String quilt finish

I managed to learn a new technique and finish the string quilt I began back in June of 2010! Click the link to see some block layouts I tried.

The blocks stayed in a plastic tub on my shelf, because there was no recipient slated for it, and I didn’t have a deadline. I learned that about myself, I need a deadline. I saw this post on Margaret’s Hope Chest blog, and decided the string quilt can be finished and used for this purpose. Check it out, and see if you know anyone that can help out this great cause.

String quilt complete

I am not going to write out the tutorial for Quilt-as-you-go sashing, because so many others have done it. What I would do, though, is adjust what I did so that the sashing is a bit narrower. All my great corner fabrics were hidden! I used the same fabric for front and back sashing, and at the end of cutting the strips, I had a piece left that is 2″ by about 20″. Just enough!

As I was trying a layout, I wanted the heart shape, but wanted only 5 blocks wide instead of 6 as I tried a couple of years ago. I made it 4 blocks wide and cut blocks in half as a kind of self border. I’m very pleased with how it looks!

View of the lake on a snowy January day.

Since this is my view today, I think I’ll be sewing some more! Projects recently completed include doll clothes and wool mittens, but today I’m going to concentrate on fleece vests for myself.

Hello Again!

I know I’ve been missing from the blog for several months. I haven’t posted since I finished the maze quilt top. I’m not big on making New Year’s Resolutions, but it seems this New Year means I’m turning directions again.

My husband and I moved to a new state, and we’ve been settling in, redecorating, and refurbishing the house. We are nearly finished with the changes we want to make.

I opened an Etsy store for the doll clothes I’ve made. I had moderate success up through Christmas with a few sales, and I’ll continue in that direction. I wanted to concentrate on doll clothes at least until Christmas so there was some inventory for choices.

Now I’m going to get back into some quilting again. I have to finish the maze quilt. I want to work on the barn quilt again. I want to get a lot more of the small pieces and scraps made into quilts or quilt blocks for Margaret’s Hope Chest. If more of you would get involved with this project, I would love that! Please comment if you already participate, or if you think you might in the future.

I’ll be back with photos when I make progress on these projects, soon!

Now a doll fashionista…

Oh yes, that’s me! (Can you hear me giggle?) Well, let me explain.

It started with the idea I would make doll quilts too.

Then I couldn’t resist buying an 18-inch doll. No, I didn’t go for the American Girl, but I bought a similar doll, Journey Girl. Following that were the purchases of several books of patterns for sewing doll clothes to fit her – except her waist is a bit smaller. No problem, I just went shopping for another doll, this one is a Madame Alexander, whose waist more closely resembles the American Girl.

Isn’t she sweet looking?

I’ve decided to open an Etsy store to see if the doll clothes will sell. I’ve had some sales by word-of-mouth already, and I’m looking forward to making this a cottage industry business. At least I hope it pays for the materials and postage!

My Double on Etsy.com

If you’d like to see my Etsy store, “My Double”, please click this link and browse all you want. Please pass the link along to anyone you think may be interested.

Please vote!

I have entered a quilt in a weekly themed quilt contest at Quilting Gallery, and people may vote this weekend for up to 4 favorites in the running. Mine is called Family Tree, but there are two by that name. Of course, you can vote for both (and two others) , but mine is indicated by the blog name (Quilt in Progress) and my name, Donna.

I was so pleased with it when I finished it! In fact, in making the hanging tabs on the top, I had come up with a shortcut to more easily do rolled hems, which had frustrated me no end before that!

Please go vote here, and look at the lovely examples to fit the theme: Leaves, Trees & Flowers.

New and Improved and Now In Michigan!

Yes, I’m excited. We have moved into our home in Michigan. My husband has already found a new job and is working daily, with overtime even. I’m still trying to fit everything into a house 1/3 the size of the old one.  Something has to go!

Before we left Missouri we had a garage sale and sold quite a bit. Once we arrived we found a lot more had to go and had another garage sale! Now I’ve got an ad on Craigslist, looking for a local quilting group that will use donated fabric for charity quilts. I know there is no way I can make enough quilt tops with my stash to make a dent any time soon.

I’m looking for work, and meanwhile I found a little time to work on the maze quilt. This is a baby quilt, for a player to be named later. It’s simply a design I wanted to challenge myself to make.The “entrance” is on the left, 10th row from the top, and the “exit” is on the right, 16th row from the top. Yes, a reading teacher cannot do it otherwise, left to right is the rule. I just need to make a “go” symbol for the entrance, and a goal or home symbol for the exit, and incorporate them into the border.

I am so happy to be in Michigan, and if a job doesn’t show up on my horizon soon, I’ll be happily quilting here.

 

Busy three months

I know it has been more than three months since I posted. My life has gone into overdrive.

• School ended, which meant I had to pack up all my personal belongings from the classroom to bring home, and all the rest for the summer. My teaching job has ended in favor of a big move to Michigan!
• I took online classes for enough credits to renew my long-expired Michigan teaching certificate, just in case.
• We have made two more trips to Michigan with loaded trailer: at the end of May and at the end of June. Now that most of our things are in Michigan, we know there is just too much for a small house.

I did have time to work a little bit on the maze quilt in June, posted here. I was able to get two more rows done, and work on another, before I had to pack up my whole sewing room and put it all on the trailer. Talk about withdrawal!

In March 2011 we had an auction. Here are some of my lovelies that had to sell at that time.

Several of my sewing machines

Three of the four you can spot in this picture actually ran well enough to be used daily. The one in the blonde cabinet was from 1927 or thereabouts and once it was oiled it worked very well. I’m a sucker for old, mechanical machines without electronics.

treadle

To the left of the hide you can see a treadle machine in cabinet.

treadle

Here is another treadle machine, electrified. I believe the same gentleman bought all the sewing machines.

Now I am trying to sell one more. It’s clean and a beauty, but I really have a very small sewing room where I’ll be living.

Singer 99K from 1955

My next blog post will be as a Michigan resident. I promise some updated pictures on the maze quilt soon. I’m anxious to get it completed!

Finish – the Plus Sign Quilt

I’ve been unable to find much time for quilting or patchwork in the past month. My husband and I took a 10-day trip to our future home in Michigan, and that required a couple of days of loading the trailer beforehand. We moved more furniture and belongings (even some fabric and sewing machines!) and had plenty of work to do.

Once we returned home, I knew I had to get the plus sign quilt finished. This is intended for the granddaughter due at the end of the month. I started, then started over a couple of times. I tried to stitch in the ditch, and finally I decided to do something I hadn’t seen before. I call it a stitch in the meandering ditch.

You can see the stitches in this dark patch. I could not accurately quilt a straight line and wanted to follow the color outlines. I think it worked out well.

This photo shows a floral fabric that I used for the baby’s mother’s custom pillow to use in her toe-ring business. Something for the customer’s foot to rest on while trying on rings. I love putting significant fabrics into quilts.

Now I’m on the final 7 weeks of school. I hope to find time to work on the maze quilt, though I still have the second denim circle quilt to finish. Lots on my plate!