Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Trying to keep up with whatever it is I'm working on ...

A few of the projects occupying my spare minutes over the past couple weeks.  Someday maybe I'll actually make a list and keep track of completed stages of everything being worked on, though then that would take up time that could be spent stitching ...

First, I got a good start on piecing a bed-size quilt for the not-quite-12 year-old grandson that will be the major part of his Christmas gift.  When he and his siblings last visited I sat each of them down with paper and pencil and asked them to write down 7 things they liked to do or were interested in.  This guy's list included architecture (building sets), Eiffel Tower in particular, New York City, London, and reading spy novels.  Since his favorite subject in school is math, and they are also  studying world cultures this year. I figured I had enough subject matter (and fabric pieces) for building his quilt top.  As of now nearly half of the top is constructed.  I'm using a slightly size altered version of Bonnie Hunter's Sticks and Stones pattern that can be found under the Free Patterns tab on her Quiltville blog. 

I'm building the quilt top in four sections, the upper left quadrant was completed this afternoon.


The second quadrant (upper right side) is still on the design wall.  Blocks not yet sewn into rows. Fabrics focus on city streets, buildings, lots of numbers representing his interest in architecture and math, and even one spy-related block.  Text in foreign language blocks, etc.  In hopes of keeping this masculine and "grown-up" the sashings are understated with just a bit of color pop in the cornerstones.

Fall is such a fleeting season and with the holiday season coming (sooner than I'd like)  I began quilting the first Christmas quilt that will actually remain in our house, one that has been patiently waiting in the closet since the end of February. 

Ditch quilting all 30 stars 

Do you ever ditch quilt using your free motion foot rather than a walking foot?  I've tried it a few times, and found it fairly easy to accomplish, though my limited eyesight these days prevents ditching while stitching sideways so the quilt still needs to be turned every time I pivot around these stars.  I've found it easier to focus on the needle's path when using a smaller free motion foot rather than the bulky even feed foot and so this is what works for now.   I'll stencil some holiday motifs in the blocks for FMQ in the next couple days and really hope to have both this and the grandson's quilt completed by the end of November.

I still plan to do the Almost Amish quiltalong being hosted by Lori at Humble Quilts.  After dithering about a month because my first fabric selections just didn't gel, when I started cutting all the little sashing squares for my grandson's quilt the fabric just jumped out at me and fairly screamed "use these colors!"  
And so I will.  And hopefully on Saturday if all goes well there will (finally) be about of six uninterrupted hours when this little quilt can finally be stitched.  It's a nice thought, we'll see what happens.

  
Oh yes, one more oldie-but-goodie, wondering if anyone out there also has an unfinished Westering Women top still awaiting quilting!   I finally pieced a back, marked the entire front with my largest Baptist fan stencil, layered and pinned it last week, and am whiling away my evenings in the recliner big-stitch quilting this one.  What a wonderful way to spend the evening.  Especially loving the wool batting I'm using for the first time, so easy to quilt through.  A friend had given me a partial batting a few years back, she had just cut a small piece off, and the remainder was the perfect size for this quilt.  I can hardly wait to finally finish this one, hopefully before winter is over.

This has gotten long and the hour is late, so I'll close for now.  Til next time, happy stitching!

16 comments:

Julierose said...

Love how your grandson's quilt is coming together--great fabrics...
hugs, Julierose

Debbie said...

The GS's quilt is coming together so well. Even your layout says architecture. I never liked using the walking foot in truth, so I never did a lot of ditch quilting. Only once that I remember and it was awful. I much preferred to do it with the free motion foot,too. Don't worry about perfect that way.
The hand quilting is beautiful and I can see how you can relax with it.

Barbara said...

Everything looks good. I love those colors you’ve picked out. Really pretty together. I’ve seen those Almost Amish quilts on Facebook.

Janet O. said...

I think you have made excellent choices for your GS's quilt. It really plays well to his interests and does have a masculine vibe.
You put me to shame quilting up your Christmas quilt. I have 3 Christmas quilt tops that have been finished for years and I don't even have one of them marked and basted. Every Christmas I tell myself, "Next year I will have one finished for the holiday."
Absolutely love your colors for Almost Amish--excellent inspiration fabric. :)
What a nice way to unwind at day's end. Love that Baptist Fan pattern as an all-over design.

The Tea Lady's Journal said...

Your grandson's quilt looks perfect for a young man! I'm sure he will appreciate all your love and work you put into it. Machine quilting a big size quilt is not something I have tried lately. I need to; but I just keep plugging along hand quilting my quilts. I love the Amish colors of the fabrics you picked out for the Almost Amish quilt. Keeping organized while working on quilts is not easy...I agree that time could be used quilting. ;o) I like the baptist fan template...a good choice on that quilt. Good luck on all your projects.

Chantal said...

Great job on the GS's quilt. It is very manly. It will flatter his ego for sure. I never thought of using free motion when quilting in the ditch. I'll try that next time. Thanks for the tip. And yes I do. I do have an unfinished Westering Women. It is on the "to quilt" pile, waiting for someday ... someday! ;^)

Kyle said...

Great fabric choices for your grandson's quilt. I think you can up with a good plan. I have used the free m. foot so you don't have to turn the quilt so much. It takes some practice though. Love that Baptist fan pattern!

Wendy Caton Reed said...

My you have been busy! Your grandson is a lucky boy. Love those fabrics! I'm looking forward to seeing your Amish challenge quilt. I love the colors you chose. Have fun!

Ruth said...

I also love the fabric you chose for your grandson's quilt! Sometimes I stitch in the ditch with my free motion foot, but going sideways isn't very good. I prefer to go straight forward or backward, but sometimes do it sideways very slowly. I have seen some of the almost Amish QAL and love them! I would like to make it if I have enough solids. I'll have to look. Can't wait to see the WW quilt fully quilted!!

Hill Top Post said...

There's so much to love about this post! Is this grandson the same one who designed the quilt a couple of months ago? The way you have involved the kids into the quilts is such a good thing. I love all the quilts in this post, by, my-oh-my, it's the Westering Woman quilt that I so dearly love.

Quilting Babcia said...

Thanks for your sweet comments! I only machine quilt because hand quilting takes so long, and I make a lot of donation quilts. I love hand quilting the ones I keep for us.

Quilting Babcia said...

Yes, it is for the same grandson. I would be a very happy granny if any of the grands decided to really get into quilting! I'm glad to finally be at the quilting stage with Westering Women.

FlourishingPalms said...

It's just such a nice grandma thing to do for a grandson... make a quilt. You're being very thoughtful about what you're including in it, so he will surely love it. And it's great seeing you hand quilt with wool batting. I must FMQ a quilt for our Central Florida MQG challenge, by November 11, and am thinking to use wool batting. It gives a quilt such nice dimension, and it's visible in your photo. Continue enjoying your evenings with such a nice project.

QuiltGranma said...

Wonderful post! I too love hand quilting wool batting, and love the fan quilting!

Barb said...

great post and nice to catch up with your programs. Great quilt for a young man.
Love the baptist fan quilting! looks great

Quilting Babcia said...

Thank you so much! Fan quilting is my favorite too.