two UFOs today! They are both kid-size, destined to be donation quilts.
I drafted this first one from a photograph of a quilt that I saw in a catalog. The pattern was called "Serengeti", and was easy to make. I love digging through my stash to match up fabrics that play well together.

This 2nd UFO is a string quilt. It was so fun to make & those strings are addicting! I put the red centers on skewed, instead of exactly in the center of each block.
I machine-sewed the binding down on both of these quilts. They'll be donation quilts, and that method is faster and more durable than hand sewing, in my opinion. I'm still getting the hang of it. At first, I attempted to machine-sew down the mitered corners just using pin basting, but it got all twisted and distorted, and really frustrating. Now, I hand-sew just the corners, like I would normally hand-sew binding. Then, when I machine-sew that area, the stitching goes smooth and looks nice. Definitely worth the extra effort!

I also learned, for future quilts, to find a binding
fabric that blends in better with the backing. I had to be really careful to sew the dark blue thread in just the right spot to keep it from showing on the lighter-colored backing fabric. I managed to most of the time, except for a few small areas. I think after the quilt is washed it will look better. Actually it's hard to notice, but I know it's there!






I've had TV on while sewing, listening to the 9-11 programs. The tributes are so moving and bittersweet. So many heroes emerged on such a tramatic day, often sacrificing their own lives. I only hope that if, someday, I find myself in similar situations that I would choose the heroic route.

Louise

UFOs finished to date: 5

Sewing all day

I spent most of today sewing. I sandwiched 3 quilts and sewed a pieced backing for a 4th one. It feels so good to make progress. I need to make time for these short sewing "retreats" more often.

One of the ones I sandwiched was the string quilt pictured above. I used up some thin, lower-quality muslin to foundation piece them. These blocks were fun to make, but looking at my still-overflowing string bin, I don't think I used up any of the strings! I'd also like to make a military string quilt using blue centers.

The quilt below was made around 1900. It has a hole all the way through it a few inches wide, and other area in need of repair, which was probably why it was so inexpensive. It should be easy to fix. I have a small assortment of antique scraps that I can use. I intend to applique a small square on the back the same red as the backing, nestle a little cotton batting on it, applique a small piece on the front to match the fabric, then put a few quilting stitches on it to pull it all together. If I'm careful, it should blend in just fine.

I just love these 1900 fabrics, and antique quilts really inspire me. This one has a lot of black mourning print fabric. The pattern is not simple, but it's possible. It's full of diamonds and set-in seams, so might be easier to hand piece than machine piece.

I have a few other older quilts I'll share from time to time. I keep them in my "cat free" guest room. My cats have the run of the rest of the house!

Louise

1900 String Quilt

Well, this is my very first blog post, so here goes......





Like many quilters, I possess lots and lots of UFOs. I dug an old one out today, and I think it'll be one of the next ones I work on. I started it in July 2004, in a Gwen Marston workshop at my former Guild. It's a string pieced quilt from Gwen's book, Liberated String Quilts. Gwen's creativity is inspiring and she helps to make quilting an adventure!






My quilt will be done in 1900 repro fabrics. I love the fabrics from that era.....black mourning prints, clear reds, claret reds, indigo blues, royal blue (I think it's called "cadet blue"), and of course I can't forget the yummy double pinks and the shirting prints, and some yellow and golds for a bit of sparkle!


Here's my string quilt UFO spilling out of it's box, and of course my cat (Tiger) had to make herself comfortable! So typical.

I'm proud of myself for getting this first post done and figuring out how to get the photos on the page. Hopefully, future posts will be more fine-tuned.

This has been fun!

Louise